my girl, forever and always || steve harrington

trick or treat, freak

part three

steve had driven to his house so that they wouldn't disturb dustin and claudia at this hour. his parents were out of town on business as per usual and a quiet house was very much needed. they laid on the couch with lydia in a fetal position pressed against his chest. after three straight hours of sobbing, she was able to choke out a sentence.

"h-he cheated on me, s-stevie." her voice was shaky and her words were still slurred together.

"what? with who?" steve was going to kill him. he was sure of it. when he saw him tomorrow morning, he was going to kill lawrence matthews. 

"s-steph." she choked before sobbing again. she balled up his shirt in her hands and buried her face in his chest. the pain she felt in her heart was overwhelming. it was like someone had taken all the oxygen from her lungs and no matter how much air she took in, it was never enough. it would never be enough.

steve held her and wrapped his legs around her body, rocking back and forth as he stroked her hair. he could smell the alcohol on her, but there was also the comforting scent that never failed to put him at ease. the smell of vanilla and coconut mixed with strawberry shampoo that he associated with her smile. a smile that was currently nonexistent. he wished that he could do more to help her right now but he didn't know what to do. he sang softly and slowly and to his surprise, her breathing began to slow.

you can tell everybody, this is your song. 

it may be quite simple but,

now that it's done.

i hope you don't mind,

i hope you don't mind,

that i put down in words,

how wonderful life is while you're in the world.

soon, her sobs were reduced to sniffles. and although her grip on his shirt was still tight, she could breathe again. she used the sleeve of her shirt to wipe her cheeks and nose and listened to steve's heartbeat to try and steer her mind away from painful thoughts. after a few minutes of rocking back and forth, steve spoke up.

"do you want to go change?" his voice was so soft that she almost didn't hear him but she nodded and stood up. however, it had slipped her mind that she was still trashed and immediately fell back onto the couch. "do you want me to carry you?" he chuckled lightly. slightly embarrassed but too drunk to care, she nodded and held her arms out. steve leaned down and she draped her arms around his neck and interlocked her legs behind his back while he wrapped his arms around her. he carried her up the stairs to his room with ease and gently set her on the bed. 

after handing her one of his sweaters and a pair of sweatpants, she muttered a thank you before stripping down right in front of him. steve was a little taken aback but he knew that she was probably too intoxicated and heartbroken to care. lydia had gotten the sweatpants on but the sweatshirt got stuck on the top of her head which caused her to wiggle around and whimper in frustration. steve nudged off his jacket and helped her by tugging on the sweater a little so that her head was no longer stuck. taking notice of a few stray tears that ran down her cheeks, steve cupped her face and used his thumbs to wipe them away. he pressed a kiss to the top of her head, then on her forehead, and finally her nose. her hands rested on his forearms, the sleeves of the sweater engulfing her arms. she is so precious, is all steve could think. he couldn't understand how anyone could ever hurt her, and he would be damned if he ever let it happen again. lydia lightly squeezed his arm before crawling into his bed and tucking herself in. 

"hey, lydi," she looked up at him from under his covers. "i didn't get to scare you, but i think the universe has already thrown enough at us tonight, yeah?" his voice was gentle with an uplifting tone, despite their situations. he quickly changed into a long sleeve and a pair of pajama pants and crawled in next to her so that they lay face to face. lydia sniffled and did her best to wipe away her tears before tucking her hands under her head. it was only then that she finally got to look at her friend. her vision had started to clear up and she saw his tear-stained cheeks and the redness on his nose.

"what's wrong?" she asked quietly. steve blinked back a few tears.

"nance, she-uh, she doesn't um, she doesn't love me." his voice was reduced to a whisper and he stifled a sob. lydia cupped his face with one of her hands and caressed his cheek while she looked sadly at the boy. she moved closer to him and pulled him into a hug, letting him cry into her shoulder. rubbing his back and running her fingers through his hair, the brunette hummed 'lonesome town' until his cries ceased and his breathing slowed. before she knew it, she felt herself falling asleep. the last thing she heard was a muffled 'i love you' before drifting off.