Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Warm water drips from the pan as Steve hands it to Dustin. He takes it from Steve, grasping the handle and rubbing the hand towel across its surface to dry it. His mom had cooked a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner for them. The least they could do was clean up afterwards. He throws the towel over his shoulder before putting the pan away in the cabinet beside the oven.

Dustin turns around, watching Steve from behind as he washes the casserole dish. The wet towel on his shoulder is screaming to be used for more than just drying dishes. He grabs it and takes aim, snapping it at Steve’s ass.

Steve yelps and turns quickly, throwing water at Dustin.

Dustin laughs as water hits his shirt. But Steve’s not done, he’s coming towards him with wet hands outstretched. He smears them across Dustin’s face and down his neck.

They’re both giggling now, determined to get each other back. Dustin takes advantage of Steve’s close proximity and wraps his arms around Steve’s waist, pushing him up against the counter.

Dustin grins up at him, but the air is sucked from his lungs when he realizes how close their faces are. He doesn’t have time to think. Can’t let go and back away. Can’t shrug it off like so many times before.

Because this time, Steve leans down and presses a kiss to his lips. It’s feather light, like a quiet question neither of them had dared to ask until this moment. Steve looks down at him, an uneasy fear in his eyes. Dustin answers by pushing up onto his tip toes and slotting his lips with Steve’s.

He can feel the relief flood through Steve’s body as he relaxes into him and their lips move together.

“Are you boys almost done?” Claudia says, her footsteps echoing closer.

They spring apart and retake their places at the sink as she steps into the kitchen.

“Yeah, mom. Just a couple more.” Fear and excitement swirl together in Dustin’s chest. That had been a close call. He did not want his mom to find out that he was bisexual by walking in on him kissing a guy.

“Alright, I’ll get the movie ready,” Claudia says.

Dustin glances over at Steve, meeting his eyes. Steve gives him a small smile, and Dustin grins back at him. They will definitely have to talk about this later. For now, they finish their task, letting their shoulders brush and their fingers tangle.

Steve pulls up outside the Wheeler’s house with Robin in his passenger seat. It looks like everyone else is already there from all the cars parked in the driveway. He grabs the chips and dip they brought for the Christmas party and follows Robin up the sidewalk.

Nancy answers the door and immediately pulls Robin up the stairs without even acknowledging him. Steve shakes his head with a smile and goes to the kitchen to deposit the food. Those two have gotten very close since they moved away for college. Steve’s just glad they have each other.

Steve greets the parents who are there before slipping downstairs to find Dustin. He pads down the stairs quietly, pausing at the bottom when he sees Dustin’s head thrown back in laughter, his gorgeous neck on full display. Joy radiating from him.

He wishes he could sit down and put his arm around Dustin’s shoulders. Wishes he could kiss him. But it’s still so new–only three weeks since they first kissed. They’re not ready to share it yet, so he sits in the chair and pretends like everything is the same as it was a month ago.

He catches Dustin’s eyes from across the room, smiles and gestures subtly with his head, raising his eyebrows in question. Dustin must understand because he excuses himself and disappears up the stairs.

Steve waits a minute before following him. Dustin is milling around in the kitchen waiting for him. Steve walks up to him. Everyone else is totally occupied with food and other people. “Want to get some fresh air?”

They exit through the side door. Steve doesn’t think anyone even noticed. It’s cold–their breath fogs up in front of them and lazy snow flurries drift through the air. They walk through the backyard and down into the cover of the trees.

Steve grabs Dustin’s hand and spins him around into his arms, wrapping him into a tight hug. He buries his nose in Dustin’s hair, breathing him in.

Dustin chuckles, “Have you missed me?”

“Yes! Two whole days without seeing you is too long,” Steve mumbles into his hair.

Dustin pulls back slightly to look up at him, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “You been thinking about me a lot?”

Steve looks at him intently and nods.

“Good. Cause I’ve been thinking about you too. Thinking about kissing you.” Dustin takes a step away from him. “Thinking about your big hand wrapped around both of us.” Dustin takes another step back. “Thinking about that blowjob you promised me.”

Steve surges forward, pinning Dustin to the trunk of a tree and capturing his lips in a kiss. Dustin meets him, sucking on Steve’s bottom lip. They move together so seamlessly. Steve tilts his head to deepen the kiss, licking into Dustin’s mouth.

Every time they’ve been together in the past few weeks, Steve gets caught up in the intoxicating pull of Dustin.

He kisses down the column of Dustin’s neck, staying gentle so that he doesn’t leave any marks.

“Fuck. Steve, we–we should stop.” Dustin’s fingers thread into Steve’s hair. “We’ve got to get back to the party.”

Steve groans and lets his forehead fall against Dustin’s shoulder. “You should come home with me after the party.”

Dustin huffs a laugh. “I think I can arrange that.”

When they go back inside, no one seems to have missed them. No one questions where they were. Steve can’t wait for the evening to be over so he can take Dustin home and make good on that promise.

Dustin blinks awake in the warm cocoon of Steve’s arms. Weak light filters through the curtains, like the sun is barely peeking over the horizon. He smiles and nuzzles closer to Steve, ready to fall back asleep.

The front door clicks shut, and reality smacks Dustin in the face. They are in his bed at his house. And his mom just got home. Fuck. He shoves Steve’s shoulder to wake him up, putting a finger against his lips to tell him to be quiet.

Dustin gingerly steps onto the floor and grabs both of their shirts. He throws Steve’s shirt to him, and Steve puts it on. He doesn’t seem to be comprehending what’s happening, though, so Dustin carefully pulls out the trundle, grabs his pillow and a blanket, and gets into the trundle bed himself. It’s fine. It would make sense for him to sleep there if Steve stayed the night, right?

He lies there, staring at the ceiling and makes himself take a couple of deep breaths. It’s fine. It’s fine. It’s fine. Everything is fine.

The handle of his door turns, and his mom pushes it open just slightly. Dustin looks at her. She smiles and waves but doesn’t linger. Just backs away and closes the door quietly.

He looks over at Steve sleeping peacefully, sprawled out across his twin bed. Dustin rolls his eyes. At least one of them can wake up quickly. Fuck. What if his mom had walked in and seen them shirtless, cuddling in bed together?

Dustin’s heart hammers away in his chest. There’s no way he’s getting back to sleep now.

Dustin sits down beside Will at the lunch table and yawns.

"Sleepy? What'd you do, stay up all night studying again?" Lucas asks.

Dustin yawns again and shakes his head. "Stayed at Steve's last night. We watched a couple new releases and stayed up too late." He really should feel bad about not telling the whole truth to his friends, and he had at first! Now, it's just second nature. He's always got an explanation planned. And he’s not lying! He’s just not being completely honest.

"Are you not eating? Where's your food?" Will asks.

Dustin holds up the brown paper bag. "Going to see what Steve packed for me first. If it sucks, I'll go get a tray."

Dustin dumps the contents onto the table: an orange, a bag of chips, a sub, and a folded blue piece of paper. He snatches the paper up quickly and unfolds it close to his chest.

Dustin feels his cheeks heat as his heart gallops in his chest. It's so Steve to include a note with his lunch.

"What's that?" Max asks.

Dustin looks up at her and folds the note back up, trying to act nonchalant. "It's umm...just a note from Steve reminding me to return the movies after school."

It's a good thing he's a quick thinker. Everyone accepts the answer easily. It felt like a close call, though. If anyone had grabbed the note before him or taken it, it would have been all too obvious.

That evening, Dustin calls Steve.

"Hello, Harrington Residence."

"Someday you've got to break that habit. You sound ridiculous," Dustin says. He's lying in bed, staring up at the ceiling.

"It's just second nature! My mom trained me to say that since I was like three!"

"I know. I know. Speaking of habits you need to break, though...I got the note."

"What does that have to do with a habit I need to break?" Steve asks.

"Anyone could have seen it! We're supposed to be keeping this a secret!"

"I didn't sign my name. No one would know it was from me."

Dustin sits up, twirling the cord around his finger. "I had literally just said that you packed my lunch, and then the note fell out of the bag. Pretty sure they're all smart enough to put two and two together."

"That is not my fault. I just want to do nice things for you!"

"You do plenty of nice things for me. You just--you've got to be more careful for now."

"Ok. Ok. No more notes in lunch bags," Steve grumbles.

Dustin picks up his pillow to pull the pillowcase off and sucks in a breath when he sees a familiar blue paper that must have been hiding under his pillow. He picks it up and unfolds it.

Dustin reads over it twice more, feeling a flutter in his chest. He can’t help his giddy smile. How is this his life? Steve Harrington is leaving sweet notes for him under his pillow.

He tucks it into the shoebox in the top of his closet. Inside, there’s the Polaroid of them kissing. The other note. Movie ticket stubs. Steve’s class ring. The collected pieces of their secret life together.

Dustin picks up the ring and slips it onto his finger. Someday he’ll be able to wear it outside of his room. Someday they won’t feel the need to hide anymore.

Steve is lying on the couch in the Wheeler’s basement, throwing a foam ball into the air and catching it over and over as he listens to the nerds play their fantasy game. It’s actually pretty fun to listen to the story of the game, but he would never admit it to any of them.

They’ve been there for over an hour when Mike declares he needs a bathroom break. Steve sits up, hoping to chat with the rest of them for a few minutes.

Lucas leans into the table conspiratorially. “Dude, did you ask Jennifer to prom?”

Dustin runs a hand through his hair. “No, I–”

“Why not, man? She likes you. She ‌said that she wants to go to prom with you. It’s a done deal!”

Steve freezes, his eyes going wide as his heart races in his chest.

“I don’t really even know her,” Dustin replies, fidgeting with his dice.

Steve’s brow furrows. That’s not a good excuse for not asking someone out. The whole point is so you can get to know them and see if you’re compatible. Fuck, how will he get out of this without rousing suspicion?

Mike comes back into the room and sits down at the table.

“So talk to her at school on Monday! Get to know her a little and then ask her to prom,” Lucas says.

“Maybe he doesn’t want to go with a date. He could just go as friends with Mike and Will,” Steve says.

Dustin shoots him a warning look. Shit, maybe he should have just kept his mouth shut, but he doesn’t want Dustin to go to prom with anyone but him, and that’s not really an option.

“What the hell, Steve?” Lucas throws his hands up in the air. “You of all people should be encouraging him to get out there and ask a girl on a date!”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Steve scoffs.

“I think Lucas just means that you have dated quite a few girls,” Will says, clearly trying to keep the peace.

“No, he really just means that Steve’s a slut,” Mike laughs.

“Hey! That’s totally uncalled for!” Dustin yells.

“Maybe you should listen to your friend when he says that he doesn’t want to go out with someone he doesn’t know,” Steve grouches back at them. Why the hell are they suddenly trying so hard to get Dustin to date, anyway?

Max shrugs. “I think you would like her if you gave her a chance.”

“Alright, alright. I’ll talk to her on Monday, but I’m not committing to asking her to prom,” Dustin relents.

Steve slumps back into the couch, his stomach roiling at the entire exchange. Dustin better not ask her to prom.

The others get back to their game, but Steve can’t stop thinking about Dustin going to prom with the pretty girl he can show off to people. Someone his mom could take pictures of him with and feel proud. Someone who could give him that normal high school prom experience. Someone he could create memories with in the open where everyone can see.

He feels heavy with the guilt and jealousy warring in his chest.

Dustin grabs his lunch bag from his locker and bangs the door shut. It’s felt like a long day already. He heads to the cafeteria, smiling and nodding to the girl his friends keep trying to get him to ask out when he passes her. He doesn’t stop, just goes straight to their usual lunch table and sits down beside Max.

He unzips the lunch bag that Steve bought him a couple of months ago. Steve always packs a lunch for him when he stays the night on school days. The food’s nothing fancy, but it beats the cafeteria. Lying right on top inside the bag is a folded blue note.

Max snatches it before Dustin can even react. His heart is in his throat as she opens it. Fuck. Why’d it have to happen at school? He’d told Steve not to put notes in with his lunch.

“Hey! This is addressed to all of us.” Max reads the note aloud.

“Since when was Steve so sentimental?” Lucas asks.

Dustin shrugs and takes the note back from Max, breathing a sigh of relief. It didn’t give them away.

When he looks at the note, it seems messy, with some letters darker than others, like Steve’s pen had been running out of ink. He puts it in his pocket and does as instructed, enjoying his lunch and the company of his friends.

Only later, when he pulls the note back out before his next class starts, does he take note of which letters are darker. l….o….v.…e….y….o….u

Love You, the secret message hidden for him in the note.

Dustin smiles to himself, feeling warm and content as he puts it back in his pocket.

The warm spring air ruffles Dustin’s curls as he drives down the road with Steve in the passenger seat beside him, belting out “Like a Prayer.” Dustin laughs and shakes his head, joining in on the chorus.

A few minutes later, Dustin pulls off the road and drives through a field before parking behind some trees. He’s never seen anyone else here but doesn’t want to invite curiosity by leaving his car in the open. They hop out and go around to the trunk where Dustin has two backpacks full of everything they’ll need. Dustin hands one to Steve and takes the other for himself. Then he grabs his small boombox and shuts the trunk.

“And what do we have in here?” Steve’s hand goes for the zipper of his backpack.

Dustin swats his hand away. “No snooping. Just wait until we get there.”

The sun dips lower as they walk up the hill to Weathertop. Driving most of the way was far superior to the time Dustin hiked for hours with his friends to get there and build his radio tower. Steve takes his hand, linking their fingers together as they walk.

“Remember when we came up here to collect all your radio equipment?” Steve asks.

“Yeah, of course.”

“I didn’t tell you then, but I was pretty fucked up after the Russians. I’d had a couple of really bad days when you called and demanded that I bring you here.”

“Sorry about that. I guess I was a bossy kid,” Dustin says.

Steve laughs. “I won’t argue with you about that, but you really helped me that day, making me get out and actually do something. I remember watching you take apart your antenna and just wondering how the hell a little curly haired genius who was four years younger than me had become my best friend.”

Dustin hums. “I’ve always felt like we just clicked.”

“Yeah. We really did.” Steve pauses and pulls Dustin toward him. “And now I get to look at you and wonder I got so lucky that my sexy genius best friend became my boyfriend.”

“Sounds like you’ve got some good luck.” Dustin smiles and takes a step closer, pulling Steve down to kiss him. Even though Dustin doesn’t want to, he keeps the kiss quick.

They finally make it to the top of the hill, both breathing harder than he would have expected. Pinks and purples paint the sky as the sun sets. The light breeze feels nice after the steep walk. They take the backpacks off, and Dustin sets the boombox on the grass.

Dustin unzips the backpack that Steve carried and pulls out the blanket. He unfolds it and spreads it out on the ground. He grabs the other blanket from the backpack and tosses it on a corner of the other.

“You can sit down if you want to,” Dustin says. Butterflies dancing in his belly. It’s not that he feels nervous to be with Steve. It’s really that they haven’t been on many actual dates. Anything they do in public needs to look like just two friends hanging out. It feels different to have planned something and to be outside of Steve’s apartment.

Steve sits on the blanket while Dustin hits play on the mixtape in the boombox and grabs the other backpack. He sits down across from Steve and pulls out two thermos containers of soup and a loaf of sourdough bread.

“Hey, Dust.”

“Hmm?”

Steve scoots closer and puts a hand on Dustin’s knee. “Thanks for planning this. I’m sorry that…that we can’t really date like everyone else. I should’ve thought to plan something like this.”

Dustin shrugs. “It’s ok. We won’t have to keep it secret forever. And you aren’t the only one who can be romantic. I can too.”

“Oh, this is you trying to romance me?” Steve teases.

“Yeah, is it working?”

Steve chuckles. “You know it is.” He closes the gap between them to peck Dustin on the lips. “Now tell me true, did your mom make this soup or is it from a can?”

“What? Why are those the only two options? Maybe I made it!”

“Did you, though?” There’s that tinge of sarcasm in Steve’s voice.

Dustin scoffs. “My mom made it yesterday! There were leftovers. I couldn’t let it go to waste.”

“Uh huh…and if there hadn’t been?”

“Fine. I would have used canned soup, but so what? It’s not like you’re an amazing chef.”

Steve tears off a piece of bread and dips it in his soup. “True, but I can do more than reheat things.” He makes a pleased noise and continues talking with his mouth full of food. “I do love your mom’s cooking, though. Maybe we should ask her to give us some lessons.”

“I bet she would get a kick out of that.” Dustin scoops a spoonful of soup into his mouth.

“Do you…do you think she’ll be ok with us being together?” Steve’s staring down into his thermos, moving the soup around with a spoon.

“You know she supports gay people.”

“Yeah, but what if it’s different when it’s her own son? Or what if she doesn’t like me being the guy you’re with?”

Dustin sighs. They always circle back to the worrying. They can go days, even weeks sometimes without talking about it, but it’s always there in the back of his mind. “My mom loves you. And I know she loves me…I…I think it will be ok.”

Steve chews on his lip anxiously and tears off another piece of bread.

They’ve discussed Steve’s own parents. He’s pretty sure they’ll disown him when they find out. He still doesn’t quite trust Claudia’s unconditional love for both of them. It’s just not something he’s used to.

Dustin doesn’t want to think about it tonight. He just wants to enjoy a lovely evening with his boyfriend. They can stay in their own private bubble and be happy together. They don’t have to deal with the outside world’s opinions yet.

“Hey.” Dustin nudges Steve’s leg with his foot to get Steve to look at him. “We don’t have to worry about this tonight. Let’s just enjoy our date.”

A sad smile stretches across Steve’s face, and he nods. “It’s really beautiful up here.”

“Yeah, I’ve always liked coming up here. And just wait for it to get darker, the stars are amazing.”

Steve finishes his soup and stretches out on his side while he munches on another piece of bread. Dustin’s eyes rake over him, catching on his exposed hip where his shirt has ridden up. He’s so tempted to abandon his plans and crawl on top of Steve. Push his shirt up and kiss down his belly. Tease him until he’s begging for more.

“What’s on your mind?” Steve’s grinning like he knows exactly what Dustin was thinking.

“I’m thinking that I want to dance with you,” Dustin says instead of giving into the fantasies.

“Can’t Fight This Feeling” has just started playing. Dustin stands up and holds out a hand to Steve. He levers himself up and holds Dustin’s hand as he leads him to the grass.

“I know you were…upset the other day when Lucas was trying to get me to ask that girl to prom. But you’ve got to know, you’re the only person I would want to go with.”

Steve draws Dustin in close to his chest. Two hands clasped. Dustin wraps one hand around Steve’s neck while Steve’s other hand rests on his waist. Steve kisses his curls as they sway together.

“You know, I heard this song last year when we were driving somewhere and kept wondering if I could ever do that–stop fighting my feelings and go all in with you. Take that chance,” Dustin says.

Steve laughs. “I remember that day because I was thinking the same thing.”

“Only took us a few more months.”

“At least we got here eventually.” Steve presses a warm, soft kiss against Dustin’s lips.

Dustin opens his book and finds a blue piece of paper pressed between the pages. He opens it, already knowing who it’s from.

Dustin bites back a grin as he stuffs the note into his pocket.

Dustin puts his key into the lock and turns the handle, pushing open the door to walk into Steve’s apartment. He’s met with the tasty aroma of garlic. Is Steve cooking? He pushes the door closed behind him and toes off his shoes.

As he rounds the corner, he sees the table set with a tablecloth, plates, silverware, and even candles. It all looks so nice.

Steve enters the dining area carrying a bowl of pasta. His eyes light up when he sees Dustin. “You’re right on time!”

“What is all this?”

Steve bites his lip and shrugs. “I wanted to do something nice for you, and we can’t really be us when we’re out in public. I can’t really take you on a date to Enzo’s, so I thought I’d do by best to recreate it here.”

Dustin grins. “Well, aren’t you romantic! Can I help with anything?”

“No, just wash up, and we’ll get started.”

Dustin heads to the bathroom down the hall to wash his hands. He feels giddy. Steve really took the time to plan all of this for him. Sometimes it can feel like they aren’t really a couple because they have to hide it. But moments like this make it really feel like they’re dating.

Dustin sits down at the table while Steve lights the candles and puts a cassette in the radio. He dishes out the spaghetti and meatballs and grabs a slice of garlic bread.

When he looks up, Steve is watching him, the candlelight dancing in his hazel eyes. His expression is soft and open. He looks so gorgeous. Dustin abandons the food and pulls Steve in for a deep kiss. In no time, Steve is straddling his lap, licking into his mouth. Dustin groans and wraps his arms around Steve to grab his ass. It’s intoxicating, being this close, kissing like this.

Steve trails kisses along Dustin’s jaw and down the column of his neck.

“Couldn’t do this at Enzo’s,” Dustin pants.

A laugh rumbles from Steve’s chest, and he leans back slightly. “No, we could not. We should eat before the food gets cold.” He gives Dustin one last quick peck on the lips and stands up.

Dustin’s eyes rake up and down Steve’s body. “Fine. We’ll hit pause for now.”

Steve sits in the seat across from Dustin and gets food for himself.

Dustin takes a bite of the meatball. “Hey, this is good!” He says in mock surprise.

“You know I can cook some things!” Steve protests.

Dustin grins and continues to exclaim about the food as if he’s surprised that it tastes good. Steve just rolls his eyes and plays along, acting annoyed.

When they finish eating, Steve says that he has another surprise. He comes back with a cheesecake and a wrapped gift. He hands the box to Dustin.

“Go on, open it,” Steve encourages.

Dustin unties the ribbon and tears the wrapping paper off. When he opens the small box, he sucks in a breath. It’s a simple long silver chain with Steve’s class ring on it. He looks up at Steve. “Wait…how did you–”

“I snuck into your house today and got the ring. I know you like wearing it when you can. I thought this way, you could wear it most of the time. You can just hide it beneath your shirt.”

“I, um…thanks,” Dustin swallows down the thick feeling in his throat. “I really like it.” He puts the necklace on and touches the ring hanging on his chest. “This is perfect.”

They walk casually side by side towards the parking lot, arms brushing. At the last second, Dustin grabs Steve’s sleeve and pulls him behind the equipment building.

“I am officially a high school graduate!” Dustin says.

“You sure are, but what are we doing back here?”

Dustin hooks his fingers in Steve’s belt loops and pulls him closer, pressing their bodies together and angling his head up expectantly. “Thought my boyfriend would want to congratulate me properly. I worked so hard to be valedictorian after all.”

Steve leans in and gives him a quick peck before looking around to make sure they were alone.

“No one else is here. Give me a real kiss, baby,” Dustin whines.

Steve rolls his eyes. “Can’t this wait until we’re somewhere safer?”

Dustin shows Steve his best pout and shakes his head.

“You’re trouble.”

Dustin meets Steve halfway, wrapping a hand around his neck and standing on his toes.
Steve kisses him deep and slow, like they have all the time in the world.

Dustin hums in satisfaction. “I’ll see you later tonight?” He whispers against Steve’s lips.

“Come find me when you’re done with your nerd game.”

Dustin laughs and pushes Steve away. “I know you know what it’s called.”

“Hmm…is it dice and demogorgons?”