[ King Steve. It's been awhile since the title's been said out loud, everyone's gone all sorts of places since High School, the glory days. Some people even managed to escape Indiana, finding jobs or following whatever excuse they could find for ditching this small ass town.
But not Steve, not yet anyway.
But it's summer now, and people are filtering back with tales of their foreign conquests, and the idea of throwing a rager that can match the level of awesome they require starts to float around town. And who better to throw that party than the royalty of Hawkins himself, King Steve?
Steve collects what he can, amassing gargantuan amounts of liquor, cheap snacks, and frozen foods to appease and please the future masses that'll be expecting the party of a century. His parents are away, and he intends to take full advantage of it.
The day finally arrives, and the crowd starts to congregate all over the place, the pools, the living rooms, couples head to the bedrooms, things are going off without a hitch, and after a rallying keg stand, everyone remembers and respects the name Harrington, everything is right in the world for Steve.
Part of him is waiting for certain old friends to show up, Byers, Nance, Robin, hell even Henderson would be cool, anyone who knows what really happened last year. One of them will be floating around somewhere, and they'd know where he is, considering the crowd by the pool is chanting his name at max volume, drowning out the sound of music and conversation buzzing all around. He's not drunk yet, but after that keg stand it won't be long when the tipsy-ness hits him.
After he's right side up, feet on the ground again, he high fives those around him and starts mingling with the folks around him. ]
[ Nancy Wheeler has never been one to really cut loose.
Once upon a time, it had been something Steve had teased her about, coaxing her out of her shell and helping her acclimate to situations that were completely out of her comfort zone. She didn't think of herself as stuck up, at the time, but maybe she did have a stick up her ass, all that studious good girl values instilled in her wavering in the face of being a normal teenage girl. He had helped her be less tense, to live in the moment.
And then everything else had happened, and Nancy had learned all there was sometimes was the moment.
Granted, parties still aren't her scene. But when monsters and Russians aren't terrorizing Hawkins, there isn't really anything else to pass the time. There were only so many shopping trips to the mall she could stomach. Only so much stewing and pining, too.
That's why she ends up at his house, feeling like an infringing stranger, out of place in a group of people she barely fraternizes with anymore. Memories of another time, another party flooding her senses while she dodges questions about how she's doing, what she's up to. Swallowing down sour survivor's guilt and resentment, she tries to replace it with the taste of cheap beer and other spirits.
An hour in and her head is full of noise, a pleasant drowning out of everything. There's a boy whose name escapes her, whose name she doesn't actually care about dancing with her, their bodies gyrating together. This is what she needs. ]
[ Already he can feel that last keg stand coating his brain in a layer of relaxation, the thoughts and inhibitions in his head floating just out of reach of the tendrils of his mind. Yeah, it's about time he cut loose, it's been a weird year and he hasn't really processed all the shit going down, but now he's where he belongs, a party where everything is about him.
And that's when he sees her, pressed up against someone else, someone that isn't Jonathan. The blood rushes to his head, and he's hit by a moment of sober clarity, the realization that the person she's pushing herself against isn't her boyfriend means either they must not have lasted or she's pulling the same move on him that she pulled on Steve earlier. Is she always searching for someone new, something she can't have? She's already grinding against someone else, and the party had just really started. They're all at his house, she knows for a fact that Steve would be there. Does she not care?
Well then Steve doesn't care either, he swallows down the emotions threatening to blow the dam surrounding his heart, and lets more alcohol soothe any confusion/affection/jealousy away and tries to find the nearest girl he can to distract himself. Luckily there's one girl who seems to be batting her eyes at him after his latest stunt. He doesn't bother learning her name either, just gently pulls her in to dance, and she wraps her hands his neck, and he leans in to start the ancient mating ritual Steve had perfected throughout his tenure at Hawkins High.
But he can't help himself from glancing at Nancy every ten or so seconds before focusing back on what's-her-face. ]
[ Nancy isn't paying attention. She doesn't care about anything, and that's the whole point. She doesn't want to care anymore. Caring sucks, caring hurts. Caring left her broken-hearted on more than one occasion. She's never gotten to just not give a shit, not really and truly.
She just wants to be a teenage girl, dancing with a teenage boy, letting his hands wander. It's just nice to have that male attention on her, to lose herself in too-loud music thrumming through her bones and the alcohol buzzing in her system.
She doesn't notice Steve's eyes, or the partner he's dragged into his sphere. She barely remembers it's even his house they're currently at, or that he might care in the first place.
Even once she notices, recognizes there's Steve, her former boyfriend, there's just a dazed grin, half-lidded eyes that are almost vacant as she bops to the music. ]
[ Okay. This whole not caring thing isn't working if she doesn't actually notice him. And for some reason, he does care that she notices. How can she not? It's his party, and they have a history? And he's right there. But that's apparently not good enough.
No he'll have to make an entrance, get her to notice.
Part of him is curious as to why he wants her to notice, they're done right? Over. But in front of him, hips pressed against someone else, jealousy is rearing it's ugly, green head. He has to stop it, that. Make her notice him.
He steers the girl in front of him towards Nancy, smoothly dancing her over. But Nancy still isn't seeing him, seemingly too lost in the moment. So he does the most logical teenage thing he can, and bumps right into Nancy once he's close enough, hoping to interrupt whatever's going on. He breaks away from the other girl's body to turn towards Nancy and flashes her the most surprised look he can muster. ]
Oh...uhh...sorry Nance, swear I didn't see you there.
[ Hopefully she is drunk enough that that was convincing. ]
[ That works. The jostle of him knocking into her breaks through some of her carousing. Makes her aware of him. One of her arm unlinks from the nameless boy she's been entertaining for - she doesn't actually know how long. Nor does she care.
Her face lights up into a smile, lopsided and dazed, every bit of an indication that she's not really there. Nancy Wheeler has left the building. She's been gone for the better part of an hour now. Maybe that'll be a good enough for her grinding all over some guy at her ex boyfriend's house. (Not that she's connected that this is a problem, Drunk Nancy isn't that subtle or self-aware.)
She does, however, seem to briefly lose interest in her dance partner and sway over to Steve, to throw her arms around his neck and smush her mouth up against his ear. ]
Steeeve! Hey! I didn't know you were? [ Did she forget it was his party? Yes. Yes, she did. ]
[ Her smile, so pretty, but it's not how he remembers it, it's... off. Her eyes are dark, slightly glazed and unfocused, like she's staring through him.
A weird mix of emotions floods through Steve, complimenting the blood rushing around, when she immediately wraps herself around him, lips pressed against his ear. He can feel her breath against his hair as she speaks.
Her words almost seem empty, meaningless, he knows that voice, it's been a long time since he's heard it, but it's still fresh in his memories. ]
Uh, hey Nance, yeah I'm here, this is my place... [ But it's said with much less hurt than he feels, thanks alcohol. ] Are you good?
[ His place? No shit. She looks up, at his house, and it clicks. Huh. That's just slightly disorienting. For all of a moment. It's not particularly important to Drunk Nancy. (Turns out she's pretty selective about what is categorized as of import.)
Relying mostly on him to stay horizontal, she pulls back in order to look at him and cocks her head. The sincerity framed in the question, the concern, twists at her insides and lines her face. She doesn't like that line of questioning, frankly. Don't harsh her vibes, please. ]
I'm totally rad! Like. Totally. It's a party, Steve!
[ Steve's shifts his feet back slightly as both Nancy's words and weight roll against him, one of them nearly knocking him off balance. He's really hoping this won't end up like last time, especially because he's had a lot more to drink this time around.
Her words sober him up just enough to get him thinking that maybe now is a good time to hydrate. He almost feels sorry for how dry his lips were on that other girl. He steadies both himself and then Nancy, taking her shoulders in his hands, and guiding her in the direction of his kitchen, she could use some too frankly, the smell of her breath lightly burning his nostrils. ]
Hey, I need some water, c'mon.
[ Not much of a choice in the matter for her, but he doesn't think she'll put up much of a fight, and if she does, well, he's stronger and, at least in his mind, he has the moral high ground here.
Not to mention, there's almost no one in the kitchen from where he can see, and that'll give them an opportunity to be alone, for whatever the hell is about to happen. ]
a million days later but i’m back on my stancy bullshit
[ Turns out she doesn’t put up much of a fight, like he suspected, but she isn’t super pleased about being pulled from where all the action is. Kitchens are boring. Water is boring, and even wasted Nancy can sense there’s an ulterior motive behind his suggestion.
Nonetheless, she trips along. Not like she has much of a choice when he’s got his hands clamped on her shoulders.
It’s quieter in his kitchen compared to the rest of the party. There aren’t nearly as many sweaty bodies in here, save for a couple leaning against one of the counters, their heads bent close together in conversation, not bothering to pay any attention to them.
The image makes her feel a little ill. She slumps against the island, fringe in her eyes, and reaches for the closest red cup. She doesn’t need water, she needs to stay fucked up. ]
stancyyyyyyyyy, here for it. i have no idea what this is :D
[ Steve goes for another stack of red cups, small towers of them seemingly propped up in every corner of the kitchen and most other big rooms in his house.
If you're gonna throw a rager, you gotta be prepared.
But instead of filling the two cups he grabbed with PURE FUEL, he grabs some ice and turns on the faucet, filling them to the brim. That's when he notices Nance, with her own solo cup already in hand. ]
Shit...
[ Nancy doesn't seem to notice what's in the cup she's about to sip from, and Steve almost lets her go through with it but couldn't live with himself if he actually did, so he deftly swaps his cup for hers, and faces the door they had just entered from. ]
Yo, assholes. I said no smoking inside, go out on the pool deck if you're gonna do that shit.
[ A few muted "sorry"s can be heard from the other room, as Steve takes the solo cup filled with cheap whiskey and a pair of cigarette butts and dumps it in the trash with a slightly disappointed look at Nancy, but he can't hide the slight smile he gets too anticipating the look on her face when she realizes what was in it. ]
Maybe a lil water Nance, before we get back to partying hard?
[ It's not like Steve isn't drunk too, maybe not at the same level as Nancy right now, but he's here throwing this bash to get fucked up before summer ends, he doesn't want to be a buzzkill. It's not like a part of him wants to impress Nancy or anything... definitely not... ]
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But not Steve, not yet anyway.
But it's summer now, and people are filtering back with tales of their foreign conquests, and the idea of throwing a rager that can match the level of awesome they require starts to float around town. And who better to throw that party than the royalty of Hawkins himself, King Steve?
Steve collects what he can, amassing gargantuan amounts of liquor, cheap snacks, and frozen foods to appease and please the future masses that'll be expecting the party of a century. His parents are away, and he intends to take full advantage of it.
The day finally arrives, and the crowd starts to congregate all over the place, the pools, the living rooms, couples head to the bedrooms, things are going off without a hitch, and after a rallying keg stand, everyone remembers and respects the name Harrington, everything is right in the world for Steve.
Part of him is waiting for certain old friends to show up, Byers, Nance, Robin, hell even Henderson would be cool, anyone who knows what really happened last year. One of them will be floating around somewhere, and they'd know where he is, considering the crowd by the pool is chanting his name at max volume, drowning out the sound of music and conversation buzzing all around. He's not drunk yet, but after that keg stand it won't be long when the tipsy-ness hits him.
After he's right side up, feet on the ground again, he high fives those around him and starts mingling with the folks around him. ]
slides whatever this is into your dms
Once upon a time, it had been something Steve had teased her about, coaxing her out of her shell and helping her acclimate to situations that were completely out of her comfort zone. She didn't think of herself as stuck up, at the time, but maybe she did have a stick up her ass, all that studious good girl values instilled in her wavering in the face of being a normal teenage girl. He had helped her be less tense, to live in the moment.
And then everything else had happened, and Nancy had learned all there was sometimes was the moment.
Granted, parties still aren't her scene. But when monsters and Russians aren't terrorizing Hawkins, there isn't really anything else to pass the time. There were only so many shopping trips to the mall she could stomach. Only so much stewing and pining, too.
That's why she ends up at his house, feeling like an infringing stranger, out of place in a group of people she barely fraternizes with anymore. Memories of another time, another party flooding her senses while she dodges questions about how she's doing, what she's up to. Swallowing down sour survivor's guilt and resentment, she tries to replace it with the taste of cheap beer and other spirits.
An hour in and her head is full of noise, a pleasant drowning out of everything. There's a boy whose name escapes her, whose name she doesn't actually care about dancing with her, their bodies gyrating together. This is what she needs. ]
its perfect is what it is.
And that's when he sees her, pressed up against someone else, someone that isn't Jonathan. The blood rushes to his head, and he's hit by a moment of sober clarity, the realization that the person she's pushing herself against isn't her boyfriend means either they must not have lasted or she's pulling the same move on him that she pulled on Steve earlier. Is she always searching for someone new, something she can't have? She's already grinding against someone else, and the party had just really started. They're all at his house, she knows for a fact that Steve would be there. Does she not care?
Well then Steve doesn't care either, he swallows down the emotions threatening to blow the dam surrounding his heart, and lets more alcohol soothe any confusion/affection/jealousy away and tries to find the nearest girl he can to distract himself. Luckily there's one girl who seems to be batting her eyes at him after his latest stunt. He doesn't bother learning her name either, just gently pulls her in to dance, and she wraps her hands his neck, and he leans in to start the ancient mating ritual Steve had perfected throughout his tenure at Hawkins High.
But he can't help himself from glancing at Nancy every ten or so seconds before focusing back on what's-her-face. ]
blushes, this is smol sry
She just wants to be a teenage girl, dancing with a teenage boy, letting his hands wander. It's just nice to have that male attention on her, to lose herself in too-loud music thrumming through her bones and the alcohol buzzing in her system.
She doesn't notice Steve's eyes, or the partner he's dragged into his sphere. She barely remembers it's even his house they're currently at, or that he might care in the first place.
Even once she notices, recognizes there's Steve, her former boyfriend, there's just a dazed grin, half-lidded eyes that are almost vacant as she bops to the music. ]
its smol yet juiiicccyyy i will accept this
No he'll have to make an entrance, get her to notice.
Part of him is curious as to why he wants her to notice, they're done right? Over. But in front of him, hips pressed against someone else, jealousy is rearing it's ugly, green head. He has to stop it, that. Make her notice him.
He steers the girl in front of him towards Nancy, smoothly dancing her over. But Nancy still isn't seeing him, seemingly too lost in the moment. So he does the most logical teenage thing he can, and bumps right into Nancy once he's close enough, hoping to interrupt whatever's going on. He breaks away from the other girl's body to turn towards Nancy and flashes her the most surprised look he can muster. ]
Oh...uhh...sorry Nance, swear I didn't see you there.
[ Hopefully she is drunk enough that that was convincing. ]
no subject
Her face lights up into a smile, lopsided and dazed, every bit of an indication that she's not really there. Nancy Wheeler has left the building. She's been gone for the better part of an hour now. Maybe that'll be a good enough for her grinding all over some guy at her ex boyfriend's house. (Not that she's connected that this is a problem, Drunk Nancy isn't that subtle or self-aware.)
She does, however, seem to briefly lose interest in her dance partner and sway over to Steve, to throw her arms around his neck and smush her mouth up against his ear. ]
Steeeve! Hey! I didn't know you were? [ Did she forget it was his party? Yes. Yes, she did. ]
no subject
A weird mix of emotions floods through Steve, complimenting the blood rushing around, when she immediately wraps herself around him, lips pressed against his ear. He can feel her breath against his hair as she speaks.
Her words almost seem empty, meaningless, he knows that voice, it's been a long time since he's heard it, but it's still fresh in his memories. ]
Uh, hey Nance, yeah I'm here, this is my place... [ But it's said with much less hurt than he feels, thanks alcohol. ] Are you good?
no subject
Relying mostly on him to stay horizontal, she pulls back in order to look at him and cocks her head. The sincerity framed in the question, the concern, twists at her insides and lines her face. She doesn't like that line of questioning, frankly. Don't harsh her vibes, please. ]
I'm totally rad! Like. Totally. It's a party, Steve!
no subject
Her words sober him up just enough to get him thinking that maybe now is a good time to hydrate. He almost feels sorry for how dry his lips were on that other girl. He steadies both himself and then Nancy, taking her shoulders in his hands, and guiding her in the direction of his kitchen, she could use some too frankly, the smell of her breath lightly burning his nostrils. ]
Hey, I need some water, c'mon.
[ Not much of a choice in the matter for her, but he doesn't think she'll put up much of a fight, and if she does, well, he's stronger and, at least in his mind, he has the moral high ground here.
Not to mention, there's almost no one in the kitchen from where he can see, and that'll give them an opportunity to be alone, for whatever the hell is about to happen. ]
a million days later but i’m back on my stancy bullshit
Nonetheless, she trips along. Not like she has much of a choice when he’s got his hands clamped on her shoulders.
It’s quieter in his kitchen compared to the rest of the party. There aren’t nearly as many sweaty bodies in here, save for a couple leaning against one of the counters, their heads bent close together in conversation, not bothering to pay any attention to them.
The image makes her feel a little ill. She slumps against the island, fringe in her eyes, and reaches for the closest red cup. She doesn’t need water, she needs to stay fucked up. ]
stancyyyyyyyyy, here for it. i have no idea what this is :D
If you're gonna throw a rager, you gotta be prepared.
But instead of filling the two cups he grabbed with PURE FUEL, he grabs some ice and turns on the faucet, filling them to the brim. That's when he notices Nance, with her own solo cup already in hand. ]
Shit...
[ Nancy doesn't seem to notice what's in the cup she's about to sip from, and Steve almost lets her go through with it but couldn't live with himself if he actually did, so he deftly swaps his cup for hers, and faces the door they had just entered from. ]
Yo, assholes. I said no smoking inside, go out on the pool deck if you're gonna do that shit.
[ A few muted "sorry"s can be heard from the other room, as Steve takes the solo cup filled with cheap whiskey and a pair of cigarette butts and dumps it in the trash with a slightly disappointed look at Nancy, but he can't hide the slight smile he gets too anticipating the look on her face when she realizes what was in it. ]
Maybe a lil water Nance, before we get back to partying hard?
[ It's not like Steve isn't drunk too, maybe not at the same level as Nancy right now, but he's here throwing this bash to get fucked up before summer ends, he doesn't want to be a buzzkill. It's not like a part of him wants to impress Nancy or anything... definitely not... ]