meadow fills the void in steve that he didn't even know existed

void by the neighborhood

it was no secret that meadow henderson and steve harrington were in love. everyone knew it, and no one ever needed to stop to argue it. it was simply a fact.

after being together through some of the worst of times (you know, the inevitable apocalypse, evil monsters, the usual), the two truly developed an appreciation for the more mundane of times. the moments where they could just be together and not have to worry about any of the rest of it.

the days that they spent together rewatching their favorite movies or talking about their lives and their futures meant more to them than anything else.

"i just can't wait for our future together." steve would say, one hand behind his head and the other on her back, playing with the curls of her hair.

she would smile back, looking up at his dazed expression. "me neither."

oftentimes the only place steve would go after a shift at work would be straight to the henderson house, where they'd actually take interest in how his day went and how he was doing.

"steve!!" claudia would cheer when he'd knock on the door. "how was your day, dear? meadow's in her room, she'll be out in a moment."

and it was the routine of knowing that, no matter how his day had been, claudia would still take interest and still show genuine care for him, that made steve feel at home. he didn't always have that reassurance with his own family, and as lame as some might find it, he was so grateful to have found it with hers.

then when meadow would walk out of her room, he would stand up with eyes nearly as awestruck as the first time he'd taken her on a date. it didn't matter to him what she was wearing, she was always perfect, and she always took away his breath.

"c'mon, steve, you're drooling." she'd tease, though they both knew that she was just embarrassed by the attention.

he would laugh, and then they'd get started on whatever their mundane task for the day was. most days they were just watching movies on the couch, or hanging out with dustin, but some days they had planned dates or just hang-outs.

on one specific day, they found themselves watching teen wolf, the new movie with michael j. fox. meadow tilted her head as she looked at the screen. "okay, so i understand he's a werewolf now, or whatever, but how does that make him the hero of the basketball team?"

steve, who was fully invested in the film, looked over at her. "what do you mean? he's got powers now, and he has the strength and agility of a werewolf. so obviously he's amazing at basketball. and he got the girl and everything, too."

meadow raised a brow at him. "i didn't know you were that into the movie." she admitted.

he looked back over at her. "it's michael j. fox." he said simply, reaching over her body to grab a fistful of popcorn. "besides, you've never even played basketball." he teased, smiling over at her.

she sent him a look that he couldn't quite make out. "what is that supposed to mean?"

his eyes then lit up with a thought. "come with me, my lady." he took her hand, leading her out of the living room. "i'm going to teach you how to play basketball."

"i don't understand the point of this." meadow said as steve released his grip on her hand. he'd led her all the way into the henderson backyard, where their never-used basketball net now loomed.

"i'm going to make you an nba star." he explained nonchalantly, grabbing a brown basketball from the garage.

the girl raised a brow. "is that so?" she asked, both of her hands crossed over her torso.

steve nodded. "yes. by the end of today, my love, you will be the best basketball player in the world."

"uh-huh." she agreed monotonously.

"yes. the teen wolf of hawkins." he then set himself up in front of the net, shooting an effortless basket. "see? it isn't too hard." he smiled as he turned back to her.

meadow nodded her head. "okay. fine. teach me your stuff." she agreed, smiling as he did a miniature victory dance before pressing his lips to her cheek.

"okay," he said, one hand on the small of her back and the other on the ball, "now we're not going for perfection here, okay? so don't feel bad if you don't get anything on the first try."

"right, okay."

he then began to dribble the ball next to her, his warm breath on her neck. "see, this is dribbling." he said, looking down to make sure she was understanding.

"i know how to dribble, steve." she complained.

he laughed. "this course goes from beginning to end, okay? you have to relay the basics before you can be larry bird." he then handed the ball to her, offering for her to do the same. "the tips of your fingers, it helps you have more control over it. it's all in the wrist." he ignored her dirty-minded chuckle at this. "see, you got it! okay now let's try passing it."

steve moved away from her, crouching down. "okay, stand like this. on the balls of your feet." he rolled his eyes when she laughed. "focus, focus. in a game, you'd be trying to guard the ball from someone else, so you gotta crouch down so that you're protecting it. knees flexed, about shoulder-width apart."

she didn't say anything, but did what he said, crouched down now while dribbling the ball.

"see! okay, yeah. now send the ball to me." he caught the ball when she passed it, dropping it into the net victoriously. "you're a natural!" steve then praised, moving to press a kiss onto her lips.

"thanks." she replied, seeming bored. "are we almost done?"

he chuckled as he kissed her again, moving back to point at the net. "now you gotta shoot."

meadow rolled her eyes. "are you serious?"

"yes! make one shot in the basket and then we're done, i promise." he handed her the ball. she then made her way over to the net, looking over her shoulder at him. "okay, yes. square up. square up. okay and now-"

he stopped mid-sentence when she effortlessly made a basket, grabbing the ball and landing yet another perfect shot. at this point she was just showing off, making about five baskets in a row.

steve stood dumbfounded when she walked back to him. "what, how-"

"i used to be on a mini-league girls basketball team." she said as she handed him the ball. "but it was really cute to see you explain it all." she pressed a kiss to his cheek, laughing at the pure shock on his face.

"so you mean to tell me that we've been together for, what, two and a half years, and this whole time we could've been playing basketball together?" he asked, relishing in the sound of her laughter.

"i said i was on the team, not that i enjoyed it."

as much as they enjoyed doing fun things like that, there were also, of course, the more intimate moments where they'd talk about their deepest feelings. on one of the evenings like this, meadow was laying on steve's chest as he frowned.

"the nightmares are back." he admitted, watching as she sat up instantly, wanting to show her interest in what he had to say. "they're always the same." he laughed bitterly. "they always take you away from me, but instead of throwing you onto the floor alive, you're always gone. and you're lifeless. and there's nothing i can do, or say, you're just gone."

he was, of course, talking about their experience the summer prior with the russians. steve hadn't forgiven himself for the mere possibility that meadow could've been hurt more than she was when they'd been in separate interrogation rooms, and the idea haunted him more than he wanted to admit.

she wrapped her arms around him as he started to cry, his head falling onto her shoulder as their legs became entangled. "it's okay. i'm here." she assured him, her hands moving to run through his hair. "i know.. i know the nightmares feel so real. i know. i have them, too. but you have to remember that i am here. and we're both safe. and we made it out of that place alive."

steve nodded wordlessly, sniffling as his face pressed further into her neck. "i love you."

meadow smiled to herself as she held him tighter, pressing a kiss to his hair. "i love you, too." she said, rubbing his back. once he calmed down, they'd just hold each other. and soon, one of them would laugh, and then they'd both be laughing, making the atmosphere warm once again.

and then, like clockwork, steve would make one of his horrible jokes, and meadow would criticize him for it not being funny, but she'd be laughing so much that he knew it was a lie. and then they'd talk more and more until eventually he had to go home.

when he would reluctantly make his way down the hallway, steve would always stop to talk to claudia, and wish her a good evening, making sure that she had everything she needed. and, every time, he'd offer to run to the store if she needed anything for breakfast. she would always remind him that she was okay, and he'd make small talk with her until it was dark outside.

then he'd stand up from his chair (since he only wanted to be polite when claudia was talking, and therefore he had to sit down. no, he wasn't stalling time, he was being respectful, obviously), and meadow would follow him out to his car.

on the days when dustin was there, the two boys would do their handshake, but when he wasn't, meadow and steve would simply go to the porch where he'd lean down and grab her cheeks, capturing her in a passionate kiss.

though steve had learned that most of his typical tricks for girls were bullshit, the one he always stood behind was the goodbye kiss. he wanted her to be thinking of him all night, stuck on the feeling of his lips, just like he was on stuck on the feeling of hers.

meadow would always be the first to pull away, resting her forehead on his before leaning in for another. he would occasionally stumble back from the force, smiling into her lips. and he was always the first to say that he loved her, his smile only widening when she said it back.

and then he would go to his car, blowing another kiss to her that she would always physically catch, making him laugh. she wouldn't go inside until he had driven away, but he'd always drive slow at first to make sure she got back inside safely.

no matter what monsters or life-threatening situations the future had in store, steve knew in his heart that he would be okay. he would always be okay, as long as she was by his side. as long as she was in his life. she filled the void in him that he didn't even know existed, and she made him a better person.

steve may not have known much, but he did know that he loved her.