prettydamngood | (no subject)

(no subject)

Steve loves the beach. He loves it in all weathers but he particularly loves it when it's hot, when he can spend the whole day there, with a magazine, with soda. He spends most of the day sprawled out on a blanket on the sand reading or napping but, when he wakes up, he feels hot and sweaty, hectic, and it's definitely time for a swim. He leaves the majority of his stuff on the sand and he plunges into the water, submerging and swimming until he starts to feel comfortable in his skin again.

He wades out, shaking water from his hair as he goes, only realising after he's done it that that's potentially antisocial. He pushes the heavy weight of his hair back from his face and grins at whoever he just splashed.

"Shit, man," he says. "Sorry."

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"Totally Hopper," says Steve, grinning. "I mean...I suppose we could talk about people I've kissed, but you're pretty much the only person I hang out with on the regular."

"Yes, let's," I chirped. For some reason, it was much easier to talk about who Steve was interested in, as opposed to my own non-existent love life or his interest in me. I liked to think I might have a part in him getting together with someone, too. Maybe too many rom-com movies over the years.

"Who've you got your eye on?"

"You're heard about Neil and Elio," he points out. "Shit, you were there for Elio. It's not that exciting." He lets his head drop for a moment. "I was talking to a girl before you got here, but, I talk to you all the time, so that means nothing."

"I mean, I would hope it was a little exciting for you," I counter, teasing.

"But a girl? What's her name?"

"Yeah, okay," he says, rolling his eyes. "It was a little exciting. Neil was definitely a little exciting." He takes a sip of his coke. "Veronica. She was at Ellie's party."

"Oh." My eyes widened a little bit. "Veronica."

I had seen Veronica. I hadn't had a chance to really talk to her yet but, yeah. She was... hard to miss.

"What?" says Steve, both eyebrows raising. "What's that look for?" He nudges her again. "Jealous?"

"No," I scoffed instantly, brushing off his nudge. Because it wasn't that.

It was intimidation. But I wasn't about to say that either.

"Just... wow, she's pretty kind of look."

"Oh, shut up. You're gorgeous." Steve rolls his eyes. He doesn't say her to flatter her; he says it like a statement of fact. "But, yeah, she's pretty hot."

"I'm pretty. She's, like, sophisticated. She wears tiny capes." I don't say any of this like it's a bad thing. I appreciate anyone who can pull off capes, as long as they're not bad people.

"Yeah, but there's no way I'm going to be able to like, sleep over on her floor and eat pizza watching shitty movies," he points out. "That's all you, Lane."

"I'm confident in my position in your life," I said cheerfully.

"No matter what happens, I know we'll always have that."

"You're confident in my position on your floor," says Steve, grinning when he says it, fumbling through his stuff to find his shades and slip them on. "Damn straight. You're stuck with me, Lane." He nudges her with his shoulder again, which is as close as he ever gets to hugging her unless she goes first.

I grinned over at him, then started to wiggle my toes in the sand, enjoying the feeling.

"Hey, so... I guess you should know, or whatever. I'm not trolling for anything. But my birthday's coming up."

He smirks at her, watching her wiggle away like that.

"Totally not trolling," he says, grinning. "So. You want a party?"

I gave him a narrow-eyed look because I definitely was not. I just knew this was the kind of thing that a friend would give me crap for if I didn't say anything.

"I was thinking about it," I admitted. "I don't know, though. I'm gonna be 18. I guess it should be a big deal, right?"

"Fuck, yeah, it should be a big deal," says Steve, sitting up, pushing his shades up onto the top of his head. "A huge deal. We definitely need to mark the occasion."

Maybe it's part of being an investigative journalist, one who hides and then brings stories to light, but I've never sought out the spotlight. Still, it's hard not to get caught up in it.

"All the drinking, at least."

"All the drinking. And a band, maybe? Definitely jello shoots." He flops back down on his blanket. "Oh, shit. We should have a bounce castle, right? And costumes."

"Oh my God," I laughed. "You're insane, you know that? The good kind of insane, but still."

"You love me," says Steve, and he's confident in that fact, no matter what else is going on with them. "And I would love to throw you a birthday party. Down here on the beach?"

"Well, it would definitely fit a bouncy castle," I said. "And I guess people would just have to pick appropriate costumes."

It was like every kind of birthday party rolled into one. I thought, why not?

"Yeah," says Steve, nodding. "I mean, if you want to do something more chill, we can totally do that too."

"No, no." I lifted my hands up in playful mock surrender, like I had nothing to do with this.

"This is totally in your court, Harrington. I trust you. Whatever you think is good, goes."

"Dangerous," says Steve, but they both know he'll do his best for her. They both know he'll figure it out, because she's too damn important to him for him to not. "What else are we doing today? You got anything planned?"