Happy for you

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/39495930.

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Category: F/M
Fandom: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Relationship: Steve Harrington/Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Robin Buckley & Steve
Harrington, Steve Harrington & Dustin Henderson, Steve Harrington &
The Party
Character: Steve Harrington, Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Robin Buckley, Dustin
Henderson, Nancy Wheeler, Jonathan Byers, Will Byers, Mike Wheeler,
Lucas Sinclair, Eddie Munson
Additional Tags: Age Difference
Series: Part 4 of Max and Steve's Secret
Stats: Published: 2022-06-07 Words: 1672

Happy for you

by nataliaromanovabarnes

Summary

"Why didn't you tell me?" Dustin asked softly; Steve looked at him, confused. "About
Max"

"I still wasn't sure what was going on," Harrington replied. "No one knew."

"You don't trust me?" Dustin questioned, trying not to show his sadness.

Steve still didn't understand the situation. He stood protectively in front of Max, using his body as
a shield to keep the prying eyes off the redhead. She was static, holding the end of her shirt in her
hands for fear that it would ride up, which would embarrass her even more. Harrington took a good
look at Max's expression before trying to understand his friends' different reactions.
Robin had sat on the couch, trying futilely to draw the group's attention to the new TV in the living
room, Will sat on the back of the sofa, apparently too tired to think about anything. A few feet
ahead, Jonathan, his gaze mirroring his brother's fatigue, just watched the half-naked couple
seriously.

Steve's gaze fell on Lucas; he looked a mixture of anger and disappointment, breathing heavily,
being held up by Dustin, somewhat concerned about his friend's possible reactions. Harrington was
worried about Henderson's response; they had become best friends, talking about anything and
everything, he had taken care of him as if he were his brother, and now, Steve was caught sleeping
with one of his party friends.
Dustin stared at his older friend without saying anything, just nodding his head, enough to make
Harrington shudder; Max stroked his back, trying to tell him that he was with him no matter what.
Near the kitchen stood Mike with his arms crossed, his mouth twisted in a mixture of surprise,
confusion and disgust, something similar to what he did when he found out about Steve's affair
with his sister, which made Harrington wonder about her reaction. Nancy was standing in front of
him, her clear eyes staring at the bowl of fruit on the table, still deciding the best way to resolve
the situation.

"Maybe you guys should take a shower before we explain the situation," She suggested after a
brief silence.

Max moved his head in agreement, looking forward to anything to get out of that room, walking in
quick steps up the stairs. Steve followed her example; when he reached the upper floor, he noticed
that she was taking a shower in the bathroom of his room. He grabbed a change of clothes and
walked to his parents'.
Steve broke his record, taking the fastest shower in years; after he was dressed, he walked to his
room to get his sneakers when he heard the sound of the shower turned on.

"Max, is everything okay?" He asked fearfully, opening the door slowly when he got no answer.

The redhead was sitting under the shower, the previously hot water dripping cold on her back; Max
was curled up with her head resting on her legs; Steve walked over to her, turning off the shower,
forcing her to raise her eyes to face him.

"Are you crying?" Steve asked worriedly, staring into the redhead's eyes, using his hand to dry the
tears that insisted on falling.

"That's not how I wanted them to find out," Max muttered, putting her hands over her eyes.

"I know, I know," Steve agreed, picking up a towel and placing it over the redhead's body. "Can
you walk? Because I'd love to carry you." He asked, kneeling beside her. The redhead put her arms
around the older man's neck, too tired to complain, as he led her to the bed.

Steve turned so she could dry herself, leaving a t-shirt and sweatpants nearby on the nightstand as
he combed his hair.

"I don't want to go back there. Can I stay here?" Max asked, her blue eyes saddened.

"Don't worry about anything. I will take care of it," Steve promised, kissing her forehead. "Maybe
your help will be needed later," He said, watching her nod weakly.

Harrington walked down the stairs, seeing the group gathered around the kitchen table; they
watched him for a few seconds, looking for the figure of the redhead.

"Max will be down later," He supplied, opening the refrigerator to grab a water bottle. "So, what
happened?"

"Eleven was kidnapped," Nancy stated.

"What do you mean?" Steve asked how a young girl with superpowers could be kidnapped.

"We don't know what happened, only that she wasn't home" Nancy explained.

"But she was alone? I thought with Hopper's marriage to Joyce; she was always going to have
someone with her"
"They're on their honeymoon," Jonathan said tiredly, staring at the floor with a guilty look. "I
didn't see when they took her," Byers explained, all the melancholy of '83 going through his mind.

"And what are we going to do?" Steve asked anxiously.

"We find a connection to the kidnapping; an abandoned house outside of town," Robin spoke up,
pulling out a copy of the property's floor plan.

"Do we have a plan?" Harrington questioned hopefully.

A horn sounded, causing him to jump to the side. Dustin walked to the door, going to open it.

"Did I miss much?" Eddie Munson asked, seeing the group already gathered.

"Something," Lucas muttered.

Eddie shrugged, placing a bag on the table.

"I brought the flashlights I found; I also have a crowbar in the car just in case." He explained,
handing out the equipment. " Where's the redhead?"

Before the group could think about the answer, Max came downstairs wearing a change of clothes
she had left a few days ago: a pair of jeans combined with a red T-shirt and an all-star.

"Sorry it took so long; what did I miss?" She asked, approaching the table, stopping beside Steve,
holding his hand under the table.

Harrington felt Lucas' eyes on his head, watching his every interaction with the redhead. As Nancy
went over her findings, opening the state map on the table, Dustin picked up his compass to help
with the location.

*****

"So, are we going to break into a property in the middle of the night?" Steve asked, following the
group out of the house.

"It would be suspicious to do a break-in in daylight," Robin replied.

" And not at night?" He retorted, watching his friend roll her eyes.

"How are we going to work out the logistics of cars?" Jonathan asked, counting the number of
people.

"My truck seats nine; if we squeeze in, we can fit everyone," Eddie suggested, gesturing to the
vehicle.

Nancy agreed, turning around to sit in the front seat, map in hand. Robin pulled open the back
door, distributing the centers: the luggage compartment was occupied by Steve, Dustin, and
Jonathan, who leaned his head against the window, closing his eyes. In the middle seat were Will
and Mike, leaving a vacant space for her. Finally, in the front seat were Lucas and Max, each
looking at a window.

Since the property was in another city, the drive would be long; Mike, Will and Robin didn't take
long to fall asleep, following Jonathan's advice to rest while they could.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Dustin asked softly; Steve looked at him, confused. "About Max"

"I still wasn't sure what was going on," Harrington replied. "No one knew."

"You don't trust me?" Dustin questioned, trying not to show his sadness.

"What? Of course, I do. Henderson, you're my best friend." Steve stated, holding his shoulder. "I
just... I don't know..."

"Is it because I asked for tips on her when I was younger?" Dustin suggested. "Did you think I'd be
upset?"

"I honestly hadn't stopped to think about that," Steve confessed. "Sorry."

"I'm not upset; I just wish my best friend would tell me about his relationship," Henderson
commented, fiddling with his compass. "It was kind of traumatizing, opening the door and seeing
that scene."

"Shut up, Henderson," Steve ordered, lightly pushing his friend's shoulder, who laughed.

"No, wait, try to understand my side; you're like my older brother," Dustin continued. "And no one
wants to see their brother and a friend fuc..."

"Dustin!" Steve complained, feeling his cheeks burn.

"Oh, you've turned red." He pointed out, laughing.

Harrington rolled his eyes, waiting for Henderson to finish laughing at his situation.

"I'm glad we're okay," Steve commented, watching him agree.

"You know I would never judge anyone you wanted to date, only if it was something really weird,"
Dustin said, pausing to think. "I think your biggest concern is Lucas and Nancy. Since Jonathan
seems too tired to understand what happened and the others don't care."

"I'm reassured," Harrington commented with irony in his voice.

"Imagine if Billy were here, you'd be screwed." Dustin pointed out. "He would break a lot more
than your face."

Steve said nothing, wondering how Max's situation was going. He didn't realize that the redhead
and Lucas were having a similar conversation.

"You know, it's a shock to know that you and Steve are together; no, I guess seeing was more of a
shock." He commented, getting a slap from the redhead in response. "Ouch"
"It's okay, sorry," Lucas said, rubbing his hand where it hit, "How heavy your hand is."

"Want to try it again?" Max suggested, raising an eyebrow.

"No, thanks," He replied, raising his hands in a sign of surrender. "You know, it's weird, but I'm
happy, not happy, but happy for you."

The redhead stared into her friend's eyes, seeking confirmation in them.

"Max, you deserve to be happy, and if Steve is one of the reasons, who am I to go against," Lucas
stated, holding the redhead's hand.
"Thank you," She whispered.

"But, if he thinks about hurting you, I won't be responsible for the damage to his face." He said,
causing the redhead to shake her head in disbelief.

"Thanks for the concern, but if he does something bad," Max spoke up, turning his head to see
Steve and Dustin talking. "I think I can handle myself."

Lucas followed the redhead's gaze. "Maybe, I should warn him to get away while there's still
time."

Max rolled her eyes, laughing. She was calmer; she knew they were going on a new adventure to
find Eleven, making her anxious. But at least she knew her friends wouldn't judge her for falling in
love.

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