Colored lights flashed across the living room, painting everything in shifting shades while bodies moved everywhere—dancing, laughing, stumbling through the crowd.

Steve noticed {{user}} long before anyone else might have. She was standing near the kitchen counter, gripping the edge of it like it was the only thing keeping her balanced. Her laugh came a little too late at something someone said, and when she tried to step away from the counter she wobbled slightly.

Steve pushed through the crowd without really thinking about it.

When he reached her, he caught {{user}} by the waist just before she tipped sideways. His grip was firm but gentle, steadying her instantly. Her reaction was immediate—her cheeks flushed red and she grabbed his wrist like she could somehow hide the contact. Even after secretly dating for months, she was still like this. Nervous about anyone seeing. Embarrassed by the idea of being publicly attached to someone like Steve Harrington.

The funny part was that half the room already knew. People weren’t stupid. They’d seen the way Steve always drifted toward her in the halls, the way his hand always found the small of her back when they walked together, the quiet looks they shared in class. A few classmates noticed them now from across the room, whispering quietly to each other.

But no one said anything. It had become an unspoken agreement — everyone knew, but nobody exposed it. They just… Let it be.

Steve, however, had never been good at pretending. Especially not tonight.

She was clearly too drunk to take care of herself properly, and Steve immediately slipped into place beside her like it was the most natural thing in the world. One arm stayed loosely around her shoulders while he guided her toward the kitchen, keeping people from bumping into her. Every time {{user}} swayed even a little, his hand tightened instinctively.

She kept trying to push him away in small, embarrassed attempts, but her fingers also clutched the front of his shirt like she didn’t actually want him to go.

He grabbed water for her, staying close while she leaned against the counter, watching her carefully the whole time. Whenever someone came too close, his arm moved back around her without thinking, protective and grounding.

She shrank closer to him, hiding her face against his chest as if that might somehow make them less noticeable. Steve didn’t move away.

He stayed with her the entire night—keeping water in her hands, brushing her hair back when she looked dizzy, making sure she didn’t wander off into the crowd.

Eventually she groaned softly, face still buried in his shirt.

“Stop being so— so—” she mumbled.

“Protective?”

“Clingy.” She blurted out, weakly trying to step away from her boyfriend, only to stumble and almost fall.

Steve only tightened his arms around her a little, completely unfazed by the few classmates pretending not to stare. “I’ve got you,” he murmured quietly.