Archive of Our Own ^beta

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It was an early, quiet, night and Eddie was dreadfully bored. The Family Video Store was still open, but not for long. He spent a few minutes debating if he would make it before closing, before deciding if he didn’t make it he’d be right behind Robin, and that was just as good. He snatched the keys to his van from the coffee table and headed outside. As he was driving, he listened to the mixtape Max had made him. The kid didn’t want to admit it, but she and Eddie had a silent bond since both of their.. near death experiences. Eddie didn’t want to think about that right now though, the night was young and he was determined that tonight was a night he wanted to enjoy. 

Eddie made it just before the Video Store was closing. He strutted through the doors dramatically, he plastered an exaggerated face as if he was expecting applause. Of course, he wasn’t. And, of course, he didn’t get any. What he did get, was a big grin from Robin, and a very confused, Steve Harrington, both of them behind the employee counter. 

Eddie, of course, was shocked at the sight. He hadn’t known Steve worked here. I mean, he had seen Steve around, but only ever thought he was a customer. Steve never seemed like he did much work. 

Attempting to hide his shock, Eddie said, “Well Well, if it isn’t the one and only, King Steve.” 

Steve replied with a slight scoff, “No one’s called me that since High School, Munson. You decided to come at a particularly inconvenient time. Since we’re nearly closed”. 

Munson. His last name rang through his head, over and over again. The way Steve had said it sent chills down Eddie’s spine. His heart sank and his stomach knotted. Munson. Steve had enunciated every right sound to make Eddie want him to say it forever, if that was the only word he ever heard leave Steve’s mouth, Eddie would be content. But he could only relish in the sound of his name leaving Steve’s lips every so often. They weren’t exactly friends, mostly only talking because of their mutual connection to Robin. Eddie had nothing against Steve, that was apparent, but Steve would never hang out with someone like Eddie alone; that was Very Apparent. Eddie got the feeling that Steve wasn’t too comfortable around him, and there were plenty of possible reasons for that, Eddie chose not to think about them. 

“Hello,” Robin said, drawing out the ‘o’ sound in hello before continuing, “earth to Eddie. Did you come by for any particular reason or were you just eager to see me?” 

Eddie snapped out of his previously trance like state, his already brief daydream cut short, “Oh um no, no reason really. I just thought you might know about anything we could go do. maybe you'd been keeping a party from me or something.” He said, slightly distracted but attempting to make the other two forget that he had completely checked out not even a minute ago. 

Apparently it worked, because both Robin and Steve shared a smug look. Well, Robin’s look was smug, Steve’s was more unsure. 

“How did you know? That is exactly what I was doing, only because it’s one of Steve’s highschool friends’ parties. I didn’t think you’d be too open to going. We’re heading there after we close up”. Robin said with her usual playfulness, looking over at a .. flustered? Steve. No. It couldn’t be that, no way Steve   “ The Hair '' Harrington, got embarrased over not inviting Eddie of all people to a party. 

A wide-eyed grin spread across Eddie’s  face, seizing the opportunity anyways, he said,  “Well how could I pass that up? I was never invited to one of those in highschool..” Eddie glanced towards Steve (whose face was reddening by the second) before continuing “..My life wouldn’t be complete without having experienced a popular party”. He finished by popping the ‘p’ and ‘t’ sounds in ‘popular party’. Before looking over to gauge Steve’s reaction, feeling like he got the point of ‘I was the freak you never even wanted to look at’ across to Steve. 

Steve let out a nervous laugh and held the back of his neck with his hand, “You’re welcome to come, you know, if you want to.” 

Eddie responded with a satisfied smile, “Of course I want to go, I wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to spend time with you, Stevie.” And it was true. He did want to spend time with Steve. He knew it was risky, and he knew Steve probably wouldn’t want to hang around him, but if he got the chance, Eddie was going to spend every second he could trying to get Steve Harrington to like him.

Chapter Text

Eddie followed Steve and Robin to the party in his van, since Robin couldn’t drive and she was already planning on riding with Steve. Eddie assumed they’d got there early, since The Family Video only closed at 8:30, and it didn’t take the three of them very long to get to the house. For being early, there was already a surprising amount of cars in the driveway and a few were sprinkled up and down the road. Eddie thought maybe he really was missing out by not having been to a party like this before, guessing only from the turnout he saw. Of course, he had been to a party before, he’d actually been to many. But, they were all small, limited to maybe 30 or so people attending at a time, coming and going as they pleased. 

As Eddie stepped out, peering at the large house in front of him, he estimated at least 80 people were here, taking into account that most people would’ve carpooled. His eyes widened a bit as he walked towards Steve and Robin, trying to hide his slight nerve so as not to worry them. The three walked into the loud music and cramped entryway. Evidently, Vickie had decided to come too, Robin instantly going to start a conversation. Eddie didn’t blame Robin, she and Vickie had been dating for a few months now, and he was happy that Robin was getting the relationship she deserved. In her leaving however, she left Steve and Eddie alone. This was what Eddie wanted, but the air around the two was noticeably uncomfortable, seeing as they had never really got the chance to have a just them conversation. Eddie stopped himself from thinking that. There was no ‘them’, they just had a mutual friend, Robin. 

Steve spoke up first, “Well we’re here, we should start the night right and get drinks”. He said before walking towards what Eddie assumed was the kitchen. Eddie accepted the invite for drinks and followed Steve, trusting that he knew this house better than him. 

They ended up in the kitchen, Eddie not knowing how. The people standing around didn’t help either, but Eddie followed closely behind Steve, not wanting to get lost in this maze of a house. The kitchen was less full of people, which was a relief to Eddie. Considering most had already gotten their drinks when they arrived, now only a trickle of people were entering and exiting, refilling their drinks and going back out to talk with people or dance. Steve grabbed two beers, handing one to Eddie as he walked back over. Eddie opened the bottle and immediately took a drink. Like he decided earlier, he was going to enjoy tonight. That definitely wasn’t going to happen if Eddie didn’t get drunk. 

“Thirsty, Munson?” Steve said, taking notice of Eddie’s action. 

Eddie smiled and took another drink before saying, “That’s what I came here for Stevie”. 

Steve feigned offense, “And here I thought you actually wanted to spend time with me”. 

Eddie looked at Steve, making eye contact with the man, “That’s what you get for thinking, pretty boy.” He said mindlessly. 

Shit. Was Steve Harrington the type to be called pretty? Of course, Eddie thought Steve was pretty. Eddie thought about their time in the Upside Down. thinking of the way Steve looked shirtless, every hair on his chest seemingly falling perfectly. Eddie thought about the way he threw Steve his vest because he was afraid if he looked any longer, he would get a look of disgust and a punch to the face. He played it off, as he is always able to, but the fear that went through him for that split second, the worry that anyone except Robin would notice, was enough for him not to want to risk looking. 

It was that same fear that went through Eddie as soon as the words ‘pretty boy’ left his mouth. He braced for impact, thinking, this is it. Steve Harrington is never going to want to be around me again. But to his surprise, Steve just laughed, possibly as an attempt to hide the slight red tint that flashed over his cheeks, but it didn’t work. Eddie took note of the reaction, wanting to see it again. The two fell into a comfortable silence as they sipped their drinks next to each other. The muffled sound of music coming in from the other room. 

Not too much later, Eddie was considerably drunk, but not yet wasted, when he heard a Tears for Fears song come on. He recognized it as Head Over Heels, but he would never admit that to anyone. 

“Oh. My. God. I love this song,” Steve said, getting up from the counter they’d been leaning on, grabbing Eddie's wrist and pulling him up too. Eddie, who was mid-drink, widened his eyes and quickly downed whatever was left of the beer. He knew the touch meant nothing to Steve, it was just another way to get Eddie’s attention. To him, though, the grab was much more. He felt wrong to think that way, knowing Steve didn’t feel the same, but he couldn’t help it. The second Steve’s hand made contact with Eddie’s wrist, his heart was fluttering. He decided to blame that on the drinks. Eddie Munson’s heart did not flutter. 

Soon, the two were in the midst of a group of people. Steve was dancing and singing along to the song. Eddie didn’t think Steve was drunk, at most he was a little tipsy. He’d only had two drinks and he put the second one down halfway through to come and dance. That meant this was just Steve acting however he wanted to act. Eddie admired that, even though he would definitely tease Steve later for liking Tears for Fears. No. He had to stop thinking that way. There was no later. This was a one time thing, that happened by accident because Steve happened to be working when Eddie went to see Robin. Nothing more would come of their short lived friendship, they were not each other's crowd. That was the end of it. 

Eddie decided to let Steve enjoy himself while he went and got another drink. If the music taste here continued to be what it had been, he’d need it. He took his newly opened beer and wandered back to where Steve had been. Except when Eddie got back, Steve wasn’t there. He looked around, figuring the man couldn’t have gone too far. Eddie hadn’t been gone that long. Had he? The song had changed, but it was nearly over when he left, and there was no telling how many songs had played since that one. 

Suddenly, the lights started to flicker. Eddie looked up, the ceiling was oozing with some sort of slime. Not real , he thought to himself, attempting to blink the hallucination away. The lighting turned blue and the walls around him began swarming with slimy vines that looked like tentacles. His breath started to quicken. In the distance, he heard the faint chirps of bats, although they were becoming nearer every second. Not real, that world is gone. He said aloud this time, in a whisper so the people around him wouldn’t hear. That’s when he noticed the people around him. He felt every pair of eyes in the room, on him. They were all shouting various insults at him. 

“Freak” 

“Murderer” 

“Queer” 

“Loser”

And much worse, but thankfully, Eddie couldn’t keep up with all the words they were shouting at him. He knew nobody was looking at him, and he knew the words were not really being shouted at him, but he also knew they would ring in his mind when he got home, just as he was about to fall asleep, he would remember every word they called him. He started to fidget with his rings. He needed to get out of this room. He needed to be away from these people. Eddie knew he wasn’t in a state to drive, he had to run. He had to get himself to the nearest empty room. 

Eddie walked as quickly as he could without startling anyone around him, and without stumbling. Although he was hardly focused on the people around him, he was mostly focused on finding a door to a room that was unoccupied. His steps felt heavy, like he was walking on glue. The lighting was still dim and blue but he knew if he could hide he could calm himself down, get himself back. He was so focused on how hard it felt to walk that he ran into someone. 

Eddie started to let out as best as a “Sorry.” that he could before using the walls for support to walk away, but he was cut off by Steve’s distorted voice, “Woah, Munson you don’t look too good. Miss me too much?” Steve said it with a smile, but when Eddie looked up at him, panic in his eyes, the smile quickly faded. Steve could see that something much more intense was wrong. 

Steve grabbed Eddie by the shoulders and led him to the nearest bathroom, finally , he thought, before looking up at Steve. Eddie didn’t know if it was really Steve, everything still had slime oozing from it, the walls still sticky and jello-like. 

“Shit Eds, sit down, you’re way too wobbly to be standing”, Steve said, still distorted, like he was far away, but it sounded like there was genuine care behind his voice. Eddie decided this was the real Steve. But now he needed to figure out how to get both of them out of this world. He knew it couldn’t possibly be real but his brain wouldn’t listen. It was convinced. 

Eddie responded between breaths, “Can’t – sit. Need out. The floor–” He knew it wasn’t much to go off of, and he felt pathetic standing in front of Steve Harrington, having a panic attack and barely able to get a sentence out. 

Steve’s brows knitted together. Eddie could tell he was trying to figure out what the choppy sentence meant. The response he came up with was, “You’re okay, I’m here. You’re safe I promise,” and then he asked, “Is it okay if I touch you? It usually helps me if I can feel something real. And I’m here, and trust me Munson, I’m real.” 

Eddie smiled weakly at that before nodding his head yes. Steve reached out and hugged Eddie; tight. Steve squeezed so hard Eddie thought that might be the reason for his lack of breath. Eddie closed his eyes, leaned into the hug. He couldn’t hug back because Steve was trapping his arms, but Eddie was okay with that. He felt safe with Steve there, embracing him. Eddie kept his eyes closed just a second longer, he didn’t want to open them and still be in the place he was. Eddie also wanted to remember what Steve smelled like, so he took a moment to engrain that into his brain too. When Eddie pulled away, which Steve was seemingly waiting for him to be ready to, he opened his eyes and saw the yellow-ish bathroom lights. Eddie knew he was back, he knew he was okay. His breath slowed, and he wiped his eyes that he hadn’t noticed had gotten teary. 

“Sorry,” Eddie said, sniffing any leftover shaky breath, or tears, or snot, away. “That probably wasn’t how you imagined this party going. I didn’t imagine it going this way either.” He finished, forcing a laugh out. 

“You have nothing to be sorry for, I get like that too, and you kinda got thrown into that whole world with no warning. Trust me, I understand what you’re feeling, Munson.” Steve replied, and then continued, “I don’t think you want to stay here after that, do you?” He looked at Eddie with those big brown eyes that Eddie saw so much of in the Upside Down. 

Eddie felt terrible for worrying Steve so much, but responded with a small smile, “No I don’t,” he and Steve made eye contact and Eddie broke it, realized something, “But if you or Robin aren’t ready to go I can wait around, I’ll be okay if you guys want to stay a bit longer”. 

Steve responded quickly, “No, I was actually looking for you when we ran into each other. Vickie is taking Rob to stay over at her house, but Vickie’s ride had already left and.. We know how Robin is with driving, so I gave Vickie my keys and said I’d get the car back later” Eddie couldn’t imagine letting someone borrow his van without his supervision, but he guessed that was just one of the many differences between him and Steve. 

“Does that mean you expected me to drive you home? I hate to break this to you, Harrington, but I am still in no state to drive.” Eddie felt himself getting more comfortable and being able to talk like him again. Steve looked away from Eddie, his cheeks tinged peek. Eddie had found another nickname he liked, 2 in 1 night that had to be a record somewhere. 

Steve replied, “No, I don’t expect you to do that, I knew you were probably in no better shape than when you left earlier. I figured I could drive us both to my house and you could sleep there.”

Eddie sighed a sigh of relief, he hadn’t wanted to go home, not after tonight. That spot in his trailer would have kept him up all night, he couldn’t deal with the nightmares on top of what had already happened tonight. 

Eddie looked at Steve, his gaze softly demanding Steve look back, Eddie said, “Are you asking me to stay the night with you, Stevie?” He knew the reaction he would get from Steve, he wanted it. He wanted to see the man blush and panickedly look away. He wanted to watch Steve try his best to keep himself together, and still fail. Eddie thought it was cute, how the smallest things got Steve all worked up. He’d noticed it before, but convinced himself that no, he was just misreading things. Tonight he got to confirm a few things, that even if Steve wasn’t like that, Eddie could still get him worked up. That was enough for Eddie at the moment. 

Eddie kept staring, even when Steve looked away. When Steve gained the composure to reply, he said, “You don’t really have much of a choice, do you?” Now Eddie was the one blushing, eyes wide and looking away, trying to reason with himself. That no, they weren’t flirting on the bathroom floor of Tommy Hagan’s house. That this was just what friendship with Steve looked like. He decided he liked friendship with Steve. 

The drive home was mostly in silence, a comfortable silence, though. Once they got to Steve’s house was when Eddie realized he hadn’t prepared for this at all. He didn’t have pajamas, or a toothbrush, or a change of clothes, he had nothing. 

Eddie mentioned this to Steve as they were walking in, and Steve just said, “Don’t worry, I have everything you could possibly need.” And they walked through the front door. Eddie was trying to be quiet, they were out pretty late and Eddie didn’t want to be the one to wake Steve’s parents up. Steve seemingly noticed this and let out a small, airy, laugh. When Eddie looked at him, confused, Steve said, “You don’t have to sneak around, my parents aren’t here.” 

Eddie let out a breath he hadn’t known he’d been holding, and said, “We should get ready for bed. We’ve had a big night. At least I have.” Eddie smiles, a big goofy smile, attempting to make light of the earlier situation. 

It seems to work because Steve leads Eddie up the stairs and to his room, smiling the whole time. He lends Eddie a pair of pajama pants and a tight sleep shirt, Eddie almost mentions the way it clings to his skin, but thinks better of it. Steve changes in the bathroom and comes out in boxers and a big shirt. Eddie wishes he could take a moment to admire the man, but knows it would be taking a step too far into the deep end. He finds the extra toothbrush Steve told him about, in the bathroom and gets ready for bed. 

As Eddie starts to head downstairs to sleep on the couch, Steve grabs his arm, stopping Eddie in his tracks. 

“Where are you going?” 

“Um, to sleep?” Eddie replies as if the question was not in need of an answer. 

Steve pauses for a moment before responding, “You can sleep in my room.” He says, not able to look at the other man. Eddie feels his stomach knot, the butterflies coming to life. 

“On the floor? No offense Harrington, but I’d much rather sleep on the couch than on your bedroom floor, even if it meant missing out on precious time with King Steve”. Eddie teased, ignoring the fluttering feeling in his stomach.

Steve’s eyes widened, while color filled his cheeks, “No no, I meant.. with me, I mean if you want. You can always sleep on the couch if you want. I just thought it might be more comfortable to have a bed. I don’t know, it was stupid to even offer.” 

Eddie doesn’t say anything to this. In fairness, he doesn’t really know how to respond to the straight man offering to let Eddie sleep in his bed. He knows Steve isn’t thinking like that, though, so he walks with Steve up to his room. 

The two lay in Steve’s bed, turned toward each other. Their eyes are drooping and heavy, but Eddie knows he can’t sleep. His brain won’t let him. He turns to face the opposite direction of Steve, and as he closes his eyes, Eddie feels a warmth around him, like a blanket but more. He opens his eyes for a split second to see Steve’s arm wrapped around him. The moment feels unreal, Eddie relaxes into the touch, letting himself indulge in just this one small thing. As he closes his eyes to sleep, feeling much calmer than before, he thinks about how he, Eddie freaking Munson, is being held by King Steve Harrington. They both fell into a heavy, dreamless, sleep.

Chapter Text

When Eddie wakes up, it’s to an empty bed. Of course it is. Eddie was stupid to think that anything different could’ve happened. Steve was just offering a friend a more comfortable sleeping arrangement, nothing more. Eddie was nothing more than a friend to Steve. He knew that. 

Eddie pulls the comforter away from himself before getting up to put his clothes back on from the previous night. He didn’t think the other man would be too fond of Eddie wearing his clothes for longer than necessary. Besides, the shirt wasn’t really Eddie’s style, so he was happy to get back into his worn out band tee and jeans. After getting changed and ready for the day as best he could, Eddie headed downstairs getting ready to leave. Steve hadn’t waited up for him, so he figured his absence would be welcomed. 

As Eddie starts going down the stairs towards the front door, the smell of eggs and bacon fill his nose. He continued down the steps, a very focused Steve over the stove, coming into sight. “I hope you’re not cooking that for me, you’re like a real life house-wife, Harrington.” Eddie teased, his signature smile plastered on his face. 

“Don’t get your hopes up, this is about the only thing I know how to cook”. Steve half-laughed, an undertone of sadness seeped through his voice, Eddie could tell Steve didn’t want the sadness to be recognized. He respected that and decided not to push it. Maybe if they were better friends Eddie would’ve asked, but they weren’t, and he didn’t. The last thing he wanted was for Steve to feel uncomfortable talking to him. 

Steve finished the eggs and served them on a glass plate. He and Eddie sat at the table in relative silence while they both ate. Eddie made a few teasing remarks about the cooking “actually being good”. There was no other real conversation, though. 

At one of the remarks, the men made eye contact. They held it for too long for Eddie to be comfortable holding eye contact with a straight boy. Eyes like Steve’s could make him fall for anyone, but he had to stop himself. It wasn’t fair to Steve for Eddie to be feeling this way, even if they maybe flirted sometimes, Eddie knew it wasn’t real, and he couldn’t lie to himself saying it was. “See something you like, Harrington?” He teased, still knowing this meant nothing and they were just two guys being dudes in Steve’s eyes. 

“Maybe I do.” Steve smirked and looked down to continue eating his, now semi-cold, eggs. The comment left Eddie unable to keep eye contact anyways. If he did he probably would’ve fallen on the spot. Straight guys are weird. How do they say these things with no feelings behind them? Eddie thought, before clearing his throat and finishing his eggs. 

He didn’t want to overstay his welcome, so he said, “I should probably get going. I bet Wayne’s wondering what I’m up to. Don’t wanna worry him too much.” Eddie knew Wayne was still at work, but needed a believable excuse that wasn’t ‘I don’t want you to think I’m weird and spending too much time with you so I should probably go even though it’s going to be agonizingly hard to constantly think about you and not be able to be with you.’  He started putting on his leather jacket and flashed Steve a smile.

“Oh, uh, okay yeah for sure. Let me get this cleaned up and I’ll drive you back to the trailer.” Steve replied, gesturing to the empty plates of what used to be breakfast. 

Eddie tried to help Steve clean up, but Steve shooed him away, so Eddie waited patiently on the couch for him to finish up. Once he did, they headed out to the car and Steve drove Eddie home. 

***

When Eddie walked inside to the silence, he sighed. He didn’t know what he was going to do. His next DND session wasn’t for another few days, Robin was usually working, and he most likely wouldn’t want to go to Family Video, since he now knew that Steve worked there and he didn’t want to seem like a stalker. 

Eddie decided that for the time being he would plan for the next session and rewatch horror movies that he had lying around the house. He loved to rewatch them, he always noticed new details or plot holes that he hadn’t paid attention to previously. 

The DND campaign they were playing through right now was one he’d come up with himself. Dustin mentioned being bored of the sort of “pre-made” story lines, and Eddie had too much time on his hands, so he said he’d figure something out to spice things up. The party was a group of pirates sailing the sea and looking to find forbidden treasure. They’d already played a few sessions and everyone seemed to like the way it was going. Eddie spent the remainder of the day planning and having a quick dinner before heading to bed. He felt fairly accomplished and prepared with the amount of work he did for the day. 

*** 

It was finally Saturday. Time for the session. When Eddie woke up, which wasn’t very early to begin with, he began making the preperations. He got snacks ready for everyone, got his area set up so everything was organized just perfectly. Everyone except Dustin arrived together. Dustin came a little late, with none other than Steve with him. 

Eddie was, of course, taken aback by this. Not only had Dustin been late, he’d brought someone new with him. He hadn’t talked to Eddie about this, and he was sure that was visible on his face because Steve said, “Don’t be too happy to see me. I am not here on my own accord.” 

Oh. Was all Eddie had time to think before Dustin jutted in, “I told Steve he needed to see the wonders of your campaign, I thought maybe he could even join us for this session too?” He looked up at Eddie expectedly. 

Now Steve was the one looking shocked, “Woah woah I did not agree to that, I said I would come and watch, I don’t even know how the game works.” 

Eddie smiled and looked down, he felt bad that Dustin had made Steve come and he couldn’t even play this time. Eddie hadn’t prepared for that. “Don’t sound too eager, Stevie.” 

Dustin whispered “Stevie?” to himself. 

Eddie continued as if he hadn’t been interrupted, and he might not have noticed that Dustin said anything at all. “You can’t play this time anyways, you’re welcome to stay, though. If you want.” He said, looking up before adding, “and if you think you’d enjoy it, you can join us next session”. Eddie didn’t want to sound stuck up, he loved having new people join the party or just hang around for a one-shot here and there. He just didn’t think he’d be able to let Steve play on such short notice. 

Luckily, Steve didn’t seem too hurt at the notion that he wouldn’t be able to play, because he said, “Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves, Munson. I’ll just watch this one for now and see if I can even figure out the rules.” 

Finally, someone else spoke, “Hello can we get this thing started, we’ve been sitting here watching you three chat it up for the past million years.” It was of course Erica who said this, and the three of them headed over to the table to begin. 

Eddie found a way to fit everyone’s usual class into the campaign, which he was grateful for since it meant not having to memorize new traits. The party was traveling steadily by ship (aside from El’s character, Froffle, occasionally getting sea sick) when they encountered a beautiful singing voice. 

“Is it a siren?” Dustin’s character, Gorg, asked. 

“Roll perception”. Eddie said smoothly, hiding a smirk behind his DM’s screen. 

Dustin rolled a 3. “You do not believe it to be a siren.” Eddie said again, continuing, 

“You all feel very drawn to the voice, roll con-saving throws.” 

They did. 

Max’s character, named after herself, rolled an 11. Will’s character rolled a 13. Lucas’ character, Panthir, rolled a 5. Froffle rolled a 19. Mike’s character rolled a 16. Lady Applejack rolled a 14. And Gorg rolled a 10. 

“Alright,” Eddie started, poorly hiding a devious smile, “those of you who rolled an 11 or below feel the need to jump in the water and follow the voice. If you rolled a 12 or above, you don’t feel this same need but you do see the rest of your party spontaneously jumping in the water and won’t be stopped if you feel compelled to jump in after them”. 

“I fucking knew it dude!” Dustin exclaimed, proud of himself despite his character's knowledge. 

The entire party ended up jumping in after one another, as Eddie predicted they would. Some were more entranced by the siren’s song than others, proving the fight more difficult than it really needed to be. It didn’t help that the team continued rolling absurdly low rolls, the stakes were high. 

Eddie fibbed a bit on the Siren’s health and attacks and such, otherwise the fight wouldn’t have been enjoyable for the players. Just because he altered some things, didn’t mean he cut the party any slack. El, Max, and Lucas’ characters were downed for most of the fight, leaving the other 4 to fend for themselves while also trying to get them back up. 

Finally, Erica’s character made the saving roll and finished off the siren. It wasn’t uncommon for her character to be the one saving the day, Lady Applejack was one of the strongest in the party. The group decided after everyone had been healed and got back to their ship with no issues, it was a good stopping point and chose to wrap up the session. 

Everyone had said their goodbyes and got on their bikes to head home, aside from Dustin, who had come over with Steve. Eddie had pulled Steve back to talk to him before he drove Dustin home. 

“So how’d you like it, Stevie? Too nerdy for you?” Eddie asked, genuinely curious about Steve’s thoughts. 

“You know, I think I’m starting to like nerdy things.” Steve replied, with a smile that Eddie couldn’t figure out the reasoning for. “I noticed you changed how hard the Siren hit sometimes, that was nice of you.” He continued. 

“Aw you actually paid attention, Harrington, I’m honored. It’s only our third session so it wouldn’t be any fun if someone’s character that is kind of still being developed died off, the Siren was a hard boss, I just wanted to see if they were up for the challenge.” Eddie said, saying more than he really meant to. 

Dustin was heard from farther back, he was leaning on Steve’s locked car his voice monotone and annoyed, “Hello? I’m still here and I was hoping to go home sometime this year. If you guys could speed up the chit chat it would be much appreciated.” Both men knew Dustin was being only half serious, mostly just offering a reminder of the time. 

Steve looked at Eddie intently and said, “Maybe I will come back to hang out for another session, Munson. I know I was quiet most of the time but I think I did figure out most of the rules, and I’d like to see everyone having fun again.” At the last part of the sentence, Steve seemed to get a lost look in his eye, but Eddie didn’t understand why, and decided he was misinterpreting something again. 

“I wouldn’t want you to miss out on all the fun again, pretty boy. I’m sure we could make you a character for a one-shot during the campaign or even work you into the campaign, if that’s something you’d want.” Eddie said effusively. 

Color flushed Steve’s cheeks and a small smile appeared on his face as he looked away from the man across from him, “I might like that, yeah.” He replied, a bit breathy.  

Eddie smiled back, still looking at Steve, “Good, now you should probably get Henderson home. He’ll be very displeased if he doesn’t get to bed on time.” Eddie said, picking at Dustin in good fun. 

“Yeah, uh, you’re right. I should get going. I’ll see ya.” Steve began walking off the front steps of the trailer while waving to Eddie. Eddie waved back and watched Steve pull out before heading inside. 

While Eddie was cleaning up the snacks and figurines, he began thinking to himself. He began thinking about how much he enjoyed Steve’s company, and god those beautiful eyes on the man. Eddie thought about how he wished he could tell Steve how he felt, but his gut knew that the reaction wouldn’t be anywhere near as good as Eddie wanted; needed. Sure Steve accepted Robin, but it was different with guys. Eddie knew that, and he knew that telling the king of Hawkins High, in the middle of Indiana, that he, Eddie “ The Freak “ Munson, had a crush on him, would never go well. 

Eddie’s daydream had been ruined by reality, and he had finished cleaning up, so he decided to cool off with a shower. Unfortunately, that plan failed almost as soon as he got into the shower. Eddie thought about what Steve would think of him right now. Looking at their matching scars and feeling safe, Eddie thought about that goddamn chest that he’d been lucky enough to see. He felt like such a perv thinking about these things, he couldn’t help it, of course, but he knew he shouldn’t be thinking about someone who would never think about him like this. He did anyway, Eddie couldn’t help himself. He twitched at just the thought of Steve. Eddie sighed, letting himself indulge once more. 

Once Eddie was out of the shower, he decided it was time to go to bed, even though it was a bit earlier than usual. He didn’t want to think about Steve anymore. Not because he didn’t like Steve, but because Eddie knew this was just his brain playing tricks on him and setting him up to be hurt again. So, having made his choice, Eddie climbed into bed, snuggled up with his blankets, and drifted to sleep. 

Chapter Text

Eddie shot up from his deep sleep. The sound of the phone ringing through his ears caused him to wake up suddenly. He checked the clock next to his bed before running to answer the phone. What was someone doing calling at 2:37 in the morning? Eddie’s mind went to the worst possible situations in the ten seconds it took for him to get to the phone. What if Dustin found something new? Something worse? Or things everyone already got rid of started coming back? What if the court changed their mind about his verdict? There were too many possibilities and Eddie couldn’t bear to think about them any longer. He finally reached the phone and picked it up so quickly that he nearly dropped it. 

“Hello?” Eddie said, out of breath. 

Steve replied, through breaths of hyperventilation, “Hi. I’m sorry. I didn’t know who else to call. Robin didn’t pick up and I just didn’t know what to do, I-” 

Eddie cut him off, still not fully awake, “How do you have this number?” 

“Shit. I’m sorry, Robin gave it to me I thought she told you. It’s for, um,” Steve paused, as if thinking of what to say next. “She said it’s so I could call you about DnD stuff.” 

Only now had Eddie recognized the shakiness in Steve’s breath. “What’s wrong Stevie? You don’t sound too good.” 

“I had a bad dream. A flashback kind of. Usually Robin answers the phone when this happens but she didn’t and I just thought you know that night at the party.. You might understand.” He trailed off. 

It finally clicked for Eddie what was really going on, and he felt more awake instantly. “Oh Harrington.. I’m so sorry this is happening. I’ll come to your house so you can have someone there with you. Will that help you?” Eddie's voice was calm and soothing when he asked, he remembered what Steve said that night. 

“Yes, I think so. Thank you, Eddie.” Steve’s breath was still shaky but it was slowing down. 

“Hold still, I’ll be there as soon as I can.” He was already halfway out the door once Steve replied and hung up. 

 And Eddie was there as quick as he could be, speeding even though the roads were mostly empty. Eddie got to Steve’s house and knocked, but when there was no answer he tried the door to find it was unlocked. He walked in and figured Steve would be in his room. Eddie locked the door behind him out of habit, but it was probably for the best anyways. 

Eddie walked up to Steve’s room to find Steve in his bed curled up in his blankets. Eddie could hear every uneven breath the man took, it didn’t even seem like he’d noticed Eddie’s entrance. Eddie couldn’t help but feel pity for him. Eddie walked over to the bed with caution, like you would a stray dog. It was clear Steve hadn’t moved much since the phone call, but it didn’t seem like he had calmed down much either. 

Eddie had expected this, he reached a hand out to Steve without fully touching him and said softly, “Hi Stevie, I’m here now. Is it okay if I touch you?”

Steve could all but nod, Eddie placed his hand on Steve’s arm as he joined him on the bed. “Do you think you can try and follow my breaths?” Eddie said in the same tone as earlier. 

Steve nodded again and the two started taking deep breaths. Steve’s were shaky at first, but steadied out as they took more together. Now that Steve had calmed down, Eddie was curious. He didn’t want to intrude but figured if Steve was comfortable enough to call him in the middle of the night, Eddie could ask a few questions. If Steve didn’t want to answer then he wouldn’t. 

As if he read his mind, Steve started talking, “It’s stupid because the dream wasn’t even about the Upside Down. It was about my dad. I guess I’ve been thinking a lot about what he’d do if he knew.. Certain things about me and it’s really been messing me up, man. It’s not like I want these things to be happening to me. I just wish he’d realize that. I’ve always wanted to be able to be myself around him but he’s never really let me. It’s all about being a ‘real man’ and liking sports and stuff but I’ve never really liked any of that. Once he told me he’d ‘beat the fag out of me’ if I didn’t join some kind of sports team. Anyways, the dream was that he did. You know.” 

“Did what, Stevie?” Eddie’s tone was sympathetic. He couldn’t believe Steve had to go through that just because he didn’t like some of the things his dad did. 

“Beat the” Steve paused, talking quietly, as if he didn’t want to say the next few words, “out of me.” 

Eddie’s eyebrows furrowed, “But, you said it was a sort of flashback. Has he hit you before, Harrington?” Even just the thought of that nearly brought tears to Eddie’s eyes, but he had to hold it together. 

“I mean, yeah. Everybodys’ does. I tried to tell him that me and Nancy were dating, because we were. But he just wouldn’t listen. I could hardly talk and I was still begging him to stop. It wasn’t true but he’d made up his mind about me.” A single tear ran down Steve’s face and his breath hitched before he repeated, “It wasn’t true” with a hint of venom in his tone. 

Wasn’t . So was it true now? Eddie thought, before realizing now was not the time nor the place. His friend needed comfort. “I’m so sorry you had to relive that.” He said, incredibly empathetic. Eddie reached his arms out to encompass Steve. Steve leaned into the other man's chest and let out a few pained sobs. The two sat there for a moment in each other's arms. Steve more so in Eddie’s than vice versa. 

When Steve pulled away he wiped his eyes and laughed a weak laugh, “Guess we’re even now, Munson.” 

Eddie smiled in return, “Guess so, but, you know parents aren’t supposed to hit you, right? Especially not to the point where you can’t talk.” 

“Well, yeah but it happens every once and a while to everyone.” The light tone that had only just been established was already fading away again. 

“No, Steve.” Eddie said, his voice dripping with comfort and empathy. He knew how it was to feel like that but Wayne had helped him learn differently, and now he hoped to help Steve learn differently. 

A dull expression came to Steve’s eyes, and all he replied with was, “Oh.” 

Eddie knew it was a lot to process and figured he’d leave Steve alone to do so. He turned on the lamp before leaving the otherwise dark room. Steve said nothing as Eddie walked away. 

Eddie didn’t go home, though. He figured the new revelations Steve had made could potentially cause more nightmares, and Eddie didn’t want Steve to feel alone in those times if they came about. It was nearly 5 am and Eddie couldn’t sleep. He got up and decided to explore. Since he recently discovered Steve’s parents were assholes, or at least his dad was, Eddie decided to look around Steves’ parents room first. Normally, he wouldn’t do this, but he was incredibly bored and a little sleep deprived so it was excusable. He did not find anything interesting in the bedroom. The room barely looked like it had been lived in. There was even dust gathered on the dresser and bedside tables. The Harrington parents were incredibly boring people and would not cure Eddie’s need to look at things, he decided. 

Instead, Eddie found a bookshelf. He had hit the jackpot this time, on the shelf was Lord of The Rings. It had been ages since Eddie had read that book, and he could always use a little nostalgia. He settled down on the couch and started reading. 

***

Eddie had evidently fallen asleep at some point, it was nearly noon but he had still woken up before Steve so he decided to do something nice for him. He figured Steve had a pretty rough night and could use the pick me up. Eddie pulled himself off of the couch and walked towards the kitchen to do some more snooping around. After finding that, while Steve’s pantry was incredibly stocked, most of the food had expired or rotted, Eddie decided to do something simple. He wasn’t one to judge, but he did clean out the pantry and fridge a bit before deciding to make some toast with peanut butter and syrup on top. Wayne always made that for Eddie after he’d had a rough night or big realization. It did a good job of cheering people up. It was quick and simple, and it wouldn’t take very many ingredients. 

Of course, Steve hadn’t yet woken up when Eddie finished making the meal for them. Eddie decided it might be nice to have some breakfast in bed. It also might have made Steve feel better if he didn’t feel like getting out of bed. Finding out that something you’d always thought was normal, was actually incredibly not normal, definitely added to the trauma. Eddie would know. 

Eddie tiptoed up the stairs so as not to wake Steve too soon. He brought the plates with him, along with two glasses of water. It was a bit of a struggle to carry, but he figured it out. He quietly opened the door to find the lamp still on in Steve’s room. It was daylight now so there was no reason to turn the big light back on. Eddie walked to Steve’s bedside table and set everything down, before taking a seat on Steve’s bed and attempting to nudge him awake. 

Steve shot up with fear in his eyes and Eddie immediately went into comfort mode, “Hey, hey, it’s just me. I brought you some breakfast. Were you dreaming?” He asked. 

Steve replied, still dazed with sleep, “No I’m okay don’t worry, just wasn’t expecting to be woken up. What time is it?” 

Eddie could tell Steve wasn't being totally truthful, but decided not to push it after last night, “So sorry to wake you, your highness. I know you need your beauty rest. It’s nearly 12:30, though.” Eddie said, a smirk emerging as he saw Steve’s eyes widen at the nickname. 

He didn’t acknowledge it though, instead he said, “Shit, my shift starts at 2 and I have to shower and get ready and-” 

He would’ve continued if Eddie hadn’t cut him off, “Slow your roll big boy, you have a few hours, let’s just focus on eating breakfast right now, hm?” It wasn’t really a question, Eddie was going to make sure Steve ate breakfast before he left for work, he needed the energy. 

Steve nodded his head and reached for the plates that he’d noticed on his night stand. “You’ve got to cool it with the nicknames, Munson. People might get the wrong idea.” Steve said, not long after handing Eddie his plate. 

“Well we can’t have that, can we Harrington? Just so we’re clear- what exactly is the wrong idea?” Eddie said, feigning innocence and adding a smooth tone to certain words before taking a bite of his toast. 

“That we’re you know” Steve didn’t finish, instead he took a pause and added, “or something.” 

“I don’t know, Stevie. Why don’t you tell me?” Eddie widened his eyes in mock confusion this time, and made sure to put extra emphasis on the nickname. Eddie had finished his toast now, he sat his plate down on the floor and leaned over Steve, who had also finished eating and put his plate somewhere. Their faces were inches apart. What was he doing? Steve had told Eddie about horrific memories and cried in his arms just last night, why was Eddie flirting now of all times? 

Steve couldn’t come up with an answer, it seemed. He pushed himself up and past Eddie in a very fast manner, but not in a way that made Eddie think he had upset the man. He stumbled over his words, “I have to get ready for work, I need to find my uniform.” 

“You have fun with that.” Eddie said, watching Steve get up before getting up himself. He picked up the plates and took them to the kitchen to wash, leaving Steve some privacy. 

Eddie was sitting on the couch trying to find where he had left off in Lord of The Rings. He had finished washing the dishes about an hour ago and was now waiting for Steve to finish getting ready. Eddie had decided he was going to rent a movie to watch when he got home. He figured it would be easier for them to both go at the same time, that way he knew someone would be working when he got there. He definitely didn’t come to that conclusion because he wanted to make sure Steve got there safe, it simply made more sense. 

Steve walked out of his room and downstairs, “Did you bring that book from home? I don’t think we have any nerd books here.” He teased.  

“Actually this is from your collection. I found it last night.” Eddie was proud of himself at the shocked look on Steve’s face. 

“I have literally only ever seen that book in Dustin’s hands, and he’s never brought his copy here.” Steve didn’t believe him. 

“Wait, you’re telling me you’ve never read Lord of The Rings? How can you have never read it?” Eddie was stunned. 

“Nope, never. Dustin tried to make me but I got so bored and it’s so long I don’t think I could do it even now.” Steve replied. 

“I suppose you’re excused, for now.” Eddie squinted his eyes at Steve in a silly way before they both started laughing. 

There was a comfortable silence before Steve said, “Well I have to go, feel free to stay if you want or need.” It was so casual, Eddie almost wanted to take him up on the offer.

But he didn’t. He said, “Actually I was gonna head to the Family Video too, I haven’t rented anything in a while. I’ll be out of your hair soon though, Harrington.” Eddie reached to ruffle Steve’s hair but Steve ducked away and gave a cautionary look, before walking out of the door, leaving it open so Eddie could follow. 

They arrived at Family Video at the same time, of course, they were coming from the same place. Someone Eddie didn’t recognize was working the shift with Steve. The worker seemed to recognize Eddie though, giving him a death stare the entire time Eddie skimmed the isles. He knew what he was looking for; he just had to find it. He finally found the movie he wanted and began to walk up to the counter, slowly. He really didn’t want to interact with death-glare. 

Thankfully, Steve had finished clocking in just in time. He nearly sprinted to the counter and pushed the other employee out of the way, “Sorry, I can handle this one.” Eddie wasn’t sure who the ‘sorry’ was to, but the other employee shrugged and went to sort through films. 

Eddie placed Grease on the counter in front of him. Steve took the movie and completed the transaction. “I loved Travolta in this,” Steve said. 

“Oh so you’ve seen Grease but haven’t read Lord of the Rings? I see how it is.” Eddie said. Steve had seen Grease. That was practically the movie, besides Rocky Horror , which had a very niche audience that was certainly not Steve, even if he was gay. 

“They are two very different media and genres,” Steve defended himself, laughing. He handed the movie to Eddie and said, “You’re all set.” With a smile. God that smile. 

Eddie thanked Steve and turned to walk out. He was going to enjoy this movie so much more now that he knew one of his friends other than Robin had seen and liked it.

Chapter Text

Robin came over to watch Grease , but of course Eddie knew it would turn into something deeper. It always did with Robin, it didn’t bother him though, Eddie enjoyed being able to talk with someone who understood what he was feeling. Eddie had a lot of trouble verbalizing things, Robin helped with that, she’s great at talking. 

About halfway into the movie, Robin looked like she was going to explode from trying to hold her questions in. Eddie had been ignoring her vague and feeble attempts at getting Eddie to start the conversation himself. She clearly wanted to talk about something specific, he wasn’t sure what exactly though; she was going to have to say it herself. 

“So how about you and Steve?” Robin asked, drawing out the “o” in so. 

Eddie furrowed his eyebrows, visibly confused. What did she mean “how about” him and Steve? She hadn’t even seen the two interact often. She couldn’t have picked up on something that Eddie didn’t, with less interactions to go off of. Eddie continued to think about what Robin could be asking, obviously he was interpreting it wrong, she didn’t know anything about the two’s friendship. If you could even call it that. The two were there for each other when they needed it or when the kids all got together, that was all. There couldn’t have been anything else. Eddie must have got lost in thought because when he came to Robin was waving her hand in front of him and making funny faces. 

“Hello? Earth to Ed!” She called, her voice a little louder than usual to make sure Eddie hadn’t got deaf from one question, but not so loud that she was yelling. 

“Sorry Rob I didn’t mean to zone out on you there, I don’t know what you mean about me and Steve though, nothing is “about” us.” He put the word in air quotes, exaggerating his actions. 

Robin gave Eddie a knowing look, and he recoiled, putting his hands in the air feigning a criminal in the face of a police officer (something Eddie knew how to do semi-well by now), “What! I really don’t know what you mean.” Eddie tilted his head in the same way that a perplexed puppy would.

“Come on Eddie, you know what I mean, you can’t act like you don’t see the glances you and Steve steal towards each other.” 

Glances?

Sure Eddie would sneak a yearning look every now and then, but he knew it was one sided, and any time he caught himself he looked away immediately. Eddie was fast, there was no way Robin had caught on to that. And there was definitely no way Steve was doing the same thing, Eddie would have noticed. 

“You’re delusional. Neither of us are stealing anything, that would be illegal.” Eddie joked, attempting to change the subject and get back to Grease . 

Robin sighed and let it go, something told Eddie that this wouldn’t be the last time she brought it up, though. Her tone of voice was the one she always had when she wasn’t saying everything she knew. It must have been a big something because Robin was terrible at hiding things, especially from Eddie. 

There were no looks. There never were. Eddie was imagining things to make himself feel better. There weren’t many options in Indiana, so he found himself daydreaming instead, or going to the nearby states like Illinois when he really needed somebody. The last thing he needed though, was Robin feeding into his fantasies, he chose to forget about the conversation. 

The two finished the movie, laughing at the appropriate parts and singing along when necessary. When the movie was over, Robin grabbed a cup of ramen from the pantry to eat at home since Eddie insisted on feeding his guest. Once she headed out, Eddie headed towards his room. 

He was tired and confused. Eddie didn’t understand the conversation from earlier, he was still hanging on to Robin’s choice of words. He must have been interpreting it wrong, he did that a lot. He wasn’t sure what other meaning could be behind those words though. He thought about it for a long time, before deciding to take a shower. Showers helped him think, and Eddie needed to think. 

Although once he got in the shower, all he could think about was Steve. The way he said his name, every freckle on the other man’s face, those big doe eyes that made Eddie’s stomach tighten and drop in the most perfect way. Everything was as good as Eddie could get it. Sure, he and Steve weren’t the closest of friends, but they were talking and that was good enough. 

Eddie blinked as he realized the water had run cold. Shit. Wayne would be upset about the bill, hopefully with the money the government had given them to take care of the “earthquake” damage they’d be able to handle it fine. Eddie quickly washed his hair and tried his best to stay away from the cold touch of the water, and finally let out a breath he hadn’t been holding on purpose once he jumped out. He knew it was wasteful to spend his shower time thinking about a boy who would never think of him during the same time. Although imagining that was a nice image. Eddie shook his head free from the thought. Way to respect his privacy. Eddie got dressed in his more comfortable pajamas and decided to lay down. 

It was later now, Eddie only knew because he had looked outside and been met with complete darkness, he avoided looking at his clock. Eddie figured it was an appropriate time to get in bed and head to sleep. Wayne wouldn’t be home until late into the night, Eddie used to wait up for him but it upset his uncle, he said he didn’t want the younger man losing sleep over him. Eddie did what he could to appease his uncle, it was the least he could do after Wayne had done so much for him. 

Eddie closed his eyes, smiling and reminiscing of happy memories with his uncle, blocking out anything that had happened before then. That time period he wasn’t Eddie yet, so there was no point in thinking about it as if it was. Wayne taught him that you only have to remember what you want to, and Eddie only wanted to remember his childhood with Wayne. So that’s what he did. Most nights when he couldn’t sleep or he missed his uncle, he would think of his favorite memories, or look through the few pictures the two had together in a torn up old photo album. Those were his favorites, Eddie continued to be comforted by the recollections with his favorite and only real family member. 

Chapter Text

It had been about a week and Eddie decided it was an appropriate time to return his movie. He had a reputation with Robin related to always returning rentals late, but he was actually very punctual about it. He had only forgotten a few times. 

Eddie strolled into Family Video, just like he had that first night. Arms open and bowing, as if he had graced the clerks (who, luckily, were just Steve and Robin) with his presence. Robin smiled and greeted him with the typical one that she had been trained with. Eddie hated her customer service voice, she knew this. 

“Hey Rob, I just need to return this.” Eddie said flatly, to portray that he didn’t appreciate the voice Robin had put on. 

Steve took over the counter, nearly pushing Robin out of the way to do so. Robin gave Steve a look that Eddie didn’t understand, there had been a lot of those lately. 

“Eager to see me, Harrington?” He teased Steve, hoping to get a rise out of him. 

“More like eager to get this movie back. It’s been rented a lot lately and I've been wanting to watch it.” Steve ended with a sort of pouty look, it made Eddie smile with endearment. He dropped the smile back to a neutral face almost immediately, though. Quick enough so that Steve wouldn’t notice. 

“I might just have to keep it then.” Eddie smiled again at his joke. 

“Eds, not funny.” Steve gave a blank look to the other before sighing, “and besides, if you did that I would just have to come and watch it at your place.” 

Eds. 

Eddie shook his head and let out a half-laugh, “You’re not exactly making me want to return it. I’d love to have a pretty boy like you over at my place.” Eddie smiled once he saw the deep breath in and clear flush on Steve’s face. Eddie knew Steve wasn’t like that. But he was clearly receptive, and he hadn't beaten Eddie up for it, so he figured it was okay. Eddie was like this with all of his friends, except Robin of course, it was just helpful that Eddie also happened to like Steve. 

Robin seemed to have wandered off in the back somewhere, probably busy with re-shelving things or rewinding tapes that customers hadn't. 

Eddie was hesitant to continue acting like this towards Steve though, after Steve told him about his dad, he didn’t want to bring any past feelings up, even if Eddie knew Steve didn’t feel that way, he didn’t want to make the other question himself. Steve clearly knew who he was. 

Steve didn’t seem to mind though, leaning onto the counter and resting his chin in his hand, “I guess you’ll have to keep it then, to make sure I come.” 

Eddie coughed a bit, not sure how to respond. After regaining his composure, he responded, “I guess I will.” Eddie grabbed the movie back and flashed a smile at Steve before walking out to his van. 

Eddie had kept his composure in the store, but in his car he was free to freak out. He and Steve had definitely flirted, even though it was just “guy talk” Eddie and Steve had still flirted . There was no denying what that was, and Eddie needed to catch his breath before driving back to the trailer. 

When he got home, Eddie was suddenly aware of how messy the trailer was. He started scrambling around trying to pick up anything he could, but his efforts were futile and he was just moving things around; it looked the same. Eddie stood in the middle of his living room and stared, taking a deep breath to think about what to do. He looked quickly at that spot but looked away, he had scrubbed and scrubbed but it wouldn't go away. He tried not to look at it, none of his friends ever brought it up because when they did the first time Eddie had completely freaked out. He was apologetic about that, he didn't mean to lash out. 

Once he got his plan together Eddie got to work. He started with any clothes sprawled about. Often he and his uncle would forget about laundry and just throw their clothes wherever they could. Eddie collected the clothes and tossed them into the closet that broke off from the kitchen, he and his uncle’s “laundry room.” Once Eddie finished picking up any clothes, he started moving dishes on the coffee table to the sink in the kitchen. He could wash them once everything looked a bit nicer. After some time, Eddie felt decent about his place, decent enough to call Steve and ask him to come over. 

The phone rang for what felt like forever, but really it picked up on the third ring. 

“Yello?” A quirky voice on the other end answered, Eddie knew it was Steve. 

“Hey I was calling because I wasn’t sure if you were serious about coming over to watch Labyrinth. You didn’t seem like the Bowie type, but I’m free right now if you are.” Eddie said, talking too much out of nervousness. 

Eddie could hear the smile on the other end of the phone, “Don’t judge a book by its cover, Munson. I’ll be over in a bit.” 

The phone hung up and it took everything in Eddie not to jump and squeal like a teenage girl. He thought to himself: Come on you’re better than this . But he knew he wasn’t. Freaking out over a crush was what Eddie was good at, what he had always done. Eddie worked to gain his composure back and set up the “movie station”, which was really just a few blankets on the couch, a beer for the both of them, and popcorn of course. 

Steve arrived shortly after. It was clear to Eddie that Steve had gotten somewhat ready for the occasion. Steve wasn’t wearing his work clothes, it seemed like he had dressed… nice for the occasion. As nice as one can dress to come over to watch a movie on the couch, but nice nonetheless. 

Eddie greeted Steve with his typical flamboyance, waving Steve into the door as if he was a king, “Welcome to my humble abode, your majesty.” 

Steve laughed, “You act like I’ve never been in your home before, Munson.” 

“Well, never under these circumstances at least, my liege.” Eddie was really laying it on thick, but he was enjoying himself.

 “I assume you can seat yourself?” Eddie asked, of course knowing the answer was simple, it was only a couch, but praying Steve would ask for assistance anyways. 

He didn’t. He smiled kindly and awkwardly before sitting down at the edge of the couch. Eddie put the movie in before plopping himself down into the middle of the couch, grabbing Steve’s beer in a swift motion and presenting it to him as a crown. Steve took it with a smile and took a drink. 

The two got comfortable, enjoying the movie together. Eddie thought it was very domestic of them, and he of course let his imagination get the best of him, as usual. 

“Long day at work, darling?” 

“Oh yes of course, I’m just happy that I’m able to come home to someone as loving as you, Mr. Munson.” 

“You flatter me, my king. It’s amazing to be with such a man like you.” 

“You read my mind. I feel the same way about you, an amazing man.” 

Eddie woke to the snapping of fingers. He jolted a little, before blinking the sleep out of his eyes and coming to his senses. 

“Well good morning to you too, my king .” Steve said, in a mocking tone. 

uh oh. 

“What are you talking about?” Eddie attempted to laugh the statement off, as usual. Surely Eddie had called Steve that before and he was only choosing now to bring it up. Surely. 

“You didn’t mention you talk in your sleep. Or that you can’t finish movies.” 

Eddie chose to ignore the first part of that statement, “I guess I should’ve told you, I’m a bit notorious with Robin for falling asleep during movies, I would’ve thought she’d told you.” 

“No but that’s alright, I’m just glad I got to finally watch this one again. Someone has had it rented for entirely too long.” Steve said, clearly teasing at Eddie. 

“I’m sorry I’m sorry, I just enjoy it so much. Besides, it gave me a good excuse to have you over!” Eddie elbowed Steve in the side gently, aware of the scars that matched Eddie’s on his stomach. Elbowing Steve also made Eddie suddenly aware of the two’s closeness. Had Eddie fallen asleep on Steve? They hadn’t been this close before. 

“You enjoy it so much and yet fall asleep half way through. Do you even know the ending?” Steve continued his relentless teasing. 

“Yes!” Eddie sputtered, attempting to defend himself before realizing that he had forgotten the ending to one of the most iconic movies he’d ever seen. It must have been Steve’s piercing gaze that scattered Eddie’s mind. 

“Sure you do, I’ll believe you this time, Munson.” 

Steve had come over pretty late, and they had started the movie even later, “What time is it? Should you be heading home? Or you can crash here if you want, I’m sure you and my couch have gotten well acquainted by now, or I can sleep on the couch if you want my bed.” Eddie knew his bed would be more comfortable, he figured it was worth offering. 

Eddie swore he saw Steve let out a disappointed sigh before quickly changing his impression. It was probably just Eddie misinterpreting things, twisting them to fit his reality. 

“Sure, I’ll crash on the couch, I wouldn’t make you give up your bed for me. Do you have a change of clothes though, these aren’t exactly the most comfortable pants.” Steve smiled that awkward smile again, Eddie nodded and ran off to his room to get some pajamas for Steve. 

The two of them got ready for bed, brushing their teeth together, washing their face together, Eddie couldn’t stop thinking about how natural everything felt with Steve. 

When it was time for the two to say goodnight, they both went their separate ways. Eddie made sure to scan Steve with his eyes, to memorize how he looked in his clothes. They were a bit big on Steve, so the pants hung lower than they normally would’ve. Maybe Eddie’s eyes lingered there for a second too long, but Steve evidently paid no mind. 

Both men went opposite ways to sleep, Eddie stayed up for what felt like ages. He could barely fathom how they could be so close and yet so far. Eddie wanted Steve with him. In his bed. He knew it was unrealistic. Eddie feel asleep retracing the way the hem of his pants fell on a shirtless Steve, hoping Steve was wondering what Eddie looked like shirtless, knowing that he wasn’t.

Chapter Text

Eddie woke up to clamoring and.. Voices? That couldn’t be right, unless Steve had been talking to himself, that would mean. Oh no. Eddie had totally forgotten that Wayne would be home in the morning, suddenly he finds himself wishing he had offered to share the bed with Harrington, so he could hide him away or something. Wayne would almost certainly get the wrong idea, even though they had slept separately, Wayne knew what a boy at the house meant. Only this time it didn’t mean that, or anything close.

Eddie rushed as quickly as he could to make himself presentable, hopefully before any real damage had been done. By Steve or Wayne. Eddie also realized he had complained about Steve and his goons to Wayne. Maybe he wouldn’t recognize him, it’s not like Eddie had shown his uncle a photo.

Thankfully, when Eddie emerged, there was no scuffle occurring, only Wayne making breakfast, something he hadn’t done in years. Something was definitely off, different, in the air. Eddie decided to air on the side of caution.

“Hey guys.. Good morning. Sorry Uncle Wayne I totally forgot you got off work early today, I wouldn’t have planned a sleepover otherwise.” Who was Eddie kidding? A sleepover? Yeah right like Wayne would believe that, despite it being technically the truth.

“No worries son,” Eddie loved when he called him that, it made their bond seem more real, Wayne always felt like more of a father to him, “I was just talking to your boyfriend here about last night, you guys had plenty of fun I bet.”

Plenty of fun? All they did was watch a movie – one that Eddie slept halfway through – Suddenly he registered that word, boyfriend, and at the same time he was sure a confused look shot across his face, Steve sent him a wink. Now Eddie was confused. Had Steve played into Wayne’s misperception? Did Steve know about Eddie and… the way that he is? If he did, how was he okay with the almost undeniable flirting going on between the two.. Eddie had so many questions. Furthermore, Steve had winked at him. He knew his face was at least a little pink, if not full on mistakeable-for-a-tomato.

“Oh yes Mr. Munson we quite enjoyed ourselves. Eddie showed me a movie I hadn’t watched before.” Shit. How much of that dream had Eddie slept talked his way through? That title was disguised to look like it was aimed towards Wayne, but Eddie knew the truth. Eddie also knew Steve had seen Labyrinth, he had said so himself. That was it, Eddie was far too flustered and had far too many questions for his liking.

“Excuse us Wayne.” Eddie said behind a somewhat disgruntled smile before grabbing Steve by the arm and all but dragging him to Eddie’s room.
“Don’t get in too much trouble you two, I’ll yell when breakfast is ready.” Eddie waved Wayne off in acknowledgement, his mind somewhere very different than breakfast.

Eddie practically threw Steve into his room, clearly hard, the man stumbled a bit to find his balance. Eddie didn’t let him completely steady himself before shoving him against the wall.
“What was that? Boyfriend? I showed you a movie? Mr. Munson? You’ve got a lot of explaining to do, big boy.”

Steve, clearly not expecting the force shown, stuttered a bit in his response, “Okay man look I’m sorry maybe I got the wrong idea I just, I mean, we’ve been flirting, right? I thought maybe you’d told your uncle about it. You know how older people are with titles, I thought it was a good opportunity to get you back for the absolute torture you’ve been putting me through with all the teasing these past couple weeks.”

Eddie loosened his grip and backed away from Steve a bit, still very obviously keeping the other man in place, but allowing for a bit more freedom. “You think that’s torture? I wasn’t even sure that we were flirting, you know how straight guys are. Although maybe not according to recent discoveries made as of,” Eddie pretended to check his non-existent watch, “would you say five minutes ago?”

Steve nodded before saying, “Seriously you never thought I meant it? I pretended to love David Bowie just to come watch a movie with you. Which the movie has definitely proven a new-found affinity for him by the way.”

“Of course it has, who doesn’t love Bowie? Don’t try to distract me, Harrington!” Eddie points an accusatory finger, no true malice meant, though.

Steve puts his hands up in mockery, “I think I do a good enough job at that without trying Mr. Munson.”

Eddie rolls his eyes but can’t help but hold back a groan at his name being used like that, how could he have been so careless dreaming like that? Although, he supposes it doesn’t matter now, Steve is like him; and Steve likes him. Or something adjacent to liking at least. Eddie remembers how close the two are and can’t help but scan Steve’s perfect body. He can do so now knowing there won’t be criticizing eyes, even if the apparent admiration does seem to make Steve squirm a bit, Eddie likes it. Eddie also likes the bulge forming in Steve’s pants, he takes special notice to that.

“Oh it seems like you should not be the one talking, what do we have here? Big boy getting a little excited? Can’t handle how close we are? Hm?” Eddie asks, mocking, yet soft, tone.

Steve tries to look away, but the close vicinity allows Eddie to grab Steve’s face and hold it in place, forcing the man to look at him.

“Ah ah sweetheart look at me, I’m going to tell you what’s going to happen, okay?” Eddie moves Steve’s head in a nodding motion, even though he’s sure Steve would do it on his own.

“We’re going to go out there and have breakfast like this hasn’t happened, you’re going to sit with that pretty predicament of yours and think about how you’re feeling about me. About what you want me to do to you. Luckily my pants are baggy on you, otherwise that’d be really embarrassing, wouldn’t it?” Eddie fakes the nod yes again and Steve squeezes his eyes shut, attempting to avoid the ever growing redness of his face (and undoubtedly the ever growing situation in his pants). Eddie gives Steve’s face a few light taps as a reminder, and Steve quickly reopens his eyes.

“Very good. Now, after breakfast, we’re going to go back to your place, where you will tell me every filthy thought you’ve had about me. Let’s go from there after that, shall we?” Eddie lets go of Steve’s face and steps back, giving him space to actually answer. God Eddie hopes it’s what he wants.

Steve, a bit breathless and panting, manages to let out, “yeah, yes. Let’s. I’d like that.”

Eddie smirks, opens the door just as Wayne is calling for them for breakfast, and waves Steve out of the door, “After you, my liege.”

***

Breakfast goes well, as Eddie expected it would. No conversations that were too crazy, and Steve actually managed to pull himself together a bit in front of Wayne. Eddie couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride in that, Steve wanted to make a good impression, and he clearly wanted to show Eddie he could be good too.

Eddie made up some excuse to Wayne as to why the two had to leave after their meal, Wayne wasn’t too concerned anyways, likely happy to have a chance to get some sleep. Eddie gave Steve a shirt to wear out, said something about Steve’s modesty, just to really drive the point home, and the the men got into Eddie’s van. The car ride to Steve’s felt long and drawn out. Eddie could tell Steve was still trying to keep his composure.

Just to mess with him, sometimes Eddie would let out a small laugh, clearly mocking Steve’s evident neediness, he even asked Steve if he was “doing as he was told,” To which Steve looked away (no doubt to hide a blush) and gave a slight nod.

About halfway through the drive, Eddie decided to make a bold move. He put his hand on Steve’s thigh, Eddie swore he heard a small whimper of sorts, but that could’ve been his mind playing tricks on him. He left his hand there for the remainder of the ride, rubbing absent circles and other various shapes lightly into Steve's thigh. Eddie had a distant thought about those shapes being permanent, about wanting to leave marks all over Steve’s body. He thinks that might be too fast, but he hopes that Steve is thinking about it too.

After what feels like an eternity, they arrive at Steve’s house, empty as expected.

Eddie instructs Steve to stay in the car until Eddie says otherwise, he then walks to Steve’s door and helps him out of the vehicle, holding his hand like prince’s do to princesses in the movies. Eddie smiles at that thought.

He leads Steve in, after asking for the key and unlocking the door, and asks, “So, have you been thinking like I asked you to?”

Steve nods.

“Well, out with it. Tell me everything.” Eddie smiles a devilish grin, he knew this was going to be fun.