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For the teacher!Steve trying not to curse I think it’s harder when he becomes a middle school teacher. He definitely will slip into the second grade teacher voice when he is in his civilian state (aka at metal concerts) when he is a second grade teacher, but like as a ninth grade English teacher it becomes much easier to slip back and forth when you’re faced with a bunch of pre/baby teens. It is much harder to not slip up and just go “what the fuck man” when you’re faced with a fourteen year old getting his phone out to play some stupid iPhone game thirty seconds after you told him to put it away, bc there’s something about little kids that makes it easier to not curse around them. So I think the fact that the shenanigans Eddie gets up to are way to similar to the thirteen year olds’ shenanigans makes it super hard to remember which ones he can curse at freely.

Oh man, I love this. And also, absolutely yes to all of it.

Steve really thought that he had it in the bag when he decided to started teaching middle school because he already has experience dealing with the worst kind of middle schoolers. At least none of his students will be adopting monsters as pets or shoving his unconscious body into a car, but no. He was not prepared for pre-teens in the age of the internet.

He was also not prepared for how much he wants to swear at these kids.

He could swear at Dustin. And he did! Often!

When Steve starts teaching middle school, he started to get more creative with his swearing substitutes (i.e. he uses the substitutes that I use at work). So, when one of his students switches out his dry erase marker with a permanent marker and he realizes it halfway through writing an equation on the board, he doesn’t say ‘are you fucking kidding me’ like he wants to. He says instead, “Are you shark-finning me?”

The first time he uses this exact phrase backstage at a CC show, it’s when he accidentally spills coffee on himself. Jeff turns around to look at him so fast that he walks into a wall.

Steve’s been know to drop a ‘frickity-frack’ or a ‘bull shark’ once or twice, and his students think it’s hilarious but it nearly kills Corroded Coffin every time. Eddie once snapped at him for interrupting him in the studio and instead of telling him that he was acting like an asshole, Steve said that he was ‘being a bunch of words’ and ‘not very nice ones at that.’

It honestly was more hurtful than being called an asshole.

Sometimes Steve will tell his students that they’re acting like a real ‘Dustin Henderson’ and they don’t know what exactly that means, but they don’t like it.

The opposite happens too, Steve has accidentally swore in front of his students and they freaking love it. It’s the funniest thing in the world to them.

Once a kid brought a baby squirrel into his classroom (a true thing that happened in my nineth grade Spanish class) and Steve said without thought, “Jeremy, what the fuck.”

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Ok please tell me if there's a fic of this already BUT Eddie our wonderful dungeon master who by some form of magic (Hawkins is cursed after all) gets sucked into one of the campaigns he's written. Obviously, all the Hellfire boys and Erica's characters are there but so is the charming night Sir Stefan an NPC Eddie wrote because of his quickly developing feelings for the real Steve. They have to survive the campaign all while Eddie has to try and not fall for Sir Stefan because this world won't last forever. In the end Stefan tells Eddie that he has a feeling the real Steve is hiding some feelings too. Maybe there's a plot twist at the end that the real Steve had been sucked into the world with Eddie and had just been pretending that he was just one of Eddie's characters.

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The Five Times Eddie Wondered Who His Soulmate Was  and the One Time He Didn’t Have To

1. 

The worst thing about knowing your soulmate was in trouble was understanding there was nothing you could do about it. 

As a whole, Eddie thought the concept of soulmates was bullshit. He thought all that fate and destiny crap was a scam to sell the idea of monogamy or co-dependence. If people were too busy fretting over when they’d meet ‘their person’, they’d forget that actual shit was going on in the world. Who had the time to care about systemic oppression when they were busy trying to work out if the cute girl across the corridor was their one true love? 

That being said, sometimes Eddie got curious about who they were. Not many people found their soulmates. It wasn’t as obvious as you’d think. When they were in pain, you would feel it. Two people could live across the world from one another, feeling each scraped knee and broken wrist but never meet. Hell, you could live across the street from someone and unless you were there to watch them get hurt and feel the same old pang of shared pain, you’d never know. 

It wasn’t like Eddie had never felt his soulmate before that day. They’d twisted an ankle when Eddie was twelve and sprained a wrist when he was fourteen, but he’d felt no pain from them so strong as when he was sitting in detention during his junior year. 

He was counting down the minutes left until he could get out of the high school, hell hole when a sharp and sudden pain flooded his jaw. He gritted his teeth and cradled it with his palm, feeling as though the wind was knocked out of his body. Eddie knew what being punched in the face felt like, and that was it. Just when the ache started to fade, another thud of pain to his cheek made his vision swim. From there, Eddie held his breath, waiting for the pain to end. He rested his head on his desk and felt his heart in his throat as the blows kept coming. 

He missed Mrs Click telling him to go home, too busy gripping the desk for dear life, his fingernails digging into the poorly carved desk graffiti, slicing a line through ‘RB 4 TT.’ He was elated when the pain finally stopped. 

Eddie kept his head down the whole walk home, trying to tell himself soulmates were bullshit, and that he didn’t care about his, but his thoughts kept returning to visions of them. He hoped they were okay. 

Eddie never wanted to know who his soulmate was until that moment. They’d had a hell of a day and Eddie wanted to be there with them, tell them he knew what it was like. He wanted to hold their head in his lap and tell them everything was going to be okay, that if it were up to him, no one would hurt them like that again, but he couldn’t. For all he knew, they could be a hundred miles away. 

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Eddie has a test.

It took some time to formulate, a few too many times with guys careless with his heart, who leave behind more heartache than happiness littered in their memory. It’s fucking hard to tell.

More than once, there’s been a dude who promises between kisses i’m not going anywhere and takes more than his fill during a night which Eddie desperately hopes is passion and not some misguided lust. Only to wake a familiar empty side of the bed, them gone — skipping town, back in the arms of their parent-approved girlfriend, or back to spitting his name out with the word freak.

It’s what the test is for.

It’s specific, purposeful, all intending to weed out the straight boys who liked to dip their toes in the pool of queerness and leave Eddie to any consequences of the heart. Eddie doesn’t want to turn cruel, to be too jaded after feeling used too many times. It’s what the test is for. Protect the heart, see what interest is genuine.

Right now, he’s putting the test on Jared. New in town and in Eddie’s life, he’d captured the metalhead’s gaze from the glint of his pierced ear and light eyes that lingered. Kissed a little mean, and with too much teeth, but Eddie chalked it up to excitement. Jared seemed good. Nodded and smiled when Eddie found himself wrapped up in yet another DnD spiel. Said he found it endearing.

The test is simple.

A bid, a nudge, for attention. Never anything big or too exciting— that always got him specifically warped smirks designed to lead him along. Just something minuscule, like will you come take a look at my notes? or can i play you that riff once more? to see if it gave.

The pattern runs deep in Eddie’s dating history; same ol’ jerks who couldn’t bother to come and look at his new DnD sketches are always the ones who are only leasing a new sexuality for a month. It’s like setting a minefield and seeing who stumbles on a landmine, the bids getting ignored is as early as a warning sign he’ll ever get.

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Mike Wheeler doesn’t particularly like Steve Harrington.

He didn’t hate him.

Steve was handy in a scrape.

He’d helped the party through a number of tough situations even when he didn’t need to be there, he was loyal, yada yada yada.

Whatever.

Steve was dumb.

He was a cocky, arrogant jock, too obsessed with his stupid hair and his stupid image.

And he was annoying!

Always asking the stupidest questions and making the stupidest jokes!

He’d dated his sister, he’d somehow wormed his way into the party, becoming a permanent fixture even after the two had broken up, and now he was intruding more and more during Hellfire sessions, eating into his quality time with Eddie.

Now, Mike Wheeler was a pretty well established fan of Eddie Munson.

Eddie was cool.

He was funny, confident, a talented storyteller, an amazing DM, an artist, a songwriter-

He played guitar, for Christssake.

Eddie was cool, and Steve was lame!

Before the events of the Spring Break from hell, Eddie had agreed with him on that.

Every single time Dustin or Lucas mentioned Steve at lunch or during a Hellfire session, Mike and Eddie wore matching looks of disdain.

The other two would try to affirm Steve’s supposed coolness, insisting on it with very carefully edited stories of Upside Down related adventures, and Mike would scoff at them while Eddie said something along the lines of:

“Steve? As in King Steve? The Hair? His illustriousness himself? Yeah, right.”

And Mike liked it that way.

Except…

After Spring Break, after Steve had carried a dying Eddie on his back out of the Upside Down like some sort of action hero, after he’d personally worked with a newly resurrected Hopper and several Government suits to clear Eddie’s name, after he’d spent a solid two months with Eddie staying in his empty guest room, feeding him soup and changing his bandages and caring for him like a goddamn wartime Nurse, well…

Things had changed.

Suddenly the two of them were attached at the hip.

If Mike wanted to hang out with Eddie, Steve was always there.

Hellfire?

Steve was right there on the couch.

The Quarry?

“Oh, I’ll tell Steve to bring some drinks.”

The cinema?

“Let me ask Steve if he’s seen that one yet.”

The arcade?

Steve.

The pool?

Steve.

Eddie’s trailer??

Steve Steve Steve!

If Mike called Eddie, nine times out of ten he’d be met with:

“Munson residence, this is Steve.”

And he knew shit changed when someone saved your life. He knew about trauma bonding. He’d read the packets Robin had given everyone post-Starcourt.

When he really gave it some consideration, he supposed he maybe understood to some extent the appeal of Steve.

Maybe.

He was… good-looking, he guessed.

Handsome, if he was feeling charitable.

He had nice eyes, or whatever.

Hazel with flecks of green and gold like autumn in a sappy romcom.

Deep and meaningful and warm.

Eddie called them ‘puppy dog eyes’, and he figured he could see why.

His hair was also… nice.

He was well known for it, after all. It had to be notable if it had a reputation all its own.

Expertly tousled brown tresses that sat perfectly no matter how much he moved, that smelled like honey and sandalwood, that looked soft to the touch.

He had a nice kind smile, if he really looked at it.

Strong arms…

Nice hands…

Sometimes he was kinda funny, too.

His humor was dry at times, other times a little goofy.

And sometimes when he’d tell a joke he was particularly proud of, he’d grin brightly at the recipient and wait for the inevitable groan and eyeroll with the patience of a saint.

After a while, Mike found himself almost hoping for that smile to be aimed toward him.

He had no fucking clue when that’d happened.

No fucking clue when he’d started seeking Steve out instead of brushing him off.

Now when the others ragged on Steve, Mike and Eddie wore matching looks of admonishment.

Dustin or Max would try and even jokingly insinuate Steve was anything short of a blessing, and both Eddie and Mike would immediately launch into the:

“Hey, lay off Steve, will ya? You don’t need a ride every single day you ungrateful little heathens.”

“Do you even realise how much he does for us? And he never asks for anything in return!”

The other party members were, of course, quick to call him on it.

………

They waited until the next session of Hellfire, sitting back in the Wheeler’s basement and biding their time until Eddie called for a break.

They waited until Eddie and Steve were distracted with their own little conversation, Steve mocking Eddie’s silly DM voices and Eddie giggling uncontrollably and swatting at his shoulder, before they pounced.

“Ok, Mike. Spill,” Max insisted, light eyes wide and challenging as she stood before him with her arms knitted tightly across her chest.

“Spill what?” Mike couldn’t help but scoff as he set aside his pencil, closing the binder with his messily scrawled notes from the session.

“Your weird thing with Steve!” Lucas continued, throwing a hand back toward the aforementioned jock turned babysitter.

Mike’s gaze travelled up just in time to see Steve with his head thrown back in a bright laugh, hand resting on Eddie’s shoulder as the DM spoke animatedly with wildly gesturing hands.

Mike refocused on the conversation at hand at a scoff from Dustin, returning the sound with a wrinkle of his nose and a deflecting little shrug.

“Wha- What weird thing with Steve? What are you talking about?” he shot back a bit defensively, crossing his arms to mirror Max’s position.

To return the challenge.

“What weird thing, he says,” Dustin sighed, gesturing to him with one hand as if the words he’d spoken were the most ridiculous he’d ever heard in all his 15 years of living.

“The weird thing where you’re suddenly his number one fan, dude! That weird thing!”

Mikes mouth dropped open, ready to fire back a quick retort, though his brain didn’t seem to receive the message to conjure one up.

“I’m-What? I’m not his… if-if anyone were- dude, shut up!” he stammered out as both Lucas and Max smothered their mocking laughter behind their fists.

Even Will seemed to be fighting off giggles, though that telltale smile was there for all to see.

And that just wouldn’t do.

“I’m sorry, Dustin! Is the position of borderline obsessive Steve groupie exclusively yours?”

Mike smiled in satisfaction as Dustin’s smirk disappeared at his words.

“Hey! It’s different for us! We have shared trauma the likes of which you people-“ he took a moment and pointed around at the other snickering party members.

“-will never understand! You, however!”

Dustin threw the attention right back toward Mike with a hard poke to the center of his chest.

“You’ve never liked Steve!”

“Don’t say it like I hated him, dude!” Mike tried to interject before he was immediately cut off once again.

“You used to complain about him constantly!” Lucas stressed.

“But now all of a sudden you’re laughing at his jokes, even the really dumb ones!”

“And you’re smiling at him when he talks like a lovesick little schoolgirl!” Dustin piled on.

“I’m half expecting to find a shrine dedicated to him in your bedroom closet!” Max finished, setting off the others with even more giggles.

Even El and Will!

Traitors.

“Hey! If anyone could be called his number one fan, it would be Eddie!” Mike argued, jerking a thumb back over toward the other side of the room where the two were now huddled close together, whispering conspiratorially.

“He’s literally always with him! I can’t even think about hanging out with him without Steve somehow materializing from thin air. So what if I finally found a few agreeable traits to appreciate about Steve after forced prolonged exposure? It’s impossible not to kinda like the guy after all the times Eddie’s talked my ear off about him!”

It was almost comical, the way every single pair of eyes staring at Mike post-outburst seemed to blink in perfect synchronicity as each party member carefully took in his words.

“So…” El started, her brow wrinkled in thought as she slowly turned back toward Steve and Eddie.

“Did everyone else just figure it out, too?”

The others followed her gaze with wide eyes as they took in the sight of their DM, grinning at their babysitter with the sweetest saddest moon-eyes as Steve chattered on totally obliviously.

He looked absolutely gone.

Dustin let out a little ‘hmm’ of confirmation, steepling his hands in front of his chin as he spoke:

“Is ‘it’ that Mike, in his quest to literally become Eddie, developed a crush-by-proxy on Steve because Eddie has a crush on Steve? Is that what we all just figured out?”

The rest of the party, including Mike, nodded in tandem, letting the thoughtful silence stretch on around them until a loud clap sounded, drawing all eyes back over to a significantly less moon-eyed Eddie, the soft glow of affection that’s previously taken up residence on his face evicted by the familiar sadistic glee as he called them back over to the table to continue their one-shot.

Further talks on their discovery would have to wait ‘til after the humble village of Za’hara was saved from the brutal reign of the Minotaur.

But further talks would be had.

There was no way they could let this little piece of information go.

………

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never change, Dustin Henderson

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Eddie Munson is Miette coded i dont take criticism

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Steve is staring. That in itself is nothing new, he does that sometimes, and Eddie just lets him. He knows that Steve sometimes lets his mind wander off into a quieter existence, especially when they hang out together.

Secretly, Eddie likes it when Steve stares like that. In that quiet way of his, the safe way, projecting comfort and calm. It’s endearing. Eddie will read or grab his guitar and strum a few gentle chords, plucking at the strings in search for a new melody.

And then Steve will always come back and smile at him.

So, really, Steve staring is nothing new.

What’s new is that he’s staring at Eddie, his eyes far from unseeing, his mind not at all zoned out into another dimension where none of the bullshit happened.

He’s not even sure Steve is aware of it, but when Eddie meets his eyes for the fifth time in the past few minutes, he can’t help himself as he starts to squirm.

“What?”

And Steve just smiles. It’s hidden, like most of them, but Eddie can see the exploring wonderment in his eyes make way to affection and fondness. It makes his heart fucking flutter.

“Just thinking.”

“Uh-huh,” Eddie says, putting away his book and facing Steve properly where they’re both sitting on opposite ends of the couch. “And you need my face for that?”

Instead of an answer, Eddie only gets more staring, though Steve’s eyes are wandering now. Slowly. And decidedly non-sexual. Like he’s looking. Watching. Seeing.

The idea of being seen has always made Eddie uncomfortable, because no one ever had. No one ever tried.

And here Steve is. Staring.

Eddie looks away.

“Have you ever…” Steve begins, then stops. Tries again. “Do you ever just meet someone and they… They somehow make your entire life make sense? Like, your life never sucked or anything, and you never even knew there was anything missing, but then they’re they are where they weren’t before, and you just think to yourself. This is it. This is how my life is getting better, this is how everything, everything, will make just a little bit of sense. And you were never quite whole, and maybe you’re not whole now, but being a little bit broken is suddenly okay now because they get it? And they’re there. And just…”

Steve stops and shrugs like Eddie’s heart isn’t beating a mile a minute, like he isn’t saying what Eddie is pretty sure he’s saying right now. Like his voice hasn’t grown more and more tender with each word.

Steve swallows and finally, finally stops staring even though Eddie never wants him to stop.

“And then you realise this is it. This is it. You don’t want change anymore, you don’t want life to move on. You just want them. And suddenly nothing matters because they’re everything. And they’re here. With you.”

Silence falls, and an eternity passes before Steve meets his eyes again.

A small smile tugs at his lips and he adds, “Even though you never liked heavy metal.”

The laugh that bubbles out of Eddie might be more of a sob, but he doesn’t care. Now he’s the one staring, his eyes wet and his heart somewhere between heavy and light, beating as though it were trying to escape him and nestle itself inside Steve’s chest instead. It already has, months ago.

And for once in his life, Eddie doesn’t have words. Not on his mind, not on his tongue, not in the air between them.

There is only Steve. Steve, Steve, Steve. And his adorable little smile as he keeps looking at him, keeps seeing.

Eddie just nods. Slowly, haltingly, he nods. Because yes. Yes, he has met this person. Is looking at him, finding beauty where he should be terrified, finding hope where there should only he trauma, and finding love where there should he too much history.

“Stevie,” he says at last, voice nothing more than a whisper. “I am going to kiss you now.”

A full smile now, a grin, a laugh. “Yes please.”

I love you, Eddie thinks. Even though you never liked heavy metal.

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Steve didn’t have the best track-record when it came to relationships. It’s not that he had a problem getting into them, he just had an issue staying in them. Or more accurately, getting someone to want to stay with him.

Nancy was the worst example of that by far, but even before her, there was a trend in Steve’s life. People broke up with him, not the other way around. And he knew why. Steve wasn’t stupid, or at least, not as stupid as people thought he was. He knew he was clingy, he knew he fell in love too fast, got intense too fast, he was painfully aware of the fact.

And he wasn’t going to go through it again. Robin had been the last straw, in both a good and a bad way. The romance aspect was obviously shot to shit immediately, but at the same time, she was the one person in his life, who wasn’t a literal child, that didn’t think he was too much. She was the one person who loved him back unconditionally, all of his clinginess and care one hundred percent accepted.

And Steve would take it. He got lucky enough to get someone to want to be in his life while knowing the real him, why push? A platonic soulmate was probably more than he deserved anyway. So Steve accepted the fact that this was it. Maybe down the line, he’d do what his parents did, get married for convenience instead of love. Have kids, the whole normal life shebang. But for now, he was happy to keep all that crap away from him.

But then came Eddie Munson.

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Thinking how on Thanksgiving, Steve’s parents never come home which he’s honestly thankful for. But the holiday itself has never meant anything to him really. Before, it was just a day where he was forced to dress up, be quiet, eat the turkey his mother made that his father always said was too dry, and try to comfort his mother while she cried and cleaned up.

This Thanksgiving, Steve plans on staying in and watching a movie, maybe throwing a frozen meal in the microwave. Just another day really. He would’ve taken a shift at the Family Video, but they closed for the day.

He wonders what everyone else is doing. If the Wheelers are already arguing if it’s too early to put up Christmas lights. If Dustin is getting kicked out of the kitchen for “taste testing” his mom’s pie fillings. If Robin is able to hold her tongue in front of her crazy aunt. If the Hopper-Byers first Thanksgiving is going well. If Eddie and Wayne or the Sinclairs got Max to join them for dinner. Maybe Steve should’ve invited her and her mom over.

He shakes his head at the idea. No one would want him to host Thanksgiving. He wouldn’t know how.

The doorbell rings. Steve’s heart races. His parents aren’t supposed to be home until after Christmas.

He reluctantly makes his way to the door and opens it. The first thing he spots is the familiar mop of dark curly hair.

“Eddie? What are you doing here?” Steve asks, taking in Eddie’s smiling face.

“Happy Thanksgiving to you, too. Do you have any plans?” Eddie asks, bouncing on his heels, obviously excited for some reason.

“No,” Steve says. “What are you-?”

“Great, that would be awkward,” Eddie says, then calls out behind him, “We’re all clear guys!” Eddie grabs Steve’s hand and tugs him away from the doorway.

“Eddie. What-” Steve stops when he glances behind him and spots the Henderson’s first. Claudia rushes in somehow balancing four pies wrapped in tinfoil in her arms while Dustin holds some type of casserole.

Steve lets go of Eddie hand and rushes up to grab two of the pies from Claudia and guide her to his kitchen to set them down. By the time he turns around, he’s greeted by Joyce who hugs him tightly after setting down a large bowl of what seems to be mashed potatoes. As Steve melts into the hug, he feels Hopper clap a hand on his shoulder and squeeze. When Joyce breaks the hug, Robin appears by his side, hugging him and whispering, “Thank god this got me out of talking to my crazy family.”

Dustin eventually shoves Robin out of the way and announces, “My turn!” as he hugs Steve which eventually turns into a large group hug as the other kids rush in. Steve looks around at everyone and tries as best as he can to hide the happy tears in his eyes. He almost lets one slip as he sees even Mike join in on the hug.

As they all break away, Steve pinches his nose to keep himself from crying and shakes his head in disbelief. Nancy and Jonathan make their way over to give Steve a quick hug as well. “How- just how?” Steve asks them.

Nancy smiles and glances towards where Eddie is standing introducing his uncle Wayne to the other parents. “Eddie had the idea and arranged it all,” Nancy says with a wink and rushes off to help arrange the food.

Steve glances towards Eddie for a few moments, warmth blossoming in his chest. Eddie glances up and makes eye contact with Steve, shyly smiling at him. Steve’s heart skips a beat.

“Hey, sweetheart, do you have plates we can use?” Joyce asks kindly, breaking Steve away from Eddie gaze.

“Yes, of course,” Steve says smiling brightly at her. She looks at him knowingly, and Steve blushes and feels his eyes start to burn.

Steve gets a stack of plates out of his cabinet and sets them down where there’s some spare room on one of his counters. He glances over at everyone talking and filling his house making it actually feel like a home for once.

Steve’s heart races and he feels the pressure behind his eyes build a bit. He easily slips away down his hall and makes his way into the guest bedroom. He takes a deep breath trying to get ahold of himself.

The door opens behind him.

“You okay?”

Steve turns to find Eddie closing the door behind him, looking worryingly towards Steve.

“Yes,” Steve says honestly, vision blurring.

Eddie stays in place, fiddling with his rings rambling, “I should’ve asked you first before I did this. I just… I know you mentioned how you didn’t have any Thanksgiving plans, and I just couldn’t let you spend it alone. You know, you saved us, all of us. You saved me, and I just can’t ever repay you for something like that, man.” Eddie takes a deep breath and continues, “And I just wanted to show how thankful I am for you. How thankful we all are for you. But now I’ve just overwhelmed you and kind of took of your house like a goddamn idiot. I mean what was I thinking-”

Steve cuts him off by pulling him into a tight hug. Eddie tenses up at first but then relaxes into it, bring his arms up to squeeze Steve back. “Thank you,” Steve says, two tears falling down his face. He can’t remember a time when he’s ever cried with joy.

He pulls away and swipes at his face. “Shit, this is embarrassing,” Steve says with a laugh then explains, “I haven’t cried in front of someone since I was a kid.”

“Sorry,” Eddie says pulling his hair in front of his mouth and folding in on himself.

Steve laughs, and feels another tear fall down his face. “No, no. Eddie. I’m not crying because I’m upset. I’m just so damn thankful, you know?”

Steve sees a hint of a smile grace Eddie’s face as he continues, pointing towards where his kitchen is, “This is the first time I’ve had a Thanksgiving with a real family, and I can never repay you for that.” Steve moves forward and cups Eddie’s face in his hands. “Thank you,” Steve says.

“I mean, saving me from dying versus a big meal,” Eddie says with a snort tilting his head from left to right. “I can’t imagine who has a bigger debt to repay.”

Steve rolls his eyes and leans forward, pressing his lips against Eddie’s cheek. “I’m so thankful for you, Eddie,” Steve says with a soft smile.

“I’d be more thankful for you if you would’ve moved that kiss over a little,” Eddie jokes.

Then, Steve does exactly that. Eddie jumps a bit, probably not expecting Steve to actually do it, but then he’s running his hands through Steve’s hair and kissing him back.

When they pull away for air, Eddie comments, “Yeah, I’m definitely very thankful for you.”

Steve laughs, “That was a horrible line!”

“You’re acting like you didn’t say it first!”

Eddie joins in laughing, resting his forehead against Steve’s.

There’s a knock on the door. Steve breaks away from Eddie and reaches around to open it.

Joyce stands on the other side with a concerned look on her face. “Is everything okay in here?”

“Yes,” Steve says with a bright smile.

Joyce smiles back and says, “I just wanted to let you know that we’re going to start making our plates soon.”

“Thank you,” Steve says and grabs Eddie’s hand. “Come on.”

The boys follow Joyce back to the kitchen where people are starting to pile their plates high with all the food that was brought. A few people notice Eddie and Steve holding hands, but they don’t make a big deal out of it. Except Robin who nudges Nancy and directs her gaze towards them. They both look at each other and say, “Finally.”

When everyone is sat around Steve’s dining room, living room, and kitchen, eating, talking, and causing a general ruckus, Steve squeezes Eddie’s hand and thanks him again.

He has a lot to be thankful for this year.

(I’m so thankful for you guys this thanksgiving. So sorry I haven’t been very active. I’ve been sick and so busy. I love you all)

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Gareth notices first and as soon as Gareth has a thought he has to share it.

They’re at Hellfire (now hosted in Mike Wheeler’s armpit of a basement) having just finished a long combat when Eddie declares it time for a break and without any further preamble dashes up the stairs, taking them two at a time, and calling dibs on the main bathroom. 

The others are taking a bit longer to get to their break. They all stand like they’re in some kind of synchronised swimming competition and all reach up in unison to crack the various bones that need to, heaving out groans and mumbles about shitty chairs. 

“So,” Gareth says as he rubs his fingers in his eyes. “Eddie has a crush.” 

Jeff collapses back in his chair to burry his face in folded arms with a groan. “I can’t do this again, Gare-Bear.”

Gareth wrinkles his nose at the nickname, and mentally curses his mom for using it around his friends. They’ve never been able to let it go. 

“Wait, what?” Dustin asks. His head is bouncing between Gareth, Jeff, and Grant, eyes tracking over their faces to see if they’re just trying to fuck with him. As if Eddie’s love life wasn’t already tragic enough without the added fun of trying to bother some kids with it.

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[fleurrrop]

Eddie's been a perpetual DM his whole life so when Dustin offers to run a one-shot over the first Thanksgiving break everyone actually gets time off for, Eddie leaps at the chance to play as a PC, and begs Steve to play. Steve hasn't seen all the kids (they're in their mid twenties but to Steve they'll always be The Kids) together in years and he's been subjected to enough lectures about it that he's half convinced he knows his way around a campaign and he's hopelessly in love with his best friend anyway. ("No, Robin, it's different alright, I can have two best friends." "Uh, no, dingus, you can't.")

So they all huddle into the Byers-Hopper living room and to no one's real surprise Eddie's PC is just breathtakingly detailed, backstory fleshed out and built into Dustin's storyline and he goes absolutely HAM with the character voice and has a blast with it.

The shock comes from Steve's character - because Steve is determined to make this the last year he moons at Eddie Munson from afar and he's recruited Dustin's help to weave in some memory loss for Eddie's character and spent hours upon hours working out his own character with Eddie because "I'm hopeless, man, you gotta help me."



(And Eddie does, bc Steve is his best buddy in the whole world and no one is immune to his puppy eyes except maybe the Wheelers.)

Steve goes for it, because he's nearly thirty gd years old and what does he care if sometimes he's a little silly - and sometimes things come out a little awkward and sometimes Eddie has to redo Steve's math from over his shoulder (he swears he's not being an idiot on purpose, honestly, but he doesn't actually mind the way Eddie eventually just drags Steve's chair closer to his and slings an arm around the back of it so he can press into Steve's space and do the mental math every time Steve has more to count than one die and a stat add-on). The party gets used to it all quickly enough even though the first hour or so is spent laughing incredulously every time Steve affects a Voice of his own.

The campaign takes seven hours and it isn't until halfway into hour five that anyone except Steve pieces together the threads of Eddie's characters mysterious memory loss and Steve's PC's cryptic history. Mike gets a funny look on his face ten minutes before they break for snacks and drags Steve into a bathroom.

"What are you doing?" he asks with a grimace and Steve pretends to be confused. "I swear to God, Steve, if you're using this campaign to finally get into Munson's increasingly tight pants I'm going to punch you in the dick."

Steve shrugs and shields his junk, and Mike maybe has an aneurysm but that's his own problem.

The thing is, Dustin is a little shit and when Eddie'd finally convinced Steve to play he'd gone to Dustin with a plan of his own because "I'm a goddamn coward, man, I'm never gonna muster up the courage to do this on my own I need something to force me into a corner." so, like, Eddie knows there's a big reveal coming too and when Dustin drops the lore that Eddie's PC once saved an entire village, died about it, and was brought back to life when Steve's PC made a deal with a literal demon (the same demon they've been chasing across the countryside for the whole campaign, only Steve's PC has been playing it off like he doesn't have a clue who this fucker is) Eddie really leans into the story - presses into Steve's space while Steve gives a lofty speech about how he'd agreed to let the demon take only the memories of his own character because not being known by the love of his life was so much worse than him being gone and maybe it all hits a little too close to home and maybe Eddie only realizes right as Steve's throwing a second failed death save that Steve and Dustin must have planned this and maybe Will is a little too knowledgeable about the intricacies of these disaster gays intricate mating rituals, because he could totally heal Steve's character but the moment is fraught and this shit is fascinating so he lets Steve give a death speech while Eddie - actual Eddie, not his character - has tears in his eyes and thank fuck he doesn't throw a third failure because Eddie looks about ready to upturn the whole table when Will saves a reaction.

And, hey, when Steve's finally up Eddie's hand sort of just doesn't leave it's spot clenched around Steve's knee and they get through the rest of the fight and Dustin builds out a nice little happy ending for them all, Lucas doesn't pretend not to cry about it, and Mike begrudgingly admits it was a cool way to frame the story, and Will stares at Eddie and Steve like he's trying to read their minds.

(It's possible he can read minds? Steve doesn't know for sure except sometimes he's convinced Will has some left over shit from all the Upside Down crap and sometimes Will Knows Things.)

They don't, like, talk about it right away, because that was exhausting and they're all hungry as hell but like, they're sharing a room, sharing the tiny bed tucked up against the window, and it's not the first time they've ever done that but Eddie doesn't really let them get that far because halfway through brushing their teeth together, scrunched up together in the tiny bathroom across the hall, Eddie spits out toothpaste and tucks his face into Steve's neck and Steve hums around his toothbrush and curls a hand in Eddie's hair and it's super fucking inconvenient because now is the perfect time to actually Tell Eddie like he's supposed to but he has a mouthful of toothpaste and an armful of Eddie and -

"I'm gonna kill Dustin," Eddie murmurs into Steve's neck and Steve manages to maneuver his body at an alarming angle so he can clear his mouth without letting go of Eddie. "Gonna kill you too, what the hell, Steve?"

And maybe the whole dying to save the village thing was a little on the nose and maybe Steve's speeches were a little purple prosy and maybe Eddie's never been more charmed by such an absolute dork of a man in his entire life so when Steve gets to eye level and ticks up a brow in question Eddie thinks about how he's always felt like a coward but sometimes The Kids make him brave and he just lays one on Steve, toothpaste lingering in both of their mouths and Mike loudly banging on the bathroom door before Eddie's even managed to get his tongue involved and -

"Holy shit, dude, you're such a dickhead, I'm trying to stick my tongue down Steve's throat, man," Eddie says when he yanks the door open and drags Steve past a beleaguered Mike and a thrilled Will and shoves Steve none too gently back through the bedroom door. "You got earplugs?" he asks, and Mike grimaces.

"No."

"Cool, no worries, if you hear any noises for the next few hours no you didn't."

Eddie actually manages to keep it fairly quiet but Steve is a whiner and Dustin never lives down giving Mike the, like, third most traumatizing evening of his life.

[fleurrrop]

Eddie's crush on Steve Harrington takes a strange turn when Harrington shows up at school two weeks before Thanksgiving of '84 and refuses to take off his sunglasses until his English teacher threatens to send him to the office - Eddie catches sight of the purple and yellow bruises and Steve spends twenty minutes feeling woozy and then ends up running to the bathroom to throw up because concussions are a bitch.

Eddie, like an idiot, chases after him. Spends half a minute listening to Steve retch and then crawls under the locked stall door to Steve's confused protest and leans against the stall with Steve's hair gathered in one hand until Steve is done puking.

"Hell of a hangover, Harrington," Eddie says to lighten the mood, knowing full well that's not it, and Steve thinks about pressing his face into the cool toilet, doesn't because this is a fucking boys high school bathroom.

"Billy Hargrove knocked my brain around," Steve says, wincing, and Eddie pushes the sunglasses he'd snaked off Steve's desk back on his face.

Eddie smokes him out behind the football fields at lunch and when Steve tries to pay him for the weed Eddie patently ignores the offer - uncaps a pen from his jacket pocket and scrawls his phone number across Steve's forearm and tells him to call if wants to hang out.

"What if I just want weed?"

"My business hours are ten to seven."

Steve calls him two nights later at half past seven and Eddie is Very Cool about it. (He's so not cool about it, he dances around the living room for a full five minutes and is thankful Wayne isn't around to see it.)

They spark up the strangest friendship either one of them have ever had but the moment Eddie realizes he actually genuinely likes Steve as a person he shoves that crush way down deep because Harrington is a genuinely cool dude and Eddie's fucked up friendships misreading the situation before.

----

Gareth fucking hates Steve Harrington.

He comes back from winter break to find Steve Harrington sitting next to Eddie at lunch, keeps his cool until Harrington leaves for gym class and then pitches a whole ass fit but it's too late because Eddie had introduced Steve to the band and a few of the Hellfire club during the break while Gareth was stuck in Mishawaka with his super religious bigot aunt and uncle and all of them grudgingly LIKE Harrington.

Jeff shrugs when Gareth tries to gather up some support. "He made us hot chocolate after band practice because the garage was cold. He charmed my mom into forgetting she hates Eddie."

Paul's zero help, because when Tommy Hagan ran into them at the diner a week into winter break and tried to start shit Harrington had threatened to rearrange Tommy's face and Tommy hasn't looked twice at them since.

The Hellfire club thinks he's adorable because he doesn't know what a kobold is and the thought of a twenty sided die makes him scrunch his nose up like he's in physical pain having the think about it and for some fucking reason they all find that sort of stupidity charming.

Eddie is a nonstarter - one bad word against him and he ices Gareth out for a week.

The third time Harrington almost freezes to death sitting in Gareth's garage while the band practices, he offers up his own garage (It's heated, because of fucking course it is, and he has the decency to pretend to be embarrassed at how fucking rich he is) and then cooks them dinner afterwards like some fifties housewife and actually, fuck everything, Harrington is an alright dude but Gareth doesn't have to LIKE him.

---

Jeff finally has someone to talk to about baseball - Harrington never played but he's a Cubs fan and when Jeff laughs about that for a full twenty minutes Steve has to explain The Curse, and if Eddie gets a gleam in his eye about the masochism of choosing a team destined to lose then Jeff isn't gonna say a word about it. Not his business, and he's not gonna step in shit just because Steve doesn't actually seem opposed to the outrageous fucking flirt Eddie is around him.

He loves his friends, would do pretty much anything for them, but they're all so enamored with the idea of being outcasts that all his mainstream interests get shoved aside and Steve is so goddamn mainstream he's actually not sure how Eddie befriended him but he's not gonna complain about it.

When it becomes clear, sometime around April, that Eddie is probably gonna fail (again) Steve gets a bug up his ass about it and suddenly Nancy fucking Wheeler is spending three nights a week at Eddie's. It'd be sweet, if it didn't cut into band practice, but the first time Jeff bangs on the trailer door to bitch about Eddie missing it again, Steve throws the door open and invites him in to watch the show - Eddie looks like he's about five minutes away from shaking little Nancy until her head pops off, and she looks like she'd like to strangle him right back, and they're arguing about concepts Jeff can't wrap his head around but the fact that Eddie knows his shit and just doesn't apply himself isn't new to Jeff but it clearly is to Wheeler.

When she finally leaves (only after watching Eddie painstakingly write out a scribbled mess of a paper for English class, checking on his progress every twenty minutes or so to his absolute mortification) Steve hands Eddie a beer and Eddie stares at a wall for ten minutes.

"Your ex is scary," Eddie finally mutters, and when he halfheartedly stuffs the finished essay into his bag Steve takes the time to reorganize it in a way that Jeff thinks might actually remind Eddie to turn the fucking thing in.

Jeff doesn't mention that he thinks it's kind of weird to be friends with your ex-girlfriend, especially when the rumor mill is pretty adamant that this particular ex cheated on Harrington.

"I'll make sure to write out a thank you note when you graduate because of her."

They're halfway through a movie when Gareth calls, Steve and Eddie arguing over some piece of trivia about the production team that Steve knows he's wrong about but refuses to give up the fight over, and Jeff feels a little shitty about forgetting the reason he came over in the first place.

They're interesting, is the thing. Jeff likes hanging out with them just to watch the juxtaposition of two guys so startlingly different from each other. And maybe he's a little invested in the will-they-won't-they of it all - because he'd been the first one Eddie had introduced to Steve in the nebulous time between whenever the fuck they'd started hanging out and when Eddie had decided not to keep him some dirty little secret - because he'd sort of just trusted Eddie not to be an idiot about it, and if he thought Harrington was important enough to bring into the fold than who the hell was Jeff to deny that - because Harrington is shockingly loyal and steadfast and Jeff thinks he's probably about a month off from a realization about himself he's probably not fully prepared for.

Jeff's gay uncle is the loneliest dude he's ever known and he'd always figured that was just how it was to be gay but there's shit brewing between Steve and Eddie that Eddie refuses to acknowledge and Steve hasn't noticed yet and there's probably gonna be some drama when it all comes to a head but Jeff knows Steve's gonna need someone other than Eddie to talk about it. So.

---

Steve invites himself into Gareth's the moment he opens the door. Just presses past him and lays himself out on the couch in the living room, and he knows Gareth isn't his biggest fan but that's sort of why he'd come here first. If anyone was gonna give him the absolute truth it's gonna be Gareth.

The thing is, he's been cruising along since November, barely passing his own classes, enjoying having friends who aren't pieces of shit, enjoying getting close to Eddie, ignoring that voice in the back of his head that still lingers in the feel of Eddie's fingers in his hair while he was puking his guts out on the cold bathroom floor, and the ignoring is getting harder and harder because Eddie's naturally a touchy feely person and Steve isn't used to that shit from anyone. The thing is he's pretty sure Eddie telling him he's gay, admitting it like some dark confession with wide eyes and a lick of fear crowding his features - Eddie telling him that shouldn't put him on edge like this, shouldn't make him so fucking angry, because he's trying, alright, he's trying to be, like, a better person and he's pretty sure he'd reacted okay because Eddie hadn't bolted but he's - he's upset about it and Gareth and Jeff are the only ones he's sure already know and he needs some fucking clarity.

Gareth will give it to him straight.

He's on a roll - pacing and gesturing and trying to work his way through all the shit in his head, the idea he's got of Eddie telling him because he's into someone and Steve's gonna end up in the back burner, or third wheeling, or fully fucking forgotten when he's had all of Eddie's attention for the last six months. "It's, like – I'm mad about it. Or. Like. Not mad, I just. The thought of having to see him happy with someone el–."

And. Huh.

"Dude," Gareth says, and Steve feels the laughter breaking loose - the ridiculousness of this moment, of choosing Gareth of all fucking people, the one person he hasn't won over despite his best attempts to not be a total dickhead. Steve fully fucking loses it, flopping onto Gareth's couch, laughing himself hoarse while Gareth stares at him like he's grown a second head, only sobering when Gareth sits himself down on the edge Steve isn't occupying.

"Shit, man," Steve says. "What do I do?" Because he can't lose Eddie, right? Other than Eddie he's got a gaggle of middle schoolers for friends and if things sour with Eddie it's not like Jeff or Paul or any of the others is going to choose Steve.

"Did you mean to come out to me right there, or was that an accident?"

"I literally didn't know until just then."

Gareth's been called some version of a homophobic slur enough times to know it sucks even if it's not true, and he's met Jeff's uncle a few times, seen the pain he carries, has always been terrified of Eddie losing his sparkle to a cruel world, and maybe he's never quite trusted Steve Harrington but clearly Harrington trusts him, which is.

"Eddie's had a crush on you for years, man, why do you think he wanted to be friends with you in the first place?"

"Fuck off," Steve says, and he looks a little miserable about it like he thinks this is some cosmic joke Gareth's cooked up.

"You should probably, like, take some time. Think about it. Make sure you're prepared for how much people fucking suck and decide if whatever you're feeling right now is worth the hassle."

"Eddie's not a hassle," Steve says, and Gareth decides right then and there that Harrington? Actually a good dude.

---

Steve throws a graduation party. It's a smaller affair than he would have had a year ago, more laid back, but a surprising amount of people actually show up - all of Hellfire, even the you freshman who Steve expressly forbids from the punch bowl that's mostly vodka (a few of them sneak a taste and Harrington berates them comically, hands on his hips and looking every inch a harried mother as they slink off towards his pool with the solo cups of water he replaces their punch with).

Nancy shows, even brings Jonathan, and Steve pretends it's not awkward, makes a joke about Nancy avoiding the punch that lands better than he expected and when Nancy slings both arms around Eddie and congratulates him, Jonathan and Steve take a moment to watch the pair.

They've had a few awkward moments in the halls, and a few more any time they happen to be bringing their respective heathens around to the Wheelers at the same time, but Steve had given NancyandJonathan the green light as best he could and he genuinely wants them to do well even if it had fucking sucked at the time to realize he'd felt way more for Nancy than she'd felt for him.

When Eddie and Nancy break the hug they start an argument that will last at least an hour if no one puts a stop to it, so Steve shows Jonathan to the liquor cabinet to make better drinks ("Wasn't kidding about the punch, man," Steve says and Jonathan's smile is almost warm.) and he beelines it out to the poolside where Nancy has her nose scrunched and Eddie is gesturing with both arms flailing in the air.

He has a fucking type.

When the younger kids finally leave and the group dwindles, Jeff and Gareth bemoan who the fuck is gonna run Hellfire now and Jonathan and Steve both throw a name into the hat - and Eddie's only met the kids that seem to hero worship Steve a few times but he tells Jeff to be in the lookout for them and proceeds to chug a full cup of punch. Grimaces once he's done, and Steve shoots Gareth a frown because - because they'd come up with a plan, sort of, and this party was mostly for Eddie even if Steve had graduated too but he hadn't planned on Eddie getting wasted.

"Don't see why you can't still go through with it," Gareth says under his breath while Jonathan and Eddie are getting high next to the pool, and Steve pinches the bridge of his nose and tries to remind himself that Gareth, for all that he's the closest thing Steve has to a confidante outside of Eddie, has been on one date in his entire life.

"I'm not gonna tell him I'm in fucking love with him when he might be too drunk to goddamn remember it," he tells Gareth and Gareth's eyes go a bit wide because - whoops, Steve hasn't actually said that before.

"You -."

"New plan," Steve interrupts before Gareth can call him out on it. "I'm gonna drink the rest of that punch and forget we ever even made a plan."

Gareth recruits Jeff to talk him down from that.

---

Steve gets a card from his parents for graduation and a week later he gets a call from his father telling him it's time for him to man up and make his own way in the world.

At least, that's what Eddie had gleaned from the conversation they'd had on his front stoop two days before graduation.

He wakes up from a night of getting absolutely blitzed to his face plastered against one of the soft pillows from Steve's bed and spends a good thirty minutes staring at the plaid wallpaper before he finally manages to turn over to find the glass of water and the bottle of Tylenol on the bedside table. By the time he finally manages to make it down the stairs the rest of the overnighters were already stirring, and Steve is making waffles and talking to Nancy in a quiet voice.

"...didn't even get into Tech. He's just trying to prove a point, because he hates having a screwup for a son."

"Did you even apply to Tech?" Nancy asks, and Steve shoots her a look over his shoulder. The answer is no, and Eddie knows that because these are the kinds of conversations he has with Steve, the same soft voices and then same knowing looks and Eddie watches them for a moment with something burgeoning on understanding.

The moment is broken when Gareth rolls past Eddie into the kitchen and does a double take.

"Nice sweatshirt," he says, and he wiggles his eyebrows like that's supposed to mean something - but Eddie hadn't even realized he wasn't wearing the same thing he'd come in until Gareth pointed it out.

It's Steve's - and Eddie hadn't paid it much mind when he woke up because he'd woken up in Steve's fucking bed but it smells like him - some sort of sports related monstrosity with green and orange accents and when Jeff claps him on the back and says the same fucking thing Eddie watches Steve's face go pink.

He's annoyingly cute, and Eddie shoves that thought down because in a moment of weakness he'd allowed himself to compare his relationship with Steve to Nancy fucking Wheelers relationship with Steve and - and it's a fucking sweatshirt, and Eddie vaguely remembers spilling punch on his own shirt, and Steve bundling him up the stairs and tossing a change of clothes at him, remembers splaying himself out on Steve's bed once he'd changed, and then nothing. He'd had a fucking lot to drink.

Everyone trickles out after breakfast, Gareth the last to leave before Eddie, and Eddie watches the two of them have a whispered argument by the front door that ends in him gesturing in Eddies direction and then throwing up his hands before shoving past Steve out the door

He doesn't get what Gareth's problem with Steve is.

Steve is - Steve's great, actually, which is a problem for Eddie in particular but shouldn't be an issue for Gareth the same way, because Gareth is strictly a tits man. No, Gareth had had a bug up his ass about Steve Harrington since that first day and Eddie hates that he won't just give up whatever idea he's got in his head that Steve isn't a fucking dream.

He's bad at ignoring the crush, alright?

When Steve sidles back into the kitchen he's got a serious look on his face Eddie doesn't particularly like. And - he should probably go, too, like the rest of them, but he's still perched up on the counter, wearing Steve Harrington's clothes and drinking Steve Harrington's coffee and admiring Steve Harrington's stupid pretty face.

He's so fucked.

"What do you remember from last night?" Steve asks once he's got his own coffee cup back in his hand, and Eddie gives him a rundown of the first half without issue. It gets a little foggy after he'd downed a second cup of punch.

"Did I do something stupid?" He doesn't drink very often, is the thing - too many bad memories of the elder Munson getting shithoused - but he'd fucking graduated and flipped Higgins the bird with diploma in hand and he'd indulged, just the once.

Steve grimaces. "Not - stupid, no. Just. Before you fell asleep you uh..."

Eddie tries to pull up the memory, gets a throbbing pain in his temple for the trouble, and manages only a vague whisper of a memory - catching Steve's fingers in his own as Steve tucked a blanket over him.

Steve takes a sip of his coffee. Runs a hand through his hair - delightfully messy, which is the sort of thing Eddie should t let himself linger on too long because it's not like he's going to get to see him like this often, rumpled and sleepy even though he's been up for a while now.

"You. Said something "

Eddie says a lot of things, and mostly he says a lot of bullshit, but -

Steve's knuckles against Eddie's lips, minty fresh breath because Steve had told him he'd feel better in the morning if he brushed his teeth before he passed out, Steve standing over him and smiling as Eddie's eyes shuttered closed, a soft sigh escaping his lips as Steve's fingers drifted from his. "Love you," he'd muttered under his breath, when Steve's footsteps had retreated -

Fucking.

Drunk Eddie is a goddamn problem.

"What did I say?" Eddie asks, and he's thankful his voice doesn't waver because he's gotta play this off, some how, some way, because he's not ready to not have Steve in his life and -

"It - it doesn't." Steve sighs. "You really don't remember?"

And he sounds - upset, about it, like he'd expected they'd be able to talk about it later.

"Uh..."

Steve runs a hand over his face. Sighs. Turns his head up to stare at the ceiling and Eddie, like an idiot, stares at the long line of his neck and thinks about biting it.

"Screw it," Steve says, and before Eddie can so much as blink Steve's across the kitchen and crowding into Eddie's space. He's shorter, like this, with Eddie perched on the counter, has to tilt his head up to catch Eddie's gaze and he's - close. Closer than Eddie tends to let him be for extended periods of time. "I like you, Eddie."

"...but?"

Steve snorts, and his hand curls around Eddie's knee, which is - it's doing something to Eddie's head, and maybe he's still drunk from last night because everything feels a bit hazy. "No but, man. I - you -." He scrunches up his nose the same way Wheeler does, but Eddie doesn't find it half as endearing when Nancy does it. "You've had my name splashed across your back all morning and it's driving me crazy, man, I'm so into you it's not even funny."

Nice sweatshirt, both Jeff and Gareth had said, like they were all in on some sort of joke, and Steve had chosen this shit out of one of his drawers, and Steve hadn't seemed like he had much to drink at all last night, and Steve is -

"If this is a joke it's a fucked up one, Steve."

Steve curls a hand into Eddie's hair and kisses him.

---

Gareth doesn't comment on the sweatshirt when he strides into the Harrington garage two days later, but he takes one look at the purpling bruise on Steve's neck and spends a moment torn between wanting to high five the dude and bemoan how insufferable Eddie's going to be with a full ass boyfriend. He keeps his mouth shut instead.

Jeff doesn't have the same problem. "Nice hickey," he says, poking at it as Steve hands out drinks, and Steve goes red and ducks his head but later, in the quiet privacy of the closed garage he tugs at Eddie's belt loop and presses a kiss to his cheek in full view of the band. Eddie preens, so Gareth was 100% right about that.

On the plus side, Gareth thinks, even as Eddie tries to persuade them to warm up with a fucking love song, at least Eddie might have something to stick around in Hawkins for a little bit longer.

[fleurrrop]

My steddie brain rot is going crazy today.

But the trope of Steve going on so many failed dates at the same place. But Eddie is the waiter every time.

He makes snarky remarks, always is quick to supply a lie for Steve to get away from the ones with too many red flags (Eddie slips him a napkin explaining them every time on his way out, and Steve always trusts him), picks Steve’s spirits up when he strikes out yet again, and always slips him free dessert.

After a particularly horrible date - in which the girl shows up an hour late and thirty minutes before they close and proceeds to only talk about her ex the whole time, running out when he sees him pass by - Eddie allows Steve to stay after closing and gives him extra fries and a slice of chocolate cake.

When Steve’s head thuds against the counter, Eddie comments, “Maybe you’re cursed.”

Steve shoots back, “Maybe this place is cursed.”

Eddie is silent for a few moments and leans over the counter he’s cleaning to whisper, “Maybe I’m cursing you.”

Steve laughs and throws a fry at Eddie who yelps and demands he pays for his cake this time. When the laughter dies down, Steve finds himself actually considering a new location for his dates.

“Hey, Eddie, where do you take all your dates?”

Eddie freezes and looks at Steve. He shakes his head and continues wiping off the counter. “All my dates,” he mutters in what sounds like disbelief. Steve can hardly believe it.

“You… you don’t go on dates?” Steve questions.

Eddie shoots him a look and says, “Steve, I don’t know where you got that impression, but I certainly do notttt.” He circles around the counter and begins putting chairs on top of the tables.

“Why not? You’re funny, kind, really creative with your lies, have a steady supply of free cake…” Steve trails off as Eddie laughs. He blurts out, “And you’re not so bad on the eyes either.”

Eddie’s laughter abruptly stops. He slowly approaches Steve and asks, “Steve Harrington, are you saying you find me attractive?”

Steve easily flirts back, “Maybe I am.” And what the hell was that? This isn’t one of his dates.

Eddie’s cheeks turns red and he looks down shaking his head. He replies, “Well, if you’re looking for a new place for a date, I would suggest the diner across the street. So you can come crawling back to me when it fails.”

Steve throws yet another fry at him and exclaims, “Another failed one!”

“You’re right! I won’t be close enough to curse you!”

Steve remains in the diner until Eddie closes up. His stomach hurts from laughing so hard, and he entirely forgets about the failed date. But he comes up with a plan for the next one.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Steve shows up at the diner across the street with low hopes for this date.

Surprisingly enough, she shows up on time and is really funny and beautiful and…

Steve looks out the window trying to catch a flash of big curly hair in the diner across the street.

“Steve?” The girl, Jessie, asks. “You okay? You seem… distracted.”

“Yeah, of course,” he replies shaking the feeling that something is off.

The date goes… really well. And Steve isn’t happy about it. And he doesn’t know why he’s not happy until he finishes his meal and gets the check… with no free dessert.

Eddie is what’s off. The thought hits him suddenly, and Steve doesn’t know what to do. The perfect girl is literally right in front of him, but more than anything he wants to run across the street and see Eddie.

Eddie had cursed him.

“Steve, are you okay?” Jessie asks so kindly, and really she’s perfect. But she’s not Eddie.

“I’m so sorry…” Steve begins.

Jessie cuts him off, “Someone else, right? It’s okay really. I’ve been there, too. Just… go after her.” She smiles sweetly at Steve and squeezes his hand.

Who the fuck is she, and please be attracted to girls so Steve can set her up with Robin.

“Thank you,” Steve says leaving money on the table, he kisses her on the forehead and thanks her again. Then he’s racing out the doors, darting across the street, apologizing to a car that has to slam on the breaks and swerve to not hit him.

He races into the diner, and the bell obnoxiously rings as the door slams open. Luckily, there’s only one couple in the place, and they’re in the process of leaving. Or they were. Eddie dropped their change all over the ground when Steve startled everyone.

Steve helps to scoop up the money, apologizing and awkwardly waving as the couple leaves. When the door closes, Eddie slightly smiles asking, “Another failed date, huh?”

“No actually,” Steve replies.

Eddie’s face drops and his knuckles turn white around the money he’s gripping. “Oh. Well, congratulations,” Eddie says monotonously, shoving the money into the register and slamming it shut. “Unfortunately, we’re closing soon, so I’ll have to usher you out.”

“Eddie-”

“Leave,” Eddie says, not looking up.

“It didn’t work out!” Steve yells. “It didn’t work out. And it should’ve. Because she was everything. She was perfect. She was everything I wanted.”

“Glad to hear that-”

Steve interrupts, “But it didn’t matter because she wasn’t you!”

Eddie finally looks up at him. “What?”

“The whole time, I was expecting to look up and see you. And when I didn’t I was looking out the window trying to see you across the street and the damn glare wouldn’t let me. And then I was expecting free dessert subconsciously, and it never came!” Steve rambles out running his hands through his hair.

Eddie’s eyebrows furrow as he tilts his head. “You wanted me to be there for… my free dessert?”

Steve groans, “No, Eddie. I wanted you to be there on the other side of the table. I wanted Jessie to be you.”

Eddie stares at him for a few moments and then slowly breaks out into a grin. “So I really did curse you?”

“You did, you asshole,” Steve bites back laughing.

Eddie leans across the counter and says, “So, what if I told you that if I were to go on a date, I would go to Enzo’s? And that I’m free tomorrow night.”

“I would say it’s a date,” Steve says leaning in.

Eddie hesitates and says, “Woah now. A gentleman doesn’t kiss before the first date.”

Steve replies, “Apparently I’m not a gentleman then.”

Eddie meets him in the middle and gently kisses him, breaking it only when he can’t help but smile widely. “You’re going to get me fired.”

“Definitely now that I have an unlimited supply of free cake.”

Eddie rolls his eyes and says, “Which comes directly out of my paycheck.”

“Eddie! You didn’t tell me you were paying for it!”

Eddie smiles. “Sounds like you’re paying for a lot of our dates then.”

Steve comes around the counter and hooks his arms around Eddie’s neck. “Someone’s presumptuous.”

“And that someone needs to close the diner,” Eddie shoots back quickly giving Steve a peck on the cheek.

Steve helps him close up, wondering how it took him so long to see what was right in front of him.

[fleurrrop]

soft silence...

[fleurrrop]

starcourt, ‘85

(or eddie munson was there when back to the future aired at starcourt and saw a sailor uniform wearing steve harrington with his face busted open and being totally out of it while he asks robin “okay but why is it back to the future then?” and thought yep that one)

[fleurrrop]

Guitar lessons at Eddie’s house