#...i'm back | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

eddiethebrave · 1 month ago

Text

secret admirer part twenty-seven

1731 words

one two three four five six seven eight nine ten eleven twelve thirteen fourteen fifteen sixteen seventeen eighteen nineteen twenty twenty-one twenty-two twenty-three twenty-four twenty-five twenty-six

“Steve!” Tommy all but screams into his ear and he tries his best not to flinch. “What’s the rush, man?” he asks, using his grip to spin Steve to face him.

Steve rolls his eyes and shrugs the teen’s arm off from where he slings it over his shoulders. He crosses his arms. “There’s no rush, Tommy - just not really anything to stick around for, you know?”

Tommy stares at him blankly for a fraction of a moment before taking a step back and chuckling. It’s kind of forced, if Steve’s being honest.

Tommy throws his arms out and gestures around them. “Yeah, I guess that’s right, isn’t it?” His arms drop back to his sides and any hopes Steve had of this being a short interaction are thwarted when Tommy leans against the bimmer with a sigh.

“Anyway, what’re you doing right now? ‘Cause I was thinking about that movie that just came out; y’know, the one with the dancing? They’re playing it at the Hawk tonight.”

“Footloose?” Steve questions, curiosity piqued. He's been wanting to go see it since it began screening - which Tommy definitely knows. “Oh man, I totally would. It’s just my… my mom. Yeah. She, uh, has me doing a bunch of shit around town today. Won’t be home ‘till way later.”

It’s not his best work, but it’ll have to do.

Tommy nods along, no stranger to seeing Steve act as his parents’ errand boy. “No worries, man. Maybe next time,” he suggests.

For the first time in this interaction, Steve relaxes. His shoulders slump and he slaps Tommy’s shoulder with the back of his hand. “Next time,” he agrees with a grin.

Once Tommy has bound off to God knows where, Steve finally sinks into his seat and lets out a sigh as he starts the car.

Here goes nothing.

When he gets home he almost expects his house to have changed since he’d left this morning - he prepares for the worst but the house is as spotless as it always is. His parents make sure of it.

Well. His parents make sure he and Megan take care of it. On top of Steve’s chores, his parents hired Megan to stop by every weekend to deep clean the house.

Steve also suspects his parents ask her if he’s doing his part; there have been multiple occasions where he decides to slack off a little and he sure gets an earful whenever it is his parents next grace their son and Hawkins with their presence.

Hilariously, Steve recalls the joke Eddie had made on Monday about the maid taking the week off.

Maybe he won’t mention Megan to Eddie.

Speaking of Eddie - he should be here any minute now if he didn’t make any stops along the way.

Just as the thought crosses his mind, he hears the rumble of an engine making its way up his driveway. Steve freezes in panic even though he knew this was happening. He jumps at the loud - albeit muffled - sound of a car door slamming. He still hasn’t managed to get his shit together by the time a knock sounds from the front door.

He doesn’t want to keep him waiting on the front steps, though, so he makes his way over and swings the door open with a smile that drops when he’s only met with the back of Eddie’s head.

“Eddie,” he beckons - it comes out more like a question.

The boy in question turns from where he’d been looking, raising his brows and throwing a thumb over his shoulder. “‘Your neighbors always this vigilant, or is it just for little ‘ol me?”

Peering over his shoulder, Steve winces and waves at the house across the street where Mrs. Robinson is standing on her porch with her arms crossed.

She had taken it way too seriously when his mother had said You’ll keep an eye out for my Steve, won’t you? the first time the woman had called her with ‘concerns.’

Not wanting to give her the chance to march over and demand answers, Steve grabs Eddie by the arm and hastily pulls him past the threshold. Steve shuts the door and locks it for good measure. He peers out of the peep hole and once he’s sure they’ve mostly dodged her ire, he exhales and turns to Eddie at his right.

“... So,” Steve starts, running a hand through his hair, “are you hungry?”

Eddie shakes his head with his lips parted slightly.

Steve forces himself not to let his eyes linger there.

“Thirsty?”

Steve’s enraptured as Eddie’s face slowly creases up with a grin. He shakes his head again. His hair sweeps across his shoulders with the movement.

Eddie’s head tilts down and Steve follows his gaze to where his own hand is still latched around Eddie’s forearm. The grip is light, and Steve realizes in horror that he's begun to - fucking - caress him there with his thumb.

Steve rips his hand away and holds it to his chest like it’s wounded. “I- Uh-” he stutters. “... Coke? Water? Juice?” he echoes Eddie’s question from when they’d been at his house.

Eddie huffs a laugh and shakes his head again, this time in amusement. “If you insist, I’ll do a Coke. Where are we working, Steve?”

Steve releases his hold on his breath and tries to relax. It mostly works.

Steve’s thought this through. If they worked in the dining room, it would feel too formal and if they worked in his bedroom, it would feel too informal. The sweet spot has to be the living room.

He leads Eddie there and gestures to all of the seating options. It’s sort of a test he’s found himself giving to his guest over the last couple years. Steve does this to everyone he has over. Where somebody sits can tell you a lot about how they’re feeling.

Out of all of the options - the couch, the loveseat, the accent chairs, the recliners - Eddie drops his bag to the floor in front of the coffee table and then flops down right beside it. Steve has to say… he hadn’t even considered that an option.

He tilts his head and peers down at the other teen in consideration. What the hell does the floor mean he’s feeling? This is unprecedented.

Steve stands there dumbly until Eddie is settled and finally looks back up at him.

“The service here is really slow, man,” he says with a grim look. Steve blinks in confusion, and Eddie must read it on his face because he laughs lightly.

“The Coke, Harrington,” Eddie reminds him.

Steve’s face heats up in embarrassment. “Oh.” He turns without another word and makes his way to the kitchen. He grabs a Coke for Eddie and a bottled water for himself. Before he returns to the livingroom, though, he opens the freezer and sticks his face in there to cool it down.

On his way back, he grabs his backpack from where he’d dropped it in the foyer. Eddie has already gotten started on his work. Steve moves one of his mom’s ceramic coasters closer to where Eddie’s sitting and drops his drink there before doing the same for himself.

Eddie thanks him, but his attention is already focused on his paper.

Steve decides to follow Eddie’s lead and lowers himself to the plush carpet. he sits with his back against the recliner, about five feet away from the other boy.

Steve takes his time gathering his supplies from his bag.

He’s been anticipating Eddie bringing up his crush and the notes since he figured it out in the first place. He kind of wants to just get it over with so he can stop bracing himself for a conversation that never takes place.

He’d understood the silence at first - when they were at school and then the diner. This week has thrown him off, though. They’ve been completely alone and Eddie’s had plenty opportunity to talk if that’s what he wants.

So, Steve has come to the conclusion that Eddie doesn’t wanna talk about it - doesn’t wanna acknowledge it out loud.

He knows he should be grateful. Really. He should count himself lucky that he hasn’t became the town pariah yet. It’s just.

Why doesn’t Eddie wanna talk about it? Why did he put the ring back on? What does it mean?

Just like most of the other times they’ve met up like this, they don’t talk much as they work. After about ten minutes of painstakingly refining his drawing, listening to nothing other than the sound of pencils scratching on paper and both of their soft breathing, Steve sets his drawing face-down on the carpet and rises to his feet.

He can feel the weight of Eddie’s gaze on his back as he makes his way over to the record player. The undivided attention is hard sometimes - it feels different than when Eddie’s looking at him periodically as a reference for his drawing (don’t even get Steve started on the effect those looks have on him).

He takes a deep breath to steady himself as he flips through the music options. Steve doesn’t put much thought into his choice - he’s kind of expecting Eddie to be a music snob no matter what he plays. When he replaces the old record with the new one, though, he can’t help but bite his lip in amusement as he imagines the boy’s reaction.

Steve places the needle in the correct spot and hums along to the opening notes of Time After Time. His head bops to the beat as he makes his way back to his spot. He doesn’t look to see what Eddie thinks of the song, but he can feel his gaze. Only when Steve hears the sound of pencil on paper under the music does he chance a look up. He can’t be sure, but he thinks Eddie’s lips are quirked up at the sides. Is he laughing at him? ‘Cause, worth it, honestly.

With the music playing and the boys so focused on their work, neither of them hear the sound of an engine growing closer as it makes it’s way up the drive. Nor do they notice the slam of a car door. Only when the front door to the house opens and closes do they tune in to the intrusion.

Then, “Harrington, you here!?”

tag list (closed)

@sofadofax @noodle-shenaniganery @queenie-ofthe-void @friendlyneighborhoodgaycousin @devondespresso

@dreamingtheimpossibe @plutoshelm @jaywhohasthegay @scarlet-malfoy @hotluncheddie

@dreamy-jeans137 @justdrugsformethanks @estrellami-1 @travelingtwentysomething @sleepy-steve

@wheneverfeasible @bisexual-and-broke @lil-gremlin-things @n0-1-important @xxbottlecapx

@tinyplanet95 @dannys-guilt-ridden-cockroach @theohohmoment @corvus-perplexus @hippieg1rl420

@blurryjoji @bookbinderbitch @arthurianace @dragonmama76 @thesuninyaface

@tillystealeaves @p0lybl4nkk @sageclipse @mugloversonly @chameleonhair

@thedragonsaunt @yesdangerpls @sanctumdemunson @slv-333 @loguine-linguine

@resident-gay-bitch @anaibis @moomkin77 @thrashbatx @salchica

@flustratedcas @ajeff855 @nerdyglassescheeseychick @pearynice @imaginary-maggie-waggie