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hairmetal666 · 1 year

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Steve and Eddie don't like each other at first. Or, no, that's not quite right. They're still bonded from everything. They're friends, sort of, but they don't spend time together outside the group, have trouble talking one-on-one.

Steve doesn't think about it much. So, he and Eddie won't ever be real friends, okay. He's a little disappointed, but mostly he doesn't understand how he feels about the other guy. He's always anxious when Eddie's around, clumsy and stuttering, infected with Robin's tendency to nervous chatter. It doesn't make sense. It's just Eddie. But that's the thing. It's Eddie and Steve doesn't know how to act around him.

And Eddie? Well, he spends a lot of time avoiding Steve because the fucking cascade of butterflies he gets every time Harrington is around. He knows what it means, knows even he isn't immune to the Harrington charm, but he needs to be. He needs to keep his heart safe. So, he keeps his distance because Steve Harrington is not for him and never will be.

It changes during movie nights. First it's teasing Dustin and Mike, mocking whatever horrible movie the kids put on, and then it's inside jokes, and playful bickering, and evenings with just the two of them drinking beer and sharing joints.

Then it's August. It's too hot everywhere and Steve's parents are home, so they're in Steve's car, driving with no destination, a couple joints in Eddie's jacket pocket and a six-pack in the trunk. They're listening to a mixtape Eddie made Steve, a bunch of metal. Steve still doesn't get it but there are a couple of songs he enjoys. Rainbow in the Dark starts--this is one Steve likes, reminds him of Eddie and not just because it's Dio. Sun filters through foliage and into the car windows, backlighting Eddie's curls like he's some kind of deity, beautiful and ethereal, not part of this world.

Steve starts singing along to the music, can't help himself. His friend throws him a beaming smile, big enough that Steve thinks his heart stops. He smiles back. He and Eddie sing the rest of the song together, and Steve is...he's content. He's happy. He hasn't felt this way since--well fuck--since 1983. Their eyes meet again, gazes linger, warmth pools in Steve's chest and low in his stomach.

Oh. He thinks. That's what this is. It settles something inside him, the knowing.

Time passes, they get closer, share a bed most nights. Doesn't matter where as long as they're together. Sleep better this way, both of them.

They're at the trailer when it happens, sharing a joint, loosely tucked against each other in bed.

"I've never had a friend like you," Eddie says. His eyes stay fixed on the smoke he exhaled. "I know you and Robin are--like, I get it. But you're--for me--"

"Yeah," Steve agrees. He flushes from his chest to forehead. "For me too."

It's enough, they both think. They're standing on the edge of more have been for months, but this? This is good. There's no need to push, to force. They're hurt, Steve thinks. They're healing. And they have time.

Corroded Coffin plays their first show back at the Hideout in December. Steve's never seen Eddie like this, performing. His shirt is cropped and artfully torn, his jeans more rip than pants. He's wearing eyeliner and his hair is wild. And the way he moves, sinuous and sleek, hips thrusting in a tantalizing rhythm as he shreds on the guitar. Steve wants so badly he feels it in his teeth.

He finds Eddie smoking behind the Hideout after the set. His eye are too bright, his smile manic, the adrenaline keying him up to the highest setting of Eddie. Steve knows he matches the energy, can't help it.

Eddie throws himself into Steve's arms, wrapping around him tight enough that no space lingers. The musician presses his face into Steve's neck, nuzzling, lips pressing against his pulse point. They touch always, share a bed and cuddle, but never like this; nothing like this. Steve pulls Eddie closer, and groans at the mutual swivel of their hips.

Eddie's breath comes in panting bursts, and Steve thinks, "here it is, finally, finally," but the door next to them bangs open and they jump apart at the noise.

Their friends and the rest of the Corroded Coffin guys come out, frolicking and shouting, complimenting Eddie on the show. If anyone noticed them embracing, notices the way they both adjust their clothing to hide their matching arousal, they don't say anything.

Steve wakes early the next morning, early enough that Eddie doesn't even stir beside him, hair wild and eyeliner smeared.

He gets out of bed, starts breakfast, chocolate chip pancakes and bacon, Eddie's favorite. He's so intent on cooking that he doesn't hear the other man come up behind him, doesn't realize he's even awake until a warm body presses to his back, long-fingered hands slipping under his t-shirt, tracing the scars on his stomach. He leans into it without a thought. They touch all the time, but they don't touch like this.

"Watcha making, sweetheart?" Eddie whispers.

"Your favorite," Steve answers.

Eddie makes a little sound, almost a whimper, and presses his face to Steve's neck. Steve lifts his chin, leaning into Eddie and offering more. Warm lips press against his jaw, down to the moles on his throat. A moan slips from his lips as he grinds his ass into Eddie's hardness. The other man groans, grabbing at Steve's hips.

Somewhere in the press of their bodies, Steve has the presence of mind to turn. He lifts his hands, cups Eddie's jaw, thumbs caressing the stubbled, scarred skin of his cheeks. "Okay?" He asks. His voice shakes.

Eddie's eyes are wide, shining, and he swallows hard. Steve knows he's overwhelmed, knows that the words won't come. Instead, Eddie nods, and finally finally they kiss.

Steve is flying. His blood soars in his veins, his heart lifts off. It was always supposed to be this. Always supposed to be them.

It was slow. It was easy. It was small jokes, and long looks, and little touches, and singing in cars and best friends and sharing beds.

His heart belonged to Eddie Munson for months. It will belong to him forever.

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kitwasheree · 2 months

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And Then They Were Roommates

【Summary】 : Iris, a tired college student just trying to get by his mundane, day to day life, has been having a frequent visitor. Who has been breaking into his dorm room frequently. To ransack his fridge. No one none other than Lilia Vanrouge, and Iris figures that if he's here this often, under his roof and eating his food... He might as well make him his roommate.

【Warnings】 : Mentions of alcohol, drinking.

【Word Count】 : 2.5k

【Notes】 : i know this is an art blog, but i wanted to write something for valentine's, and i didn't really want to draw a comic. forgive me if lilia comes off as ooc, i've never written something like this before, nor have i written lilia before. ty to my friends for beta'ing ily guys ♡

Part 1 | Part 2 (on the next blue moon probably)

【Tags】 : @1dont-really-know @fumoandinsanity @thehollowwriter @boopshoops @distant-velleity

Iris groaned as he heard a racket coming from his kitchen in his dorm room, eyes fluttering open in the middle of the night. He got up from his bed groggily and sighed, as if this wasn't the first time this had happened.

" It's two in the fucking morning.... " He grumbled, as he forced himself to get up.

Iris exited his room and walked into his kitchen, clicking on the light. There, at his fridge, stood Lilia Vanrouge, who had broken into his dorm room again somehow, and was currently rummaging through his fridge in the dead of night. Again. Lilia froze as the lights clicked on and his eyes narrowed to adjust to the light, before he turned to look at Iris with a sheepish grin.

Iris sighed as he pinched his forehead. He's too tired for this, he thought. This had happened before. Lilia had been breaking into his dorm room even though Iris keeps the door locked, and even then, he had checked the locks and all of them were intact, with no signs of lockpicking whatsoever, so Iris simply cannot fathom how Lilia kept getting in.

Iris gave Lilia a long, deadpan look, long purple hair dishevelled and eyebags present, having been rudely awoken in the middle of night due to a certain pink-haired someone. You’d think that after a stranger broke in, one would be shocked or panicked, but instead all Iris had was an unimpressed expression on his face. This was the third time this had happened this week. The worst part (to Iris at least) was that the red-eyed night gremlin didn’t even have any ill intent. The most he had done was mildly inconvenience him. Which also annoyed Iris. Seriously, this guy was like some sort of bat… Some… Vampire that comes into his dorm room in the dead of night, to what? Mess up his kitchen and look through his fridge?

" ...Vanrouge. Again. How did you get in? I swear, it's two in the morning...! '' Iris scowled, half-awake as he glared at the mischievous other.

“ Ah, Iris. Apologies, dear. “

Lilia said nonchalantly as he continued to rummage through Iris’s fridge, jars and bottles clinking, Iris's meticulous organisation of his fridge quickly being destroyed by one mischievous man. Iris watched with dismay as all of his condiments and ingredients got mixed up with each other.

“ I simply stopped by for a midnight snack as I felt quite peckish. I’ll be out of your hair in a jiffy, don’t worry, “ Lilia hummed as he glanced over to Iris for a moment, before turning his attention back to the fridge.

“ Oh my, tomato juice. Don’t mind if I do,“ Lilia grinned as he took a chug straight out of the carton. Iris cringed at this. There goes his hygiene.

“ …A midnight snack. At my dorm. Out of all the other people you could have chosen. And you keep coming back, too. “

Iris commented in a monotone voice, sighing as he leaned against the doorframe of the kitchen.

“ Indeed. You always have the most delicious food after all, I may have developed a taste for it. Is that a slice of cake? Oh! And a bottle of wine! Could I have a sip of that? “ Lilia chirped as he noticed the wine cabinet.

Iris glared at him even harder.

“ Do not touch my wine, “

“ How the hell did you even manage to get in!? The door is locked, and you clearly didn’t lockpick it, nor should you have a copy of my key. “ Iris asked with exasperation as he walked over and snatched the bottle of wine out of his cabinet.

He decided, fuck it, he’s already awake and too tired to deal with this, so he’ll just have a drink to ease his headache. Whether the headache was from the lack of sleep or the presence of Lilia, he didn’t know, nor did he care. Iris was rather glad that tomorrow was the weekend, that way he wouldn’t have to deal with getting to class while running on four hours of sleep. He took a swig straight from the bottle of high quality and imported wine, as per his picky tastes. He’d always been rather finicky about his wine, never settling for anything less than the best.

Logically, Iris knew that he should be calling the police by now to report Lilia for breaking and entering, but he considered firstly, he was too tired to deal with this, and secondly, nothing was broken. He also thought that it would be too much of a hassle, so he decided that if nothing was broken even though someone was entering, it did not count as breaking and entering, and therefore he wouldn’t need to go through the trouble.

Lilia snickered as he examined the slice of cake in the fridge with interest.

“ I do believe I’ve already told you how I got in, Iris. I just so happen to have a copy of your room key,“ He smiled as he continued to rummage through the fridge, to which Iris frowned.

“ …How did you even get that? And why do you decide to come into my dorm room out of everyone else’s? Vanrouge, I swear…! “

Iris paced around the kitchen, too dumbfounded with Lilia’s antics to genuinely be mad anymore. He supposed he was used to it at this point. Was that a good thing or a bad thing? He didn’t know, and quite frankly was too tired to think about it. It would be a problem for future Iris to think about, he supposed. He leaned against the kitchen counter next to Lilia, taking another sip of wine. Lilia seemed to have gotten his hands on a bag of potato chips — wait, he had potato chips? Iris didn’t even know where Lilia had found that. The menace crunched on the chips with a cheeky grin as he spoke.

“ Iris, dear, I break into your dorm simply because you are an interesting guy that I have yet to understand. And you also happen to have a wonderfully stocked fridge. Khee hee hee, don’t you feel rather special that I chose you? “

“ And yes, I know it’s illegal, but have a little heart, dear. It’s not as if I’ve ever stolen anything from you! “

Lilia said, as he feasted on Iris’s stolen potato chips and helped himself to Iris’s kitchen like it was a five-star buffet. Lilia seemed to not be bothered, though.

“ You are, quite literally, stealing from me right now, Vanrouge. “

“ And for the love of god, do not get crumbs all over my floor! Do you have no manners? You are lucky that I’ve gotten past trying to incapacitate you for the first two weeks that you started to break in. Otherwise I would have hit you with a baseball bat or frying pan. Again. “ Iris sighed, narrowing his eyes.

“ Ah! You are right, where are my manners? My apologies, Iris. I assure you I’ll clean up after myself. I’ll finish these chips and be out of your hair, “ Lilia gasped. He chuckled amusedly as he continued to snack, seemingly unfazed.

“ I suppose I will ignore you leeching off my groceries and instead, go back to bed, in order to forget you were even here, “ Iris retorted dryly.

“ By the way, do you have a spare toothbrush by chance? I happened to lose mine due to a little… Incident, at my house, ” Lilia admitted sheepishly as he turned to Iris. Now was the time to use his boyish charm, of course. If he just made his eyes a little bigger, maybe tremble his lip to look as pitiful and cute as possible… Truly, it worked every time, so surely his adorable face would convince Iris.

“ …What incident? Nevermind, I don’t want to know. With the way you’ve been consistently breaking into my dorm room, I simply assumed you were homeless, “ Iris said in a sarcastic tone as he rolled his eyes lightly. He took another sip of wine so that he wouldn’t be sober enough to deal with Lilia Vanrouge eventually. ‘Eventually’ would unfortunately be for a while, though. Curse his high tolerance for alcohol.

“ Why yes, my house is located in the middle of the woods. It’s quite the trek to campus, so technically, you are right to assume that I’ve been homeless here and then! I figured it’s more convenient if I simply stop by for a snack or two, and it just so happens that you have a dorm here, “

Lilia then noticed something in the trash bin. He fished out a half-finished bottle of wine, holding it up to examine it.

“ Oh my, what is this doing in the trash? “

“ Your house is what? “ Iris blinked incredulously, before giving up. He was so bewildered he could almost laugh. Almost. Maybe Lilia isn’t that much of a nuisance. It was never boring whenever Lilia showed up, an almost nice change from his mundane life, he supposed. One thing he had learnt was to not question the things Lilia would say, and to just accept it. He frowned in disgust when Lilia took out the bottle from the trash.

“ Eurgh. Why are you rummaging through my trash now? Do not drink that. It’s trash wine. “

Iris looked at the half-finished wine bottle with a repulsion like it had personally offended him, and he took it out of Lilia’s hands, tossing it out the open window carelessly. A loud ‘CRASH!’ could be heard somewhere downstairs, which probably could have killed someone and woken up his dorm mates, but judging by the lack of a scream, Iris should be free of murder charges. Even if he wasn’t, well, that would be a problem for future Iris yet again.

Lilia watched Iris toss out the bottle of perfectly good wine with shock on his face, frowning. His eyebrows raised when he heard the loud crash, quickly peering out the window, down the building, before he turned back to Iris.

“ Good grief, Iris! That was unnecessary, someone could have died down there. “ Lilia scolded. He pouted as he gestured out the window. “ There’s no need to toss out perfectly good wine! “

“ I disagree, if the bottle is in the trash, then it simply is trash wine. No, it is not ‘perfectly good wine’. I could practically taste the factory it was manufactured in. “ Iris shook his head in disapproval.

“ Anyways, you still have not answered me. Why do you keep breaking into my dorm room? “

“ I happen to have a soft spot for you, dear. And I’m curious on how you would react each time I show up, “ Lilia laughed as he gave Iris a soft smile, propping his face up with his hands as he leaned on the kitchen counter.

Iris stopped scowling for a moment, averting his eyes when Lilia did that. He didn’t know why he couldn’t bring himself to look at that soft smile, feeling a bit strange. Whatever, it’s nothing. Or at least that’s what he told himself.

“ You are here so often, and yet I don’t see you on campus. Or maybe it’s because I simply haven't noticed you, “ Iris commented.

“ Well, since I’m here so often, may I stay the night? It’s quite late, and as you know, my house is quite far away! “ Lilia grinned as he patted Iris on the back, to which he had an unamused expression as he glanced at Lilia.

“ Come now, it wouldn’t be so bad to have me as a houseguest. Of course, if you really don’t want to, then I’ll gladly leave, “

Lilia smiled, hoping for a yes, but his grin turned into a serious expression when he said the last part. He didn’t actually want to overstep Iris’s boundaries too much, not wanting to cross a line. If Iris really didn’t want him around, he would gladly leave. Albeit with a little sadness.

Iris sighed as he gave Lilia a very long look, pondering his decision, taking in Lilia’s appearance. He supposed that he and Lilia were acquaintances by now, with the amount of times they’ve seen each other for the past few months. And he supposed that maybe, Lilia's presence has become a welcome one, after the first few weeks of breaking in. Maybe he's even a little bit fond. And he supposed that yes, Lilia has not shown any ill will towards him, nor done any harm. And perhaps, maybe, just maybe, he could use a little company sometimes — not that he’s lonely, though.

Lilia’s face seemed to fall a bit as the silence dragged on from Iris’s lack of response, and he started to doubt himself. Maybe he really wasn’t welcomed, and that Iris didn’t care about him at all, nor had Iris started to like him at all in the first place. He could have sworn Iris liked him, though. It’s why Lilia kept coming back to see him. Did he read Iris wrong this whole time? Lilia felt hurt and guilty, but he supposed that it’s his own fault for overstaying his welcome, anyway. It was stupid of him to think that Iris would let him stay for a ‘visit’, let alone stay the night, in hindsight. Maybe it’s time for this little charade to end. Lilia shifted uncomfortably, sighing as he closed his eyes, and then he opened his mouth to speak.

“ I understand. Perhaps I have misjudged the situation. I- “

“ Alright, fine. Do what you want, just make sure not to make a mess, “ Iris interrupted, covering his face as he finally caved. He stopped taking sips from the bottle of wine, placing it back in the wine cabinet.

“ You’re here often enough, anyway, so I suppose it wouldn’t do any harm. “

Lilia immediately perked up, breaking into a wide smile. Good, good! He didn’t read him wrong after all! His adorable face and youthful energy must have worked its magic. Deep down, he’s rather relieved.

“ Thank you. I assure you, I will be on my best behaviour, “ Lilia winked. “ Think of it as a slumber party, if you will. “

“ A slumber party? Don’t get ahead of yourself, “ Iris shook his head and rolled his eyes, a grin tugging at his lips.

Iris exited the kitchen, with Lilia following behind him. He clicked the kitchen lights off, and disappeared into his room, re-emerging with fluffy blankets and pillows in his hand. Iris dumped them into Lilia’s hands, figuring that this was the least he could do for him. Lilia snickered in response as he caught the mountain of blankets and pillows. It practically covered his small stature, so much so that one would think they were looking at a walking pile of comfort.

“ Here you go, “ Iris said, figuring this was the least he could do for his impromptu houseguest.

“ Good night, Iris, “ Lilia beamed at him. “ Say, it’s not so bad having me around now, is it? “

“ I suppose not, “ Iris admitted quietly, as he walked towards his bedroom. He stopped in the hallway, and turned around for a moment, giving Lilia a small smile.

“ Good night, Lilia, “ He nodded softly, before he retreated into his bedroom, clicking the door shut behind him.

As Lilia wrapped himself in blankets on the couch, the sound of the clock ticking away into the night, he buried his warm face into the pillow.

He called me Lilia.