#robin just likes to see how many octaves she can get eddie’s voice to go up

[wynnyfryd]

Robin and Eddie accidentally show up wearing matching flannel shirts and curly high-bun hairdos and Steve pulls them both into a Steve sandwich group hug like

Steve: Awww, my favorite lesbians are matching

Eddie: Excuse you! How come I have to be a lesbian, huh? Why can’t Robin be one of your boyfriends?

Steve: Do you wanna be my boyfriend, Robbie?

Robin: No, I do not.

Steve: She doesn’t want to be my boyfriend, Eds.

Eddie: Well I don’t want to be your lesbian!

Steve: Wooooooow.

Robin: Didn’t know you were dating a homophobe.

Steve: Me neither. 😔

Eddie: (indignant bird noises)

[twistedsiren86]

Growing Pains

Based off of the idea that Steve Harrington in fact is a human being who doesn’t heal overnight, and actually has lifelong ailments from all the times he’s been beaten up. While also being Steddie :P

1988

Steve's eyes close as he tries to keep his composure. The kids are making one hell of a racket, and it was causing the ringing in his right ear to worsen. Steve has gotten used to the constant ringing, it's been going on ever since he and Robin got caught by the Russians while working at Scoops Ahoy. Steve had not been new to taking a beating, and maybe that's why a switch flipped inside his head that day.

The ringing wasn’t the only thing ailing Steve Harrington.

Glasses should've come after Billy Hargrove pummeled his face to hell and back, although Steve firmly pushed that idea away until he could no longer read the kids' homework sheets without squinting and bringing the paper an inch from his face.

Now the spunkier kids tease him. They call him grandpa and offer an arm to walk him across the street. Dustin always asks how many fingers he’s holding up and Steve’s in a very Eddie Munson fashion, shoots Dustin the middle finger. The less daring kids try to be helpful, but it just makes Steve feel like a lacking parental figure.

To his dismay, he’ll laugh with Dustin, Mike, and Lucas when they tease him. And he always thanks El and Will. And well, Max is practically his child since her mother isn’t responsible for her anymore, so Max gets all the free passes.

Behind it all, Steve hates that he's so worn down already. Hell, he's in his early twenties, he shouldn't need glasses to read the paper, or earplugs on the Fourth of July.

Steve knows that he caused this all on himself. Or, at least that's what he tells himself. He should've gone to a doctor sooner, he should've fought harder, he should've-

Steve thinks he should've, would've, could've a lot. He thinks about all his mistakes and all of his downfalls. He thinks of all the failed plans, the 'oh shit' moments, the inevitable backfires. The times he's put the kids in harm's way, or when his friends follow him into the line of fire because they look at Steve as a beacon. He is, well, was their compass within the madness.

And sure, they have scars. Max wears glasses now too. But he makes sure hers are cool. The boys know better than to pick on Max. She’ll quite literally kick their asses for it. Eddie's scars are worse than Steve's. Took Eddie over a year to let anyone see him without a shirt. Dustin's ankle still hurts him when the weather changes. Lucas has a scar above his eyebrow, courtesy of Jason Carver. Those who don’t have physical scars have mental ones. They all have their little reminders of the chaos.

The adults in Steve's life don't tease him, no they do something much worse. Scratch that… They do things that are very nice, kind, and caring. And it makes Steve feel weak and broken. Robin always raises her voice an octave or two when speaking directly to Steve. Nancy make sure she talks slower around Steve so he can follow her lips if he misses a word. Jon holds his photographs a little too close for Steve’s liking, but in the name of being helpful. It's all very kind, and painstakingly annoying.

Eddie is the only adult who doesn't. Well, Eddie has his ways of sneaking in those helpful little tidbits without Steve noticing. The curly headed man is talented in his ways.

Eddie only ever sits on Steve's left side, which Steve never picks up on. With Steve’s good ear closes to him, Eddie doesn't have to raise his voice. Eddie also leans way farther into Steve's personal space than the others as it is, so he doesn't make a big deal of showing Steve something up close when he doesn't have his glasses on. And Eddie makes sure to never hand Steve something on his right side, as Steve's peripheral vision in his right eye is basically nonexistent.

Eddie doesn't make Steve feel broken or less than.

Eddie calls Steve pretty, knowing that the scarring around Steve’s right eye and the glasses took away his Harrington confidence. And Eddie always makes sure Steve eats. Even if he’s sworn off red meat for the rest of his life. Eddie cleans Steve's glasses with his bandanas when they get smudged from roughhousing with the kids, and reminds Steve to take his vitamins in the morning

Eddie is so casual about all the little things, so it never gives Steve a sick feeling in his stomach. Instead he gets little spurts of butterflies swarming in his abdomen.

Eddie kisses Steve’s cheek all the way up to the crescent shaped scars along his orbital bone on the days Steve feels down on himself. The metal head got good in the kitchen after moving into the Harrington residence, Steve didn’t eat much, cooked even less, so Eddie took on the role of chef.

Eddie also barks at the kids when they’re going a little to hard on his favorite person. Of course, Eddie is all bark and zero bite so they don’t listen. But Steve appreciates him trying.

And on the Fourth of July when Steve Harrington is stuck wearing earplugs, Eddie wraps his arms around Steve and squeezes him as the fireworks explode. The vibrations from it lingering in their chests.

Eddie never makes Steve feel weak or infirm.

No, Eddie makes him feel... loved.