I was craving some menacing badie Steve because we didn't get enough of that. Think he just ended up looking like he's about to take his last breath though, whoopsie
the kids pushing and pushing to get Eddie to tell them his type so they can find him a boyfriend. and he panicks that they might figure him out so he just crafts a guy whoās the exact opposite of Steve
Eddieās just like āOh! Steve kissing me! This is awesome!ā and he maybe wasnāt expecting the bandana but hey, whatever Steveās into, probably makes a āokay damn Harrington, didnāt know you were kinkyā joke but goes along with it because itās Steve.
Heās having a great time while Steve assumes heās picturing someone else. And then after when Eddieās cuddling him heās like āyou know you donāt have to do all this and pretend you like me to keep me sleeping with youā
Eddie wasnāt letting himself get hopeful that the hookup meant they were gonna be a thing or something but then to find out that Steve thought he was just a stand in the whole time? That their first kiss is tainted? Realizing that Steve does like him but likes him enough to be willing to be used?
And Steveās just. You told the kids all about your type, Iām not that stupid, I know Iām notā¦.that. Were we not supposed to talk about it? Because it really is no big deal! Iāve been crazy into you for months I promise as long as Iām the one youāre sleeping with I donāt care who youāre thinking about!ā
and thatās when it clicks for Eddie. why Steve was āsadā. why Robin couldnāt tell him. the BANDANA
Eddie, realizing at some point he'd jumped up to pace, he stops suddenly and takes in Steve's worried expression. Steve, red faced, sitting halfway under the covers on the bed, rubbing a hand along his own forearm nervously. He seems quite at a loss for words,at first, then starts repeating his earlier reassurances about it being okay to pretend he was someone else. Even mumbles out a little rant about how he had just wanted to be close to him SO badly, he thought he'd found a safe workaround when his dreams of Eddie were crushed the other night. Followed by a softer "please don't be angry, this is so embarrassing" as he pinches the bridge of his nose to stave off tears.
And, no, this won't do. Eddie drops down on his knees on the bed next to Steve.
He takes Steve's face into his hands to look directly into his eyes. "I want you to really pay attention when I say this Steve. What I said to the kids was to throw them off, to throw YOU off. I just thought you were being playful, with the bandana. Steve, sweetheart. Shit, I didn't think you'd- Anyway. YOU'RE it Steve. You're my type. The one I wanted. I was thinking of you, I don't want anyone else."
AU where Steve is running the kind of blog that starts with the artistic nudes/underwear photos, but it gets very thirsty and less artistic, more indulgeant as time goes on. He never shows his face and the spare room in his place is markedly neutral so even that couldn't be tied back to him.
He's always open for asks and requests, always writing sweet things to his admirers, he's a vague sort of queer, possibly demi but hasn't found the words for it yet, but he made this blog mostly to seek out the attention of men (he's been a little apprehensive about it irl), so the bio says gay, says anyone is welcome but requests that people present male/masc in his ask box ("treat it like m/m fiction, if you like?").
Eddie is of course a big fan, has followed for A While and sends way too many asks (all his besties think he has A Problem), is indulging in his guilty pleasure because this guy gives such jock vibes, especially given Eddie initially found him hunting for pictures of guys in jock straps (for personal reasons), only to find this faceless beauty had everything from jocks, oddly flattering boxers, to lingerie on his blog (he also has a photos of him in just skimpy undies and sports jerseys, because people actually pay for him to look sexy in their team colours. Wild. Eddie almost begs him to add some metal tees to his wishlist so he can buy them for him to take pics in, almost).
Steve doesn't know his anon is Eddie specifically, if they've met in the past it was fleeting and in passing, if they went to the same school, Eddie graduated first try and missed the rise (and fall) of King Steve (but probably had a fantasy or two about the slightly younger swimmer, he has eyes).
Steve does know his regulars though, Eddie is the only anon who calls him Sweetheart, who he calls Sweetheart back after a while, there's this weird sense to the phrase that has other anons avoiding it, finding their own petnames if they're regular enough to warrant them.
Eventually Eddie grows bold, makes a side/separate blog with a close up photo of his electric guitar, has Sweetheart in the name, starts asking without switching anon on, is fucking stunned when Steve follows him back, it's confusing because genuinely the only things he's posted are some photos of his guitars in similar leans and lighting to the sort of thing Steve might put out (he'd thought it was funny when he was doing it but honestly the pictures turned out really well).
He had been considering trying to DM Steve, he already knows the guy has Mutuals Only enabled, he's seen people beg for him to DM them, but he has chickened out every time, copying his flirting over to an ask instead and editing it to work better. So he's Shocked when he logs on to find a DM waiting for him, it's nothing crazy, just a simple little 'Hi Sweetheart' that makes his heart hammer in his ears and his stomach flip.
He thinks maybe Steve is seeking out someone to talk dirty to in depth, they've flirted around it in asks but Eddie's never suggested anything beyond almost-foreplay, he's always been obssessed with describing how he'd kiss every mole, how he'd dig his fingers into the swell of Steve's ass, never gone further than saying he wants to pull Steve's underwear down with his teeth.
The first night they flirt, sweet nothings that don't really go anywhere until Eddie admits he has work in the morning, so Steve asks what he does, when he has to get up. Eddie is a tattoo artist, which Piques Steve's Interest, and whilst he doesn't start til 9 he has some errands to run and is up way too early (7:30, gross)
"I have SO many questions but I'll let you sleep! Goodnight Sweetheart x"
Eddie is smiling stupidly to himself as he types Goodnight Sweetheart right back, tossing his phone aside and burying his face giddily in his pillows like he's a teenager again. And he thinks maybe that's all it is, that it'll turn into fucking around again as soon as they're both free.
But Steve surprises him again, because when Eddie is dragging himself around his apartment getting ready the next day, his phone chimes and the app says his blog has a DM, he opens it and smiles,
"Hope this doesn't wake you, good morning sweetheart!" sits waiting for him, soon followed by a photo completely different to anything he's ever seen on this guy's blog.
The photo has been taken at the top of a cliff, overlooking a lake, the sun is rising over a forest, and Steve's bare legs are centered beneath the gorgeous view, the hems of some incredibly short shorts visible above hairy thighs, a slip of sneaker visible in the gap. He realises, seeing the sunrise, he never actually asked what timezone this guy is in, if they're in the same one, this photo was taken over an hour ago, Jesus Christ.
Amusingly, there's also the very concerned face of a light brown tabby cat, its got its paws on Steve's thigh as it peers at the camera and has a black harness on.
"Who's your friend? x" there's never been any sign of a cat on Steve's blog, and Eddie's never actually met someone who takes their cats outdoors on little leads, it's cute.
"That's Ozzy, my little guy! my handsome man!"
"I'm jealous! I thought I was your handsome man :c but also Ozzy???? Like Sabbath?" The prospect of Steve listening to good music is immediately crushed by the typed back ??? "The band? Black Sabbath? Singer is Ozzy Osbourne, literal legend."
"He was named by the shelter I adopted him from, but the band name sounds familiar I guess? I'll give them a listen x"
He decides he can make time for a list of recommendations before he goes to pick a few things up for his uncle, then work. Steve likes some, hates others, but that's fine, Eddie can just condition him into enjoying good music, it's not a deal breaker (as if there is even a deal being made).
Steve asks about his work, more about his favourite music, if he's in a band (he was, once, they meet up a few times a year to hang out and see if they can remember the songs), how his days are, he starts pulling out little details that Some Guy Who Wants To Fuck In DMs probably wouldn't. He sends a ton of cat photos, shows Eddie what he's making for dinner, what his disgusting coffee order of the day is (Steve's words, Eddie makes a note to try some for himself because it's sweeter than carnival air and that's his vibe), kind of cute little things like that.
Steve doesn't talk about his own work, just says he's on his way there or back, it's not hard for Eddie to extrapolate education from that, the times are too obvious, and the reason for keeping quiet are Blatant given his blog.
It takes a week for two things to happen, first, Eddie finally introduces himself and gets "oh! shit right yeah! I'm Steve!", and second, Eddie has seen many photos of Steve (never his face, never anything that can identify him as A Specific Steve) but has never sent one back. He's sent pictures of records, random cats he's spotted on his walk to work, tattoo designs he's working on for his flash sheets, but never one of him, the closest he got was his hand buried in the fur of an absolute Behemoth of a cat he found outside his uncle's trailer, and his warped reflection in a railing when he found the tiniest Ozzfest t-shirt (it was for a baby, Steve said it'd probably fit Ozzy, Eddie regrets not buying it despite having no way to send it to Steve).
He's not selfconscious exactly, but Steve's a catch, a god amongst men, he's in shape and hairy and just the right side of tanned (with those sweet tan lines made by the shorts only Eddie's seen, at least of Steve's followers), he's-
"Just a guy, sweetheart, I'm just a guy."
"PSHHHHHH!!!" just a guy, disgusting lies.
"But I don't really care how you look, you don't even have to be a guy."
"Your blog says gay, masc only?" He doesn't know why he's questioning it, Eddie is very much a guy,
"Just wanted to know how it felt to be looked at by men ĀÆ\_(ć)_/ĀÆ"
Fair enough. Eddie respects it, finds it interesting when Steve eventually explains how it just makes him nervous, living in a kind of rural, podunk area and "branching out from the comphet lifestyle" ("Am I even using that right? Straight passing I guess.")
Things are good, they keep talking, keep swapping photos of their day-to-day life, Eddie keeps apologising for never sending a "hot bod shot back" when Steve sends him "Exclusives", Steve keeps brushing it off because it doesn't matter, besides he's seen Eddie's arms now (Eddie has shown off his tattoo sleeves, he just got the shading finished on one arm) so he can extrapolate body type at the least ("Unless you're a very peculiar shape but I suppose that just makes you special.") not that it matters to Steve.
Eddie is falling ass over tit in love with a guy on the internet and he's pretty sure not even he, Eddie Munson, King of Fuck ups, can fuck this up.
~
"I'm thinking about deleting this blog."
It comes out of left field and Eddie feels his stomach drop, they've been talking for a few months and Eddie felt something, the thought of losing this guy, his sweetheart, was devastating.
"Oh, I mean... if you want?" he wants to respect it, to sound okay with it, he's glad Steve can't hear him. He has a million questions, what about me? Did I do something wrong? How did I fuck this up? What he types is "Mind if I ask why?"
"I've met this guy"
Oh Jesus no.
"I really like him, and I think I've felt it, you know? The Spark?" Eddie is dying inside. "We've been talking for a while now. He's really sweet, funny, I love hearing about his day, and that he thinks of me when he hears certain songs, or sees little tchotchkes I might like, he asks me how my cat is, he's a real sweetheart. I just need to get the courage to find out if he likes me too, and not ruining things if he doesn't."
"If he doesn't he's an idiot. but he sounds fine, happy for you man." his eyes don't sting and he's not petty enough to consider blocking and hiding, he's not.
"I don't think he's an idiot, little slow on the uptake maybe."
"Okay?"
"Maybe subtlety wasn't it, maybe Robs was right and I should've written my number on my tits and sent him a photo."
"Okay."
What the fuck is his problem? Eddie slouches in his chair, he's at work waiting for his next client to show up and he's starting to fume. Jeff's client is looking nervously between her tattoo, Jeff, and the angry puddle Eddie is becoming as his gangly form practically drips over the edges of the seat.
"I'm blocking him." He doesn't, he folds his arms across his chest and seethes like a 6 year old,
"Who?" Jeff visibly regrets asking when Eddie kicks and flops around in his chair, throwing a micro tantrum.
"Steve. Comin' in my damned DMs telling me he's met someone, fucking asshole." If he throws his voice around like he's mocking someone stupid, well, who cares? It's just him, Jeff, and a lady who is now trying really hard not to laugh.
"I mean... he is just some guy on the internet, Ed..." Jeff offers helpfully,
"Just some guy," Eddie huffs, "Just some guy? I opened my heart dude, I cracked open my fragile ribs and bore everything to him," he very much did not, but he wanted to, "I tucked him deep inside with the hopes he might stay there forever," he did do that, "I-"
"Never told him any of this, by the way." Jeff informs his client, who bites her lip and nods before returning her attention to the buzzing needle near her arm, hoping to focus on it and not Eddie's hilarious expression of misery.
"So?! We had chemistry! We had vibes! We had something! We had-" he gestures with his phone, pausing as he looks at the screen for the first time since his declaration. "really nice tits..."
"What?" Jeff stops tattooing again, frowning over at Eddie, who is gawking uselessly at his phone.
"He sent me his tits," he pulls the phone close, squints at the blocky, shaky numbers printed around the edges of the goddamn rug of hair covering Steve's chest. He flicks his finger across the screen, slack jawed and stupid as he sees Steve's face in full for the first time, a whisper escaping him unbidden,
"I'm the idiot."
~
PS I looked at a random shelter to find a cat for Steve because I thought it'd be fun and saw Ozzie and was like omg he (with a spelling tweak), they seem to be active on FB but IDK how up to date their website is... so I hope Ozzie finds/found a home he's so cute
Steve falls from the top of the popularity ladder, hits every rung face first on the way down, and has no one to sit with at lunch so...
"No."
"What do you mean no?"
"I mean, no," Steve says, opening his locker. "No thanks. Go away."
Steve Harrington looks like someone tried to kick his face into the back of his skull. He looks like he can't take a deep breath without getting a glimpse of the afterlife, and yet. He's saying - "No. No??? No thanks, he says. I asked if you wanted to sit at my table at lunch and you say no? What the fuck does that mean?"
"That's a great grasp on the English language," Steve says, hobbling off to eat lunch alone. "I can see why you're repeating senior year."
"Dick."
All anyone can talk about the next day is how Steve is no longer on the basketball team. Eddie asks again because, "It's prime real estate, right there. At the best table in town."
"You think the best table in town is a wobbly cafeteria table that's permanently sticky?"
"I meant to eat at."
"The best table in town is in this school?" Steve clarifies. "Not at like, Enzo's?"
"Sit at my table during lunch."
"Sure," Steve says easily and then goes to eat in his car.
The next day, he's not at lunch. The day after that, he's not at school. Back in his car the following day, and then - "Get your ass off my hood, Munson."
"Come sit at my table," He demands, not moving from the hood of the car. "You're not better than us and you have no friends. Those are the only qualifications you need so let's go."
Steve doesn't bother to give him a response, just unlocks his car and slowly, very slowly lowers down into the driver's seat. He's speaking through his teeth in a pain-laced voice, "Do I look like I need friends, Munson?"
"Yeah."
Steve rolls his eyes, "Wasn't aware you hated the friends you have."
"I don't-"
"Because otherwise, it's pretty shitty that you're trying to make them targets by inviting me to hang around," Steve says. "In fact, maybe you should thanking me that Iām taking all the loser attention off you and your...loser friends."
Eddie tilts his head, let's what Steve said settle between them, and then grins, "Awe."
"You care about us," Eddie coos. "Steve Harrington: Nerd Protector. You're trying to keep us safe, cute."
Steve doesn't respond.
That title is weirdly accurate and he doesn't know how he feels about it so, "Get out of here."
"Sure, Harrington."
The next day, Steve walks out to the car with his lunch and...There are four nerds hanging around his car.
"Told the guys why you're being difficult," Eddie says when he gets closer. "We voted on it and you lost. Welcome to Hellfire."
Eddie and Steve have been dating for three months when Eddie introduces Steve to Wayne. Afterwards, Steve is just like, "Oh, wow. Wow. Oh god, he hates me. He hates me, doesn't he?"
"What the hell are you talking about?" Eddie asks. "He shook your hand and invited you to stay for dinner."
"Yeah, god. It's so obvious. He hates me," Steve stresses. "Do you think he's going to make you break up with me? He hated me so much. Geez."
"Steve, he doesn't-"
"I've dated a lot of girls, Eddie. That's how dads act when they hate you," He swears. "Fuck, I gotta get out of here. Eddie, I have to go."
"Steve, calm down," Eddie starts. "He doesn't - don't go out the - yep, out the window. There you go. Okay...Bye. Love you!"
Eddie waits two full minutes before he walks out of his bedroom back into the rest of the house and asks, "What the hell, Wayne? You hate my boyfriend?"
"I never said that," Wayne scoffs. "I like the kid. Said he was good for ya. Does that sound like I hate 'em?"
"No," Eddie breaths out. "No, I knew he was making no sense. God, Steve is so weird. I love him, you know?"
"Told him that I loved him," He continues, grinning from behind his hair. "Told him when he was climbing out the window."
"He say it back?"
"No, I don't think he's realized what I said yet. When do you think-"
There's an insistent knock at the door.
Wayne grabs his keys to leave, "Probably about now, I bet."
He's a freshman in high school and this nice drug dealer guy is showing him how to smoke a joint so he doesn't beef it in front of all his friends, and...he's kinda cute.
And then Steve kisses him.
And Eddie kisses back.
And they're making out at a random table in the woods until - "Whoa."
"You okay?"
"Sorry," Steve says. "Sorry, man. I'm actually going to do the whole gay thing - bi thing? I think I still like girls - in a couple of years. I want to be popular first."
"...We can still do this if you're in the closet. I can keep a secret."
"Iām not in the closet. Iām just going to be - whatever I am later."
Eddie is just, "... You're scheduling being gay?"
Steve thinks about it and, "...Yes."
"You can't do that."
"Um, yeah I can. Free country."
"What," Eddie starts and stops. He takes a breath and asks, "Do you have 'be a homosexual' penciled in your calendar four years from now?"
"I don't think they make multi-year calendars like that."
Because that's the only issue with this conversation, not pushing your gay awakening down the road. Eddie can't even point out that all of this is absurd because Steve is just like, fingerguns, "Anyways, if you're free in a couple years, hit me up."
"For what, a meeting on the gay agenda?"
"Or to make out," Steve shrugs as he packs up his stuff. "You're a good kisser. See ya, Munson."
Eddie doesn't hit Steve up.
And then Steve shows up after the Upside Down tries to eat them with an old planner like, "Hey, man. I think we have a meeting."
#Steve is the right level of neurotic that he would schedule his bi panic for a later date#He never mentions to Robin that he's bi because it's not time for him to acknowledge it#and then he cant even make out with Eddie because Eddie and Robin are too busy calling him absurd for having an actual gay agenda#complete with a timeline#mind you Steve's been doing gay shit with Tommy this whole time but says it doesn't count if Carol is watching them do it#Anyways the idea of someone being like: sorry I can't be gay with you. it's on the schedule though#is very funny to me specifically
Wayne tried his best for his nephew as he grew up brainwashed by Alās promises of one day being a real family.
Eddie never relaxed when he came to stay in Forest Hills, always refusing to fully unpack because he swore āDads coming back soon anywayā.
Broke his heart.
Nothing Wayne did ever made Eddie feel like the trailer was home. Not dinners, not movie nights, not giving him his own space, nothing.
They argued sometimes. A lot of times. It was harder for Wayne as Eddie got into his teens and started to look and act more and more like his fatherās son.
The bad attitude, the disregard for the law, the disrespect of the trailerās basic house rules like clean the mud off your damn shoes before you come in onto the carpet. All of it made Wayne feel like well, there goes another Munson boy, destined for nothing but a jail cell.
Their biggest argument came two days after Wayne came home early from work and found Eddie and another boy on the couch.
Wayne didnāt get it, you see. He was old school. Live and let live and all that, but this was something he couldnāt understand.
āKeep that shit out of my house!ā he yelled.
The door was already slammed shut as Eddie ran from yet another fight, leaving Wayne alone with nothing but an elevated heartbeat and the sound of his nephewās van wheel spinning out of the trailer park.
Eddie came back the next day to shove some of his belongings into a duffle bag.
āYouāll have your house back soon enough, old manā Eddie muttered when Wayne poked his head into the room.
Wayne retreated to his recliner and didnāt look away from the tv when Eddie stormed out once more.
There was a rerun of the Twilight Zone on. āDead Runā was the episode name.
The character was in hell to deliver souls. Wayne watched with a clenched jaw as one was sent there for being gay.
He turned the station to the news and watched a report on some guy called Fauci who reckoned a million Americans had a virus that would kill them. Activists begged for treatment.
The report rolled on and Wayne rubbed a hand over his face. Heād talk to Eddie when he came back. Sit down and try to understand it all. Eddie had no where else to go, and that guitar of his was still on the wall. Heād never leave for good without it. Wayne knew heād be back.
It was another day before Chrissy Cunningham died and Eddie was on the run.
People said all sorts of things but Wayne knew not one of them was true. Eddie damn near fainted at the sight of a cat with a broken leg wandering nearby, heād never have the stomach to kill her.
And as for the people saying he assaulted her? Wayne bit his tongue and told anyone whoād listen to keep their mouths shut. They didnāt know his boy like he did. They were wrong about him. As soon as Eddie was found, itād all be smoothed out and the truth would come to the front.
The āearthquakeā hit soon after, and Wayne was left with nothing of his nephew but a guitar pick on a necklace. Wayne had been the one to show Eddie how to put a hole in it to string the chain through. Eddie was only 12 at the time, barely big enough to hold on of Wayneās old guitars.
A knock at the door a few weeks later shook Wayne out of a stupor. Soaked in whiskey and pickled in cigarette smoke, he struggled to focus on Jim Hopper, standing tall at the door of the government issued highway-side motel room.
āThought you were deadā Wayne said.
āYeah me too, come onā
Hopper helped Wayne into some shoes and out to a car. A few cups of the blackest coffee they could find later and Wayne was sober enough to understand what was being said to him.
āHeās dead, Jim. I donāt know what kind of game this is but-ā
āSo was I, remember?ā
Wayne was brought out to the lab on the edge of town and made to swear up and down that heād never breath a word of what he saw in there to anyone.
āNice of yāall to think I got friendsā Wayne said gruffly, earning a smirk from Hopper.
A doctor named Owens led them down a hall.
Locked door after locked door finally opened up into a dim hospital room.
āEddie?ā
Wayne couldnāt move. He couldnāt breath. He couldnāt-
āJesus christ. Is- Is it you?ā
Wayne blinked hard and fast expecting to wake up any moment.
And thenā¦
āItās meā
Wayne walked forward on shaky legs.
Eddie was talking to him. Promising he never killed anyone and apologising for not coming back after their fight. He even apologised for what Wayne saw that day.
Wayne just stared at him with wide eyes and an open mouth.
āWayne?ā Eddie asked with a crack in his voice. āSay something, pleaseā
āYouāre aliveā was all Wayne could say before he flung himself forward and gathered his nephew up in a tight hug.
He cried into the side of Eddieās head, petting his hair and thanking god for bringing him back to him.
Wayne pulled back to look at Eddieās own tear stained face.
āI never believed what they said about you, I never did, youāre a good kid, I told āem all, I said my boy would never do all thatā
āIām sorry Wayne, I swearā
āYou aināt got nothing to apologise for, you hear me? Not a damn thingā
They embraced again for a long time. Eddie knew what Wayne was saying and he was grateful that his uncle was here with him.
It was another couple of months before Eddie was able to leave the hospital. Wayne had been given a new trailer by the government as a way to buy his silence on everything
Wayne would never have blabbed anyway, but a second bedroom was nothing to turn your nose up at.
While everyone fussed around getting Eddie ready to be discharged, Wayne watched the strange little group that gathered around his nephew closely. They all seemed nice, very close knit. Some more-so.
The Harrington boy, Harrington man now, god he was a lot taller than his daddy ever was wasnāt he, was always within touching distance of Eddie. He was always there when Wayne was brought in to visit, never so far away that he couldnāt reach out to steady him if he wobbled on his feet.
It was obvious, really.
They were hiding it from everyone else, that much was obvious too, except for that red headed girl. They tried to never look at each other too long but whenever it was just Wayne with them they seemed to forget he had eyes too.
Heād stare at the paper long after finishing a crossword to give them some extra time to hold hands over top of Eddieās bedsheets when they thought he wasnāt paying attention, and acted dumb when Steve didnāt hesitate on helping Eddie get dressed on his last day before leaving the labās medical wing
Steve drove behind them on the way back to Forest Hills. There was some equipment Eddie needed to help the last stages of his recovery and heād jumped at the excuse to volunteer to go back to the trailer with them.
Wayne eyed him in the rearview mirror while they idled at a red light.
āSo, itās Harrington?ā
Wayne could see the way Eddieās posture stiffened in the corner of his eye.
āHeās leaving as soon as he drops my stuff offā Eddie said quickly and quietly. āAnd he wonāt ever be around. Iāll stay with him a couple of times a week and-ā
āHeās welcome in our home whenever you want him thereā Wayne said smoothly, taking off again when the light turned green.
āWhat?ā
āWhenever you want, you hear?ā
āBut you said-ā
āIām a jackassā Wayne said sharply. āShouldnāt have taken you damn near dying for me to not give a damn about anythingā
Eddie didnāt speak. Wayne heard him sniffle lightly.
āYou called me your boyā Eddie whispered. āWhen you first saw meā
āYou are my boy. You are my boy and nothings gonna change it. Iāve spent months fighting anyone who says anything sour about you and Iāll spend the rest of my life doing it tooā
āAnd Iāll spend as long as I need to making sure you and your boy back there donāt get no hassle from any small town or big city bastard who wants to say anything against you, you hear?ā
Eddie sniffled again. āI hearā
The trailer park was gripped by winter when Eddie approached Wayne shyly one night. He and Steve had kept low key until now, trying to not be around too long whenever Wayne was home and leaving no trace behind of Steveās visits.
āSpit it outā Wayne said as Eddie shuffled around uncomfortably.
āSteveās dad, he, umā¦ā
āHe what?ā
āHe kicked Steve out. He caught us and umā¦ā
Wayne felt rage boil through him. āHe hurt you?ā Eddie shook his head. āHe hurt Steve?ā Eddie looked at his feet.
āWhere is he? Come onā
Wayne grabbed his keys and dragged Eddie out to the truck.
Wayne knew where the Harringtons lived, everyone did, and got to their driveway in record time.
āTheyāre homeā Eddie muttered, seeing Steveās dads car.
Wayne opened his door and pulled a shotgun out from under his seat.
āWayne, jesusā Eddie said with wide eyes.
āYou go get him and his stuff, Iāll keep his folks talkingā
Wayne didnāt knock on the door, pushing it open and announcing that they wouldnāt be long, they were just collecting something belonging to them before leaving quietly.
Eddie scrambled upstairs towards Steveās room.
Sylvia and Richard screamed about breaking the law and how they would call the cops on him for having a weapon in their home
Wayne cocked the gun. āGo āhead, aināt registered, copsāll never find itā
Wayne didnāt mention Jim Hopper himself helping to file the inside of the barrel the week before.
Theyād become good buddies, drinking and smoking and laughing about āto hell with the army what do they know anywayā at least once a week.
Wayne liked the company of it all and he particularly enjoyed having his old misdemeanours mysteriously scrubbed from the Hawkins PDās filing cabinets.
Eddie came back down the stairs clutching a bag of Steveās belongings under one arm and Steve himself under the other. Steve had a black eye and a pale complexion. Wayne felt that rage build up again. He swung his gun up over his shoulder and nodded towards the door. Eddie and Steve went quickly.
āDonāt yāall come lookinā for him, nowā Wayne warned before following them out to the truck.
Steve took four or five days to stop moving like a twitching cat. Every noise outside had him jumping to the window to make sure neither of his parents had tried to come get him.
āCalm downā Wayne told him one night when Eddie had gone to the store to pick up dinner and some beers.
āSorryā Steve said. āIāll be out of your hair as soon as I save the money for my own placeā
Wayne sighed. āYou and Ed, same as each other, never feeling welcome here. You even unpacked yet?ā
Steve shook his head lightly.
Wayne sighed again. āThis is just as much your place as Eddieās, and its his just as much as itās mine, for as long as you wantā
āThatsā¦ Thank you, Mr Munsonā
āTold you to call me Wayne. Go take your stuff out of that damn backpack in thereā
Steve smiled and ambled back to the room he and Eddie had been sharing to do just that.
Eddie arrived home soon after, and when Steve came to greet him there was a small baseball figurine in his hand. Wayne saw his chance.
āGot some room right there, if you wantā
He gestured to a spot on top of the tv, between a mug filled with fishing lures and a carriage clock.
Steve smiled again and held the figurine tightly in two hands as he gingerly made his way towards the tv, placing it as gently as he could in the place Wayne had pointed out.
āFits greatā Steve muttered.
āCourse it does, now lets eatā Wayne said, moving on quickly before anyone could dwell on the moment too long.
Later that night, Steve snoozed on the couch while Eddie floated around the trailer in the background of whatever gameshow Wayne was half paying attention to.
What had his full attention, was all the small trinkets that were appearing in each of the nooks and crannies around the place.
After one was put down and adjusted just so, Eddie would look quickly over his shoulder to check if Wayne was reacting to it.
When it was ignored, Eddie would rush back to his room before reappearing with something else, and doing it all over again.
It took maybe two to three hours before Eddie had fully decorated the trailer with various things that Wayne couldnāt name but knew had the hallmark of his nephewās taste.
Eddie sat gently next to Steve, who was still snoring lightly, and was clearly trying his best to ālook naturalā. He was sitting straight up, tapping his fingers on his knees, eyes darting between the things heād put up.
Steve shuffled in his sleep and curled towards Eddie.
Wayne looked over to the boys, his boys, and wondered how he could ever have thought it was wrong.
He was a fool, and he wasnāt afraid to admit it.
From the way Steve had cared for Eddie in the hospital to the way Eddie was watching Steve now to make sure he wasnāt having a nightmare, Wayne knew there was nothing more pure and more right than the love they shared.
āLooks great Edā Wayne said, watching the tv instead of Eddie. āFeels more like homeā
Eddie relaxed into his seat. āYeah, its homeā
Wayne smiled into the top of his beer can, allowing himself a long breath of relief.
Finally.
(Originally posted over on bluesky for #waynewednesday )
It stayed hidden, kept between his backpack and the back of his desk drawer when he wasnāt writing in it. Very rarely it left his house.
It wasnāt a diary. It wasnāt a journal. It was his notebook.
Steve had a notebook.
Steve canāt find the damn notebook.Ā
Since his parents have decided they werenāt ever coming back to Hawkins, he was a little more relaxed about where he left it. And now he canāt find it.Ā
He was halfway through tearing up the living room when Robin came over.
She had to shout to get his attention, āWhat are you doing?ā
āI canāt find my notebook,ā Steve griped, shoving his arm widely underneath the couch. āI swear I had it yesterday.ā
āWhat notebook?ā Robin asked.
āThe black one,ā Steve said. Itās no use. He canāt see under the couch anymore, and his arm is covered in dust bunnies. He just needed to move the couch completely. He stood back up, about to ask for Robinās help when he sees her red face.
āRobin?ā Steve asked cautiously.Ā
āIt was on the kitchen island,ā she squeaked.
He turned to look towards the kitchen, already torn up. He quickly scanned the island, seeing no notebook in sight.Ā
āNo,ā Robin said. āYesterday.ā
āRobin,ā Steve said slowly. āWhere did it go?ā
āI thought it was Eddieās,ā Robin admitted. āHe was cleaning up from DND and I thought it was one of his little dungeon story things. He took it from me! He didnāt say anything!āĀ
āOh my god, Robin!ā Steve groaned, running his clean hand over his face. āYou didnāt!ā
āYou can ask for it back,ā Robin suggested. āItās not like he wouldnāt give it back.ā
āOh my god,ā Steve repeated. āOh my god!ā
āWhat?ā Robin asked. āWhatās so bad about your little notebook full of secrets? Your grocery list? Your to do list? Familyās secret recipes āā
āItās about Eddie,ā Steve snapped. āAll of it. Itās just ā all about Eddie.āĀ
He sighed, sitting down on the couch. He brought his head to his knees.Ā
He exhaled slowly.Ā
āI had that notebook since senior year. Every thought I had about Eddie is in that book.āĀ
Robin sat down next to Steve. She extended an open palm towards Steve. Steve took it, intertwining their fingers. āEvery thought?ā
Steve nodded. āSo I guess heāll know now. Either he lets me down easy or I out freak the freak.ā
āCome on,ā Robin groaned. āYou canāt tell me that Eddie wouldnāt be into you.ā
Steve shot Robin a glare. āNot the time.āĀ
Robin raised her free hand up. āLook, we can just go to his house and get it. Maybe he hasnāt even opened it! Didnāt realize it wasnāt one of his notebooks and he ignored it. We just ask for it back, and everything will be okay. Okay?āĀ
Steve looked at Robin cautiously. āYou donāt think heās opened it?ā
Robin blew raspberries. āNot a chance! Letās go!ā
Eddie had the notebook.Ā
The Notebook.Ā
The one Steve Harrington kept locked away at any given point.Ā
Eddie has seen it in action. When Steve doesnāt think anyoneās watching. When heās alone at Family Video, jotting something down between customers.
Or when heās sitting in the back of the Wheelerās basement, writing instead of paying attention to the movie. Or when they are in the middle of Dungeons and Dragons, heāll be in the kitchen, writing furiously.Ā
Eddie joked to himself that Steve was writing Spirk fanfiction.
That he was obsessed with Spock fucking Captain Kirk out of his mind. A dark part of Eddie wondered if Steve was writing his last will and testament, a martyr ready to go at any moment.Ā
What he didnāt expect to find was ā well, himself.
He didnāt realize he had Steveās notebook. It was piled onto his crate of dungeon master stuff. He didnāt know he had ownership of such a valuable item until he was organizing the crate this morning, getting his notes together for the next session.Ā
He stared at the notebook in hand, trying to remember what notes he written inside.Ā
When he opened it, he realized it wasnāt his at all.Ā
It was Steveās notebook.Ā
He knew that handwriting. He needed to shut it ā except he saw his name.
10.23.84
Eddie Munson would make a pretty girl. Heās got big dark eyes like Bambi. Wild hair, big and Curly.Ā
I canāt tell if itās natural or permed. But itās nice.Ā
Heās nice.Ā
Heās got a nice voice. Deep. Smooth. Ms. Click made him read out loud today. Itās the only time Iāve paid attention in this dumb class. Hes like a storyteller. I didnāt want him to stop.Ā
I wish he was in all my classes.
11.5.84
Finally spoke to Eddie one on one. Sold me some weed. Said he was sorry that Billy got the one up on me.Ā
Said something about Billy listens to Mott Lee Crew and itās terrible music.
Gave me a discount on my weed.
Heās still nice.
11.7.84
I dreamed about him. He kissed me. He was still a boy. I [eraser marks tore up the paper]
3.2.85
Heās barely in school anymore.Ā
I think they told him he wasnāt graduating.Ā
Someone said he went to California to get a record deal. Iāll never see him again.
3.15.85
Heās back. Heās sad. Didnāt work out.
I hate to admit it, but Iām glad.Ā
6.28.85Ā
I saw him in the mall.Ā
I hid in the damn freezers for my 10 minute break.Ā
Robin hates my guts. Said I was gonna get freezer burn. Said it might help with the ladies.Ā
I dont think I want them anymore.
I donāt know whatās wrong with me. The girls are hot. Obviously.
But then thereās him.Ā
Heās got long hair like a girl, but no boobs. Heās got scruff he forgot to shave and I want to touch it.Ā
Heās not a girl. Heās never been a girl to me.Ā
But the feeling is the same. Like if he was a girl.
Whatās wrong with me?
7.5.85
Iām not alone.Ā
Iām not broken.Ā
If [scribbled out] is like this, then itās okay. Itās not wrong. Itās okay.
Iām okay.
I just ā [scribbled out]
Iām okay.
7.8.85
He gave me my weed for free this time. Didnāt say anything more. He apologized like it was his fault. I couldnāt form a straight thought. I just shrugged. Like a dumbass. He threw in another joint.Ā
Heās so nice.
8.15.85
I convinced Robin to go to the hideout.Ā
Eddieās a fucking rockstar.
Itās like he was meant to be up there. Center stage, rocking like heās some big celebrity. His grin is wild and it feels like itās aimed directly at me.
I wish it was true.
10.1.85
Bisexual.
Itās called bisexual.
11.15.85
Of course the kids find him.Ā
They said they had a new doofuses and dorkuses group. Never said it was Eddie.Ā
Heās so good with the kids. Heās taken them under his wing and protecting them from Jasonās douche bags.
God.Ā
Is it weird that it makes him hotter?
2.13.86Ā
He swung by family video today. Grabbed a few movies and a jiffy pop. Said heās got big plans. A couple of horror movies.Ā
Didnāt say with someone.Ā
Didnāt say alone.Ā
Just that heās got plans. On Valentineās Day.Ā
It hurts. I donāt want to think about it.
3.29.86
Heās alive.Ā
Heās ALIVE.Ā
He woke up yesterday. Briefly. Looked at me with his big brown eyes and smiled. Mumbled something about a guardian angel and fell back asleep.Ā
Heās more awake today. Up about 20 minutes at a time. Remembering more.
He calls me sweetheart and Stevie.Ā
I donāt want him to remember me. Iām not king Steve. I want to be Stevie. Want to be good.Ā
Want Eddie to see the real me now. Not to think about how I was.Ā
5.4.86
Heās so beautiful.Ā
7.6.86
He let me stay with him over the Fourth of July.Ā
He said he remembered how I looked on his porch last year. He made the connection to the upside down a few weeks ago. Didnāt want me to be alone.Ā
I slept in his bed. I slept next to him. His whole room smells like him and I never want to leave.
7.26.86
I did a dumb thing. I bought tickets for Metallica for Eddie. I went with him. Drove him down to Evansville. The singe broke his arm, so it was just Ozzy.Ā
But Eddie was so excited. He looked so natural there. Surrounded by music he loves and people like him.
No one knew him. He was just another guy in the crowd. I couldnāt tell you what songs Ozzy did. But I bet Eddie could.Ā
He looked so good there. So [eraser marks]
Happy looks good on him.
9.3.86Ā
Eddie never ceases to amaze me when he DMs. Heās like a cartoon, wild and fun and care free.
His smile is so genuine, it made everything worth it. Sometimes, he glances at me and I feel butterflies in my gut. For a split second, his attention is on ME and nothing else in the world matters. It feels like he loves me too ā
Eddie slammed the book shut.
Loves.Ā
Not likes.Ā
Loves.
He did.Ā
He loves Steve. Has for a while now.Ā
He had a crush on him since his stupid coiffed hair and his dumb polos were hanging off of Nancy at any given moment.Ā
Eddie didnāt think he had a chance. He didnāt think Steve liked him that way. That SteveĀ couldĀ like him that way.
And now he knows.Ā
Steve loves him.Ā
Eddie read his notebook and he knows Steveās secret.Ā
Steveās going to be so pissed.Ā
How was Eddie going to tell Steve that he loved him back, that he felt the same way, without admitting to violating his privacy?
The screen door creaked open.Ā
āEddie?ā Robin called. āYou awake? And decent?āĀ
Eddie sighed in relief. It was just Robin ā
āEds āā
Steve poked his head into Eddieās room, his eyes wide as he locked onto the notebook in Eddieās hands.Ā
Shit.
Steve stared at the notebook.Ā
His notebook.
Open.
In Eddieās hands.
And heās pretty sure heās on the last entry.Ā
The one from yesterday, while they were playing dungeons and dragons. The one where he admits heās finally in love with Eddie.
How does he explain it? Blow it off? Pretend that Eddieās not holding his heart in his hands.
āEddie, Iām āā
āIām gay!ā Eddie shouted, startling Steve in the doorway and Robin in the living room. A silent beat passed before Eddie continued, his words spilling out a mile a minute. āIām gay and Iām so in love with you and Iām so sorry for reading this, I thought it was mine and clearly itās not, but I saw my name and ā thatās no excuse because I shouldāve stopped and I violated your privacy and everything but if I didnāt, we wouldnāt be having this conversation and I couldnāt tell you that me ā me too.āĀ
He took a hasty breath, pointing to his chest.Ā
āMe. Gay. Love. You.ā
Steve stared at him for a moment, processing. His heart is beating through his chest. A thousand thoughts raced through his mind. The terrible possibilities that heās making this up. That Eddie didnāt say those words. Or Eddieās only saying it to make him feel better.Ā
But what if heās honest?
What if this works out?Ā
āNot a joke?ā Steve asked, his voice hardly louder than a whisper. He felt like a deer, ready to take off at the next loud noise.
āNot a joke,ā Eddie said, slowly standing up, like he knows Steveās nervous. Dropped the notebook on the bed.
Steveās eyes quickly darted to it, thinking if heās fast, he could grab it and make a run for it. He held his hands in front of his chest, palms exposed to Steve. He slowly approached him until he was close enough to brush his hand against Steveās arm. Eddieās fingertips ran down Steveās arm, stopping at his hand.Ā
āI promise you, Steve,ā Eddie whispered. āI love you, too. I just ā didnāt think you wereĀ likeĀ me. That this would be possible. So I thought Iād be content being you friend.ā He slipped his hand into Steveās. āThat if the only way I could have you was as my friend, then Iād shove my feelings down and pretend that I didnāt have this big crush on you.āĀ
āAnd āā Steve swallowed nervously. āAnd youāre not just saying this? To make me feel better?āĀ
Eddie pulled away. Steve felt his heart stop.
Then Eddie practically dove onto his bed, shoving his arm between the mattress and the wall. His tongue stuck out in concentration as he reached. Steve couldnāt help but laugh.Ā
Then ā Eddie pulled out a yellow spiral notebook.Ā
In big, black permanent marker, the cover read:Ā EDDIES! DO NOT TOUCH
Steve kind of swore under his breath, realizing he shouldāve put his name on the cover. But the ādo not touchā may have incentivize the teens to open it.Ā
Eddie sat on his bed, opening the notebook. He looked up at Steve and patted the spot next to him.
Steve hesitated. He swayed in the doorway before Robin gently pushed him forward. He closed the small gap and crawled on the bed. Eddie leaned in close, showing the open notebook to Steve.Ā
āItās only fair,ā Eddie said quietly. āThat you get to read my heart, too.ā
Steve studied Eddie for a moment, lost in the beauty of him up close.
He could see the reddish brown of his dark eyes, the small freckles hidden in his pale skin, the way his sheepish smile is pulled tight on one side from the scarring.Ā
He could see how vulnerable he is in this moment.
Steve looked down at the notebook in his hands.
THE SUNĀ
The warmth of your smileĀ
Like rays of a sunĀ
Leave your mark on my skin
Let me bask, turn it red
Let me stay in your orbitĀ
floating around youĀ
Because thereās no where else Iād want to be
HAZY
Iām in a cloud of hazeĀ
When Iām around youĀ
Your eyes on meĀ
The whole world focused on me
Like the roar of the ocean
Like the soft grass
Like the rich earthĀ
Hazy hazy hazyĀ
Iām in a cloud of haze
THE DREAMERĀ
he said when we go
He wants the east roomĀ
The sun rises in the eastĀ
And falls to the westĀ
And all I can think aboutĀ
Is we, we, weĀ
Like a sweet dreamĀ
Haunting me
I think of easy Saturdays in the kitchenĀ
Dancing around breakfast
The radio on something sickly sweetĀ
Like Lauper or LoverboyĀ
Like Mercury singing about love
And heād see meĀ
Like I see himĀ
And he would want me
Like I want himĀ
And all I can dream aboutĀ
Is us, us, us
Steve looked up at Eddie, eyes wide. āYou mean it?ā
āEvery word,ā Eddie breathed. āTheyāre ā uh ā songs. Most of them. Not like ā not like corroded coffin stuff. Theyāre meant for the Machine.ā Eddie nodded toward the acoustic guitar.
āYou wrote songs about me,ā Steve repeated. āFor me.ā
āTechnically you were never supposed to hear them,ā Eddie said sheepishly. āBut I thought it was only fair. Notebook for a notebook.ā
āEddie,ā Steveās eyes drifted to his lips, snapping back up. āIām gonna kiss you.ā
āFuck yes,ā Eddie breathed, leaning in.Ā
Steve kissed Eddie.
Oh my god heās kissing Eddie! He cupped Eddieās jaw, feeling the stubble against his palm. He felt Eddie lick against his lips ā
āIām gonna go,ā Robin cleared her throat. āNot that Iām not happy for you two. Itās just ā I donāt know what youāre gonna do next.ā
āYeah,ā Eddie laughed, his hand playing at the hem of Steveās shirt. āMaybe ā maybe you should.āĀ
āEw āā Robin said turning away. āEddie thatās my SISTER āā
āRobin āā Steve interrupted, turning to look at her with a soft smile. āThank you. For giving Eddie my notebook.ā
Robin smiled back. āYouāre welcome. Eddie ā donāt deflower my SISTER. Heās a RESPECTED member of Hawkins!āĀ
āNo promises,ā Eddie smirked. āNow that heās mine, Iām never letting go.ā
āYeah?ā Steve breathed. He felt like he was full of butterflies, ready to take off. āYouāre mine, too.ā
love the concept of Wayne not trusting Steve because of his reputation/knowing his father. but have we considered that he probably heard the news story about a girl disappearing from Steveās house and might think he and his friends did some kind of hazing that went too far
now the dad/sonās boyfriend distrust is funny but also imagine Wayne just being bone deep terrified. his kid is gay in the 80s Midwest and heās been hunted before and now the guy heās dating is an ex-jock who mightāve participated in killing someone. and he trusts him implicitly for some reason. just. Wayne not sleeping the first few times Steve sleeps over because heās keeping watch in case Eddie gets hurt
thought about this post again after MONTHS and just. the image of Wayne having seen Eddie half eaten in the hospital and being terrified of it happening again and then. he brings a potential threat into their home with seemingly no fear. itās be emotional about Wayne hours chat
@scoops-aboy86 no this goes IN THE POST. steve realizing that itās not just fatherly protectiveness. Wayneās cageyness around him isnāt worry for Eddieās heart itās worry for his safety. and he knew he used to be a jerk but he didnāt think he was THAT bad
Yes! And alsoā¦ Bonus angst points if Barbās death is also the reason Steveās parents arenāt around much.
When Eddie finally figures out whatās going on he just sits down and cries with his head in his hands for a minuteābecause this horrible thing happened thatās not even Steveās fault but Nancy held him responsible for it, his parents held him responsible for it, and now Wayne too. Wayne, who Eddie swore to Steve would come around eventually because heās an excellent judge of character.
And maybe Wayne tries to reassure his nephew that itās going to be okayā¦ Except he doesnāt know about Nancy or the Harringtons, so he thinks heās comforting an Eddie whoās finally coming around to acknowledging that Steve is not only dangerous but also unsettlingly good at manipulating everyone into thinking he isnātāso Wayne ends up saying all the wrong things.
YEAHHHHH and that just makes Eddie angrier because Steveās done literally nothing to deserve that?!?! Even when he was a jerk he wasnāt dangerous. And now? When heās put his life on the line for all of them on multiple occasions? Hearing āitās okay, this isnāt your fault, he fooled you like he fooled everyone elseā sets him off
and ofc Wayne thinks heās still in denial, but now Eddieās so mad that he doesnāt talk about Steve at all anymore and heās thinking āoh. oh no i pushed too soon and now heās gonna throw himself further in danger bc heās angryā
Wayne is, in part, overcompensating for not realizing how bad of a parent Al would be to Eddie. And heās not projecting Dick Harringtonās sins onto Steve, he just fully believes that Dick is the kind of man who could inadvertently raise a psychopath.
Thereās Barbās death in ā83. Starcourt burned down in ā85 with a whole mess of people on it, including that Hargrove boy who even Wayne had heard had run-ins with Steve (reported in the news as one of the survivors, by name because he was 18). Hargroveās car had been suspiciously wrecked in the parking lot, too, sitting out there for all to see while the mall still smoldered. Then the three murders in ā86 that Eddie was almost held accountable for. Wayne knows from Eddieās griping over the entire school year (because of his not so little crush) that Steve was always hanging around the high school, giving rides to the youngest new additions to Hellfire. Itās strange for a a nineteen year old whoās not in school anymore to latch onto a gaggle of completely unrelated fourteen year olds who are, isnāt it? Couldāve been using them as a cover while scouting for victims. And then thereās the way that Steve never seems to flinch that he can tell, not about anything; heād seen the boy accidentally burn himself on the stove once and barely even react. Thatās not normal. Heās convinced that something is very, very wrong with Steve.
Unfortunately, that last part is true. Steve is incredibly traumatized and an accomplished dissociator, because heās too used to being the tank of the party to let himself be vulnerable easily. The only reason Wayne doesnāt know Steve has nightmares is because of the insomnia; heās mistaken shell-shock for something insidious.
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