Prompt #8 - "Where's the Beef?" | Word Count: 1000 | Rating: T | CW: Language | POV: Eddie | Pairing: Steddie | Tags: AU, Office Setting, Meet Cute, Misunderstanding, Free Donuts!
"Eddie, can we chat?"
Eddie looks up from his desk, er, well, the desk he'd commandeered months ago. He nods, wondering if the jig is finally up.
Steve Harrington is standing in the doorway of his office, a tight smile plastered on his face. And oh yeah, Eddie's definitely fucked.
Holding open his arm, Steve gestures towards the chair across from him. Eddie takes it. Steve's face is confused. Kind, too. But mostly confused.
"Eddie," Steve starts, tapping away on his keyboard. Stuttered little henpecks that Eddie finds endearing. "After our audit, I can't seem to find any files submitted by you. Not for a while. Not ever, actually."
Eddie grins, in a way that he hopes looks impish, throwing up his hands in a 'what can you do?' motion.
"And everybody has to pull their weight. I can't have someone on the payroll that isn't contributing. Have you done anything?"
Eddie shakes his head.
"So, um, I'm really sorry to do this. But I'm going to have to let you go."
"You can't," Eddie says plainly.
"Eddie, I don't have a choice. There's literally nothing from you! You're doing no work! Where's the beef? Not here, not from you."
Eddie laughs. Steve's funny. In a dorky way.
"You can't fire me," Eddie says again, playing with him, just a little. He's gotten to know Steve, and has liked him a lot.
"I am, and I will. You are fired," Steve says, but doesn't seem all that sure about it.
Eddie finally smiles, "Steve. I don't work here. I've never worked here. I'm here for the free cake and good conversation."
Steve's brow creases, confusion coloring his features, "No. That's not. I put you at that desk."
Eddie nods. Yep. He definitely did that.
"You were a temp?" Steve says, voice lilting up as though he's unsure.
"Yeah, just not for you," Eddie answers, pointing to the other side of the building, "I was a temp over there, and you guys were having donuts, and I wanted donuts, and then I had a desk. It's a nice desk."
"Am I even paying you?"
Eddie shakes his head.
"Then, what do you do for work?" Steve asks, "You're here every damn day."
Eddie laughs, "I'm a musician. At night. And I'm not always here. Just Fridays. Some Tuesdays."
Steve laughs at that, running his hand down his face. Clearly exasperated.
Then, he stands, walking towards his office door, closing it with a heavy snick.
Eddie stands, too. It was just a joke. He'll pay for the cake if that's what it takes. As long as Steve doesn't call the cops. As long as he isn't trespassed and arrested.
As long as Steve isn't really mad at him.
"I didn't mean to upset you," Eddie says in a rush. "I'm sorry. I like you. I didn't mean to keep coming in."
Steve stalks towards him. Eddie keeps talking.
"I pretended I worked in the field four days a week. Then, I'd come in here, enjoy casual Friday and eat whatever the employee snack of the week was. Steve. I'm sorry."
Steve places a hand in the center of Eddie's chest. Fisting his casual Friday t-shirt.
"Eddie Munson," Steve says, then furrows his brow, "You are Eddie Munson, right?"
"I am, I've never lied about anything else, and technically I didn't even say that. You did. You gave me a desk and I just took it. I liked you, and you had donuts, so I went along."
Steve laughs, and it sounds a little unhinged.
"Do you know that you've driven me crazy?" Steve asks.
"What—?"
He's kissed. Well and fully kissed, and Eddie leans into it. Hands finding Steve's back, pulling him closer. Kissing him, or being kissed, Eddie can't be sure which. But he likes it. He likes Steve. Steve's the reason Eddie kept coming back, because Eddie loves seeing Steve every Friday.
He'd help him run the copier, or volunteer to go with him to pick up the donuts or cake. Pizza. Tacos. Bagels. They've had everything.
And he's had fun. So much fun.
Steve pulls back, licking his lips, eyes looking a little wild, "Do you have any idea how long I wanted to do that? But I couldn't. Because you worked here, Eddie."
Eddie gives him a sheepish smile.
But Steve shakes his head, "All this time. All this time I could have asked if you wanted to go out for a drink. Or dinner. Anything. But I didn't. Because it would have been inappropriate."
"I'm sorry," Eddie says, because he never thought Steve liked him like that. Eddie had a crush. But what's new? Eddie always has a crush on people he shouldn't. And sure, Steve was nice and friendly while Eddie flirted shamelessly, but Eddie never thought he had a chance. Not even once, or he'd…
"Just," Steve says, looking exhausted, "Do you want to get a fucking drink?"
Eddie laughs, guffaws actually, nodding. "I'd love that."
"Well, good. Now, are you gonna go with me to pick up the build your own sundae bar?"
"Absolutely," Eddie confirms, bowing, holding out his arm for Steve to go first.
"And then you'll tell all your co-workers what you've been doing?"
"Uh," Eddie says, sheepish, "I'm pretty sure they already know."
Steve shakes his head, but huffs out a laugh.
Before
Eddie sees the donuts being carried in. Box after white box.
And well, Eddie wants a donut. So, he follows the handsome man in the suit into the meeting room, and takes a seat along the window. Out of the way. Hoping to go unnoticed.
Eddie gets his donut. And then a second, but when he tries to sneak away, he's caught.
"Steve Harrington, CEO," Steve Harrington, CEO says.
Eddie nods.
"Eddie. Eddie Munson," Eddie offers.
"Welcome, Eddie. It's always nice to see a new face. Do you have a desk yet?"
Eddie shakes his head. He most certainly does not.
"Well, let me find you one."
If you want to write your own, or see more entries for this challenge, pop on over to @corrodedcoffinfest and follow along with the fun! 🦇
Notes: This was actually inspired by this proverb from Welcome to Nightvale, haha.
rating: G | wc: 333 | ao3
also inside: pov wayne, steve's chevy, secret-ish relationship
The first time Wayne sees the strange Chevy, it’s in their driveway. He assumes Jeff finally got that car his folks have supposedly been promising for three years. Inside, instead of finding Eddie and his buddies watching TV, he hears voices back in Eddie’s room, muttering curses and whispering indistinctly about him being home early. Eventually, the shh-thunk of the window opening precedes a couple of yelps as someone climbs out.
That’s not too bad. Eddie’s twenty-three; if he’s fooling around with someone, it’s not Wayne’s place to intrude even if he wanted to.
The second time he sees it, it’s parked outside Claudia Henderson’s place. That still isn’t odd—Eddie and her Dustin run in the same circles. What Wayne isn’t counting on is who’ll walk out the front door just as he’s passing the house.
Steve Harrington waves over his shoulder to Claudia, who laughs at something he said while he climbs into the driver’s seat.
Since when does Harrington’s boy drive a truck? Wayne thinks, followed by, My Eddie is fooling around with Harrington’s boy?!
Wayne isn’t going to butt in, but this is one of those instances that reminds him despite how loud and uninhibited Eddie is, he’s far from a great communicator. Steve’s never been anything but polite to Wayne in passing, but he can’t help worrying about the implications of the two of them sneaking around.
The third time Wayne sees the Chevy, it’s back in his driveway. He steels himself to enter the house.
Eddie greets him with an enthusiastic, “Wayne!” Steve stands beside him.
“How’s it going, Ed?” Wayne tries.
“Great. Listen, I…want you to meet my boyfriend. Steve.”
Boyfriend. The word fills him with relief. It’s serious enough; it means something.
Steve smiles and offers a handshake. “Sorry it took so long. I’ve been begging Eddie to introduce us for weeks.”
Wayne smiles back as he accepts it. “Boy sure can be stubborn.” He raises an eyebrow at Eddie, who purses his lips in defiance.
Seeing people I know and like using AI is making me understand the protagonists of those old time sci fi dystopia's.
"Oh I don't normally use AI, I just wanted it to plan my trip"
You lived on this planet for decades, you know what you like, there are hundreds of websites where you can type into any search engine " things to do in [area]" and have at least a hundred different options.
"Oh I only use it so I can figure out what to make during the week with what I have"
The most popular website as you type in "recipes" into google have sections where you click dinner- quick and easy and those usually rely on staples + 1 or 2 items. I found 30 recipes on chicken alone.
"I had a writing idea, so I typed a few sentences into Chat GPT and I was able to write 20 pages with it."
