Eddie's first kiss being Steve Harrington, but not in the cute uwu post vecna fall in love smoochies kinda way, no.
In the "Eddie tripped over his own giraffe legs like an idiot and tumbled onto Steve Harrington and oh lips, in the MIDDLE of the school hallway." Kind of way.
Somehow I tripped and 2.6k words spilled out of me...
Warning for the brief and vague mention of queer used as a slur in the past!
---
"Eddie, you cannot be serious," Gareth snaps, "there's no way we can take on a beholder at the end of this dungeon."
"We're tapped out, man. I don't have any spell slots left, Grant's out of action surges, and we drank the last health potions after those stirge swarms you threw at us." Jeff leaned against his locker with a plaintive look at a grinning Eddie.
"Thanks for those, by the way," Grant said, sulking, and Eddie's grin simply widened.
Whipping out his arms, completely heedless of the crowd of students swirling around them ā and the angry glares those that had to duck around him sent his way ā Eddie said, "You are ever so welcome! Need I remind you all that this is what you asked for when you said you wanted a challenge?" His friends' collective groans only fueled his schadenfreude. "Besides, you don't know it's a beholder. Could be an illithid. Or a lich."
Gareth shoved Eddie backwards. "You throw a lich at us and I quit."
"Rocks fall, Gareth the Gaudy dies," Eddie sings.
"Gareth the Great."
"Oh, what an ignoble end to such a brave yet irritating adventurer!" This gets Jeff and Grant snickering and they pack up their things. Meanwhile, Eddie swears he can see steam coming from Gareth's ears. If he wasn't so easy to rile up Eddie would bother him less, but he just made it so fun he couldnāt resist.
Jeff, ever the mediator, clapped a hand on Gareth's shoulder. "He's just teasing and you know it. Besides, when you take over for that one-shot next you can get your revenge then."
"Trueā¦" Gareth fixed Eddie with a stare that was meant to be intimidating, chin held high and eyes narrowed, but Eddie gave as good as he got with a wicked smirk. It helped that he was a few inches taller.
"Stop measuring your DM dick sizes, guys, I have bass practice to get to," Grant said. He purposefully smacked Eddie with his backpack as he swung it on and broke the nerdy stare-down. Eddie and Gareth both gave each other a final dramatic glare before laughing and leading the way towards the door and sweet, sweet freedom.
Gareth gave a thoughtful hum. "I think I know what I'd use as revenge."
"What's that?" Eddie asked as he trotted ahead to avoid the crowd. Since it was Friday, everyone was rushing to leave, the late spring sun shining through the doors like a beacon. There was a small group ahead clogging traffic and Eddie braced himself for shoving his way through.
"A false hydra," Gareth said with an evil lilt.
Eddie whipped around and began walking backwards, eyes narrowed. "You wouldn't. That's cruel and unusual." Jeff sighed and Gareth's smug expression grew.
Grant pointed behind Eddie. "Uh, dude, watch outā"
"Oh, whoops." Eddie spun again, only to catch his foot on something, hearing someone say whoa! before he stumbled, hands bracing on their shoulders but not soon enough to stabilise Eddie. His momentum had him knocking knees with his unfortunate victim, brought them chest to chest, and thenā
Face to face. Lips against lips.
Eddie barely registered that these lips were still somehow soft against his own, if a little chapped, before his brain caught up with everything and he realised he was staring into a pair of pretty, down turned brown eyes, wide with shock. He wasnāt sure if the hallway went silent or if all his senses narrowed down to the pressure against him, the sound of a hitched inhalation, the texture of the shirt beneath Eddieās hands, and the faint, lingering scent of aftershave. Much, much too late, Eddie recognised with dread exactly who heād just kissed.
Rearing back, Eddie brought the back of his hand to his mouth, his breath stuck in his chest as Steve Harrington stood rigidly in the middle of the hallway. Nancy Wheeler and Jonathan Byers looked on ā what a wild combination that was, these days, with the shadow of Jonathanās fists still bruising Harringtonās face ā with varying expressions of surprise and, interestingly, concern. Jonathan shuffled, as if to get between Steve and Eddie, but Eddie didnāt have the wherewithal to notice.
Because he was surely about to get the living daylights punched out of him. Eddie the Freak, Eddie the Queer as Harringtonās former friends would spit at him, just kissed King fucking Steve in the middle of Hawkins Highās illustrious hallways. Accident or not, he knew this was going to end painfully. Heād surprised himself so badly he didnāt even think to raise his arms, to shield himself, as he kept staring, panicked and frozen, at Harringtonās startled face.
But the punch never came. Harrington blinked, slowly raised a hand as if to touch his lips but let it fall, his eyes locked on Eddie. āUh,ā he said, but didnāt continue.
āGo, man, go go go!ā Gareth hissed, and started pushing Eddie away. He let them. As soon as Harrington slipped from his sight, Eddie took in a shaky breath, his feet carrying him away automatically as his mind raced in circles while his friends whispered in anxious tones behind him.
What the hell just happened? How the fuck did he survive that?
ā¦Did he imagine it, or had he felt Harrington kiss him back?
ā
Despite his anxious brooding over the weekend, Eddie showed up at school on Monday without incident. He hadnāt been pounced, cornered, chased down or any other verb his mind conjured when he stepped out of his van. Heād even shown up late intentionally, trying to miss whatever plan Harrington mightāve cooked up to get back at Eddie. But nothing happened. He caught a few looks from other students in the halls, but when didnāt he? Classes were uneventful and he thanked fate for the fact that, being a senior, he didnāt have any with Harrington. During lunch he remained unharassed, though the whole table was primed for an attack. Not a single spitball was hocked, nor a single piece of food sent sailing their way.
It was fucking with Eddie more than being jumped would. He hadnāt pegged Harrington as one for mind games, but maybe he was wrong. So when he opened his locker at the end of the day and saw a hastily folded note, the world felt right again, even if it meant he was about to face his bruise-laden destiny. While his friends chatted nearby, he unfolded the note.
picnic table, after school? āS.H.
Sighing with a nod, Eddie shoved the note into his pocket and scrambled to get his shit together. After the briefest internal debate, he turned to the rest of Hellfire. āGentlemen, I have been summoned for a clandestine meeting.ā When he pulled his lunchbox halfway out of his backpack and gave it a brief wiggle, they nodded.
āNeed backup?ā Jeff asked, but Eddie shook his head.
āNah, Iāll be fine,ā he lied, impressed that he could keep his cool, āIāll give you a call when I get home though.ā
Jeff knocked shoulders with him and smiled. āYou better. Be safe, make good choices.ā Gareth and Grant snorted, but Eddie bowed.
āAs you command!ā
They waved goodbye as they went their separate ways, Jeff, Grant, and Gareth safely to the front of the school, and Eddie to certain doom in the forest behind the track field. He instantly regretted splitting the party like this, but if Harrington brought friends heād rather not let the others get caught up in the fight.Ā
Past the treeline, Eddie fished out his lunchbox again, hoping to either bribe Harrington into forgetting what had happened or to use it as an improvised weapon if worse came to worst. He rapidly tapped his fingers against it, the metal of his rings clacking on the tin, and resisted the urge to turn back. He wanted this dealt with, though. Eddie fucking hated this sword of Damocles hanging over his head, so he figured that, for once, heād nut up and face down the danger. Besides, if the rumours were true, Harrington was kind of useless in a fight anyway. Recalling the bruises on his face on Friday, where Jonathan didnāt seem to have any, made Eddie feel like he could have a little bit of a chance. He was scrappy. If Jonathan could take Harrington, so could Eddie. Assuming he was alone.
Reaching the clearing, it turned out, surprisingly, that Eddieās assumption was right. Harrington sat by himself on top of the picnic table, slightly slouched, sunlight catching his coiffed hair and making it shine golden. His hands hung loosely in his lap, but when Eddie stepped on a twig, the snap loud in the silence of the clearing, they balled up as Harringtonās head whipped up to look at Eddie.
Eddie swallowed, froze, watched as a sigh left Harrington looking less tense than a moment ago. āUh, hey Munson,ā he said, smiling hesitantly.
āWhat.ā That wasnāt what was supposed to happen. That definitely wasnāt part of the script.
āWhā? I said āhey.āā
āOh.ā
They stared at each other, awkwardness descending like a heavy net, keeping Eddie trapped where he stood. Harrington opened his mouth once, twice, but said nothing, wincing at himself and scrubbing a hand down his face. A minute ticked by that felt like an agonising hour, and finally Eddie, valiantly containing the anxious bouncing threatening to escape his body, broke the silence.
āListen, Harrington, it was a mistake. I tripped over my goddamn feet, yāknow, didnāt even mean to. Wouldnāt mean to, like, ever, so yāknow, no worries on your part,ā Eddie rambled, seeing the way Harringtonās face fell then screwed up in confusion and dismissed it entirely as a trick of the light. āI have no ill intentions towards your virtue or whatever.ā Harrington slid off the table in one smooth motion and began to walk towards Eddie with a determined gaze. Eddie backed up, still talking, heart in his throat beating rapidly. āNope, none at all, so Iām cool if youāre cool with just sweeping this whole accident under the rug, whaddaya say?ā
His back hit a tree, and Harrington came to a stop in front of him. He was close, shit, so close he could smell the aftershave that had haunted him all weekend. This was an extremely inappropriate moment for Eddie to remember the stupid little crush heād had on Harrington when he first graced Hawkins High with his presence, until his rapid ascent into douche-dom, but it was hard to ignore when he was once again face to face with the guy. He was unfairly pretty, with that strong nose and ridiculously square jaw.
And, fuck him, Eddie couldnāt help but glance down at Harringtonās lips to admire the wide cupidās bow set in a serious line. When his tongue darted out to wet his lips, Eddie flushed and noticed the slight amused upturn to them before he looked back up. Harringtonās eyes crinkled at the edges, something decidedly not violent sparkling in his brown eyes, and Eddie felt very caught out.
āI donāt want to sweep it under the rug. If thatās cool with you.ā It may have been phrased as a question, but Eddie didnāt hear a bit of uncertainty.
āWhat,ā Eddie said again, oh so eloquently.
Harrington laughed with a huff and stepped, impossibly, closer. āJust donāt punch me if Iām wrong, man, alright? Iām still kinda healing from the last beating.ā
Eddie almost repeated himself a third time, but Harringtonās fingers curled around Eddieās neck and jaw, sliding into his curls, and Eddie thought heād died and gone to heaven when Harringtonās lips once again met his with a sure but gentle press. He kept himself still, waiting for the other shoe to drop ā which just ended up being Harrington pulling away slightly after a moment.
āI thought, uh.ā Harrington finally started looking insecure, his eyes darting between Eddieās. A slight flush had bloomed across his cheeks, highlighting the moles that Eddie begrudgingly thought were adorable for years. Clearing his throat, Steve swayed back, his hand starting to fall from Eddieās face. āFuck, shit, never mindāā
Eddieās hand caught Steveās. Held it in place. Ducking forwards and feeling like the bravest man alive, Eddie kissed him again. Intentionally. He heard the small pleased noise Steve made as he kissed back and felt his stomach swoop with a rush.
Holy shit. He was kissing Steve Harrington, again, on purpose, and Steve Harrington was kissing him back. How the fuck had this happened?
Steve pushed Eddie back into the tree, bringing their bodies close, and Eddie gasped, his free hand clutching Steveās hip to keep him there. They kept kissing, Eddie fighting off baffled, slightly manic laughter by putting the energy into his kisses as he eagerly sought Steveās lips again and again, feeling a slight smile at his enthusiasm that made their teeth clack. Eddieās chest buzzed with it, tingled, and by god if this was the only chance heād get to kiss the prettiest guy in school heād fucking take it, make the best of it, especially as he felt Steveās tongue brush deliciously gently over Eddieās lower lip. He let him in with a sighed half-moan, which Steve echoed in a way that had those tingles light up like fireworks all the way down Eddieās spine. He tasted like mint. Had he prepared for this?
The thought was enough to force Eddie to break apart from Harrington with a delirious, breathless giggle. āWhat the fuck,ā he whispered, awe-struck, as his head thumped against the trunk of the tree.
āWas that okay?ā Harrington asked, sounding concerned, which earned him another bout of giggles.
āāWas that okay,ā asks the most desirable guy in the school. Jesus christ, okay doesnāt even cover it Harrington.ā Eddie was still catching his breath, trying to find his footing again after having his world rocked in the complete opposite way heād expected.
āCall me Steve, man. We just, yāknow, made out. I think you can call me by my first name.ā
āOkay, man,ā Eddie teased, incredulous, ājust bust through every wall Iāve got here in one fell swoop while Iām still processing the fact that you fucking kissed me. By the way: why?ā
Steve floundered and looked away. Amazingly, Eddie realised he was shy. Heād made Steve shy, and the world shifted once again. Eddie also realised that he wanted to keep doing anything thatād make Steve blush and smile like that. And he desperately wanted to bite him, just to see what that would lead to.
āAfter Friday I couldnāt stop thinking about it, the kiss. About you. I knew it was an accident, thereās no way youād just do that, but the look on your face just after you backed offā¦ā Steve met his gaze again and the heat in his dark, blown pupils sent Eddieās blood rushing swiftly southward. His thumb caressed Eddieās pulse point at the soft underside of his jaw and Eddie shivered. āI know how people look when they want me. I wanted to see you look like that again.ā
āYou sure got it, Steve.ā
The admission brought a self-satisfied smirk to Steveās face. āSure did.ā
After a pause, Steve brought his hands to Eddieās hips where they sat as a comforting weight. āCan I see it again? Or, more? I mean, Iād like to take you out, on a date, if youāre free.ā
His unsure fumbling made something warm glow in Eddieās chest even as he struggled with the improbable, but somehow still irrefutable fact that Steve wanted to see him again. Uh oh. Oh no. Despite the warnings his logical brain started spewing, Eddie said, āYeah, Stevie. Iām free.ā
The warmth swelled through him like a tsunami when Steve smiled brilliantly, and Eddie knew right then he was well and truly fucked.
I know this is a little bit strange because itās months past due -and the toxic perfectionist that dwells in my skull really DID really hesitate to post this- but back in January I was too ill to finish this little story and then lost motivation because I was already too late. Still, since I was pretty fond of it (and the stupid hats), I recently decided to give it aĀ āhalf finishā because I didnāt like leaving it incomplete.Ā
ā¦AKA: I discovered āseraphiniteā is a real stone and lost my entire damn mind.
Anyway, sketchiness aside, I hope you like it anyway.
(Please donāt repost; reblogs are fine.)Ā
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Leave me a tip if you like my work!Ā It truly means the world.Ā
Hey gang, I totaled my car a couple days ago and it turns out life is real expensive. I still have to figure out pricing, but I have the ability to make prints to order at work and am thinking about selling these drawings. The first three are 8.5x11s and the last one is a 5x7, let me know if you would be interested in any of them š¤
THEYāRE HERE! Finally š Eddie prints are up and available, please donāt let them flop so my boss canāt make fun of me š Please like and reblog, they will ship asap!!
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