A man has never made me feel as feral as Steve Harrington does and I hate him for that. I want to eat him. Like, I want to bite a chunk out of him and just fucking eat him. I love him so much.
Steve is the kind of person that names their pet a generic "human" name.
Eddie is the kind of person that hyperfixates on a single part of conversation and doesn't register the rest.
Steve has mentioned his new pet a gazillion times. Eddie doesn't know Steve has a pet because Eddie is spending all of his brain power *seething* at this new mysterious person that has invaded Steve's life and is taking up precious Steve Time.
(hope you don’t mind op but I couldn’t stop thinking of this!)
“So I took Angus up to Cedar lake ‘cause he just loves the water and we-“
Eddie feels a sharp pain in his ribs and the rest of Steve’s sentence is lost as he turns to glare at Dustin, who has just elbowed him ferociously in the side, “What the hell!”
“You weren’t listening!” Dustin says.
They’ve been flipping through the grimoire, looking for information on what could be causing the trouble in the woods behind Hawkins High. For the past month or so students have been disappearing for days and reappearing out of the woods with no memory of what happened. They’re never injured. Other than the memory loss and a severe appetite, they seem to be unscathed.
The rift in Hawkins closed, and Vecna was defeated, but it seems Hawkins now has an energy that draws creatures of all types to town. They’ve already had to deal with Redcaps and a Harpy, who knows what’s next.
“I was so,” Eddie lies, glancing over to where Steve and Robin are huddled together over Steve’s phone, it looks like they’re swiping through his pictures. He can’t see what’s on the screen but Steve’s smile is blinding.
“Not to me, you weren’t.” Dustin elbows his ribs again, but this time more gently, staying brushed up against his side. Maybe Eddie hasn’t been hiding his feelings for Steve as well as he thought he was.
“Steve and Angus, huh?” Eddie says, eyes flicking over a page about Ogres. He can’t believe his life is now like a D&D campaign, where he’s hunting creatures with this unexpected ragtag group of friends he now has.
“Oh yeah,” Dustin, “Steve’s totally obsessed with him. He said he just saw Angus’ picture on Instagram and messaged right away. Love at first sight and all that.”
Dustin turns the page again, nothing so far standing out, unaware of the killing blow he’s just dealt Eddie.
He thinks it hurt less when the demobats ate part of his kidney.
—-
“So,” Steve says, appearing from out of nowhere in the cereal aisle where Eddie is stuck choosing between Lucky Charms and Fruit Loops. “I was thinking of going camping at Porter Beach at the weekend, with Angus, if you wanted to join?”
Eddie’s heart soars and then plummets down to his feet.
The last time they went camping, they got high and lay on the beach and spoke about the stars until they fell asleep. It was still dark when he woke up, the fire burnt to embers. He nudged Steve awake and they both stumbled to his van bleary eyed, pressed together for balance, not saying a word as they climbed in and fell straight back asleep.
Eddie was washing sand out of his hair for days and found it everywhere for weeks -his boots, his jeans pockets, his van, his bed. Sand is the most annoying thing in the world. He hates it, but he would go to the beach with Steve again in a heartbeat.
But last time there was no Angus.
Eddie would rather eat sand than third wheel with Steve and his boyfriend.
“I uh-“ Eddie starts, and Steve’s face falls immediately. There’s no way he hasn’t noticed that Eddie hasn’t been around as much lately.
“Hey, man,” his voice is forced jovial, the furrow between his eyebrows prominent, “no worries. Next time, yeah?” He reaches out and squeezes Eddie’s shoulder, looking so sincerely at him with his big brown eyes. Eddie wants to get on his knees and beg. He doesn’t know what for.
“Next time.” He assures, already knowing there’s no way he could put himself through it. His feelings for Steve are too much. Just hearing about Steve and Angus hurts. If he had to witness it, he doesn’t know what he’d do.
Steve gives his shoulder a final squeeze before he turns to leave. He only gets a few steps away before he turns back around. “You’re not scared are you?”
“Scared?” Eddie repeats, “..of?”
Steve nods. “Angus! Yeah, hes a big boy, but he’s a gentle giant.”
Eddie can’t think of anything to say. Why on earth would he be scared of Steve’s boyfriend? Unless Steve’s boyfriend doesn’t like Eddie, which, ok, he knows he can be a hard person to like, but they’ve never even met! And yes, that’s his own fault, he knows that, but still!
The silence between them has been going on for too long and Steve’s look has gone from amusingly worried to genuine concern. Eddie is about to tell him of course he isn’t scared, he just can’t go camping because.. well he hasn’t thought that far ahead, but that’s never stopped him before.
Steve starts talking first though, running his hand through his hair. It flops messily in his eyes, which are wide with surprise, “Oh shit, “ he says, “Are you allergic? Is that why you’ve been avoiding me?”
“Am I allergic?” Eddie asks incredulously, “to your boyfriend?
I love how we start au posts out with stuff like, “librarian Steve and witch Eddie,” like we’re pitching commercials for new career Steve and Eddie dolls.
Take home your very own Carpenter Steve and Local Rockband Legend Eddie! Carpenter Steve comes with his own tool belt and removable scuffed denim jeans! Local Rockband Legend Eddie comes with guitar and van with airbrushed busty Viking woman riding a unicorn! Eddie needs some home repairs, and Steve is just the strapping young man for the job! Steve’s a big fan, and Eddie plays guitar for Steve, then they make out in the back of his van! You know what they say about a rocking van!
(Carpenter Steve shirt not included. Platonic Soulmate Lawyer Robin sold separately.)
Steve bites back a sigh when he sees a hand waving just out of the corner of his eye, trying to grab his attention from where Steve's gazing pitifully at his drink. The club is loud, music blasting, and maybe it's a little pathetic for Steve to be at his place of work on his day off, but Robin's behind the bar and he gets free drinks. Unfortunately, the kind of guys who frequent his workplace are usually the opposite of Steve's type.
So, he's prepared, for when he looks up, to gently let down whatever club boy who's decided to shoot their shot with him tonight. They all start to look the same to him: bleached hair, glitter, crop tops and low riding pants. Men who are too much like Steve to be what Steve's looking for.
When he looks up, however, his eyes go a little wide and his lips part from around the straw against his tongue.
"Hi!" yells the guy, long hair, long legs, long fingers. He's wearing way too much leather and denim for this place, and he must be boiling under that jacket. "W-would you like to dance?"
Steve takes a longer moment to take him in: his shoulders hunched up around his ears, fingers twisting his hair nervously, eyes big and brown and beautiful.
Straightening from where he's been hiding against the wall, Steve steps up into the guy's space, watches his eyes go bigger and his face go pink. He's perfect.
"I'm Steve," he says, leaning in so he can be heard over the music. "And you don't look like the kind of guy who dances."
"Oh, I'm not," the guy says, eyes flicking around Steve's face, dropping to Steve's chest, to his thighs and back up again. "Um, sorry. I'm Eddie."
Steve grins. "Nice to meet you, Eddie."
Eddie's mouth quirks up, an giddy, boyish smile. "P-pleasure's mine," he says. "And I may be terrible at it, but I'd love to dance with you. If you'd like."
"I would like," Steve tells him. He holds out his hand, feels his heart flutter when Eddie takes it. "I'd like that very much."
Steve mentioning in passing that he has a tattoo. And before Eddie can ask the important questions (where, when, why, what, can i see it??) the moment is gone. his brain was offline for too long at the thought of an inked up Steve Harrington he missed his chance.
But he can’t stop thinking about it. He’s always looking at Steve anyway (because how could he not) but now it’s ramped up 1000%. Any inch of skin on display and Eddie is zeroed in, looking for what he doesn’t know, but he needs to see it.
He’s being soooo obvious but he can’t help it.
He offers Erica ten bucks to push Steve in his pool to try and get Steve’s shirt off. “What am I eight? No. It will cost ten bucks for me to not tell him though..” She takes the money with a look he’s seen many times during DND night. Like she understands why he ended up a super-senior. She tells him she should have asked Mike.
Mike does it for free. But all that leads to is Robin hip-checking Mike in to the water, then Dustin and Lucas push Robin in and go in after her, and for some reason Argylle picks Eddie up and they end up in the pool too. He doesn’t get to see the tattoo and he reeks of chlorine for days.
-
Anyway in the ends Steve gets tired of waiting and one night when they’re both halfway to high he swings his legs over Eddie’s and takes his shirt off, grabs Eddie’s hand and places it on the little tattoo placed under his pec on his rib cage.
'PLUG' wc: 437 | rated: G | cw: N/A
Steve finds that he is very happy when Eddie engages with his sensors. It elicits various human emotions in him.
"Steve," Eddie says, holding onto the cord that connects Steve to the source of his initializing program. "Can you understand me?"
Steve opens his eyes and uses the mechanism in his face to smile, as he was programmed to when he is Pleased. Eddie is beautiful and he takes care of him. Eddie gave him human emotions so they can bond in the same language.
"Yes Eddie, I understand you," he replies.
"Good, how do you feel? B.O.D.Y. Protocol please," Eddie says, carefully putting the cord down. "Then H.E.A.R.T. Protocol."
Steve stops admiring him and runs the requested scans.
"Body is rested at 98% energy: Leg appendages due for inspection in 37 hours, newly installed software is operational, no known errors." he says.
Eddie's hand touches his face. It is soft compared to his own metal skin but Eddie has told that him he likes it that way.
"Heart malfunction: There are three errors; there is one update." Steve reports.
Eddie looks sad whenever he gives him the H.E.A.R.T. report, but Steve does not know why.
"I promise I'll fix it," he says, leaning in to press his lips against Steve's other cheek.
One of the errors disappears, but Eddie hasn't asked for another report or for updates on them, so Steve is unable to tell him at this moment. Instead he smiles because he is Pleased.
"Thank you Eddie," he says.
"You're so welcome," Eddie replies, brushing their noses together.
Steve's Pleased mood changes to Happy.
"I am happy," he says, because Eddie wants updates on the status of that. It would be logical for Eddie to pair that with the status of his H.E.A.R.T., but at this time he is unable to offer him ideas on his operation.
Steve is a work in progress.
Eddie smiles and expresses affection at his statement; he kisses Steve's mouth and the second error is fixed. His mood status changes again.
"I am elated," he reports.
"Yeah? Does it feel good when I kiss you?" Eddie asks, pulling away which does not feel good.
He looks at Steve and he has eyes that remind Steve of when Eddie added Category: Nature to his internal visual memory. They are as beautiful as the soil that hides the layers of Earth that many of Steve's components come from. Eddie's eyes hide Steve as well, and he feels safe.
"It feels good when you kiss me," he answers.
"I'm glad your sensors are working," Eddie says, expressing relief by lowering his shoulders and sighing. "I'll get your H.E.A.R.T. working too."
He leans in and kisses Steve again, and the last error resolves.
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