(Ahh thank you for the practice! I hope you enjoy 😊)
Steve wakes slowly, registering the feeling of warm sunlight on his face and Eddie pressed along the line of his back. He's holding Steve still, neither have moved since the night before, a novelty when it comes to Eddie.
He feels the arms around his chest tighten slightly, one hand traces down to squeeze Steve's hip as lips caress the back of his neck.
"Good morning," Eddie says softly in his ear.
Steve rolls onto his back as Eddie lifts himself up onto his elbow. There are pillow creases on his face and residual sleep in the corners of his eyes, but he's beautiful.
"Morning," Steve breathes out, reaching up to brush a wayward curl behind Eddie's ear, "you stayed".
Steve winces, acknowledging the unspoken thing was the fastest way to having it all disappear in his experience, and Eddie would be the first person to tell you he was a runner. It would only be a matter of time now until he left, thanking Steve for the experience, telling him they'd have to do it again sometime, and that would be that.
Because that was how it always went.
Right?
Instead, Eddie smiles gently, a small sad frown gathers between his eyes as he looks at Steve.
"Of course I did, sunshine," he says, leaning down to press his lips to Steve's own.
It's unhurried, lacking the fervor of the night before, the clash of teeth and tongue and bruising grip as though he would disappear.
Eddie breathes out through his nose and tilts his head, lifting his free hand to cup Steve's jaw as he brushes their lips together again and again.
Steve tries to speed things up, to open his mouth, to bring things back to where they had been mere hours ago only for Eddie to pull back and pepper his face with more soft kisses.
His eye lids, the tip of Steve's nose, his cheekbones, his chin.
Steve feels something dangerous bloom in his chest as Eddie lifts himself up again to look down at him.
Something he hasn't let himself hope for since Nancy.
But as Eddie dips down to nuzzle his nose into Steve's until they're both giggling in the morning sun, Steve can't help but feel that maybe this time things would be different.
Ahhh! Thank you for this @steddierthings this one got sad, even though I ended up going with 53. "I'm flirting with you."
"Eddie! Eddie, wait!" Steve calls after him, tearing down the hallway as Eddie makes a beeline for the front door, an angry flush staining his cheeks and neck.
Eddie ignores the urgency in Steve's voice as he grabs the door handle only to stumble as a pair of hands grasp his shoulders.
"Eddie please--"
"Just fuck off," Eddie snarls, whirling around to face him. Who the hell did he think he was, that Steve could say these things, do these things, without any consequences?
Steve flinches, raising his hands in surrender, but he holds his ground as he steps closer, expression determined.
"If you would just let me explain--"
Eddie laughs over Steve's words, a harsh mirthless sound, "explain what exactly?"
It was one thing for Eddie to quietly pine from afar, to know in his heart of hearts that his feelings could never be returned.
It was another to have them thrown in his face like this.
"I know you told me a little about Ozzy that day, you know in the woods?" Steve says softly as he replaces the Tears for Fears cassette with another tape -this one with a handmade label on both sides.
"And I know you like, uh, Metal and rock music," Steve continues, ignoring the pained snort Eddie makes from his position on the couch.
It's another night, just the two of them.
Robin left them about an hour ago to finish their movie, 'alone,' though why she said it that way, Eddie has no idea.
"So I made this for you," Steve says, pressing play on the cassette player in the Harrington living room.
A mixture of synth and guitar pour out from the speakers as drums soon join them, snapping out a heavy rhythm as the singer starts, his voice a little higher than Eddie was expecting for the music.
'We are secrets to each other
Each one's life a novel
No-one else has read
"It's uh, Rush, do you know them?" Steve says in a near whisper as he walks back to where Eddie is sitting on the couch. He's playing with his fingers, picking at his thumbnail in the same way Robin does when she's nervous, but what the hell would Steve have to be nervous about right now, Eddie thinks to himself as Steve sits down with a shy smile.
'Even joined in bonds of love
We're linked to one another
By such slender threads'
"I uh, thought you might like the guitar in it, it's not as like, present as some of their other songs though," Steve mumbles with a shrug as he continues looking at Eddie with soft eyes.
He's moving closer now, close enough that Eddie can feel the warmth of Steve's breath on his face, what the hell is he doing?
"Yeah, I've heard of them, they aren't really my thing," Eddie says nervously, inching backward, his eyes widen as Steve follows him, his eyes drop down to Eddie's mouth so quickly he nearly misses it.
'I think it's time for us to realize
The spaces in between
Leave room
For you and I to grow'
"Eddie," Steve whispers, his eyes flutter nearly closed, "can I, I really like you--"
No. He can't think about it again.
He can't think about the freckles he counted, dusting Steve's nose, the flecks of green and gold in his eyes just before they closed to reveal long brown lashes.
The way his nose felt as it brushed Eddie's own just before he scrambled away across the couch, leaving Steve there with confusion and alarm painted across his face.
It would have been so easy to let himself have this, to go along with whatever prank Steve had obviously concocted. Even if it meant letting him shatter Eddie's heart, just so he could have the chance to feel those lips against his own just once.
"You got me King-Steve, let's all make fun of the freak right?" He scoffs and reaches behind himself for the door handle again.
"I'm flirting with you, Eds, I promise," Steve insists, moving closer into Eddie's space, he reaches for his shoulders again only for Eddie to turn the handle and evade Steve's hands as he steps over the threshold.
"Asshole," Eddie huffs as he makes his way back to his van, leaving Steve standing on his front step, watching mournfully as Eddie gets into the van and peels out of the driveway.
I know this took forever so I hope you will forgive me! (Also when I originally received this ask I had just posted part one and mentioned in the tags that prompt 50 could be a good 'fix-it' prompt for a follow up, and well, here we are! Also when I received it, I laughed for a solid minute, like evil laughed so thank you @happymediummm )
Part Three of Prompt 53. 'I'm flirting with you!'
Part One, Part Two
It's on Friday that the cavalry arrives.
Dustin bangs on Eddie's bedroom door, with a mace by the sounds of it.
He's about to snark that Dustin doesn't play a class that uses martial weapons when he hears the kid yell--
"Eddie! You have five seconds before I come in there and get you myself, I got your uncle's permission and everything!"
Eddie groans and detaches himself from the bed flipping the pillow he had been wallowing in away from himself.
He stomps towards the door and flings it open, leveling an unimpressed glare at Dustin who barrels past him into the bedroom.
Dustin crosses to the desk, his head on a swivel as he looks around the small space, Eddie scoffs as he steps towards Dustin, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"What the hell are you doing Henderson?" Eddie spits out as Dustin shrugs his hand off, he seems to spy what he's looking for as he crows a single, 'Aha,' and makes his way to the dresser.
"Seriously, Dustin, what are you doing here?"
"Saving you from yourself dude," Dustin scoffs as he takes a tape out of his pants pocket, the familiar writing on the label makes Eddie's stomach fall into his feet.
It's Steve's tape.
"No, nope, absolutely not," Eddie snaps.
He reaches for the cassette in Dustin's hand, only for the little shit to spin away from him and toss the tape from his right to his left hand in a move that seems so much like the teen's babysitter that Eddie wants to scream.
Dustin manages to pop the tape into the player and hit play before Eddie can get close again.
A few notes of a bass guitar reach Eddie's ear and his hands drop from Dustin's shoulders as he perks up…he knows this song.
"What the fuck Henderson?" He breathes out with wide eyes that flick back and forth between him and the cassette player.
'Oh yeah!
Some people say my love cannot be true
Please believe me, my love, and i'll show you
I will give you those things you thought unreal
The sun, the moon, the stars all bear my seal--'
"You are being an idiot," Dustin says matter of factly, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he frowns at Eddie, "I don't exactly know what you said, but I think I got the gist out of Steve earlier today when Robin wasn't acting like a guard dog".
His dark blue eyes scan Eddie as he shakes his head, "you thought it was a joke, do you know Steve?"
Eddie rolls his eyes before crossing to the cassette player and slapping the stop button. All at once the sounds of Black Sabbath halt, leaving the room in tense silence.
"Look," Eddie snarls, "I've known people like Steve over the years, it's all the same bullshit--"
"Stop it!" Dustin snaps, he steps closer to Eddie and jabs a finger into his chest, "you don't know what the hell you're talking about!"
Dustin's cheeks are flushed with anger as he shakes his head again, "he's nothing like that Eddie, you're being an asshole!"
"What is all the yellin' about?" Wayne's voice trickles through the door, a hint of concern running through it as he leans against the frame, eyeing both Eddie and Dustin warily.
"When I gave you permission to barge in here I don't remember agreeing to participate in a screamin' match son,” Wayne says, biting back a smile at the indignant expression on Dustin's face.
"Sorry Mr. Munson, but Eddie's being an idiot!" Dustin crosses his arms once more as he looks from Eddie to Wayne challengingly.
"That so?" Wayne laughs, "care to argue the charge," he directs at Eddie who rolls his eyes.
"It's nothing Wayne, Dustin is leaving now--"
"Steve made that tape for you," Dustin yells, pointing at the cassette player, "and you threw it in his face!"
"That true Ed?"
"It was a stupid joke," Eddie growls as Dustin throws his hands up in the air, "it doesn't mean anything".
Wayne looks at Eddie for a long moment, his face unreadable.
"Steve Harrington?" He asks softly.
Dustin nods nervously at Wayne before shooting another glare at Eddie.
"The one that came by your hospital room every day till you woke up Ed? The one they couldn't get to leave on the day you opened your eyes, that Steve Harrington?"
"So?" Eddie huffs, wrapping his own arms around his chest tightly, incredibly aware of the two pairs of eyes trained on him.
"Wayne, you told me I had to be careful of who I opened myself up to, I'm just following your advice!"
Wayne sighs, lifting his hand to pinch into his eyes.
"You'd be lucky to have a friend like Steve," Dustin grumbles as he moves to the bed to sit down. He pulls up his legs up to his chest and glares at the back of Eddie's head.
"Kid, I think Ed and I need to have a conversation, alone," Wayne says quietly to Dustin.
Eddie watches in fascination as Dustin opens his mouth to argue, but after whatever silent conversation takes place between the teen and his uncle, Dustin merely huffs and slips off the bed.
"Listen to the damn tape and get your head out of your ass," Dustin bites out as he passes Eddie, he levels one last impressive glare at the metal-head before leaving the room.
Wayne sighs as he makes his way over to the bed to sit, taking over Dustin's vacated spot.
"So, Harrington, huh?"
Eddie scowls and says nothing, leaning against the dresser. He winces as the sudden weight of his shoulder jostles everything, causing his loose D&D dice to fall off the edge and plink and plunk across the floor of his room.
The D4 will be a bitch to accidentally find with his feet later on, but Eddie ignores the mess and continues brooding against the dresser.
Wayne scratches his face, tapping an unsteady rhythm against his jean clad knee with his other hand, "okay," Wayne says gruffly from the bed as he shifts to stand.
"I don't know what ya did or said, but it was enough to make that kid beg his way in here," Wayne huffs, hooking a thumb over his shoulder at the open door.
Eddie shrugs, refusing to lift his gaze from the floor. He hears Wayne sigh and the shift of fabric as he steps closer.
"You were so small," Wayne mutters suddenly.
Eddie looks up in confusion, but Wayne isn't looking at him, his eyes are trained just over Eddie's shoulder.
"When you came home that day, all black and blue," he shrugs and scratches his face again, "I didn't know how to help ya, and you wouldn't explain".
Eddie swallows roughly, horrified at the sudden brightness of his uncle's eyes. A man he has only seen cry twice since he's known him, the first time was at Eddie's mothers funeral, the other was the day Eddie woke up at the hospital all those months ago.
"I don't think I could stand it if anything happened to you Ed," Wayne breathes out wetly now as he roughly scrubs at his face, "and you being in the hospital, you were suddenly that small kid again, standing on my porch all black and blue".
Eddie feels his own eyes sting as his uncle turns slightly to wipe his face again, "What are you saying?"
"You weren't alone this time, Ed," Wayne says softly as he steps towards his nephew and grasps him gently by the shoulders, "you have so many more people looking out for you, hell --one of em' carried you home".
"I think a person like that deserves at least a chance to know you, and to see what I see".
It's Eddie's turn to swipe at his misty eyes, "What's that?" He asks with an unconvincing cough to hide the wobble in his voice.
Wayne smiles, giving Eddie's shoulders a soft squeeze, "a damn good kid with a big heart, who I hope knows how to apologize when it's needed".
"But what if you're wrong?"
"Then I'm wrong, and we'll get through it," Wayne tugs Eddie towards him without warning into a tight hug and reaches behind Eddie to press play on the cassette player; the sound of guitar and drums begin again as Ozzy's voice fills the room.
'Your love for me has just got to be real
Before you know the way I'm going to feel--'
"But for the record kid, I don't think I am".
***
Eddie listens to the tape.
He listens to it again and again, both sides. Steve filled both sides with music for him…
He lays on his bed while it plays, staring a hole into the ceiling as the last few piano notes ring out before the tape stops, filling the room with silence.
The songs don't all go with one another and out of a dozen there's about eight he knows. The other four seem to be a mixture of songs he's heard Steve play in the beemer with the kids, or while dancing in his kitchen with Robin.
it's not an expert mix by any means, but Steve did manage to collect a decent amount of metal songs just for Eddie and even a one he's never heard before --since when did Scorpions write love songs?
After hours alone in his room, sitting on his bed, listening to Steve's tape over and over again, there is one thing he can't deny.
Steve Harrington has feelings for him…had feelings for him, and Eddie ruined it.
He wants to take the version of himself that pushed Steve away and shake him.
Eddie winces as he pictures the devastated expression on Steve's face when he left. His normally bright hazel eyes and wide goofy grin were left pinched with hurt.
Eddie had done that, taken six months of tentative friendship, of lingering glances and soft teasing smiles -how had he missed those, and tossed this delicate thing away from himself like it was nothing.
He looks over at the glowing green hands of the clock by his bed. It’s nearly midnight; Dustin left a few hours ago now and Wayne is now at work.
Eddie breathes out a sigh through his nose as a sudden wave of determination flows through him.
He looks towards the far wall by the door, his Sweetheart hanging up on her hooks.
Dustin had apparently insisted on grabbing it, doubling back on a severely sprained ankle while Nancy tore a verbal strip off his back for wasting time as an unconscious Eddie slowly continued to bleed out in Steve's arms.
Eddie shivers, it had been so strange to consider everything that happened, or what he was told happened during the gap in his memory.
Steve had been the one to carry him out while Robin and Nancy helped compress the worst of his wounds with torn fabric and left over gauze from the patch job they had done for Steve.
He vaguely remembers a string of words, a whispered sentence that made no sense as Eddie drifted in and out of consciousness but now…
'You can't do this, come on Munson, open those stupid beautiful eyes of yours, who's going to yell at us about the corruption of youth in America huh? We need you man, I-I….'
Eddie had really been so fucking clueless.
He gets up from the bed and crosses to the wall, taking the guitar off the hooks.
At least now, he has a plan.
***
It was a shit plan.
Cutting down the road the kids had taken to calling Mirkwood and through the woods by Loch Nora seemed pretty sound in theory, giving Eddie the element of surprise and hiding him from any watchful neighborhood eyes.
What he had not taken into account, however, was the pitch darkness, the unfamiliar maze of trees he now found himself in, and how fucking heavy his portable amp was going to be.
Perfect.
Eddie stumbles over a fallen log, nearly careening into the mulch and rotting leaves of the forest floor. The half moon above him, not nearly enough to light his path through the thicket.
At least this version of the woods feels alive, Eddie thinks to himself; the smell of damp dirt and the sound of frogs and crickets singing in the darkness is infinitely more appealing than the strange forest they had found themselves in a mere six months prior. And with the gates finally sealed, the most dangerous thing he could come across would probably be a rattler or a coyote.
Eddie peers around at the thought, he's not quite sure he's entirely comfortable even running into those animals anytime soon…especially the snake.
Finally, after another ten minutes of walking, warm yellow light begins to sift through the trees ahead of him as he brushes away low branches from his field of vision.
Eddie hikes up the guitar strap higher up his shoulder and steps fully into the light that illuminates the Harrington backyard lawn and pool.
Eddie scans the back of the house, flipping the mental map of the Harrington home around to visualize which window was most likely to be for Steve's bedroom.
He steps further into the yard, setting down the heavy amp onto the concrete patio before leaning down to grab a handful of wood chips from the shrubs next to the house.
Here goes nothing.
Eddie tosses one of the pieces of wood at the window above him.
It barely connects with the windowsill before dropping back down onto the patio with a muted clack.
Oh this is humiliating.
He tries again and again to hit Steve's window with the wood chips in his hand, each one completely misses the target. One bounces into the eavestrough, another careens off the siding and back into the pool behind Eddie.
"Fuck this," Eddie growls, throwing the rest of the wood chips back into the shrubs as he snatches the cord for his amp and shoves the plug into the nearest outdoor outlet.
He turns the volume down slightly, the plan won't work if the cops get called on him immediately.
Eddie takes the guitar off his back and plucks a few notes, adjusting one of the tuning keys until the sound is just right.
"Here goes nothing, come on Stevie," Eddie whispers as he begins to play.
"I hear the ticking' of the clock, I'm lying here the room's pitch dark," he sings softly, strumming out the cords, it's slightly harsher than the piano but sue him, Eddie only managed to play it once through by ear at home before he left the house.
This was Steve's last track on the tape, and Eddie's sure he put it there for a reason.
He listened to the song again and again, slowly picking up the cords as he did so.
He could do this, he picked up Master of Puppets in just a few weeks, Eddie could handle Heart.
Eddie keeps going, his voice carries over the yard, growing in volume; so much so that he misses the patio door slowly slide open and the sound of a pair of feet padding onto the patio.
"What are you doing here?" Steve's voice calls out to Eddie from the door, he jumps, nearly dropping the guitar. His hand jolts on the strings as Eddie attempts to keep his hold on the instrument, letting the guitar scream for him.
Steve stares at him as Eddie unplugs the amp cord and swings the guitar around his back once more with shaking hands, his thoughts spinning, trying to figure out how to start.
"I listened to the tape," Eddie says softly, Steve cocks his head slightly to better hear him, his face shuttering as the words register.
Eddie's heart races as he watches Steve begin to turn towards the patio door once more, he needs to act fast.
"And I need you to forgive me," he blurts out, louder than he intends, but Steve does pause with his hands on the door handle.
"Why's that?" He says sharply, dropping his hand away from the door, turning to fully face Eddie once more.
Eddie chews his lip nervously as Steve's gaze hardens the longer they stand in silence, his arms come up to wrap around his chest tightly.
"I thought you were playing a prank," Eddie sighs, saying it aloud makes him want to deflate, to walk right into the pool and sink to the bottom.
If the look Steve gives him is any indication, Steve would be more than happy to watch him go.
"That's a lot of effort to put into a fucking prank Munson," Steve bites out, there is no heat to the words though. He just sounds tired, resigned.
Shit.
"It wouldn't be the first time," Eddie mumbles, he reaches up to scrub his hand over his face, missing the way Steve's face softens ever so slightly and his arms drop from the way they seem to be holding him together.
"But I'm not going to make excuses," Eddie takes a step closer to Steve, his heart threatening to break through his ribcage the closer he gets, "I'm sorry for how I reacted and for thinking you could do something like that".
"I know you aren't like that, you're honest, and kind," Eddie reaches out and takes the tape from his back pocket and gestures towards Steve with it, "and so fucking thoughtful it makes me ache to think I ruined everything".
He puts the tape back in his pocket, Steve’s eyes watch him curiously now as he does, it fills him with wary hope, enough to keep talking.
"So, I need you to forgive me Steve, because I hope you'll let me make it up to you sweetheart".
Steve's face tips down suddenly towards his socked feet and the cold concrete patio, making it impossible for Eddie to make out his expression. He holds his breath as the silence stretches between them.
"Robin was right, you can be such an asshole," Steve says quietly, Eddie's chest tightens painfully at the words.
Eddie nods once,doing everything in his power to keep his face neutral but the downward curl of his lip is unstoppable as he reaches down to pick up the amp.
"But," Steve says, taking a step away from the door behind him, "as someone who was an asshole for a long time," Steve says quietly, pressing the palm of his hand into his chest, "I think it would be pretty hypocritical to not let you make it up to me".
He's grinning now. It’s small, barely stretching across Steve's freckled face, but it's warm and just for Eddie.
"What did you have in mind, Sweetheart?"
Steve is quiet for a moment, his eyes dart over Eddie's face before he finally whispers, "can you finish the song Eds?"
"I think that can be arranged, " Eddie hums with a bright grin of his own.
He swings the guitar off his back again, quickly plugging it into the amp.
Eddie looks up to find Steve smiling softly at him as he takes a seat on one of the pool loungers. He pulls his legs up to rest his arms on his knees, basking in his own private concert.
As the first pink and orange rays of sunrise begin to bloom on the horizon behind him, slowly painting Steve's face gold, Eddie can't help the relief that flows through him.
He looks down at the shy grin Steve gives him, his hazel eyes bright in the new day's light, and thinks, 'holy shit, I almost missed this'.
"You don't know how long I have wanted, to touch your lips and hold you tight," he picks up where he left off, his voice mixing with the slow rhythm of the guitar, “you don't know how long I have waited, and I was going to tell you tonight--”
Eddie watches, surprised as Steve swiftly gets up from the lounger and walks towards him, his expression determined.
"I think that's my line," Steve whispers as he leans in to cup Eddie's face in his hands and kisses him.
Eddie short-circuits.
The kiss is chaste, short, not much more than the brief press of warm chapped lips against Eddie's own, but the way Steve lets his hands move from Eddie's face to his hair and neck, holding him in place. The way Steve steps into Eddie's space so all he can taste, smell, and feel is Steve.
It’s exhilarating.
Steve pulls back slightly before placing a second kiss on Eddie's lips, his eyes half lidded and a deep red flush staines his cheeks and ears a bright red. Steve looks much more debauched than necessary and Eddie suddenly wishes they weren't outside, that he could take Steve into the house and show him exactly how sorry he is.
"I’m sorry, I couldn’t wait, did you learn all of them or just that one?" Steve asks, his voice slightly breathy, he still hasn't let go of Eddie or stepped away.
"Just that one," Eddie repeats dumbly, feeling the urge to walk into the pool again as Steve laughs.
Oh Eddie loves that laugh.
“You sure,” Steve asks again, his eyes crinkle at the sides as he smiles widely, “I thought maybe you could show me some of the other songs you know, inside?”
Either he’s dreaming or Steve is a mind reader because holy shit.
Eddie nods, unable to even form the words as Steve reaches for the amp and gently takes it out of his hands. Steve transfers the amp to his right hand and takes Eddie’s now empty hand with his left as he leads him towards the patio door.
Eddie watches, transfixed, as Steve looks back to shoot him another warm smile as they step over the threshold of the back door, and the words his uncle said earlier in the evening come back to him as Steve leads him towards the living room.
‘I think a person like that deserves at least a chance to know you, and to see what I see’.
Eddie halts his movement, grabbing Steve’s hand firmly in his own, pulling him backwards until Steve turns, his eyebrows furrowed in wary confusion.
“Thank you, for giving me another chance,” Eddie says softly. He lets the hand holding Steve's own move to trail up and down his arm, eliciting a shiver from Steve.
“I mean, you gave me one, you came back right?” Steve says softly.
Eddie's heart twists at the words, he feels his face fall slightly at the thought that Steve could ever think he was somehow at fault for this, “I was an idiot, that wasn’t your fault at all sweetheart”.
Steve looks at him again, his eyes scanning Eddie’s own for what feels like ages, his expression unreadable.
“Co’mere,” he murmurs eventually, letting go of Eddie to sit on the couch. He pats the cushion beside him, with the same soft smile from earlier, “play some music for me”.
There’s more to unpack here, more to talk about, other apologies to whisper in this beautiful man's ear.
But for now, he swings his guitar in front of him and slowly walks over to Steve.
Steve asked for music, and who is Eddie not to oblige?
Ahhh thank you very much for this! I'm sorry it was so late nonny!
This is taking place in the same universe as this piece which you can also read on AO3
***
"I swear to God" Robin moans as she smacks her head onto the counter, "I will walk into traffic if I have to explain the plot of Labyrinth one more time".
Steve puts the money from the recent rental into the till and shrugs, "I dunno Birdy, I liked your take on it this time".
She snorts, finally cracking a grin, "you just liked the look on her face when I talked about how half the movie is Bowie's package and the other half is Muppets".
"Potato, Tomato," Steve hums, closing the till with a soft snick.
For a Saturday opening shift it had been strangely slow.
They had their usual guests during the day, screaming children with parents who were clearly at the end of their tether. Irritating teens who stole as many snacks as their thieving little backpacks could handle. Movie nerds who asked for as many titles as they could think of before settling on something so obscure there was no way they carried it -or on the off chance Family Video did have it in their inventory, it was already checked out.
However, with half an hour until Keith was set to arrive for the closing shift, the front door bell jingled harshly to announce a new presence in the store and in an instant Robin’s stomach falls into her shoes.
Because Tommy Hagan and Carol Perkins have just walked in.
Robin has dealt with assholes from highschool before, she had to wear a sailor outfit with shorts for her last job for fucks sake, but she’s also never gotten into a physical fight with any schmucks from her forth period algebra class.
Steve on the other hand…
He’s on the other side of the counter all of a sudden, standing in between her and Tommy.
His expression seems neutral, but Robin can read the line of tension in his shoulders as Carol whispers something into Tommy’s ear.
"Welcome to Family Video," Robin says, her voice clipped and stony, "it's two for one Saturday and all the sections are labeled so you should be able to get in and get out".
"Come on, we just got here," Tommy scoffs, he's glaring openly at Steve while Carol seems to be scanning Robin, watching her carefully.
"Boy, you really do have a type huh Stevie," Carol sneers from Tommy's side, "at least this one plays an instrument, she's just as stuck up as Wheeler though from what I remember".
"If you guys don't want to rent anything, then leave," Steve says slowly, deliberately with wary hostility.
"You're suddenly so fucking tough huh?" Tommy scoffs, stepping closer towards Steve.
Carol moves with him but her eyes widen slightly in surprise, she grabs at his arm and pulls just slightly, "Tommy--"
"I'm not going to fight you man," Steve sighs, running a hand over his face and into his hair, Robin watches as his shoulders droop ever so slightly.
She knows Steve has complicated feelings about his former friends, they'd known one another for such a long time and those old feelings don't just disappear.
He'd been hurt to see Tommy and Carol gravitate towards Billy so easily. To egg him on as he bullied Steve their senior year, the tables turned so suddenly it was like whiplash.
Well, Steve may feel conflicted about his old shithead friends, but Robin has no such compunction.
"He won't but I will," Robin blurts out, the words run away from her faster than she can even catch up to them.
Steve closes his eyes, his expression pained while Tommy and Carol both turn to her with equal looks of surprise.
Huh, it's the first time in her life she's ever seen Carol Perkins speechless and it's glorious.
Robin lets the thrill of it carry her forward until she's stepped around the counter to stand beside Steve.
“Yeah, Steve's gonna have to hold me back,” Robin snarls as she grabs Steve’s hand and places it on her own shoulder.
Steve gives her a withering look as he mimes pulling a zipper over his own mouth.
"You let your bitch off her leash huh Harrington?" Tommy says with a lecherous grin as he stares at them both.
He lets out two barks and laughs again as he swings an arm around Carol's shoulder, her tinkling laugh joins his own and Robin can't believe this is even happening. Did she hit her head getting out of Steve's car this morning?
Fuck this.
"Funny stuff Hagan," Robin bites out, "your ass must be pretty jealous of your mouth for all the nasty shit it gets to spew in public".
"What did you just say to me?" Tommy snarls as he stomps closer, his ears have turned a ruddy pink that matches the flush crawling up his neck.
Carol tries to reach for his arm, whispering, "just drop it Tommy, let's go," but he wrenches away from her and continues forward, only stopping as a flat palm catches him in the chest.
Steve stands his ground in front of Tommy, looking down his nose with cold eyes.
Steve told her about the last time he and Tommy had squared off. It was just before Robin spotted Steve outside the corner store while she waited for her mother to pay for their things, the aftermath that she hadn't thought much of at the time, but now…
Steve walks forward, using his height to his advantage to tower imposingly over Tommy, his face twisted into a vicious snarl that Robin has only seen one other time, underneath Starcourt.
"Get out, I don't want to tell you again Tommy," Steve says lowly under his breath, just loud enough that Robin has to strain to hear him.
Tommy's eyes narrow as his mouth pulls into a sneer, "and what are you gonna do about it, you're not scary Harrington," he grins despite taking a step back as Steve continues forward, pushing them towards the front door.
"I don't have to be scary, but I do have an in with your drug dealer and I can make it impossible for you to score for as long as you live in this godforsaken shithole".
"You're bluffing".
"Try me," Steve whispers just as the bell dings again at the front of the store. Tommy doesn't look away from Steve even as Carol exclaims a small, 'oh', beside him.
Robin smirks and leans back against the counter, raising her hand in an enthusiastic wave towards the entrance, "hey Eddie!"
Tommy curses under his breath and wrenches himself away from Steve, just in time to see the murderous expression on Eddie's face.
Carol takes the opportunity to grab at the sleeve of Tommy's shirt and drag him the last few steps away towards the door, they give Eddie a wide berth as they pass.
Tommy glares at Steve and Robin the entire way, muttering curses under his breath as Robin blows them a kiss with her middle finger.
The bell jingles again as the door swings open and falls gently closed, leaving them in an uneasy silence.
"You guys okay?" Eddie says quietly after a beat, he steps towards Steve, his brow pinched with concern.
Steve nods silently before turning towards Robin. She expects a lecture from the frown on his face but blinks in surprise as Steve pulls her into a tight hug.
"Don't do that again," he mumbles into her hair, she opens her mouth to speak, to insist that she doesn't need a babysitter like his gaggle of children.
"I know it's just Tommy," Steve breathes out as though reading her mind, "but I don't think I could handle it if something happened to you Robin, I mean it".
And all at once the fight drains out of her as Robin wonders just how she wound up with someone like Steve Harrington in her corner.
"I wasn't going to let them talk shit," she huffs, despite pressing even closer, she feels his head shake against her own.
"I can take a hit and I'm not going to let some asshole have a chance to go after you too," he says sharply.
Robin rolls her eyes and steps back just enough to look him in the eyes, "remember what your annoying child friend said, if you die, I die".
She shrugs at the incredulous expression on his face, "what? Smartest thing that kid has ever said".
"You're ridiculous," Steve whispers and there's so much warm affection in his voice as he squeezes her once more, that Robin has to bury her face in his shoulder to hide the sudden shine in her eyes.
Eddie seems to take this as his cue to move forward and let his hand rest on Steve's lower back, the pinched look fading slightly as he smiles at Robin.
"Well, my original plan was to take Stevie here, out after his shift, buuut I'm thinking the three of us are in need of a night on the town, what do you say Buckaroo?" Eddie asks with a waggles of his eyebrows and a wide grin.
"I'll come if you never call me that again," Robin says with as much of a straight face as she can muster.
Steve barks out a laugh as he leans into Eddie's side, "oh you've done it now Buckaroo".
Robin squawks and flaps her hands at Steve until he ducks away behind Eddie who immediately shields his face with his hands.
"You think way too highly of me if you think that's where I'm aiming," Robin says dryly, snorting as Eddie gasps and lifts a leg for further protection, prompting them both to collapse into a fit of giggles while Steve watches fondly.
They all eventually relax, falling into an easy conversation as Steve and Robin finish up the last of the morning duties. The tension from earlier fading away as Eddie sits on the counter top, with his eyes on the door, watching out, just in case.
For the writing prompts - steddie, 3. “I’m not jealous” or 31. “You weren’t supposed to laugh!”? Pls & Ty
-steddierthings
Thank you so much @steddierthings for your lovely prompt! I chose number 3, "I'm not Jealous" (I was trying to get both prompts but just couldn't come up with a solid enough idea for the two of them)
This is partly inspired by this post that I read recently but I really like this idea and I do hope that you enjoy!
This was the last straw, Gareth thinks to himself, his face in his hands, fingers dangerously close to plunging themselves into his eyes.
“I can’t take it anymore man,” Gareth groans as Jeff takes a seat at their favorite table. It’s tucked away into the far corner of the Hideaway, the thick shiny veneer has been dulled over the years and the honey wood beneath is covered in thick layers of graffiti and carved initials. Jeff is particularly proud of the Metallica logo he painstakingly free-drew out on one of the corners while the bartender wasn’t looking.
Jeff snorts as his gaze travels to Eddie at the bar before falling back to Gareth, who has dropped his hands in favour of glaring at the back of their friend.
"If I have to hear him fuckin' harp about Harringtons perfect lips one more time I swear I'm going to lose it," he mutters before taking one last pull on the nearly empty bottle in front of him. Gareth winces at the taste of warm beer as he swallows the dregs and puts the bottle down a tad harsher than he means to.
Jeff rolls his eyes and smirks, "I don't think it's going to stop anytime soon dude, he's too much of a chicken-shit to actually do anything about it," he shrugs and takes a swig of his own beer, "besides, you remember him after the senior swim meet?"
"Oh my Goood," Gareth groans and drops his head to the sticky table surface, "he didn't shut up about that swim suit, or his moles, for a fucking month".
Now admittedly, Gareth could appreciate that Steve Harrington was hot, he had eyes in his head after all.
But he just couldn't understand this sudden resurgence of Eddie's very vocal pining from afar.
After the whole business with poor Chrissy, the man-hunt that left Gareth and Jeff incredibly spooked, and the sudden earthquakes that swallowed much of their small town, Eddie had come back to their band with a gaggle mismatched party members that trailed after him like lost puppies -including Steve Harrington.
Now, Robin Buckley and Nancy Wheeler made sense. Robin was one of their own -a band geek, sheep adjacent in her own right and Nancy was Mike's sister, whip-smart and twice as scary.
But Steve, former jock and King of the hallways of Hawkins high?
It made no sense.
But, he had been there for Eddie through it all apparently. Steve had sat at his bedside in the hospital, trading off with Wayne and Dustin to let them go home for a rest while they waited for Eddie to wake up. He had brought over food to the Munson's new trailer to help while Eddie was still recovering, and even offered to host their renewed Hellfire nights at the Harrington House rather than the school.
As much as Gareth hated to admit it, Steve Harrington actually seemed to have turned into a decent dude.
Which brings him back to the issue at hand.
"I just don't get why he won't shut up about him man," Gareth says with a sigh, he looks over at Jeff who is busy rolling his eyes and looking for an empty spot on their table to tag with his pen.
"I mean, you would if you've ever been hopelessly in love with someone before," Jeff says with a shrug before elbowing Gareth sharply as Eddie makes his way back to the table with three beers.
Oh…well shit.
"Maybe he just needs a little push," Gareth hums under his breath to Jeff as Eddie plunks the bottles down and slides them across the table toward them.
"What are we talking about?" Eddie asks as he takes a seat on one of the mismatched chairs on the far side of the table, he looks between Jeff and Gareth expectantly with a crooked grin.
Gareth takes the new bottle in front of him and tears at the slightly damp paper label with his nail, as a new thought blooms, he turns to meet Jeff's eyes with a grin and lets the thought travel through their gaze.
I have a plan.
No.
Dude, trust me!
Jeff shakes his head and hides a smile behind his beer as he takes another swig.
"We were just talking about the next Hellfire meeting, maybe we can sweet talk Harrington into hosting again for us," Gareth says, trying to keep his voice level, he leans forward on his elbows and ignores the sigh that escapes Jeff beside him.
Eddie brightens slightly and smiles for a moment before it disappears as his eyes narrow suspiciously, "probably," he says after a beat, "why?"
"No reason," Gareth hums again as innocently as he can manage, "Steve's great, it'll be cool to catch up on how the Hoosiers are doing, that's all".
Eddie freezes across the table and Jeff kicks Gareth's leg, hard, he fights off a wince at the impact and kicks back.
"I uh," Eddie stutters out as he slowly seems to gain his movement back, "I didn't know you liked Basketball".
Gareth waves his left hand and drops his gaze back to the bottle in his right, trap set.
"I don't follow it that closely, that's why it's nice to talk to Steve about it," he lies.
Gareth has no interest in Basketball and has not in fact spoken to Steve much, outside of thanking him for hosting their last session. He can feel Jeff's gaze boring into the side of his face, it's one lie, one little white lie and it's for a good purpose, right? For love!
He tries not to let Eddie's somber face eat away at him for the rest of the night.
It's at the next Hellfire night that Gareth decides to kick things up a notch despite Jeff's warnings.
"Just don't do anything really stupid man," Jeff tells him over the phone before the game. It wasn't like it was malicious, Eddie just needed a little push in the right direction.
Maybe a big push.
Gareth takes a deep breath as he walks into the kitchen of the Harrington house, he'd never been here himself during the wild party phase King Steve had been infamous for and he can see why it was the central hub for the popular crowd.
The kitchen itself is massive and the in-ground pool outside the window seems like it would be fun in the summer without the chill of April winds and the tarp covering it.
Steve is in the kitchen talking with Eddie, he's wearing a slightly oversized forest green sweater and tight blue-jeans which --even Gareth catches himself staring a little too long at. Focus.
He's bent over the oven and putting something on a cookie sheet onto the middle rack before standing back up and closing the door. Steve takes off the floral oven mitts and sweeps his wild hair away from his heat-flushed face. Eddie seems to be listening but his eyes are just slightly glazed over and lingered far too long on the swell of Steve's jean-clad ass as he bent over.
"Hey man," Gareth calls out from the kitchen entrance, he ignores the way Eddie freezes again before slumping into a pout.
"Oh hey," Steve says, his voice tinged with slight surprise, "you excited for the session tonight?"
Gareth nods and siddles up closer to the pair, he leans around to take a peek at the oven behind them and sniffs the air exaggeratedly, "oh what did you make for us this time Harrington? I swear, if you cooked for me like that every day I'd die a happy man".
A pretty pink blush blooms over Steve's cheeks and ears as he fumbles with one of the oven mitts, and Okay, if Eddie doesn't make a move soon maybe….
No. Focus up man.
Steve's large hazel eyes flick from Gareth to Eddie so fast he almost misses it.
"Uh, I mean, it's just some pizza rolls, I didn't actually have time today," Steve mumbles with a shrug, he doesn't seem to notice the furious glare that Eddie shoots Gareth's way, too busy turning around to set the timer on the little plastic egg on the counter.
"Next time, I'm sure," Gareth says with a smile, knocking his shoulder into Steves and leaning into his space, a startled high pitched laugh bubbles out of Steve who shrugs again.
Eddie reaches out and slings an arm around Steve's shoulders, tugging him slightly away from Gareth and into Eddie's space. He watches, fascinated as Steve relaxes slightly into Eddie's hold.
"Stevie here does such a good job taking care of us," Eddie says sweetly into Steve's ear, he may as well have pissed in a circle around the kitchen and told Gareth to back off and eat glass, it doesn't go unnoticed the way Steve seems to bask in the attention -to Gareth anyway.
Ah well, in for a penny.
"How is it that someone hasn't snatched you up yet Harrington? He cooks, he cleans, he hosts game nights? Like a regular Carol Brady or something," Gareth asks, his voice almost wavers as Eddie's hackles rise. Eddie's normally soft brown eyes have hardened and he's looking at Gareth as though trying to figure out if he could actually get away with kicking him in the shin, or somewhere slightly higher.
But then all at once Eddie sags, he abruptly drops his arm from Steve's shoulder and stomps out of the kitchen leaving Steve and Gareth alone as the back door slams shut.
Well shit.
Steve's eyebrows crinkle together worriedly as he bites his bottom lip, his eyes trained on the back door, "that was mean," he says softly before finally shifting his gaze to meet Gareth's surprised face, "I know what you were trying to do, but I don't think he was really ready to talk about it yet man," Steve continues with a shake of his head before seemingly steeling himself.
Steve breathes out a long sigh and hands Gareth the oven mitt in his hand without looking at him, "that timer is going to go off in about eight more minutes, just flip them when it goes off and then put them back for another ten".
And with that Steve steps around him to follow Eddie out the door.
"I told you not to do anything stupid man," Jeff's voice floats into the kitchen from the hall, Gareth resists the urge to knock his head into the wall beside him.
"I know, I know," he mumbles as Jeff takes the spot that Eddie and Steve had vacated, "I should probably go apologize, can you watch these?" Gareth gestures towards the oven as he hands over the mitts.
Jeff's nods and rolls his eyes again as he leans back against the counter, "I better hear groveling dude," he calls out as Gareth makes his way towards the back door, "don't think Eddie wouldn't kill your character just to spite you!"
Gareth walks a little faster at the thought.
Without a porch light the yard is dark but for the pale moonlight that stretches over the lawn and patio. He makes his way down the stairs but pauses as soft voices reach his ears.
"I'm not, I'm not jealous man," Eddie scoffs, his voice comes out in a sharp growl.
"No, Eds, that's not what I'm saying--"
"Why would I be jealous, I don't own you, you can date or screw whoever you want Harrington," Eddie says again, his voice now bitter and soft.
There's silence for a moment before Steve speaks slowly, "whoever I want huh?"
"Be my guest," Eddie scoffs again.
Gareth tip toes over, closer to the corner of the house and crouches down beside the bushes before peeking around the corner, just in time to see Steve step forward and slowly cup Eddie's face before leaning in to kiss him.
Gareth resists the urge to cheer in relief, but it's a near thing.
Eddie is frozen for a moment before he seems to come back to himself, his hands rise up to thread into Steve's hair and around the small of his back as Eddie walks them backwards into the side of the house, he presses Steve against it drawing out a surprised gasp which Eddie swallows with a please hum.
Gareth takes this as his queue to back away slowly and tip toe back up the stairs, no need to add voyeurism to his list of crimes for the day.
When Steve and Eddie do finally return to the kitchen, Steve's hair is in complete disarray and his lips are nearly as red as his flushed cheeks. Eddie grins widely, radiating happiness, and saunters in with his arm loosely draped around Steve's waist.
Eddie spots Gareth hovering awkwardly near the oven, Jeff pays neither of them any mind as he takes out their treats from the oven and asks Steve for a hand plating everything for the kids in the living room. Steve smiles knowingly at Jeff, his eyes trail over to Eddie and Gareth once before he snags a platter from the cupboard and leads Jeff to the farthest side of the kitchen.
"I suppose I have you to thank for that?" Eddie says quietly, the rising volume in the living room teases the arrival of the kids at any moment.
"Yeah, look I'm sorry man--"
Eddie waves him off and claps him on the back with a small smile, "eh, it's fine, I needed a little push, wasted a lot of time thinking I didn't deserve everything I wanted," he says softly.
Eddie snorts suddenly and a playful grin blooms over his face as he brings up his hand to poke Gareths chest, "Besides, I'm your DM remember? I can throw an ancient red dragon at you guys next time and tell the kids it's your fault".
Eddie cackles as he leaves Gareth in stunned silence to join Steve and Jeff on their way into the hallway. He slips his hand into Steve's back pocket as he joins them.
Gareth groans quietly, and starts mentally writing out a new character backstory, he has a feeling his current Elf Ranger wasn't going to last that much longer.
62: It's okay to cry & 71: You are the single best thing to happen to me.
Thank you very much for this, I love these prompts and got real carried away with this! I hope you enjoy!
If you had asked Robin Buckley to describe her relationship with Steve Harrington back in her freshman year, she'd laugh in your face.
Why on earth would King-Steve be caught talking to her, let alone do it enough to constitute a relationship?
He was a popular jock, and Robin was a freshie with a trumpet.
It wasn't how things worked.
Steve operated on the outside of her periphery. She had an awareness of him, his actions in the popular crowd. Like any minor celebrity, the gossip mill ran rampant with tales of King-Steve.
"Harrington scored the winning shot at last night's game! Not many Juniors get opportunities like that!"
"King-Steve told Tommy to leave Harvey alone cuz he's just a freshie, saved him from a swirlie -swear to God man".
“Yeah well, I heard he broke Byer’s camera the other day, so--”
"Have you seen his hair, ugh he's so dreamy!"
To which Robin thought, 'I've seen him leave half a bagel of crumbs all over his English notes, how dreamy can he be?'
And to top it all off, Tammy Thompson wouldn't stop staring at him, twirling her long blond hair around her pink varnished nails while reading sonnets from Romeo and Juliet loudly at her cafeteria table, trying valiantly to catch his eye --peak romance right there.
But Robin wasn't quite ready to think about how much she wished Tammy would bat those long lashes at her, nah, hating Steve Harrington was easier.
Besides, he had no idea she existed, right?
Robin grabs a can of Coke from the fridge, reaching into her pocket for change before joining her mother at the till.
The corner store was all the way out on Main Street, but still closer to home than Mevalds or the grocer on Parsons so Mrs Buckley had stopped for a few things on their way back from Robin's band practice.
She slides the change onto the counter and pops the tab before throwing a thumb over her shoulder, "I'll go wait by the car mum".
Mrs.Buckley nods distractedly, waving her hand with a smile and she hunts through her purse for her checkbook.
Robin makes her way down the aisle to the entrance, the little bell above the door jingles lightly. She steps over the threshold into cool November air and shrugs her jacket collar up against the chill.
She sighs as she looks back through the window, her mom seems to be taking her sweet time, chatting with the clerk now and going through her checkbook with a smile.
A muffled groan catches her attention from across the lot, she tilts her head towards the sound and startles when she spots Steve Harrington, the bane of her existence, leaning against a car with a can of soda pressed to his beaten bloody face.
He hasn't seen her, his eyes are trained at a point just ahead of him as he rolls the can over his split cheek.
What the hell?
Robin leans away, keeping herself behind her mom's station wagon and out of his sight line.
Who would have kicked the shit out of old King-Steve? And where were his two cronies Hagan and Perkins? She had so many questions and--
Steve sniffs once, pushing the heel of his free hand into his eye as he drops the hand holding the can.
Oh.
Robin suddenly feels as though she's intruding on something private. Watching this boy she's never talked to, who she saw last Monday walking with the rest of the basketball team into the cafeteria, Nancy Wheeler hanging off his arm with an affectionate roll of her eyes and the biggest grin plastered all over his dumb face.
But this Steve is hurt and alone and smaller than she's ever seen him before.
It's bizarre.
Suddenly he's moving, throwing the can to the gravel and stepping off the car before sliding his arm across his face in one motion, he clears his throat and throws open the driver's side door.
The engine of his beemer roars to life just as Robin's mother exits the store, she frowns as Steve peels out of the parking lot, brakes squealing.
"Honestly, why they give teenagers licenses, I'll never know," Mrs.Buckley mutters under her breath as she unlocks the car and hands Robin the paper bag, "do you know that boy?"
Robin watches as the tail lights of Steve's car disappear around the corner, the image of his hunched shoulders and black eye branded in her mind's eye.
Robin shrugs once as she opens the passenger door, "Not really".
***
It's not until two years later that Robin crosses paths with Steve again, slinging ice cream with the former King down at the new mall.
Her first job and it’s at some horrible sailor themed ice cream shop of all places and to top it all off, she’s stuck with Steve Harrington.
Sure, she'd seen him in passing at school, watching as he slowly fell away from the popular crowd. While it was somewhat satisfying to see Tammy pretend she had never really been interested in the former King of Hawkins High, she couldn't help but remember the way Steve looked that day, face bloody, holding a cold can of pop to the worst of the bruises.
Robin can't help but wonder just what had suddenly turned Harrington's life completely on its head that day. She'd heard it was Jonathan that had beaten him up, but given how weirdly close he, Nancy, and Steve got after that cold November day, she didn't really believe it.
Wasn't he rich too? He drove a BMW to work for chrissakes. So why was he here?
And then there’s the kids.
They follow him around like ducklings, begging for rides during his spare time and free samples of ice cream on the days he’s working.
It would be endearing with anyone else, but it’s Steve Harrington.
They've been working with one another for about two weeks before it happens again.
Robin idly sprays the glass display case with the spray bottle from the back. Whatever green liquid is in the unlabeled bottle smells absolutely foul but it's the only thing in the store powerful enough to get rid of all the finger and face prints on the glass from kids standing on their tiptoes to see the flavors.
They end up having to clean the customer side of the window far more often than their employee side and normally she and Steve will flip a coin for it.
Neither of them enjoy being out from behind the counter, the shorts and the socks are reason enough for this, but it also has the negative effect of piquing enough customer interest to interrupt their down time, like the movement and streak free glass shine draws their eyes.
But, nine times out of ten Steve would ‘lose’ and pick up the spray bottle without complaint.
Robin had started to wonder if he was doing it on purpose, but why the hell would Harrington do something like that?
She wrinkles her freckled nose and starts wiping the glass, clearing away the smudges and dirt before spraying again to get at the more stubborn fingerprints.
Steve is late today, which is weird.
Another surprise from Hawkins golden-boy, Robin would have expected Steve to waltz in twenty minutes late to every shift, with a scowl on his face and a refusal to pull his weight.
But it was the opposite.
Steve would get there early, he would review the cleaning list for the day, check the inventory to see what ice creams would need to be restocked and what the special was for the day.
The only thing Steve had ever asked her to do, was to write out the specials on the board.
When Robin had scoffed and asked why he couldn't do it himself, Steve had gotten very quiet, chewed his lip for a beat and said, "I don't want to mess it up, or have you have to redo it for me".
Steve shrugged, putting his hands in his pockets, "sometimes the letters are weird when I read and then it makes it harder to write them out”.
He sighs but it comes out more like a scoff, “there’s a reason I’m still here Buckley”.
Oh…so the golden boy of Hawkins High would not be leaving for college in the fall then.
He looked at her, his big eyes traced over her face as though he were looking for any hint of a laugh.
And what else could she do in the moment but pick up the dry erase marker and shoulder him out of the way of the board with a, ‘you owe me dingus’.
She turned her face away at the small smile Steve gave her, ignoring the twinge in her chest at his tiny confession.
God Dammit, he was not endearing, he wasn’t!
Robin balls up the rag she used to wipe down the glass and looks up to the wall clock on the far side of the food court.
It’s nearly eleven in the morning and Steve is still not here, she’s tempted to use the phone in the back to call his house when she remembers she has no clue what his phone number is or if it would even be listed.
She’s sure he’s scheduled with her today; it’s Tuesday, they always work Tuesdays together.
Robin looks around the food court, scoping out the entrances and nearby tables. There’s no sign of him, no obnoxious hair, no big goofy grin, or big hazel eyes to be found.
She huffs and makes her way to the back room, pushing the swing door open hard enough that it makes a satisfying bang against the wall.
She freezes at the sudden yelp from the back corner.
Steve whirls away from her, his face tipped into his open locker, his shoulders are a tense hunched line. It's a horribly familiar pose and once again Robin can’t help but feel like she’s witnessing something she shouldn’t.
“Steve?” she says softly, taking another step into the room, “whats--”
“I know I’m late,” he mumbles, the words are tight but there’s no waiver to them, “sorry”.
Robin wishes she were better at this sort of thing --her mom always seemed to know what to do and what to say when people were upset. That skill definitely skipped a generation in her case.
He turns to face her, slowly, one hand on his nose, the other holding his wrist against his chest.
There’s an ugly, rapidly purpling bruise running down his arm where it’s cradled. The shape is strange, almost as if someone had grabbed him - it runs around the entire circumference of his forearm and--
Oh.
Steve eyes her challengingly but there’s no real heat in it, his eyes slightly shiny in the awful humming fluorescent lights.
“Actually,” Robin swallows roughly after nearly a full minute, clearing her throat as she leans back on her heels, “Uh, Marcus said we only needed one person on today, it’s slow as shit so,” she shrugs and tilts her head to the employee entrance, “you could go home if you want”.
Steve stares at her, his eyes raking over her face the same way he did after the white board incident, before he sniffs once and shakes his head, muttering under his breath that he’d rather get hit by a bus and Robin stiffens at the implication.
“You’re a terrible liar Buckley,” he says eventually, closing his locker and running a slightly shaky hand through his hair before walking towards her and the storefront, “but thanks,” Steve says softly as he passes.
“Does that mean I can go home?” Robin calls after him, immediately wincing but pleased at the startled laugh she hears from the counter.
She follows him out front, slowly, suddenly feeling with absolute certainty that she really doesn’t know Steve Harrington at all.
***
Robin never thought she would be here.
Not once did she think she would have ever come out to someone while she was still in highschool, let alone the former King of Hawkins high who would in turn become her best friend, her platonic soul-mate if you would.
After the debacle that was their official last shift with Scoops Ahoy and the Russian Spy Alternate dimension bullshit where Steve risked his damn life to save her and the kids --who all knew about this monster filled Upside Down just by the by.
So many things suddenly made so much sense, Steve and his injuries over the years, his weird relationship with Nancy and Jonathan, even the sudden personality 180.
And through the truth serum, the torture, the fire, and running down another car driven by a maniac from California, Steve was there to hold her hand, and Robin is infinitely grateful for it.
They take a job together at Family Video, attached at the hip ever since the mall burned down in July; the video store is one of the few places still hiring that summer that pays a dollar above minimum wage.
It’s not exactly glamorous, it’s mostly restocking the shelves and rewinding tapes but it’s easy and the hours are good.
She and Steve are able to get their shifts together most of the time, they both know this is so Keith can avoid working with Steve directly -a bonus if there ever was one.
Things have been quiet ever since Billy’s death and the Mind Flayer’s obliteration from their world, but it’s been especially quiet since the Byer’s packed up and moved to California.
Most of that seems to be influenced by the cloud of sadness that has draped itself over the rest of the kids and Nancy -who has been coming by more and more lately, stopping in at Family Video and lingering in the evenings, chatting with Steve while Robin shelves the returns.
It wouldn’t even have made a blip on Robin’s radar if not for the way Steve would shut down for the rest of their close after Nancy left.
He refuses to speak more than one word answers, refuses to engage with Robin’s one sided bantering as she balances the till and shuts down the neon Open sign.
It’s nothing like after she saw the bruises at Scoops, nothing like the quiet acknowledgement that the Harrington house wasn’t all money and sunshine the way she thought it was.
And Robin doesn’t know what to do about it.
It’s been going on for weeks now, and she’ll be starting school again soon. She won't be able to take the same number of shifts as she could over the summer months, and Robin has no idea what will happen when she’s not there as a buffer anymore.
It’s the last week of August when she brings it up to him.
“Steve?” she says as she hands him another copy of The Terminator tape for him to rewind; it’s nearly nine at night and Nancy hasn’t been by at all today. Robin’s stomach has been in knots watching Steve watch the windows for her all night.
He tilts his head and quirks an eyebrow at her as Robin breathes in deeply through her nose, her heart suddenly in her throat.
“Just,” she bites her lip, “what is going on with you and Nancy?”
Oh, perfect, real subtle.
All at once Steve’s face shutters.
“No, come on, don’t do that,” Robin wheedles, stepping in front of him, “Steve, just talk to me--”
“There’s nothing to talk about, just drop it Robin,” he bites out as he steps around her to grab the returns cart and wheel it over to the New Release shelf.
“No, nope,” she huffs, walking quickly to the other side of the cart and grab the handles, “this is against all the laws of best-friendom”.
“That's not a word,” he mumbles tiredly, reaching up to pinch his nose and close his eyes.
Ah shit.
“Dingus, Steve,” Robin says softly as she lets go of the handles and steps closer into his space, “talk to me?”
Steve hesitates, seeming to chew the words or the inside of his cheek - she can’t quite tell at this point, before he blinks once, twice, his eyes rapidly becoming shinier by the second.
Oh double shit.
He shakes his head and turns away from her sharply and Robin doesn’t know what to do with her hands as Steve takes a deep wobbly breath.
“It’s okay you know,” she finds herself saying softly as she takes a step closer, “to cry?”
Steve barks out a wet laugh and shakes his head again, still not looking at her.
“I don’t know what to do, like literally,” Robin whispers in a panicked voice, “can I, I mean, do you want a hug?”
He nods but doesn’t move as Robin steps even closer to wrap her arms loosely around his waist, he’s stiff in her embrace but slowly begins to relax the longer they stand there - as though he’s not used to something like this.
“You don’t have to tell me anything, but I am here if you want to talk, or if you even just want to vent - man I want to vent,” Robin says, pulling back slightly to look Steve in the eyes, “don’t take this the wrong way, but what the hell is Nancy doing?”
Steve stills in her arms but she keeps going, “honestly, aren’t she and Jonathan still dating?”
“Like I get that he’s all the way in California but why is she coming in here, and don’t tell me it's about the movies --she never asks me to help find anything, just you, and half the time she doesn't even end up renting anything?”
Robin stops as Steve’s breath hitches once, “it's not fair to you,” she finishes lamely, her voice petering out as Steve nods and sighs, finally bringing his own arms around Robin’s shoulders to draw her closer and bury his face in her hair.
“Thank you,” he whispers in her ear as he squeezes her tight enough to leave her nearly breathless.
“You’re the only person I can actually talk to that won’t think less of me about, about everything,” he whispers into her hair, Robin’s hands twitch as she fists his work vest between her fingers.
“I think, you are the single best thing to have happened to me in the last like, two years Robs,” the words are constricted, as though he has to drag them out, “and…I need to tell you something”.
Robin nods as he pulls away this time to look at her, his red rimmed eyes trace over her face, just like they had at Scoops all those months ago.
“I,” he swallows and drops his gaze to the floor, “I don’t…feel that way about Nancy anymore,” Steve says quietly.
“But you seem so upset whenever she leaves, you were looking for her today?” Robin says, confusion painting her words.
Steve sighs and tips his head back this time, looking at the ceiling as though the answer is hidden among the ceiling tiles and water stains.
“It's complicated, I…” his mouth opens and closes for a beat, “I am sad for her that Jonathan is gone - he was a better fit for Nancy, way better than me,” he mutters and looks at Robin once more.
“And I know what she's doing, coming in here all the time, she’s lonely, but that's not why I’m upset Birdy”.
Robin frowns, “then what--”
“There’s this guy,” Steve blurts out, speaking over her in a rush.
Robin feels herself stop breathing, what?
His chest begins to rise and fall rapidly as he continues, “I-I’ve never told anyone this before”.
“Okay, okay,” Robin whispers, rubbing soothing circles into his back as he moves even closer and drops his head to her shoulder.
“I don’t know what to do,” he murmurs into her vest and hair, his breath warm and wet as his chest stutters and heaves.
“It’s okay,” she says again, repeating the words she’s told herself the last three years, “you’re okay”.
“Loving Nancy is easy, but I…” he sniffs and breathes out, Robin feels a gathering wetness on her shoulder but it only makes her hug him harder.
“But you don’t,” she says softly, finishing his sentence for him.
Steve nods and lets out another shaky breath, finally lifting his face from her shoulder.
He’s a mess, face red and blotchy, tear tracks and snot shine in the streetlights from outside the video store window. Steve’s eyes are red and puffy and his mouth has stretched into an uncharacteristic frown that makes Robin’s chest ache.
Now Robin’s mother may have been an expert on making people feel better no matter the occasion, but Robin was an expert on putting her foot in her mouth and making Steve laugh.
And the latter felt much more appropriate at this moment.
“I mean, you’ve come to the right person at any rate,” she says sagely, reaching up to wipe a loose tear from his nose, he snorts and bats her hand away.
“I’m serious, if anyone is an expert in gay pining, it’s me, I’ve seen it all, if you want pointers in watching from afar and daydreaming about your illegal wedding, I’m your lady”.
Steve laughs and steps back to wipe his face roughly with both hands, it does nothing to sooth the puffy skin beneath his eyes but at least the last trace of tears are gone.
“I’m also an expert,” she chews her lip for a moment, considering carefully how to put it into words, “on how all of this feels, and how new and scary it can be,” she says softly, “trust me, I’ve been there”.
Steve nods, his eyes shining all over again as he tugs Robin closer into another bone crushing hug.
Just in time for the bell above the door to chime.
Well shit.
They step away from one another, glad for the distance from the front door to the counter, knowing exactly how that might have looked to the average customer so late into the evening.
“Hey man,” Robin calls out as Steve turns away from the door to hide his face, “just letting you know we close in five so…”
The man nods, he looks familiar, Robin’s fairly certain she’s seen him at school but she can’t remember the name.
His wild curly hair and jean vest decked out in patches and pins scream, ‘Metal-Head’, as does the ever present cloud of tobacco and weed smell that follows him and around the shelves. He makes a beeline for the small horror section at the back and grabs a tape before making his way to the counter.
“No worries Buckley, knew exactly what I wanted, I won’t hold you and Harrington up --hey man,” he says brightly, two dimples bloom as he smiles in Steve's direction who flinches at being addressed.
Steve slowly turns and tries for a smile, “hey Eddie,” he mumbles.
Eddie’s smile drops as his eyes trace over Steve’s face, “woah, what happened sweet-uh,” he looks at Robin once before moving back to Steve, “dude, uh, sweet dude?”
Oh no fucking way.
Steve clears his throat, his cheeks slowly getting pinker the longer Eddie and Robin stare at him, “nothing, I promise, um are you still okay to take Dustin to Indy tomorrow to the hobby shop?”
Eddie nods and smiles, though there’s still a hint of worry in his eyes as he slides the tape over the counter, “wouldn’t miss it, gotta get that kid ready for Hellfire initiation after all,” he says with a wink.
“I figured if you didn’t have anything after we could watch this at mine,” Eddie continues nervously this time, gesturing to the tape Steve scans through.
For the third time since she’s known Steve, Robin feels as though she’s witnessing something she shouldn’t, only this time it doesn’t fill her with anxiety or uncertainty, and she’s never felt more invisible.
“I’d like that,” Steve says softly as Eddie beams at him, wrapping his knuckles against the counter as he hands Steve three one dollar bills.
“Sounds like a plan my liege,” Eddie hums as he bows with a flourish, coaxing a laugh out of Steve who is smiling like a loon beside Robin, “you bring the popcorn, I’ll take care of everything else,” he calls over his shoulder as he walks backwards towards the entrance before tipping an imaginary hat in farewell as he disappears out the door.
“That is not pining!” Robin shrieks as she whirls around on Steve the moment they see Eddie get into his van, “that was full blown flirting, how long has this been going on??”
“I’m sorry--”
“Nuh uh, you’ve been getting kissy with him, and you didn’t tell me? You got to have your first kiss before me??”
“We haven’t kissed Robin, christ we haven’t done anything--”
“Life is so fucking unfair, you had to be a ‘ladies’ and a ‘man’s’ man, huh?” She scoffs as she walks to the front of the store and switches off the sign and bolts the door for good measure.
Robin turns around only to find Steve staring at her, a nervous expression warps his normally handsome face.
Dammit.
She rolls her eyes and sighs, “I am still so proud of you for telling me, but you have to admit this is unjust,” she mutters in what she hopes is a reassuring voice.
“You think he likes me then?” Steve wonders aloud as he looks from Robin to the door that Eddie left through with a small smile.
Robin drops her face into her hands, this is the man she’s chosen for her platonic soul-mate?
“You are literally going on a date tomorrow,” she grumbles irritatedly, “I watched him ask you out, not even ten seconds ago Steve”.
The smile he sends her way is blinding, and once again Robin is reminded just how much she loves this doofus, how she never would have imagined herself here as a freshman with a trumpet.
“You are calling me after,” she demands as Steve pops the till to begin cashing out while Robin hops up to sit on the counter and fill out the paperwork, “if I can’t teach you about pining then you damn well owe me a class about dating”.
Steve laughs brightly as he lays down the bills and change, giving Robin a soft grin which she returns, finally feeling as though she knows Steve Harrington much better than most.
agree with steve not forgiving eddie! how do you think it would go when they see each other for the first time after everything? like.. I feel like steve would just tell him it’s over for good but :O
Part one, part two, part three
The record label releases a statement, something to the effect of privacy concerns, not to misconstrue or blow things out of proportion because photos can be manipulated. There is no firm denial, but no confirmation either. It's all wishy washy bullshit.
It's like Steve's heart breaks all over again.
He doesn't speak to the press, despite redoubling their efforts to talk to him, Steve unplugs their home phone permanently, wraps it up in the cord and puts it in the back of the bedroom closet.
Eddie does try calling Steve's cell, but he never leaves a message, as though he knows they would go unheard.
After the initial visit from Wayne he ends up calling his de facto father in-law once a week. It's nice, it's the one good thing that has come out of this whole situation.
And Wayne doesn't seem to mind being their go between, especially since he's a lot less subtle than he thinks, asking pointed questions about how Steve is feeling, how he's handling the LOA.
It's a relief to say the least, talking to Eddie without talking to him, it allows him to breath.
It's quiet for about two weeks, the coverage of the photo and the story has dwindled significantly and the media seem to have moved on from talking about them, finally.
Steve's LOA is almost over, he's confirmed with Liz that he can return to the classroom next week as planned which leaves him in the highest spirits he's been in all month.
But of course it can't last.
The first time Steve sees Eddie is on Conan.
It's a Thursday night, Steve channel surfs absently. He's left the living room dim, the only lights from the television and the Chicago cityscape glowing through the living room window.
He lands on NBC for just a moment and freezes when he hears Gareths familiar voice speaking.
Gareth, Eddie, Jeff, and Grant are all seated on the set couch with Andy Richter. Conan asks a few questions about their tour, their recent resurgence in popularity from the movie, their favorite Marvel characters from the franchise that skyrocketed them back into the public scene.
Its a standard interview, Conan keeps it light, easy-going, not a single mention of the infamous photo.
Logically Steve knows this is most likely a mandate from the band's manager but it doesn't feel that way, it feels like a slap to the face if he's being honest with himself.
Did he imagine it? Had he blown this whole thing out of proportion? Maybe he was overreacting.
His phone buzzes on the coffee table he's left his feet on, Robin's face and 'Thing One', brightens up the room.
Steve moves his feet to sit up properly and he mutes the television with the remote before answering.
"Are you seeing this shit?" she growls on the line.
Steve laughs, "Hello to you too," he leans into the worn cushions of the couch and tries not to think of the second empty divot in the middle next to him, "yeah I'm seeing it".
"And they're not going to talk about it at all? Like what about journalistic integrity and all that shit?"
Steve rolls his eyes and snorts into the receiver, "I don't think Late Night counts as journalism Bobs--"
"Still," she huffs out.
Robin is quiet for a second before she says softly, "you okay?"
"No," he whispers, "but I think I'm the closest I'll be for awhile," he draws a heavy hand through his hair and ignores the cameras which have now panned to Eddie who looks pensive on screen.
He's not speaking, in fact Eddie hasn't said a word the entire interview. He looks tired, his normally pale face has turned sallow and drawn with deep purple bags under his eyes that even the show makeup has not covered.
Steve looks away from the screen and ignores the dull ache in his chest.
"I'm glad that it's not all over the news anymore," he admits after a moment, "but, its almost like it never happened".
Robin hums sympathetically on the line, "Twenty-four hour news cycle, they've probably found some new scandle to follow," she's quiet for another second, "he looks like shit".
Steve barks out a surprised laugh that trails off sharply, he chews his lip for a second, "is it crazy that I'm worried about him? He looks likes he's not sleeping--"
"Steve..."
"I know, I know, I'm am angry with him and I don't think that will go away any time soon, but look at him".
The camera angle switches to a wide shot of the whole group and Eddie stands out so starkly amongst the other band members that are put together, smiling, engaged in the conversation.
Verses the silent, pale ghost that Steve doesn't even recognize.
"Do not let that kicked puppy thing let him off the hook Steve," Robin says, the words are sharp but the tone is still gentle, "he hurt you just because you had a fight--"
"Maybe it wasn't that simple!"
"Steve..."
"I miss my husband Robin, I can't, I fucking hate that he did this but I miss him so much," he says, his voice wobbles slightly as Conan holds up a large version of Corroded Coffin's latest album on the desk before gesturing to the stage area to reveal their setup to start playing.
"I feel like there's something wrong with me," Steve says, giving voice to the smallest parts of himself that have been festering inside of him the last couple of days.
The longer they're apart, the longer he refuses to speak to Eddie to more these thoughts have been creeping in. Maybe he should just let it go, maybe he can eventually forgive him and they can move forward again.
It's countered again and again by the image, the kiss.
Imagining the two of them together, Eddie with this stranger. Did he call them Honeybee, the way he did Steve? Did he hold them after and whisper other sweet nothings, promises into their ears?
It's enough to turn his stomach.
"I don't know what to do, I can't exist like this much longer, the tour is going to be over soon and then what?"
"I don't know Steve, you're the only one that can make that decision, but," he can hear the small reassuring smile on her face as she speaks, "we'll be here for you no matter what you decide, I promise".
"Thank you".
"Anytime Dingus".
***
The second time Steve sees Eddie is a month after the Conan interview.
Steve's back at work and the kids seem happy to see him, though they are sad that the 'easy' sub days are done. He's glad for the routine once more, especially with the end of the tour looming on the horizon.
Steve has spent the last week fretting over what to do, he's talked to Robin and Dustin about it, weighing the pros and cons. He's talked to Wayne about contingency plans for the apartment, if he has space for one of them to go there.
Steve is fairly certain Eddie would go stay with Wayne willingly if he asked him to, but both of their names are on the mortgage and he'd rather be prepared for anything.
It's Gareth that calls him, his name lights up the darkened bedroom while the picture of Gareth and Chrissy and Steve and Eddie at their place for Thanksgiving two years ago flashes on the tiny screen.
It's late, almost two in the morning, but Steve is awake. He hesitates before snatching the device with shaking hands and swipes a hesitant thumb across the screen to answer the call.
"Hey Gar," Steve says quietly.
He sits up, letting the covers pool around his waist and stifles a small yawn with his hand.
"Oh, Steve, I...fuck is it good to hear your voice man," Gareth breathes out, he sounds surprised, nervous, "I wasn't expecting you to actually answer this," he trails off and clears his throat.
"I wasn't asleep," Steve shrugs.
There's a pause on the line, Steve can hear Gareth take a deep breath and the hushed words of someone in the background.
"I, God, Steve, I'm so sorry, I hate that we weren't there for you," he continues, and Steve can't help but agree with that sentiment.
It's certainly felt like the only one of his friends from Eddie's circle in his corner was Wayne, he hasn't heard from any of the band members or Chrissy since this happened and he can't say it hasn't stung.
"And I know you must hate us for this--"
"Gareth, I dont--" Steve tries with a small tired voice but Gareth barrels onward, the words getting faster as he speaks.
"I won't make any excuses, we should have done better by you and the fucking label knew exactly what they were doing," he breathes out again and this time its infinitely more pained, "and I hate to do this Steve, I know you already told him that you needed more time--"
"You're coming back?"
"Yeah, we fly in tomorrow actually," Gareth says softly, "and we just, well we wanted you to know".
Steve feels his heartrate quicken, he swallows harshly against the sudden lump in his throat.
Tomorrow? Tomorrow, with no warning, no notice, and suddenly Eddie would be back. He'd be coming home...
"I want to see him," Steve hears himself say before he can clamp his mouth shut, "I...can you tell him that, I need to talk to him?"
"Oh, uh, yeah, uh," Gareth stammers out, then the sound is muffled for a moment as though a hand has been placed over the receiver, lowered voices murmur in the background and Steve feels himself drag in a sudden breath, as though he had forgotten to breath at some point.
"Okay, Steve?"
"Yeah," he whispers into the darkness of his bedroom.
"He'll be there".
***
The clock ticks slowly by, interrupting the quiet of the apartment and every time Steve looks at the clock face it's still only been forty minutes since Gareth texted to tell him they've landed at O'Hare.
It's like the clock is mocking him, the minute hand holding court over the kitchen where Steve has planted himself with a full cup of, now undrinkable, tepid tea.
He initially debated offering to pick them up from the airport, but the thought of their first meeting being so public, the thought of camera flashes and more people asking questions was enough to turn his stomach.
Even now Steve isn't sure how he'll react when Eddie walks through that door, his hands shake slightly and a flicker of anxiety runs through his chest because what if he's not alone? If he brought Gareth with him, or Jeff as some kind of backup or shield from Steve's anger.
Steve scoffs to himself at the thought, they'd seen a lot of Steve over the years, he's sure this wouldn't phase them. Maybe they'd even stand aside and let Eddie take his verbal lumps.
Steve sighs and grabs the mug from the counter before walking it over to the microwave. He sets it for thirty seconds and waits with his fingers drumming against the door handle. He opens the microwave before it beeps and presses the cancel button to reset the time before he walks back to the counter and stool he had been perched on.
Steve steals another glance at the clock and curses, make that forty-five minutes since Gareths message.
The sudden sound of a key sliding into a lock snatches Steve's attention towards the entryway.
Eddie steps through, wheeling his suitcase in behind him, he lets his backpack fall onto the doormat and softly closes the front door behind him. Eddie looks even more tired than he had during the interview, thinner as well and Steve feels that familiar pang in his chest at the sight.
Neither says anything for a moment. They stare at each other unmoving, and then...
"Hi Honeybee".
That's all it takes for Steve to jump off the stool and stride through the kitchen to the foyer, he stops just in front of Eddie, takes in his shining eyes and the sharp downturn of his normally smiley mouth and Steve's last resolve snaps into pieces.
He launches himself into Eddies arms and tucks his face into his neck, it's the first time he's felt remotely normal in the last two months.
"I'm so fucking angry with you," Steve hisses but the words sound more like a sob than anything else.
"I know, I'm angry with me too," Eddie whispers into his ear, he holds Steve even tighter as he speaks.
"I just, you're the person I talk to, about everything and," Steve bites his lip and curls his fingers into the fabric of Eddie's t-shirt, "I couldn't do that, I didn't have you, you’re my person Eddie and you took that from me, and so much shit happened here, you dont even--".
He's fully crying now, so much that it's harder to speak, but Eddie is holding him so tightly he can't catch his breath.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," Eddie says, his voice wobbles and wanes as the words tangle in Steves hair, "if I could take it back I would, I wish I could take it back Stevie believe me".
"It didn't mean anything, it didn't," he continues, raising one hand to card through Steve's hair as he does, "I don't know how to fix this," he admits so quietly its nearly lost in Steve's sniffles and hitching breaths.
"I don't want to lose you," Steve whispers into Eddies shoulder, the material of his shirt is soaked with tears and snot but he raises his face anyway to meet Eddie's own red rimmed eyes.
"Then you won't," Eddie whispers again, he sniffs and moves his hand to cup Steve's cheek, "we'll fight, we'll fight for it and I won't give up, I won't run this time".
"I promise".
There is so much more to talk about now, so much to apologize for, but for now, they hold each other in the foyer, letting the golden Chicago light morph into the bronze orange of sunset wash over them from the kitchen window.
I’m such a slut for Steddie season 2 au’s and yours is one of the best ones I’ve read so far. It’s so good, I can’t wait to see how Eddie handles the Steve vs Billy fight with the kids if he’s there, or how he handles the aftermath!!
Ahhh thank you so much 😊 that is so kind of you!! I also really love season two and season three, they are the ones to get me initially interested in the stranger things fan space a few years ago and then season four really got me into writing for this fandom. So, we really have Steve, Robin, and Eddie to thank for that ❤️
I had such an amazing conversation yesterday about part five and beyond with @strangersteddierthings and how adding Eddie would alter that path of Canon and all of the potential whump factor that it introduces, and I'm very excited to see your reactions!!
Also can I just say that the way they treat injuries in the show, and in so many other properties, is so minimized, like Steve gets hit over the head with a plate and gets back up again....like sir??
But ahh I'm so glad that people like this AU! It got me out of a writing slump and I'm so grateful for that!
