Apparently, you and Eddie are regulars at this thrift store.
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CW: Reader has the nickname Bunny, but otherwise is un-named. This is from Steve’s POV, and there is mention of demonic singing reindeer. Reader uses Fem pronouns, is mute, has a distinct fashion style, but otherwise is as inclusive as possible!
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Apparently, you and Eddie are regulars at this thrift store. You two come in nearly every week. Sometimes just to buy something you need, other times it’s like you two are on some kind of date.
Those days always make Steve’s heart hurt the most.
It’s just awful watching the two of you galavanting around, showing each other all the weird shit Hawkins had to offer. It’s not like either one of you are disruptive, well you weren’t, but it just made him sick watching how sweet you both were to each other. How you just relished in the strange.
There was one time Steve was stuck watching Eddie come up behind you, holding a stuffed animal version of that claymation reindeer he’s seen during Christmas. With a flourish, Eddie presses the button on the toy and the most demonic version of Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer plays. All garbled, and tinny. The ending notes make him think of those music boxes in horror movies.
You love it. Your smile lights up the entire store and Steve is blindsided by it. You play the toy for him when you come up to check out, and Steve can’t help the smile on his lips. Still fucked up, but…maybe it was kind of cute. Maybe you both were kind of cute.
It wasn’t just you Steve was watching, though. He found himself paying more attention to Eddie as well. At the way the metalhead treated you with such love and tenderness. At the way he grinned when he found something he liked, or something you’d like. While you were a technicolor oddity, from your clothes to the little notepads you carried with you, Eddie was your achromatic counterpart. His clothes may not have been the most colorful, but he glimmered silver and sometimes the jingle of his chains reminded Steve of bells.
“Steve, are you gonna help me put these hangers away, or are you just going to moon over Munson and his girlfriend?”
"Im not- Im not mooning." Steve huffs, turning towards her and grabbing the pile of hangers from the register beside him. "They just draw attention, hard not to stare."
"Well yeah, I mean Munson's girlfriend is gorgeous but we have work to do.” Robin shot back, jabbing him in the arm with a hanger. “Cari is coming in soon, so you want to start putting away those hard lines with me? Maybe you’ll run into them.”
Grabbing a few board games and craft supplies, Steve cautiously moved through the isles. He got stopped a few times, people wanting to find certain items or asking what the sale was for that day.
“Harrington!”
Jumping at Eddie’s yell, Steve swung around and nearly dropped the items in his arms. You approached him, gesturing with your hand before messily scribbling in your notepad. It was macaroni themed, and it matched the macaroni and the pasta noodle necklace combo you had wrapped around your wrists and throat.
‘Sorry to scare you!’
Steve shook his head, and placed the stack on the shelf. “It’s alright, what’s up? Looking for more macaroni?” He jokes, which brings a smile to your lips and your shoulders shake a little with what he hopes is laughter.
“Close. We’re actually hoping to snatch that box of dice and wooden beads from you.” Eddie says, reaching over and grabbing the two items. “Hey, do you guys ever sell those tiny screw-in pins?”
Steve starts putting the rest of the games away, “Maybe? I’d check the hardware section. What are they for?” Briefly he wondered if it was for that game Dustin raved about. “Are you like, using the beads as rocks to throw at people in your game?” He turns to look over at them, momentarily taken aback by the surprise in Eddie’s eyes. The metalhead is quick to recover, tossing the packet in the air and catching it on the other side of Steve.
“Thanks for the idea Sunshine, but nah. My sweetheart’s got the great idea to make another dice belt. This time fruit themed.” The nickname flusters you, and Steve’s heart flutters at the sight of your bashful smile. “So, you make all the things you wear?”
For a moment Steve is bold. He reaches out, his fingers gently nudging your macaroni earrings. The clack they make is loud in the bustling store. You look up at him, eyes wide. For a moment Steve thinks he’s just blown it all, but your written words soothe him.
‘We do! Do you want to join us sometime?’ The hope in your eyes wares at his uncertainty. Steve bites the inside of his cheek, the slow bloom of a migraine rising in his skull. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to, he did, but well…
“I don’t know, I don’t think I’m all that good at that kind of stuff? I mean, I haven’t done any art classes since elementary school…” Surrounded by smart, creative people really highlighted how much of that Steve lacked in that department. Hell, he didn’t even make his bat. It was Jonathan’s first that he just adopted.
You and Eddie are quick to disagree though. “Steve, my stuff looked like shit when I first made it. The first thing that I liked was this.” Eddie reaches into his shirt to pull out a guitar pick on a chain. “And well, now look at me.” He makes a dramatic turn around for Steve, showing off the things he’s made. He even shoves off his vest, only hesitating for a moment before tossing it to Steve. “See how fucked the stitching is over there?” He points to the edge of his Dio back patch. “I was high as a kite, nearly jabbed my fingers off, but it worked. It’s on there.”
Steve let his fingers run along the edge of the denim. “….Is that…floss?” He blinked, poking at the thick, white thread holding one of the patches together. He looked up at Eddie, who snorted. “Yeah. The thread I was using kinda sucked, so this one,” he made a proud gesture towards you, “suggested we could try some floss. That shit is strong.”
You hold up your notepad, grinning. ‘I got the idea from a friend of mine who’s into Punk stuff. She showed me how she put patches on her bag with it.’
Steve hummed, and handed the jacket back over to Eddie. “I wouldn’t even know what to make. I’d just be sitting there. Besides, I might make it and then never wear it."
'You don't need to wear it,' you scribble with determination, 'it's just for fun, you know? Something for us to do! We really want to hang out with you, Steve. :)'
Steve liked the way you wrote his name. The curve of your writing, the smiley face right next to it. Eddie chuckles next to him, and Steve's cheeks burn with heat.
"Maybe you can invite Buckley too? Think she might be interested?"
"Interested in what, Munson? In knowing why your holding up my co-worker when he's supposed to be helping me? Yeah, I'd say so."
The three of you jump at Robin's words. You end up laughing again, turning towards her and scribbling into your book. Robin breaks out in a smile. "Yeah, I'd love too! Did you manage to convince Steve?"
You pout, shaking your head and looking over at him with big, soulful eyes. He makes a show of hiding himself behind a hand. "Oh thats not fair-"
"She does it to me too, dude. It's a weapon." Eddie chimes in and you make a shooing motion at him, which only prompts him to catch your hand and kiss the back of it. A goofy grin on his lips. "Didn't mean to upset you, m'lady~"
Fun fact for a Tuesday! At Mehackit we love #arduino, the open source electronics platform for building fun, functioning ideas to reality! But where does the name come from? #mehackit #discovertech #opensource #technology #electronics
A photo posted by @mehackit on May 5, 2015 at 5:15am PDT
