Jeff can’t put his finger on it, but something’s wrong with him.
He’s never the first one to arrive for band practice, let alone early. But here he was in the garage tuning his guitar.
Jeff is watching from across the room. He’s punctual. He’s been playing his music at a lower volume. He hasn’t killed anyone’s character out of spite in at least a month. And Mike actually deserved it last week.
Jeff even heard him make comments about the cubs/cardinals game to Wayne in passing.
And there’s something wrong with Eddie’s hair.
It’s not frizzy like it normally is. It looked … soft. Defined. Conditioned —
“You’re sleeping with Steve Harrington!” Jeff snapped, pointing accusingly to Eddie.
Eddie’s face dropped.
His eyes darted between their friends — when did the other guys get here?
For a moment Jeff felt bad blurting it out, catching the fear in Eddie’s eyes. But just like everything else Eddie has faced, he’s replaced the fear with confidence.
Eddie’s eyes narrowed angrily at Jeff. “So what if I am?”
Jeff shrugged, plucking at his strings. “Good for you, man. Just hit me, that’s all.”
That made Eddie physically stumble. Like he wasn’t expecting that. “What?”
“You’ve been different,” Jeff said. “Not in a bad way. Good actually. Just — made me realize it.”
The garage was silent. As if everyone was afraid to make a move.
“Is there — is there gonna be a problem?” Eddie asked, all bravo drained from his voice.
“Nope,” Jeff said. “Like that we’re not waiting on you. Bring him by sometime.”
Eddie stood still, still trying to process everything.
“How did — how did you know?”
Jeff pointed to his own curls. “Your hair. Looks nice. Figured Steve washed it, huh?”
Eddie blushed, pulling a strand over his face. There was a mumbled of a ‘yeah.’
Gareth scoffed. Eddie’s glare quickly went to him. Gareth threw his hands up defensively. “No, it’s just that if anyone can take that mane of yours, it’s Steve ‘the hair’ Harrington.”
Eddie let out a laugh. “Whatever. Just play, bozos.”
Yeah, something’s different about Eddie.
He’s happier than he’s been in years. And Steve Harrington is to thank for that.
He learns that monsters exist and that they’re called the same thing as a creature from the weirdo creature board game that the kids play. He’s gonna assume creatures from that game are real.
And they came back.
He’s gonna have to learn about this nerd game and it simply cannot be from Dustin.
Love the kid to death. He’d make a terrible teacher. (It’s the tone)
So, he does the next best thing and finds the biggest freak in school and - “What’s it stand for?”
“Huh?”
“D&D,” Eddie says slowly, arms crossed. “What’s it stand for?”
“Dragons,” Steve replies and then frowns. “And um. Ditches.”
“Dungeons.”
“A ditch is a kind of dungeon if you think about it,” He says and then more to the point. “Are you gonna help me or not?”
“Not.”
“What?”
“No,” Eddie says. “Ever heard of it, big boy? First time in your life not getting what you want?”
Steve blinks.
Well, “Okay.”
Eddie isn’t a one-man nerd band. There are other people in Hellfire so he just…asks someone else.
Now Jeff has fifty bucks and plans to meet the king of Hawkins High after school, and Eddie is seething with jealousy and rage.
Obsessed with Blind! Eddie Munson meeting Steve and them hitting it off like instantly. And Eddie bragging constantly over the phone to corroded coffin/hellfire because Steve is great. He’s funny and bitchy and he makes all these sounds that drive eddie crazy —- anyway, he’s just super excited for his boyfriend to finally meet his friends.
And then when it finally happens it goes different than expected because yeah Eddie knows Steve is great…. What he didn’t know was…
“Holy shit,” Jeff says into the weird silence after Eddie’s introduction.
“What?” Eddie is worried.
“He’s hot,” Jeff says like it pains him to admit. “Like… like really, really hot. Like he might be a model hot.”
“Is he blind too? What’s he doing with Eddie?” Gareth asks under his breath and then grunts like he just got an elbow to the gut for it.
Steve just laughs. “Thanks,” he tells Eddie’s friends.
He doesn’t sound too embarrassed about it or like it’s a joke at all that his friends have concocted and holy shittttt
“Wait,” Eddie says quickly, twisting to hold Steve’s hands, “wait, wait, wait, are you— just how out of my league are you???”
“Eons,” Gareth wheezes.
“I’m not out of your league,” Steve says and Eddie can practically hear the eye roll as he tugs Eddie close and kisses him on the cheek. “Obviously.”
"Are you fucking kidding m-" Gareth throws his hands up pushing away from the table. "You know what, nope. Fucking jocks man."
The guys all laugh, Eddie included, while they watch the interview they were tagged in on their socials - like a million times. They're not sure why they've been tagged, other than some random (to their fans) person not recognizing Gareth but maybe there's more that happens later. Like some karmic justice enacted out by way of a storm cloud forming above Steve Harrington's head.
They're doing a reaction video and Jeff is hamming it up more than normal, wrapping an arm around Gareth and messing up his hair while Eddie and Grant watch on.
"Alright, focus," Grant finally pushes between the two.
Eddie leans forward, readying to resume the video, "Yeah - I want to see what happens next. Maybe we'll see a bird shit on his pretty little head."
"Oh god, the hair!" And that's all it takes, the room is full of laughter once again.
Once they play it again, the rest seems pretty tame, aside from watching little challenges or extra questions. Eddie really isn't sure what their fans were losing their shit for. Other than learning that Steve apparently has a thing for guys, which Eddie will revisit later in the privacy of his own room, the video has been a let down. Except for Gareth, who Steve did say smash to, at least. A tick in the confidence column for that man, even if he wasn't into men. Lucky bastard.
Why couldn't Chrissy just show his pho-
It's simultaneously the worst and best moment of his life when his photo lights up the side panel and he's launching himself forward, smashing buttons on the computer until the video finally, blessedly stops. "Oh my god, no. Nope! I cannot, we can't." Eddie is shouting, trying to breathe and disappear all at once while the guys are protesting in the background.
"Oh my god," Eddie steps back, hands tearing at the tie before his hair cascades down his shoulders, hiding and shielding him. "I can't breathe, I can't." He really can't breathe, holy shit. He can't watch, on a recorded video, as Steve Harrington announces to the world that he has no idea who Eddie is, or listen as Steve tells everyone that Eddie's just an ugly trash gremlin. Fuck.
What if he does remember Eddie but only because he was trailer trash or –
Ice cold water splashes over him, leaving him to sputter as now soaking wet strands of hair stick to his nose and lips.
"Dude! Pull yourself together," Jeff, normally the most patient, shakes Eddie's shoulder. "Do you want to go to the other room while we watch?"
He's quiet with the question, they don't ever pause their recordings, wanting their fans to experience all of them. They aren't just a sellout, they aren't posing as the self-proclaimed freaks. They really are what they've branded themselves. Their just like their fans, even if they've climbed quickly into the spotlight.
"Eddie?"
"N-no, I'm good." Eddie, eyes wide, looks at Jeff and begs the universe for this to be over quickly.
They set up, once again, to watch the video, the guys now surrounding Eddie in solidarity, while Gareth reaches forward to resume the video.
Nothing happens at first, Steve's face is still furrowed in what appears to be confusion, and if this weren't about him, Eddie would be the first to tease about him having jock brain.
"It's alright if you don't know, you didn't kn-" Gareth, he didn't know Gareth. Which is just unreal. It's not like their group didn't stand out in school.
"Munson?" The air leaves the room, holy shit.
"Holy shit!" Eddie shouts, nearly punching Grant in the nose from how hard he throws his fist up and he's shushed by all three. And thank whatever overlord they have for that because, "Absolutely smash."
Smash.
SMASH.
"Would pass everyone else for a cha-." Someone must have paused the video again because Steve's stupid perfect, pretty face is frozen and the guys are all jostling Eddie.
Holy shit.
"Wait - the asshole didn't remember me!" Gareth whines into the chaos, forehead dropping sharply into Eddie's shoulder.
"He doesn't want to suck your dick, either." Eddie shoves him off, spinning in a circle before facing the biggest crush of his life on the tiny screen.
"Ah hell." Eddie puts a dampener on their celebration. "It's just 'cuz we're famous." Why the fuck would Steve Harrington want him otherwise. Mr. Popular that didn't amount to anything. Status has to be the only reason. Corroded Coffin had seen their fair share of people popping out of the woodwork for their five minutes during their success, this is no different. Eddie flips his middle finger up at the camera before smashing it against the screen, right over Steve's face, as he presses play again.
"Wait. How do you guys know Munson?"
"How do…?"
"How do you know Eddie Munson?" Off screen, Heather speaks up, and Eddie waits for the proof to his own assumption, the guys crowding in close.
"I went to Hawkins, did either of you go to Hawkins?"
"No fucking way."
"Shush!!!"
"Shut up!"
"-diana. I left the first chance I could. I never could shake the thought of Eddie though, he's like the one who 'got away'," he puts the quotations up for emphasis. "Not that we ever had a chance, I didn't even know I was into men until a year after I left Hawkins and that I wasn't just insanely jealous of his hair."
Steve waves to brush it off.
"The dimples, right? Uh, so we know him from a different space, I guess. Is that the only reason you know of Eddie?"
"Yeah, I have no idea where he ended up at, he was taking senior year again when I left." Steve shrugs.
"Famous my ass!" Grant crows, arms circling Eddie's middle, pressing his own arms flat against his sides, before he picks him up and shakes him around.
~
Later, when the video is posted, and nothing of their reactions is edited out, the video cuts off there and it explodes across their fanbase.
The idea that Eddie is stronger than he looks is fun.
There's nothing else to it.
He doesn't have the stereotypical "jock muscles" that he teases Steve about and very much resembles a gangly, floppy-muppet creature (especially in the midst of his cafeteria speeches and other such performances). But he's not weak!
And everyone gets their own taste of what that means.
Exhibit A: The Party
Eddie will absolutely haul the children around with the same ease he hauls his laundry bag around (he is SLIGHTLY more careful with the children because they bruise easier than his laundry bag). If they're being particularly unruly, they're going over the shoulder to get the potato sack treatment.
Whenever they need to set up a space for D&D from scratch, Eddie's the one doing most of the heavy lifting. He brings the most stuff (from gear for the actual game to the snacks) and deals with the tables and chairs.
He is the only one allowed to move his throne. He's the only one who knows exactly where it goes for the best effect.
Exhibit B: Corroded Coffin
Similarly, there's a lot of heavy lifting. Eddie and Grant (the unnamed freak in CC) are the only ones who can lift their band's amps on their own. Gareth and Jeff need to work together, or have help from Eddie and Grant.
He has carried each of them at least once after rescuing them from bullies or for the heck of it (this mostly applies to Gareth since he's still short enough that his feet dangle when Eddie lifts him up).
No one talks about it out loud, but they know Eddie's had to defend his "territory" in the woods on more than one occasion. Being a known dealer in Hawkins has never been as easy as he makes it look.
Exhibit C: Jocks
Eddie's not an inherently violent person, necessarily, but he will and has absolutely thrown down to defend his sheepies. And unlike Steve's track record with human opponents, he's won enough fights to make even jocks like Jason Carver nervous.
He's not afraid to get loud, he's not afraid to bear his teeth, he's not afraid to get in people's faces. No punches actually need to be thrown for jocks to get the idea.
His metal rings have left their marks on certain offenders. The smart ones have healed, but those stupid enough to keep going? Well, at least they'll always have a fun conversation starter when they meet new people.
Steve's not the only one who's been thrown against a wall. He's just one of the few who Eddie willingly let go before the fight was finished. He's also the only one who's walked away relatively unscathed.
Exhibit D: Steve
Eddie refuses to let Steve carry the grocery bags. Even if they're preparing a party that involves all of their friends and their families, and end up buying a quarter of the store to accommodate everyone, Eddie will fight Steve when it's time to get the groceries back to the car. He insists that they maintain the foundation of equal trade--Eddie handles the bags, Steve handles the food later on.
He despises Steve's morning runs, and makes sure Steve knows it. He will cling to Steve the night before and refuse to let up, even when still under the enchantment of sleep. It's only when Steve uses all his might to try and escape that Eddie finally wakes up--no alarm clock needed anymore. Whether Steve proceeds with his run or not depends heavily on his skills of persuasion that day. He's found that bribery usually works best.
Eddie will regularly trap Steve in blanket burritos when he feels like Steve is running himself ragged or notices that he's especially stressed. He's the only one who can get Steve in the blanket and the only one who knows how to secure it so that Steve can't get out on his own.
Steve might be The Party's resilient knight, but he's Eddie's fair maiden. And Eddie treats him accordingly. He loves scooping Steve into his arms with loud declarations of adoration, spinning him around, and then settling him on his lap. Bonus points if Steve ends up falling asleep--it warms Eddie's heart that Steve trusts him enough to NAP in his presence when he's usually too worried about everything to randomly fall asleep.
He will carry Steve to bed if they stay up late watching a movie, or Steve needs some time to come down from a nightmare. That includes braving the stairs with so much care that Steve doesn't realize he's been moved until the next morning.
(If he and Steve had been together during the latter's encounter with Billy Hargrove, or even just friends, Eddie would have left Billy with a permanent limp for laying his hands on Steve and Lucas.)
Some NSFW prompts
Eddie likes pinning Steve against the wall when they make out. He likes it even more when Steve lets Eddie hold him completely--jumps up and wraps his legs around his waist and everything. It feeds his ego to know that he's the first of Steve's partners who can pick him up and hold him where he wants.
When given permission to manhandle Steve around during sex, he doesn't hesitate. He TAKES it. He loves the way Steve moans and whines and tries to grind back into him at Eddie's show of strength. Just as much as he loves watching Steve's blush extend past his face and travel down his body.
He likes holding onto Steve hard enough that his fingerprints leave bruises. His fingerprints on Steve's ass have been a favorite between the two. Hawkins isn't a safe place to be out, but Steve likes physical reminders that he's with Eddie to substitute not being able to freely take him out on dates or commit to his usual grander romantic gestures, and Eddie will leave his mark any way he can.
“So I’m supposed to hit the thing now, right?” Steve says with a furrowing brow as he scans down his character sheet. He was usually better at math than English back in school, but now even the numbers on this page are doing little flips around.
“Yes, Steve, that is the object of this fight: to win.” Dustin’s eye roll is almost more pronounced than his attitude.
Steve jabs his pencil toward him and is about to remind him to watch his tone, again, but Eddie’s voice starts before he does.
“Give him a break, alright? It’s his first time,” His voice is firm, but not unkind, and Dustin surprisingly listens. Steve reminds himself that this is Eddie’s domain, and the dungeon master himself flashes him an encouraging smile. “Go ahead, dude, what’re are you thinkin’?”
“You didn’t give us a break our first time,” Lucas grumbles.
“You little gremlins have years of experience on our esteemed guest here, didn’t think I needed to.”
Mike huffs loudly, “Don’t tell me you’re going easy on him just because you’re dating now, because that’s cheating!”
Eddie’s head snaps toward Mike. The sass from his face drops into fear.
“Wheeler.” He slowly raises a crooked finger, “You dare accuse your,” A hand goes over his heart, “beloved game master of such a heinous crime as cheating?”
Gareth groans. “Now you’ve done it.”
“The integrity of this table—my integrity!—at stake here and judged by a child,” The dramatics are in full swing, as are his arms that wildly slam against his chest as if he’s been shot. His head drops and his expression sneers at Mike. “I didn’t realize you’d so quickly forgotten who exactly caused the last near-TPK of this group.”
Steve doesn’t know what the hell a tee-pee-kay is, but judging by the boos now resounding around the table, it seemed very serious. Even Dustin is giving Mike the stink eye.
“I’ll still never forgive what you did to Bastian.”
“Oh come on, he was remembered as a hero!”
“You FED him to the ENEMY!”
“That wasn’t my fault, the soldiers tricked me and the dragon’s AC was—!”
“SILENCE!”
The room stiffens. Dustin and Mike shamefully retreat into their seats once more as Eddie narrows his eyes in their direction.
Steve blinks. Blinks harder. Looks anywhere he can that isn’t directly at his boyfriend. He shifts in his seat as memories of a certain moment in Reefer Rick’s boat shack flood his mind.
No, no, he will not be thinking about that in front of the kids.
“Good. Now, if I recall correctly…” Eddie turns to Steve with the sweetest smile reserved only for him, like he didn’t just command the entire room into shutting the hell up, “Steve’s initiative is higher than both of yours and it is still his turn. Go ahead, sweetheart.”
The jock’s face burns bright red all the way to his ears. His brain racks itself to try and think of something—does he attack? Does he roll? What’s his weapon again?
“Well um. I guess—”
But all he can do is stare right back at Eddie’s brown doe eyes that are still trained on his own.
“Uh…”
Jeff shakes his head. “Great job, man, you broke him.”
KingScoops AU where poor Eddie awkwardly tries to explain what Steve does for a living to his uncle, who has always been distrusting of Eddie's partner choices (with good reason tbh).
Eddie's nervous, it's the first time he's talked about Steve–his boyfriend, who is real, they've met he just lives out of State, thank you for the vote of confidence there Wayne–actually to Wayne, which means he's about as articulate as a raccoon in tumble dryer.
"It's this website... where like a lot of people watch him... and they pay–" Wayne's dipped chin and raised eyebrows has Eddie sputtering, "NOT LIKE THAT! He... he... it's vi-video games? He plays video games..."
"Like that nintendy thing?" Eddie's dad had gotten him an N64 that 'fell off the back of a truck' when he was about 7, which meant some kid probably didn't get their Christmas gift that year,
"Sometimes? It's mostly PC stuff I think..." Eddie shrugs,
"And people watch..." Wayne says slowly,
"People watch! A lot of people..." Eddie pulls his hair over his face, "it's not as dumb as it sounds..."
"It's like watching sports," Eddie snaps around, he had thought Jeff was in his room, but there he is, leaning on the kitchen island with a coffee between his hands, smiley as ever.
Wayne gives him a curious look, so Jeff continues, "You know, watching the pros play on TV, sometimes for the love of the game, sometimes for the team or the individual players, and sometimes because there's a fun commentator. Steve is basically all of that in one, plus he's unfairly good looking so a lot of people watch to see his face."
"I take it Ed was the latter." Wayne gives a rare smirk and Eddie flounders, flapping indignantly,
"I was not!" he yelps, Wayne gives him a look and Eddie is about to protest again when Jeff cuts in,
"More like he accidentally wandered onto the court mid-game and joined in," Jeff chuckles, "he fucks around on my games sometimes, uses my online profiles to annoy my other friends, he didn't know who he was playing with, I don't think he even knew he was being watched."
"I didn't, he was talking to them the whole time and I didn't figure it out... I was so fucking high..." Eddie groans, burying his head in his hands, it was a really fucking fun night, but reframing it like this makes it sound so embarrassing.
"So this boy's famous?"
"Pretty much, in the right circles," Jeff nods, "People outside of gaming have maybe heard of him cause he does a lot of charity stuff, oh! And he's been on a late night talk show before."
Eddie peeps through his fingers at Wayne as the old man hums thoughtfully, he looks... well he looks like Wayne, hard to fuckin' read, even for Eddie, but there's a slight pinch to his brow that reminds Eddie of when he'd told Wayne he'd learned to play one of his favourite country songs on guitar, so he's maybe impressed and a little uncertain (in defense of Wayne he'd worried Eddie was about to blast out a metal cover of some Willie Nelson which would've been Deeply Unpleasant for everyone involved).
"So anyone can watch him? Or is it all pay-per-view?"
Eddie actually gags trying to stop himself from laughing at that, earning a concerned look from both Wayne and Jeff, he holds a hand up to say he's fine and traps his mouth closed in a thin line with his teeth, shoulders trying to draw up as he fights an entirely unnecessary giggle-fit.
"Anyone can watch, you pay to support or so you don't get commercials, you don't even need an account unless you wanna chat." Jeff explains slowly, still side-eyeing Eddie with concern from his spot in the kitchenette,
"Hm... You're a smart kid..." Wayne states in the sort of tone that says the compliment is a prerequisite, even if it's genuine,
"Thanks, want me to sign you up Mr Munson?" Jeff's grinning, mischief about at Eddie's expense. Eddie looks between them wide-eyed,
"No, do not!"
"If you don't mind, son, and it's Wayne, we've known each other long 'nough."
"No!" Eddie repeats, "no, we're not accosting my boyfriend on stream!" he protests, "Promise me you won't!"
Wayne holds his hands up and nods, accepting the end of this specific conversation, though Eddie misses the look he and Jeff share, so he's confused a week later when a VIP he's never seen before says "You're a Pacers fan?" and Steve fucking lights up, which is confusing because sure he is, he's wearing a jersey for it, but he's never given this much of a shit when anyone else–
"Yes Sir!"
CorrodedEddie: you son of a bitch! Get the fuck out of here OLD MAN! YOU PROMISED!!!! :ScoopsANGY: :ScoopsANGY: :ScoopsANGY:
Prompt Day 26: mohawk | Word Count: 1000 | Rating: M | CW: sex | POV: Steve | Pairing(s): Steddie | Tags: Timeloops and timeline hopping, happy (?) ending, are you ever really free of the timeloop? you decide, falling in love through every timeline
In Timeline 37, Eddie has a mohawk.
It’s horrible. Steve hates it. It’s so wrong, and that’s coming from someone who has seen a timeline where Eddie was a girl (Timeline 17; intriguing, confusing), where he was a jock (Timeline 23; also confusing, and strangely hot), and one where his dad was even worse and had gotten him hooked on hard stuff long before the events of 1986 (Timeline 8; awful in every way).
Steve knows punks and metalheads are natural enemies, you see. He can’t reconcile opening the door and walking into a version of The Hideout where Corroded Coffin are onstage and they’re a punk band.
In Timeline 36, Eddie had been a soldier with buzzed hair.
Steve misses the long hair.
He misses Eddie.
He’s so tired, but every time he steps through the door, he’s buoyed by hope. Hope that this will be the one, that this will be the timeline where everything is the same and he gets to do things differently this time. To influence the outcome.
To save Eddie.
“Harrington?” Jeff says, at the bar after the show. “What are you doing here?”
“Heard the show was good,” Steve says with a shrug.
Eddie tilts his head curiously. He looks like someone who is trying to remember the shadow of an impression of a ghost of a memory.
***
In Timeline 41, Corroded Coffin are famous.
Big-time, world-touring, triple-platinum famous.
The door, which seems to have an ironic sense of humour despite the circumstances, opens on the green room post-show. One of the good parts of all this stuff is that Steve enters the timelines with the memories he needs to make it work. One of the worst parts of this is that Steve now remembers, as if he’d been there, the virtually religious experience of being on the barrier of Corroded Coffin’s show, within spitting distance of Eddie shredding on stage, undulating his hips against his guitar like he’s fucking it.
He swallows heavily as at least two dozen sets of eyes fall on him, the most intense of which is the set of big brown eyes in the middle.
“You lost, JFK?” Frank calls across the room, coolly. Steve can’t tell if they remember him from school.
Eddie is still watching him, head tilted curiously. “Do I know you?” he asks.
“Don’t you remember the King, dude?” Gareth asks, his lip curling. He’d always been a particular favourite of Tommy Hagan’s to torment, and Steve still feels sick about that. “King Steve, The Hair Harrington, ruler of Hawkins High, poster boy for the evils of conformity.” His tone is increasingly derisive with each word.
“Huh,” is all Eddie says, his head still tilted. Like he’s listening.
“Sorry, uh, wrong door,” Steve says, backing out, retreating quickly.
He’s halfway down the corridor, waiting for the burst of intuition he always gets when he passes the right door, when Eddie catches up with him, tugging him to a stop with a gentle hand on his elbow.
“Sorry about my friends,” he says, a touch breathlessly.
“It’s okay,” Steve says. “I was a dick in high school.”
“Not anymore?” Eddie asks, a wry smile touching the corners of his lush mouth. “Steve Harrington; now a Good Dude?”
“I try.”
It’s hard, being this close to Eddie, especially in the timelines where he’s the closest to himself, to the Eddie Steve knew. He’s got memories now of 41 other versions of Eddie too, of the core things about Eddie that never ever change, and of the quirks and differences in the alternate timeline versions.
It was inevitable, really, that Steve would fall in love with him.
This famous rockstar version of Eddie is cool and charming, and still as flirtatious as Steve’s Eddie; he brushes his thumb along Steve’s jaw, then traces down to fit it against the two moles on Steve’s neck, and he says, “I’ve just got this feeling I’m meant to be close to you.”
And Steve’s only human at the end of the day — Eddie kisses him and he’s weak for it, he lets himself be taken back to a five-star hotel room because he hasn’t had the Right Door feeling yet. Eddie takes him apart like he’s trying to see what makes him tick underneath. He tugs him upright as they fuck, Steve’s back to Eddie’s chest, Eddie’s arms around him like he could fuse them together if he just tried hard enough, if he just got deep enough.
It’s only after, when Eddie’s finally drifted off, that Steve gets the feeling and it tugs him towards the ensuite.
The noise must wake him; Eddie lifts his head, blinking sleepily and asks, “Is that the right door, baby?”
***
In Timeline 42, they’re childhood best friends and Steve walks into the moment Eddie is calling him back to stay on the RV a second longer, to ask him why high school changed everything.
Steve says he doesn’t know, and Eddie hangs his head and says, “It’s like I picked every wrong door possible.”
***
Timeline 43 is perfect. It’s exactly the same as the original, if not the original. Steve walks into Family Video, and Dustin leaps the counter. Gotta find Eddie.
Steve takes him home — can’t bear to leave him at Reefer Rick’s this time. He’s got one shot, to make sure Eddie knows he’s got something to live for on the other side of this. That he’s wanted. That he’s important.
He only kisses him for the first time (the 43rd first time) right before they split up at the trailer. He races back after, and the relief when he finds Dustin and Eddie safe in the Rightside Up trailer amongst a pile of dead bats crashes through him like 42 lifetimes of failure being washed away.
He kisses him desperately, and when they part for air, Eddie blinks like he’s waking from a trance, and says, “Steve? We have to get out of the loop.”
