Intro Part to a little something I started writing this evening
The Drive-In - Part 1
Part 2 | Links to all Parts | AO3 Link
Steve sighs, hands running over the steering wheel in front of him. He glances at the empty seat next to him and checks his watch.
27 minutes.
That's how long Felicity had been gone, leaving Steve in an awkward situation. Every bone in his body wanted to get out of the car, find her and make sure she was ok, but he also felt she had bailed on him. His scouring the drive-in and calling out for her might double how much of a loser he felt already.
He taps the steering wheel a few times and groans. He wouldn't be able to rest, not knowing if she was ok, so he swallows his pride and gets out, and takes a look around.
After one hand on the hip 360 turn, Steve drowns in envy. Every fucking car around him is a God damn soft porn extravaganza, and that's precisely what Steve should be doing. Right now, in fact.
This was her idea! Go to the drive-in, play up to her little exhibitionist ways. Which, you know, weren't particularly Steve's bag, but he had made it to date four, and if this is what it would take to find love, he was going to do it.
Falling in love shouldn't be this fucking hard. It should just happen, as it did with Nance, but this time it wouldn't be bullshit, and he wouldn't get his heart ground up into chum.
Steve sighs as the memories flood his head, and he starts heading toward the food stalls. He wanted to, but he couldn't blame Nancy. He fell so hard for her, but as it turns out, he'd fallen in love with an idea of her, what she could be in Steve's future, but that didn't match up with Nancy's, and deep down, he knew that. He just struggled to accept it. They could have been perfect together, but a family wasn't her priority, and objectively, as her friend, neither should it be; she was so bright, and the world was her oyster. Steves's idea of a loving family home felt like freedom to him, but for Nance, it was a prison.
And no one has got under his skin like Nancy.
It's not like he wasn't trying. Every girl he doted on, learned their likes and dislikes, gave them gifts, laughed at all their jokes, was a gentleman, and never showed up to meet them without looking like a picture of perfection.
It was just never enough.
Steve rounds the corner and spots the voluminous wavy hair in a huddle giggling with some other girls. At least he knew she was safe now. He turns to walk away, but her friend spots him, widening her eyes at Felicity, indicating the awkwardness bomb about to go off. Felicity turns and gives an awkward smile of apology because she was rumbled.
Steve opens his mouth to ask if she's ok but is cut off before he begins.
"You know, Steve, I think I'm gonna head home with my friends. One of them just got dumped."
Yeah, me, he thinks to himself.
She's a terrible actress but not as bad as her friend, who, on command, begins fake sobbing in her own hands.
Be a gentleman. He reminds himself.
"Do you ladies need a ride home?" he says, utilizing his big bright white smile.
Felicity shakes her head in a no and looks sheepishly at the ground. He gives her a tight closed-mouth smile and nods before heading to the nearest stall to buy some popcorn and a soda.
On the walk back to the car, through hickey-ville, he wonders. What had he done wrong this time? They were in public, and he'd made sure to get the cliff notes on this movie from Robin. It had a long runtime of over two hours and frankly sounded so bizarre. He was sure it would be make-out city, which is what she had wanted.
Oh God...had he kissed her wrong? Surely not; she would have said something, right? Did his breath smell? No. Not possible. He gets into the driver's seat, puts the snacks in his lap, and checks anyway. Still minty fresh.
At a complete loss, Steve settles back in his seat to watch this Space Odyssey or whatever it is called.
Before he is even an eighth of the way down into his extra-large popcorn, the passenger door opens.
She's come back!! She gets in awkwardly, her back to him. Steve promptly stops eating and hurriedly throws chewing gum in his mouth.
"Hey," he says gently, "Everything ok?" he reaches over in the dark and puts a hand on her shoulder.
He feels her stiffen under his touch, so he takes his hand away, "Are you gonna not look at me for the rest of the night, Flick?" He gets no response, but her shoulders move in a silent laugh.
Yes! She's laughing. He's golden, back in the game Harrington. Careful to keep his hands to himself, he leans over and asks lowly in her ear, "You like that nickname? Mind if I call you that?"
"As long as I get to stay in the safety of this car, you can call me whatever you like, big boy," a flirtatious voice that does not fucking belong to Felicity speaks into the darkness.
The head turns quickly, dark waves of hair and the aroma of tobacco spin around with it, and Steve is greeted with an enormous toothy grin, "Harrington."
Steve rapidly recoils in his seat until his back is pressed up against his door, "Munson?!"
MadAboutMunson's Chaptered and Series Steddie Fics
Sweet Home Chicago - Complete -Set in Little Italy Chicago in 1959
I Think I Could Have Been Someone - WIP - Rockstar!Steve x Photographer!Eddie (What if Steve made it into the music business and Eddie didn't)
Again - Steddie fic where Steve and Eddie are in their mid 30's and everyone has sort of drifted apart
Raspberry Riddle - Complete
A little fic I wrote about Eddie meeting Scoops Ahoy Steve
Cryptic Cupid - Complete
Sequel to Raspberry Riddle with events of S3 and S4 in-between
This is set in a government-operated hospital after the events of season 4 but everyone is alive
Each part has a different POV, so far Robin, Steve, and Eddie.
A series of fics about the heaviest song ever written by Corroded Coffin
Rock-Steddie - Complete
Grain Damage - Complete
Rust In Peace - Complete
The Drive-In - Complete
A bailed on Steve Harrington meets a pursued Eddie Munson at a drive in movie.
Eddie raises one hand to his contorted, confused face, the other pointing at Steve, "No, you're gonna have to backtrack on this plot, dude, because it sounds, to me, like that time-travelling little pervert is trying to bang his mom."
Steve lurches forward into Eddie's space and slurs out, "That's exactly what I said!! Thank you" Eddie receives a hard pat on his shoulder.
It had been some time and a substantial tower of beer cans since Eddie had almost spontaneously combusted in the kitchen. The only thing that seemed to make sense was, when he touched Steve's arms, the firmness of which Eddie again was trying to push out of his mind, it had set off a signal to Steve that they were in sports team mode. Because since then, Eddie had been winked at, shoved, patted, slapped on the back, an arm flung around him to squeeze his shoulders, and had a hand engulf his knee.
Eddie could say something, he probably should, but he was in such a state of shock about it he hadn't. He could move to the other sofa, but maybe this is how Steve hung out with that Robin guy. From what Eddie could tell, Steve was a little sensitive about getting things wrong, and honestly, he looked happy, and Eddie didn't want to be the guy to tear him down.
They weren't even watching the movie playing. Superman 2. That was probably Eddie's fault. He was getting fidgety, and the film was not engaging him in any way. He was wrestling with his brain. He couldn't stop thinking about that wink in the kitchen, so he tried to calm himself down, playing with his rings. Steve must have noticed because he started this conversation about this weird movie he'd seen a month or two ago.
Eddie pauses for a minute, "No, wait…from what you've said here, the Mom is way worse."
Steve narrows his eyes at Eddie, "What d'you mean?"
Eddie settles into full animated, conspiracy-explaining mode, "It sounds to me like the Mom would have banged her son, but you know, she didn't know it was her son, right? So not her fault, but then when she does have a kid…she names him after this mysterious guy she had a crush on in the 50s?"
Steve is out of his seat, hand and beer can to his head, as he paces around, eyes wide as Eddie had just revealed another mystery of the universe to him. "Oh my God, dude! You're right! I hadn't even thought of that!"
With Steve now standing, Eddie grabs onto that opportunity thread and stands up too, but at the other end of the sofa, to avoid another hard slap of congratulations. He was still partially covered in rapidly developing bruises, though the alcohol was easing the pain somewhat.
Steve takes a swig of beer from his can, shakes it between his two fingers, and realizes it must be empty. Then his eyes catch Eddie's again. He tilts his head and smiles at Eddie.
Eddie can feel his defences crumbling.
"Damn, you're smart, Munson," Steve says before crushing the beer can against his head.
Eddie is clinging to the arm of the sofa like it's his last tether to this plane of existence. His body and brain control centres were currently in full submarine emergency mode: all red lights and whooping sirens.
The only function he can muster right now is to blink.
Fucking hell, he'd hit Eddie's kryptonite. Steve had called him smart. Twice!!
While Eddie was more than aware that Steve was no rocket scientist, he was still someone he'd never expected to receive this kind of compliment from. He'd never expected to be hanging out with him, especially not to be enjoying it.
Eddie needed to get out of this room for something green of his own.
Earth to Eddie!! Say something!!!
Eddie points at the crushed can in Steve's hand, "Well, that right there might be part of your problem, my man."
My man? My man???!! Eddie inwardly cringes hard. Why did he phrase it that way? Jesus!!
Steve looks confused, "Beer?"
"Well, Steve, that wasn't exactly what I meant. It was more the crushing it against your head. It was a dumb joke, sorry. Not looking so smart now, am I?" Eddie awkwardly laughs and gives him a big grin and shrug combo.
As he looks back up at Steve, he can see his eyes are wide. He slaps the sofa arm and is laughing, like, with audible Ho noises, a look of surprise on his face.
Eddie is perplexed, "It honestly wasn't that funny!" but Eddie laughs a little anyway because he's never seen Steve laugh like this. In complete free abandon, it's almost childlike, free from inhibition.
Steve catches his breath and points a wagging finger at Eddie, "You," he shakes his head and looks up at Eddie, "You called me Steve."
Eddie is still confused and furrows his brow, "Well, that is your name, buddy."
Steve is waving his hands in front of him and makes a buzzer sound, "Wrong! You call me Harrington, or King Steve, or tomorrow-Steve, or something else. Not just Steve" Steve puts his hands on his hips and spins the remote around in his hand before turning off the TV, "You…like me," Steve finalizes by turning off the TV.
Eddie wants to bolt for the door, but unfortunately for him, that door is behind Steve.
Quick, Eddie, think!!
"Yeah, well, you like me too. You've hugged me like a bajillion times!" Eddie scoffs and folds his arms.
Steve's eyes glance up softly into Eddie's, "First of all, I've hugged…well more like put my arm around you…like three times, if that, and," a smile plays melodically across Steve's face, "I do like you…Eddie."
Oh, God, no! No, no, no. No, this is not happening.
Eddie thinks for a moment he might have passed out and that this was some kind of nightmare. Eddie pinches himself discretely. Hard. It hurts. This is real.
Say something!!! Jesus Christ!!!
All the posts in Eddie's brain centre were abandoned. All he had available was the autopilot emergency system.
You need to get the reigns on this situation, Edward!!
He didn't mean it that way, and even if he did. Eddie liked girls, right? Right! And so did Steve! This was just because someone popular from high school had taken a shine to him, and he was just flattered. That was all. But for good measure, the sooner Steve went to sleep and wasn't touching him or complimenting him, the better. Or, at the very least, the weed would quiet Eddie's brain.
Eddie manages to huff out a laugh, "Well, who could blame you, man? I'm a very likeable guy." he reaches down to grab his lunch box and holds it up. "And if you would kindly lead the way, Steve, I'm about to get at least ten times more likeable."
"I dunno, man, I probably shouldn't" Steve glances at the tower of beer cans.
"Hey man, no problem here. More for me, right?" Eddie is desperately trying to get out of this increasingly warm room and into the fresh air, "It is kinda my original plan for this evening, though. You know, before all the running and fighting. Or…um…if you're worried about the neighbours or something, I can go home. It's totally cool," Eddie smiles, trying to give Steve options without making him feel pressured into anything. Eddie was not like that.
"No, I don't want you to go." Steve says suddenly, and it takes Eddie off guard, "I just…you know what…" Steve grabs for another can of beer, stabs a hole in it, and shotguns it.
Wiping his beer-glistening mouth with the back of his hand, Steve says, "Mood killer penalty, right?" and gives Eddie a little half smile, making Eddie feel like Steve is searching for his approval.
"Right." Eddie smiles back, still firmly gripping the sofa arm.
Steve walks out the door and turns back to look at Eddie over his shoulder, "Well, come on then," he says bossily, waving him over.
Pulling up into the driveway, Steve notices Eddie looking a little nervous and reassures him, "My parents" Steve gestures vaguely at the windows and the other car parked up, "They're away on business for the week."
Eddie nods back in acknowledgement but doesn't seem any calmer. Maybe this was just his general energy. He did seem a little chaotic.
Steve locks up the car and heads to the front doors, Eddie following him up the driveway.
"What, one front door not good enough for you, Harrington?" Eddie leans against the wall as Steve finds the right key.
"Oh, these? This is to ensure every Ego size is welcome here. You might juuuust be able to squeeze in, Munson." Steve remarks as he opens the door, looks up at Eddie and waves him inside.
Steve expects a snippy retort, but it doesn't come. Instead, Eddie merely looks at him with an impish smile on his face. Then pushes off the wall with his shoulder and takes some big sweeping strides through the doorway and into the hallway.
Steve follows him in and shuts the door behind them.
Eddie is standing in the hall, turning around, taking everything in, then stops when he returns to Steve. His eyes shoot to the floor, and he moves to take off his sneakers.
"You haven't gotta do that here, man. You know that," Steve laughs a little. He's had so many parties here during middle school and high school. The rules were always the same. The study and master bedroom were off-limits; smoking anything but cigarettes was outside only. That was about it.
Eddie pauses and puts his shoe back on, looking a little confused.
Steve can't help but smile at this sort of stalemate they've come to in the hall, "Everything is where it usually is, dude. Beers are in the fridge."
Eddie takes a breath and gestures at his surroundings, saying, "Ah, well, I haven't actually been here before, Harrington." he almost looks a little embarrassed when he says it and gives Steve a weak smile.
Steve huffs out a tiny laugh while he removes his jacket before finally placing his hands on his hips, shaking his head in disbelief, "What, you didn't come to a single one of my parties? Ever?!"
Eddies eyes search the ceiling and then the ground as he twiddles his rings around on his hand, "Well, um, I have been at your house a few times to make drops at those parties, but I was never inside your house at those parties…" Then he claps his hands together and gives a vast toothy grin before spaying out his hands at his sides, "Guess the mailman must have lost my invite."
Steve's brain reminds him how much of an asshole he was before he got mixed up in all this upside-down crap. Before the kids. Before Nancy. Before Robin. Sometimes he forgets that not everyone has been on this journey of change with him. Seen the progress he had made. Well, in one department, anyway.
"Well, if it's any consolation, you weren't missing much." Steve tries to add kindly. Not that it would make up for everything, but Steve hoped it would make up for something, especially after the night Eddie had experienced.
Steve moves past Eddie in the hallway to take point on the tour. "So that's upstairs, not important right now" Steve moved through to the end of the hall and into another room, "This one leads out to the pool, and outside area, for your special smokes. Then just down there is the kitchen and, on the left, the bathroom. Further back, there is the den."
"Well, now that's all out of the way. Did I hear you correctly when you said you had a fridge full of beer, Harrington?" Eddie rubs his hands together excitedly.
Steve nods but adds, "You don't wanna maybe get some food or watch a movie or something?"
In asking that question, Steve realizes how long it's been since he's hung out with a guy his age. He is still catering to the kids or Nance and Robin.
Robin wasn't a priss by any stretch of the imagination, they'd had many a drunken sleepover, but she'd bring a movie or have some existential crisis to talk over.
Eddie shrugs, "Sure, a movie could be good to pass the time, but um…I usually save the snacks for later when I need 'em, you know?"
"Yeah, yeah, of course. Well, like, make yourself at home. I'll grab us some beers and snacks and bring them through." Steve says happily, assuming his usual get-together role.
Eddie looks at him like Steve just told him the sky is falling.
"Harrington, I am capable of getting my own beer," Eddie says, looking a little weirded out, shaking his head and swishing past Steve towards the kitchen.
Steve stands there for maybe a second too long before following, processing what is happening. He doesn't have to run around after this one. He could take care of himself.
He can hear Eddie ahead of him making some very excited noises, "Shit, Harrington. Who did you bribe to get the good stuff?"
"No, one. My Mom knows the family that owns the store. She's pretty well respected around here" Steve tries to shrug off moments like these. Like he's trying to shake off the privileges he has, that others don't, desperately. He braces himself for the usual you're so lucky speech.
Eddie snorts out a laugh, "Fucking, ey, dude!" and grabs two cans, tossing one to Steve. Steve instinctively catches it out of the air, momentarily causing an impressed expression to form on Eddie's face.
It is stupid, maybe, but as Steve looks down at the top of the can, tapping it a few times, he feels a little pride swell up in his chest. He stands a little taller and doesn't slouch so much. It felt good to impress someone. Not to be told he sucked. Maybe, due to the minimal height difference, he probably didn't need to slouch around Eddie anyway?
As he goes to pull the ring tab on his beer, he hears a string of tuts, "Harrington. It's first beer. What are you doing?"
Steve looks up and can see Eddie brandishing a Swiss Army knife in one hand and holding his beer in the other, his big brown eyes scanning Steve like he was an alien being.
Eddie suddenly puts down both items and hops up to sit on the kitchen counter, "Look, I'm gonna ask, and id like to preface it with the fact I'm not being an asshole about it. It's just a genuine question. Is most of your free time, like, dates and babysitting?"
Steve turns his beer in his hands. He feels awkward. He doesn't want to advertise he hangs out with kids younger than him. He loved those kids, but to Eddie, that might seem weird. Even the fact his best friend was Robin, a girl, might raise some questions that Steve didn't particularly want to answer. He wasn't embarrassed about Robin. It just might be tough to explain to a guy why he hung out with a girl so much and wasn't dating her.
"Hey man, I wasn't trying to poke fun at you. If it weren't for my band, I probably wouldn't have time for partying either these days. I only asked because you're kinda…um…mother henning a bit" Eddie tucks in his lips for a second before adding, "It's not a bad thing, just…I dunno…take a night off, yeah?"
Take a night off. He knows Eddie hadn't meant to hit Steve with anything profound, but damn if that hadn't just slotted together a bunch of puzzle pieces in Steve's brain.
Steve hadn't taken a night off, not for years now. Ever vigilant. Working. Studying. Dating. Getting caught up in some world-ending scenario. Worrying.
Steve even begins to wonder if he should be drinking this beer. What if someone calls with a code red, or needed picking up, or…
"Hey, you still with me, Harrington?" Eddie is now right in front of Steve, waving his hand to get his attention. Steve didn't even notice him get down from the counter, and Eddie was a noise factory when he walked, with all those bits and pieces attached to him.
Steve shakes his head and laughs, "Yeah, I'm good. I was thinking maybe I shouldn't be drinking. What if you need to go to the hospital or work needs me tomorrow?"
Eddies hands clasp around Steve's upper arms, and he looks him directly in the eyes with a smile, "Harrington, relax. I'm good. I've done more damage to myself, getting a little too excited on a set of swings at the park before, and if work calls you, that's a problem for Tomorrow-Steve to sort out because Current-Steve," Eddie gently pokes him in the chest, "is in desperate need of some fucking fun."
Steve thinks it must be because Eddie seems to have this impossible knack for reading him or because he feels seen for the first time in a long time, but it's the same sensation from the car, that nervousness. Steve wishes he had a better word for it. It felt like it should be familiar.
Eddie tilts his head, "Good?"
Steve clears his throat, nodding, "Yeah, good."
Eddie pats Steve's arm and returns to retrieve the knife and beer before turning back to Steve, "So Corroded Coffin rules state that the first beer must always be shotgunned. Then any mood killing is punishable by beer shotgun." Eddie makes a hole in his can, flicks the blade back in, and tosses it to Steve, "Think you can handle that big guy?"
Steve plucks the knife from the air, flicks out the blade, makes a hole in the can, looks back over at Eddie, shotguns his beer, and crushes the can in his hand, "Yeah, I think I can handle that" then finally, and he's not entirely sure why….he shoots a wink at Eddie.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 4 | Links to all Parts | AO3 Link
"Expecting someone else, Harrington?" Eddie raises an eyebrow and grins smugly at him.
Steve's is still firmly pressed against his door window. His large hands splayed out over the handle and armrest. His eyebrows are raised, eyes wide, mouth slightly parted as it huffs out an exhale, and the expression crumples into fury.
"Yes! Yes, of-fucking-course I was expecting someone else! I-I-I don't go around whis-...er...talking to guys like that!" Steve fumbles over his words in panic as he attempts to stare down Eddie and peels himself away from the door, gesturing with his hands in alarm.
Eddie senses blood in the water. He could, if he wanted to really push Steve's buttons on this, but he was saving it for leverage.
Steve turns around in his seat away from Eddie and stares down at the steering wheel, "Get. Out." Steve says firmly.
"Well, here's the thing, Harrington. If I go out there, I'll have five of your little asshole proteges beat me into next week, but in here, I only have to deal with one" Eddie puts on his seatbelt and folds his arms, "So, you know, I'm just gonna stay put. K?"
"No! No! Not K! Definitely not K. Get out of my fucking car, Munson. I swear to Christ I'll call them over myself," Steve animatedly exclaims, turning back towards him, but Eddie hears that little drop in tone. He's bluffing.
Eddie thinks for a moment and turns back to Steve to test the theory, "You'd really send me back out there, to my doom, Harrington?" and shoots him the most endearing big eyes he can.
Then something improbable happens. Steve blinks a few times, sighs, and his posture drops, like it just gave up, "Look, just don't be so dramatic about it, ok?"
A big smile spreads across Eddie's face, causing Steve to point at him, "And you can stop that too. You've won nothing. I just happen to be a good guy, a great guy, in fact, who doesn't want ANYONE, not just you, getting hurt."
Eddie, still smiling from ear to ear, nods in understanding.
Steve grabs a blanket from the back seat and tosses it at Eddie, "At least try to hide, dumbass!"
Eddie quickly grabs a hair tie from his pocket and puts his hair in a high ponytail, reclines back in the seat, covering himself from the nose down in the blanket.
The car is silent, apart from Steve's occasional popcorn munching or soda slurping or Eddie's stomach growling. Both of them reclined back in their respective chairs, half watching the movie and half looking out of the windows—Steve for his lost date, Eddie for his pursuers.
Eddie feels his shoulder get bumped as Steve thrusts the bag of popcorn at him, mumbling poutily, "Here, I'm done anyway. Popcorn here always sucks." Eddie squirrels the popcorn under his blanket and begins snacking on it. He has no idea what kind of god-sent popcorn Steve is used to eating, but this was delicious.
"There's some soda here too. Ice is mostly melted, though, so it's watered down" Steve waves vaguely at the drink in the center console.
For a few minutes, they are in mostly silence again, except it's Eddie's food noises this time. He was shoveling handfuls of popcorn into his mouth at a time, or glugging down the soda. Steve was right, it was watery as hell, but it did the job.
Eddie looks over at Steve. He really wasn't like Eddie remembered at school. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but it was almost like someone in a King Steve outfit, like, the look and the impersonation was absolutely bang on, but when not engaged directly he seemed flat, melancholy. If this weren't King Steve, Eddie would definitely interpret this as pining of some sort.
As the little group of varsity jackets makes their nth loop around this line of cars, Eddie reaches for his lunch box under the blanket and pulls out a pre-rolled, and holds it up to Steve.
"Don't know what's eating you, dude, but er...I tend to find these help," Eddie tries gently.
Steve turns to Eddie with a sneer already locked and loaded, "What is eating me is that you are still in my fucking car, Munson!"
"Hey man, I'm just trying to be neighborly here! Jesus Christ!" Eddie yells back and puts it away.
"I fucking heard him! MUNSON? FREAK?! WHERE ARE YOU? I KNOW YOU'RE HERE SOMEWHERE," Eddie heard Jason's voice ring out, and it was getting closer. He fucking hated this. Being a scaredy cat. He could totally take Jason, but not with his cronies around.
Eddie looks in the side mirror and can see them approaching Steve's car.
"Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit," Eddie mutters under the blanket quietly, unclipping his seatbelt.
Steve starts looking around frantically. Eddie looks longingly into the backseat, which is where he should have hidden, to begin with, then an idea hits him.
"Hold me, Harrington," he says, launching himself towards Steve. Eddie isn't sure if it's the years of sports that do it, but instinctively Steve's arms open and receive him into his chest like a football pass. Still, before Steve can protest, the Tigers are at his window, and Eddie is nothing but a blanket with a set of eyes and a ponytail.
Jason leans down to the window, and Steve grabs some of the blanket over his own lap.
"Carver?" Steve says in the most annoyed bitchy tone that Eddie thinks might even rival his own.
"Sorry to bother you, Harr-" Jason starts cooly before Steve cuts him off.
"Make it fucking snappy, junior I'm kinda busy here. You're killing the mood, yeah?" Eddie had never seen Steve act before, but he was doing a pretty good job of being pissed off. Worryingly maybe this wasn't acting at all, and Steve was simply channeling his anger for Eddie at Jason.
Jason leans on the door and peers through the window, and Eddie notices Steve's Adam's apple bob nervously. Eddie's heart is pounding in his chest, and he is about to take flight out of the passenger door when Jason throws one of his big beaming grins directly at Eddie, "Sorry, Miss, didn't see you there."
Eddie gives a high-pitched giggle from under the blanket and a dainty finger wave. Jason fires back a wink at Eddie and turns back to Steve, "Nice! Anyway, you don't happen to have seen that freak Munson skulking around here, have you?"
Steve peels Jason's fingers off his car, the sneer of disdain still affixed to his face, "Firstly, Why would you give a shit what that creepy little loser is doing?" Steve says venomously, earning him a pinch in the ribs from Eddie, who promptly gets a thump in the arm in return. "Secondly, it's late. He'll be making drops at parties. Pretty sure I saw him piss off in a car not long ago."
"Eddie drives a van, not a car." Jason looks puzzled.
Steve looks at him in disbelief and looks back at the others, "I sincerely hope you aren't the brains of this operation. I know he drives a van, dipshit!"
Now, this...this is the Steve that Eddie remembers, but this time Eddie was loving it. He could see Jason's bravado crumbling right in front of his eyes, and it was delicious.
"Sorry...er...do you know which car it was?" Jason says meekly.
Steve blinks a few times, "Now let me think...was it?...no...oh wait...yeah...that's right. It was I-don't-give-a-fuck's car. You know he's friends with piss-off-you-fucking-loser." Steve delivers this completely deadpan, and Eddie can almost see Jason's ego shatter to dust.
"You know, as captain, you could be doing way better things with your Saturday evening than chasing a guy around a drive-in. It's a bad look, guys. Also...fuck off!" Steve finishes and winds up his window, completely turning his attention away from Jason and back to the movie.
Eddie watches them walk out of sight, and their truck soon drives past them out of the drive-in. All he had to do now was get the van sorted and he was home free. Safe and sound. Injury free.
"Erm...Eddie," Steve says, interrupting Eddie's thoughts. Eddie detects a hint of nervousness.
"Yeah?" He says, looking up at Steve.
"You can...um...you can let go of me now" Steve raises his hands in the air slowly to draw Eddie's attention to where his own is. As Eddie's eyes travel to his own arms, he realizes they are clasped around Steve's waist.
"So, he thinks that you and I were..." Steve clears his throat.
"Oh my god, don't make it any grosser than it already is, Steve", Robin replies snappily, grimacing.
Steve puts his hands up in submission and paces around the empty store.
"Eddie Munson, Steve? Really?" In disbelief, Robin puts her hands in her hair, leaning to rest her elbows on the counter.
Steve spins on his heel and points at Robin, "Ok, now that is way outta line! I didn't look up at the stars and say, please, oh please, let me develop feelings for a man, but not just any man, a loud, tattooed, long-haired nerd."
Robins turns and stares at Steve, "Say that last bit again..." She says slowly.
Steve furrows his brow in confusion, "Loud, tattooed, long-haired nerd?"
Robin smiles, "No, Steve before that."
"Oh my god, why can't you ever just listen to me the first time?!!! I said I didn't look up at the stars and say, please let me develop feelings for a man." Steve says, shrugging.
Robin points at him, "That bit, yes!"
Steve looks at her face, his face contorted in even more confusion as he throws his hands in the air, "Can you please stop talking in mysteries, Robin. I am still very much in hangover recovery, ok?"
"Riddles!" Robin says, exasperated.
"What about riddles?!" Steve yells.
"It's not talk in...you know what, never mind. The point being you said feelings!" Robin clears up.
It hits Steve like a Mac truck. Feelings. Not an instant superficial attraction. Not based on sex. Not even a shared interest. But it felt true. As unlikely as it would seem, Steve had feelings for him. And now Steve knew it. He had to fix this.
Robin is quietly finishing off the last banana pancake watching Steve, "You know, if nothing else, we've learned something new about him. He makes great pancakes!"
"How can you think about pancakes right now? I'm having a life crisis, and you're being impressed by him stirring a pancake mix and chopping up a banana?"
"Pancake mix has never lived in your house the entire time I've known you, Steve. I checked a few weeks ago when you were drunk and whining about missing pancakes. Remember we went to the diner the next day and ate a bunch?" Robin is coaxing Steve to think about something. He can tell by the way she's staring, smiling and making that circular motion with her hands like she's winding yarn around them.
"Then how...but...if...why?" The channel from Steve's brain to his mouth is wide open with no quality control, "Ok, ok. So let's say after I nearly scared him to death, I had a panic attack that he helped me out of, and then whilst I was showering, he made me banana pancakes from scratch. So let's say that's what happened. Couldn't that just be a friend thing to do?" Steve counts the events on his fingers, holding them up to Robin to help answer the question.
Steve wants a clear answer, he knows the only way to get the truth is to ask Eddie, but he can't just sidle up to him and be like Hey, I just found out I might like a guy... you...do you like me too? Check Yes or No. If No, please don't tell anyone else or beat me up.
Then the feeling of Robin's arms around him snap Steve out of his thoughts, "You didn't mention you had a panic attack, Steve! Are you ok? What happened?"
"I was worried Eddie was in danger, and I charged in there with my bat, and nothing was wrong. Then the room got all hot, I thought I was gonna die, and he helped me round," Steve recalls as images of Eddie intensely looking into his eyes whilst their fingers were interwoven flood his mind, and his pulse quickens, but this time he understands it.
"He makes me nervous... the kind I've been waiting for, Robin...the Nancy kind", Steve mumbles, still deep in thought, holding onto Robin's arms.
Robin looks up at him seriously, "Steve, are you sure this isn't like a-a um when people develop crushes on people that save them from like a fire or something?"
Steve's brain is really trying hard to remember. He knows that before yesterday he definitely hadn't thought or felt anything about Eddie other than he was a little weird. Then he finds it in the car when Eddie's arms had found their way around him.
"Can it go the other way? So you like someone because you rescued them?' Steve asks carefully.
"I mean, maybe like a saviour complex, but that might be more seeking out people to save than what you are specifically asking", Robin replies.
"Ok then!" Steve says finally, excitedly putting his arms on Robin's upper arms and leaning back so he can see her face, "So I don't know if this means I like guys or girls or both, but I know...I one hundred per cent know, right now, I like this guy!" Steve steps out of Robin's arms and recommences his pacing, "We also know he was a little pissed when he thought you and I were up to something, right? So maybe he's a little jealous? Buuuuut we know that's not about you because when he thought it was someone else, he thought it was funny, right? So that means...well, maybe...."
Steve rushes to the counter, asking, "Which tapes are his tapes, Robin?"
Robin stares at Steve, her hands to her mouth, and her eyes welling up a little, "Steve..." She says gently
"Rob, I understand, I really do, and we'll totally cry about this later over some pizza and ice cream and one of your weird movies with no explosions or music, but right now, I need you off the bench and on this court with me, ok? So what tapes did Eddie choose today?" Steve says, looking at the counter, clapping his hands at Robin.
"The ones with the kisses candy on!" Robin says hurriedly, wiping her eyes and rushing to the counter.
Steve holds the little stack in his hands, shuts his eyes, and faces the ceiling for a moment. If this was real. If he was gonna pursue this crazy idea, that could potentially ruin everything, but at the same time felt like it could be everything. He needed a sign. A loud one. So loud Steve wouldn't miss it. A sign so loud Steve would risk it all.
Steve holds the tapes in his hands and looks at the first one, Scarface. Not the sign Steve was looking for, but at least he liked Al Pacino. Eddie had some sort of taste. Then Steve shifts to the second one, stares at it for a moment, holds it above his head with both hands, eyes wide at Robin, and laughs like a maniac.
"What's so exciting about Saturday Night Fever?" Robin asks, puzzled.
Steve is in a predicament right now. Eddie had threatened to tell everyone about Saturday Night Steve, but it wouldn't be a threat if he told Robin. It was basically a promise, and she would tease him about it forever.
"So he asked me what music I like, and honestly, I wasn't sure, but I remembered making a mix tape for Jackie, and I liked a song from this movie", Steve prods at the tape case.
"So now...I need....what do I need to fix this..." Steve paces, clicking his fingers deep in thought.
"You need to let him know you aren't doing anything with me for a start. Then I dunno, can a guy be woo-ed?" Robin asks curiously.
"Of course, we can. We aren't monsters, Rob! Jesus! Ok, so here's the plan. First, I can call from here...say you left your tapes or something...then I can say something about how he left and that there is nothing between you and me, but I was hiding under the counter because I remembered something embarrassing from last night?"
"That could work, yeah that could work," Robin says excitedly, "And then...and then you leave him roses outside his window, spray painted black ones because it's Eddie...or a skull filled with candy...or a guitar pick with your initials on it?"
"Ok...no... absolutely not. It needs to be loud enough for Eddie but not loud to anyone else, ok? Something he likes, but something I can do...Theresa!" Steve shouts, at last, launches himself over the counter and starts tapping at the keyboard.
"I thought Jennifer was the disco girl?" Robin says, confused.
"Jackie. Theresa," Steve says, eyes fixed on the monitor, still tapping at the keyboard.
"Huh?"
"Jackie liked Disco, Jennifer liked ballet. Geez, Robin, it's almost like you don't listen to a word I say. Theresa."
"So, who is Theresa?"
"The hippy. Theresa!"
"The hippy?"
"Yes. Robin. Focus. Please. Theresa" Still tapping the keyboard.
"I thought you were gonna call Eddie? And also when did you learn to use the computer? You haven't even had your first shift yet?" Robin stalks around the counter and sighs, "Steve, you can't just randomly press keys and hope for the best! Move over. Wow!"
"Ok...well...maybe I need to learn how to use it, but the keys weren't random. I've seen you say someone's name hit these keys, and boom, details. Maybe it doesn't know my voice yet?"
Robin turns to him, completely dazed, "I am amazed by your intellect daily, Steve. God help us all if you and Eddie become a thing. What with your smarts and his safety awareness, Hawkins will be in for a treat."
"Robin!! Hawkins can't know!" Steve says in alarm.
"Oh my god...you know what... never mind, dingus."
"Here you go. Theresa's details, but you didn't get it from here, ok?"
"Yep, yep," Steve says, scribbling down the details and vaulting the counter again, "Got it, thanks!".
"Steve, please be careful ok? He could really mess things up for you."
"Robin Annabelle Buckley. Trust me on this one. This is my area of expertise. I am not successful at keeping the girls, but when Steve Harrington goes for it, he always lands the date, and I will not have my stats messed up by some little nerd, ok? So if I wasn't 100% on this, I wouldn't even be trying."
"I will get this date, Robin. You'll see. He ain't gonna know what hit him! King Steve is back, baby!"
Steve shouts back as he runs through the door to his car.
They've been driving for a few minutes in silence, and Eddie is uncomfortable in it. Not because he's currently in a car with the previous King of Hawkins High, Steve Harrington, but because silence meant nothing was attempting to block out his intrusive thoughts and recently roused memories.
Right now, Eddie's thoughts were loud. So very loud. Flashes of Steve smiling at him, running his hands through his hair, or how muscular his shoulder felt under Eddie's hand.
STOP IT! He berates himself internally.
This is simply a big mad mixture of memories, and getting knocked out, Eddie attempts to reason with himself.
Eddie tries a gentle hum of one of his favourite songs, and he feels the comfort gently wash over him. His mind pushes out these weird new thoughts to make room for known lyrics and chugging imaginary power chords.
"What's that you're humming? One of your band's songs?" Steve asks while concentrating on the road.
"Er….no, just something I like. I'm not great with silence," Eddie deadpans and looks out the window, widening his eyes at his inability to keep his thoughts to himself.
Idiot.
I'm not great with silence? Who the fuck says that? It did not escape his notice that Steve had remembered he was in a band, but Eddie had, on occasion, told the whole cafeteria about that.
"Anyone, I might know?" Steve is obviously trying to make conversation here, so Eddie obliges the only way he knows how. With the truth.
"It's called The Antichrist by a band called Slayer. You heard of them?" Eddie suspected he already knew the answer, but he didn't want to cut Steve off with an obnoxious, You probably haven't heard of them. He knew next to nothing about Steve. Maybe he liked metal?
"Ah, must have missed that one," Steve nods tight-lipped, still looking out onto the road.
The silence returns, and with it, the thoughts again. Eddie can't stand it, so he lets an impulse win.
He knew it wasn't the done thing in someone else's vehicle, but in a way, he was curious now. He leans over, quickly switches on Steve's radio and turns the dial some to ensure it's pretty loud.
"Heeeeeey," Steve starts to complain, but Eddie's hand still holds onto the dial. Steve would have to wrestle it from his cold dead fingers if he wanted to turn it down or off.
The speakers blare out a song part of the way through.
Come on, baby
Let's not fight
We'll go dancing
Everything will be alright
Wake me up before you go-go
Eddie turns his head to Steve, who already has a finger raised at him, "May I remind you, Munson, we just got back to this friendly place, and I do not wanna have to be the guy that kicks you out of his car in the middle of nowhere, ok?"
Eddie grins broadly, "What? Am I not allowed an opinion on this? I happen to really dig it." Eddie acts offended, his words coated in the sweetest sarcasm he can muster, and proceeds to dance violently in his seat to the song.
Eddie watches Steve's face for a reaction, and he's holding back a smile. "Huh, you like these moves, Harrington?"
Ever the performer, Eddie cannot resist chasing down a laugh.
Steve coughs out a singular laugh, and that's good enough for Eddie to relax back into his seat with a feeling of accomplishment as he glances back at Steve once more, and an almost proud smile sneaks onto his own face.
"So…Wham. That's what Harrington likes to listen to, huh? Wouldn't have picked it out for you myself, but I guess you are pretty mainstream. You gotta go with the conforming flow." Eddie makes a sea wave gesture with his hand towards the windshield as he tries to recognize where he is.
The next song starts, but it's not Wham this time; it's Madonna. Eddie definitely knows her voice. Christ, she was hot as hell.
Eddie pushes eject on the tape, it pops out, and he just makes out the writing. Felicity's Mix. He furrows his brow in thought. "Harrington, here is another thing you clearly don't know. The driver picks the music, dude. It's the rules of the road."
"Funny you say that, Munson. As you are currently the passenger messing with my radio!" Steve says, in that familiar snarky tone with an eye roll. Though, this time, Eddie notes it ends in a smirk and glance his way.
Eddie folds his arms and feigns grumpiness. "So sue me for not wanting to drive around in silence!"
There is a small patch of quiet again as Eddie looks back onto the road, taking in the details of the town rushing past. Due to the nature of his part-time business, he'd seen all sides of this town. The houses were getting grander now, cars more recent models or classics, and the streets quiet. It was how the other half lived. Not a shambling drunk or screeching arguing couple in sight. They must be nearly at Steve's now.
"Why don't you let me hear one of your songs?" Steve eventually asks.
Eddie leaps at the chance and rapidly pats himself down and the checks in his lunch pail, but he has no tape. The one time someone asks, and he doesn't have one. "Ah shit. Don't got a tape on me." Eddie hits himself in the head. Idiot.
He suddenly feels a tight grip around his forearm, "Hey man, don't do that! You've already had several knocks to the head tonight. You could…you know…be making it worse!" There is an urgency in Steve's voice, but also something else, especially towards the end when it softened. He gave a shit.
Eddie looks over at Steve, who is occasionally turning his head to Eddie, still holding his arm but much more loosely now. "Ok," Eddie mumbles, pulling his arm away from Steve's grasp.
Steve's hand quickly returns to the wheel, "Anyway, that's not quite what I meant about your music. I didn't expect you to happen to be carrying around a tape," Steve scoffs, raising his hand in a shrugging gesture.
All the cogs in Eddie's brain seize a moment, and he huffs a laugh. Did King Steve want to hear him sing? No…surely not. Eddie notices Steve's hand nervously tap at the steering wheel. He was waiting for a response. Eddie drops into the old faithful mode, leaning into Steve's space.
"Did you want the mighty lead singer and lead guitarist, might I add, of Corroded Coffin to serenade you, Harrington?" Eddie makes his voice low and husky to add to the teasing effect before chuckling and leaning back in his seat with a huge grin.
Eddie sees Steve's eyes flash, and he taps the side of his hand against the steering wheel. His voice raised in annoyance. "My God! Why are you making it weird? It's not weird to sing in the car, alright?! Me and Robin do it all the time!" He notices Steve readjust his sitting position and flicks his hair slightly with a quick turn of his head.
Eddie raises his hands to his shoulders. "Whoa, ok, ok! I wasn't judging! I was just asking, man." He turns away from Steve and grins wildly out of the side window, tapping his fingertips against his knees.
Eddie just found a new favourite thing to do. Get Steve Harrington all worked up like this.
Part 1 | Part 5 | Part 7 | Links to all Parts | AO3 Link
Taglist: @2btheanswertothequestion
Eddie tries to get to a sitting position with an uncomfortable hiss and grimaces in pain. Steve leans over to help him, and Eddie eventually sits up and shuffles back against the van wheel.
"Yeah, nothing I'm not used to. Just need a few minutes, is all." Eddie says, trying to catch his breath and get some sort of comfortable.
Steve sits on the ground at a right angle to him.
"Shit," Eddie sighs, turning to Steve, "Did they get my eye? The pain is kinda all over, and, honestly, I can't bring myself to look" Eddie looks up at the side mirror above him, "Even if I wanted to," he huffs out a laugh, reaching for his jacket he pulls out a pack of cigarettes takes one for himself and offers the box to Steve.
This time, Steve takes one and offers Eddie a weak sympathetic smile. Eddie smiles back, shutting one eye from the pain of doing so. Steve thinks.
"Glad to see you don't think I've got cooties," Eddie jokes, offering Steve his lighter.
Steve looks guiltily at the floor and looks back up at Eddie, and gently takes the lighter.
"Your eyes are perfect."
Fuck, that came out wrong.
"I mean, they are fine...you know...unharmed."
Jesus Christ, Steve.
Eddie looks up at him with raised eyebrows, wide-eyed, trying to hold in a laugh, which eventually he snorts out, and nods.
"I got it. Thanks. At least that means my Uncle won't be on my case about it. He specifically said, " One more black eye," and I'm gonna hold him to that verbal contract," Eddie says, taking a drag on his cigarette.
The fact that they had been chasing Eddie around a drive-in sure that made Steve suspicious that this wasn't just a one-off, and Eddie was weird, likes weird things, and dressed strangely, so of course, he was going to get picked on, but Steve hadn't thought it would be so bad someone had to use the term "one more black eye."
Steve lights his cigarette and hands the lighter back to Eddie. He notices a familiar shape on it. It's half one of those strange dice stuck to the side of it. He's seen Dustin and the kids with them.
"It was meant to be a graduation gift, but um...yeah...I didn't quite make it, but they gave it to me anyway," Eddie mutters awkwardly, as he's obviously caught Steve staring and thumbing at it.
"I've seen one of these before. The kids I hang- babysit sometimes have them, for some kind of game, a buncha names...er...Dee Andy or something?" Steve tries to remember.
Eddie tucks his lips into his mouth like he's trying to hold something back, "Yeah, it's called Dungeons and Dragons, D and D for short, like you said" Eddie gives him a half smile back.
Steve feels a little embarrassed having got it wrong, but Eddie had misheard him and thought he'd said the correct thing.
"So...um...thanks for dealing with those fucking ogres." Eddie's smile slips into a slight frown. "I could take 'em, you know, one on one, but as soon as they figured that out, they started turning up in packs" Eddie looks down at the ground, and a flush of embarrassment stains his non-punched cheek.
Steve did not want to add to Eddie's list of failings today, so he decides to bend the truth a little.
Steve snorts out a false laugh, "You think I took on all of them?! No. No way." Steve inhales at his cigarette, "If you must know, I came back here to offer you a ride...home." Steve adds quickly, "Because I kinda felt like an asshole, and then I looked over here, and you were messing around with the van. They saw me coming and ran away, man."
Eddie, still looking at the ground, nods his head, "Well, in that case, I guess. Thank you for being an asshole?" A small smile reappears on his face as he looks up at Steve.
Steve can't resist a big smile back and a laugh, "Yeah, well, everyone has gotta be good at something, I guess."
Eddie chuckles quietly and holds his side.
Steve gestures at Eddie's van, "So what happened with your date?"
"Date?" Eddie laughs. "I didn't come here with a date. I came here to watch a weird ass movie with an amazing soundtrack and get stoned out of my gourd" Eddie suddenly stops speaking and takes a small intake of breath, "At the risk of ruining this buddy moment we're having here, Harrington...what happened with your date?" Eddie asks carefully.
Steve looks up at him again, wondering if he could say something. Eddie seemed to have easily let his own guard down with him. Maybe he could do the same. Steve didn't really tend to do that with anyone other than Robin, but there were just some things she wasn't going to understand right now. Like, Steve understood how Robin's dating predicaments were way more complex than his could ever be, but that meant he had no one to talk to about it without getting shut down or told to stop whining.
Steve takes a chance.
"Well, honestly, I don't actually know what happened. I thought everything was going well, you know. Then she just kinda excused herself, was gone for a while, so I thought I'd go check on her, and found her with her recently dumped friend, who, you know, then that became her evening priority, or whatever." Steve rambles quickly, like ripping off a band-aid.
He hears Eddie take a slight intake of breath, "Ouch, dude. The old, oh look, my friends are already here, and oh no, an emergency routine. Fuck, I thought you'd got a little too handsy with her or something, shit" Eddie shakes his head.
Steve furrows his brow and quickly turns to Eddie, leaning in. Clearly, Eddie knew something about this situation Steve didn't, "What do you mean, routine?"
Eddie's eyebrows raise again, "Oh, you don't know?" Then he nods and tilts his head, "Of course, you don't know. You're King fucking Steve" Eddie smiles and takes out another cigarette, lights it, and offers one to Steve again, but Steve waves it away, hungry for this secret knowledge.
Eddie readjusts how he's sitting and begins, using his hands to emphasize his words, like someone telling a scary story around a campfire.
"Well, for reasons that will become apparent very quickly, I am very familiar with this routine. Basically, it's all pre-set up, see. The girl has a date with you, but for some reason, she wants an escape plan. So like, in my case, they probably think I'm gonna, I dunno, sacrifice them to a demon or something. So she arranged with her friends for them to be in the vicinity. They arrange a time, meet up, discuss how the date is going, and decide a plan of action from there. I'd say, in my experience, they always bail, but how many of these meet-ups do I miss, you know? Like, I only know they are having their little meeting because I end up worried and going to find her, right? And lo and behold, there they are huddled around, plotting their next steps" Eddie shakes his head and pats Steve on the shoulder, "You've probably passed the test of every one until this evening, Harrington. Or maybe they felt so safe with you they didn't even set one up. I'd say that's a pretty good record for the number of people the rumor mill says you've dated" Eddie leans back against the wheel and takes a drag on his cigarette.
Steve's eyes are wide at this information as he says slowly in awe, almost, "That's exactly...that's exactly what happened!" Steve throws his hands in the air and lets them land back in his lap with an audible slap, "Unbelievable!" Steve scoffs and folds his arms.
"Congratulations on your first taste of the other side, my friend," Eddie adds like he's some kind of veteran.
Steve stews over this new information leaving them in silence for a few minutes until Steve can hold it in no longer and leans forward, angrily whispering, "If anything, I wasn't handsy enough for that little pervert!"
The comment surprises Eddie so much that he starts choking on his smoke, "Jesus Christ, Harrington. A little warning, yeah?" Eddie tries to say it with a straight face, but in no time at all, he's laughing, with an occasional ow as he holds his ribs.
But Steve isn't done, not by a long shot, "And you know what? I did the research. I found a film with a long run-time, I found the busiest night of the week, I got this stupid necklace thing she said would look hot on me" Steve reaches up and pretty much rips it from his neck and tosses it into the night, "And I am a good guy, Munson. I didn't even care if anything physical happened tonight with her or not. That's what she wanted!!!" Steve glances over at Eddie quickly to check if he's looking at him like he's less of a man because he didn't just want to get a home run tonight.
But Eddie isn't judging him. He's cackling. He's laughing so very hard, gasping for air, clutching his sides, little tears escaping those now crinkled at the edges big brown eyes. But for once, Steve doesn't feel like he's being laughed at, like he's the butt of the joke when relaying his problems. He feels like Eddie is laughing with him.
Eddie lets out a sigh and inhales deeply, trying to get back to normality, "Sorry, man. I just...I dunno...I didn't expect it is all. Well, at least you got to watch a classic undisturbed."
Steve points his hand sharply at the now blank movie screen, "Munson, seriously? YOU disturbed me. That aside. You actually think I wanted to watch this...this...I don't even know what it was, ok? It was weird and loud, and fucking, what were those things? You know what, don't even tell me I don't want to know, ok? It's hours of my life I'll never get back!!" Steve states loudly in annoyance. He has quite forgotten there is anyone here but the two of them until a car horn beeps a few times in the distance, "And you can shut the fuck up too!" Steve shouts in its general direction before looking back at a crumpled in a ball, laughing Eddie.
Steve feels a big smile spread across his face, and a few laughs fight their way out of his own mouth. Eddie's cackling was so infectious. Maybe Steve just needed to laugh.
Eddie sighs again, in-between giggles, manages, "Well, good job I turned up in your car when I did. Otherwise, your night would have been completely devoid of entertainment" Eddie wipes a few stray tears of laughter from his face, "Sorry, man. I wasn't laughing at you. It was just. It was amusing for me not to be the one ranting about shit, is all."
"After the night you've had, I think I can let it slide" Steve turns and smiles happily at Eddie.
Eddie stares at him for a moment, and Steve worries he has something on his face or in his hair and has a frantic wipe at them with his hand.
Eddie turns away and says, "You know something, Harrington. You aren't as much of an asshole as I thought you'd be. You're kind of....just the right amount."
Steve, still looking at him, says, "And you are much smarter than I thought possible. What else do you know that I don't, huh?"
Eddie gulps, and Steve realizes he's probably dying of thirst, having been face down in the dust and then sitting here chain-smoking. Steve looks around for a soda or something, finds a grubby water bottle, and hands it to Eddie.
"Thanks, but um, this is for the van. As for what else I know about dating problems, well, you've definitely come to the right place, but honestly, after the night I've had, I do not wanna go trawling through that swamp of misery without some herbal assistance." Eddie half smiles and puts his fingers to his lips in a smoking gesture, "What do you say, Harrington, wanna get high?"
Steve thinks about it for a moment. This van was clearly going nowhere this evening. He was inevitably going to have to give Eddie a ride home in any case, he was curious about what else Eddie knew, and he had been having a lot of fun talking to him just now, despite the mistakes earlier in the evening.
"You know what, sure, but not here. We could go to my place? I got a fridge full of beers and a freezer full of hot pockets, and no one to share them with. Or I can just drop you off home?" Steve shrugs outwardly. Inwardly it felt like a dangerous ask, but he wasn't entirely sure why. Maybe getting a hang-out rejected by the town freak would be too much for him to handle.
"Absolutely not," Eddie says matter-of-factly, and Steve's stomach plummets into the depths of the earth's core. His confidence was really going through the mill tonight.
"I do not wanna face my Uncle with no van and these fucking injuries. He'll be knocking on doors all fucking night" Steve snaps his head hopefully towards Eddie, who he realizes is trying to push himself up to standing using the wheel arch and then the door.
Steve moves to help him up, and Eddie pushes down onto Steve's shoulder for support.
Once he's upright, he's pottering through some stuff in the van, Steve steps away and runs his hand through his hair, saying maybe a little excitedly, "So yeah, why don't you get all your shit together, and I'll bring the car around, yeah?"
Eddie looks over his shoulder at Steve with a confused but amused look on his face, "Sure, yeah"
Steve takes a light jog back to his car. Once back seated in the driver's seat, he flips down the mirror and checks his face and hair before making eye contact with himself in it.
What was that? What is this? Why was he preening? Jesus Christ! Some kind of fucking autopilot for inviting someone to his house because he's so used to having it be some girl he's hoping to date or currently dating.
Steve starts the car and drives it around to the van. Eddie is just slamming the driver's side shut and locking it before he places a kiss on his hand and presses it against the van.
Little weirdo, Steve thinks to himself.
Now dressed again in his multi-layers and his little black lunchbox in hand, Steve moves the car, so he doesn't have to walk but a few steps to get in.
Eddie plops himself down into the seat and closes the door.
Steve gives him a few seconds before looking at him intently, but Eddie looks like he's completely zoned out. "Seat belt, please."
Eddie nearly jumps out of his skin, "Oh shit, yeah. Sorry, man," He quickly clips his seat belt in and looks back at Steve with a smile, "Onward to Chateau Harrington, driver," Eddie says in a pompous voice.
