Famous My ASS
Part two to "Absolutely Smash" | ao3
"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.
Part 3










