The Things in Life That I Can't Find chapter 25 on AO3
“Steve, you don’t actually think you’re stupid. Do you?” Dustin asked.
Steve looked uncomfortable so Eddie decided to cut in before he could respond.
“So what if you are?” Eddie asked.
“What?” Steve asked. He looked completely taken off guard by the question.
“So what if you’re stupid?” Eddie repeated.
All the stuff that people said about Eddie had become a lot easier to stomach when he’d leaned into it and stuck to the people who would still spend time with him, regardless of how much of a freak he was. It had become a way to filter out the people who weren’t worth wasting his time worrying about. He didn’t have to worry that anyone would find out how stupid and freakish he was and change their mind about spending time with him when he was the town freak and had been stuck in senior year for nearly as long as most people took to get through all of high school.
“Let’s say you’re the stupidest person who has ever lived,” Eddie said. “So what?”
“Dude, I don’t think that’s helping,” Dustin said.
“No, really,” Eddie said. “What does that change?”
Steve’s brow furrowed in confusion and after a moment he said, “I don’t…”
“Exactly,” Eddie said. “Don’t you think if it mattered, you’d be able to give me a reason why? You’ve still fought I don’t know how many monsters and saved I don’t know how many people. You still have a bunch of people who enjoy your company and want to spend time with your stupid self.” He patted Steve on the cheek as he added, “If you’re stupid, then I guess that’s how I like my men.”
(A post-season 4 fic where Eddie and Max survived, Eddie’s name is cleared, and Wayne has a heart attack then Eddie moves in with Steve while they’re not together yet)
