Goodbye / See You Later
Written for @thehairandthebanished 's event Steddie's Back to School Bash, day 6: Last Day of Summer, and for @softsteddieseptember's week 1 prompt: watching a sunset!
Last Day of Summer / watching a sunset | Goodbye / See You Later | Rating: T | CWs: none | Additional Tags: angst with a happy ending, summer fling, they are in love | Ao3
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Eddie is a little out of breath as he follows Steve's footsteps, not two feet ahead of him, as they trek through the woods. The six pack in Steve's hand glinting in the small amount of sun still breaking through the leaves. He's already exhausted from the ten hours they've been together today, more than any other day this summer, more than they'd spent together, period, but Eddie still doesn't want it to end.
Neither does Steve. Isn't that something.
So Eddie follows Steve through the woods, trusting that this whole amazing summer hasn't been leading up to some sort of jock ritual sacrifice. It would be a hell of an investment, and besides that, you can't fake the softness in Steve's eyes as he trailed his calloused fingers across Eddie's stomach. You can't fake the hesitation Steve had when he told him when he'd be heading west to Terre Haute, of all places, to go to college on a scholarship.
It's been an incredible day, one of the best he's had in… god, maybe ever. And he knows this is goodbye, he's smitten, not stupid. He just wishes…
Then Steve steps through a break in the treeline to a drop-off looking over the lake. Right now, though, it's the perfect outlook to watch the sunset over the forest.
Steve pauses a safe distance away from the edge, turns to give Eddie a smile that he wants to press a gentle kiss to, so he does. Steve is sweet as always. Soft, like he's been all summer, even when they snark and bitch at each other.
Not today, though. Today is just soft and sweet and enough to make Eddie want to cry.
Steve sits on the bare earth, heedless or perhaps uncaring that his light-wash jeans are surely collecting dirt across his finely-sculpted butt, and beckons Eddie over, too.
A beer cracks open, foams a little, too, enough that Steve brings it to his mouth to prevent a spill. Eddie flops down next to him, all gangly, coltish limbs, and takes it when it's offered. Steve gets his own, and they sit and watch the sun set.
It's beautiful, is the thing. Reds and purples and oranges stretch across the roughage of leaves like brushstrokes.
Eddie wishes Steve didn't have to go. He knows. He knows Steve was never going to stay, was never going to be more than a summer fling, but.
But.
His eyes start to burn from watching the sun for so long and for no other reason at all. That's why he's okay leaning his head against the warmth of Steve beside him, why he's okay accepting the arm wrapping itself around his shoulders, why he pretends not to feel the dampness growing on his head where Steve leans his own.
He feels another soft kiss to the crown of his head, and wraps his own arm around Steve's waist.
It's the last day of summer. Eddie needs to absorb as much warmth as he can.
They go through all six beers, and sit there until the sky is fully dark, and then a little longer, until Eddie is sure he's starting to get bitten and they're shivering a bit in the early autumn air.
“It's not forever, Eddie,” Steve murmurs into his curls, squeezing Eddie against him. “I'll be back for Thanksgiving, and Christmas, and–”
“I know.” Eddie knows that Steve will find a pretty girl at college who has a future, who will be so much easier to love than a washed up super-super-senior who sells drugs out of his uncle's trailer. Who he doesn't have to keep secret from his parents, his friends. Who he can marry, one day.
Eddie also knows that Steve doesn't know. Not yet. That he might think–
“Eddie, I–” Steve hasn't let go of Eddie, not at all, not even a little. If anything, he's pulled him closer, until Eddie is nearly in his lap. His hand comes up to cradle Eddie's face, tears long dried. He takes a breath. “Eddie, I love you. I’ll be back in less than–”
Eddie doesn't hear the rest, even if Steve continues as if those three little words didn't shift the Earth itself beneath their feet. He pulls back a bit, and Steve lets him. “You… love me?”
Taken aback, Steve blinks. “Baby, of course I love you, how could I not?” His hands run up and down Eddie's soothingly, almost absent-mindedly. “Your passion, your creativity, even if I don't play your dragons game I know how much work you put into it for those kids. Now I could stand for the occasional Tears for Fears song–”
“Not on your life!” Eddie cuts in, his voice strangled, but Steve continues unabated.
“–but I'm willing to compromise for you. Because I love you, Eddie Munson.”
Maybe Eddie is a little smitten and stupid, because he almost believes Steve. Believes him enough to let himself imagine for the first time what that might actually look like.
Thanksgiving in the trailer with Steve and him and Wayne, all three of them squished onto that old couch eating Chinese food out of cartons, Eddie loudly decrying the hold organized sports have on the public consciousness but making no move to change the channel.
Christmas, exchanging small gifts, what little Eddie could afford to make or buy, maybe a pair of gloves, or a custom shirt if he manages to swing that art class again, treasuring whatever Steve had time to purchase, whatever evidence there would be that Steve thought about him; Steve carefully unwrapping brown paper to unveil his very own mug from Wayne and tearing up like Eddie knows he would.
New Years, curled up together on Eddie's bed, or maybe on top of the trailer to watch the fireworks across the neighborhood, sharing a secret kiss and an even more secret smile as the clocks turn to midnight.
And he knows this is goodbye, he's smitten, not stupid. But maybe, just maybe–
“...Me too, Steve. I–me too.”
–it’s a see you later.
