#solar wrote

[solarmorrigan]

Steve spends the summer after they defeat Vecna teaching El how to make noise

It starts one day in his kitchen, when she catches him whistling. Brows furrowed as she tries to copy him, she asks him how to do it. For a minute, Steve is surprised; what kid doesn't know how to whistle? And then he remembers - El hadn't gotten to have a childhood. Not really. He thinks about all the normal kid stuff she was denied, and his chest aches just a little. He forgets whatever he'd been doing and spends the whole afternoon teaching her how to whistle

Once she has a pretty good grasp on whistling, he asks if she wants to learn how to do it really loud, and teaches her how to whistle with her fingers

Showing her how to snap her fingers is easy, and after she masters that, he shows her how to make a popping noise with her fingers tucked under her chin

He spends one afternoon showing her how to make a hooting noise with her cupped hands, and another how to whistle with two blades of grass. Sometimes he'll find something the other kids in the party don't know how to do, either, and he'll gladly show them, if they'll listen long enough

He draws on every little trick he'd learned growing up, from his friends, from summer camp, from his time in the Scouts. He learns that El has never gotten to play a kazoo, so he makes her one with wax paper and a comb, the way his grandad had shown him so many summers ago, and lets her go to town

By the end of summer, Hopper is ready to murder Steve - except El looks so happy, so pleased with herself, making popping noises with her lips, snapping her fingers, giggling as Jonathan and Will try and fail to copy the bird call Steve showed her. For that smile on her face, Hopper guesses he can put up with it

(He gets his revenge by teaching El how to whistle the Andy Griffith theme song and unleashing her on Steve. It takes a week for Steve to get the tune out of his head)

[solarmorrigan]

So "Uptown Girl" released in 1983, and I feel like Steve would have sung it to Nancy sometimes, and she would humor him, because it was sweet, and he actually sounded pretty good when he wasn't doing it just to be goofy

Fast forward a few years, Eddie and Steve are dating, and they're sitting on the couch at Eddie's place one evening, comfortably high, Eddie noodling around on his acoustic and Steve just kinda vibing. And Eddie knows Steve likes Billy Joel, so he starts up with the tune of the first one he can think of: "Uptown Girl." And suddenly Steve's mouth is dropping open like he's just had some great realization

Eddie: What is it?

Steve, in a hushed voice: I'm the uptown girl

Eddie laughs so hard he falls off the couch

[solarmorrigan]

See, like, we've got rock star Eddie, right? And he's taking his dog (a shelter rescue of indeterminate breed; he's a whole mess of patches and spots of color and Eddie loves him) to the vet, dressed down in a hoodie and jeans and a beanie, hoping no one will recognize him. And he's in line at the counter behind possibly the prettiest man he's ever seen

A pretty man who seems to be in distress

He's got a cat carrier next to him, and the cat inside is yowling up a storm, performing a whole opera for the waiting room, and Pretty Guy is running a hand through his hair and pulling, and then he asks, "How long will he be okay without it?"

And Eddie's heart sinks a little, feeling for the guy. It wasn't all that long ago that he was scrimping and saving every cent for the things he needed - and vet bills are expensive. The tech behind the counter says something to the guy that Eddie misses, but it only seems to distress him further.

"Can you hold it for me? Just for a while, until I can see if I can get the money for it?"

Whatever the tech is about to say is lost, because Eddie is stepping forward and placing his credit card on the counter. "I've got it," he says.

Pretty Guy glares at him, which - fair. There's a certain amount of pride involved in being able to afford your own shit. Eddie gets that.

"You don't need to do that," the guy says

Eddie nods. "I don't. But I can, and I want to."

The guy huffs. "You don't even know how expensive this medication is."

"I promise, whatever it is, I got it. Think of it like paying it forward," Eddie says. "Besides, maybe I'm not doing it for you, I'm doing it for..." he trails off and gestures to the carrier, where the cat is still hollering. He can see that it's a Siamese now, all blue eyes and vocal as hell.

"Bruce," the guy says, and then he waffles for a moment, weighing his pride against how much he wants to take care of his cat, and it seems like the latter wins out. "I'm going to find a way to pay you back," he insists, stepping to the side so Eddie can reach the card reader.

"You don't have to," Eddie says.

"No, I'm gonna," the guy shoots back, immovable in his certainty, so Eddie only shrugs.

He pays for his own bill while the guy gets Bruce's medication, and they walk out front together. "Give me your phone so I can give you my number," the guy says as soon as they're out. "So I can pay you back."

And Eddie doesn't even think about it--doesn't think about whether this guy might be a rabid fan using this as a ploy to get Eddie's number, doesn't think about whether he's going to sell it or share it around--he just hands his phone over. When he gets it back, he has a new contact saved on the screen. Steve Harrington.

"I don't mean to sound ungrateful, just... thanks for that," Steve says.

"Think nothing of it, good sir," Eddie replies with a little bow, because he's an overblown dork at his core, no matter how famous he might be.

Steve doesn't seem to mind, anyway. And if they text more than is strictly necessary while Steve is working out how to pay Eddie back, and if Eddie says maybe Steve's company would be a good start, and if they end up going to dinner together, and if they only carry on from there - well. Eddie considers it the universe granting him a boon for his good deed. Even if he does eventually have to deal with Bruce's midnight yowling when he spends the night with Steve anytime he's in town.

[solarmorrigan]

Eddie has learned over the years that nothing pulls Steve out of a funk like having a helpful little task to perform, especially when it's something he knows Eddie hates doing

Sink full of dirty dishes? Eddie would rather gnaw his own arm off, but Steve knocks them out in no time and finishes with a smile on his face. They have mail, but it's cold outside? Eddie will whine and complain, and Steve already has his coat on and is happily sorting through envelopes on his way back up the driveway. It's dinner time, but Eddie forgot (or, uh, "forgot") one important ingredient he needs to cook? Steve's got his keys in hand, promising he'll be back in no time

Eddie has asked Steve to help with so many "impossible to open" jars over the years, and it puts a pep in Steve's step every time

Of course Eddie makes sure that Steve knows he's valued for more than what he's able to provide, what he's able to do, but sometimes all Steve really needs is to feel useful, and all Eddie really wants is to see him happy

(Sometimes not having to do the dishes is a bonus, though)

[solarmorrigan]

Steve knows how to take care of himself. He's good at it. He's been doing it for years

Illnesses, sports injuries (other injuries) - he knows how to manage them so they'll go away as quickly as possible. He knows when he needs to rest, he knows when he needs to take medication, he knows how to care for pulled muscles and broken skin. Maybe he doesn't always have the opportunity to care for these things properly, but he knows how, because with no one else around, he'd had to learn

Eventually, he gets it down to a routine. A science, almost. An airtight series of steps for whatever is wrong with him so he can knock out whatever crud is keeping him down and move on with his life

There isn't really room for anyone else in it

"You want me to do that?" Eddie asks, watching as Steve stirs a pot of soup on the stove.

"'m good," Steve answers with an absent sniffle.

Eddie hums. "Well, do you need me to go out and get anything? More tissues, cough medicine, more soup...?"

Steve shakes his head, though he stops when it brings on a wave of dizziness. He braces himself against the counter, waving Eddie off when he steps forward to try to support Steve. It's really just a little cold, but the congestion is killing him.

"I've got everything I need," Steve finally says; he always makes sure the medicine cabinet is stocked for this sort of thing, replenishes anything in there as soon as he uses it up, just in case. "Thanks, though."

Eddie is quiet for a long moment. "So you, uh... don't need me for anything, then?"

"Nah, it's fine. Just gonna eat my soup and get some rest," Steve assures him. "You should go enjoy your day."

"Right," Eddie says, sounding weirdly flat. "I'll just. Go do that. I guess."

He disappears into the spare room (ostensibly a guest room, but it's also become a space for all of Eddie's D&D and music stuff, and Steve has jokingly taken to referring to it as Eddie's office), and Steve finishes heating his soup with a little puzzlement. Something is up with Eddie, but Steve is too worn out to figure out what.

He eats his soup and goes back to bed, but it isn't until he's been lying there, exhausted but restless, for almost an hour that it occurs to him what's wrong. He plays back over the conversation in the kitchen and feels a little stupid for not catching on sooner.

He can hear Eddie strumming absently at his acoustic when he goes to knock on the door of the spare room. The sound stops and Eddie opens the door, looking almost surprised to see Steve.

"Yeah?" he asks.

"Hey. I, uh - I'm trying to rest, but I just... can't, for some reason." Steve shrugs. "I think maybe I need some company?"

"Yeah?" Eddie asks again, his voice warming a little.

"Yeah. I mean, if you're not busy, or--"

"Free as a bird, baby," Eddie says quickly, reaching out to take Steve by the hand. "Let's get you back to bed."

Eddie takes to his task with gusto, making sure Steve has all the pillows and blankets that he needs, dimming the lights, even offering to read a book. And it's - it's nice, Steve realizes.

It's nice, having Eddie there, giving Steve the one thing he's never really had before.

It's nice to have support.

[solarmorrigan]

When it's time to replace their mattress, Eddie and Steve disagree on the size they should get

Steve wants to stick with the queen size they got when they were younger and had less money because a bigger bed means he'll be farther away from Eddie and he likes cuddling

Eddie wants to get a new bed frame and a king size mattress because yes, he does like cuddling with Steve, but Steve is also a very active sleeper and he keeps kicking Eddie. His shins haven't known peace since they moved in together

[solarmorrigan]

The idea that, in a pre-S3 steddie situation, Eddie doesn't like Robin is hilarious to me

Like. He doesn't really know Robin from school. Their circles rarely, if ever, intersect. His main frame of reference for her becomes the stories Steve tells from work, so from Eddie's perspective, Robin has just spent the whole summer bullying his boyfriend

Sure, Steve seems more exasperated when telling these stories than anything, and yes, Eddie knows that Steve can give as good as he gets, but still. Eddie is maybe just a little protective

And then the mall burns down, and things just get worse, because now Robin is around. All. The. Time.

And it sucks, because it turns out she's a fellow friend of Dorothy (Steve had asked Eddie before telling her about the two of them, and Eddie had wanted to say no, but Steve had been so sure she'd take it well, that she'd be cool about it, and he's so attached to her now that Eddie had really only able to acquiesce, and then she'd come out to him in turn), and he'd love to have a little queer solidarity, but unfortunately he's sworn a life vendetta against her

At first it was because she'd been (as far as Eddie's concerned) bullying Steve, but now it's because she's stealing Steve away from him

Stealing him! With her teasing and her inside jokes and her wordless glances that seem to communicate something Steve understands but Eddie sure as hell doesn't

And yes, fine, okay, she isn't actually stealing Steve away; Steve is just as loving and attentive to him as ever, trying to make sure he never feels left out, but still. Eddie is maybe just a little dramatic

But then - Steve has a bad day. A really bad day. The worst day he's had since that first couple of weeks after the mall "fire" (or whatever it really was), and Eddie's having a hard time getting through to him, so he bites the bullet and calls Robin. And Robin comes right over and - it's not an immediate shift, but something in Steve eases a little bit as she talks to him. And as Eddie's watching, he sees something in Robin shift, too. He sees the affection shining through in her expression, sees the care in how she speaks, sees the understanding in how she soothes Steve with a hand rubbing up and down his back

Maybe, he thinks, he's been looking at this all wrong. Maybe they don't have to be friends, but they should definitely be allies, united in how much they both love Steve

And from there, now that Eddie isn't holding his private grudge, it gets easier and easier to see why Steve loves Robin, too. She's wickedly smart, and she's funny, and she's fun. He likes arguing about music with her. He likes swapping film recommendations. He likes that she feels safe enough to moon over actresses when they watch TV together. He likes teaming up with her to tease Steve, until Steve laments that it was a mistake to ever introduce the two of them

Because actually, Eddie's pretty sure it wasn't. Not at all

[solarmorrigan]

Eddie doesn’t like it when Steve is upset. He just wants that on record. He would prefer it if Steve could feel happy and safe and content all the time.

But–

A sad Steve Harrington is a cuddly Steve Harrington, and Eddie is absolutely weak for that shit.

There’s nothing quite like the days when Steve will come home from a shitty shift at work and immediately sit down with Eddie on the couch and curl into his side, never even bothering to change out of his work clothes. Or the days when Steve has to talk to his parents on the phone, and afterwards he’ll come find Eddie and pull him into a hug that may last minutes or hours while Steve presses his face into the crook of Eddie’s neck and loses himself there.

Or nights like tonight, when Steve comes to bed in an old pair of sleep shorts and a t-shirt he’s stolen form Eddie’s side of the dresser and lays down more in the middle of the bed than on his own side, his head practically on Eddie’s pillow.

He’s asking without really asking, but Eddie will never, ever deny him.

He’s quick to roll onto his side, facing Steve and prodding him until he rolls over, too, facing away and allowing himself to be scooted back across the mattress. Eddie gets an arm around his waist and pulls him close, until he’s practically molded to Eddie’s front, chest to back, hips to hips, Eddie’s knees tucked into the bend of Steve’s.

It isn’t that Steve isn’t normally a touchy sort of person; he is. He thrives on physical affection, and Eddie loves to be the one to provide him with it. But there’s something different about it when Steve gets like this, like it isn’t just a want – it’s a need.

He buries himself in Eddie’s presence, curling in close like he can hide away inside of him, like Eddie can keep the world at bay – like Eddie can protect him.

And hell if that isn’t a heady feeling. The thought that Steve, so strong and sure of himself, lets himself be soft around Eddie, will let his armor fall away and let himself be cared for; Eddie can’t say he doesn’t cherish the privilege.

Who protects the protector? Eddie does.

And he takes his responsibilities very seriously, thank you.

He presses a kiss to the back of Steve’s neck, stroking his thumb against his ribs over the soft fabric of the pilfered t-shirt. He can feel Steve’s chest rise and fall with a sigh.

“Bad day?” Eddie asks softly.

Sometimes Steve wants to talk about it. Sometimes he doesn’t. Eddie always gives him the chance, either way.

Steve shrugs one shoulder. “I don’t know. Nothing happened, I just feel… bad.”

He sounds defeated, and Eddie won’t have that.

“That’s fine. You don’t have to know.” He presses another soft kiss to the nape of Steve’s neck. “I’ll make it better.”

“Yeah.” Under the blankets, Steve’s hand finds Eddie’s where it’s draped over his waist and threads their fingers together, squeezing gently. “I know you will.”

[Prompt: Spooning]