Kk but It’s like years after high school and Eddie is living in Chicago and one night he runs into Robin Buckley from high school after spotting her at a bar and rescues her from the frat bro hitting on her who won’t take a hint, and Eddie thought him and Robin were birds of a feather, but she won’t shut up about some guy named Steve
“Steve’s favorite is the watermelon”, and “sure, Steve caught the spider and put it outside and yeah that’s nice but what if it comes back for revenge with friends” and “Steve can’t whistle so he pretends he can by sucking air in through his front teeth while making a high pitched sound”
So Eddie finally just ASKS because they’re at a gay bar for fucks sake and Robin laughs and laughs and tells Eddie that Steve is just her platonic soulmate and best friend and it’s not like that
They spend the night catching up and when the bar closes down and Robin realizes her phone is dead, Eddie offers to walk her home - it’s fucking freezing outside and the transit system is down due to the snow and ice so Robin asks if Eddie wants to crash at her and Steve’s apartment until an Uber can grab him in the morning
Eddie’s not about to walk home in that shit so he obviously accepts, and it isn’t until after they’re already in the apartment, Robin making a cup of tea and Eddie snooping his way through the living room that he finally asks “so am I going to meet the famous Steve or what?”
And Robin just gives him a look which stops him in his tracks from snooping until he spots a row of photos over by the living room TV
And he’s just casually grabbing a random photo frame from the nearby table, being his usual brand of over-the-top show off when Robin says “You already met him? In high school? Ya know- Steve? Steve Harrington?”
And as Robin says that, Eddie finally looks at the picture in his hand of Steve Harrington
Steve Harrington, Eddie’s longterm doomed-from-the-start high school crush. Steve Harrington, straight (?) King of Hawkins.
Steve Harrington cuddling up into some random guy in a very non platonic manner and Eddie doesn’t yell but it’s a near thing- “who’s that” and Eddie shows Robin the picture as if she hasn’t seen it ever before
And Robin rolls her eyes as she sips her tea and tells Eddie all about Steve’s awful ex boyfriend who was just one more story in a long string of guys and girls who didn’t deserve Steve
And when Robin goes to bed, Eddie stays up all night, buzzing with adrenaline because all that separates him from the sleeping boy of his dreams (the boy he once thought was untouchable who is now touchable) is a wall and a few hours of sleep
