“Hello and welcome back, we just got to hear a sample of the new single 'We Don’t Have to Dance' from Grammy winning group Corroded Coffin and we have here the lead singer and guitarist, Edward Munson.”
Eddie waves from his spot on the couch with a shy smile, he’s still getting used to all the interviews and stuff that come with the rockstar gig.
“Thank you for joining us, we are so excited to have you here.”
“That’s sweet, thank you. I’m not used to hearing my full name, made me think I was in trouble for a second.” Eddie chuckles and so do the others on the couch as well as the audience.
“I know right, everytime I hear my full name I just-” Chris Pine straightens and looks around like he’s waiting for a parent or teacher to jump out and Eddie laughs because it’s true. The couch also has Stephanie Hsu who Eddie met briefly during the break when she asked what kind of music he did. Overall it feels less stressful than other interviews, he just has to remember that even if a joke doesn’t sit well with him to just smile and nod or Jeff will strangle him.
“So Eddie, you and your band just wrapped your second tour a few months ago and you’re already putting out a new album soon. How do you find the time to just churn out music like that?”
“Well, every member of the band pitches in to write our songs. So everytime we’re home with our friends or families we always have stuff going on, things to experience or draw on to make music. And we’re very close so we’re always meeting up to bounce ideas off each other.”
“That’s right I hear you guys all play Dungeons & Dragons togethers and you have since-”
“Since high school, yeah. I had to repeat my senior twice before I found out I had ADHD and there were days where those games were the only things that kept me going.”
Graham turns to Chris and Eddie is grateful for a moment to take a sip of his drink and fix his sleeve which is just a smidge too tight. “Chris I know you didn’t play before but have you started since being in the Dungeons & Dragons movies.”
“We did a one shot…,” he trails off and glances at Eddie who nods in confirmation, “One shot to promote the second one with John running it and it was fun but there’s just so much to memorize.”
“And you Stephanie, did you do anything like that?”
She shakes her head with a beautiful smile, “No, I heard about D&D growing up and it’s become so popular now. I tend to be outdoors- I’m still outdoors a lot, handling the farm and the gardens and such.”
“More power to you,” Eddie offers her a cheers with his glass, “I grew up in farm country but I’m terrible at keeping plants alive.” No, that honor goes to Steve who loves growing things in their apartment.
“Before we go, Eddie I have one more question for you. I know you’re not on social media much but the internet is just dying to know about that gorgeous bodyguard of yours-”
“Bodyguard? What bodyguard?” Eddie interrupts as Graham pulls out his tablet and presses a button to pull up several images from social media. In them is Eddie and a very handsome brunette man holding open the door of a cafe and walking with him into a venue with a hand on Eddie’s back. The same brunette is pictured picking up Eddie after a speaker tipped over and caused Eddie to twist an ankle during a show. All of the images are tagged #thebardsbodyguard or some similar iteration. Eddie frowns and points at the screen, at the gorgeous man he knows like the back of his hand,
“Wait, you mean my husband?”
Twitter goes down for three hours after. Eddie and Steve are trending on Tumblr for days. People scrounge up photos of them from high school, pictures of Steve from the swim team and Eddie from Hellfire club surface and float around the internet. The length of their romance is speculated on as well as when they got married. Some clever fan notes the ring Eddie wears on the same chain as his guitar pick around his neck and the bat wing tattoo on his ring finger that appeared around the same time. The only thing no one finds is the wedding. It had been a close friends and family only event and none of their people would ever share Steve and Eddie’s personal lives like that.
Eddie does eventually give a single interview about his relationship with Steve but after that refuses any others with a request for privacy. He does however post a single photo of he and Steve in their wedding tuxes on Halloween that year. The two of them smiling side by side, foreheads tipped together, eyes closed. Steve is laying on Eddie’s chest when he posts it, having given final approval on the selected photo, while they share a slice of cheesecake for their anniversary.
Eddie wakes up and immediately feels his hackles raise. This isn’t his bed, this isn’t one of his friends' houses, hell he doesn’t even remember leaving Hellfire last nigh… oh because he didn’t. He fainted, but where is he now? And why is he still dressed?
He cracks one eye open to assess his surroundings, the room is nice, the bed doubly so. The pillow smells dusty though, like this room hasn’t been used in a while. His wallet and everything are still in his pants, it had been too humid for his leather jacket today, yesterday now, but nothing lends any details as to where the hell he might be. His shoes are even tucked away nicely next to the bedside table.
The smell of food hits him and stops all thoughts in his tracks. He’s still sore and his throat feels like someone took sandpaper to it, but his head is clearer today than it was yesterday and his stomach is growling. He gets his shoes back on and laced up before creeping downstairs as quietly as possible. There’s no pictures or anything to indicate who lives here but he’s seen Harrington’s living room before when he’d dealt. Why he’s here is still a mystery, Harrington hasn’t thrown a party in years.
“Hey, you’re awake.”
Eddie jumps almost a foot in the air as the man in question appears through the doorway to the kitchen. He’s barefoot, wearing a pair of criminally low slung sweatpants with no shirt and when did Steve Harrington get chest hair?! He sucks on his lower lip so he doesn’t drool and excuse me was that a once-over? Did King Steve just check him out? Oh his poor queer heart cannot take this.
“I’m working on breakfast if you think you could keep anything down for me.”
I’ll go down whenever you want big boy. Eddie mentally slaps himself before giving the other man a weak smile, “I’ll never turn down food but umm, why am I here?”
“You don’t remember?” Either his imagination is going wilder than usual, fantasies of biting Steve’s neck and chest notwithstanding, or Steve Harrington is giving him a disappointed pout.
“I was at Hellfire, and then I woke up here.”
“Come eat and I’ll explain.”
He trots after the younger man into the kitchen, ignoring the massive fuck off table in favor of grabbing a stool at the breakfast bar. He watches Steve cover a pleased little smile with his hand and he’s not sure what he did to earn it, he would like to so he can do it again, every day for however long it makes Steve do that. Steve makes up a plate for him with buttered toast and scrambled eggs, it’s not much but it looks good.
“There’s plenty if you want more, figured I’d start you off easy considering your fever was so bad last night you passed out at your game.”
“Christ, I did? Guess that’s why I don’t remember anything, maybe I got a concussion.” He shoves a bite of eggs in his mouth, they’re delightfully fluffy.
“I doubt it but I can check if you like, I’ve had several.”
“Umm, I guess?” Eddie shrugs and prepares himself to answer the usual questions that people ask when someone has possible brain damage. He is not prepared for Steve to come around the edge of the bar and physically turn Eddie to face him before lifting the metalhead’s chin with a finger curled under it and leaning in close to his face.
“Look right at me please.” He asks softly and Eddie resists the urge to blurt out ‘every damn day if you ask me like that’. Eddie can feel the warmth of Steve’s body so close to his own, the younger man almost close enough to have settled between his thighs instead. He barely holds back a whimper when Steve’s thumb brushes over his jaw, his fingers carefully tilting Eddie’s face as he examines his eyes for what feels like much longer than it probably has been.
“Your eye dilation looks normal, I’d ask if you see something you like based on how wide your pupils are but that’d be pretty unprofessional of me.” With a wink Steve steps back and walks back over to the stove while Eddie crosses his legs with a cough.
“W-what do you mean un-ahem-unprofessional?” His throat was scratchy from being sick, that's all.
“I’m going to EMT school. I know they think I don’t know that they know but Dustin is about as subtle as a bat to the face. And everyone keeps slipping me flashcards that are definitely not in my handwriting. It’s why they called me when you went down, I guess no one in your band could take you with them.” Steve starts eating eggs right out of the pan and tapping his fork over his plump, wet bottom lip and that should not be attractive what the fuck!
“So my van is still at the- school! Fuck what time is it?!” He starts looking around frantically even though he’s fairly certain no one thought to give Steve his backpack. Or his lunchbox.
“I already called the school, told a little fib about already being certified and that you’d be taking today and tomorrow off to recover from being sick. So you’re excused and Dustin or one of your friends can pick up your schoolwork.”
“Jeez man, thank you. I’d offer you a dime bag on the house or something if I had my lunch box.”
“How about you drop by movie night instead sometime? You could bring a few joints if you want.” Steve offers like they’re fucking friends or something, “You are good with the kids, they’ve been through a lot and the rest of us in the Babysitter’s club appreciate it. So you might as well join us for beers and movies and get the rest of the club package.”
“You need someone to help you veto the rest of the group's artsy movies don’t you?”
“Yessss,” Steve slumps against the counter with his head buried in his arms, “anything but another German expressionist film please!”
“Alright big boy I’ll give you a hand.”
Steve popped back up, cheeks flushed and a wide smile on his face, “Thanks Eddie, ugh I’m so happy I could kiss you!”
Eddie choked as Steve looked up at him, flushed and disheveled and barely dressed and he was not a strong man dammit!
“Never took you for the type to kiss boys Harrington.” Remember you’re straight and stop looking at me like that. Steve just shifts to where he’s leaning on his elbows, pushing his pectorals together in a way that would have made plenty of women jealous. He folds his hands and balances his chin on them, batting his eyelashes at Eddie.
“You’d be surprised.” He says slyly before nudging Eddie’s plate closer to him, “Finish eating before it gets cold, then I’ve got some pain killers for you and we can just crash on the couch for the day unless you want me to take you anywhere.”
“You, want me to stay?”
The smile Steve sends him feels undeserved, like he missed a chapter in this book somewhere. He and Steve had spoken maybe ten words to each other in high school and now he’s invited to have a movie marathon with the ex-king while he has a cold.
“Sure Eddie, I’d just be here alone otherwise.”
“Well, I wouldn’t want my uncle to catch this. Aren’t you worried about getting sick?”
The younger man shrugs, “Guaranteed the munchkins are going to get it, which means their siblings are going to get so one way or another I’m going to end up getting it too. Might as well get it out of the way now.”
“You’re not really anything like I expected.”
“Is that a good thing?” Steve asks softly, the first sign of insecurity Eddie has seen from him in their few interactions.
“Very Stevie.” He can only offer back honestly, the gentle smile he receives in return is like feeling the sun come through the clouds.
"Just no horror movies please, they can give me migraines sometimes." The younger man asks bashfully.
“That's fine by me sweetheart.” He goes back to his food and accepts the painkillers Steve hands him after.
He’s curious about what a day spent with Steve Harrington will be like.
Steve’s going to romance this cute nerd with a crush on him so hard. Thank you for reading!
When they make it to the parking lot Steve is clearly having a time freeing himself from octopus Eddie who has decided to latch onto Steve with a single-minded determination. Gareth wishes he had a camera.
He can’t see what Harrington does to make Eddie let go but whatever it was was very effective as Eddie finally releases his grip and allows Steve to lay him down in the backseat. Dustin hands his keys back and accepts a hug from Steve before the freshman trots back over to them as Jonathan pulls into the parking lot. The boys wave to each other and then Steve is gone, taking Eddie with him.
“You think he’ll be okay?” Grant asks worriedly, they did just hand Eddie the Freak Munson, weak as a kitten, off to King Steve. The enormity of what just happened starts to hit them all and they start to panic.
“Oh fuck, oh god what if he kills him?”
“He wouldn’t do that right? The kids wouldn’t have called him if he would, right?!”
A sharp whistle cuts them off and they all turn to Lucas who pulls his fingers from his mouth, he gives them all a disappointed look, his hands settling on his hips like a small, angry soccer mom. “Steve is getting certified as an EMT. He’ll keep Eddie safe.”
“Why didn’t you just say so?” Gareth explodes, he was ready to tear his hair out worried about his friend.
“Steve doesn’t know that we know.” Mike says as he hands Dustin his backpack, Will is already off to go talk to his brother.
“Huh?” The band collectively replies.
“He’s scared he’ll fail. Doesn’t want to tell anyone until he’s sworn in, like there’s any chance he won’t be top of his class. He doesn’t know that we all know already, we’re planning a big party for him once he graduates. Of course Dustin has all the subtlety of a brick to the face so how Steve hasn’t figured out that he knows yet is the real surprise.” Lucas explains, giving Dustin some major side eye.
“Hey!”
Well that was kinda reassuring, didn’t people who did medical stuff have to take a vow to not hurt people or something like that?
“What’s going to happen when Eddie wakes up?” Oh boy.
~O~
Munson was scary light as Steve got him through the front door and onto the couch. He’d mumbled a few things into Steve’s neck when he got jostled as Steve kicked the front door closed behind them but settled down again shortly after.
“What was that?” He asked as he pushed Munson’s sweaty hair off his forehead.
“Had… dream…like this.” He mumbles and yeah Steve needs to get his fever down. He walks into the kitchen and finds a frozen bag of peas he used to use for sports injuries and after wrapping it up with a towel from the stove he plops the bag on Munson's face.
"Blindfolding me 'lready, sssso bold."
“You really never shut up do you?” He rests one arm on the couch arm, chin propped on the other with a slight smirk. He leans over Eddie and watches as the older boy drags the bag of peas to his chest to hold against his overheated core and blinks up at him with foggy, wet bambi eyes.
“C’n think… a feww ‘ays.” Munson tries to give him a flirty look back but his fever makes him uncoordinated so it looks more like his face just scrunches up uncomfortably. It makes Steve chuckle softly and Eddie lights up in response.
“Pretty… pretty boy.” He tries to reach up but Steve catches his hand and gently places it back on the pea ice pack. Munson was smart, pressing his wrists against it to help cool him down.
“I know I’m gorgeous Munson but let’s get you feeling better before you try to kiss me okay?”
“Promise?” Well, Steve feels like he should be surprised but considering Eddie has been basically spilling his sexuality in his fevered state, he’s just going to wait it out and see if Eddie remembers any of this later. And if he doesn’t then he will keep the older boy’s secret.
“We can talk about it when your fever breaks. Do you think you could keep some food down for me or would you rather take some Nyquil and sleep?”
Eddie looks queasy at just the mention of food so it’s not a surprise when he asks for sleep. Steve stands and goes to dig through his medicine cabinet, he knows he stocked up when Dustin had a cold from all the stress after Starcourt. After filling up the little cup with the medicine he fills another glass with some gatorade mixed with ice for him to wash it down.
Eddie’s breathing is still a little shallow when he returns, but hopefully the medicine will help with the fever breaking. He is able to haul Eddie up enough to get him to drink the medicine but struggles with getting him to sip the juice. Eventually Eddie places his hand over Steve’s to steady him so he’s not feeling waterboarded.
“Spose it’ss too late t’ ask, you di’n’t poison me right?”
Steve sets the glass aside since it seems like Eddie is done drinking. “No Munson, I’m not that jealous of you stealing my kids yet.”
“Nooo, not jel’uss. Kids luv you.” His slurring started to get worse as the meds kicked in.
“We can debate that in the morning, for now let’s get you in a bed.” He takes the melty bag of peas and sets them aside before scooping Eddie up again. Getting up the stairs leaves Steve huffing a bit, Eddie is light but he isn’t weightless. He says as such and gets a bite to the shoulder for his trouble.
“...u callin’ me fat?” He pouts and weakly tries to squirm away.
“No Eddie you’re the prettiest princess at the ball I assure you. I will search the whole kingdom to find out who could ever fit into your scuffed up Docs.” Steve snorts but Eddie looks pleased as punch at Steve’s proclamation.
“Damn straight.” Eddie sighs tiredly, his head lolling against Steve’s shoulder. “Don’ wanna wake up.”
“Wake up from what Eddie?” He asks as he lays Eddie in the guest bed, he kneels down to tug off Eddie’s boots and set them aside. Talking to Eddie is like conversing with a sleep talker at this point.
“Dream, you bein’ niccce.”
“What would you like me to say in this dream of yours then? Before you wake up.” He asks, looking up at Eddie from where he’s kneeling in front or the other, hands gripping his shins to keep his balance. He’s not expecting Eddie to reach out and touch his cheek with icy fingers.
“Ssssuch a crussh on you…school.”
Steve’s cheeks explode with color at that admission and he quickly stands up to lay Eddie down and tuck him in. Eddie is out as soon as he hits the pillow. Steve runs a hand through his hair and sighs as he watches Eddie Munson curl around his pillow in his sleep and let out a loud snore.
Shaking his head he leaves the door cracked open and heads back downstairs to clean up and watch some tv before bed.
“Eddie!” The kids shrieked as they all ran to the unconscious Dungeon Master’s side. Dustin knelt down and reached for Eddie’s forehead, yanking it back seconds later. “Shit he’s burning up.”
“He’s sick.” Gareth huffs as he helps the kid shift Eddie onto his back. The metalhead’s breath is rattling in his chest and he’s covered in a layer of sweat.
“Why didn’t he cancel then?” Lucas asks, looking at the older kids.
“Because he’s a stubborn ass who doesn’t know how to ask for help.” Gareth turns to the others, “Can one of you get him home?” His mom had the car tonight.
“Jeff rode with me and we still have all those stupid boxes of my dad’s shit in the back.” Frank said with a shrug, “Besides he probably shouldn’t be alone if he’s sick man, you know Wayne works nights.”
“Okay but we can’t take him and what are the kids going to do, strap him to their handlebars?”
That caused all the kids to glance at each other before turning to Will, “Is Jon still coming to get you tonight?” Mike asks.
“Yeah, and I know he doesn’t have a shift tonight.” With that settled Dustin gets up and goes to his backpack. He pulls out a walkie talkie and after fiddling with it a moment he starts speaking.
“Steve, Steve come in, over.”
Steve? How was Steve Harrington going to help here?
“I’m heading out the door Henderson don’t worry, you guys ended early tonight.” Dustin normally would ignore Steve until he used proper radio etiquette but Eddie took precedence. And besides, Steve’s little ‘secret’ isn’t so secret when he leaves his books open on the Family Video counter.
“Actually we need your help, over.”
The response was immediate and tense, “Code red help?”
“No, no, leave Lola in the trunk. Eddie is sick and passed out, no one else can help him.” Dustin turned back to Eddie who now had a wet rag on his head courtesy of someone.
“Who’s Lola?” Jeff asked the other kids who just rolled their eyes, except Will.
“Steve’s melee weapon, he named her Lola.” Well that cleared up exactly nothing.
“Because you have lifeguard training dumbass!” Dustin says, the others having missed Steve’s reply.
“Lifeguard certification does not equal a doctorate Dustin! What about his bandmates, why can’t they take him?”
Huh, Steve Harrington knows they exist, and not just in a they’re also in Hellfire kinda way. This day just gets weirder and weirder.
“No one has a ride or space available. Please Steve, he’s got a bad fever and his breathing is really shallow. There’s no one at home to keep an eye on him.”
The line goes silent for almost a minute and a half before finally crackling to life again, “Low fucking blow Henderson,” The ex-jock hisses out, “I’ll be there in five. Who is taking you brats home?”
“We’re going to bully Jon into doing it. Thanks Steve.” He shuts the walkie off and puts it away before going back to Eddie.
The older man had sort of regained consciousness by now but whatever he was mumbling wasn’t coherent. Seems he’d gone delirious from the fever.
Less than five minutes later, Jesus had Harrington floored it all the way here, the old King of Hawkins High strode through the drama room doors. He ruffled Dustin’s hair before quickly going to Eddie’s side. After also checking his temperature and his pulse the brunette turned to the band.
“Has he had anything to eat or drink today?”
The other two shrugged and turned to Gareth, “I gave him some water and crackers at lunch since he didn’t have any food with him, also brought him some tea before we started tonight. I don’t know about anything else.”
“Okay, thanks man. Dust,” He pulls out his car keys and hands them off to the other teen, “Get the back door open for me please.”
The kid runs out to do as requested, Steve turns back to the other kids, “If you haven’t yet, let Jon and Nancy know what’s happening. I don’t want one of you stranded here while I get Munson settled.”
Lucas nodded and went to do as the older boy asked. The Coffin boys knew Steve was a babysitter/overbearing sibling figure to the kids, the way they sang his praises, but this felt like a commander giving orders and everyone followed them like their lives were on the line. It was weird.
“Give my best to your families, I’ll be there for Saturday dinner kay?” He pats Will’s shoulder fondly and then turns back to Eddie.
“Okay Munson, are you with me enough to hold onto me?” Steve coaxes Eddie’s arms into looping around his neck, he’s not expecting one to immediately curl into his hair and tug weakly. Whatever face Steve made as he held back from making any kind of sound besides a pained grunt seemed to amuse Eddie greatly as he started giggling.
“Yes, yes you’re very funny.” Sighing, Steve digs his arms under Eddie and scoops the metalhead into his arms. Eddie lets out a very soft ‘whee’ in response as he’s lifted and his head tucked into Steve’s shoulder. There’s a small smile teasing the corner of Harrington’s lips. He stands and makes sure Eddie isn’t about to fling himself out of Steve’s arms before he starts walking back out to the parking lot. The rest of the group scrambles to pack their shit away and follow after them.
Pre s4 - Eddie is sick but doesn't want to miss Hellfire, until he collapses from his fever and the kids in a panic call Steve. Steve taking care of Eddie who while delirious calls him pretty and says he had a crush on him.
Eddie had been feeling off since he woke up, his throat was dry and scratchy and his body ached like he got hit by a bus. But he needed to maintain some level of attendance at the school and he was already pushing his limits so he downed some painkillers with a cup of coffee and grabbed his books and keys before heading to school.
He doesn’t remember if he managed to take notes or not, even if he did they probably wouldn’t be coherent. His head feels stuffed full of wool and he barely managed to keep down two of the crackers and the water Gareth insisted on nudging his way. When the last bell rang he trudged towards the Drama room to start setup, because of course he couldn’t just go home when he felt so awful, they had Hellfire tonight. He kept his head down, waiting for the halls to mostly empty before moving, and if he had to occasionally lean against the wall to get there that was his business.
A lesser DM may have canceled or postponed but he knew little Will Byers would be leaving them soon for California and that Wheeler, Henderson, and Sinclair were trying to spend as much time together as possible. Honestly it felt a little codependent the way that the others clung to Will, all of them insanely attentive to the smallest flinch the smaller boy let out. There was clearly a story there, one Eddie wasn’t in the mood to hear today.
He got the minis set up and all but collapsed into his throne, everything hurt and the room was swimming a bit around the edges of his vision. He was breathing hard and shallow too, he needed to get it together. Gareth showed up earlier than everyone else, Eddie was fairly certain his friend could tell that he was under the weather. This was confirmed when the drummer pressed more painkillers into his hand and passed him a still warm cup of tea.
“You break into the teachers lounge?” Christ, was that his voice?! He quickly downed the pills and took a quick sip of the tea.
“You sure you’re up for this man?” Gareth asks instead, Eddie waves his worries off as he takes another sip.
“Yeah man I’m fine, just a frog in the throat is all.” It’s pretty clear neither of them were convinced by that but before his friend could protest or make him cancel the children arrived and the other boy was forced to retreat.
This wasn’t Eddie’s best game he’ll be honest. Between trying to sip the tea as little as possible in order to make it last and all of his npc voices still coming out weak and raspy he just wanted this session to be over. The kids were arguing and Eddie barely had enough strength to smack a hand on the table to shut them up instead of shouting at them. Will kept staring at him, intuitive little fucker he was, could probably tell Eddie wasn’t all there. Okay it was time to end this.
Eddie stood from his throne and tried to make it look like he planned it when he had to splay his hands across the table to stay upright. Black spots danced across his vision and he blinked hard several times to try and clear them. He shook his head when that failed and oh shit that only made it worse, now with spotty vision and vertigo Eddie had to swallow hard as bile climbed up the back of his throat. Just two more minutes damnit.
“Alright everyone, tha-,” he cleared his throat, why did it feel like he was swaying in circles, he wasn’t was he? “That’s all forrrr…” His knees started to buckle so he locked them, fat lot of good it did when they already felt like jelly. He straightened up to his full height and realized too late that was a very bad idea.
“Shit.” Was the last word that slipped from his lips before everything went black.
Pt 2
Follow the #Steddiefic Chronicles tag to keep track of this story
“Okay Dustin, tell me one more time why you think Steve was kidnapped.” Hopper says while pinching the ridge of his nose. It’s not that he didn’t believe the boy, it's just, he highly doubts one guy would be capable of taking Steve down easily.
“He told me he was! I heard a struggle, he said kidnapped, I heard the kidnappers voice!” Dustin shrieks while waving his phone at Hopper. Will, Mike and Lucas had come to join him, they were staying quiet though, still in shock. The girls had been skeptical and refused to stop their girls day for what they thought was a cry for attention.
“Did Steve perhaps call you accidentally if he was… busy with someone?” He has caught Steve with his pants down too many times to assume the guy didn’t have varied interests in bed. Dustin just scowls and puts his hands on his hips exactly like Steve does.
“No, he was calling to tell me something. That he wasn’t going to be able to do something and then the struggle started. I heard swearing and panting like Steve was trying to get away, his speaker sounded like it had been hit because all his audio started getting really fuzzy. He was trying to say something about his kidnapper that he was weird or something like that. And then I heard the guy's voice really clearly, he said ‘in you go princess.”
“I understand Dustin, I'm just asking if there are any other possibilities. Steve is an adult man who doesn’t look like he’d be easy to kidnap, on top of that he was on the phone actively talking to a witness which is the last thing a criminal wants. Kidnappers go after people who won’t be missed, who they can convince to get out of the public eye.”
“He said goodbye to me, Hopper. He said goodbye and that he loves me.” Steve normally did this but he just had this gut feeling that something horrible had happened. “If you won’t help me I’ll go looking for him myself.”
“Slow your roll Dustin Henderson. I didn’t say I wouldn’t help, I just need as much information as possible. Did Steve tell you where he was when he was taken?”
“His phone tracking shows him around the corner from the shop when he made the call.” Dustin pulls up the map and shows him the screenshot he took of the dot in front of the corner bodega. “Now the tracking on it is spotty, wherever they’re taking him it has a bad signal, and they’re moving.”
Fuck that’s not good. Hopper stands from his desk and grabs his jacket. “Okay, I’m going to check out where Steve was last seen. You tell me if the tracking ever reappears and what direction it’s heading in, that could help us predict where they may be headed. Stay here. Do not, do anything stupid.” Hopper orders before heading out the door and getting in his cruiser to go by the bakery.
~O~
They had stopped at a gas station about twenty minutes out from the cabin because Eddie wanted s'mores supplies and some beers. Steve was kind of hungry so he picked up some snacks for them too. The two of them giggled and playfully shoved each other until the gas station owner, full of fond exasperation, said that she was going to confiscate their ID’s as fakes if they didn’t stop acting like children. Steve looked concerned while Eddie just snorted.
“Like you haven’t been letting me buy beers here since I was 19 Terry.” He winks and she flips him off. They set their haul on the counter and Steve insists on paying, smacking Eddie’s hands away when he tries to steal the other man’s card. Eventually Eddie just folds his arms over Steve’s shoulders and rests his chin on Steve’s head.
“Shall I give Wayne your best then?” He teases wiggling his eyebrows. Terry scoffs and reaches across the counter to swat him.
“You’ll be keeping your mouth shut if you know what’s good for you Edward Theodore Munson. And thank your young man for buying your groceries, what were you raised in a barn?”
“Oh trust me Lady Theressa I would like nothing more than to thank him, long and often but he has rebuffed my advances because all of you keep telling him I’m such a scoundrel!” Eddie dramatically swoons against Steve’s back, swooning a little in reality at how easily Steve holds his weight. “My knight in shining armor has rebuked me, leaving me without favor or token to get me through the dark, lonely nights!”
“Are you sure you want to be seen in public with this guy?” Terry stage whispers to Steve. Steve laughs and rubs his hand over Eddie’s forearms, the metalhead squeezing him tighter in response.
“God help me but doe-eyed, curly hair nerds are kinda my type.” That response has Eddie blushing and ducking his head to hide behind his curls against Steve’s neck. He meant it when he said he’d earn that kiss, whatever Steve needed to know his interest was in something real.
“That’s on you then. You boys stay safe out there, got it?” She gives them both an ‘I’m watching you’ gesture as they gather up their bags of snacks and offer her holiday wishes in return as they head out.
Eddie squeezes Steve’s hand once they’re back in the car warming up. Steve’s eyes are glittering and Eddie squeezes his hand again so he doesn’t lean over and accidentally steal that kiss. “If you’re not completely sick of me after this trip, and you’re willing to give this a shot, I’d like to take you to dinner.”
“I think I’d like that.” Steve murmurs. Honestly if Eddie asked he’d definitely kiss him right here and now. No one has made him laugh this much in a while, has listened to Steve talk about the bakery and the youth basketball team he’s an assistant coach for with such rapt attention. He hasn’t felt this seen since Robin, who is the other half of his brain cell, they are two halves of a whole idiot and they do just about everything together. She knows he’s thought Eddie was cute from the first time he walked into the bakery, with a grease smudge on his forehead and his hair tied up in a clip.
“Is there something on my face, you’re staring.” Eddie asks, he’s actually got a smear of chocolate from a cookie on his lip but Steve just smiles and shakes his head.
“Just think you’re beautiful, that’s all.” And as color floods Eddie’s face, prompting him to hide behind his hair again as he turns to watch the road, Steve can’t help but be unrepentantly charmed. It’s silly to think about but Steve feels like he’s fallen into one of those goofy Hallmark Christmas movies. The ones where unexpected circumstances end up bringing you exactly where you’re supposed to be to meet The One or something ridiculous like that. It’s silly he knows but he has a good feeling about this Christmas.
~O~
Most of the shops had closed by the time Hopper got there, the bodega included unfortunately. But there was a pawn shop across the street that was still open. He walked in and went to the counter where a nervous, sweaty little man stared him down.
“H-hello offfficer. What can I do for you?” He dabs at his receding hairline with a stained hanky.
“That camera out front work?” He asks and the man nods.
“Yes, I-I haven’t had many customers come in today and I have all the goods I’ve had sold to me today right over here if you need to see any of them for any reason. I do feel like I should inform you-”
“I don’t care about possible stolen goods at the moment, does that camera reach to across the street?” Hopper cuts him off not wanting to be here a second longer than he needed to.
“A little. Um, right this way officer.” He scurries over to the door to lock it and switch the sign to closed before taking Hopper to the backroom where the camera controls were set up.
“I want you to show me just before 7 to 7:15 today.” Hopper says and the man is quick to comply. He wasn’t exaggerating about the little, Hopper couldn’t see faces or anything significantly higher than people’s waists. He scanned the footage intently for anything suspicious and then he saw it. An inconspicuous looking black vehicle driving too close to the curb, kicking up sludge as it goes. He sees sharp movements and then two bodies hitting the ground. They’re almost out of frame when the incident occurs but he catches a glimpse of Steve. The young man is indeed on his phone, the device clutched in his hand as a body with its back to the camera lands on top of him. The figure is wearing what looks like jeans and a thick, dark sweater, heavy combat boots and chains dangling from one of the pockets. So definitely not Steve’s usual crowd. He watches Steve’s feet scrabble against the icy pavement before he’s pulled up and out of frame. About a minute later a similar black vehicle drives back in the other direction.
So that must be the play. Knock them off balance by driving too close, then while the victim is disoriented loading them into the vehicle and taking off back in the opposite direction. Unfortunately this camera angle didn’t provide plate details for the vehicle so that would have to wait until morning. He just hoped Steve could hold on that long.
“Rewind a bit, I want you to print out some of these frames for me.” Hopper says, pulling up another chair.
By the time he gets back to the office he’s frustrated and worried for Steve. And he knows Joyce has got to be getting worried about him too, he should have been home almost two hours ago by now.
The kids have all gone but they pinned a map to a whiteboard they commandeered and drew a trail of dots with each check in point where they could get a signal from Steve’s phone. It looks like the kidnappers are headed towards the mountains which is not a good sign for Steve’s life expectancy. He can’t despair yet though and adds the printouts of the attack to the board.
Steve is his boy and if these fuckers have hurt a single hair on his head, they’ll never find the bodies. No matter how much his heart and mind rage though there’s no new information to gather right now. He needs to go home, to tell Joyce what happened. He needs her help to figure out what to tell the kids if the worst comes to pass.
~O~
Wayne is standing in the open door as they pull up. Eddie can barely help the child-like grin on his face as he dashes up onto the porch, ignoring the crack of ice under his boots as he pulls his uncle into a tight hug.
“I’ve missed you.” He groans as Wayne squeezes him back just as tight,
“Missed you too son, now get in here so I can meet your boy finally.”
And oh how Eddie’s heart soared at hearing Wayne call Steve his boy, but first he had to tell Wayne the truth about what happened.
“About that Wayne, this is Steve, he’s a friend of mine. Hector won’t be joining us because he decided to be a two-timing scumbag.” Steve, absolute gentleman that he is, has all their bags with him that he sets down before offering Wayne his hand to shake.
“Steve Harrington sir, Eddie has been telling me so much about you.” Wayne returns the gesture with a small grin, so similar to Eddie’s.
“Just Wayne please, you gonna make an honest man of my boy before these knees are too old to walk him down the aisle?”
“Wayne!” Eddie sputters, resisting the urge to throw himself in the nearest snowdrift and just stay there until the spring thaw. He’s burning up so much right now he could possibly melt through the ice on the lake and just drown there too. Steve barely seems phased though and just gives Eddie a soft look.
“Well, we were going to maybe start with dinner. Save the wedding plans for the third date you know.” He winks and Eddie buries his face in his hands with a whine, great they get along too well.
“I’m going to bed!” He declares loudly, he’s had a shit day and the drive up into the mountains always stresses him out. Wayne just gives him the stink eye.
“You drag this boy all the way out here and just plan on disappearing? Show him around at least!” Wayne turns back to Steve and pats him on the shoulder, “I really tried to raise him with manners I swear.”
Steve throws his head back and laughs, looking so radiant and happy that Eddie barely feels his heart slip from his chest and splat down at his feet. Freely offered to the gorgeous man who offered to come here for him, who looks at him like he’s hoping as hard as Eddie is that this thing starting to take shape between them could be something wonderful.
“I think he’s just the way he’s supposed to be.” Steve says, looking at him so warmly. Eddie flushes and reaches for Steve again, craving the way their fingers feel folded together already and starts showing him around the cabin. It’s not massive or really even anything special. Living room, kitchen, two bedrooms and a bathroom across the way. There’s a little gazebo outside right on the edge of a lake which was why Wayne wanted the place to begin with. There’s boxes of decorations sitting out but no tree, when Steve asks about it Eddie just grins.
“Munson family tradition, we have to go get one. Then we spend the whole day decorating and drinking and snacking on whatever we have on hand. Sometimes we stay inside and just read while Wayne plays his old records. Or I’ll take the kids out to go skate if my cousins are around.”
“That sounds really nice Eddie. I never really got to have traditions like that growing up.” Steve had talked a bit about his cold, lonely upbringing, and how he’d never had people to celebrate the holidays with until Robin and his group of shitheads. Eddie had suspected that Steve had to be at least a bit lonely to volunteer to go to a practical stranger’s house for Christmas but Eddie was really happy he had.
“Then I’m all too happy to share ours with you.” Steve’s lip wobbles a touch as he pulls Eddie into a gentle hug.
“I feel like a horrible person for crying when you’re the one who went through so much today, but thank you for having me.” Eddie wraps his arms around Steve and holds him back just as gently, fingers sinking into Steve’s thick waves.
“Thank you for offering to come. I feel so much braver, facing everything that happened today because I wasn’t going through it alone.” The held each other for a moment longer before drifting back to their own spaces. “Want some cocoa before we head to bed? It’s a queen if you don’t mind sharing, the couch is…” he inhales sharply, “not great.”
“I feel like we’re going about things in a very weird order. Haven’t kissed, haven't been on a date but going straight to sharing a bed. Yeah, cocoa sounds nice.”
“It’s from a packet so temper your fine artisanal drink crafting expectations.” Eddie says tugging Steve into the kitchen,
Steve just shakes his head and giggles, “Just how pretentious do you think I am?”
Wayne watches them from his seat in the living room, two of them wrapped up in their own little world of new romance as they stand hip to hip in the kitchen, sipping hot chocolate and watching each other with stars in their eyes. They might actually start discussing marriage before their third date.
They didn’t bother with any space between them that night, Eddie lays his head on Steve’s shoulder because that’s where it belonged, the same way Steve’s fingers belong on his lower back, tucked under the hem of Eddie’s hoodie. Their legs tangled together as Eddie trails a finger over Steve lips and asks to kiss him.
“Ask me again in the morning sweetheart. I don’t want to be half asleep when I taste you.”
Eddie groans at that, hips shifting against Steve’s, “Baby you can’t say shit like that to me and expect me to go to sleep.”
“Watch me.” He tips Eddie’s chin up and tugs his lower lip between his teeth, scraping until the tender flesh snaps back and leaves Eddie whining and arching under his hands.
“I’m going to fucking ruin you the second I get you in my bed princess.” He hisses and Steve laughs in his face.
“Try that one again when you can stop grinding against my thigh helplessly…princess.” Steve purrs right back. “Until I say so, you’re at my mercy and I’m going to enjoy it.”
Eddie wants to make him eat those words, wants to place his lips everywhere else since Steve’s own mouth is off limits. But Steve’s eyelids are drooping and he can feel a yawn behind his teeth, so he just presses a kiss to Steve’s forehead and whispers, “Enjoy it then big boy. Good night.”
They drift off tangled together while Steve’s family plans a raid on the Munson cabin first thing in the morning.
~O~
The Hopper-Byers house woke up solemnly and got dressed, their living room floor full of sleeping bags and piles of blankets. The kids were riding with Nancy and Jon in the station wagon while Joyce and Hopper took the cruiser. Robin was out of town and no one wanted to stress her out until they had safely gotten Steve back home.
Nancy was loaded down with her handgun and sawed off that Hopper was pretending not to see at this moment. Lucas was fiddling with his wrist rocket while El, Max, and Will talked quietly amongst themselves. Dustin had used his spare key to get Steve’s home defense bat which was tucked between his knees, hands gripping the end until his knuckles go white. Mike had been strangely silent since the news broke, guilt over everything he’d said to Steve eating him alive.
“We’re going to get him Hop, one way or another.” Joyce swears, their backseat has enough supplies in the back to make sure that the corpses of Eddie and Wayne Munson are never found again. They’d send Steve back with the kids, let them take care of him back at home base. Hopper would get his testimony later, after Joyce had put some good meals in him and let him rest off the trauma.
And then they’d get Steve whatever help and therapy he would need depending on what he’d had to live through. They would offer him all the support and love that his family had never been able to. Joyce would call Steve her son the way she’d always hesitated to, afraid she had been overstepping. Hopper would ask if Steve would like to change his last name, had wanted to since the Harrington’s had disowned him for being bisexual.
Everyone was making silent promises to apologize, to hold, to talk, to give Steve all the things they realized they’d been holding back or neglecting. Because it was either they got the chance to or they’d be begging forgiveness at Steve’s grave.
Joyce consulted the map they’d brought with all of the satellite dots from Steve’s phone as they passed a gas station about half an hour from their destination. “They stopped there according to the map, the last one before they got to the cabin.”
Hopper squeezes her hand quietly, “One way or another.”
~O~
“I know it’s not much because I’m afraid I don’t know you very well yet son, but I didn’t want you to be here empty handed so this is for you.” Wayne says as he nudges a box across the coffee table to Steve.
“Wayne, you didn’t have to.” Steve carefully slipped off the paper, something Eddie found so endlessly endearing. He looked forward to watching Steve do this with the rest of his gifts once they got back to town tomorrow. And then Eddie was ordering take out and making out with Steve in the other man’s apartment until Steve kicked him out.
The box contained a pair of slippers and a soft bathrobe, not Steve’s normal style but probably a soon to be necessity if he didn’t want Robin to murder him if Eddie ever stayed over. “I get the feeling this will be very useful soon. Thank you so much Wayne.” He offers sincerely as Wayne reaches over to pat his knee fondly with a warm smile.
“You’re welcome Steve. I’m so happy to have met you, and how happy you make Eddie… it warms this old man's heart.”
“You’re not even that old Wayne.” Steve snorts, making them all laugh. He shifts back against the sofa to tuck under Eddie’s arm, eyes closing with happiness as Eddie’s lips press to his temple.
“Do you want another cup of coffee?” He asks and Steve nods gently so Eddie gathers up their mugs and heads into the kitchen.
“Go get your boy.” Wayne encourages him with a wink. Grinning Steve hops up and follows Eddie into the kitchen. He grabs some snacks for them to nibble on while Eddie refills their mugs. Before he can step back into the living room Steve stops him.
“Look up sweetheart.”
Eddie looks up and sees a sprig of mistletoe taped over the doorway, “Really? Really Wayne?”
Wayne just laughs at him and waves them off, “Just kiss the man Eddie, I’m sick of whatever weird mating dance you two are doing.”
Eddie looks to Steve who is grinning at him with his own little eyebrow wiggle, he grips Steve’s hips and reels him in close. “May I Steve, may I kiss you?”
“Yes, please Eddie kiss me.” Steve whispers against his lips, hands coming up to cup his face and tug him down until their lips finally meet.
And then the cabin door bursts open.
“Freeze!”
Steve and Eddie’s lips break apart, whipping towards the door in sync as Eddie’s arms tighten around Steve.
“Release him now!”
This time the voice registers and Steve’s jaw drops open. “Hop?”
“Steve! We came to rescue you!” Dustin bursts past Hopper branding his bat and swinging wildly.
“Rescue me? What the hell are you talking about?” Steve studies all their tense faces as he carefully moves Eddie behind him.
“Wait was this all a joke? Were you just playing a prank on Dustin, pretending to be kidnapped?” Mike spits, getting defensive now that they are on the backfoot.
“Kidnapped? Dustin, were you even listening when I called you? I told you I was staying with a friend for Christmas. I specifically said I wasn’t being kidnapped.”
“Your phone was breaking up, I heard a struggle. I heard the horrible thing he said to you!” Tears beaded in Dustin’s eyes as he gestured wildly at Eddie, “I thought I was never going to see you again.”
“Oh Dusty, come here.” Dustin drops the bat and sprints across the room, throwing himself into Steve’s arms with a sob. Steve squeezes him tight and lets Dustin wail with relief as he holds fistfuls of Steve’s sweatshirt.
“Thank you for coming to rescue me Dusty bun. You were so brave.” Steve tells him as he starts to calm down, he turns them slightly and offers a hand out, “Dustn, I’d like you to meet my friend and supposed kidnapper Eddie Munson.”
“...Hi,” Eddie offers gently, he awkwardly holds out a paper towel for Dustin to dry his eyes with, “Steve tells me you’re his little brother.”
“This is sweet and I’m sorry to interrupt but could the lot of you stop letting the cold in and maybe see if my front door can still close?” Wayne interrupts and the rest of Steve’s family blushes before shuffling into the cabin and doing their best to close the door. The handle was completely fucked but the deadbolt hadn’t been pushed so they just used that to hold the door closed. The frame was ruined but at least the draft was minimal.
“Thank you, now someone explain to me why my nephew is being accused of kidnapping.” Everyone continues to fidget awkwardly until Wayne gestures for them to sit.
Wayne has one armchair while Steve and Eddie share the other, Dustin leaning against Steve’s legs. Joyce, Hopper, Nancy, and Jon all squeeze together on the couch while the other kids scatter on the floor. There’s still wrapping paper from their gifts scattered around.
“Why didn’t any of you just call me to ask if I was kidnapped? Or Robin for that matter, I texted her everything about where I was.” Everyone winces at the mention of Robin since they’d left her out of the loop for her own safety, turns out she was the loop.
“Since you didn’t reach out again after the kidnapping message we weren’t sure if you or your kidnapper had the phone and we didn’t want to risk them getting angry and killing you.” Hopper says taking lead on this debacle. Joyce is squeezing his thigh tightly so she doesn’t run over and snatch Steve into her arms.
“I texted Dustin a picture of the cabin yesterday after we finished decorating.” Steve points out, Dustin hasn’t released his sleep pants since they sat down.
“With the other evidence we had gathered it looked more like you trying to help us find you.”
“Other evidence? I’m sorry but what fucking evidence are you talking about?” Eddie snaps, more scared than angry. This man burst into his home and pointed a gun at him so he’s a little on edge right now, even with Steve’s hand in his.
Hopper clears his throat uncomfortably and holds his hands up in surrender, “Sorry, sorry. When Dustin reported the abduction I went to the ‘scene’ and there was some video footage of what appeared to be a large black vehicle driving too close to the curb, and then you pushing Steve to the ground. You went out of frame but another camera shows you driving another black vehicle with Steve in the passenger seat shortly after.”
Eddie huffs, looking very much like he wants to go one one of his tirades until Steve leans more into him and Eddie deflates. This is Steve’s family, who thought they were protecting someone who means a lot to them. Eddie can be justifiably angry for feeling profiled and accused but he won’t take it out on his not quite boyfriends loved ones.
“There was a truck,” Eddie says through gritted teeth. After another glance at Steve he manages to take a deep breath and the words come out a little easier, “it was taking the corner too fast and kicking up a lot of icy road slush. I pushed us both out of the way so we wouldn’t end up soaked. And last I checked, owning a black vehicle wasn’t a crime.”
“It’s not honey and we’re so sorry that this happened.” Joyce speaks up, intervening and diffusing the attention with her genuine warmth, “This was all an unfortunate misunderstanding but what matters is that Steve is okay and that you’re both happy. And we’re sorry for messing up your sweet moment.”
This time Steve and Eddie were the ones blushing, Steve’s entire family had burst in on the two of them kissing after all.
“Could we maybe start over?” Joyce continues, “Would you all like to come over for Christmas dinner? And we can have a repair guy come out and fix your door tomorrow.”
Eddie and Steve glance at each other before looking at Wayne who just shrugs, “I’ll follow along with whatever you boys want.” They turn back to each other and Steve offers him a small smile.
“I know it’s a little fast, and certainly not how I would have planned for this to go. But since I’ve met your family, would you like to meet mine?”
Eddie lets out a snort laugh and squeezes Steve’s hand, lifting it to press a kiss to his knuckles, “Sure Stevie. At least this time I don’t have to worry about somehow making a worse impression than the one that’s already been made of me.”
“They’re going to love you, I know they will.”
With the new plans set Steve, Eddie and Wayne go get dressed while Hopper uses the tarp they brought the tree in with to try and keep the elements from seeping into Wayne’s cabin. Steve’s family goes back to their cars with the exception of Dustin who choses to clamber into the Range Rover with Steve and the Munsons.
“Is Eddie your boyfriend Steve?” He asks bluntly as they head out, their vehicle taking up the rear of their little caravan.
“Not yet, but I think we’re getting there.” Eddie throws him a cheeky wink as he flicks on some low music to fill the background.
“Cool, hey is that a dungeons and dragons tattoo?”
The older man grins and with a faux annoyed groan Steve settles back in his seat as his family starts to get to know his soon to be boyfriend. This might be the strangest Christmas Steve has ever had but it’s also one of the happiest.
A Steddie Christmas AU where Steve volunteers to spend Christmas with Eddie and Wayne, but due to a series of errors the Party thinks Steve has been kidnapped.
Eddie groans as he wakes up, the sun hitting his square in the eye. He rolls over to escape it and squints at his clock for a moment before the swimming numbers register as him being very late.
“Oh fuck!” He throws himself out of bed and scrambles back into last night's jeans and a t-shirt before pulling out his boyfriend's black cowl neck sweater to wear. He tucks his nose into the hem and inhales as he shoves his feet into his boots and grabs his jacket, wallet and keys before tearing out of the apartment. The day might have gotten off to a bad start but he knew it would get better.
It does not get better. He got a lecture about being late and grease on his shirt from a car that had poured antifreeze in the oil tank. He ended up skipping lunch because he had to help one of the other guys after a car’s engine made a valiant effort of falling out. Then his boyfriend broke up with him over a text message and not even two hours later said he was in a relationship with someone else. If it wasn’t freezing cold outside he’d burn the stupid sweater he was wearing and be done with it all. The worst part was, that afternoon they were supposed to drive up to his Uncle Wayne’s cabin to spend Christmas together.
In the face of all that Eddie thinks he’s earned going to the bakery owned by this cute guy he enjoys trading witty barbs with just before closing, to get a cinnamon roll and a cup of coffee. He catches said owner, Steve, right as he’s shooing out the last of his customers and really hopes he isn’t about to have another door shut in his face.
“H-hey man.” Eddie asks shakily, he’s on the verge of a sniffle and he knows he doesn’t know Steve all that well outside of his ownership of the bakery. He thinks the guy might have a brother? There’s always a group of pre-teens hanging out there.
The taller man looks him over head to toe and steps aside to let him in, “Come on in Eddie.” He offers softly, like he can already read everything in just the slump of Eddie’s shoulders. Eddie tries not to tear up at the first bit of kindness he’s had on this frustrating day and instead finds himself curling up in an armchair in front of the electric fireplace and wrapping his arms around himself miserably.
“You wanna talk about it?” Steve asks gently as he sets a cinnamon roll and two cups of homemade apple cider on the coffee table before taking the chair next to him. When Eddie hesitates, biting his lip as he tries to keep it together, Steve backtracks instead, “It’s okay, you don’t have to, I know we aren’t friends man. I can wrap this up to go if you want to-”
“Steve,” Eddie says softly, the word crackling through the air between them like ice. “It’s not… I… I just had the day from hell and was trying to figure out how to put it into words. He picks up his fork and stabs a piece of the cinnamon roll off to eat before spilling his guts to the brunette. He ends up talking for almost two hours, going beyond this one day to how his life has always felt like a series of wrong turns and how it all leads up to this moment. Steve is a good listener and really easy to talk to when he offers up his own experiences in response to Eddie.
“...and the worst part is I was so excited to finally introduce a good man to my Uncle, to let him know that I’m doing alright. That I’ve got someone in my life. And now…” Eddie swipes roughly under his eyes before taking a sip of his now cooled cider, “now, I feel like showing up alone is just going to prove that I’m an absolute failure in every fucking way to him. He’d never think that of me, I know he wouldn’t, but I think it of me.”
Steve’s hand covered his as soon as he’d set the mug back down, squeezing his fingers gently until Eddie glanced up at him, “You’re not a failure Eddie. You have persevered through so much, been through things that would turn lesser men into cruel bastards like our parents, but instead you turned around and offered a hand to those who needed you, you gave them a safe place to be themselves.”
“That means a lot coming from you sweetheart. Thank you.” He lets himself flirt lightly as he squeezes Steve’s hand and leans back in his chair, the leather now warmed and soft. After a glance outside reveals the start of a flurry he looks at his watch again and sighs. “I better start driving if I want to get to the cabin at a reasonable hour.” He stands and scrubs his hands over his face with a sigh, “Don’t know what the fuck I’m going to tell Wayne.”
“Well, what if I went with you?”
Eddie’s fingers are still tugging his lower lids down as he turns to look at Steve. “What?”
Steve is sporting a faint blush and rubs the back of his neck shyly, unable to meet Eddie’s gaze as he repeats himself. “What if I came with you, to your Uncle’s?”
“Don’t you have plans for the holidays? Family or friends to see?” Eddie folds his arms around himself and worries that he might have complained too much if Steve is offering to ditch his plans for him.
“Well I don’t speak to my parents so I usually bounce between my kids places for dinner on Christmas Eve before spending the 25th in my underwear watching tv and eating leftovers. Going up to your Uncle’s cabin sounds more like a vacation in my opinion, and you said you didn’t want to go alone so…” Steve trails off with a faint shrug.
“Uhh If you’re sure then yeah, you’re welcome to come. What about the shop though?” He gestures at the building they’re in and Steve just grins.
“We’re closed tomorrow and the 25th, Robin can run the shop on the 26th and I know some of the kids are dying to try their hands at taking on more responsibility too. I can let them have that for one day.” Steve stuffs his hands in his pockets with a bashful grin that has Eddie tugging his hair over his mouth with a small smile of his own.
“Well then, I guess if I’m your last resort besides eating stuffing in your underwear...” Eddie teases before breaking down into giggles as Steve shoves him before laughing as well, “Do you need a ride to yours to pack a bag?”
“Nope, come on back.” Steve tugs on his sleeve before leading him behind the counter and up a flight of stairs into a comfortable loft apartment above the shop. There were plants and pictures everywhere, which Eddie decided to snoop through while Steve walked through the door to presumably his bedroom. There was Steve and a pretty blonde girl in a lot of them, birthdays and cookouts, with a bunch of teenagers and a couple other adults around them. He recognizes most of the kids as frequenters of the shop, or in the blonde’s case, his co-owner.
“Your family is lovely.” He says as Steve watches him snoop from the doorway, turning to look he sees the younger brunette blushing lightly.
Steve steps over to Eddie, joining him at the wall of memories that he and Robin so meticulously put up, his hand brushes across Eddie’s shoulders and Eddie has never seen him look more comfortable. “They’re all incredible pains in my ass but I love them so much. How long of a drive is it to your Uncles? Should I bring anything?”
“Bring anything? Darling you’ve been invited for like ten minutes you don’t have to bring shit.” Eddie chuckles but Steve gets that stubborn set to his pouty lips and Eddie knows he’s losing this one.
“I have a bottle of wine in the kitchen, I’m bringing it.” He thumps his fist lightly between Eddie’s shoulder blades, before sliding it down to scratch his nails over Eddie’s lower back and drifting towards the kitchen. Completely heedless to how he’s turned Eddie’s knees to jelly as he pushes the straps of his bag up onto his shoulder.
“Yes dear.” Eddie teases, turning to watch him as he goes. Those jeans do great things for the baker's ass. “Should be about two hours by the way.” He calls to the other man’s retreating back.
“Do you think your uncles has the stuff to make cinnamon rolls?” Comes from the kitchen and just the mention of them has Eddie ready to fall to fall to his knees and worship Steve. Would Wayne kill him if he hooked up with Steve at the cabin? Steve certainly seems interested in him at least.
“If he doesn’t then there’s a market about twenty minutes from the cabin where we can get ingredients. You really don’t have to go to all this trouble though.” Eddie says as Steve walks back over to him and pushes a bottle of wine into his hands with a soft smile.
“I have to make your Uncle like me somehow, since you told him you were bringing a good man home to meet him. Gotta live up to those Munson standards somehow.”
Eddie catches Steve’s hand before he can flit away to grab his keys to lock up. Steve gives him a curious look as Eddie reels him back in and dips to brush a gentle kiss across Steve’s cheek. “You are already a far better man than the shitbag I was going to bring with me, and I know Wayne is going to love you.”
Steve reaches up with his free hand and touches Eddie’s jaw, thumbing over the start of a five o’ clock shadow, and leans in until their lips are inches from each other, “I want to kiss you, so much. But I don’t want to be your rebound, that wouldn’t be fair to either of us.”
Eddie exhales loudly, can practically taste the sweetness of Steve’s mouth on his as his hands curl around Steve’s hips and pull him in even closer, “You will never be a rebound to me, but I understand your concerns. Don’t think for a second I’m not going to play as dirty as possible for that kiss though.” He can feel Steve shiver under his grip as he nips the tip of Steve’s chin, just barely brushing against his lower lip.
“I wouldn’t expect anything less, I hope you’re ready to play though because I’m a romantic at heart.” He bops Eddie on the nose and finally gets his keys while Eddie resists the urge to slam Steve against the wall and bite down on his pretty neck. He growls and chases Steve back downstairs into the shop, both of them giggling like loons all the way out onto the street.
Steve locks up the shop and slips his hand into Eddie’s after tucking the wine bottle away in his bag, fingers sneaking into the flap of his gloves that cover the tips of his fingers and twining them together. Eddie gives his fingers a squeeze as he starts leading them over to his truck, “Do you need to tell your kids about your change of plans? Because service up by the cabin can get spotty, we have a satellite phone but it’s mostly for emergencies.”
“Oh shit yeah, thank you. Wouldn’t want anyone to think you’re kidnapping me.” They snicker and shoulder check each other again, sliding around on the icy concrete as Steve pulls out his phone and dials Dustin.
“Hey kiddo!” Steve says, the words come out a little breathy as he almost slips on the ice and Eddie catches him, tugging him in close.
“Steve, you good?” They can both hear through the phone's speaker as Steve finds himself leaning into Eddie again.
“Yeah kid I’m fine, just slipped on some ice. I just wanted you to know that I won’t be able to-”
“Move!” Eddie shouts as he yanks Steve away from the curb. A truck takes the corner they’re standing on too hard and kicks up a bunch of muddy slush. They both go crashing to the pavement, Eddie’s pants now soaked and freezing as the asshole has the audacity to honk at them. “Fuck you asshole!” He snarls before checking on Steve.
“Jag off.” Steve huffs, accepting Eddie’s hand to get them back to their feet. Eddie’s starting to shiver so he encourages the older man to get them to his car, the sooner they can warm Eddie up the better. Their breathing comes heavy over the phone and Steve can hear Dustin freaking out, trying to shout something about details and descriptions to him. His screen is cracked now and wet from landing in the snow.
“Steve? Steve! Where are you?!” The call is starting to crackle a bit and Steve swears lowly, speaking louder in hope Dustin will be able to hear him.
“Relax Dustin! I’m not being kidnapped or anything. I’m going to a friend's cabin a few hours away for Christmas this year.” Eddie opens the door to his Range Rover and offers Steve a hand up.
“In you go princess.” He purrs low in Steve’s ear, making the other man blush.
“Goodbye Dustin, I love you!” He hangs up as Eddie swings himself up into the car as well.
“All good?” Eddie asks as he gets the car started and the heater going. Steve tucks his phone away with a gentle smile and lays his hand on the center console, an offer Eddie accepts once he’s pulled away from the curb and they are officially on their way.
“Yeah, he can tell the others that I won’t make it this year. I left a note for Robin too so she knows what’s going on.”
“Good, wouldn’t want your family to think I actually kidnapped you. At least not without your permission.” He winks and lifts Steve’s hand to his mouth, pressing a kiss to his knuckles.
“Oh, and what would kidnapping me with my permission look like?” Steve teases as they both laugh.
“How do you feel about handcuffs princess?”
Meanwhile Dustin stood in his room, a hand clamped over his mouth as tears began to stream down his face. The horrible sounds replaying in a loop in his head, “...in…I’m-...eing kidnap-...goin…cabin…ew hours…his…ear.” Steve, his older brother, his best friend had just been kidnapped. And he’d heard the kidnappers' voice too, the condescending and predatory growl coming through crystal clear as he took Duston’s family away, “In you go princess”. Swiping his sleeve across his face Dustin starts messaging the rest of the Party before calling Hopper, he was not going to let those be Steve’s last words.
