Archive of Our Own

The sound of Steve’s shoes on the damp earth was muffled in his own ears. All he could focus on was the sound of Dustin’s screams, calling out for Eddie. Begging him to wake up, to open his eyes, not to go. Steve’s hand was clamped over his own wounds - in fact he was pretty sure that if he removed it, his intestines would fall out. That didn’t matter right now, what mattered was getting Eddie out of here alive.

He dropped to the ground beside Eddie, panting as he used his free hand to loop both of Eddie’s arms around his neck. He grunted as he stood to his feet, stumbling under the additional weight. The world was spinning, his head fuzzy, but his head was consumed with ‘get Eddie out, get Eddie and Dustin out alive, make sure he’s alive.’

He could feel the thready, barely there breaths from Eddie’s nose against his neck, a very slight comfort in the sea of crippling fear Steve felt stirring in his stomach.

“Steve, you’re hurt, you can’t-” Dustin started to say, but Steve shook his head, each step slightly unsteady but determined. He could see the gate up ahead, knew it was going to be difficult to drop Eddie through without making his injuries worse, but all that mattered was that they tried.

“No, I’m not leaving him here! Not after he fucking.. Sacrificed himself! For us, for Hawkins, for all of the assholes in that town!” Steve panted, focusing on each step as he walked Eddie back to the gate. He was trying not to think about the way his eyes were blurring with tears, his throat tight, the fact that losing Eddie felt like he was losing a part of himself. He very carefully raised one of Eddie’s arms, where Robin was waiting on the other side to grab it- then the other and Robin grunted as she took the weight of Eddie’s unconscious body as he fell through.

Once they were through, they were immediately swarmed by soldiers and government medics. One of them pulled Eddie off his back and he had to resist the urge to run after them. To remain the ‘mother’ of the group, to demand that they save him. He was rushed to his own stretcher, trying to protest but the edges of his vision were turning black.

“W-Wait, the others-” He slurred weakly, but an oxygen mask came down over his mouth and the world quickly went dark.

_____________________________________________________________________

Steve woke in a hospital bed, squinting under the fluorescent lights. His hand drifted to his side, up his ribcage, his neck, all now bandaged. He glanced over to see the IV drip beside his bed, which explained why it hurt considerably less than he would have expected.

He immediately felt anxiety gnawing at him, his fingers twitching as he found himself thinking of the others. Thinking of Eddie. Since when had Eddie Munson consumed so much of his thoughts? They hadn’t been friends for very long, in fact Steve had barely been aware of his existence up until Chrissy’s death - despite the fact that Eddie had been a super senior twice.

He thought about the look of fear in Eddie’s eyes when they’d found him out by Lover’s Lake, how terrified he’d been. Thought about how he’d still been willing to join the party and help them despite that fear. Thought about the distant sounds of Eddie playing that one Metallica song every metal head had been raving about lately and how flawless it had been. How he’d become Dustin’s role model so quickly, how easily he had won the hearts of the rest of those little brats too.

Eddie’s wide mischievous grin, and the way it gave him dimples.

His tattoos.

His big brown eyes and the way they wrinkled at the corners when he laughed.

His loud, almost manic laughter.

His denim vest and ripped jeans, his rings.

The animated way he spoke about music and his campaigns.

His long, soft brown curls.

His authentic sense of humor and the way he was so unashamed to be himself.

The realization hit Steve like a speeding train. He felt his cheeks grow hot, all the way up to the tops of his ears. His heart started racing, palms sweating.

Steve Harrington had a crush on Eddie Munson.

He thought back to a conversation he’d had with Robin, just a few short weeks after their heart to heart on the sticky bathroom floor at Starcourt Mall. Steve had been curious about the community, if there were others like Robin in Hawkins.

‘Not in Hawkins, but I met a girl at a queer friendly bookstore in Indianapolis. She was too old for me, like in her 40s, but she sat down and talked with me for a while. She said she was bisexual- that she liked men and women. That was the first time I really started to understand myself.’ She’d said.

Steve knew he liked girls too - he’d definitely been attracted to Nancy and plenty of other girls after all. But he definitely liked Eddie too. Bisexual seemed to fit him the best. When the realization really began to settle in, the heavy feeling of fear began to settle in his stomach. What would happen if anyone else in Hawkins ever found out? If his father ever found out?

‘This town is full of freaks and queers! Invading our peaceful little town, what the hell has this world come to?’ He’d heard his father say one night at the dinner table. He thought of the rare times his father would be home - the way that he’d get drunk watching the news and rant about the state of the world. The yelling. The stomping. The broken glass and spilled whiskey his mother would quietly clean up.

The more he thought about it, was Eddie even gay? He’d heard the things Jason and his friends had said to him, but that didn’t mean that they were true. Steve really did have the worst luck when it came to his current love life. Besides, Eddie had been on death’s door the last he’d known… there was a chance he wasn’t even alive.

Steve swallowed the pit in his throat and closed his eyes, drifting back into an uneasy sleep.

____________________________________________________________________________

The next time that Steve woke up, Dustin Max and Lucas were all sitting beside his bed. Max was in a wheel chair, her left arm and right leg each in a cast, but she was otherwise unharmed. Steve felt a bit of the tension he’d been holding onto lift from his shoulders.

“Steve! Holy shit dude, you’re alive! Your guts were practically falling out of your stomach when you carried Eddie out of there.” Dustin said excitedly, and then more calmly, “Thank you.. For not leaving him there.”

Steve swallowed. “Of course dude, I couldn’t… not after what he did. He didn’t deserve that. Is.. Is he..?” He trailed off as his throat got tight.

“He’s alive. He was in really bad shape, and he’s in a medically induced coma right now, but he’s alive. Thanks to you.” Max spoke up, her smile was small but genuine.

“Yeah! Hop is bullying the government into clearing his name in their cover up too. They’re posing Henry as a serial killer that was using Eddie’s unpopularity to frame him. A lot of people are still skeptical, and I don’t think it will be easy for a while, but he isn’t going to prison.” Dustin added.

Steve felt relief wash over him, breath escaping out of his lungs in a rush. “Thank fuck..” He said. He chatted with them for nearly an hour before he could feel sleep tugging at him again, his eyes drooping shut as the nurse ushered the kids out of the room.

____________________________________________________________________

The hospital released Steve two weeks later with the understanding that he would take it easy. The first thing he did was track down Eddie’s room number so that he could see with his own eyes how he was doing. To ease his nerves a little bit.

As he walked in, the first thing he noticed were all the tubes and wires. The second was just how pale Eddie looked, he’d already been pale to begin with but this was extreme. The third thing that he noticed, that broke his heart more than anything else, was Eddie’s hair.

He approached the bed for a closer look and found that while his hair appeared clean, it hadn’t been combed out. His usually luscious curls were ratty and nearly matted in spots. He felt anger settle in his chest at the thought that even in near death, people still seemed to have such little care for this man. He decided he’d return tomorrow with a spray bottle and a comb and fix this.. If nobody else, Steve would. Eddie deserved that much.

The next day he marched into Eddie’s room, tools in hand, and found a man sitting by his bed. He was older, turning to look at Steve with a guarded expression.

“Out. I won’t let you assholes harass my nephew while he’s laying here in a goddamn coma.” He snapped.

Steve raised his hands, shaking his head. Eddie’s battle vest is draped over his arm- he’d bullied the hospital staff into giving it back. Steve had washed as much of the Upside Down gunk out of it as he could. The stains added character, he decided.

“I’m not here to hurt, I’m here to help. They haven’t been combing his hair.” Steve said, hoping his expression would convey well enough that he was telling the truth. “Have there really been people coming in here to get at him?” He added with a frown. He drapes Eddie’s vest gently over his chest, smiling a little when the familiarity of it made Eddie look a little less grey- more like himself, despite the fact he was still comatose.

The man grunted, his hand resting on Eddie’s leg and giving it a gentle squeeze. “Not yet, but I keep expecting them. That Jason kid and his goons.” He said, once again eyeing Steve warily.

“You one of the boys from that Hellfire club of his then?”

Steve laughed a bit. “No, but a few of the kids I look after are. They really look up to him. To tell you the truth I uh.. I used to be like Jason. Well, not nearly as much of an ass, but.. I ran in those groups. I finally got some sense knocked into me and I’m trying to turn things around. I didn’t really know Eddie until all of this Henry Creel shit, but… I want to get to know him better. Don’t know that he could convince me to play Dungeons and Dragons though.” He said, setting the comb on a nearby table.

The man was silent for a long moment before he sighed. “Takes a lot of guts to own up to that. Your heart seems to be in the right place, and it better stay that way. My names Wayne.” He said.

Steve started to spray down a section of Eddie’s hair, careful not to spray his face or neck too much. “Steve. I promise that… that I’m here to support him. I want to be his friend. It pisses me off they’re just letting his hair mat like this.” He said irritably as he set down the spray bottle and picked up the comb instead.

“I noticed it too. Don’t know much about hair or what to do, I was going to ask a nurse.” Wayne sighed.

Steve laughed again. “I know plenty about hair. This do isn’t effortless after all.” He joked, and blushed when Wayne just stared at him. He grabbed the section he’d dampened and started from the bottom, loosening the tangles and mats piece by piece.

For the next hour or so, Steve worked in silence, diligently and gently undoing every knot on Eddie’s head. When he was done, he smiled down at him. “There.. I’ll keep coming back to care for that mane of yours. Promise.” He told him, nearly forgetting Wayne was in the room as he let a fond tone creep into his voice.

“I’ll see you around, Wayne. Thanks for not punching me.” He said.

Wayne snorted. “You’re welcome. Thank you for taking the time to do that.. I know it’d mean a lot to him.” He replied, his tone considerably less clipped than it had previously been.

Steve nodded, could feel the way his cheeks were getting hot as he quickly made his way out of the room and down the hall.

____________________________________________________

“Alright, what’s your big news dingus? You sounded pretty wigged out over the phone, so it must be serious.” Robin said as she sat herself on the plush carpet of Steve’s living room.

Steve sat across from her- all of their deep talks seemed to take place on the ground. “I shouldn’t be so scared right now, you’re the last person I’d have to worry about. It’s just.. I think I’ve been in denial for a really long time.” He said, picking at a loose thread on the carpet.

Robin patiently waits for Steve to continue, noting how nervous Steve was and knew not to push. He swallows audibly as he looks up from the carpet into her eyes.

“I’m… God why am I so petrified right now? You’re Robin! My best friend Robin! Robin who likes boobies! I.. I should.. I should just be able to say that I, King Steve ‘The Hair’ Harrington, am bisexual!” He shouts, then blushes deep red. There it was, out in the open- and he glances at Robin for her reaction. Were his cheeks wet? Fuck, he was crying.

She blinks at him, stunned for a moment as she scoots closer and pulls Steve into a hug. She squeezes him tightly, her fingers gripping his sweater. “Thank you for trusting me, Steve. It’s okay to be scared, even if I am ‘Robin who likes boobies’. That doesn’t make it any less daunting or scary.” She says, her voice slightly muffled in his shoulder. She pulls back and her thumb gently wipes under his eye.

“When did you realize it? Or.. I mean was there a specific person?” She asked curiously. Steve feels his face get hot again, glancing away in the way he knew was his tell. She could read him like a book and he knew it.

“It… I mean, the feeling has always been there if I really think about it? I just.. with my dad, you know?” He says, and she frowns as she nods. She’d never been a fan of Steve’s father.

Steve sighs as he continues. “The realization hit me in the hospital. I uh.. I couldn’t.. stop thinking about… about Eddie.” He says, his heart racing as he admitted it out loud. “I kept thinking about his hair and his laugh and how absolutely petrified I was when I thought he was dead. I mean I’d have been upset if any of you had been hurt, but it felt.. different.”

Robin looks a bit shocked but she smiles, nodding. “I mean… he is sort of your type, if you really think about it.” She points out, to which Steve makes a noise of offense.

“What do you mean my type?! I don’t have a type!” He says, shoving her shoulder playfully. She shoves him back with a laugh.

“Yes you do!” She cackles at him, leaning in close to raise her eyebrow at him. “Big doe eyes, curly brown hair… though Eddie has dimples and freckles too, but that just makes him even cuter to you doesn’t it?”

Steve pouts, rolling his eyes, but his cheeks were steadily turning darker shades of red. “Whatever! It’s.. it doesn’t matter anyway.” He mutters, and Robin gives him a look but doesn’t push.

“Well… with the big emotional confession out of the way, why don’t we put in a movie? Your pick.” She says, and he grins in an evil sort of way.

“Well now you’re definitely going to regret this, Buckley.” He says as he stands. He has a hard time saying it in the ways that he should, but he’s so grateful for her. Her patience, her acceptance, her ability to look beyond his past and who he’d used to be. All he could hope was that maybe one day Eddie could too.

_______________________________________________

Steve’s morning cup of coffee is interrupted the next morning by the phone ringing. He braces himself for the fact it could be his parents, for the surely just wonderful conversation that would come out of it.

“Harrington residence, this is Steve.” He answers politely, and he barely gets the words all the way out before he hears Dustin shrieking at him. He winces, pulling the phone away from his ear a bit.

“Steve! Eddie’s awake! Can you pick us up to go see him?” He says, and Steve’s heart skips several beats. Eddie was awake, he was alive and now Steve had to look his newly realized crush in the eyes and try to be normal.

“Okay okay, stop yelling you twerp, I can hear you just fine. Be outside your house and ready to go in fifteen minutes, I’m on my way.” He says. Once they’ve hung up, he grabs his keys from the kitchen counter and pulls a sweater over his polo before heading out to the Beemer.

True to his word, he pulls up along the curb in front of Dustin’s house and sees him tapping his feet and fidgeting. He practically throws himself into the car, and Steve doesn’t chastise him like he normally would- not when he knew how excited Dustin was to see Eddie.

He picks up the rest of the party before making his way to Hawkins Memorial, herding the kids through the door and to the elevator. When they all bustle in, much to the annoyance of the nurses at the station, Wayne is standing by Eddie’s bed and turns to look at them with wide eyes. The fear shifts to amusement as Dustin runs to the bed.

“Eddie! I thought you were a goner man! I’m so glad you’re okay.” He says, and Eddie cackles a bit. He looks a bit under the weather still, but his smile is genuine.

“Henderson! You can’t get rid of me that easy kiddo.” He assures him. “Have you been brushing my hair? I expected to wake up with a rats nest or something.” He asks, and Dustin tilts his head in confusion.

“No, one of the nurses maybe?” He speculates, and Steve looks up to see Wayne’s look. He feels his face getting hot as he clears his throat.

“It wasn’t Henderson, it.. it was me. I uh… I know how much you love your hair, and the nurses weren’t doing it, so..” he trails off, shoving his hands in his front jeans pockets to keep himself from fidgeting.

Eddie’s eyes widen in disbelief, but as he looks at Wayne and sees his nod of confirmation, it softens. “Wow, Harrington. Spending your free time brushing the hair of lowly trailer trash like me? Awfully sweet of you.” His tone is meant to be teasing, Steve thinks- but there’s an underlying tone of defense. Steve knows he’s still thinking about ‘King Steve’, they hadn’t really gotten to know each other all that well in all the chaos.

“He carried you out of there you know.. carried you on his back while his guts were practically falling out. He’s not the same Steve he used to be.” Dustin speaks up before Steve can respond, and there’s an edge of protectiveness that makes Steve’s heart feel warm. For all his sarcasm and teasing, Dustin really is Steve’s best friend, and Steve loves him for it.

Eddie doesn’t look like he believes Dustin for a moment, and Steve just stares at his sneakers. He tries so hard to be the kind of person he wanted to be, the person he should have been instead of a god damn bully, but he knows he’s done a lot of damage. He had to remind himself he wouldn’t be able to change everyone’s mind or fix every mistake, even if it tore him apart inside.

“I couldn’t.. just let you die in there. Not in that place. I had to try. And as for your hair.. I just.. it was so matted when I came to visit and I couldn’t leave it like that. It was obvious they didn’t care just because of shit that isn’t true.. call me vain if you want, but you have really nice hair and someone had to take care of it. I know you’d have been devastated if you’d had to shave your head.” He said, scuffing the toe of his sneaker on the tile as he clenched his hands into fists inside his pockets.

Eddie was quiet for a long moment, giving Steve an expression that he couldn’t quite read. Then- he smiles, small but genuine, one hand coming up to fidget with the ends of his curls.

“Well.. thank you, Steve. I think maybe I was wrong about you after all.” He admits.

Steve shrugs. “I can’t say I blame you. I was an asshole for a long time, but I think something finally shifted in my brain when Nancy dumped me. That’s not the kind of person I want to be. I’m not ‘King Steve’ anymore, it’s just some bullshit Tommy came up with and it stuck, I’ve always hated it. I don’t care about popularity or sports or any of that.. I want real friends.” He says.

Wayne chuckles, and everyone looks at him in surprise. “Well it seems you’ve got plenty. I was wrong about you too, Steve. I saw how long you spent untangling every knot, not in a hurry to get it done, but real carefully. You didn’t yank and pull, you were gentle, and that told me everything I needed to know. I know your parents ain’t around much, and I know what your dad’s like. You’re welcome around any time if Eddie’s willin’ to put up with ya.” He says, and the room is silent.

Steve’s face is an impressive shade of red, his eyes wide and he can feel the knot forming in his throat as he tries not to cry in front of everyone. It was the most genuine and heartfelt thing he’d heard in.. probably ever, if he was being honest, and he wasn’t sure how to feel. He could see Eddie’s shocked expression, the way he was looking at his uncle like he’d grown an extra head before he looks at Steve expectantly for a response.

Steve steadies himself, swallows before he replies. “Thank you.. really, that means more than I really know how to express right now.” He says quietly.

They visit for another hour or so, Steve watching with amusement as all the kids fill Eddie in on things that he’d missed while he was out.

Wayne tells Eddie that the government hush money went towards a new trailer, since their old one had been destroyed in the quake. Steve watches relief wash over his face when Wayne tells him he’d managed to snag his guitar and not all, but at least the favorites out of his tapes and records, though not much else before it was swarmed with soldiers.

Steve turns to Eddie as they leave the room, giving him a little wave that he feels really stupid about before he hurries to catch up with the party.

________________________________________________

Eddie is released from the hospital a month later, and he still isn’t cleared for any strenuous activity, but he’s able to walk and be more independent again. He starts inviting Dustin and the others over more, or accepting their invites for movie nights, and often Steve joins in too.

At first, he’d headed home after dropping the kids off, just a driver he figured, until one Friday night Eddie leans into the passenger side window of the Beemer.

“Stevie! Aren’t you gonna join us? We’ve got plenty of food and I’m sure your movie tastes don’t go beyond Breakfast Club or Fast Times. Gotta expand your horizons Stevie boy!” He tells him, cackling in that sort of manic way of his as he says it and Steve feels a swarm of butterflies in his stomach- at the laugh and at the unexpected nickname. He noted that the nickname itself made him feel sort of warm and fuzzy… it wasn’t ’King Steve’ or ‘Steve The Hair Harrington’- just ‘Stevie’.

He manages to pull himself together enough to scoff in feigned offense. “Hey! I’ve seen.. plenty of movies, totally.” He says, and Eddie just raises an eyebrow at him and smirks.

“Oh yeah? Name more than the two I’ve already named then.” He challenges, and his smirk only widens into a toothy grin as Steve stutters and sighs in defeat.

“Fine, you’re right. You’re.. you’re sure you don’t mind?” He asks, his hand resting on the key still in the ignition.

Eddie nods. “Of course! We’re friends now, ain’t we Stevie?” He says, and Steve is sure he’s just imagining the hopeful lilt to Eddie’s voice. He has to be, right?

Steve turns the car off and swings the door open, walking around the car to pat Eddie on the shoulder. “Alright, Eds. Expand my horizons.” He says with a smile, and follows Eddie into the trailer. He thinks he sees a hint of red on Eddie’s cheeks as he sits down on the floor and motions to the open pizza boxes, already ravaged by their group of gremlins.

Steve grabs a couple slices of pepperoni and a coke from the table and plops himself beside Eddie on the floor. Turns out that they were watching Lord of The Rings, and Steve tries to imagine what 1983 Steve would say if he could see this. Probably nothing good. Truthfully, it isn’t Steve’s style, but the animation was pretty cool- and as he glanced over to see the light of the television reflecting off Eddie’s wide excited eyes as he looks at the screen- he decides he’s absolutely willing to give it a try, and files away Lord of the Rings as a favorite of Eddie’s.

He pays attention as much as he can, but he loses track of what’s happening about forty minutes in. He does enjoy it regardless, but finds he enjoys Eddie’s reactions to it much more. Steve can see the way Eddie mouths along to certain parts, an excited drum of his fingers on his knees here, an anxious twist of a curl there when something intense happened, the way he leaned in a little further and barely took his eyes off the screen. Steve realized in that moment that Eddie had likely watched this movie dozens of times- it was a comfort, and it made him happy- and happy looked good on Eddie. In the light of the tv, surrounded by his friends and empty pizza boxes and wearing a faded Metallica tee shirt and pajama pants, Eddie looked beautiful. That realization hits Steve like a wave, and he has to take his eyes off Eddie before he does something stupid. He spends the rest of the movie with his heart racing wildly in his chest, trying to focus on the ending.

When the kids loaded into the Beemer that night, Eddie stood at the drivers side window to say his goodbyes. “Thank you for coming in, Stevie. I know it wasn’t quite your style, but… I appreciate you sitting through it.” He says, his ringed fingers drumming on the door. Steve hadn’t really noticed until tonight that Eddie didn’t seem to be able to sit still, but he found he didn’t mind it at all.

“Stevie?” He hears Mike pipe up from the backseat, and Steve glares at him before he turns back to Eddie. Chooses not to dignify him with any further response.

“I’ll admit I had trouble following along for a lot of it. One concussion too many maybe, but.. I did like it. The music was cool.” Steve says, and hopes that’s not a stupid answer. The way Eddie’s face lights up when Steve says he liked it tells him it wasn’t.

“Really? Did I really convince Steve Harrington to enjoy Lord of the Rings? Pinch me Henderson!” He shouts, shoving his arm into the backseat and laughing as Dustin gleefully pinches him. Steve can’t help laughing, not at Eddie but with him.

“Yes, yes you did. Thank you for inviting me in, Eds.” He says, and as he glances in the rear view mirror he sees Max observing him with a quirked brow and narrow eyes. Shit, she was too smart for her own good.

“Any time Stevie! Seriously, like.. if you need the company, Wayne works nights so we could hang out.” He offers, and Steve understands it for what it is. He knew he wasn’t the only one who had nightmares, who couldn’t sleep more often than not.

“I’ll keep it in mind, promise. Good night, Eddie.” He says with a smile, and Eddie waves as he steps back to let him pull away from the curb. As he listens to the kids argue about who gets to pick the music tonight, he thinks about the fact that he has so much to tell Robin.

________________________________________________

“You’ve got it bad Steve!” Robin tells him as she throws a Cheeto in the air and catches it in her mouth.

“I know! I just.. Robin he’s so fucking pretty! I can’t help it!” He groans, sprawled on his back on the carpet. “The way he was just.. so engrossed in it, how happy and relaxed he was in that moment… I wanted to kiss him so bad.”

She laughs at him. “Oh my god! Maybe you should! Give him the Steve Harrington experience, but with feeling, and then bam! Kiss him!” She exclaims, laying down so that the tops of their heads are pressed together.

Steve groans. “I don’t… I mean what if he’s not..? I can’t handle that.” He says quietly.

Robin rolls over onto her stomach and looks down into his eyes, notes the way Steve’s bottom lip is a little wobbly.

‘Dingus… listen, I’ve seen the way he looks at you. You know that thing he does with his hair? Where he pulls it over his mouth whenever he gets nervous or shy? He does that around you so much. Gets this look, when you aren’t paying attention, but I can see it. Just trust me, please? You don’t have to do it right away, but.. I want to see you be happy. Both of you.” She says, petting Steve’s hair away from his face and smiling at him.

Steve loves her so much. So he gives her a shy smile and nods. “Okay. I will.” He says, and then they’re back to gossiping and chattering about all sorts of things.

_________________________________________________

Steve’s a nervous disaster as he pulls his Beemer into the trailer park and comes to a stop in front of Eddie’s. He should have called first, instead of showing up unannounced. He knew Wayne was working, but Eddie had his own life outside of Steve. His van was parked outside, so he was home at least.

He walked up the steps and knocked, and a few moments later Eddie opens the door. He’s wearing a beat up Iron Maiden tee shirt and a pair of black sweats, and looks surprised to see Steve. He steps aside to let him in, closing the door and settling back on the couch. His acoustic guitar is leaning against the arm, and Steve realizes there’s music playing softly from the little radio on the coffee table.

“… Who is this?” Steve asks in surprise- it isn’t accusatory or teasing, just curious. It was far from Eddie’s usual music tastes after all.

“I-It..” he cuts off, voice catching in his throat, and it’s at that moment that Steve realizes Eddie’s eyes are red rimmed and puffy. He’s been crying. Steve crosses the room and sits beside him, pulling the other man into his arms and holding him tightly.

“It’s Patsy Cline.. the song is called Crazy. This was her favorite song, u-used to play it on the record player while she cooked. Sometimes she’d dance with me, I c-can.. I can remember looking up at her and she’d be singing along.” Eddie finishes, and then he’s sobbing, slender frame shaking in Steve’s arms, and his heart breaks. Eddie hasn’t talked much about her, but Steve knew she’d gotten sick and died when Eddie was only seven. He knew Eddie had loved her very much, had protected him the best she could from Eddie’s father. “Today’s her birthday.” Eddie chokes out between sobs, sniffling and burying his face in Steve’s shoulder.

“I’m so sorry Eddie…” Steve whispers, doesn’t know what else to say, so he just tightens his hold and lets Eddie cry. As his breathing evens out and he starts to calm down a bit, Steve turns his head and presses his lips to the side of Eddie’s head. He soaks in the smell of cigarettes and leather, his cheap shampoo and the earthy smell that’s now so familiar to Steve. He lets his lips linger for a few moments, in a way that is certainly not platonic and he realizes there’s no going back now.

Eddie lifts his head from Steve’s shoulder and wipes his face with the inside of his tee shirt. His eyes are wide and a little nervous as he looks at Steve, and Steve knows he’s been caught. So Steve does the only thing he can do now- he commits to it.

He slides his hand into the soft curls at the back of Eddie’s neck, feeling the warmth of his skin under his fingers and strokes his thumb over Eddie’s jaw. He pulls Eddie closer and meets him halfway, pressing his lips to Eddie’s, hears the surprised sound that leaves the other man’s throat. Eddie’s lips are chapped and he tastes like tears and cigarettes, but it’s the best kiss Steve has ever had. It’s soft and tender, and it’s real. It isn’t rushed or messy, it isn’t just a lead up to sex, it isn’t forced. Eddie’s fingers clench tightly in Steve’s sweater, and he’s kissing Steve back, slow presses of their lips.

They separate after a few moments, and Steve smiles as he looks into Eddie’s big brown eyes. “I love you.” He says, it rolls off his tongue before he can second guess it.

Eddie’s eyes widen a bit, and then he’s hugging Steve, arms around his neck as he laughs breathlessly into his ear. “I love you too, Stevie.” He whispers, and then he arranges himself so that he’s sitting sideways on Steve’s lap. He leans his head against his shoulder and closes his eyes, just letting them exist for a moment.

After a few minutes of silence, Eddie starts to talk. Steve learns that his mother’s name was Elizabeth, and as Eddie shows him an old photo of them- he feels a wave of affection. They could have been twins- the same curly dark hair, the same big dark eyes, the dimples. It seemed all Eddie shared with his father was a last name and his DNA, and for that Steve was grateful. Eddie plays a few of his mothers favorite songs for Steve, his voice tight with emotion, and Steve rubs gentle circles into his knees with his thumb as he listens.

As Steve is finally walking out to his car well after midnight, the sensation of Eddie’s chapped lips still on his own, he hears a muffled ‘Oh my fucking god!’ and then the familiar sound of Eddie’s laughter. His cheeks hurt from smiling the whole way home.

_______________________________________________

One night a few weeks later, as they lay in Steve’s bed, Steve realizes he’s having an off day. His smile hasn’t quite met his eyes all day long, he’s tired, and he just feels off kilter.

Eddie, who could read his boyfriend like a book, noticed pretty quickly. He sat up on his elbow and carded a hand through Steve’s hair, his dark eyes full of worry in the dim light of the bedside lamp.

“What’s wrong, sunshine?” He asks softly, and Steve’s heart does something funny at the pet name. He can’t help but smile, just a little.

“I’m.. do.. am I too much?” He finally blurts. He watches Eddie’s frown deepen, and then he’s kissing Steve’s forehead.

“Never! Why do you think that?” He asks, and Steve swallows around the lump in his throat.

“I talk a lot and I’m clingy and I hate being away from you. Don’t you feel crowded? Overwhelmed?” Steve’s voice wavers, remembering what so many girls had said as they dumped him.

Eddie’s curls fly around his head as he shakes it violently. “Steve Harrington- I love you, like an insane crazy amount. I like that you wanna be close to me, nobody else ever has. I like listening to you talk and I love when you’re close to me. I can prove exactly how much, in fact.” He says, and the way his voice drops low and his hand travels just under the hem of Steve’s shirt tells him exactly what he means by that. He hears the unspoken but only if you want to in Eddie’s tone, reads it in his eyes.

Steve’s heart begins to beat fast in his chest at the thought of having sex with Eddie, with Eddie making love to him- because with a declaration like that what else would it be? His breath hitches as Eddie’s thumb traces a sensitive spot on his hip, and then he’s pulling Eddie down for a kiss. It’s a little more desperate than their first one, Steve’s tongue dragging over Eddie’s bottom lip as he sucks it between his teeth. “Please.” He says against his lips, and Eddie wastes no time pushing Steve’s shirt up and over his head. Steve feels Eddie kissing down his neck, his collarbone, tracing from the left to the right and down to his pec, sucking his nipple between his lips and Steve keens. He felt like a live wire and they’d barely started, his body thrumming as Eddie played him as effortlessly as he played his guitar. This was the difference between a fast easy hook up and something real, Steve realizes, because even the best sex he’d had up to now hadn’t felt this good. He feels Eddie kissing every mole and freckle he finds along the way, and it makes his head spin.

Steve’s cock is half hard in his sweats, his breath coming out in shaky pants as Eddie moves to the other nipple, flicking it with his tongue before he drags his lips down Steve’s sternum, and traces along the edge of his scars. Eddie’s fingers trace along them at the same time, the chill of his rings making goosebumps rise on Steve’s skin. He traces back up to card his fingers through the hair on Steve’s chest before moving back down to his hip. Eddie spends a few more moments worshipping those scars, placing a kiss on each hip, and then just above the waistband of Steve’s pants as he looked up at him through dark lashes. His pupils were blown- Eddie looked hungry.

Steve nods frantically without even being asked, and Eddie grins widely at him as he pulls Steve’s sweats and boxers down his thighs and tosses them on the floor with his shirt. Steve’s cock bounces as it’s freed, slapping against his stomach and smearing precum in his happy trail. He squirms under Eddie’s gaze, and then he’s letting out a startled moan as Eddie takes Steve’s cock in his hand.

“Fuck!” He gasps, shocked at the sensitivity and biting his lip as Eddie chuckles lowly.

“You’re so wet for me sweetheart, so worked up already.” He purrs, and Steve feels his cheeks get hot.

“W-Well wouldn’t you be?!” He says defensively, and gets another laugh in return. It’s fond, and he watches Eddie lick his lips like a predator hunting his prey.

“Of course, baby.” He says, and then Steve’s cock is down Eddie’s throat and it takes him a moment to realize the whine he’s hearing is coming from his own throat. Steve’s never been this loud before, but he can’t help it, Eddie feels incredible.

He’s bobbing his head, his gag reflex seemingly nonexistent as he buries his nose in Steve’s pubes with a soft moan. He pulls back, swirls his tongue over the tip and drags the flat of it from the base all the way up to flick the slit. Steve’s thighs are trembling as Eddie repeats this process a few times, and he scrambles to grip Eddie’s hair.

“F-Fuck baby, I’m close- mmmn!” Steve gasps, but Eddie doesn’t stop, he just buries his nose back in Steve’s pubes and reaches up to squeeze and tug Steve’s balls. Steve cries out, his vision going dark at the edges as he cums harder than he ever has in his life. Eddie swallows it all, pulling off with a wet pop and moving back up Steve’s body to kiss him. Steve barely registers the taste of himself in Eddie’s mouth, he’s fuzzy around the edges but he kisses him back.

“Fuck me.” Steve blurts as they part, and Eddie gives him a surprised laugh.

“Yeah, sweetheart, I think that can be arranged.” He says, his voice rougher. He gives Steve an expectant look and it takes way too long for him to realize what Eddie wants- he props himself up on his elbow as he digs in his bedside drawer for his lube. Eddie takes it and cracks the lid open, squirting a generous amount on his fingers.

“You done this to yourself before?” He asks, and Steve blushes a bit as he nods.

“Only a couple times, can’t ever get the angle quite right.” He admits, and Eddie’s grin once again goes predatory. It should scare him, but instead his cock gives a valiant twitch.

Eddie once again situates himself between Steve’s spread thighs and tucks a pillow under his hips. His wet fingers trace Steve’s hole, making him moan as he wraps his other hand around Steve’s quickly hardening cock. His finger slips in to the first knuckle as Steve relaxes, his breath hitching.

“There you go, good boy sunshine.” Eddie praises softly, and Steve moans as Eddie works him open with one finger, adding a second and bending his fingers just right. He’s rewarded with Steve’s answering cry of pleasure, his hips twitching as his hand shoots up to grip the pillow under his head. He’s flushed from the tips of his ears all the way down his chest, moans and whines escaping from him and he has zero control over it.

Soon Eddie has three fingers buried in Steve, working him open and taking Steve apart with every brush against his sweet spot. “Mmm- f-fuck Eddie, baby please- ‘m ready, want you so bad.” Steve begs, and he’s so out of it with pleasure in a way he’s never felt before.

Eddie pulls his fingers out and Steve whines, watching Eddie rip off his shirt and unbutton his pants, shoving them down his legs and kicking them away. Steve’s eyes roam over his scars, all that pale skin and his tattoos on display. His eyes wander further down to Eddie’s cock and his mouth waters. Eddie is long flushed red at the tip. He’s not quite as thick as Steve but it’s more than enough to make Steve wish it was buried in him.

He squeezes more lube into his hand and strokes himself a few times, his hips bucking forward at the sensitivity. He lines himself up and presses in slowly, and Steve breathes through it. He’s lose enough that the pain isn’t as much as he expects, but it’s still a steady burn as Eddie slowly buries himself to the hilt. Eddie places one hand beside Steve’s head on the bed, leaning over him as the other tilts Steve’s face up to kiss him. Steve kisses him back, wiggling his hips impatiently.

Eddie just chuckles and braces himself, and then Steve’s eyes are rolling back as Eddie starts a steady but hard rhythm. His hips are fluid, each thrust precisely nailing his sweet spot in a way that had Steve crying out into his mouth.

“Oh fuck, Eddie- mmmn fuck! Fuckfuckfuck-“ Steve moans, his hands coming to rest on Eddie’s back, nails digging into his skin. He’s vaguely aware of the fact that his face feels wet- realizes there’s tears streaming down his face as the pleasure overwhelms him. He feels so thoroughly taken apart, so loved, wanted, desired. It’s that thought that has heat pooling in his abdomen for a second time, his moans desperate and loud.

“E-Eddie, I’m so close- please-“ he manages, and he screams as Eddie picks up the pace, chasing his own pleasure.

Steve rockets head first into the best orgasm of his life, shaking and trembling as he coats his stomach and chest, and there’s so much of it even after already cumming once. Eddie’s panting in his ear, his own low husky moans making Steve’s skin sing, and then his hips stutter and his breath stutters and shakes. Steve feels Eddie filling him up and he keens, his energy zapped as he pulls Eddie down for a lazy kiss.

Eddie pulls out slowly and collapses beside Steve, panting and laughing deliriously. Steve joins him, giggling in disbelief but he’s so fucking happy. Eventually they drag themselves out of bed, and Eddie slaps Steve’s ass as he walks to the en-suite bathroom to shower. Eddie joins him when he’s done and they lazily kiss under the warm spray as they clean up.

“I love you, Steve Harrington.” Eddie says against his lips, and Steve smiles.

“I love you too. To the moon and back, Eddie Munson.”

_______________________________________________

“Steven Joseph Harrington!” A voice snaps, startling Steve out of his sleep as he realizes it’s his fathers voice. Panic seizes in his chest- Eddie’s arm is still firmly wrapped around his chest as he feels the other man also jolt awake at the sound. Feels Eddie tense up as he realizes what’s happening.

Steve sits up quickly, eyes wide as he stares into his fathers. They weren’t supposed to be home, they hadn’t called, why the fuck were they home?

“We graciously let you live in our home, despite the fact you’ve not stepped foot on a college campus, and you have the audacity to sleep with another man under our roof. And you didn’t just choose any man, you chose Eddie fucking Munson.” He spits the name like it burns on the way out. “It’s bad enough my son is a fucking faggot, but he chooses a lying, no good trailer trash satanist.”

Steve feels rage rise in his chest, his face hardening. He refuses to just sit by and let his father get away with saying such horrible things about Eddie- about the man who made him feel like he meant something. He stands up, grateful they at least put their underwear back on as he looks his father in the eye. He notes his mother is just fucking standing there, watching it all happen with barely a flicker of emotion in her eyes.

“Yeah. I chose Eddie Munson, because I fucking love him.” He snaps, and then pain is radiating through his face as his fathers fist connects with his nose, and he stumbles back and lands in a heap on the floor.

He watches a pale blur move past him as Eddie slams his father against the bedroom wall. He didn’t remember Eddie being so strong, and panic seized in his chest once again as he thought about what could happen.

“You lay a hand on him again and it’ll be the last fucking thing you ever do, I promise you that.” Eddie says, and his voice is venomous, a snarl, up close and personal in his fathers face. “I don’t give a fuck what you, or anyone in this shithole town thinks of me, but I’ll be damned if I let you talk to Steve that way. Your son is the kindest, smartest, most understanding and loyal person I have ever met in my life, and none of that is thanks to you. He did that all by himself, built a life and a family that loves him unconditionally, all without your help. I am going to help Steve pack whatever he cares about into a suitcase, and you are going to stand there and watch.” He says, his tone daring Steve’s father to protest.

To Steve’s surprise, he doesn’t- in fact, he actually looks a little afraid. Maybe it’s because he’s still convinced Eddie is a cold blooded killer, or maybe it’s because nobody, not a single soul, had ever put him in his place like that.

Steve dresses himself, managing to avoid getting the blood that was steadily trickling from his nose and busted lip all over it. He packs anything that holds any value to him into his suitcase, and leaves the rest behind as Eddie’s calloused fingers entangle with his own and guide him out of his bedroom and down the stairs. He slips his shoes on, and it isn’t until he’s sitting in Eddie’s van that he lets himself cry. He shakes and sniffles, coming to terms with the fact that his parents really just didn’t love him- not that he hasn’t already known, but the finality of what has happened this afternoon hit him hard. Eddie squeezes his hand and lets him cry until it’s all out, and then he turns the key in the ignition. Head Over Heels is playing on the radio, and Eddie doesn’t change it- knows it’s one of Steve’s favorites, and for today out of all days, he was willing to tolerate it.

The drive back to Eddie’s trailer is silent, and Eddie doesn’t push Steve to talk. He parks, grabs Steve’s suitcase from the back and guides him up the steps and into the living room. Wayne is home, sees the suitcase and the dried blood on Steve’s face and he doesn’t say anything. Steve sees the momentary flash of rage in his eyes, feels the warmth of Wayne’s hand on his shoulder as he gives it a firm squeeze before he’s heading down the hallway to his bedroom to give them some space.

Eddie retrieves the first aid kit and a clean wet cloth from the bathroom and settles in to start cleaning Steve’s face. Thankfully, Steve’s nose isn’t broken but his lip has a nasty split and his head is pounding.

Eddie tosses the cloth into the dirty clothes hamper in the bathroom and then he’s settling in beside Steve on the couch. He pulls Steve into his arms, and they sit in silence for the rest of the afternoon.

_______________________________________________

They host a family meeting the next morning, the whole party piled into Joyce and Hopper’s living room to tell everybody what’s going on. Joyce has to hold Hopper back from marching into the Harrington house and giving Steve’s father a piece of his mind. Steve had always sort of wondered whether Hop really liked him that much, but that moment stopped any doubts that Steve was very loved in this group, by everybody.

Robin is sitting on one side of Steve, her fingers squeezing Steve’s where they rest on his leg. Eddie is on the other side, his hand capturing Steve’s as his boyfriend prepares to speak.

“My parents kicked me out. They came home and found Eddie in my room, and my dad, in all his asshole glory, was not happy about it. I’m living with Eddie and Wayne, for now.” He says.

Will reaches over and squeezes Steve’s knee, a look of understanding in his eyes. Dustin, on the other hand, lets out an offended squawk.

“You and Eddie are dating and you didn’t tell me?!” He yells, and Steve can’t help but laugh. There was zero hesitation in his acceptance, but it was such an authentically Dustin response and it made his heart warm.

“I’m sorry.. you can understand I was probably a little afraid?” He says, to which Dustin gives an affirming sound.

“That’s fair.. your secret is safe with us.” He says, and there’s a murmur of agreement from the rest of the group. They all reach out and give Steve some form of a pat or a squeeze- in Max’s case, just a knowing smirk, but her eyes are soft.

“I had you clocked the night we all watched Lord of the Rings at the trailer. The way he called you Stevie was so ooey-gooey I almost barfed in the backseat.” She teases, and Steve and Eddie both bust up laughing.

“That was before we had even said anything. That wasn’t the first time that I realized it, but it was the one that made my feelings concrete.” Steve says, and Eddie blushes, pulling his hair over his mouth with a giddy smile. It makes Steve want to kiss him- so he does.

He pulls the hair away from his lips and kisses him sweetly, stroking his thumb over his jaw and pulling back to look him in the eyes. “I love you.” He says softly, and Eddie smiles in response.

“To the moon and back, sunshine.”