Steve pounds on Robin's front door, waiting anxiously for her to open it. Moments later, a tired-looking Robin swings open the door in nothing but a sweatshirt, plaid pajama bottoms, and bunny slippers. "Steve?" she blinks, yawning. "What are you doing here?" She questions and Steve swallows thickly, profusely sweating. Robin seems to catch on to his anxiety. She closes the door behind her and pulls Steve into a hug. She rubs his back and feels him break down against her chest, the tension releasing from his body as she holds him. "It's too much," Steve states quietly, and Robin frowns into his shoulder, confused. "What do you mean?" Robin asks, and Steve shakes his head, breath picking up the pace. "Okay, okay. Why don't we just drive for a bit?" Robin suggests, and Steve pulls away from her, nodding meekly. "Are you okay to drive, Steve?" Robin says carefully, and Steve nods again, climbing into the driver's seat and turning the keys in the ignition. Robin sleepily crawls into the passenger's seat and fumbles with her seat buckle before clicking it into place. Steve turns on his headlights and begins to drive.
They drive around for a moment, ABBA playing softly in the background before Robin breaks the silence. She turns the radio down and turns and faces Steve, a concerned look on her face. "What happened?" She begins quietly, and Steve clenches the steering wheel, taking a deep breath, before speaking. "It's about... Eddie ," he says quietly, eyes focused, unwavering on the road. Robin hums in response, hands fiddling with each other as she thinks of what to say. "Did something happen between you two?" Robin questions, and Steve nods, eyes still focused on the road. He speeds up slightly, driving with no destination, no purpose, just the backroads and Robin. He pulls over by the lake and puts his car in park. A small section sits cleared off with a picnic table in its center, and Steve sighs. This'll have to do.
They get out of the car and walk over to the picnic table, taking a seat on the wooden ledge. Steve whips out a pack of cigarettes and lights one; Robin wrinkles her nose at this but doesn't say anything. If Steve's smoking, then it must be bad. He takes a deep inhale, holding the cigarette between his thumb and index finger, and exhales, the smoke billowing into the dark night sky. Steve gestures the cigarette towards Robin's way, and she shakes her head no, and Steve mutters something under his breath before taking another hit. They sit in silence for a bit, Steve chain-smoking the cigarette till he finishes it, squishing the remnants onto the wooden table below him. This settles his nerves a bit, and he sighs, rubbing a hand over his face before breaking the silence.
"I know you're probably the last person on earth who would ever judge me for this, but it doesn't make this any less nerve-wracking," he says slowly, averting his gaze from Robin's worried glance. "Steve, I had to break it to you, but you're kinda freaking me out here, bud. What happened with Eddie? Did something go wrong?" She questions and Steve tenses up before deflating, shaking his head.
He starts from the beginning, words flowing through his mouth like hot lava. He tells her about how much he likes Eddie, how confused he is about it, and how he is now amidst a full-blown sexuality crisis. He talks about leaving Eddie at the trailer with his piece of shit uncle and the slurs he so carelessly hurled Eddie's way, the memory of Eddie flinching in response forever etched into his brain. How defenseless he had felt in that situation and how Eddie had lied about not knowing him to his uncle, haphazardly tossing Steve a baggie as he so desperately pretended not to care, kicking him out of the trailer. And worst of all, how Steve just...froze. His heart thrums in his chest as the words spill from his mouth, coating the air with thick anxiety that even Robin felt. Robin pauses, stunned from the confession, but nonetheless replies moments later.
"So let me get this straight. You and...Eddie are what, like a thing? " Robin questions, mouth agape. Steve shrugs, running a shaking hand through his hair. "Sort of. But I don't honestly know now, considering what happened," He says quietly, a slight blush forming on his face. Robin blinks, processing his statement before recovering. She turns and faces Steve, grabbing his hand in hers and forcing him to look at her. " Steve," she breathes, and Steve looks at her, eyes welling up. "Oh man ," she mumbles before pulling Steve into a tight hug. Steve practically melts into her touch, his shaking less dispersed now and calmer. "That's fucked up," she whispers into the air, and Steve roughly pulls back, looking at her with wild eyes. "I mean the whole situation with Eddie's uncle! Not you and Eddie, not fucked up at all...." She backpedals quickly and notices the hurt that flickered across Steve's face momentarily before relief washed over it. "I know," Steve says quietly, voice breaking at the end of the sentence. Robin thinks for a moment, processing the information Steve just bestowed on her before speaking up again.
"So you just...left?" Robin questions, crossing her arms, and Steve mentally cringes at just how harsh it sounds coming from her lips. "Well...I kinda had no choice, Rob. His uncle looked like he was gonna beat the shit out of me if I said something vaguely....homosexual," Steve finishes, gaining a raised eyebrows from Robin. "Okay, Steve, rule number one. You cannot ' sound homosexual' even if you think that's a thing," Robin begins, putting her hands on her hips. Steve flushes, neck burning at the base. He hopes he doesn't sound like a fucking homophobe , for christ's sake. His gut twists a little.
"Number two, I completely understand why you didn't say anything. I mean, this town is extremely homophobic to the point where I haven't even told my parents I'm gay," Robin says honestly, glancing over at Steve. Steve's mouth drops at this as his head spins. Was he the only person Robin was out too? "And before you get your panties in a twist, you...and Eddie are the only ones I'm out to," Robin states, almost as if she was in his brain, reading his thoughts. Steve sucked in a breath, head tilted at her confession. Eddie?...
"Eddie knows too?" Steve mumbles, wide-eyed at Robin, and she nods quickly before clicking her tongue. "Well, actually...he guessed it that day in the Upside Down, and ever since then, he's known," she admits, and Steve chuckles, shaking his head. "I guess Eddie is smarter than I am," he states, grinning weakly at Robin. Robin frowns. She wraps her arm around Steve's shoulders, and he drops his head onto her collarbones, lost in thought.
"...Do you hate me?" Steve says quietly, eyes screwing shut as he awaits Robin's response. Robin chuckles, hand softly rubbing Steve's back. "I could never hate you, Steve. Sure, you might piss me off sometimes, but truthfully, I don't mind" She softly smiles, and Steve's chest soars at this.
"Also, you should definitely talk to Eddie rather than me about this, sooner or later," Robin states, and Steve nods, sighing under his breath.
++
"So, how long have you known?" Robin says, yawning as Steve grips the steering wheel. They're back in his car, driving a sleepy Robin back to her home, where her bed awaits her. "About what?" Steve says, confused. Robin's head lulls back, and she jolts up, trying to stay awake for this conversation. Steve snorts, still curious at what Robin meant by that. "Y'know....your sexuality," Robin says, sending Steve a soft smile, who flushes, cheeks turning red. "I've always liked dudes, y'know. I just never...let it be on the forefront of my mind until recently, I guess," Steve replies and Robin's lips quirk up at this, leaning in towards Steve. She drums her fingers on the dashboard, giggling to herself. "So what conspired that made you change your mind then?" Robin teases and Steve coughs, averting her gaze once more. "Trust me, Robin, you don't want to know" He chuckles and Robin wrinkles her nose at this, fake gagging. Steve rolls his eyes, a small smile tugging on his lips. "God I can't get that mental image out of my head" She whines, and Steve full on laughs now, shoulders shaking up and down as he does so. They laugh for a moment before settling down into a comfortable silence.
They pull into her drive and she leans over and catches Steve by surprise by hugging him once more, patting his back, before pulling away. "In all seriousness, thank you for trusting me enough to tell me this Steve. My lips are sealed," Robin says quietly, mimicking her lips being sealed, and throwing away the key. The tension releases from Steve's shoulders and he sighs, smiling at Robin. "Thank you , Robin, for being the best friend a guy can ask for," He says honestly, and Robin shoots him a grin. She steps out of the car and dramatically bows, yawning as she does so. "The pleasure is all mine" she winks, shutting the door behind her and walking up to the front stairs. She unlocks the door and steps inside, shooting Steve a small wave. He smiles back, waiting until she gets in the house before driving off.
++
He feels significantly better now that he got the chance to talk to Robin about what's happened, but there's still dread inside of his body, a pit of anxiety swelling inside him so significantly that he doesn't know how to deal with it. He needs to see Eddie, and he needs to see him soon. He just hopes he's okay.
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Black Sabbath and Weed (Steddie)
FanfictionSteve always knew he wasn't straight. He remembers being young and confused, and how pretty Tommy H's hair flowed whenever he played soccer. But he had always pushed it down, focusing on the fact that he liked girls. And the girls, they liked him ba...
