The door of Steves house slammed behind him the only noise in the absolute silence.Flicking on some switches He didn't bother to shout for his parents he knew they weren't there.It was a big hollow house and he hated it a little guiltily.Growing up in it leant it an absurd and twisted loyalty.He grabbed a bowl of cerial estimating his parents would be gone about a week by the note they'd left neatly on the empty counter and the amount of groceries in the fridge.Sinking into an armchair with his hoard he rejected any attempts at shuttering his mothers flowery curtains against the darkness outside.
She'd probably nag him if she'd been there .Her obsession with keeping the darkness out had always left Steve with a dry taste of irony in his mouth.
He sighed muscles aching and brain fogged up with a bone deep tiredness.3hours of regional swimming competition and then take or give a couple of hours of school organised mandatory,for the hawkins high swim squad anyway,fun ,had taken there toll on his body.He couldn't even lift his arms above his head and everytime he moved his whole leg cramped causing him to hiss.For what. they hadn't even won or beaten his personnel best which he had been stuck on for months now.
blood sugars and mood spiraling despite having already eaten two cheeseburgers for dinner and shoved another spoonful of cerial into his mouth.It didn't help that mich kept looking at him wierd.At first he'd ignored it and until now he hadn't had a moment to himself to think about it too hard but now he was alone with his thoughts it struck him.How did he think anyone would react seeing him talk to Eddie the freak munson.That set of a whirlpool of thoughts dragging him further and further into panic.What if some of his friends already saw him staring at Eddie and were now sure he was.Steve bolted up feeling itchy and dirty all over.A jab of pain struck his head and suddenly he felt nauseous just looking at his cereal.There were plenty of people who hated him each capable of spinning rumours from the smallest scrap of anything.
He remembered the kid that had had to leave the school because of the ceasless harassment they got because some kid had found compelling enough evidence he was queer .remebered the bruises all over him.Hed only been a freshmen and that hadn't stopped the seniors from having their turn with him.
Steve felt the pit in his stomach expand.
What If Eddie hated him and had been planning to get everyone to think Steve was queer as some twisted revenge for something he'd done.Steve felt a jab of betrayal and pain at that thought.
Steve brushed a stray peice of his hair from his eyes,stiff with chlorine and the hairspray he'd frantically used to neaten it up after swimming.
Steve may have shit friends but they were the only ones he had and he needed them a lot more than he wanted to admit.
Steve imagined the look of disgust on his parents face .The unbearable dissapointment in his fathers flinty eyes.He was too old for his father to physically do anything about it anymore but they'd probably kick him out.
Steve stared into the soggy cereal.
He imagined the disgust in Nancy's doe blue eyes.His heart sank sunk so deep he could barely feel it beat.
Steve let go of the ball letting it shatter across the marble of the kitchen.His mom was not going to be pleased.
He knelt down pottery biting into his fumbling hands as he collected the remains of the bowl.As he stood up his stomach tumbled.Steve slumped into his mind auto pilot taking over .He gently scraped the ceramic into the bin hand aching dully.The thought of stairs made his legs feel like jelly so he slumped into the sofas perfectly arranged pillows after turning out the light.The darkness seemed to be sitting on his chest crushing him.He tried to think of Nancy laughing with him but all he could picture was disgust dancing in her eyes.It wasn't the same as the dull pain when he thought of his parents revolt,they hadn't seen anything worthy of love in him for a long time.It was a sharp stab like someone was gutting him.
Steve woke up at 1:30 in the afternoon sun rays feeling like hot pokers to his head.He was disoriented ,with a pounding headache ,mouth feeling like sandpaper.With the small consciousness he had curled up in some tight corner at the back of his mind he questioned why his hand was wet the rest did it's best to retreat back into sleep.After about 15 minuets of trying to get back to sleep only to be stopped with a spike of pain in his head he decided the best option was to get up and find painkillers.Groaning he squinted his eyes open only to find he was laying on the sofa .He did his best to shuffle of the sofa, body creaking and protesting .A sharp pain stabbed into his palm as he accidentally sat on it causing him to flinch.He brought it up to his slowly acclimatizing eyes and saw a gash that had mostly scabbed over apart from a recent tear that was trickling blood.as well as a speckled of smaller cuts and a piece of cerial
Even more incentive to get those painkillers.Finally he got up of the sofa after 5 minuets ,the pain in his head causing him to see blotches in his vision.Tommie must have spiked his drink with something he could have sworn he saw him with a strange packet.Steve was going to murder him when he got back to school.Good thing it somehow didn't hit til he got out of the school event and he didn't crash his car on the way back.He would have been off the swim team and the basketball team if they'd caught him.He'd seen it happen time and time again.
Staggering over to the kitchen tap ,eyes squinted and nauseus ,he switched it on .Slurping water straight out of the tap and only then realising just how dehydrated he was.He felt his stomach turn suddenly and ran for the bathroom knocking into the door on his way out.He just barely got there on time and emptied up the two burghers and bowl of cerial from yesterday.After he was sure there wasn't anyway for him to be able to physically be sick anymore ,He got back and went to the mirror cuboard .Reading the packet twice as all the words seemed to blur together and float of the package ,to make sure they were painkillers .He poured the contents of the packet into his palm only to find all the pills had been popped.Fuck this.He remebered his mom had flushed them down the toilet the last time he'd come home hung over .Mouth a delightful coctail of stomach acid and stodgy cerial, he first went to half heartedly brush teeth.
He then got in the shower,forgetting to take his boxers off. two serene minuets tops went by peacefully before the hot water cut off.
He quickly got out the shower jittering as he got into loose jeans and a jumper still a little damp.He looked at the clock on his wall There was no way he was going to school it was pretty much already the end of the day anyway.
Steve went downstairs,muscles stiff,to the freezer taking out an icepack and putting it to his head and giving out a contented sigh.Then he stuck his full head in until the freezer gave out a shrill complaint and sent stabs of white hot pain shooting like fireworks against his eyelids.He recoiled from the offensive noise and shut the freezer.He looked back over at the milk on the floor feeling too emotionally tired to even collect the cleaning surplies.Another wave of nausea hit him like an unexpected wave surfing and he swayed legs feeling like jelly.
Maybe he just needed some air.
He put on a coat and scald and felt like a little bit of a wuss but forgot it as he walked into a crisp cloudless day and still felt like he owned warm and functioning limbs.Besides it's not like he really needed to worry everyone was at school by now and he doubted there old neighbour joan would be gossiping about steves bedraggled hair.
There was no question in his mind on where he was going and before he knew it he was under the familiar shadows ,pine and earthy smells surrounding him,a companiable quiet around him so different from the claustrophobic silence of his house and feeling better instantly.There was something so simple about walking in the woods just one foot in front of the other the trees around him not judging his every move,the dance of harsh sunlight diffused and made soffter through the flaming scatter of leaves in the tall trees twisting branches.
Steves feet carried him to the familiar outcrop of rock.He wondered at the memory of a 9year old ,come to get away from his fathers angry shouts ,that told him the outline made it look uncannily like a scull,though the years had worn at his imagination and reduced it now to a vague haze of a image.
He lent against the side sliding down and landing heavily against the floor.Istantly jumping up as he heard a yelp from the back side hidden from his view of the boulder.
"Who's there!" his heartpounded offbeat making him feel dizzy.He got his fists up hoping he looked vaguely intimidating.Someone Stepped out from behind the boulder where they'd been sitting, hands in the air.
"Steve?"Steve dropped his hands incredibly glad he hadn't actually had to fight, at this point he didn't think he actually could.A wave of dizziness swept over him.
Eddie slowly lowered his hands brows furrowing."You good there Steve you went so pale I thought you where transcending your human form."Steve swallowed down the wave of sickness sitting down to hide the slight shake of his legs.
"I'm goo.."Steve gagged Eddie looking less worried a smile begging to crawl across his face.
"Steve Harringhton golden boy of every sports team in the history of the universe with a hangover after being at a swimming competition all of yesterday?Who would've thought it."
Steve looked back at him severely unimused.
"Tommy spiked my drink and it's not funny I could've been kicked of the team."Steve gave him a bitter snarl and Eddie immediately sobered up .He looked at Steve .He was pale and his eyes had dark circles beneath them his usually perfect hair was dis
hevelled and though he was rapped up in an oversized grey sweater and jacket he shivered slightly looking the most fragile eddie had ever seen him .So different to his usual confident swagger and it through him of kilter.
Steve flinched holding a hand to his head and groaning .Eddie winced in sympathy knowing exactly what that kind of hangover felt like.
"No painkillers huh?"steve groaned in response slumping back down waiting for the world to stop being so bright and feeling like some kind of vampire from a slightly trashy horror movie.
Eddie decided to change the subject."So how'd the swimming go?"Eddie hoped he sounded convincing He knew exactly how the swimming had gone he'd been there. One of his band mates cousins had been swimming for a different school and he'd been guilt tripped and dragged along to support and maybe he'd been a little curious,though not shocked,by the fact Steve was on the Swim team. Steve s face looked somehow even more crestfallen and in pain ,much to Eddie's surprise.The memory of Steve doing front crawl near the speed of light ,cutting through the water like a knife in the stark lighting every muscle in his body moving in tandem ,honed perfectly for the water flashed through Eddies mind making him blush.He'd been sure the topic would lighten Steve straight up and he'd start boasting about how good he was at swimming,as terrible as that would have been.
"I did terribly we came 3rd I'm 2 seconds behind my personal best and that's that."
Some part of Eddie felt crushed as he looked at Steve's face.
"No way man you swim like an dolphin or something .I've never seen one."Eddie could have slapped himself in the face .How on earth could he know that if he was sticking with his current alibi and hadn't been gawking at Steve at the regional swimming gala.He prayed to everygod he didn't believe in for Steve to not notice.
"Whatever man."The gods of hangover had granted Eddie's prayers.
"besides what are you doing here anyway isn't it school today?"
"I could ask the same of you Harrington,"He carried on before Steve could object."And just the usual really performing satanist rituals ,dancing naked round a fire with my witches hair blowing in the wind .I'm sure everyone's told you all about it .that's why all the racoons awaken and raid everyone's bins on a Tuesday."
Steve chuckled a little under his breath at that forgetting his grievences with Tommy ,the light and swimming.
"Yeah I've even heard a tale that you summoned a siren and she roams the halls this day and behind me in music class."
At that Eddie let out a laugh for some reason it kind of sounded like a duck?
"So when is it you do this whole dancing naked round a fire thing seems pretty dangerous to me what if there's children walking past."
"Oh don't worry Steve I'ts exactly when the muppets is on so they are all inside like good little children watching TV.Why did you want to buy a ticket to see the show?"Eddie looked through his thick lashes down at Steve ,eyes half lidded and a sultry smile across his face and wriggled his eyebrows. Steve blushed hard looking anywhere but Eddie .
Then Eddie was back to normal switching fluidly to his dimpled smile.
"Oh no of course nothing is more important than Steve Harringhtons muppet time."
Steve still looked bright red and attempted to look grumpy leading to a very awkward expression.Eddie changed the topic ,sitting crosslegged a foot away from Steve,seeing that he was not responding.
"Anyway enough about me what are you doing here Harringhton?"
"I just needed some air and quite."Steve gave eddie a pointed look.
Eddie chose to ignore it ,this was becoming a habit of his."Uh huh.Same honestly though recently it hasn't been so quite and I see shit I really don't want to when I come by.I've heard some miscreant made it a popular makeout spot.It's a real eyesaw in the neighbourhood now."It was Eddie's turn to give Steve a pointed look.
Steve remebered when he'd taken his first girlfriend out here.He'd been 15 and she'd been a few years older.Steve had met her at some party .looking back Steve flinched at first she'd shown interest at first she found him charming Steve had shown her his hideaway , he'd spent so many years sitting alone watching the stars in the quiet ,they climbed to the top of the rock and sat watching the stars smoking the cigarettes she'd brought .Shed flicked the snubs onto the ground and something in Steve soured at it.For a while Lara was entertained with taking his virginity being all his firsts and then she wasn't and while it wasn't the shittiest thing she did she told everyone about skull rock,it still cut him deep,so deep it didn't hurt and he didn't notice it.The simple betrayl had meant alot more than he could begin to understand.It had ended up being a hit makeout spot and Steve decided to join them if he couldn't fight them and took the credit.
Steve looked over at Eddie who was wearing ripped jeans and just a T-shirt .He shivered just looking at him
"No really it's a serious problem no-one will buy tickets for the show anymore because their is already so much free nudity.Really drives the demand down."Eddie went on rambling face and hands animated eyes sparkling with humour,rings catching the sunlight .
Steve laughed a little.Then he noticed the Walkman hitched onto Eddies thick belt.
"What were you listening to?"
Eddie looked confused for half a second brows nitting together adorably,before he followed Steves gaze to the walkman and his smile returned.
"Led Zepplin .I've been trying to learn the guitar solo in Stairway to heaven .I had Jackie help with the bass.."Steve watched in wonder as Eddie carried on ranting about things he did not in any capacity understand .Eyes getting brighter and brighter with every twist and turn of the story.Then it hit his sluggish and wartorn brain.
"Wait you play the guitar?"Eddie stopped dead .
"Yeah I play with Jackie Gareth Sam and Ned we're called the corroded coffin.Though we broke up for a bit because Gareth broke his hand. we sometimes play at bars."
Steve pushed the image of Eddie guitar in hand hair wild around his face a human whirlwind of feline movement around the stage,to a descrete corner of his mind that was full of all the things he saved to unpack and interpret later .It was becoming increasingly less descrete and filling dangerously high.His brows furrowed.
"I swear I've heard of that band before."
"Steve your giving me too much credit any audience we ever get are blackout drunk and only wake up with a nagging sense of discomfort in the morning."
Steve felt a giggle bubbling out of his mouth before he could stop it.He winced bracing himself for taunts about how much of a girl he sounded like but it never came.Eddie was just looking at him with the softest large eyes.Steve cleared his throat inspecting a bird sitting on a tree a little way of.
Then he remembered.
"I think Tommy H might have been one of those spectators."Steve thought back to the colourful language Tommy had used to describe the band ."Big fan ."Steve laughed dryly and Eddie joined in.
"Of course how could I forget our number one fan. I think he still holds the reccord for the most amount of times faggs was shouted at us while peforming."Anger flared in Steves chest and it quickly turned to guilt.
"I don't know why Tommy has to be such an ass I'm sorry man."
Eddie waved him of .
"it's not your fault ."
Steves guilt deepened because it wasnt his fault but how many times had he turned a blind eye and who was he kidding as much as he hated it he wasn't going to stop hanging out with Tommy and the others,let alone stand up to them .Steve briefly glanced over at Eddie from his spot on the ground.He realised just how weak he was .Eddie went up on stage night after night even after being yelled at by Tommy, he laughed like no-one was watching ,wasn't paranoid about the romours flying left right and centre about him.The closest Steve had ever gone to breaking out was talking to Eddie.He was the king of hawkins high and he didn't even have the strength to laugh naturally infront of people because it wasn't perfect.the irony wasn't lost on him.His melancholy train of thought was interrupted.
"Look dude I know you have a hangover and all but could you turn down the looks of absolute depression a little You don't want to see me cry.I'm a really ugly crier."
"Besides I'm used to the names ."
Steve turned his chin to Eddie and looked into his coffee eyes face sombre eyes flaring.
"You shouldn't have to be."They held eachothers gaze for half a moment too long .
Eddie cut across the tense moment.
"Aww Steve my knight in shining armour ."He fluttered his thick lashes exaggeratedly at Steve a princesslike look on his face.
Then he slid into a different persona whisper shouting to Steve behind a hand."Though you should probably be focusing your efforts on the rabbits."
Steve raised his brows ."If you were trying to stop them from hearing you get a C-."He pointed over Eddie's shoulder where a rabbit was surveying them on it's hind legs.
Eddies eyes went wide and before Steve knew what was going on he was on his feet ,grabbing Steves hand and bolting with him in tow.The rabbit looked after them in confusion.
Steve was laughing at how stupid this was as they dashed over logs and between trees at top speed over the red carpet of leaves.The pine flooded Steves nose and his problems couldn't keep up as they sprinted both laughing at the top of their lungs now until they ran out of breath and Steve felt like his lungs and legs where on fire.They stopped and looked at eachother both their hair was tangled and adorned with twigs and firey leaves.The red like jewels in Eddies crown of curls.There eyes were alight with laugh ter and they both had stupid manic grins on their faces,adrenaline rush still going strong.Simultaneously they let out a laugh which sounded like a buffering engine because they were already so out of breath.Then steve realised he was still holding onto Eddie's soft but considerably colder hand and snatched his away as subtly as possible.Blaming the rush off blood to his face on the excursion of running.
Eddie finally got his laughing under control abmdomen now aching.
"You know your not so bad Harringhton ."Eddie gave Steve a soft smile and Steve smiled back a warm feeling settling in his chest in the place of the guilt.."Though your slow as hell."
"Am not !"Steve yelled back a look of false outrage on his face."I could so beat you in a race."Steve stated blowing a tuft of hair out of his face aggressively and crossing his arms.
Eddie gave him a disbelieving noise stepping forward until he was inches away from Steves face looking upat him through long lashes.Steve tried to stay as still as possible and let out a sudden shiver despite his extensive layers.
"Could you really?"Then he shoved Steve enough to catch him off balance and was off winding through the columns of trunks and branches.
"Last one to lovers lake is a rotten fish egg!"Eddie called over his shoulder.
Steve stood bewildered for half a second before a manic smile spread across his face and he was off After the flash of pitch curls ahead of him.
Steve had definitely underestimated how fast Eddie was .Sure Eddie was 70% legs , lithe and agile but he hadn't seemed the Athletic type and this was definitely more than he'd bargained for. Despite the head start Steve was hot on his heals but his legs were stiff and felt like they were filled with acid whereas Eddie looked barely winded.A surge of competitiveness made Steve surge on a little faster Eddie was clearly just toying with him.Steve would get close and then Eddie would speed up and dance just out of reach as Steve would make a grab for his shirt to pull him back.Steve could almost feel his stupid grin from here.
Eddie was toying with Steve and he had to admit he was enjoying it a little too much.Then Sthe thud of angry footsteps behind him stopped and he looked at a panting Steve.
"Eddie."
"What are you tire-aaaaaaah!"
Suddenly the Ground disappeared from under Eddie's feet and he landed knee deep in the lake effectively splashing and drenching every part of him and making him look like a drowned rat.
He flicked his heap of sodden hair back looking around for Steve and found him collapsed on the ground by the lake hand clutched to his stomach and laughing painfully.Not a flicker of concern or sympathy on his face .Eddie tried to be mad but he couldn't be something was so endearing about Steve sounding like a dying animal wrapped in so many jackets he looked like a hotdog rolling around on the floor hair mussed up and he'd be laughing his ass of if it was the other way round.Eddies hair fell stubbornly back into his face.He waded toward the bank leaping out muscles shaking and frozen to the bone.His shirt clung to him and a breeze ripped straight through him making his teeth chatter audibly.Steve stopped laughing and frowned up at the bedraggled sewer rat of a man standing and trying to nuture any ember of heat left within him.
Steve pulled of his jacket and handed it to eddie ."If you shake anymore you might actually cause an earthquake."Eddie thought about politely declining for about half a second because Steve was giving him his jacket?He knew it was just because he looked like he w ould get pnemonea any second now but did Steve know what he was doing? The last thing Eddie needed in his life right now was a crush on Steve harringhton.
But then his bodies survival instincts took over and he gratefully hugged the heavenly warm jacket tight around him.
Steve stood up and looked over the lake where the sun had turned it into liquid gold, Eddie foyllowing his gaze and the both stood in comfortable silence.
Steve turned to look down at Eddie who was about two inches shorter than him but he looked even smaller engulfed in his coat.There was a look of peace on his face despite the slight shivers and little drops of water flecked his long lashes like silver, that lined his seemingly golden eyes.Steve him a nudge with his shoulder.
"You know when you said race you to the lake I didn't think you meant it literally."
Eddie deadpanned at him before lurching at steve and wringing his hair onto him.
Steve gave a cry of indignation.
"Rich words for a loser."
Steve shoved him away and eddie stumbled slightly laughing a little.
"I'll remind you Steve if you push me in the lake it'syour jacket that is going to get wet."
"It's wet anyway your dripping all over it."
Eddie smiled wickedly wringing his hair purposefully onto the fabric .
"Oops."
A sudden bitter chill blew straight threw him and he remembered just how fucking freezing he was and began to violently shake once more.
Steve let out a laugh."That's karma for you."
Eddie was too busy chattering his teeth to respond.
"I should probably head home now, I have a shit studying to do for tommorrow "
Steve winced as he remebered the magnitude of shit he had to study.
Eddie laughed a little under his breath."Not a big fan of studying."
Steve shook his head grimly hair flying around his face.
"ok so you can't tell anyone its a Eddie Munson trade secret but if you put music on while cramming its actually kind of ok."Steve raised a brow at him.
"Though of course it won't work if you use the kind of grbage I think you listen too."
"Hey just because you play the guitar doesn't mean you are a omnipicent god of music taste."
Eddie raised his brows at him intern.
Steve sighed and started walking of .
"Well are you coming or not!"He called back to Eddie.
"N.No I was thinking I would stay out here a little long er to see how long it will take me to turn into an abominable snowman."
Eddie took a few graceful strides to catch up to Steve.
"Where do you live anyway?"Steve asked.
"The trailer park with my uncle,"Eddie looked at Steve bracing himself for the imminent offhand comment that was about to come his way.Fire in his eyes ready to fight.
Steve turned to face him a grimace on his face and Eddies heart dropped a little though he was expecting it.Off course Steve was a stuck up snob.
"But that's like a fourty minute walk your going to freeze your ass of."
Eddie felt a strange relief start to mix something up inside him and he broke into a crooked grin.
"I appreciate your concern for my ass Steve but I'm sure I'll manage ."
But Steve persisted.
"No come on I'll drive you home ."
While Eddies feet felt numb and the freezing walk home through the brush sounded alot less inviting than a warm car he had taken enough from this man and was not going to let himself agree to be escorted home by a guy he had barely known two weeks.
"No really I'll be fine."Steve frowned at him and it probably didn't help Eddies case that the shivers he had been trying to supress were now racking his body in a very unfine way.
"You're doing me a favour by giving me a reason to procrastinate studying."Steve's face echoed eddies earlier crooked smile with a more wholessome twist,"Think of it as repaying a favour for the priceless studying darkmagic tips you gave me."
Eddie scratched his chin considering the proposal."That was some pretty priceless advice."Who was he kidding his bones were numb at this point and his legs felt like they were stuck in cold cement.
"Sure I'll take a ride in the Harringhton chariot."
Eddie could see the small flicker of triumph in Steves eyes as he turned to skull rock that was emerging throught the treetops.His face had a rosie hint to it and it made the beauty spots on his face stand out stunningly.
Eddie hastily turned his attention ahead.
"So you swim and thats cool but please don't tell me you play basketball."
He said full well knowing Steve did indeed play basketball.
They both took in the swirling red leaves around them as they continued to talk and walk.
"What did basketball ever do to you?Infact why is everyone so against basketball I literally had to defend it's integrety against the savage attacks of Nancy four days ago."
Eddie let out a groan."Harringhton whyyyyyyy? I was beginning to think you weren't that bad."
Steve lit up a little at that not quite enough for him to have to co nsciously acknowledge it."Basketball is the most pointless and lame thing I have ever seen you just chuck balls into a washing basket."
Steve rolled his eyes"well what do you suggest instead."
"I actually happen to have a variety of sophisticated games I play and can recommend."Eddie took on a proffessor like persona.
"DND for one."
Steve knitted his brows together.
"Isn't that like a kid dragon game?"
Steve turned to face Eddie when the silence stretched on for too long on the other end of the line.Only to find Eddie ,head in his hands.
"I will put down your ignorance to the fact that you probably greet your friends by headbutting them and loose many braincells in the proccess andwill be generous and not smite you in the name of Dnd."
"I'm honoured."Steve replied sarcastically.
Eddie then proceeded to launch into an animated explanation of DND and his latest campaign ideas.Steve stared transfixed as Eddie left behind his shivering and seemed to glow with excitement.While Steve didn't understand the majority of the things Eddie was talking about Eddie didnt make him feel stupid for it and Steve felt the infectious excitment spread to him.He asked a few questions when he'd really fallen of the deepend,as nonchalantly as possible and was answered ,while not particularly coherently,with so much engagment he was a little overwhelmed.
They carried on walking side by side while Steve played a strange game where he pretended he thought DND was really nerdy while also listening intently and being completely enthralled by Eddie explaining what it was.To his credit Steve stuck to it even though his tactic was randomly injecting half hearted comments about how nerdy DND and Eddie where which kind of just ended up ,somehow,ending up as unintended compliments to Eddies intelligence.
Eddie saw right through it but played along faking hurt at every turn while he laughed his head of on the inside.Steve had just started fruitlessly, unconvincingly and nonchalantly been attempting to get Eddies latest campaighn out of him when they arrived at Steve's house.
Eddie let out a whistle.
"Nice car."
Steve followed Eddies gaze to his burghandy bmw 7331.
"Thanks."It was tecchnically his parents car but they almost never used it so Steve had adopted it stopping it from turning into another fancy statue on the well trimmed front drive.
"First generation series 7?"
"Yeah actually how did you know?"Steve frowned in confusion.
"Oh the rims ."Eddie answered without missing a beat eyes still glued to the car as they walked closer.
Steve's brows furrowed even further.Why did Eddie know so much about cars?
Steve went to grab the car keys from his coat pocket before he realised Eddie had them.
"You've got the keys."Eddie felt around for them in the pockets of the now slightly damp but warm jacket and chucked them and his house keys to Steve.
"I told you I summoned demons in a forest and you gave me your house keys I'm worried Steve.Do you need an intervention."Steve opened the passenger seat.
"Just get in the car already oh lord of darkeness."
"What a gentlemen."Eddie sat down on the leather seat of the car and Steve smiled to himself rolling his eyes and getting in on his side of the car.
Out of the wind Eddie could feel the nerves in his arm s slowly thawing .He could feel the slight itch of the sheepskin on the back of his neck as he twisted it to watch Steve as he started up the car and played with the radio station until he found one he liked,cinamon hair tickling his eyebrows.
Eddie cringed as he heard the trash pop that was coming out of the radio.
"I was so right in your taste in music ."
"This is literally one of the top ten of the week."
"Oh Steve please don't tell me you find your music on the corny radio stations you poor lost lamb"
Steve registered,despite the insult, that that was the first time Eddie had actually called him his name.
"Well driver is in charge of the music so suffer in silence or I'll turn it up further to block you out."
Eddie subtly took the tape out of his Walkman and made for the slot in the car .Before Steve knew what hit him black sabbath was blaring through the car.
"Eddie no."
"Eddie yes."
Steve made a grab for the eject button but Eddie grabbed it and licked it.Steve wiped his hand on Eddie ,a look of disgust on his face.
"Dude what the hell that is disgusting."steve said with a small squeal.
Eddie just looked on in amusement at the frantic Steve.
"Again it's your jacket Steve."
Steve put his hand back on the wheel mumbling something agressively.
"Sorry what was that I couldn't hear you over this absolute banger."Eddie asked stretching out on his chair.
"I said I'm going to crash this fucking car."Steve raised his voice to be heard over the music.
"That's right Steve get into that metalhead mindset."
Steve managedto roll his eyes aggressively.
"How did you know what kind of car this was anyway?"
"Me and my uncle have a makeshift garage outback and I tinker on the van we have so I know alot about cars."
Steve didn't blink the image of Eddie in overalls covered in grease quite fast enough to stop the blush he hoped his hair was hiding.Then an idea came into his head.Before he could second guess himself he blurted.
"I bet you get really hot ."
"Yeah the overalls are pretty thick actually."
"taking them off doesn't help though because you just get hotter."Steve said in a lower pitch.
Eddie blushed down to his neck and was trying to process the feelings stirring up in his stomach caused by Steves voice.He must have heard wrong.
At that moment of vulnerability Steve grabbed the tape and switched the corny radio on again.
Eddie stared on in amazment. had Steve seriously done that to put his music on and Eddie had fallen for it.What the actual fuck.And worst of all the cringy music was back on while Eddie stared flabergasted at Steve who stared pointedly ahead at the road.
Steve was internally panicking. The feeling of smug victory almost immediately evaporating.that was not even in the direction of normal things to do to a guy you'd just met. to a guy period .What the fuck was he doing.Why didn't he think this through before he said it outloud .Steve wanted to bang his head repeatedly against the driving wheel and he hoped Eddie didn't notice his clenched bone white knuckles.He'd probably freaked Eddie out .What if Eddie told people at school .Steve could probably brush it of his wor d counted for a lot more than eddies .guilt jabbed at him at that thought.but.....was Eddie staring at him in disgust.Suddenly the weight of Eddies gaze tripled a million times and Steve felt like he was drowning.He couldn't bring himself to meet Eddies eyes or even look at him from the corner of his eye he was so scared of what he'd find.
The stare he could clearly feel on him really didn't help the spikes of nervous turmoil in Steves stomach but he kept his calm facade up and decided to pretend like he hadn't just called Eddie Munson hot.
"Wow Steve I've never met someone so devoted to trashy pop."eddie said .steves body relaxed and he coughed.
"I'm afraid to ask but since you have such a strong opinion on music what studying music do you suggest."
Eddie blinked once twice and shook his head slightly feeling like he'd just dreamed whatever the fuck that was .It was probably more likely he was having a fever dream than Steve Harringhton hitting on him.Even as a... joke?
"Oh uh .Well you can keep the mixtape you so rudely stole that has some good songs on there."
"Thanks."
"No it's my honour and privilage to be leading someone into the light ."
Steve ran a hand through his hair."You were summoning demons a minute ago now your leading me into the light?"
Eddie let out a laugh and the tension in the air broke, Steve laughed along with him relief flooding him as precious as water in a desert.
They carried on talking and laughing Eddie only trying to change the radio channel twice unsuccesfully.Steve pulled up to the caravan park too soon and They both just sat there a moment.
Eddie looked at the trek to his caravan shivering from the thought of just taking Steves warm coat off let alone walking the icy stretch in a soaking wet metallica shirt,plastered to him, in the chill gusts to his house.He braced himself ,breathing in deeply before beggining to slowly shuffle the coat of his shoulders.
Steve saw the dread in his eyes and felt cold just watching Eddie shiver as he prised of the coat it would be cruelty to make him walk that without a coat.
"Look man just take it I can't watch this anymore."
Eddie smirked at him."What will my uncle think if he finds out I've been out with a boy He'll ground me!"Eddie made his voice go abnoxiously high and annoying .
"Well if your that worried about it I guess you don't have to take it."Steve deadpanned him.
Eddie pulled the coat tighter around him, Steve chortled and Eddie gave him a small smile.
Eddie made to get out the car swinging the door open"bye Steve."
"bye."
He turned back just as he was about to slam the door shut. Oh and Steve thanks."
Then he was of sprinting with his wirey long legs to the door as quickly as possible.Steve watched after him before driving home the amused smile never dropping from his face.
Eddie kicked his boots of and walked into his room giving his guitar a.
"Hey Sweetheart."
A bright smile was plastered across his face ,a warm feeling in his gut,and he lay down looking at the ceiling like a lovesick idiot. He inhaled deeply taking in the Steveish smell of the coat mixed with hairspray ,pepper and chlorine.Then he realised what he was doing and groaned digging the heels of of his palms into his eyes.The false warmth evaporated like an illusion and he quickly started shivering again.No he was not developing feelings for Steve Harringhton.He took the warm and slightly damp coat off hanging it up neatly and missed it.Before stripping his shivering body and grabbing a towel as an afterthought. racing into a steaming shower he quickly flicked on,knowing Wayne wasn't home.
For a few moments his mind was blank as the hot water slid down his skin like a blessing.Then Steve popped back in like he'd never left ,cinnamon hair and wry smile.
Why couldn't he just be a douche?Why did he have to give Eddie his coat?Why did he drive Eddie home?Why was he actually fun to talk to?By Eddies books he should have been the most boring ,stupid bully in the school .He was King of Hawkins high after all.He also flirted with him?????He probably did it by accident.Eddie gulped when he remembered Steves lowered eyelids and soft lips .Steve was probably just playing with Eddie .He was likely just a toy to Steve and it infuriated Eddie that he still couldn't get Steves stupid laugh out of his head .
Why did Steve have to be straight?
Steve drove home his mood seemingly unmovable .Not even seeing the daunting amount of studying he was going to have to do when he got home.
Steve opened the door and felt the quiet wash over him once more.Despite his pretences of hating eddies music he couldn't wait to shatter the sickening silence.He went to gather his books and a pen.then ,lodging them under his armpit he pushed the tape into the slot.
A Base guitar started up ,then a drum beat layered on top then the beat dropped and the electric guitar and vocals came in. Steve slumped onto the sofa getting out his history textbook as someone screamed on the tape in the background.It cut through the silence like the dull tones of the radio never could.he had to stubbornly admit to himself this was pretty good music.It was energetic ,wild and it reminded him a lot of Eddie he could see why this was Eddies music.He could almost see him sweat shining o "n his forehead ,eyeliner making his eyes look dark and accentuating his lashes,Hair a wild tangle around his face, Fingers moving skillfully along his guitar eyes sparking , looking down at him.Never in a million years would Steves conscious mind have let him acknowledge the hot flush on his face as anything but a relapse of his hangover.