Chapter Text
Chapter 1
It’s the most beautiful August night. It’s the kind of night you only get in small town America, the kind where the only thing preventing time from freezing is a light warm breeze dragging it along. Minutes feel like hours, and hours feel like minutes. It’s the kind of night where you can lean back on your elbows, stare up into a canopy of sparkling stars, and let go of your awareness of time. And what a weight off your shoulders…
It's perfect. It’s been perfect like this all Summer.
Steve pulls his mind down from the stars and leans into Robin’s side where he’s tucked under her arm. She looks down at him, smiling softly, “you enjoying your stargazing, Steve?”.
“You know what, I am”, Steve can’t help the smile that spreads across his face.
“Go on Steve, tell us about the stars. What do you see up there that’s so interesting?”, Robin tilts her chin up, her eyes filling with thousands of reflected pinpricks of light. Her voice is soft, but it seems to have caught everyone’s attention and the little fragment conversations around them tail off into silence. Everyone turns expectant eyes on Steve. Jonathan and Nancy are cuddled up together on a picnic blanket across from him, with Argyle sprawled out on the grass next to them. Eddie is sitting next to Robin with his legs crossed like a gangly preschooler, his hands pulling up blades of grass absentmindedly. Steve resolutely flicks his eyes away from those hands and up towards the night sky. Glittering stars stretch in all directions, swirling and trailing like lines of a book in a language lost to time. Ursa major catches Steve’s eye first, and he points it out to the group, repeating what he can remember of the story of Zeus and Callisto. He draws on recollections from warm summers spent at sleep away camp, staring up at the stars just like this and learning about the constellations. He points to ursa minor and the North star, then to the Summer triangle, and Cassiopeia.
“I had no idea you knew so much about the stars, Steve”, Nancy says.
“Honestly, Nance, it’s the weed that brings the stargazer out in me. I swear you can see them burning up from here”, he says.
“Do you know any other constellations?”, Eddie’s voice is softer than it normally is.
“Uhhhh…”, Steve scans the sky, tipping his head back to look behind him where it meets the treeline, “nope”.
“What about Orion?”, Eddie says, leaning towards Steve.
“Yeah, I mean he should be up there somewhere, but I can’t see him right now, he must be hiding near the horizon”, Steve points loosely towards the West corner of the park, just past the wooden play structure. He fights off a yawn, covering his mouth with a lazy hand and noticing how loose and boneless he feels.
In what is an impressive show of agility, Eddie is suddenly standing where he used to be sitting, seeming to have entirely skipped the getting up phase. Steve startles as a hand is thrust into his space. “Do you think we’ll be able to see it from the crow’s nest?”, Eddie points his other hand back behind him towards the little perch at the top of the play structure.
Steve’s brain is still a little laggy with the weed and the beer and he squints up at Eddie’s wide excited eyes, struggling to catch up. Eddie drops his hands impatiently and pivots, jogging over to the play structure and clambering up towards the top on the rope grid.
Eddie pokes his head through the arch above the slide, “What, are you scared of heights? C’mon Harrington!”. He disappears for a second, then reappears on the ladder leading to the crow’s nest, his dark fluffy hair drawing Steve’s eye. Steve’s still firmly planted on the ground next to a giggling Robin who’s shoving him and telling him to go.
Nancy’s hiding a smile behind her dainty hand, “Steve you’d better go, I don’t trust him not to fall out of that crow’s nest, even with the safety rails”. Jonathan has swivelled around to watch Eddie, who waves down to them and sways worryingly.
“Yeah, okay I’d better go keep an eye on Rapunzel”. Steve brushes his hands off and extricates himself from Robin’s side to stand. “Always the babysitter…”, he mutters as he sets off towards the sand pit.
He huffs in exasperation when he reaches the base of the rope grid. He’s already two beers and half a spliff in, and while his brain assures him his coordination has never been better, Steve’s not one hundred percent sure he can trust his brain.
There’s a few moments on the climb up where Steve thinks he may embarrass himself and fall, and these moments coincide suspiciously well with bouts of laughter drifting over from where Robin still sits sprawled in the grass.
When Steve reaches the crow’s nest, Eddie isn’t precariously dangling over the railing like he thought he might be. Instead, he’s sitting with his back propped against the railing and his elbows on his knees, smiling down at Steve and offering a hand to help pull him up off the ladder. Steve pointedly does not notice long bony fingers wrapping around his forearm as he pulls himself up to sit next to Eddie. The space is kinda cramped, but Eddie doesn’t seem phased so Steve settles back against the railing, folding his legs up to fit in the space.
“I found Orion”, Steve glances over to see that Eddie’s pointing to the sky just above the treeline. Sure enough, the three stars of Orion’s belt glimmer on the horizon. “It’s my favourite constellation, you know? I’ve got a tattoo of it”.
Steve looks over at Eddie’s profile, “no way, seriously? Can I see it?”. Steve’s genuinely curious. He’s always had a distant fascination with tattoos, probably partly because his parents are so openly contemptuous about them.
Eddie smiles and nods, then he starts to pull his leather jacket off, sliding it off his arms. His brown eyes meet Steve’s through his bangs as he shrugs it off and tosses it aside. He must see the minute widening of Steve’s eyes because his mouth curves into a sly smile, “Keep your pants on Harrington, it’s on my arm not my ass”.
Steve blushes like a thirteen year old on his first date. He wishes he could blame his flustered state on the weed, but if he’s honest, he’s not that high anymore. He manages to compose himself enough to roll his eyes disparagingly before he leans in to look at the pale inner bicep that Eddie’s holding up for inspection. The tattoo is more delicate than Steve expected. Thin interrupted lines connect the asymmetrical stars dotted around in the shape of Orion and his bow. It’s beautiful in a sort of hand-spun, one-of-a-kind way. “Dude, this is so nice”, Steve brings one of his hands up to lightly rest over the inky lines on Eddie’s arm. He strokes a finger over the curve of the bow, “Where’d you get this done?”.
“Oh, I did it myself”, Eddie says.
“What?”, Steve’s brow furrows.
“I did it myself, you know, like stick and poke”.
Steve does not know. “What’s that?”.
Eddie drops his jaw in exaggerated shock, “Steve Harrington… you have so much to learn”. He drops the arm he’s holding up and lifts the other one, twisting it so Steve can see an intricate tattoo of some kind of demon or monster. “This one is a machine tatt. I got it done in Atlanta last Summer by this guy my uncle used to work with”. He gives Steve a second to check it out, then he drops his arm down to the hem of his shirt and lifts it, exposing a sliver of pale skin just above his hipbone. Steve fights the urge to look away and make it weird. Eddie points to the three crude bats nestled in the curve of his hip, “These little guys are stick and poke. Instead of a machine, these were done with a single needle that you just dip into ink and poke into your skin over and over”.
“And you did that yourself? On your own body? Damn, Munson, that’s hardcore”, Steve leans in for a closer look at the line work on Eddie’s stomach.
Eddie drops his shirt and rests his arms on his knees, “Yeah, well, you don’t really feel it after a while. Anyway, I find it hurts less when you do it yourself, cause you’re expecting it… It’s like how you can’t tickle yourself”.
Steve snorts out a laugh. Hearing Eddie Munson say “tickle” is just so absurd. The fact that he’s sitting here talking to Eddie Munson in general is absurd. Honestly, ever since that first encounter with the Demogorgon three years ago, Steve’s whole life has been absurd. He looks over at Eddie and finds that he’s grateful for the absurdity. It led him here, after all. His eyes drift to the constellation tattoo poking out below Eddie’s sleeve. “Have you ever tattooed anyone else?”, Steve asks.
Eddie shoots Steve a roguish smile, “Why, are you interested?”.
“Yes”.
Eddie’s playful grin morphs into a look of genuine surprise, “Wait, seriously?”.
Steve doesn’t really know why, but he’s dead serious. Some part of him just knows that this is something he should say yes to. Maybe, after three years of having to act older than he is, of having responsibility that no teenager should have, maybe he’s saved up some youthful impulsiveness. There’s no trepidation or apprehension, no fear of later regrets, “Yeah, why the hell not”.
Before the words are even out of Steve’s mouth, Eddie is grabbing at his knee, his shoulder, his face lighting up with excitement, “Oh my god! This is fucking insane! Wow, I did not have tattooing Steve Harrington on my 1986 bingo card”.
Steve can’t help but match Eddie’s excitement, “So what now? Where are your needles and ink and shit, do we need to go to your trailer?”.
Eddie laughs, “Woah there princess, slow down. If you think I’m tattooing you at 1 AM while under the influence of both alcohol and drugs, you’re out of your mind. I mean, I’m all for impulsive decisions, but you do know these things are permanent, right Steve?”. Steve rolls his eyes and Eddie just smiles, “You can come by my trailer in a few days. That gives you a little while to think about what you want and where you want it”.
Of course Eddie’s right, waiting a few days is the only sane option. Besides, Steve has no idea what he wants done. “Do you have any suggestions?”, he asks.
Eddie glances over at him, “Well, in terms of location, I recommend somewhere on an arm or leg for your first one. Or, you know, you could get it over your ribs if you’re really into pain”. Steve makes a face, and Eddie just grins, “Hey man, I don’t judge”, he says, holding his hands up. “As for what to get, I don’t know that I can give you much advice. I think it’s pretty important to choose something yourself, something that makes you happy”, he pauses, “As long as it’s not a basketball, Harrington. I will not tattoo a basketball on you”.
“God, who would ever get a basketball tattoo, that’s awful”, Steve scrunches his face in disgust.
“That’s not even the worst thing I can think of. Trust me, I’ve seen some taaacky shit”, Eddie says.
“Well, I’m gonna steer clear of tacky and aim for tasteful”, Steve pauses. He looks over at Eddie, suddenly serious, “I’ll think about it”.
Eddie’s answering smile is genuine and sweet, “I’m excited to see what you come up with”.
Steve chews at his lower lip in an attempt to suppress the cheesy grin that’s threatening to break out across his face. He’s not sure if he succeeds. There’s just something about this night, about this Summer. Something so honest and stable, so untouched by the meddling hands of time. There’s a pervasive feeling of nostalgia painting the evening, as if it is being etched in Steve’s memories where it can never be erased. Steve finds that he already misses this, that he already feels the loss of this sepia toned moment that he can only hold onto for so long.
He looks up at Eddie and feels his face heat with a heady mixture of loose limbed joy and giddy euphoria. They’re so close, crammed together in a tiny space meant for children. A quiet sort of tension grows between them, the air seeming to warm by a few degrees. For some reason, Steve’s gaze drifts to the soft curve of Eddie’s cheekbone, to dark wispy curls brushing pale skin. It’s not the first time Steve’s noticed how striking Eddie is, how his individually lovely features add up to an even more lovely whole. Steve swallows around a lump in his throat and sees Eddie’s eyes track the movement of his Adam’s apple. Slowly, slowly, like he’s afraid of the consequences, Eddie lifts one of his hands towards Steve’s face. Neither of them dare breathe.
A loud laugh breaks the silence. The tension dissolves and the bubble that had formed around them bursts as the world suddenly expands beyond the little crow’s nest they’re sitting in. Eddie’s hand drops as they both look away. Steve sucks in a breath, while Eddie stares at the floor of the crow’s nest like he’s worried it’ll drop away from under him.
Steve runs a shaky hand through his hair. He looks over his shoulder at the rest of the group to see that Vickie’s just arriving and settling herself down in the grass next to Robin. “Oh shit, Vickie’s here”, he says. Steve watches Robin stiffen as Vickie leans in for a hug, and he laughs fondly as he sees her start rambling as soon as Vickie pulls away. “God, she is so hopeless”, Steve says.
Eddie turns around to watch Robin’s anxious blathering and huffs out a laugh in agreement.
Steve glances over at Eddie’s profile, “We should probably go supervise. Robin needs all the help she can get”. He drops himself down onto the ladder, pausing to check on Eddie when he doesn’t follow, “You good, Munson?”.
Eddie’s brown eyes are thoughtful and resigned when he looks at Steve. “Yeah, yeah, I’m good, man. I’ll be down in a sec, I’m just gonna… smoke a bit”.
Steve lingers on the ladder for a second, not totally convinced, but Eddie seems like he needs space right now, and honestly, Steve’s not sure he can handle sitting so close to Eddie for any longer either. His insides feel jumbled, like someone picked him up and shook him, moving things around and tangling up his organs.
He’s halfway down the ladder when he hears quiet, frustrated muttering from above, “Shit. Shit, shit, shit”.
…
Robin has only just managed to stop word vomiting for the first time in ten minutes when Eddie finally comes down from the play structure. He’s loose limbed and confident, sparkling with quiet spirit. Steve’s gaze is drawn immediately to Eddie, his eyes moving of their own volition to automatically track him as he walks over towards the group. Steve notes the cut of Eddie’s jacket, the way the hem sticks out behind him, how slim his legs look poking out under all that denim and leather.
Eddie sits down next to Vickie and sprawls his lanky legs out, rocking his feet back and forth. “So, what’d I miss?”, he asks, looking around the group.
The neon green of Argyle’s baseball cap comes into view as he lifts his head just long enough to speak in Eddie’s direction, “Yo, man. Vickie was just gonna show us her tiny guitar, dude”.
Eddie looks at Argyle, blinks twice. He looks at Jonathan for some kind of translation, and receives only a confused shrug, “Okay, did that not make any sense at all, or I am hallucinating?”.
A little giggle draws Eddie’s attention to his left, where Vickie’s sitting a respectable foot away from Robin, “I think what he meant to say is that I brought my ukulele. I thought it might be nice to have a little song”.
The night continues to be beautiful. Everyone sings along while Vickie plays “Happy Together”, “Big Yellow Taxi”, and almost half of “American Pie”. Afterwards, Eddie surprises everyone by playing “Moonage Daydream”, singing along in what is actually a pretty decent voice. His eyes fall closed in concentration as he feels out the chords.
Steve stares and stares while he sings. He stares at the curls falling into Eddie’s eyes, the curve of Eddie’s neck, the nimble manoeuvring of Eddie’s slender fingers on the frets. He’s just… he’s just a good singer… a good performer. So what if Steve is appreciative of artistry.
Eddie finishes the song, opens his eyes and immediately drops his gaze on Steve for the first time since the crow’s nest. It’s only for a second, a flash of connection before Eddie tears his gaze away, grinning and handing the ukulele back to Vickie, but Steve feels his stomach drop a foot. Fuck.
…
Jonathan and Nancy peel off around 2 AM, dragging Argyle with them like a tired child. Vickie leaves a few minutes later. Robin manages to sneak in a hug and an awkward, “I really like what you did with your hair today”. Steve shoots her an encouraging thumbs up from over Vickie’s shoulder.
Robin’s coming over to Steve’s for a sleepover, and Eddie’s van is parked in the same direction, so the three of them set off together, walking side by side. The tail end of Robin’s rant about Vickie’s mysterious intentions cuts through the dead silence of the street, “So anyway, I have no idea what she meant by that, I mean, maybe she meant she thinks I’m really pretty in a friend way? I don’t understand girl code, it’s so complicated!”. Robin throws her hands up in exasperation.
Steve rolls his eyes lovingly at her, “Robs, is it really that complicated, or are you just overcomplicating it in your mind?”.
Robin drops her mouth open, offended but also entirely unable to defend herself, “Shut up Steve, it’s not as if you’re any better at reading girls”.
Steve laughs, unable to take her seriously, “Jesus, Robin, ouch!”. Steve’s laughter tails off and the three of them fall into an easy silence as they walk. The first few fallen leaves are scattered across the road, coloured in shades of orange and red, alarm bells for oncoming Autumn weather.
Eddie’s van is parked just ahead on the side of the road. It nearly glows, bleeding white into the humid air. Eddie kicks a rock with his booted foot, sending it skittering across the road to ricochet off one of the van’s tires. “Well, this is me kids. You two sure you’re good to walk home? It’s late”.
“Well according to the data, most murders happen between midnight and 1 AM, and it’s like 2:30, so we should be fine!”, Robin says cheerfully.
Steve laughs. It’s such a Robin thing to say. The familiarity of it makes him happy, makes him grateful for her.
“Anyway, Steve’s mansion is only like five minutes away”, Robin continues. “And if it comes down to it, I’m sure Steve has a private driver or a butler to come pick us up”, Robin sends a teasing grin in Steve’s direction. Steve just rolls his eyes and mutters something about how his house isn’t that big.
Eddie laughs, “I’m pretty sure my trailer would fit inside your house about 30 times, Harrington, so you can’t tell me it’s impossible that you have a butler hidden away in a servant’s quarters somewhere”.
“Well I think 30 times is a bit of an exaggeration…”, Steve says, trailing off as Eddie raises his eyebrows at him.
“Honestly, I’d say it’s not far off”, Robin interjects. When Steve scowls at her, she holds her hands up in defence, “What? It’s just the facts! You have a really big house”.
“Well, as charming as this little discussion is, I have to get back to my mansion and get my beauty sleep”, Eddie says, spinning his car keys on his index finger.
Robin smiles at him, “Drive safe, Eddie. Or as safe as you usually drive, anyway”.
“No promises Buckley”, Eddie says, grinning. “Night kids!”, he sends them a little salute as he starts walking over to his van, tossing his keys up over his shoulder and catching them behind his back.
Robin must notice that Steve’s quiet and kind of shifty, like he’s left something unsaid, because she gives him a little nudge, “Do you wanna go say good night?”.
Steve looks up at Robin and finds himself wondering if she can read his mind, or feel his emotions, or something like that. He doesn’t even fully understand why he needs to say more to Eddie, why he can’t bear to leave the conversation here. “Um, yeah. Maybe I should”, he says. He looks up at Eddie opening the door to his van and takes a steadying breath. “Hey Munson, wait up a sec”, he says, jogging over towards him.
Robin smiles into her hand behind him.
“What’s up Harrington?”, Eddie turns, the van’s driver side door held open in his hand.
Steve debates just clapping Eddie on the shoulder, saying goodnight, and running back to the safety of Robin, but in the end he decides to be brave. “So, can I come by on Tuesday, or does Wednesday work better for you?”, Steve asks.
The side of Eddie’s mouth quirks up in a smile, “Can’t get enough of me, huh Steve? Inviting yourself over… you’re dying for my company”, he teases.
Steve rolls his eyes, “Actually, you invited me… for my tattoo. You don’t remember? You feeling okay, Munson? How’s your head?”. Steve brings a hand up to Eddie’s head, ruffling his hair as he pretends to feel for bumps.
Eddie smirks down at him, “Haven’t had any complaints yet”, he says.
Steve’s brow furrows. “What?”, he says, looking up at Eddie in confusion.
Eddie’s eyes go wide, and he brings a hand up to cover his smile, “Never mind, never mind. Don’t worry about it”, he coughs out an awkward laugh. “Um, how about Tuesday? You can bring a movie with you from the video store, we might want some entertainment while I work. Just don’t pick anything sappy, alright Harrington?”, Eddie points an accusing finger at Steve.
“Sappy? Me?”, Steve scoffs.
Eddie leans onto the van door and speaks over Steve’s shoulder, “Hey Buckley, do me a favour and make sure Steve doesn’t pick out a dud movie for our hangout, okay?”.
Steve looks over his shoulder to see Robin shooting Eddie a thumbs up. He scowls at her betrayal, then turns back to Eddie, “Hey, hey. It is incredibly offensive that you trust Robin’s taste over mine. And anyway, since when is your word law, you wear a denim vest over a leather jacket, dude. That’s overkill!”, Steve gestures to Eddie’s leather clad arms.
Eddie’s grin turns sly, “Careful, Stevie. In three days’ time you’re gonna be completely at my mercy, laid out underneath me while I hold an eight inch needle poised over your bare skin. I’d watch what you say about my Dio vest if I were you”. Eddie’s grin breaks on a laugh and Steve struggles to keep composure as Eddie’s words play over in his head. “So, I’ll see you Tuesday, then?”, Eddie claps Steve on the shoulder.
“Yeah, man, you lucked out. Try not to miss me too much before then”, Steve says.
“Whatever will I do without you”, Eddie sticks his bottom lip out in a dramatic pout.
Steve rolls his eyes as Eddie’s grin slips firmly back into place.
“Night, Steve”.
“Night, Eddie”.
Eddie’s smile turns genuine and sweet for just a second, before he pivots and hops up into the driver’s seat of his van. He pulls the door shut and rolls the window down before pulling away from the curb, waggling his fingers at Steve and Robin out the window, “Toodle-loo, losers!”.
Steve huffs out a disbelieving laugh as Eddie’s van speeds off down the deserted road, a screech of heavy metal blaring from the speakers.
Robin bursts into laughter behind him, and when Steve turns to see her bending over with the force of it, he can’t help but dissolve into a fit of giggles along with her.
“What a ridiculous human being!”, Robin laughs and laughs, grabbing at Steve’s shoulder to keep herself upright as they set off in the direction of Steve’s street.