Work Text:
Eddie Munson has gotten used to visiting Scoops Ahoy at the Starcourt Mall over the course of his summer. It’s certainly not what would be considered his “usual scene” but he had found himself hopelessly enamored by one very attractive worker at the beginning of the summer, and has been coming back ever since.
He visits almost every day to visit goddamn Steve Harrington. Steve Harrington and his stupidly endearing smile, and his pretty hair, and his pretty eyes, and his thighs in those shorts . Safe to say he maybe has a bit of a crush on the other man. Not that he’ll ever admit it to anyone other than himself.
No matter how nice Harrington has been to him ever since he started visiting, he’s almost positive any form of confession would be met with a fist to the face. Which is another thing. Steve has been nice to him. Like, really nice. He might even say the two of them have become friends. Sure, they never hang out outside of him visiting Scoops, but sometimes Steve will invite him in the back and they’ll hang out for almost the entirety of his shift.
He’s also gotten closer to Robin, but he already kind of knew her before. They weren’t close by any means, but they had been in the same place at least a few times and had a handful of conversations under their belt before this. He’s enjoyed getting to know her more too, but if he’s being honest Steve is the only real reason he keeps coming back.
Which brings him to now. He has made his way over to Starcourt, parking his obnoxiously large van in the parking lot. He is dressed in ripped black jeans paired with a cropped Black Sabbath tee shirt, and his usual assortment of jewelry. To put it bluntly, he looks good today. He’s never been one to focus on his appearance too much, but he may be putting in the extra steps lately. Sue him. He wants to look good when he sees Steve, and is that really such a crime?
He saunters into the mall, letting the cool air conditioning wash over him. It’s a welcome reprieve from the oppressive heat outside the front doors. He makes a beeline for Scoops Ahoy, not even bothering pretending to look around first. It’s not like Robin and Steve don’t know he comes there just for them.
He soon comes to the ice cream shop, but stops short when he sees it’s closed. Huh, that’s odd. He didn’t think any place in the mall would be closed in the middle of the day, especially not when it’s been so busy. He shrugs to himself, assuming he maybe just caught Steve and Robin on their break. He thinks in the back of his head that they never completely close down even when they’re on their break, but shakes it off. He’s just being paranoid, he thinks.
He decides he’s not going to waste his day at the mall, after all gas is expensive so he may as well get something out of the trip. He walks around aimlessly for a bit, but nothing really catches his eye. He gets a smoothie from some stand, and sips on it absentmindedly as he strolls.
He’s starting to wonder if he should just go home when he reaches the movie theater. Bingo. They’re playing that new Back to The Future movie that he’s secretly been dying to watch. He buys a ticket, getting some popcorn as well, before walking into the theater.
It’s crowded, which doesn’t all together surprise him. He sits through the pre movie trailers, none of them really catching his eye, before the movie starts. He settles further into his seat, shoveling popcorn into his mouth as he watches.
It’s about halfway through the movie that he starts getting jittery. He is bouncing his leg, and has long since finished his popcorn. He’s getting dirty looks from those around him because of his constant fidgeting. He never has been good at sitting still for long.
The movie is good so far, but he’s finding it harder and harder to focus on. Fuck, he needs a smoke, he thinks. He gets out of his seat, now grateful that he had chosen an aisle seat, as he doesn’t need to scoot past anyone.
He walks out of the theater, taking a breath of fresh air, or less densely populated mall air, but still. He takes a deep breath, feeling a little calmer already. He pulls a cigarette out, placing it in his mouth before grabbing his lighter. He throws his popcorn bag away, before lighting the end of his cigarette and taking a long drag.
He starts walking a little aimlessly as he smokes, still feeling a little jittery. He is a little lost in his thoughts when he hears loud familiar voices talking. He walks towards the sound, feeling even more jittery at the prospect of seeing Steve. Pull yourself together Munson, he chastises himself, taking another drag from his cigarette.
“Then why is it called back to the future?” He hears Steve, presumably asking Robin. His voice sounds a little off, but Eddie shakes it off, assuming he must just be imagining things. He smiles at the question, god Steve is so stupidly endearing. He kind of hates it.
“He has to go back to the future because he’s in the past. So, the future is actually the present, which is his time,” Robin explains, also sounding a little off. Eddie can finally see the two of them, and they both look like a mess.
“Wh- what?” He hears Steve ask, the man sounding out of it. His eyes widen when he takes in Steve’s face. Jesus H Christ, he is beat to shit, no wonder he sounds so out of it, he must have a concussion. Steve turns his head, presumably to look at Robin but instead meets Eddie’s stunned face.
His face lights up at the sight of him, a wide smile spreading across his face as he stands up further. He seems to get a little dizzy with the motion, swaying on his feet, using the water fountain he had been drinking from to support him.
“Eddie!” Steve yells, practically throwing himself at him. Eddie rushes to catch the other man, not wanting him to fall flat on his face. Robin also seems to have noticed his presence, smiling brightly at him before taking a large sip from the water fountain.
“Woah there, big boy.” Eddie says, steadying the man in his arms. Steve giggles at him. Like, actually fucking giggles. What the fuck is happening? Robin pulls away from the water, turning her head towards them.
“Munson! We missed you!” Robin exclaims, her speech a little slurred. He looks down at Harrington to see that, yup, his eyes are super bloodshot. Jesus. These two are stoned out of their mind. He’s honestly a little jealous if he’s honest.
“Harrington, what happened to your face?” Eddie asks, suddenly being reminded of how beat up he is. Steve just laughs at him again, leaning even more of his weight on him. He supports him with a little difficulty, finally managing to stand him mostly upright again. Steve reaches out and touches his index finger lightly to his nose, with a wide smile on his face.
“Boop,” he says, before falling into another fit of laughter. Eddie’s face goes bright red, and he is grateful the other two are too high to notice it.
“Jesus, you’re so stoned right now, Harrington.” Eddie says, rolling his eyes at him.
“‘M not stoned, Eddie .” Steve slurs out, emphasizing his name for a reason unknown to him. His smile widens as he looks at Eddie’s face, bringing his hand back up to tangle in his hair. Eddie’s face is bright red right now, and he needs to take a deep breath to calm down. Steve is high right now, this doesn’t mean anything, he keeps telling himself on a loop.
“You’re cute,” Steve says, curling some of his hair around his finger. Eddie thinks he is going to combust at any moment if Steve keeps looking at him like that. Steve leans forward a little bit and it takes all of Eddie’s willpower to lean back some. Steve suddenly goes a little green, looking like he could puke at any moment. Eddie is both thankful for the distraction and scared the boy is going to puke down his front.
“Jesus, what did you take, big boy?” Eddie asks, feeling worry course through him. Steve should not be about to vomit if this were just weed. Steve suddenly goes rigid, leaping out of his arms to rush to the bathroom. He hears ugly retching sounds through the door, making him wince.
“Steeeeve!” Robin yells, clearly distressed at her friend leaving. Eddie walks over to her, taking her by the arm and leading her into the bathroom. If this is making Steve vomit, it will no doubt make Robin vomit as well.
Sure enough, almost as soon as they’re through the bathroom doors, Robin is rushing to one of the toilets and retching into it. Eddie lets out a long sigh, walking over to where Steve is kneeled over the toilet.
He kneels next to him, ignoring the dirty floor in favor of holding his hair back. Steve makes a small noise at his touch, but is throwing up again before he can say anything. Eddie grimaces at the sight, turning to look away so he doesn’t vomit as well.
It takes a while but eventually both Steve and Robin stop vomiting, the two of them flushing the toilets before sitting against the bathroom stalls. They are breathing a little heavily, and Eddie looks Steve over with worry as he sits opposite him. Steve groans, resting his head down between his knees.
“The ceiling stopped spinning for me. Is it still spinning for you?” Robin calls from the other stall. Steve picks his head up, looking up at the ceiling.
“Holy shit. No.” He responds, still looking up. He is steadfastly refusing to look at Eddie and that fact hurts way more than he thinks it should. “You think we puked it all up?”
“Maybe. Ask me something? Interrogate me.” Robin replies, which Eddie thinks is a little odd. He looks at the man in front of him, trying to figure out what is happening. Jesus, in the bright bathroom lighting Steve looks even worse.
“Okay. Interrogate you. Sure.” Steve says, chuckling a little as he repositions himself. He sinks further onto the floor, still looking persistently at the ceiling. “Um, when was the last time you, uh, peed your pants?” Steve asks, and Eddie can’t help but snort a little at the question, the sound bringing a small smile to Steve’s face.
“Today.” Robin answers with surprising honesty.
“What?” Steve asks, looking down at the wall of the stall in front of him, where Eddie is sitting. He has an amused smile on his face, that is mirrored on Eddie’s.
“When the Russian doctor took out the bone saw.” Robin responds, and huh? Eddie looks over at Steve who has a worried look on his face.
“When the who took the what out?!” Eddie asks, sounding more alarmed than he had meant to. Steve looks away from him again, looking a little guilty, which only serves to make Eddie even more confused.
“Oh, Eddie, I forgot you were here,” Robin admits from the other stall. Eddie just looks more intently at Steve who shrugs in response, a small smile on his face again. Eddie thinks he has never been more confused in his life, but he also thinks he might be falling a little bit in love with Steve Harrington, because he finds him beautiful right now. Even with his face beat to shit, and some vomit and blood staining his sailor suit.
“Okay, my turn!” Robin calls, shaking him out of his thoughts. He is still extraordinarily confused, but he’s also kinda intrigued to see what she asks. “Have you ever… been in love?” She asks after a moment. Steve makes eye contact with Eddie, looking at him with a look he can’t decipher but that he is sure means something.
“Yup,” he says with a little bit of a hysterical laugh, “Nancy Wheeler. First semester, senior year.” Steve admits, mimicking a gunshot to the heart, and chuckling a little self deprecatingly.
“Oh my god. She’s such a priss,” Robin says and Eddie can’t help but agree. This conversation is pretty much guaranteeing he’s not Steve’s type at all , which, yeah, he already knew that, but still . Ouch.
“Turns out, not really,” Steve says with another little laugh, that makes Eddie’s stomach plummet a little. He still sounds a little in awe of her, and fuck if that isn’t a punch to the gut. He brings his knees up to his chest, fiddling with his rings on his fingers as he looks down at his lap, refusing to continue looking at Steve.
“Are you still in love with Nancy?” Robin asks, and Eddie kind of doesn’t want to know the answer, but he also kind of needs to. He glances up at Steve to see he’s already looking at him with a slightly somber look on his face, and something else that he still can’t place hidden just behind his eyes.
“No.” Steve answers easily, and Eddie can feel his heart in his throat as Steve keeps looking at him with that unknown look.
“Why not?” Robin asks, and fuck, Eddie thinks he might throw up. Steve shuffles a little where he’s resting, sitting up a little further to look Eddie in the eye. It’s intoxicating and suffocating all at once, and he’s sure he’s going to throw up now.
“I think it’s because I found someone who’s a little bit better for me.” Steve answers, sounding a little breathless. Eddie feels all the air leave his body as Steve sits up even straighter, still making eye contact with him. Eddie’s heart is beating so damn fast he’s almost positive Robin can hear it from the other stall.
“It’s crazy,” Steve says with a little laugh, looking down at his lap for a moment before looking back up at Eddie. He looks determined but Eddie can see the hint of nerves behind his eyes too.
“Ever since Dustin got home he’s been saying, ‘you gotta find your Suzie, you gotta find your Suzie-”
“Wait, who’s Suzie?” Robin suddenly asks, and Eddie can’t help but curse her out in his head for interrupting.
“It’s some girl from camp, I guess his girlfriend. To be honest with you, I’m not even 100% sure she’s even real. But that's not- that’s not really the point. That doesn’t matter. The point is, this person, you know, the one that I like, it’s somebody that I didn’t even talk to in school. And I don’t even know why, maybe ‘cause Tommy H would’ve made fun of me or…” Steve shakes his head a little, before turning his pointed gaze back to Eddie. Eddie is holding his breath, his heart in his throat.
“I wouldn’t be… prom king. It’s stupid, I mean, Dustin’s right, it’s all just a bunch of bullshit anyways. Because when I think about it, I should’ve been hanging out with this person the whole time. First of all, they’re hilarious. They’re so funny. I feel like, this summer, I have laughed harder than I have laughed, in a really long time.”
There are tears in Eddie’s eyes as Steve keeps talking, he thinks he might be shaking a little but he’s not sure. He is still overly aware that Robin is in the next stall listening, but it feels like he and Steve are the only people in the world right now.
“And they’re metal. They have the absolute worst sense of style I’ve ever seen, but they somehow make it work, and it’s just so, them . I don’t even know. They just- they make me feel things I’ve never felt before, and it honestly scares the shit out of me a little bit.” Steve says with a little laugh, pausing to take a deep breath before continuing.
“And they just make things better. It’s like I’ve been waiting my whole life for this person, or some shit. I know that sounds cheesy as hell, but I just- It’s true.” He finishes, letting out a long breath.
Eddie feels like he is going to pass out, thumping his head back against the stall, tilting it up slightly to stop his tears from falling. Fuck.
“What do you think?” Steve asks, eyes locked on Eddie’s. Robin stays thankfully silent on the other side of the stall, clearly realizing Steve isn’t talking to her.
“About?” Eddie asks cautiously.
“This person.”
“They sound awesome.”
“They are awesome. And about the guy?”
Steve looks so hopeful, but Eddie can’t do this. Fuck he just can’t. He lets out a long breath, before taking a shaky one in. He is not going to cry because of Steve Harrington. Not today. Even so, he can’t help but feel his throat tighten a little.
“I think he’s on drugs, and not thinking straight,” Eddie replies, and Steve’s eyes harden.
“Really, because I think he’s thinking a lot more clearly than usual,” Steve replies, and there is hurt laced in his words even though they are spoken confidently. Eddie wants to scream at the tone. He never wants to make Steve hurt, but he knows he doesn’t mean this. He can’t . No matter how much he wants him to.
“Steve-” Eddie says a little desperately, his voice cracking a little. He is cut off by the bathroom door slamming open. They all startle, looking over to the now open door. Dustin Henderson and Erica Sinclair stand in the doorway, looking at Steve and Robin exasperatedly.
“What the hell!?” Dustin yells, and Eddie is almost grateful for the interruption. “Let’s go! We have to get out of here!” Dustin yells even louder, urgency in his voice. Robin, Steve, and Eddie all jump to their feet, following the two younger kids to the door of the bathroom.
Dustin is looking out through the cracked door, holding the rest of them back. He’s about to push through and ask what’s happening when Dustin says, “blend.”
The movie must have just gotten out, as a group of people are now filling out of the theater. They slip into the group, Steve and Robin looking like they’re trying not to be noticed. Eddie is confused as they continue following Dustin and Erica, but stays silent for the moment, kind of curious at how this is going to play out.
“Well shit, that worked.” Erica says, only serving to confuse him further.
“Course it worked,” Dustin replies, sounding cocky. That kid really needs to get his ego in check, Eddie thinks, rolling his eyes. “We just have to get on the bus with the rest of these plebes, and home sweet home, here we come.”
“Uh, Dustin?” Steve asks, suddenly sounding guilty.
“What?” Dustin asks irritated.
“Yeah, we might not wanna go to your house.”
“Why?”
“Well, I might’ve told them your full name.”
“What is wrong with you!?”
“Dude, I was drugged.”
Pieces are slowly starting to click into place as Eddie listens to the conversation, but the pieces don’t make any damn sense. It’s like he is putting together a puzzle and all the pieces fit but he’s missing at least half of them, and doesn’t have the box to see what the picture even is.
“So?”
“So?!”
“So you tough it out. You tough it out like a man.”
“Oh, that’s easy for you to say.”
“Guys?” Robin suddenly interrupts the bickering, the group stopping. Eddie stops too, looking in the direction the others are. He doesn’t see anything out of the ordinary, so he leans over to Steve.
“What are we looking at?” He whispers, even more confused when he looks over and sees the panicked looks on Robin and Steve’s faces. “Hey, what’s-” before he can finish his question he’s cut off by Dustin.
“Abort. Abort!” He yells, turning around and starting to run in the opposite direction. Eddie has no idea what the fuck is happening, but he blindly follows when the others start running too, unsure what else to do.
“What the fuck is happening!?” He yells over his panting breaths.
“No time to explain!” Dustin yells back, as Robin starts sliding down the middle of the escalators. Dustin, Erica, and Steve all follow leaving just him at the top.
“Fuck it,” he whispers to himself before following them down, smirking a little as he slides down. This is fun, he thinks. Once they’re all at the bottom they make a run for it. Eddie looks back and sees a man with a gun standing on the balcony, looking around for them. What the fuck. What the fuck. What the fuck.
Robin leads the way to one of the food kiosks, sliding over the counter and ducking behind it. The rest of them follow, all breathing heavily. Eddie looks over to Steve who is sitting next to him, his eyes wide and scared.
“What the fuck is-” his question is cut off by Steve’s hand over his mouth. He blushes a little at their proximity, Steve leaning in even closer to whisper in his ear.
“I’ll explain later, just please be quiet or you’ll get us killed. Understand?”
Eddie nods his head, eyes even wider. Steve lets go of his mouth, and he sags as he releases him. The five of them sit with their backs to the counter, all breathing as quietly as possible. The mall quickly clears out, the lights shutting off around them.
They hear a man speaking Russian close by, and they all hold their breaths. Eddie squeezes his eyes shut, reaching out and grabbing hold of Steve’s hand tightly. Steve squeezes back just as hard, as they all wait for something to happen.
Suddenly a car alarm starts wailing, making him jump. He opens his eyes, looking over to Steve’s to see him already looking back. Before he knows what’s happening they hear a loud crashing sound coming from behind them, the sound of glass and metal breaking.
They all cautiously turn around, raising their heads to see what is happening. The car that had been on display across the mall is now on its side against the counter next to where they were just hiding, beaten to hell. The four men with guns that had been hunting them lay dead on the ground.
“What the fuck. What the fuck. What the fuck.” Eddie whispers, his heart rate picking up as he starts hyperventilating a little bit. Steve reaches out and squeezes his hand again, bringing him back to himself a little bit. He gives him a grateful nod, squeezing back, before looking back at the scene before them. The five of them all look to their left, seeing a large group of kids standing on the balcony.
Dustin smiles, seemingly recognizing them, as Eddie continues to freak the fuck out, because what the hell is happening!? Dustin leaps over the counter, the rest of them following. Steve has still yet to release his hand, which he’s eternally grateful for. He thinks he might actually scream if it wasn’t for the iron tight grip he has on his hand.
They start running towards the group that is making their way towards them, Eddie once again following blindly. Dustin laughs loudly as he runs, a manic grin on his face.
“You flung that thing like a Hot Wheel!” He exclaims happily, running up to hug a girl who’s limping. The rest of them stop once they are close enough, and everyone seems to know what is happening except for him, which he really doesn’t like. He looks to Steve for some kind of explanation, but he’s looking forward to the group.
“Lucas!?” Erica yells, stopping in front of one of the boys.
“Erica!? What are you doing here?!” The boy asks, presumably her brother.
“Ask them, it’s their fault,” she says, pointing to where Steve, Eddie and Robin are standing.
“True, yeah. Totally true. It’s absolutely our fault,” Steve replies, as if this is a completely normal occurrence and not the scariest moment of Eddie’s entire goddamn life.
“I don’t understand what happened to that car,” Robin says, and thank you! Finally someone who is asking the right questions.
“Yeah, I am completely lost here,” Eddie tacks on, his voice barely shaking which he is more than a little proud of. Steve turns and looks at him, giving him what he thinks is supposed to be a sympathetic smile, but really looks more like a grimace.
“El has superpowers,” Dustin replies, like it’s nothing. Eddie gapes, looking between him, Steve and the rest of the group. Steve just shrugs at him, still not letting go of his hand. Eddie groans, hitting his head against Steve’s shoulder and closing his eyes for a moment. He takes a deep breath trying to calm himself and failing pretty miserably.
“I’m sorry?” Robin asks, confused. She is the only person Eddie has respect for anymore, he thinks as he takes his head off Steve’s shoulder to look around again.
“Superpowers. She threw it with her mind. C’mon catch up,” Steve says, not unkindly.
“That’s El?” Erica asks, as if that means literally anything.
“Who’s El?” Eddie asks, because he can not take this anymore. He feels like his brain is going to explode as a headache starts to form behind his eyes.
“I’m sorry, who are you?” He hears from his right. He turns his head to see Nancy goddamn Wheeler looking between him and Steve conspiratorially. Her eyes glance down to their hands, her eyebrows raising at the sight. Eddie tries to let go, worried of their reactions, it is still Hawkins after all, but Steve holds steadfastly on.
“Eddie Munson, and Robin Buckley,” Steve introduces them, gesturing to them both as he says their names.
“Robin cracked the top secret code.” Dustin says admiringly. Eddie has honestly stopped trying to even pretend he knows what’s happening right now, just letting his eyes fall to whoever happens to be speaking at the moment.
“Yeah, which is how we found out about the Russians.” Steve explains, and something seems to click in Eddie’s brain. Holy shit. That stupid Russian recording Steve, Robin, and Dustin had been working on. Eddie was there while they were working on it for a bit, but he honestly didn’t understand any of it, and thought it was all just a weird prank or something.
“Holy shit, wait, that was real?!” Eddie asks, looking at Steve expectantly. The other man rolls his eyes at him, but has a fond smile on his face.
“Yeah! How do you think I got all beat up?” He says as if it’s obvious.
“I don’t know! You wouldn’t tell me!” He responds, feeling a little hysterical right now.
“Russians? Wait, what Russians?” Jonathan Byers asks, and what the hell is he doing here? Actually, scratch that. Eddie doesn’t want to know.
“The Russians!” Steve yells, getting a little worked up. Eddie squeezes his hand and Steve looks over to him, his tense demeanor softening at the sight of him, which. Wow. That’s something. Eddie really wishes this wasn’t the situation they were currently in because he is kind of starting to believe that Steve might actually have feelings for him, and didn’t just confess in a drugged up stupor.
“Those were Russians?” A girl with red hair he doesn’t recognize asks.
“Some of them,” Erica responds.
“What are you talking about?” The boy, Lucas asks.
“Didn’t you hear our code red?” Dustin asks.
“Yeah. Couldn’t understand what you were saying,” another boy responds, and Eddie’s head is starting to hurt even more from this constant back and forth.
“Goddamn low battery,” Dustin curses.
“How many times do I have to tell you with the low battery?” Steve asks, getting worked up again. Eddie doesn’t even bother trying to give his input anymore, just hanging on for the ride.
“Well, everything worked out, didn’t it?” Dustin sasses back.
“Worked out? We almost died!” Erica responds, and Eddie takes it back. Erica and Robin are the only two people he respects anymore, because they are the only two making any semblance of sense.
“Yeah, but we didn’t, did we?” Dustin says.
“It was pretty damn close,” Steve responds, and Eddie lets out a long sigh, looking around at the group as they keep bickering. His eyes catch on the girl who was limping, El he thinks her name was, and she has separated from the group. She is panting and her nose is bleeding heavily.
“Hey are you okay?” He calls out, moving slightly closer to her, in turn dragging Steve along with him. This catches everyone’s attention as they stop bickering and look over to El. It’s just in time too, because almost as soon as he asks she collapses to the ground.
“El! El!” The boy he doesn’t recognize calls, as they all run over to her. She is whimpering in pain, as the boy flips her onto her back.
“My leg, my leg,” she cries, tears running down her face. Eddie’s heart is in his throat again as he watches the scene.
“Her leg, her leg, okay,” Jonathan says, reaching out for her bloodied leg. He pulls the makeshift bandages away revealing a nasty gash. They all groan in disgust, as Eddie feels bile rising in his throat. He holds on tighter to Steve’s hand, Steve holding on as well. Something suddenly starts moving under the skin as El wails in pain.
“What the fuck is that!?” Eddie yells, feeling fear shoot down his spine.
There are people yelling but he can’t focus on them, too overwhelmed by his own fear and nausea. El starts screaming and Eddie feels hot wet tears sliding down his face. He can’t remember ever being this scared in his entire life.
“Keep her talking. Keep her awake, okay?” Jonathan says, sounding far too calm for what is happening. He runs off to the side, but Eddie can’t focus on what he is doing, too distracted by the open wound that is literally moving in front of him. The group starts moving her trying to get her in a better position, but Eddie is frozen. He can’t do anything but watch the scene in front of him. Steve lets go of his hand to help and he lets out a small whimper at the loss, feeling completely untethered from reality without that small reassurance.
“You know, it’s not actually that bad. There was a… The goalie on my soccer team, Beth Wildfire, this other girl slid into her leg, and the whole bone came out of her leg, six inches or something, it was insane,” Robin rambles, and it’s almost comforting how panicked she sounds.
“Robin.” Steve says, his voice slightly chastising.
“Yeah?” She asks, as if she has no idea why he would be talking to her.
“You’re not helping.” Steve says bluntly, and Eddie can’t help but disagree. Her incessant rambling, while maybe not helping the girl writhing in pain, was definitely helping him.
“I’m sorry.”
Jonathan comes running back over, holding a butcher’s knife and a wooden spoon. Eddie feels his stomach flip at the sight. He retches a little but thankfully nothing comes up.
“Okay. You alright, El? This is gonna hurt like hell, okay? Need you to stay real still. Here, you’re gonna want to bite down on this, okay?” Jonathan says, placing the spoon on El’s mouth as he puts on kitchen gloves. El bites down, tears streaming down her face as she lets out muffled sobs.
Jonathan starts cutting into El’s leg, as she lets out absolutely gut wrenching screams. Eddie rushes over to Steve’s side as he kneels beside her, grabbing onto his arm and burying his face in his shoulder. Steve turns to him slightly, pulling him into his arms as El continues screaming.
Eddie has tears streaming down his face, and he knows he’s going to hear these screams in his nightmares for the rest of his life. He clings to Steve as he sobs, waiting for the wailing to be over.
“No! Stop it!” El screams, and Eddie cries harder. He can’t do this. Steve buries his head in Eddie’s hair, hiding from the horrors occurring just a mere foot from them.
“I can do it,” El whimpers, and Eddie’s heart breaks. She is so young, and he is suddenly struck by just how young she is. He holds on tighter to Steve, refusing to look at what is happening next to him. It’s silent for one blissful second and Eddie almost thinks it’s over before he hears a wet squelching sound, as El starts screaming again.
The glass breaks behind them and Eddie buries deeper into Steve’s chest as Steve’s arms shoot up to their heads to try and protect them. El screams louder before suddenly stopping, as she gasps in panting breaths.
Eddie chances looking up, praying that it’s over. When he does he sees something skittering across the floor, the sight shooting more fear into him as he continues sobbing. Steve holds onto him tighter, shedding a few tears himself.
Suddenly a large boot steps on the creature, squishing it. Eddie follows his gaze up the leg before landing on the slightly bloody face of one Jim Hopper, who’s holding a gun in his right hand. Oh you’ve gotta be shitting him.
Eddie buries his face back in Steve’s chest, hoping maybe things were too fucked up for Hopper to care about him. Steve strokes a gentle hand through his hair, as he rocks them gently, trying to calm Eddie’s sobs.
They all slowly get up, moving to sit around the fountain in the middle of the mall. Eddie is still clinging to Steve as they reposition themselves, sitting side by side next to Robin and the red headed girl on the side of the fountain.
Eddie has his arms wrapped around one of Steve’s, while Steve’s free hand taps a nervous pattern onto his leg. The repetitive motion is nice, and it’s helping to calm Eddie a little bit, his heaving sobs turning to soft sniffles.
“The Mind Flayer, it built this monster in Hawkins, to stop El. To kill her and pave a way into our world.” One of the boys explains, the others listening intently. His words spark Eddie’s interest, as he finally recognizes some of what he’s talking about.
“The Mind Flayer? Like in DnD?” He asks quietly to Steve. Steve turns his head towards him, lowering his voice while Nancy speaks to the others.
“Yeah, but like, in real life. I don’t really understand it, but the kids name all the monsters we fight after shit in that nerdy game.” Steve explains, no longer tapping his fingers, now just resting it on Eddie’s leg as his thumb strokes soothing circles.
“Wait, all the monsters? You mean this shit has happened before?” He asks, and his voice sounds so small and scared he almost thinks he sounds like a little kid again.
“Yeah, a few times. There was the Demogorgon two years ago, and the Mind Flayer last year, but it was in a different form than now. It was like smoke or some shit, this one is like all fleshy,” Steve explains, a grimace on his face. Eddie looks up at him with wide eyes, thinking Steve must be pulling his leg or something.
Steve looks back at him completely seriously, and Eddie can’t help but laugh a little hysterically. Jesus H Christ. What the fuck is his life?
“So just to be clear, this big fleshy spider thing that hurt El, it’s some kind of gigantic… weapon?” Steve asks, turning his attention back to the group. Eddie has no idea how he managed to pay attention to both conversations at once. He sighs, resting his head on Steve’s shoulder as they all talk.
“Yes,” Nancy responds exasperatedly, and Eddie frowns at her tone. He thinks it’s a fair question, and he doesn’t like how she’s talking to him.
“But instead of, like, screws and metal, the Mind Flayer made its weapon with melted people.” Steve states, but he knows he means it as more of a question.
“Yes, exactly!” Nancy says, sounding even more annoyed. Eddie lifts his head off of Steve’s shoulder to tell her off, because what the hell? Steve was just asking a simple question, she doesn’t have to be rude about it. Before he can say anything however, Steve is speaking again.
“Yeah, okay. I- Yeah, I’m just making sure.” Steve says, sounding just as exasperated, and Eddie can’t help but let a little smile grace his face. He looks over at Steve, admiring the way his face looks in the low light. Even beaten to shit Steve Harrington is still the prettiest goddamn boy he’s ever seen.
“Are we sure this thing is still out there, still alive?” The woman who entered with Hopper asks.
“El beat the shit out of it, but, yeah, it’s still alive.” The redhead responds.
“But if we close the gate again-” the boy Eddie distantly recognizes as Will Byers starts.
“We cut the brain off from the body.” Red finishes.
“And kill it. Theoretically,” Lucas adds on.
Eddie can’t help but laugh a little, bringing attention to him. Everyone stares at him and he can’t help but shrink into himself a little bit.
“Something funny?” Red asks, sounding fed up. Eddie can’t help but scoff and roll his eyes.
“Uh yeah. This is all fucking batshit insane. If I wasn’t painfully sober right now, I would think this was all some kind of really bad trip. Honestly I’m still not convinced it isn’t.” Eddie says, his voice getting higher the longer he talks. He starts hyperventilating, looking around at this group of people he has never met before, all talking about fucking mounters from alternate dimensions.
He feels himself getting light headed as he struggles to calm his breathing. He feels Steve pulling him to his feet but he can’t really process it right now. He lets himself be pulled away from the group that has started talking amongst themselves again. He closes his eyes tight, trying to block out all external stimuli. Steve grabs one of his hands placing it on his chest, before placing his own hand on Eddie’s chest.
“Just breathe, baby. Feel my breathing. Deep breaths, just like that.” Steve directs, taking in deep breaths. Eddie struggles for a bit but finally gets the rhythm, taking in deep breaths, the two of them breathing in sync.
He feels his heart rate settle into something more resembling normal, as his breathing continues to even out. He finally cracks open his eyes, no longer feeling like he was going to pass out on the spot. Steve is looking at him with wide worried eyes, but he has a small smile on his face once his eyes are open.
“There you are,” Steve says fondly, and the sound makes his heart beat pick up for a whole other reason.
“Sorry, I just-” Eddie starts, cutting himself off when he realizes he has no idea what to say. Thankfully Steve seems to understand just fine, nodding to him with a kind smile.
“I get it, this is a lot,” Steve says, and Eddie chuckles a little breathlessly.
“Yeah.” He responds in lieu of anything else to say. They both just stand there for a moment, looking at each other. Steve opens his mouth like he’s going to say something, before closing it again. Eddie looks at him curiously, waiting for Steve to gather his thoughts.
“I meant what I said earlier, you know? About the person I like.” Steve says, and Eddie’s eyes widen. Obviously he knew Steve liked him at this point, with all the touching and shit, but hearing him actually say it is something else entirely.
“Yeah?” Eddie asks hopefully, his breathing picking up again a little.
“Yeah. You still haven’t answered my question though. About the guy.” Steve says, worrying his bottom lip with his teeth. Eddie can’t help the way his eyes track the movement, feeling all too enamored by the other boy when the world is literally ending around them.
Eddie’s brain takes a moment to process Steve’s words and once it does a wide grin settles on his face. Instead of answering with words Eddie grabs Steve’s face, cautious of the bruises and pulls him into a kiss.
Steve freezes in shock for a moment before melting into him, bringing his hands up to hold onto his waist. It tastes like blood and vomit, and it’s the most disgusting thing Eddie has ever tasted but he never wants to stop. He kisses Steve like he’s starving, and he thinks maybe he is.
He has no idea if he’s going to live to see tomorrow, so he is going to kiss Steve Harrington like his goddamn life depends on it. Steve makes a small noise into his mouth and Eddie relishes in the noise, needing to hear every song Steve Harrington can make.
He licks at his bottom lip, not even caring how gross it is right now, because he needs this. He distantly thinks there are tears falling down his face but he doesn’t care. He can’t care about anything but Steve’s mouth on his right now.
He kisses him desperately and Steve kisses back just as hard, the feeling shooting down Eddie’s spine and maybe turning him on a little more than it should given the context. They kiss until they are completely out of breath and need to pull away for air. Eddie leans his forehead against Steve’s laughing a little breathlessly. Steve laughs back, a wide smile taking over his face, and it’s the most beautiful thing Eddie’s ever seen.
“You’re beautiful,” Eddie whispers into the space between them, and it feels like a confession. Steve’s cheeks go slightly red. Just when Eddie thinks he can’t possibly get any prettier, he goes and blushes and Eddie falls just a little bit harder for him.
“I think I’m falling in love with you.” Steve whispers, his eyes alight with nerves and that same unknown look from before. Adoration, Eddie thinks. That’s the look he hasn’t been able to place. Steve is looking at him with adoration and the thought makes his stomach erupt with even more butterflies.
“I think I’m falling in love with you too, Harrington.” He confesses, and Steve pulls him in for another desperate kiss. He sinks into it, not caring if the others see them. He needs this.
Everything after their confessions happens so fast Eddie isn’t even sure how to describe it. One second he, Dustin, Robin, and Erica are piling into a way too small car, driving to something called Ceribro? The next thing he knows he is crashing said car into the side of Billy Hargrove’s car, with Steve in the passenger seat, to save Nancy Wheeler from being hit by said car. Robin had stayed back with the two kids, and he can’t help but be grateful she is out of harms way right now, because fuck that sucked.
“Are you okay?” He asks Steve, both of them panting heavily and still reeling from the impact a little.
“Ask me tomorrow,” Steve replies, looking a little like he’s going to throw up again, which Eddie supposes is fair. They hear loud growling from in front of them, as they stand up to look over the windshield of the convertible.
“Jesus H Christ!” Eddie screams at the sight, adrenaline still pumping through his veins. There, on top of Starcourt Mall is a giant ‘fleshy spider’ as Steve had put it. Eddie thinks it’s an apt description at the sight of it. It starts walking towards them a little, letting out a loud howling shriek.
A horn honks next to them as Nancy yells for them to get in. Eddie lets Steve go first, the two of them hopping into the trunk of the Volkswagen as Jonathan peels off as fast as he can, while the giant monster chases them.
He slumps back in his seat, feeling all the adrenaline suddenly leave his body. He feels bile rising in his throat and he thinks he’s gonna be sick. Steve reaches over and grabs his hand holding on as tight as he can. Eddie is thankful for the grounding pressure, despite the panic still coursing through his veins.
The monster is quickly gaining on them, and Eddie closes his eyes tight, unable to look at the horror before him anymore. Suddenly the walkie talkie they had in the trunk with them makes a static noise before voices come through.
“ Dusty-bun do you copy? ” comes through the small speaker on the device.
“ I copy, Suzie-poo. It sounds much better now, thanks. ” Dustin’s voice replies. Eddie looks up at Steve, the two of them sharing a look of shared disgust at the two’s pet names for the other, before a wide grin settles on both of their faces. Oh, Dusty-bun is never going to live this down, he thinks a little evilly, the matching grin on Steve’s face showing he agrees.
“ Okay so listen, do you know Planck’s constant? ” Dustin asks, Eddie giving Steve a confused look. Steve just shrugs in response, looking just as lost as he is.
“ Do you know the Earth orbits the sun? ” Suzie responds, and damn, she really is perfect for Dustin, Eddie thinks absentmindedly, still overly aware of the giant flesh spider chasing them.
“ Okay so I know it starts with two sixes, and then a… wh- what is it? ” Dustin asks.
“ Okay, let me just be clear on this. I haven’t heard from you in a week and now you want a mathematical equation that you should know so you can… save the world? ” Suzie asks, and Eddie groans in response. This girl is too perfect for Dustin. Stubborn as a bull, just like him.
“ Suzie-poo, I promise, I will make it up to you as soon as possible. ”
“ You can make it up to me now. ”
“ What? ”
“ I want to hear it. ”
Eddie and Steve share another look over the walkie, both frowning in confusion.
“ Not right now, ” Dustin says, and he sounds embarrassed. That sparks Eddie’s attention. What could be so embarrassing that the boy who is openly calling his girlfriend Suzie-poo is too embarrassed to do? It seems to spark Steve’s attention too, as he is leaning in closer despite the already cramped space.
“ Yes now, Dusty-bun ,” Suzie replies.
“ Suzie-poo, this is urgent. ”
“ Yes, yes, you’re saving the world, I heard you the first time, but Ged is also saving Earthsea and he’s about to confront the shadow, so this is Suzie, signing off. ”
“Wait, wait, wait! Okay. Okay, okay.”
There’s a pause as Eddie and Steve wait eagerly for what’s about to happen.
“ Turn around. Look at what you see. In her face. The mirror of your dreams, ” Dustin starts singing through the walkie talkie. Steve and Eddie make eye contact, the hilarity of the situation not lost on either of them as Suzie joins in.
“ Make believe I’m everywhere. Given in the light. Written on the pages is the answer to a never-ending story! ”
Eddie can’t help it, he bursts out laughing, Steve soon joining in. He is being chased by a giant monster from another dimension and Dustin Henderson is singing a never-ending story with his girlfriend. What the actual fuck. The others in the car look back at them, looking just as amused and confounded as he feels right now. He can’t help but laugh harder, practically doubling over with it.
He vaguely thinks he hears Suzie giving them Planck’s constant, but he is so engrossed in his hysterical laughter he can’t hear it. His laughter finally calms down and he looks over at Steve with a wide grin still on his face. He sobers a little, looking back out the back window, his smile falling off his face. The monster is turning around. That can’t be good.
“It’s turning around!” Steve calls.
“What!?” Nancy asks.
“It’s turning around!”
“Maybe we wore it out?” He suggests, but he knows it’s a long shot.
“I don’t think so. Hold on.” Jonathan yells, taking a sharp U turn. Eddie feels his stomach lurch as he is thrown around in the back. He hits his head on the side of the car and feels a little dazed for a moment. Jonathan starts driving towards where the monster was retreating and Eddie can’t help but yell.
“Why are we going towards the monster!?” He asks desperately. He is so tired and so scared and he just wants to go home to his shitty trailer, with his Uncle Wayne and forget any of this ever happened.
“It knows El is there, we have to help her!” Nancy responds, and he can’t help but groan. These people sure are loyal, he’ll give them that. Steve squeezes his hand reassuringly, and he grips it back as tight as he can. He thinks he’ll probably have bruises tomorrow from how hard he’s holding on, but he supposes that's just one more to add to the canvas of bruises already covering his body.
They quickly make it back to the mall, all of them rushing out of the car. Lucas grabs a shit ton of fireworks and he can’t help but admire the kid a little. Fuck, this is so stupid, he thinks as he helps carry the fireworks into the mall. They make it to the upper level, the Mind Flayer in the middle where the fountain used to be.
Eddie feels sick to his stomach at the sight of El on the ground in front of it. He turns and looks at Steve who gives him a nod. They light up their fireworks, as they hear Lucas yelling from across the way.
“Flay this, you ugly piece of shit!” Damn, these kids have balls, he thinks to himself. He throws his own fireworks, Steve doing the same and the monster wails in pain. The sound feels like it’s penetrating his skull and he thinks he might be hyperventilating again, but he can’t focus on it, too high on adrenaline.
“Hey asshole! Over here!” Steve yells, throwing more fireworks. Eddie lets a slightly manic grin take over his face as he lights his next round of fireworks.
“Eat shit, dickwad!” Eddie yells as he throws more fireworks, Steve grinning back at him when he looks over. Everything is so loud and he feels like his brain is melting out of his skull, but the adrenaline carries him through, crushing the worst of his fears. He is still terrified as hell, but it’s a little more manageable with Steve grinning maniacally with him.
They go through their fireworks quickly and Eddie can feel the panic building in his throat again. They only have a few more rounds left. Steve rushes over and grabs the walkie talkie as he lights more fireworks, throwing them at the Mind Flayer.
“Dustin! We’re out of time!” Steve screams into the walkie, his voice tinged with a desperation and fear that would make Eddie’s heart ache if he let himself think about it. He throws the last firework they have, feeling a cold dread filling his gut at the realization.
“We’re out!” He yells to Steve, the other man looking just as scared as him. They watch in horror at the sight below them, knowing there’s nothing more they can do. He reaches over and grabs Steve’s hand, holding on tighter than he has before. Steve holds on just as tight.
They watch with bated breath as El lays on the ground in front of the Mind Flayer. Billy is laying above her, holding her down before he gets to his feet, facing the monster. El starts shuffling back as Billy stands his ground. The Mind Flayer extends one of its arms, reaching for El but Billy stops it before it can reach her.
He holds onto it tight, pushing back with all his strength. Eddie can’t look away, feeling like he’s watching a car crash. He moves closer to Steve, unsure what else to do. The Mind Flayer extends more arms, attaching themselves to Billy’s torso. The man screams out in pain.
Eddie can’t watch this anymore. Billy Hargrove is a piece of shit, but this is too much. He never wants to see anyone die this way. He never wants to watch someone die again. He buries his face in Steve’s chest, the other man holding him close as screams continue ringing below them.
He doesn’t know what happens yet, except that he hears Red screaming for Billy. He burrows further into Steve, praying that if he just holds onto him tight enough the screaming will stop. He hears the monster scream in pain, and Steve throws them to the side. Eddie doesn't know what’s happening, and he’s so, so scared.
Steve holds him close to his chest as the screaming continues, the two of them now on the ground. He hears crashing and screaming, so much screaming . Before it all stops. Everything goes quiet and he thinks this is almost worse.
He and Steve hesitantly get up, peering over the railing. He is still holding on tight to the other man, terrified of what they’ll see. The Mind Flayer is lying dead on the ground, his body crumpled up. Eddie lets out a breath of relief before lurching to the side and vomiting.
Steve strokes his back as he pukes, emptying his stomach of the smoothie and popcorn he had what feels like years ago. He finally stops retching, standing up straight again, Steve helping him with his hands on his waist. He slumps into Steve’s hold, letting out gasping sobs.
Steve holds him as he cries, and Eddie thinks he hears him crying too. He can’t tell, there is so much crying from everyone he can’t tell what’s him and what’s them. All he knows is Steve is safe, and that’s all that matters.
They hear loud helicopters outside, as soldiers rush into the building. He can’t help but be angry at them. They really couldn't have come sooner? What was the fucking point of them even coming if they couldn’t help with everything? He hears sirens and his head hurts so fucking much from all the noise.
He distantly feels himself being pulled out of the building by someone but he can’t focus on who. He is sitting in the back of an ambulance, with a shock blanket around his shoulders when he comes back to himself. He looks around, desperately trying to find Steve amongst the hoards of soldiers and firefighters. He spots him in another ambulance, getting his wounds cleaned up. He throws the blanket off his shoulders, rushing to his side as fast as he can.
“Steve?” He calls, making the boy look up at him.
“Eddie!” Steve calls, pushing the paramedic away to stand up and rush to him, pulling him into his arms. He holds on tightly, his arms around him the only thing keeping him sane right now. He pulls back a little, looking at his face just to make sure he’s really there.
Fuck, he wishes he could kiss him so badly right now, but he is unfortunately too aware of the many eyes around them, including a very annoyed looking paramedic. They pull away from each other, but stay close, Eddie not leaving his side as he sits in the back of the ambulance again.
Eddie reaches over and gently plays with Steve’s fingers where they rest on the edge of the ambulance. It’s innocent enough no one will notice it among the chaos around them.
“Is it over?” He asks, looking hopefully up at Steve’s still bruised face.
“Yeah. It’s over.” Steve reassures, Eddie letting out a desperate laugh of relief. The paramedic finishes patching Steve up after far too long. He hops down from the ambulance, Eddie at his side.
“Let’s go home,” Steve says and Eddie nods in agreement, grabbing his hand. They all pile into the Volkswagen again, Jonathan driving them all to their respective houses. Eddie had looked for his van but it was smashed to pieces during the battle. Figures. Eddie asks to be dropped off at his trailer, inviting Steve to come with him.
Eddie cries a little when his trailer comes into view, the sight of it never bringing as much relief as it is right now. He and Steve hop out of the car, waving goodbye to the others. He takes Steve’s hand in his own, as he leads them into the trailer.
He takes a deep breath as he enters, feeling the familiar scent of home fill his lungs. He suddenly feels the weight of everything that just happened crashing over him. He chokes out a tiny sob, before bursting out crying. Steve just pulls him into his arms, rocking them gently as he sobs.
At some point in his crying he must have woken his uncle, as he comes rushing out of his room to his side. Eddie cries even harder at the sight of him, all but throwing himself into his uncle’s arms.
“What happened?” His uncle asks. He tries to answer but he can’t, his words being choked off by sobs. His uncle just holds him close, letting him sob into his chest. He vaguely hears him talking to Steve over his sobbing, but he can’t focus on what they’re saying.
It takes a long time, but he finally stops crying, exhaustion taking over his body. He pulls away from his uncle, feeling a little numb now that he has released all his emotions from the day. Fuck. He can’t remember ever crying as much as he has today.
“I don’t know what happened, and you don’t have to tell me, all I care about is that you’re okay.” Wayne reassures, a comforting hand on his shoulder. Eddie lets a few more tears fall at his uncle’s words, feeling immeasurable relief from them. “I’ll let your boy take it from here,” Wayne says, releasing him into Steve’s care. He goes back to his room, leaving the two boys in the living room together.
“Hey,” Eddie says, feeling a little shy all of a sudden.
“Hey,” Steve replies, looking at him with that fond grin Eddie loves. He leans forward, crashing his lips into Steve’s. They both sink into the kiss, letting the desperation at not knowing if they were going to survive drain from it. They are kissing just because they want to. Not because it might be their last chance.
It soothes an ache that had settled deep in Eddie’s chest a long time ago. If he thought kissing Steve was incredible before, this is perfect. Their lips fit together like pieces of a puzzle, and he never wants to feel anything else again. They pull back after a long moment, both of them catching their breath as they rest their heads together.
“Let’s get you cleaned up, big boy,” Eddie teases, a small smile spreading across Steve’s face. Eddie leads them to the bathroom, stripping them both out of their ruined clothes. It’s a shame, he thinks, he loved Steve’s thighs in those shorts. Looking at him now though, he thinks he loves the sight of him out of them even more.
He turns on the water, waiting the few minutes it takes for it to get hot. He and Steve just hold each other as they wait, both completely undressed, just content being together. Once the water has finally warmed, they step into the spray, both of them relaxing at the feeling.
Eddie grabs his shampoo, before pouring some into his palm. He has Steve turn around so his back is facing him, before he starts lathering it into his hair. Steve moans quietly at his touch, melting as he massages his skull. Eddie helps him rinse his hair out before adding conditioner.
Steve does the same for him after he finishes, the two of them lathering the other with soap all over their body as they shower together. Eddie thinks it’s the most intimate he’s ever been with another person, despite it not being even remotely sexual. He feels Steve’s hands rubbing soap into his skin and he thinks this must be what it feels like to be worshiped.
They rinse off, the water starting to go cold by the time they finally finish. They step out of the tub, Eddie grabbing two towels for them. He hands one to Steve, the two of them drying themselves off in comfortable silence. They tie the towels around their waists, Eddie reaching into the cabinet above the skin for his toothbrush, grabbing the spare they have.
He and Steve stand next to each other, both brushing their teeth. It’s so sickly domestic, Eddie kind of wants to puke. Here’s this boy he has gotten to know over the past couple of months, who he just found out feels the same way about him today , standing next to him as they brush their teeth. After everything they went through today, he still thinks this development might be the weirdest.
They finish brushing their teeth, Eddie leading them out of the bathroom and into his bedroom. He grabs them both a clean pair of boxers, throwing Steve his, before slipping on his own. He walks over to Steve who has also put on his boxers, the two of them throwing the towels to the floor to be dealt with tomorrow.
He leads Steve to his bed, laying them both down side by side. Steve pulls him into his arms almost as soon as they hit the bed, his back pressed to his front. Eddie settles his hands on Steve’s arms, feeling far too awake after what just happened.
“Hey, Steve?” Eddie calls, his voice barely above a whisper in the quiet space between them.
“Yeah?” Steve calls back, tracing gentle patterns into Eddie hips with his fingers.
“Thank you.”
“What are you thanking me for?”
Eddie turns around in Steve’s arms, so they are face to face. Their noses are only an inch apart and Eddie can feel Steve’s breath on his face.
“Taking care of me. I don't think I could have made it through today if it weren’t for you.” Eddie admits, feeling a little shy again. Steve looks at him with an expression Eddie can’t decipher.
“You wouldn’t have even been there today if it wasn’t for me,” Steve whispers, sounding so guilty Eddie thinks he would cry if he had any tears left in his body.
“Hey, you can’t blame yourself, baby. I chose to be there, and I would do it a million times over if it meant I got to end up right here, with you in my arms,” Eddie says, reaching up and cupping Steve’s cheeks in his palms. Steve closes his eyes at the contact, leaning into his touch.
“You’re kind of incredible, Eddie Munson,” Steve whispers, a small smile gracing his face, and it sounds like a confession. Of what, Eddie isn’t quite sure but he knows he feels it in his bones.
“You’re kind of incredible too, Steve Harrington,” he whispers back, a confession of his own.