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“And why should I care about your band, Munson?”
“Aw, come on.” Eddie bounces along beside him, hair moving with a mind of its own (or like something is nesting in it, take your pick). “You just need to come and watch.”
Steve huffs, seriously regretting becoming friends with him at all. “And stand in the crowd of unwashed freaks . No thanks.”
“That’s not very nice. Thought you weren’t a bully any more.” He pouts like he’s trying to be cute. Jesus.
“We’re friends,” says Steve, hoping his smile is as nasty as he means it to be (he’s been practising with Robin so it better be), “so it counts as banter.”
Eddie pulls a face. “A friend would come to see me play.”
“We’re not that close,” he fires back instantly, grabbing Eddie by the collar of his leather jacket before he walks into the road. The jeep heading towards them would probably happily run Eddie over, call it community service. Steve is getting to the point where he’s not sure he disagrees, honestly. “Anyway, I wouldn’t want to cramp your style.”
“You wouldn’t, honey bear.” Eddie bats his eyelashes sweetly.
Steve shoves him into the now empty road and follows him. “You’re buying me this milkshake, Munson.”
“Does that mean you’re coming then?”
“No.”
“Your little support Robin can come along too.”
He scoffs. “Robin won’t want to be seen in a mile of that.”
“Steve,” he whines. “Will you just come on a date with me, please.”
“This is a date,” Steve points out, scowling at him. “Unless this just doesn’t count, in which case —”
“No! No, it counts,” he says, grinning now. “At least say you’ll consider coming to see the band.”
He hums non-committally.
“You’re a nightmare. I’m not sure dating you is worth it.”
Steve shrugs, not believing him for a second. Eddie’s been begging him for a date ever since he found out Steve was bi. “Well sure, we can turn around and go home now, if you like.”
“You’re a cruel master.”
“I told you we’re not doing kinky shit.”
“Shut the fuck up.” Then Eddie grabs his arm and says, “Hey, isn’t that our kids?”
Steve looks across the high street and sees Dustin with a pair of binoculars pointed right at them; Mike pretending — with a ridiculously serious frown — to tie his shoelaces and look in the window of the store they’re outside simultaneously; El and Will looking right at them with little oh shit, we’ve been caught expressions; Lucas waving his hands in the air and saying something to Dustin; Max with her arms folded and a resigned look in her eye. “They’re up to something,” he pronounces, eyeing the lot of them as they scarper into the alley beside Hats For All Occasions.
“No shit, it’s our kids,” says Eddie as they cross the street, “of course they’re up to something.”
*
“Hat club,” says Steve derisively as they enter the diner.
“I know babe, you’re feeling left out,” says Eddie.
Steve ignores him, this is usually a good policy when it comes to Eddie. “ Hat club !” They sit down in a booth and Steve glares at his sticky menu for a moment before dropping it on the table and glaring at Eddie. “You would’ve thought, after everything we’ve been through, they might have learnt how to lie .”
“Should probably be grateful they haven’t learnt,” says Eddie. “Do you want something to eat as well?”
“I mean honestly — fucking hat club. When are you free to stake out that store, I need to make sure they’re not —”
Eddie drops his menu on the table too and levels Steve with a look.
“What?” he says petulantly, though he knows very well what.
“There aren’t any portals in the hat shop,” he says. “Let it go, they’re just being kids.”
“When are they ever ‘just being kids’?” A frankly concerning little, is the answer.
Eddie rolls his eyes. “If it was real shit, they would have told us.”
“You would be surprised how often they —”
He shakes his head, smiling a little. “We’ll keep an eye on them. It’ll be fine.”
Steve knows it will be. His holy shit, aliens! radar isn’t going off. Still… “I know.”
“Order what you want, then. I’m paying.”
“I’ll pay.”
“No! I’m paying.”
“Eddie.”
“You told me I had to pay. I’m paying.”
“I was kidding.”
“Unless you come to my show, I’m paying.”
“Eddie.”
“Steve.”
*
Steve yawns, stretching out on his couch. The sliding doors to the pool are wide open in the heat, the sound of the woods in the faint breeze crackling up to meet them. The patio smells like warm stone and burning, Eddie’s out there smoking by the pool.
“You’ve really told them you’ll take them bowling?” Robin asks with a groan from the armchair where she’s curled up with a bowl of pasta.
“You’re invited too,” says Steve. “It’ll be fun, you can be on my team and win.”
“I’m winning bowling,” says Eddie, coming back in.
“Yeah, right. Shotgun Lucas and Max.”
“That’s cate
gorically
not fair.”
Robin slurps some spaghetti into her mouth loudly. “He said shotgun, it’s fair game.”
“You’re a biased party,” says Eddie, “you don’t get a say, Buckley.”
“We’re all biased when it comes to Stevie-baby.” She’s got pasta sauce on her chin.
“Can we not call me that?” He doesn’t mind, not really.
“Come on, he can’t have Max and Lucas.”
“You get the superpowered one,” Robin argues on his behalf, it’s basically the same as if he bothered opening his mouth because he’s pretty sure their voiceboxes are bonded.
“With a moral compass,” he says. “She won’t help me.”
“Maybe try to win on your own talent, then,” she says.
“That’s harsh, you know I don’t have any of that.” Eddie drops down on the sofa on top of Steve’s legs.
“Ow, you fat bastard.”
“Meanie.” He gets up again and sits down with Steve’s legs in his lap, not under it, which Steve very much appreciates. “I’ll win anyway, the other kids are more than a match. Also you’ve got Robin slowing you down.”
Steve knows he can’t lie but he tries his best. “Robin will do brilliantly.”
“Thanks,” she says through a mouthful of pasta.
He closes his eyes as Eddie starts massaging his ankles. “ What do you bet me? That you’ll win.”
Eddie hums, then laughs. “You have to come to my show if I win.”
“I’m never coming to your show.”
Robin says, “What if you win, Steve?”
He considers. There’s lots of things he could ask for. “You have to give me a blowjob.”
“Ew,” she says, absent-mindedly.
“Eddie, not you, idiot.”
“Still ew.”
“Homophobe,” says Eddie. “Sure. Deal.”
*
They watch the kids hurry off to the arcade.
Steve frowns. “Do they really think I’m that much of a druggie?”
“Apparently so.”
“They’re kinda right,” says Eddie.
Steve elbows him.
“You guys fucking tonight then, or can I come over?”
He and Eddie exchange glances, shrug.
“Come over, Eddie can serve his punishment at a later date.”
“I thought you said no kinky shit?”
“Oh ew.”
*
“You don’t have to if you don’t want to.” They’ve never done anything like it before. It’s a big step, or whatever.
“I do want to.” Eddie is eyeing his cock with a frown, kneeling between his legs. “It’s probably going to be shit, though.”
“I don’t care.”
Eddie meets his eye then, as if surprised. “You don’t?”
“You know I can’t lie.”
He grins then. All self-conscious and sweet. “I know.”
“Are you going to get on with it?”
“Fucking hell. Alright, King Steve.”
He knees him in the shoulder for that.
*
“You reckon they’re going to be alright?” Steve asks, watching Mike slip back into the water near Will.
“Yeah, they’ll be fine. What did I tell you? Just kids being kids. I bet you they’ll be together by Christmas.”
Robin snorts. “Haven’t you learnt your lesson about gay sex bets?”
Steve glares at her. “Shut the fuck up.”
“No, come on,” says Eddie. “I bet you they’ll be together by Christmas and if they are you have to come to one of my shows.”
Robin laughs. “You’re so desperate.”
“Come on, Steve.”
“I’m never coming to one of your shows, Munson.” They know he’s lying. They’ve known he’s been lying since the very start, when he used to say,
I’ll never go on a date with you, Munson
. That’s just the way it is.