Chapter Text
Two weeks later Eddie tries to casually invite everyone over to his trailer because he saw Steve at family video the night before and found out he got all the photos developed and he wants to see them. He has been avoiding Steve for two weeks even though he leans forward more to see him in the parking lot, even though he’s made a couple awkward trips to family video in hopes of seeing him. And on the opposite end Steve has enjoyed seeing him, a fact Robin has picked up from both boys.
“So, question.” Robin states next to him in the hall after lunch.
“Shoot.”
“So, tonight, have you asked Steve yet?”
“Yeah, Keith closes tonight and you two get off at nine instead of midnight.”
“You asked Steve already… is that when he told you about the pictures?”
“Yes…”
“Did you guys talk about anything else?”
“No.”
“Really?” “What did Harrington tell you?”
“Nothing, just was curious.”
“You have piqued my interest Robin, was he meant too?”
“No not necessarily, but you know, thought I’d ask.”
“He said you preferred puffed popcorn.”
“It’s puffed cheesy corn, but yes.”
“Okay, is he picking it up?”
“More than likely. We’ll bring the kids over tonight after work.”
“Have you seen the photos yet?” He asked Robin then.
“Yes, I have.”
“Are they cool?”
“I’ll pull all the ones of you looking at him longingly.” She smirks before skipping off, leaving Eddie to just fumble over his thoughts. One of which being he needs to know his trailer is in the best shape of it’s life before Steve Harrington waltzes in later on in the evening.
“Hey.” Steve has a smile on his face after the kids rush in the trailer before him, Robin trailing along with him buzzing in his ear.
“Hi.” Eddie has a smile on his face, messing with his hair some not sure where to start, thankfully Steve seems to take the lead.
“Okay! Here are everyone’s cameras, we will go person by person and I’m excited to see them all.” Steve is holding multiple packs of photos.
“Don’t worry, I went through them as promised.” Robin whispers in Eddie’s ear and he can feel the blush in his ears even.
“Okay, who wants to go first?” Steve smiles widely at everyone as they sit around the living room.
“Me! Me!” Dustin is grabbing at the photos clearly labeled with his name and Steve slips on to the floor to go through with them. Eddie watches how Steve leans some against his leg and Eddie wishes he could feel as easy as he did with a drugged up Steve.
“Have you looked at them yet?”
“Yeah, go on.” Steve encourages.
“You looked already?”
“Yeah Dingus Junior, work was boring.” Robin says as Dustin pouts towards her.
“Oh come on Dusty bun.” Steve pushes his arm gently and Dustin is soon pulling them out, smiling widely after the brief moment of being upset. They all laugh at some of the ridiculous ones, but everyone definitely has their favorites.
“I like the one of us eating ice cream the best, reminds me of scoops.” Robin decides, holding it up. Eddie smiles remembering how sick Steve felt buying that ice cream before the bus ride home.
“I don’t know, he got the photo of Steve being spit on by the llama.” Lucas is laughing holding it up.
“I’m happy someone got one!” Mike agrees with Lucas.
“I really like the one of you smiling at the air and space.” Steve points out.
“Wait till we get to Dingus’ photos, he has so many of everyone else.” Robin is laughing.
“You took a lot of pictures at the mall.” Max notes, looking at different monuments.
“He took a lot of Steve puking in different places in front of the monuments too.” Mike comments.
“I wanted to capture all the parts of the trip.” Dustin smiles at Steve, who looks like he’s ready to smack him.
“So happy we captured those moments too.” Steve muttered.
“Look at you Max. You look happy there.” Dustin points to a picture of Max on Steve’s back, laughing at something as he’s leaning on a railing at the zoo, laughing up at Max too.
“Eddie looks happy in this one.” Max points out then, Steve and Eddie have their heads back, it was taken the last day and you can see the nice sun burn they had gotten waiting for the kids.
“Okay, who is next.” Robin asks eagerly, she has the most photos out of all of them.
“Robin is going to combust if she doesn’t go next.” Steve is laughing some. “Thanks for the invite. Okay here is my favorites.” Robin begins showing multiple images of the meerkats, photos of Steve drinking from glasses glaring at her, photos even from them packing. Steve holds the picture of him and Dustin on the bus.
“You look cute asleep, then you open your mouth.” Steve is laughing as he shows Dustin.
“I think you’re forgetting the absolute masterpiece this image is.” Eddie points out an image of Steve and Dustin asleep in bed, the first night for sure because Eddie can also hear Henderson snoring in the photo.
“Look at all the cool photos from the air and space museum.” Dustin says in awe as he keeps looking.
“Dorthy’s red slippers even.” Robin says a bit quietly.
“The peacock photo is so cool, how’d you get it fan it’s feathers?” Max is asking her.
“If you were awake you would have seen it too! Isn’t it cool?” Robin is showing more photos of the peacocks she got.
“Mike you look like you’re being held hostage.” Lucas is laughing at a photo of Mike drinking from his blue bunny water bottle.
“I practically was.” Mike is laughing some, no one comments Holly didn’t end up with the water bottle and he has it on his nightstand at home.
“Look at this one!” Robin is shoving a picture of Eddie, Lucas, and Mike the three of them leaning against a railing laughing.
“Where am I?” Dustin asks. Robin produces another imagine immediately taken after the picture of the three boys. It showcases Dustin shoving an ice cream bar into Max’s face while Steve holds the bridge of his nose.
“That checks out.” Steve says.
“I took so many pictures of the meerkats.” Robin is laughing some, her and Steve had looked at every single one today, he was happy they weren’t going one by one again.
“You have to send some to Will and El.” Mike smiles at her.
“Plus their stuffed animals. Wait, didn’t you already mail out their presents?” She asks Steve.
“Of course I did. We can send another package. I’m sure I forgot stuff.” Steve comments.
“You always do.” Lucas smiled.
“Hey, hey, watch it.” Steve joked back.
“I think this one is my favorite.” Eddie says quietly, he knows Robin took it the last night because Steve is curled up with Eddie and Max, he isn’t sure when Henderson even got in the bed with them for long, but Robin got the picture just in time.
“Really?” Max laughs.
“It looks oddly domestic.” Eddie regrets saying it, he notices Harrington blushing some and decides maybe he doesn’t regret it as much as he did.
“Okay my turn!” Lucas decides then, pulling out his stack.
The kids are all asleep, littered around the floor. Robin is sprawled out in the recliner, mouth open, sleeping. Eddie and Steve have found themselves curled on opposite sides on the couch. Eddie had chose to watch Halloween earlier in the night, The Rescuers currently played as Steve declared the kids needed a much more appropriate movie to sleep too. It did work though so Eddie wasn’t complaining.
“You’re shivering Harrington.” Eddie playfully says.
“What? No I’m not.”
“Now you’re just a bad liar.”
“Shut up.”
“Make me.” He smirks, challenging him. Steve smirks back, ripping the blanket off of Eddie.
“Okay, I did.” He quips back.
“Stop the tough guy act, come on.” Eddie pleads a bit, missing how much Steve hung on him two weeks ago. How he smells of roses yet, how his hair looks so perfect in comparison. He feels guilty for wanting Steve to feel sick again, but can you blame the guy? Steve is the opposite, overly embarrassed for what occurred and not wanting to make Eddie annoyed or uncomfortable.
“I’m good.”
“Come on, come cuddle.”
“No thank you, I’m warm under two blankets.”
“Liar.” Eddie pushes him with his foot a couple times while Steve rolls his eyes.
“It has to warm me up first.” Eddie throws himself back dramatically.
“Come cuddle Stevie, before I wake up the kids.” Eddie says a little louder, while Steve frantically shushes him.
“They’re all asleep. Don’t ruin the movie.”
“Are you even watching the movie?”
“I’m trying too but you keep talking.” Eddie rolls his eyes again, choosing to just pull on Steve’s leg some.
“Come on princess.” Eddie smirks again as Steve is rolling his eyes once again.
“My eyes are going to get stuck up here, it’s going to be all your fault.”
“Fine.” Eddie sits back dramatically and stays still for approximately five seconds before deciding to just go to Steve himself.
“Hello there.” Steve whispers in surprise.
“Want to see some of my favorite photos?” Eddie asks innocently, eyes looking up at Steve’s.
“We went through them.”
“The ones Robin gave me.” Steve is immediately blushing as the words fall out of his mouth.
“Listen, sorry for hanging on you for the trip. I should have like flew home or something. Sorry.”
“Why are you sorry?” Eddie is beyond confused, Steve looked happy with him in the photos. Even before the drugs actually.
“Just am I guess.”
“Don’t be.”
“Okay. Well, sure let’s look I guess.” Steve’s voice sounds unsure and Eddie wants to ask why.
“Well, I pulled from everyone’s actually before they each put them away as well as my own.”
“Eddie you gotta give those back.” Steve is laughing some.
“Oh don’t worry big shot I wrote it down so they will, but I’m saying I want doubles is all.”
“Okay,” Steve has an unconvincing laugh, “let’s see.”
“I love this one, mister mom.” Eddie jokes showing a picture of Steve standing over the breakfast table Robin had sat in the corner that morning so he’s pointing at them in a very distinct manner while everyone else is looking at him.
“None of the little shits could make a decision.” He has a more real laugh now.
“And this one.” It’s a picture of Dustin and Steve in bed the first night before the girls went back to their room, Eddie likes it because he can see the sloppy toe nail polish and the fact it looks like they’re two girls gossiping.
“Why?” Steve asks softly.
“You’re gossiping like a bunch of old ladies at bridge.” Steve’s nose crinkles some at that.
“Oh shit we do.” He agrees a little laugh comes out.
“And this one.” Now Eddie is feeling nervous as Steve studies the picture. Dustin took it, it’s the last day Steve and Eddie are sitting on a bench and Eddie is laughing at something Steve said. Eddie is testing the waters.
“You can tell how out of it I am.” Steve says quietly, he's upset over the fact he practically ruined the trip.
“Yeah, I guess you can.”
“Sorry again for that.” Eddie isn’t sure of the last photo he pulled out so he shows the next one in the pile instead.
“Look at Dustin.” Eddie laughs some, Dustin is making a face for the camera and he was supposed to be asleep.
“Little shit.” Steve smiles and Eddie watches it reach his eyes.
“He really is, don’t worry Mike took one of Max on my back.” He shows him.
“Yeah but at least she’s asleep.” Steve comments.
“Dustin was asleep for some time.” Eddie says to him.
“I guess, still, little shit.” He can’t believe Dustin was awake at least five minutes letting Steve carry him, actually Steve can one hundred percent see that hence the humor.
“This one too.” Eddie is testing waters again.
“You can hardly see your eyes.” Steve whispers.
“Yeah, I was smiling to much.”
“No, no you weren’t.” They’re in a big group, smiling, Eddie has his arm thrown around Steve’s shoulders to keep him up, and Steve’s leaning into him heavily.
“You said it, you can hardly see my eyes.”
“Because you’re happy, it’s a good thing.” Steve informs him. Eddie isn’t brave, Eddie knows when to run so he sits down the little pile of photos on his chest.
“Just wanted to share some favorites with you.” It’s just audible as he lays on Steve’s chest.
“No, there was one more.”
“Yeah I don’t think it was one of my favorites after all.”
“Can I still see it?”
“Why?”
“I mean, I saw all of the photos. Me and Robin looked at them, just curious which one it is.”
“You looked at all of them?”
“Half looked. Robin was so excited tonight.”
“So you’ve seen it.”
“Yeah, but I want to see it from you.” He sounds so sincere as he says it, because he is.
“Don’t like laugh laugh at me.”
“I won’t laugh at you for you liking it, I might laugh at the picture though.” Eddie debates again, Steve can just take the pile, he knows that. He doubts Steve would do that to him though, he slowly shows it to Steve. Eddie can hear Steve’s heart rate pick up and Eddie tenses.
“You know, that was one of my favorites too.” Steve says after a couple beats. Eddie is staring at the image: them asleep in the hotel after Steve’s head started really bad. He can feel the warmth in the photo and now Steve has tightened his arms around his chest.
“Really?” Eddie sounds hopeful.
“Yeah, Robin showed it to me in the store.”
“I just like it a lot.” Eddie confesses.
“I hate the circumstances behind it.”
“Steve, it’s okay. I wasn’t upset or anything.”
“I forced you to lay in bed with me.”
“I think we have the narratives a bit different there Stevie.”
“What do you mean?”
“I offered to play with your hair and rub your head to make you feel better. You just happen to be the worlds warmest, cuddliest teddy bear.” Eddie indulges in Steve’s idea.
“Yeah… can I ask you something?” His voice isn’t strong.
“Of course.”
“Did we kiss?” Steve might as well have screamed it because they had yet to discuss that, and they were in the living room with a bunch of little shits.
“Yeah.” Eddie keeps the response short, staring at the picture harder feeling like a dumbass.
“I’m sorry I did that. I shouldn’t have.”
“Oh.”
“I didn’t ask.”
“What?”
“I didn’t ask if I could kiss you.”
“That’s what you’re worried about?” Eddie flips over so he’s laying on his stomach to look at him.
“Well… yeah.”
“Are you serious right now?”
“Listen, I know I’m an idiot. Can you explain?”
“I’ve been freaking out since it happened because I didn’t want to be outed and it’s been an entire thing and you’re thinking my issue is that you didn’t ask first? I figured you hated me for letting you do it. For knowing it happened. Like I’m harboring some dark secret.” Eddie says to him in an exasperated tone.
“I figured you hated me for kissing you. For making you sleep with me. For wanting it to happen again.” Steve stops sharp as soon as he says it.
“You… you want it to happen again?” Eddie wants to make sure he heard him right, considering the shade of Steve’s face, he has his answer.
“Well… yeah. But it’s fine if you don’t that’s totally fine and I’m so so sorry I did that. I know I shouldn’t have.”
“Why shouldn’t you have?”
“I didn’t ask!” Steve exclaims again. Eddie takes his shot and kisses him again. Steve relaxes finally, kissing him back. They part lips for a moment as Eddie adjusts some.
“Can I kiss you again, Steve?” Eddie asks as Steve nods in response, kissing him again. They only stop when a camera flash goes off.
“Thank god.” Robin says to them shaking her head before walking off to the small kitchen. Eddie looks bewildered at Steve, who is sharing the same expression.
“I’ll get those developed a couple towns over.” Steve immediately tells him before kissing him again. Yeah, both of them could get used to this.