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Steve is absolutely convinced Eddie is trying to steal his place. First, Eddie had won Dustin over with his D&D knowledge, and now he's put his weird charm all over Robin too. Steve's not sure when it started, but after everything with Vecna, Eddie started visiting the Family Video every day to talk with Robin. He'd come in after school at 3:20, pick a B-rate horror movie, and then would whisper with Robin at the counter. Steve could understand them being close because of everything they went through, but he couldn't understand why Eddie had to stare at him while he talked with her. It was like Eddie was trying to rub it in that everyone liked him more.
Steve was sure it wouldn't have hurt that much if he hadn't told Eddie about his insecurities. He had thought that after their time in the upside-down, Eddie would have given him a bit of space, but nope, the man was always there. It especially hurt because he could never voice his jealousy to Robin. She had a really hard time connecting with people, and it wouldn't be fair for Steve to ask her not to be friends with him.
Like clockwork, Eddie walked through the store at 3:20 PM. Steve could hear Robin coming in the back, rushing to punch in. Eddie made a full loop around the store before ending up back in the horror section. There was no real reason he did that other than to kill time until Robin could get behind the counter. Eddie picked up every tape on the shelf and tried to subtly glance at the counter to see if she was there. She wasn't; it was still just Steve. Eddie looked away, avoiding meeting his eyes.
Steve's only comfort came from the fact that Robin would never return his feelings. He knew he shouldn't, but a small, petty part of him rejoiced at Eddie's inevitable rejection. Robin finally made it to the counter at 3:30 PM, and Eddie made a move toward her. As always, she checked him out, and they whispered back and forth. Eddie, every once and awhile, glanced at Steve.
Robin eventually put the VHS in a bag, and Eddie was on his way out. Before Steve could get a word in, she turned and started talking rapid-fire. It took Steve a second to figure out she was asking him a question.
"You need me to do what exactly?" He asked.
"I'm not sure," she confessed, "I've never thrown a party; I'm not even sure why I invited her to one; it was just out of my mouth, and before I couldn't backtrack, she said yes, and Vickie wanted to go to my nonexistent party. it didn't occur to me until just now that I'm actually going to have to have that party, with people, at my house."
"People generally are at parties."
"Oh, no! Vickie's going to see my house and my mom! Fuck, I have to call the whole thing off, don't I?"
"Woah, calm down, one thing at a time. So, you asked Vickie out?"
"Sort of? One of the other trumpets was asking everyone what their plans were, and Vickie said she wasn't doing anything, and then my head and mouth got confused, and I asked her to come to my party tomorrow, and she said yes. Now, I have less than 24 hours to set up and invite people, so she doesn't think I'm a loser with only one friend. Fuck, I'm going to have to buy beer. Where am I going to get a fake ID before tomorrow?"
"Robin, you need to take a breath."
Steven exaggerated his breathing, and Robin followed. Once she was a bit calmer, she started talking again, this time a lot slower.
"I asked Eddie what I should do, and he said to make it a movie party. This way, it's dark, and I won't have to talk as much. He said he'd come if there was a movie."
"You- you asked him first?" Steve tried to hide the hurt in his voice, but some bled through anyway.
"Yeah, just now. I've had this locked up inside since third hour, and I felt like I was going to go crazy. You're coming, right? I really need you there. I need someone to stop me from being like this," she gestured at herself, "around Vickie."
"I think no matter what, she's going to notice," Robin lightly shoved at his side.
"Steve, I'm serious. I can't be left alone like this!"
Steve laughed, "I know, I know. I just think it might be weird if I'm there between you two."
"And it will be even worse if you don't come, and it's just Vickie, Eddie, and me. Please, Steve?" Robin was in his space, trying to bully him into saying yes.
"Fine!" He relented. She threw her arms up and cheered. "And to keep Vickie away from your mom, we can have it at my place too, but no beer and no drugs."
Robin was jumping up and down, hugging him. "Thank you, thank you! I promise no alcohol and no drugs."
"I mean it, Robin. The last thing I need is my mom coming home to her drapes smelling like weed."
"I promise!" She dramatically made an X over her heart.
"It's not you that I'm worried about," he told her.
"And I get that. I'll make sure Eddie doesn't do anything or bring anything. We'll be on our best behavior, promise. It's going to be a very casual, fun movie party."
Steve doubted he would find it as fun, but for Robin's chance with her crush, he was willing to suck it up and give it a try.
—-
Steve finished his shift at 5:00 PM on Fridays. It was usually around this time he would be leaving Robin to close up, but she had gotten Keith to fill in for her tonight. The ride back to his parent's house was short and unremarkable.
Robin was already at his doorstep with a brown paper bag when he pulled in. As soon as he got out of the car, she was bombarding him with information.
"I got five bags of jiffy pop and two movies. I figured we should watch a scary movie because fear brings people together. I read in psychology that if you all experience something traumatic, you're more like to stick together," Steve gave her a look as if to say he already knew, "well, I mean, yeah, the upside-down brought us together, but I was thinking something along the lines of like medium to low-grade trauma, not see you in therapy for the next fifty years. I got The Evil Dead. Eddie said it is the right mix of cheesy and terrifying that works well. If she hates it, I also got Raiders of the Lost Arc. Your basic action movie no one could hate too much."
"Sounds good," Steve agreed.
Steve let her in to start making the popcorn and putting it in bowls for all of them. Eddie was at his door next with two plastic bags full of soda.
"Robin said no beer, so I got sprite and coke," he explained.
Steve took both bags and watched as Vickie pulled into his driveway behind Steve's car; he waved her in, and Robin handed them each a mixing bowl of popcorn. Vickie gravitated toward Robin, and Robin started talking rapid-fire at her. It gave Steve bad second-hand embarrassment; he intervened before she could put her foot in her mouth even more.
"Why don't we start the movie? You got Evil Dead, right?" Steve started going through the bag to find it.
"It isn't too scary, is it?" Vickie asked, looking at Robin.
Robin made an unintelligible noise. Eddie swooped in to save her. "Don't worry about it; there's nothing too graphic in it. You'll be fine," Eddie told her.
"Yeah," Steve agreed, "Plus, I think Robin got a second movie just in case this one's trash."
"Except it's not trash. It's a classic," Eddie defended.
"How can it be a classic if it's been out or less than ten years?" Steve didn't understand how Eddie could be so passionate about a lame B horror film.
"Star Wars is already a classic, and it's not even been out nine years," Eddie reasoned.
"Just because you like something doesn't make a classic," Steve shot back.
Steve even liked Star Wars, but he wasn't about to let Eddie know that. Steve was sticking to his guns and not letting go.
"I like Star Wars," Vickie interrupted.
"Ah-ha!" Eddie yelled. "Sorry, Steve, but the nerds have won this round.
"Why don't we put the movie in before a turn 20, boys," Robin suggested.
Steve took a deep breath. This night wasn't about his petty rivalry with Eddie. That could take the back burner for one night. Tonight was all about Robin and Vickie. Robin and Vickie took the couch while Eddie and Steve took the chairs on either side. Robin started the movie, and after the first few minutes, Eddie stood up and announced he would be getting pizza. They decided to be simple and get one cheese and one pepperoni. After Steve called it in, Eddie said the two would go pick it up. Steve went to grab his keys.
"What are you doing?" Eddie asked.
"Planning on driving, or do you have a spell to teleport me there?" It was a low blow, and as soon as Steve said it, he was filled with instant regret. And he had been sensitive about magic and D&D since the town accused him of devil worship.
Eddie, however, seemed unphased by Steve's rude comment, "Thought we could take a nice walk given the nice weather in all but if you want to pollute the world more, be my guest."
"The pizzas still have to bake, so walking would kill time, I suppose," Steve agreed and tossed his keys back on the table.
The Indiana Spring air was nice after the sun when down. There weren't as many bugs in the spring too. They started walking down the road that connected Steve's subdivision to the rest of Hawkins. The pizza place wasn't terribly far, about 15 minutes by foot, but the road that connected Hawkins to the subdivision was completely empty. The road was flat and had thickly wooded areas on both sides.
"It's too bad you don't have Robin's taste in movies; you'd probably see something other than the major blockbusters," Eddie said.
"Yeah, well, Robin's never been known for her exceptional taste."
Steve isn't sure why he said it. At this point, he was just being contrary for the sake of being contrary to Eddie.
"I don't know; she seems to keep the best kind of people around her," Steve assumed Eddie was talking about himself and saw red.
"You know, Robin would never date a guy like you, right?" Steve's not sure why he said that either. He was feeling bitter and petty, and he wanted Eddie to hurt.
Eddie shrugged, "she's not exactly my type."
"The hell does that mean!" Steve couldn't believe Eddie thought he was better than Robin, "You would be lucky if she ever looked at you like that. She's funny and smart and-"Eddie cut him off.
"No! I know! It's just . . . I like . . . brunettes, is all."
"So you don't like Robin that way because of her hair? That's stupid!"
This made Eddie stop in place by the side of the empty road.
"No, I just don't like girls," Eddie's voice was quiet, and he said it in a rush. Steve questioned if he had heard him at all.
The admission had frozen Steve where he was. He had nothing against Eddie being gay, but everything made even less sense now. If Eddie didn't have a crush on Robin, then he really was just trying to replace Steve. Tears welled up in his eyes, and Steve turned his face down to the ground so Eddie wouldn't see him cry.
Before Steve could process everything, Eddie had stepped into his space and cupped his cheek. When Steve looked back up, Eddie pressed their lips together in a soft kiss. Steve was still paralyzed, trying to will his brain to catch up with what was happening.
Eddie looked so soft in this moment. His eyes were closed, and Steve could feel his long lashes against his cheek. Steve continued to stay still and unresponsive, too confused with what was happening to know how to handle it. Suddenly Eddie was flinching back and tripping over himself to put distance between them. Eddie took one look at Steve's tear-streaked face and started apologizing.
"I- I'm sorry. I'm so s-sorry," Eddie stuttered out as he jumped down into the road ditch. Before Steve could say anything, Eddie was rushing into the woods and out of sight.
Steve stood there motionless, waiting for it all to make sense. He wasn't sure how long he was frozen in place, it could've been a minute, or it could've been an hour. Once he finally got control of his body, he wiped at his face to remove any evidence he was crying and started to debate what to do next. If he went back now, there was a chance he could catch up to Eddie, but it also meant having to explain to both Robin and Vickie what happened. He wasn't even sure what he was going to say to Eddie yet, so he turned back and robotically started to walk toward the pizza place again.
Steve felt as if he was in a fog, and before he knew it, he had both pizzas in hand and was back home. He looked to see Eddie's car was gone, only to see he was right and nothing was there. When he walked into his living room, Robin gave him a weird look as if to ask where Eddie was.
"Eddie said he forgot he left the oven on and had to rush home," Steve explained it was a lame excuse, but Robin didn't push the matter in front of Vickie.
Steve sat down in a recliner next to the couch and started to spiral. His kiss with Eddie had felt so nice, and he wished he would have closed his eyes and pressed in for more. Maybe it only felt good because kissing just felt nice, though. Like if he were blindfolded at a kissing booth, it would feel good no matter who was kissing him. It wasn't as if he was gay; he definitely liked girls, and this was just a natural response to being kissed.
It wasn't like he found men attractive. To be gay, you had to find other men attractive, right? And Steve never really felt that way about anyone before. Sure, Steve could admit when a man was handsome, but that didn't mean he liked guys that way. Like in the movie, you knew that Ash was handsome because he was the lead man. Being straight didn't mean he found all men repulsive. Like Rob Lowe in The Outsiders was just objectively attractive, and everyone felt this way. But then there were men like Arnold Schwarzenegger that Steve knew people found attractive, but he didn't. Maybe only certain people appeal to everyone.
Steve tried to think of anyone in Hawkins that made him feel this way. Movie stars were all objectively attractive, or they wouldn't be in movies. If he found anyone in small-town Indiana attractive, then maybe he was a little bit gay. He thought of Billy. When they first met, Steve was undeniably jealous. Billy was tall and athletic. Billy was objectively attractive, and everyone wanted to be him or be with him. When they first met, Steve thought he was handsome, but then the man started talking, and Steve didn't find him as attractive. Shit, maybe he was a little bit gay. It wasn't as if Steve wanted to be with him; he just wanted to be like him. Steve continued spiraling, trying to figure out if someone could be partially gay for the rest of the movie.
After the movie finished, Robin walked Vickie to her car, and Steve could see they were talking and went to hide in the kitchen. When she came back in, Steve blurted out, "Eddie kissed me and-"
"He what? When did this happen?" She frantically ran into the kitchen to learn more.
"When we were getting pizza. When I didn't move, he ran off in the woods, and his car is gone-"
"Did you like it?" Robin leaned in over the kitchen island.
No! Yes! I don't know. I think everyone just likes the feeling of being kissed."
"I don't think that's right. If a guy kissed me, I'm pretty sure I would hate it."
"Sure, but like even you can admit when a man is attractive."
"I'm not quite sure what you think Lesbian means, but I don't find any men attractive, Steve."
"Not even Rob Lowe?"
"Why would I be attractive to Rob Lowe?"
"He's an objectively handsome man, Robin!"
They stared at each other. Both are unsure how to handle Steve's possible coming out. Was he even coming out? Maybe everyone really did feel this way, and it was just Robin who felt like this. Or the most obvious answer, Steve found both men and women attractive.
"Are you maybe…." Robin trailed off, "I mean, you could be bisexual?"
"I could be, but I'm not. I think I would know if I was gay or not."
"Being Bi doesn't mean you exclusively like men, Steve. I mean, do you find all girls attractive?"
That made Steve pause. He didn't find all girls attractive. He shook his head to say no. Voicing his own thoughts was becoming too hard.
"So," Robin started again, "it stands to reason you don't find all guys attractive either."
Steve rubbed at the back of his neck and walked toward the living room. Everything Robin was saying made sense, but part of him still didn't want to admit it was the truth. He flopped face-first over the back of the couch to hide his face.
"What are you going to say to Eddie?" Robin asked. Steve turned his head to see her sitting on the floor a foot away.
Shit, what was he going to say to Eddie? Panic shot up his spine. He couldn't avoid the man forever. Between the kids and Robin, Eddie had become a constant, unavoidable presence in his life without him knowing.
Steve sat up to get a better look at Robin, "Fuck! What should I say to him?" He wasn't really asking her but also really needed an answer. He had never had to deal with this before.
"Well, I think that depends on you. How do you feel about him?"
"I mean, I kinda like him as a friend? He stuck with us throughout all the Vecna bullshit, so I respect him, I guess? But I don't know. I mean, until an hour ago, I thought he liked you and was trying to replace me-" Steve cut himself off. He had never meant to tell Robin that. He hid his face back on the couch. Why was this so frustrating?
Robin awkwardly started to pat his shoulder. "Nothing could come between us. I hate to say it, but you're my best and only friend, Steve. If getting tortured by Russians and attacked by demon bats couldn't break us up, nothing will."
"You're the only real friend I have left. I can't imagine telling this to anyone else," he admitted.
"Well, you've come to the right place. If I've learned only one thing in my seventeen years, it's how to deal with gay teen angst."
"I'm not being angsty," Steve tried to defend.
"You literally just did a flip over the couch because you realized you're Bi," Robin pointed out. "I think calling you a little angsty is warranted." Steve rolled his eyes but didn't fight back. "I think if nothing else, you should probably tell him that you won't tell anyone."
At first, Steve thought she meant about the kiss, but the truth hit like a brick to the face. She meant to keep the fact that Eddie was gay to himself. It hadn't even been a month since the town was calling for his blood, and if it got out Eddie was gay, the town would have a whole new reason to crucify him. It had never even occurred to Steve to use it against Eddie.
"I- I would never out him! You know I would never do that to anyone!"
"I know that," Robin agreed, "but he doesn't know that. He probably ran home thinking he read the wrong signal, and now the whole town is going to be knocking down his door calling for blood."
"Fuck! Why is this so complicated? I don't even know how I feel about him yet!"
"Take a day then. I'm not saying you should run off tonight but take a night to figure out if this is something you want and then tell him you would never tell anyone about him even if you hated him."
Steve signed, "yeah, that's a good idea." As he stared down at her, he remembered what this night was all about, "Oh shit, I've been a bad friend and made this all about me. How was the date? Did us leaving help at all, or did it make it worse? Did you kiss her?"
"No, I didn't kiss her. Ugh, it's so unfair that you got to kiss a boy before I got to kiss a girl," it was Robin's turn to drop on the floor dramatically. She laid down in a way that was still facing him. "It was a really good night, though. She held my hand for most of both movies-"
"We played both movies? What time is it?"
"It's closer to midnight? Steve, are you okay?"
"I'm fine. I must've just spaced out pretty bad. So she was holding your hand?"
"Yeah, at first, it was just during the scary parts of The Evil Dead, but once I put on Raiders of the Lost Arc, she still held my hand and pressed against me. There are no scary parts to that movie, Steve. She was just holding my hand to hold it. And when I walked her to her car, she said she had fun and wanted to know if I was free tomorrow to see another movie- which reminds me, are you free to take my shift tomorrow?" Steve glared down at her, "Please, Steve? For true gay love?"
Steve rolled his eyes, "Fine, but you owe me two now. One for the shift and the other for keeping Vickie away from your mom for a night." Of course, he'd do it; he'd do anything Robin asked. Plus, it gave him an excuse to put off seeing Eddie. "Are you going to stay here for the night?"
Robin laughed, "I would, but my mom would absolutely lose it if she knew I stayed over at a boy's house. As it is now, I'm already well past curfew. My only saving grace is it isn't a school night."
"Damn, sorry, I'm keeping you out so late."
"Don't be. I got to hold Vickie's hand all night. I'm in love."
"You should go home before your mom sends out a search party. Come on. I'll drive you home," he sat up and got his keys.
"Yeah," She agreed and stood up.
The drive to Robin's was quick. None of the lights were on, so she had a good chance of sneaking in through her window without getting caught.
She opened the car door, but before she got out, turn to him and asked, "Stop by my house before my shift tomorrow? I want your advice on what to wear tomorrow."
"Sure?" he agreed.
Steve watched as she tried to be stealthy and slipped in through her bedroom. All of the house's lights stayed off, and he guessed she made it okay.
—-
At noon the next day, Steve found himself back at Robin's. Her mom was gone, and Robin had her whole wardrobe lined up on the bed. Steve wasn't exactly great when it came to fashion, but he could tell when a girl put a little bit more effort into her outfit. Steve picked out a white tennis skirt with a black camisole and an oversized, red men's shirt.
"You're kidding, right?"
"You could wear it with your black and red sneakers. I think it would look good."
"I have no issues with the top half," she waved her hand over the shirts. "It's the bottom I'm confused with."
"A skirt looks great on anyone. Plus, It'll make your legs look great."
"If it's so great, why don't you wear it?"
"Why'd you buy it if you don't ever plan on wearing it?"
"I didn't buy it! My mom did. She thought I needed it for whatever reason."
"Well, she's right. I promise you that, as a person who likes girls, I can confirm the skirt is the way to go."
"Fine, but I'm only wearing it because I'm running out of time if I want to get to the theater on time."
"Take your time. I'll drive you," he offered.
Robin threw her arms around his neck. "Thank you, Steve! You're the best." Her voice was so earnest it took everything in Steve to let her go.
Steve was right about her outfit. She looked cute and was unmistakably dressed for a date. Steve dropped her off at the theater and went to work. Saturday afternoons were usually pretty slow. A few people returned a handful of tapes, but most people were out enjoying the nice weather. Indiana in the spring was always a coin flip of being below 30 or over 90, so nice days were few and far between. Steve checked Robin's movies in from the night before just to have something to do. There really wasn't anything else for him to do other than think about Eddie.
By the end of Steve's shift, he still wasn't sure what he was even going to say. He was still coming to terms with his sexuality, and it felt unfair to dump all of his emotions onto Eddie, but he didn't know how else to explain his reaction. The day had flown by, and before he knew it was had punched out of work and was driving toward Eddie's trailer.
Steve knocked at the trailer door. Unsurprisingly no one answered. A quick glance and he saw Eddie's car was still there. He knocked again, this time harder. Someone shouted from inside, and Eddie's uncle threw the door open.
"What?" The man asked.
"Is Eddie home?" Steve wasn't sure what else to ask.
"Yeah," the man turned back inside, "Eddie, doors for you. Come answer it damn, it." He then turned back to Steve, "you coming in, kid?"
"Y-Yeah," Steve stuttered.
As soon as Steve made it fully into the trailer, he made eye contact with Eddie. They both froze and stared each other down. Eddie's uncle was oblivious to the tension they had created and went about getting ready for work.
"I'll be back late again. Leave the hall light on for me, would ya?" Eddie's uncle yelled out as he left the trailer.
It was only once the screen door smacked closed did Steve find the courage to walk down the hall toward Eddie. This time Eddie was the one rigidly still. Steve stopped once there was only a foot between them.
"I wanted you to know I would never out you. I would never hurt anyone like that, even if I hated you. I would never do something like that." Steve watched as Eddie relaxed and leaned against the door frame.
"I never thought you would. You're Robin's friend after all."
For some reason, Eddie saying it that way, everything was finally starting to click into place, "Wait, you knew?"
"Uh, yeah, dude, I think most people know they're just too chicken shit to say anything. The same goes for Eddie' the freak,' everyone knows, and no one says shit," Eddie shrugged.
"I didn't know about you . . . Until last night."
Eddie shrugged again, "It's fine. I get it. I never expected you to like me back. Hell, I'm not even sure how I convinced myself that you did. I just thought- I don't know. You kept staring at me, and I assumed you knew and would- Fuck, this would be so much easier if you were just a dick jock, but nope, you're even perfect about this too," Eddie's eyes were glassy, and he looked down.
"I never said that."
Steve had never wished he was a nerd. Never once wished he had an answer for everything. He enjoyed his time being popular while it lasted, and even after, he enjoyed being a bit of a whore. But, It was at this moment he wished he was smart like Nancy. Maybe then he would know what to say. If he knew what to say, maybe all of his relationships wouldn't have ended as terribly as they did.
Again Steve's body took over before his brain was working, and the next thing he knew, he had Eddie pushed up against the trailer's wall, and their lips were pressed together. This time only Steve was moving, and Eddie was the one frozen still. Thinking he fucked it up again, Steve started to pull back. Reluctant to let Steve go, Eddie pulled Steve back in and pressed their chests flush. Steve's knee slid in between Eddie's legs, effectively pinning him there, and Eddie leaned forward. This time they met in the middle.
Kissing Eddie was different from kissing a girl. His lips were thinner and more chapped, but Steve couldn't make himself pull away. He didn't want to pull away. Eddie was the first person to see all his faults and still want him. Eddie knew the secrets Steve had to live with for years and the guilt and shame that came with them. Eddie looked at him like he was worth more than a car ride home. Eddie pulled away first.
"So," Eddie started, "you are like me?"
"I'm bisexual!" Steve blurted out. He isn't sure why he thought it was necessary to clarify that. Steve hid his face in Eddie's neck; cheeks flushed in embarrassment.
Eddie laughed, and his warm breath brushed up against Steve's neck. "Yeah, I kinda figured that one. I didn't think that you were faking the tension between you and Nancy."
"Why does everyone say that? There's no tension between us. We're just friends."
"Steve, I'm giving you a hard time. You don't have to explain anything to me. I get it. I'm like that, too, in a way. I don't really know how to explain it, but I only like people that I know well. Like I don't care what they look like, just what they are like. Does that make sense?"
"Yeah," Steve didn't actually understand, but in his defense, he still didn't quite understand his own sexuality. All he knew was he wanted Eddie to keep holding him. Eddie's fingers found their way into his hair and started the brush his hair back. Every once and a while, Eddie's fingernails would scratch against his scalp, and Steve melted into the hold.
The next thing he knew, Eddie had lifted him up and was carrying Steve to his bedroom. Steve had never been lifted up this way before, but he liked it. He was surprised Eddie could even lift him. Once they were through the doorframe, Eddie kicked the door shut and tossed Steve on the bed. Eddie climbed into the bed after him and gently pushed him onto his back. Steve started breathing hard again, Eddie's lips in anticipation.
Eddie stopped before things could go further and asked, "Is this okay?"
Steve nodded yes. Once again, he was at a loss for words. Eddie took that as all the confirmation he needed and pushed back in so that their lips were pressed together. Steve lost time again as he melted into the bed. After what felt like hours, they both slowed down so as to not take anything a step too far.
"I don't want to hide," Steve said into the quiet trailer. When Eddie didn't respond right away, he wondered if he had even said it at all.
"I don't think I can do that. People know about me, sure, but confirming that? Steve, I want to live to graduation." Eddie tried to laugh it off, but Steve could tell the fear was real.
Eddie tried to hide his face, but Steve pulled his chin back so that they stayed facing each other. It was a weird parody of what Eddie had done last night.
"I don't mean telling everyone. Just the important people, like the little shit kids and Robin. Hell, maybe even Vickie if everything went well today."
Eddie pulled back this time in excitement, "oh shit, did it go well last night? What did they do today?"
Steve laughed, "while you sent me Spiraling into my gay awakening, Robin and Vickie spent all night holding each other close. Vickie even asked Robin to go to the movies with her this afternoon."
"Fuck, yeah! Get it, Robin. Have you talked with her since?"
"Not yet. I came here right after picking up her shift at work."
Eddie's smile was blinding, "You're a really good person, you know that, Steve Harrington?"
Steve wasn't quite sure Eddie was right and distracted him by pressing mall kisses to his neck. Eddie leaned his head back and welcomed the assault.
"Would you be okay with me telling the other Hellfire members?" Eddie's voice was low and hesitant, "They're about as close to an extended family as I've got."
"If you want them to know, we'll tell them. I just- I don't want to come in second or be hidden away or-"
It hurt to admit, but in all of his relationships, he was always the second-best option. Nancy only started looking his way again when Jonathan was being distant, and every girl since was okaying being physical with him. They just wanted didn't want anyone else to know. It wasn't until he went to the pep rally with Brenda that he was out on a date in public. And it didn't last with her because she was unintentionally mean. Steve knew she wasn't trying to hurt him, but everything she said would point out one of his many failures.
"Steve! Look at me. In no universe am I the one embarrassed by you? You're scraping the bottom of the barrel with me right now- and don't get me wrong, I'm all here for it- but I will never be ashamed of you."
Steve just pressed him close and held on. This time as their lips met, they went slow. Steve enjoyed the drag of Eddie's teeth against his bottom lip. He's still not sure how he ended up here, but for the first time didn't want to be anywhere else. Kissing Eddie made him think of Robin, and he started smiling against Eddie's face. Eddie brushed Steve's cheek with his thumb.
"What's got you smiling like that?" Eddie asked as he smiled back.
"I was thinking about Robin," Eddie's face fell a little at that, "Not like that. I mean, I was thinking about how she was mad I got to kiss a guy before she got to kiss a girl." Eddie snorted. "She's going to be livid when she learns I got a boyfriend before her."
Eddie sat up and looked at him seriously, "Is that what I am?"
Steve blushed. Usually, he never had to say it out loud. "I mean, I would prefer if we were exclusive," he explained.
This time when Eddie pressed in, it was all teeth. Hard and forceful, trying desperately to convey a message Eddie couldn't voice.
"Steve, I don't know who you think I've got knocking down my door, but I'm not interested in any of them."
It was Steve's turn to press in close. Eddie held him for what felt like hours. The more he thought about Eddie's strange behavior; he realized it was Eddie's attempt at gauging his interest. It also didn't help that Steve just assumed everyone felt the way he does and didn't realize not everyone had these feelings. But he liked the way Eddie made him feel, and he wanted him to feel that way too. So for the foreseeable future, Steve wanted to find himself right here with Eddie.