Chapter Text
The Wheeler’s basement had become a sort of safe space for everyone over the years. With Vecna defeated, they all came together for one last time before Will, Jonathan and Argyle had to go back to California. Mike and Will sat farther away, discussing something together at the foot of the stairs. Lucas sat in between Dustin and Max on a couch, both leaning close to him. Max’s hand was intertwined with one of Lucas’ while Dustin quietly drifted off on Lucas’ shoulder. Erica had taken note of this, but sat silently in an armchair, too tired to tease her brother. Johnathan was asleep with his head in Nancy’s lap, while his legs curled up on Argyle’s. Robin was perched on the arm of the couch next to Nancy, quietly talking with her as not to wake Johnathan, or Argyle for that matter, who had also fallen asleep against the back of the couch. Steve sat on the floor with his back up against the wall, observing everyone with intent. He was still on high alert despite all possible danger having been defeated. Eddie sat next to him with his knees bent up against his chest. He kept his eyes down, but every so often, he’d look over at Steve, just to make sure he hadn’t left. Steve didn’t dare move.
It looked like a party but it felt more like a funeral. The conversations were dull and hushed, and their tones were dancing along pessimistic. The basement was dimly lit and everyone was too tired to even pretend they were in a good mood. They were, of course, happy that it was all over, but despite that, most were somewhat injured, and would rather be sleeping than cramped up in a dark, hot basement.
So in groups, they began leaving. Nancy volentured to drive Robin home, and Max decided to tag along with them. Will hugged Mike goodbye before he, Jonathan and Argyle also departed. When Nancy got back she didn’t say a word and went straight up stairs so bathe. Mike apologized to Lucas and Dustin before he too bid adieu and hiked the stairs to his room, exhausted. Despite the aching in his abdomen, Steve agreed to drive Dustin, Lucas and Erica home. As he stood, he remembered the boy who had been sitting next to him the entire night.
“Hey Munson,” Steve turned. Eddie had been staring a hole into the floor, but quickly looked up at the mention of his name. “You need a ride?” Steve held out a hand to help Eddie up, and the other stared at it for a moment, before grasping on and allowing himself to be pulled off the ground.
The five of them made their way to Steve’s car in silence. Lucas, Dustin and Erica filed into the back seat, while Eddie made his way to the passengers side and Steve fished his keys out of his pocket, before hopping in the drivers side. He started the car, glancing into the rearview mirror to check on the kids in the backseat. They all looked fine, though all three seemed to be fighting a battle with sleep. Steve quickly started his car.
The drive to the Sinclair’s was vapid, and Steve was having to bite down on his bottom lip every so often, to keep himself awake. When he parked in the driveway and unlocked the doors to let out Erica and Lucas, Eddie ducked his head below the window, as if hiding from Mr. and Mrs. Sinclair. Steve put a firm hand on Eddie’s back, causing the other to look up from under his mess of hair.
‘ It’s okay. ’ Steve mouthed, before turning to the back of the car. “Do you two want me to walk you to the door?”
“We’re fine, Steve.” Lucas answered quickly, though his tone was grateful. “I think Mrs. Wheeler talked to them.”
“Okay. Stay safe, alright?” He added as Lucas and Erica began walking to the door.
“We will.” Lucas replied as Erica nodded silently in agreement. Steve locked the doors again, putting his car back in drive. He glanced over at Eddie who was slowly sitting back up. He felt himself begin to say something, before he shut his mouth and diverted his attention to Dustin.
“You awake, Henderson?” He asked as he began the drive to Dustin’s house. Dustin mumbled some noise of agreement, though his head was leaning against the window haphazardly. Eddie pulled his knees to his chest as he had while they were in the Wheeler’s basement. Steve glanced over, watching the dirt from Eddie’s shoes scuff against his car’s seat. If it had been anyone else, Steve would’ve barked at them to put their feet down, but it was Eddie, and he had been through so much in the past few days, Steve figured Eddie had earned the right to dirty his car.
Steve dropped Dustin off, but made the mistake of being noticed by Mrs. Henderson. He apologized quietly to Eddie before he jogged up to the Henderson’s porch to be praised by Mrs. Henderson for returning her son safely. He shooed most of it, but he did sort of appreciate when his care was welcomed. He had an innate urge to take care of others, even if he did get tired of it sometimes. It was easier than taking care of himself.
When he made it back to his car, he found Eddie staring silently out the window, lost in thought. Steve smiled, though didn’t comment on it. He sat back down in the driver’s seat and quietly waited for Eddie to acknowledge his return. Eventually, Eddie turned his head, raising his brows slightly, as if to ask why they weren’t moving.
“Where to?” Steve asked, meeting Eddie’s eyes. The other paused, thinking a moment, before looking down at the floor of Steve’s car. He let out a scoff, before looking straight ahead.
“I don’t know.” He replied in a mock confident tone. “I’ve run out of couches to hop to, I suppose.” Eddie turned back to Steve, a weak smile on his face. Steve frowned.
“I have a couch.” Steve argued. “Actually, I have multiple couches.”
Eddie’s smile became a bit more true, before faltering. “I don’t think Mr and Mrs. Harrington would approve.” He spoke in a formal tone, mocking smirk replacing his appreciative smile.
“Mr and Mrs. Harrington have back to back business trips for the next two months.” Steve replied, pulling his car out of park. “And I don’t need their approval to invite you to stay over.” Steve mocked Eddie’s formalities as he slowly began to drive home.
“Are you sure?” Eddie asked after a bit of silent driving. His tone had lost all insincerities. Steve glanced over to see that Eddie’s expression had shifted as well.
“Yeah I’m sure, dude.” Steve was never good at sounding reassuring. He sighed, frustrated with himself. “It’s not a hassle at all. You’re a wanted man- I’m not gonna force you out of my car just to live in the woods until your name is cleared or you get eaten by bears or something. You can stay with me as long as you want.”
Eddie paused, considering this. “Sounds like you’re lonely, Harrington.” Eddie teased, though there was no malice behind his voice.
“Maybe I am.” Steve replied in a hushed scoff. He combed his bangs out of his eyes. “But- all cards on the table here- I like spending time with you.”
Eddie seemed stumped by this, but that didn’t last long. “So you’re kidnapping me?” He chuckled, smirking over to Steve, who rolled his eyes. “You must really like me.”
“What’s so wrong about that?” Steve asked, glancing up in the rearview mirror in hopes of catching Eddie’s expression. Steve watched as Eddie looked him up and down with hopeful eyes, before his brows furrowed and he turned his head back to the floor of Steve’s car. “What?” Steve asked.
“Just hard to believe.” Eddie scoffed. It was a bit pitiful, but Steve didn’t dare comment.
“What is?” He kept flickering his eyes between Eddie and the road ahead of him, turning onto a familiar street as his house came into view a block or two away.
Eddie opened his mouth to reply, but shook his head. “Nothin’.” He replied with a hum. “Nothin’ at all.”
As much as he wanted to, Steve knew not to budge. Steve and Eddie were quiet different people, from obtusely different backgrounds, with insanely different mannerisms- but Steve knew a thing or two about personality types. He had to, he used to throw parties. Certain people could not , under any circumstances, be around other certain people, unless you wanted a party to suck. None of Steve’s parties sucked, because he knew which personalities worked best together. He knew people like himself and Dustin and Lucas liked to talk a lot, and have a wide friend group, as long as they got along. People like Mike and Nancy preferred close-knit friend groups, and their conversations were hushed, but often vulnerable. Then there were people like Max and Eddie, who could be fun and boisterous when around the right people, but rarely did they ever make themselves vulnerable. Steve didn’t have good experience with helping people like that open up, but as he pulled into his driveway to park, and watched Eddie glance over at him, Steve silently made it his goal to be there for Eddie in whatever ways he was needed.
--
It was another quiet night at the Harrington residence, but Steve didn’t feel nearly alone as he did most nights. Once they made it inside, Steve offered the guest bathroom to Eddie, to which Eddie silently agreed and made haste in dashing up stairs to find it. Steve made his way back to his room, the sound of water filling the guest bathtub interrupting the silence of the house. Steve changed out of the clothes he had been wearing- clothes that were actually Eddie’s. He threw them into his laundry basket and made a note to wash them later. He threw on a t-shirt and another pair of sweat pants, figuring he could shower in the morning. Luckily his bandages had been changed from Nancy’s torn pants, to some actual gauze and bandages, so he didn’t need to worry about cleaning his wound. Steve returned to his dresser, raking through to find clothes for Eddie. They were similarly built, but Steve silently wondered if Eddie had preferences about what he wore to bed. Figuring there was no harm in a bit of everything, Steve folded a pile of gym shorts, sweats, a t-shirt and a sweatshirt into his arms, before walking out of his room. He strolled over to the guest bathroom door, which was closed, and knocked lightly.
“I’m gonna put some clean clothes outside the door, alright?” There wasn’t a reply, so Steve continued. “I didn’t know what you’d prefer so it’s a couple of things. Just wear whatever fits, I guess.” His sentence trailed off as he waited for some sort of reply, or notion that Eddie was listening. The water had stopped pouring a while ago, so there was only a buzz of silence to respond to him. Not even a slosh of water called out. “Eddie?” He asked, knocking again. He heard a soft gasp, followed by Eddie clearing his throat.
“Ye-yeah- Thanks, man.” Eddie replied. Steve could hear the water sloshing a bit. Part of his desperately wanted to push the door open and check if Eddie was alright, but he clenched his teeth together and decided against it.
“Just let me know if you need anything.” Steve was reaching out, open armed, for any sort of contact. He knew Eddie wasn’t the type to reach, but Steve prayed that maybe- just this one- Eddie would reach out too.
“Yeah.” Eddie wasn’t ready for reaching. He wasn’t sure when he would be. Steve was prepared to wait with his arms outstretched for as long as Eddie needed though.
--
Steve didn’t plan on sleeping much that night. After placing the clothes outside the bathroom door, he shuffled down stairs and into the kitchen. He poured some water into the kettle, before setting back on the stove to boil. Robin had gifted him the knowledge of tea and Steve had loved it since he knew there was another kind besides green. He pulled a mug from the cabinet, placing it carefully next to the stove and tossing an earl gray teabag inside. He pondered whether or not Eddie would also enjoy some tea as he returned to the open cabinet, eventually deciding he’d wait till after the other got out of the bath. Steve closed the cabinet and leaned up against the counter as he awaited the kettle’s whistle.
The sound of a door opening came first though, causing Steve too look up from where it came. The door shut again though, and Steve realized it must’ve been Eddie retrieving the closes from outside. Not too long after it had opened the first time, Steve heard the door open again. He heard the padding of bare feet as Eddie shimmed out of the hallway and over to the stairs. He was looking down at his feet as he made it down the stairs. Steve noted that Eddie had chosen to wear the t-shirt and sweats. He also noted that despite their similar build, the shirt hung on Eddie a lot looser than it did on Steve. That caused a though to erupt in Steve’s mind, followed by a desire to see Eddie in more of his clothes.
“Watcha’ doin'?” Eddie asked as he made it to the foot of the stairs. He stuffed his hands in the pockets of the sweats, taking long strides over to where Steve was lent up against the counter.
“Makin’ tea.” Steve replied. Eddie hummed, face scrunching slightly as he considered this.
“You don’t seem like the tea-type.” He decided, finally stopping once he stood directly in front of Steve. There was an island in the Harrigton’s kitchen, and Eddie mirrored Steve’s posture, leaning back against the island instead.
“I wasn’t,” Steve explained with a smile. “For the longest time I didn’t know there were different kinds of tea besides like… tea. ” Eddie smiled fondly at that. “Robin bought me a bunch of boxes for my birthday last year. I’ve been trying to find a favorite.”
“When was your birthday?” Eddie asked curiously, knocking his head to one side.
“July twentieth.” Steve replied as he took note of the way Eddie’s wet hair had begun to coil up tighter than when it was dry.
“So do you have a favorite yet?” Eddie straightened his head up and examined Steve’s expression. Steve opened his mouth to reply, but the kettle began to whistle in anguish. He sighed and spun on his heel.
“Right now it's earl gray.” He explain as he turned the stove off and poured the boiling water into his mug. Eddie hummed in approval, trailing over to the cabinet Steve had just been at and opening it. Steve watched as Eddie gazed across the boxes before his face lit up and his hand dove out for one of them. He pulled a tea bag from the chamomile box.
“My mom used to make me this when I was sick.” Eddie seemed to be speaking on auto pilot. His hands were moving fluently, grabbing a mug of his own and placing the bag in it. A humble smile remained on his face.
“Why’d she stop?” Steve asked, picking the kettle back up and pouring some water in Eddie’s mug.
Eddie looked up at him. “What?” He asked.
“You said used to-” Steve explained, returning the kettle to the stove. “Why’d she stop?”
Eddie thought for a moment with a blank expression before his face fell back down to his mug. Steve shunned himself by folding his lips in between his teeth and biting down.
“You don’t have to say- I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.” He attempted, but Eddie shook his head.
“It’s alright.” He said, nimble fingers grasping the tea bag’s label and dipping the bag in and out of the water. “She never stopped.” He admitted. “Or maybe she did- I’m not sure. I haven’t seen her in years .” He tilted his head back and sighed, a sad smile spreading onto his face.
“Oh.” Was the best Steve could manage. He cringed, but Eddie seemed to find it amusing.
“ Oh .” Eddie mocked his tone, turning his sad smile towards Steve.
Steve rolled his eyes. “I’m not good at comforting people.” He explained, shrugging slightly in his own defense. Eddie smiled at that, fondly.
“You’re fine, man.” He reassured, gently socking Steve’s left shoulder. “You’ve got a comforting aura.”
“You sound like Robin.” Steve scoffed, twirling his own tea bag around in his mug.
“I’ll take that as a compliment. Robin Buckley is a mighty fine lady.” Eddie chuckled, bending over the counter slightly as he stirred his tea.
“Don’t go gettin’ any ideas,” Steve warned, bringing his mug up to his lips. “You’re not her type.”
Eddie glanced up at Steve with a smirk. “She’s not my type either Harrington.”
Maybe if Steve wasn’t stupid he would’ve known immediately what Eddie meant. Alas Steve Harrington was an idiot. He simply let the comment fly over his head, focussing more on the warm liquid as it traveled down his throat. As he placed his mug back down, he noticed Eddie was still looking over at him. Once their gazes met, Eddie looked back down at his mug.
“You tired?” Steve asked, glancing from his tea to Eddie a couple of times. Eddie nodded silently, before bringing the cup to his lips and taking a long sip. Steve noticed a smile forming across Eddie’s face as he placed the mug back down. “You can sleep where ever you want, we’ve got plenty of spare beds.”
“Which do recommend?” Eddie asked in a teasing tone before taking another sip.
“My bed’s pretty nice.” Steve answered before he realized what he was saying. Eddie’s head shot down, mess of damp hair surrounding him as his empty hand slapped against the counter.
“That was a good one.” Eddie chuckled once he had swallowed the tea in his mouth.
“Well, I’m serious.” Steve said, crossing his arms across his chest. “And in total seriousness, I know how hard it is to sleep after shit like this-”
“Shit like interdimensional monsters?” Eddie joked.
“Shit like trauma.” Steve corrected, taking another sip of tea. Eddie’s smirk faltered. “We don’t have to share a bed if you’re not comfortable with that, but I think we should sleep in the same room. I remembered how much I hated sleeping alone after I first encountered that thing.” Steve considered how many nights he had snuck through Nancy’s window with no further explanation than tear stained cheeks. She’d always hold him, rake her thin fingers through his hair, and promise him he was safe. Steve missed that. He didn’t miss her exactly- he just missed that type of loving. The soft and sweet kind that he didn’t get from his more recent girlfriends.
“I’d like it if we slept together,” Eddie decided after he finished his tea. “In the same bed- I mean.” He corrected, hand clasping over half his face with a weak laugh.
“Yeah,” Steve agreed. “I’d like that too.”
Steve’s bed was big, so it wasn’t like they were being pushed up against each other by any means, though part of Steve wished his bed was a twin. He was laid on his back, while Eddie was on his side, facing the wall. Steve turned his head to watch the back of Eddie’s head for a moment, before quickly deciding that was inappropriate. He turned to face the other wall, curling his arms under his head and awaited the spell of sleep.
--
Steve normally hated being woken up, mainly because most of the time it was Dustin or Robin, and they needed something from him that he wasn’t ready to provide for them until after they provided him with caffeine. This was different though. He felt the bed shake and the blankets being pushed slightly off of him. Steve blinked his eyes open slowly. He heard heavy breathing from next to him, and he felt that the dip in the bed had shifted. Turning around, he found Eddie sitting straight up in bed with his knees pulled to his chest once again. Steve frowned, sitting up as well and inching towards the other. He carefully placed a hand atop Eddie’s back. The other tensed, but quickly soothed into the touch. Steve rubbed his palm in a circle, noting how the motion caused Eddie’s breathing to return to a steady pattern.
“It was just a nightmare, you’re alright.” He whispered once he was sure Eddie was conscious enough to hear him. Eddie nodded from under his mess of hair. Steve moved his hand off of the other’s back, instead diving to Eddie’s face. He tucked a curtain of Eddie’s hair behind his ear, hand grazing over the back of Eddie’s neck as he did so. Steve could feel the shiver he caused to cascade down Eddie’s spine and chewed his lip at the thought. Eddie turned his head towards Steve, eyes closed and face resting on his knee. Steve moved his hand back down Eddie’s back and began rubbing circles again.
Eddie let out a noise a bit too high pitched to be deemed a hum, causing Steve’s eyes to shoot up and search the other’s expression for an explanation. Eddie had rolled his eyes up toward the ceiling blink stubbornly and sucking his bottom lip in between his teeth. His hands griped down hard on his calves. With a shake of his head, Eddie’s face was once again buried under his hair.
“Eddie…” Steve didn’t know what he was trying to say, but the mournful tone he projected caused Eddie’s head to shake in rebuttal.
“ ‘m fine.” He mumbled. If it weren’t for the silence of the rest of the house, Steve might not have heard him. There was a slight pause, in which Steve moved his hand slightly up. This erupted another disagreeing headshake from Eddie. He quickly repeated a mantra of ‘ I’m fine ’ s- None of which Steve believed.
“Look dude,” Steve tried to keep his voice as low as possible, as to not startle the other. “I’m not gonna force you to talk, okay? But I just want you to know that you can talk to me, if you ever…” Steve’s sentence trailed as he noticed Eddie had begun nodding sharply. He sighed, rubbing his hand back down Eddie’s back.
They stayed upright for a few more minutes, until Eddie slowly picked his head up. Steve’s hand halted its motions, considering dropping it back down to the mattress. Eddie didn’t say anything as he unwrapped his arms from around his legs and allowed them to lay flush against the mattress. He stared down for a moment, face still curtained off by his hair.
“Tired.” Eddie decided after a while. He turned to his side and laid down once more. Steve withdrew his hand back to his side of the mattress before he too laid back down. He was about to turn to face the opposing wall, when Eddie called out. “Steve.” He spoke in an oddly firm tone for someone who had just been crying into his knees. Steve glanced over to see Eddie turning his head back towards him.
“What’s up?” He asked.
Eddie turned his head back with a stubborn sigh. “This is stupid…” He groaned, but Steve waited for an explanation of what this even was. “Can you… hold me?” Eddie seemed skeptical of his own question, but Steve didn’t dare judge him. He remembered how stupid he felt when he asked Nancy to hold him after a nightmare, but she did it, no questions asked. Steve decided to live by the same sort of loyalty.
“Of course.” He replied, mirroring the tone he remembered Nancy used. It seemed to help Eddie the same way it had helped him. As Steve shuffled closer and tucked an arm around Eddie’s waist, he could feel the other’s body had untensed slightly. He hummed gently as he felt Eddie grab onto the arm that wrapped around him, using it to pull Steve closer. Steve laid his front flush against Eddie’s back, head resting right behind Eddie’s mess of curls.
“Thank you.” Eddie’s voice had taken an unusually soft tone.
“Don’t mention it.” Steve replied, rubbing Eddie’s forearm with his right hand. Eddie hummed as he melted into the touch.
After months of first dates and one night stands, Steve was finally beginning to grasp a proper concept of what he wanted in a partner. He realized he had been going after people who were much too similar to himself, their personalities repelling against his instead of connecting. Yet in this moment, as Eddie Muson’s finger trailed carefully over the hair on Steve’s arm, pausing every time the pads of his fingers pressed down too hard- Steve realized he had never felt this close to someone in years. Not physically close, even though the proximity of the two was questionable at best- it was a different sort of close. Steve felt vulnerable and open, but with every graze of Eddie’s fingers across his skin, he also felt appreciated and cared for. More importantly, he felt loved.
Steve carefully reciprocated Eddie’s motions, dancing their fingers together. He could feel Eddie tense again, but he continued, intertwining their hands and pressing their palms together. Eddie let out a shallow breath, before pulling their interlocked hands close to his chest. For the first time in far too long, Eddie also felt loved.