Chapter Text
“I don’t know what that was, but I assume it was metal.” Steve high fives Eddie as they push furniture up against the entrance of the upside-down trailer, demo-bats flinging themselves against the barricades. “Very metal.”
“Thanks, man.”
Eddie grins, admiring Steve’s hair which now has bits of dried blood and bat guts in. He knew that Dustin admired this guy, and he now found it clear as to why: he had a charm about him, a charm that was not lost on the metalhead, especially as Steve stands there covered in sweat and blood and still wearing Eddies’ denim vest.
“What?” Steve asks, pushing a chair under the door handle. “Is my hair all gross?”
“Uh, yeah-“ Eddie stutters, regretting how long he had been stood staring. “-but so is mine, don’t worry ‘bout it.”
Steve laughs, running a hand through his hair before pushing another wooden board against one of the windows a bat was hurling itself at non-stop.
“I’ve always been jealous.” Steve groans, pushing his body against the rattling windowpane.
“Huh?”
“Of your hair, it always looks really…really good.”
Felling heat rise into his cheeks, Eddie turns to check the security of the other windows. “Thanks, but I wasn’t the one with the literal nickname ‘The Hair’.”
“Means your hair wasn’t your whole personality like mine was.”
“So my whole personality was being a freak?” Picking up his bat and poising in front of the door, Eddie changes his tone to a sour one, feeling like Steve isn’t actually meaning these compliments.
“What? No! I never said that!” Steve follows Eddies’ lead, picking up his own bat and facing the same direction. “I mean that you were…you ARE an interesting person!” He looks to Eddie who gives him an uncertain face. “Being called a freak means you’re still human, I was just…just hair!”
Bats outside persist still, but fewer in number now.
“You…you didn’t like being just hair?”
“Are you kidding? It was shit, it was just a front for my insecurities.”
Eddie lets out a laugh through his teeth. “Oh, I know that one.”
“You do?”
Swinging his head round to Steve, raising his eyebrows. “That dumb crap I yell in the halls all the time? You think I do that for fun?”
“I just thought you had Tourette’s.”
“It keeps people talking. If they’re talking bad about something I said then they won’t talk about the fact that I was supposed to graduate three years ago.” Eddie lets out an exasperated laugh. “Fuck, I guess no one cares about either now that I’m a cult-leader wanted for murder, eh Harrington?”
Steve says nothing. Worrying that he’s said too much, Eddie turns to look at him. His gaze is cut off by those hairy arms pulling him into a hug.
“Woah okay, what’s this?” The hug is firm. “This is…nice.”
Eddie hugs back, not knowing what to do but appreciating the gesture while praying he does not get erect and ruin the moment.
After a few tender seconds, Steve pulls back to speak but makes eye contact with Eddie and freezes. Both feel a deep warmth stir in their chests but neiter lets on. More seconds pass before Steve finally breaks the gaze.
“Sorry, I just uh…I had no idea that you…I’ve talked so much shit about you, man, I-“
“Steve-“
“I really should have just…talked to you! I always though you had a kind of coolness to you and-“
“Steve!”
The two look at one another, their eyes widening in realisation. The sound from outside more terrifying than anything they have yet faced:
Silence.