Work Text:
August evenings always tasted bittersweet. Three years ago, when sophomore year was upcoming and seemingly distant, they usually stunk of beer and vomit and tasted like girls’ perfume and cigarettes. Part of that felt nostalgic, in the bottom of ribs and palms of hands type nostalgic. But most of the time, the feeling of those memories was nasty. Stomach aches and staring at the ceiling on the verge of tears- nasty. Last August, everything was healing. Slowly but surely. The Byers had moved and Dustin spent all his time on the phone with that girlfriend of his. Last August had been boring, boring in his bones. Boring in a way that the door to Family Video opening made him flinch and boring in a way that Robin’s voice was the only thing that made him feel sane. But still. Boring.
Not that this month, or even this summer, had been any better. Well, okay, he had to admit it had been better for one reason.
Steve Harrington was sick of boring. He was sick of girls having boyfriends, and babysitting upcoming high school sophomores. So this August evening, he was sat on a couch with beer in his hand in the house of some junior he’d never met. It was Chrissy Cunningham’s birthday, and a monumental one according to Eddie. Not only had she lived through this year, a miracle since her two month long hospital stay in March, but also because Jason had been dumped.
“Who’s Jason again?” Steve yelled over the music to Eddie Munson, the only un-boring part of his life. Eddie Munson was beer-free and probably high as shit, smiling dopely at Steve with his big excited eyes. Eddie Munson was weird, a freak, and Steve was honestly surprised he had even been invited to some high school party.
“He’s the new you!” Eddie smiled his wide crooked smile. The new you. The new Steve.
“So a douche-bag?” Steve took a long drink of his beer as Eddie watched.
That was really the problem, wasn’t it? That Steve Harrington wasn’t a douchebag anymore. That he was sitting in some high school party drinking shitty beer and not having a fun time. Sure, he vaguely knew that Eddie was friends with Chrissy. He also vaguely knew that Lucas Sinclair was here somewhere, and he was praying the kid wasn’t drunk. Steve Harrington was a grown up, a grown-up with a boring life and the inability to get into college. He was a grown-up at a high school party in August and he felt gross.
“Hey, Eds,” Eddie blinked up at him, “I think I’m gonna head out.” He was getting up and finding a place to leave his cup for someone else to clean up before he realized that Eddie was getting up after him and trailing along.
“Okay! Let me go find Chrissy and say goodbye first-” Steve turned around, confused.
“Eddie, you don’t have to leave.” Eddie stared up at him.
“Steve Harrington, you’re my ride.” Oh yeah. Eddie rolled his eyes and wandered away to find Chrissy.
Eddie found Steve sitting on the front stairs, playing with his keys. The August air was humid and misty, the sun low in the sky. It was red and orange, making the summer grass look browning and dead. The keys jangled as Steve hit them against his knuckles. Cracking hard against his skin, hard enough Eddie almost reached out to stop him.
“Looks like it’s going to rain.” Steve said after a few minutes, shoving his keys into his pocket and staring out at the orange sky.
“You sound like my uncle.” It was quiet outside. Like the world had paused. “Hey big boy, let’s get ya home.” Eddie patted on Steve’s shoulder to get him up, and they walked to his car side by side. It was nice. Pleasant. Quiet.
It wasn’t till Steve parked in his garage that he realized he never dropped Eddie off. As he parked and turned off the car he struggled to find anything to say as he turned and looked at Eddie.
“Did you forget something, Stevie?” Eddie’s shit-eating lopsided grin met him, but his voice was the gentle tone that Steve had learned was used when Eddie was alone with someone, not letting to world in on his words. Steve smiled a little and then, suddenly, he started shaking with laughter. There was a wild look in Eddie’s eyes as he watched Steve laugh, loudly and deep. His hair was sticking out of place as he ran his hands over his reddening face.
“God,” Steve huffed out while trying to catch his breath between laughs, “Shit man.” He made eye contact with Eddie again, that lopsided grin still on his face.
“Not the kind of guy to take a girl out to dinner first, I see,” Eddie’s laughing now too but Steve’s face drops and his gaze is solely on Eddie. Eddie Munson. The guy who’s somehow friends with Chrissy Cunningham, and has way too much hair, and these little freckles that are unnoticable unless you’ve stared at his face everyday for weeks. “Steve?” Eddie calls, titling his head at Steve who’s blinking back into reality. The reality where he accidentally took the prettiest boy he knows home, and he’s just laughing with him in his car.
“Ed,” Steve says slowly, gripping the steering wheel and staring at Eddie intensely.
“Yeah?” Eddie responds, watching Steve intently.
“I think I’m in love with you.”
“Oh.” It’s quiet. Eddie is just staring back at Steve for a long moment before he bites his lip and gets out of the car. The door slamming closed sends Steve out of his seat and into the driveway where Eddie is staring at the sky grinning.
“Eddie?” Steve says, watching as Eddie looks back from the night sky to him, the largest grin on his face and his eyes all wild again.
“If you’re gonna kiss me I want the stars to see it.” Eddie says like it makes sense. Steve is just staring at him like he’s crazy, but before he can ask he grabs Eddie’s face and kisses him. Kisses him under the stars. Hot and warm and it tastes like cigarettes and alcohol but it tastes better than he could’ve imagined. Kisses him in his driveway where anyone can see because he doesn’t care.
“You’re a fucking freak, Steve Harrington.” Eddie says with his hands on Steve’s face making sure he doesn’t move away.
“Yeah, yeah, says you.”