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Eddie thought Nancy Wheeler and Steve Harrington made quite the pair back when they were still together a few years back.
He remembered the hushed whispers and beaming smiles hidden away in the crowds of people, off in their own little world without the constant need to check around them in case some pissant wanted to take their anger on them. Eddie was all too familiar with checking around him, around his club members and friends so that at least he could throw the first punch before they had a chance.
Steve always looked radiant whenever Nancy was within his sphere, like a planet circling around the sun as he stole kisses and made her giggle as she hid behind her notebooks in embarrassment. Even in the most subtle moments like Steve on the court for a tournament, he always without fail glanced over to Nancy with a promise of victory.
So needless to say, Eddie wasn't surprised when he overheard the conversation between the two now. Stuffed into a stolen caravan on the run from the entirety of Hawkins whilst on their way to get weapons to fight a literal demon in hell, Eddie was completely out of it in between the need to scream, the itch to fidget with the last joint in his jeans and the constant urge to collapse into a never ending sleep.
He smiled to himself when he heard the outrageous number of kids Steve wanted, turning over to look at the plethora of them behind him as they regained their energy amongst themselves. Eddie had to hold back a snort as Steve described them as 'six little nuggets', not really wanting to be caught by the two but still curious enough to listen in. Anything to take his mind off this lucrative situation he stumbled himself into.
Eddie shook his head in amusement at how predictable he was, Steve going on over how he'd want to see the rest of the country with them. Nancy had some brains to tell him off about how nightmarish it would be to raise several kids, both of them chuckling to themselves as they turned to look at the herd of children being charismatically quiet.
Steve didn't need to say it but Eddie could tell from how he looked at her with the same tenderness that he already had a vision of what that future looked like. Who'd be right beside him as he cranked up the worst pop songs on the radio, annoying the hell out of his kids whilst he drove down another highway to their next destination.
Makes sense. Eddie adjusted his position to be more comfortable as they fell into a comfortable silence, sighing as he his back ached for his shitty mattress and a long overdue nap. Steve Harrington loves Nancy Wheeler, doesn't take a genius to figure that one out if you've repeated senior year three times in a row.
Eddie kinda wished he didn't encourage him back then in the Upside Down as Dustin called it, maybe he had somewhat of a chance of turning that look onto him before he died or got sent to the slammer for crimes he didn't commit. But he guessed that it's for the best, heroes like Steve deserve the girl of his dreams, not whatever the hell Eddie Munson was.
Wishful thinking from a dead man walking. He shut his eyes as the caravan shook slightly from left to right, lulling him into a quick nap to compensate for now. He already made peace with it, he just hoped he didn't upset the kiddos too much when it happened. Harrington's got Wheeler to look after him at least. He'll be okay.
Eddie was so extremely tired still but put on as much of a front as he could while he was with Dustin, playing around with their makeshift weapons of nails hammered into a trash can lid and knives. Dustin and the other rugrats were the only people to re-energize him, providing some blips of childlike wonder despite the complaints that they were all teens or close to it.
It was nice to forget that there's some omnipresent threat that could absolutely neck them at any moment but now his body was screaming for a break so he told Dustin to help someone else while he took a breather. The breather in question was wrapped and filled with the last of his goodies buried deep in the pocket of his jeans.
Hiding behind the caravan, he lifted the joint up to his lips and inhaled a large puff of smoke, sighing in relief as he exhaled everything out of his body. His nerves, his fears, everything that flooded his mind in the past couple of days momentarily disappeared as he continued to smoke which could possibly be his last pack of weed.
"Oh. Sorry I didn't know you were here, Munson."
The voice of Steve rang so clearly in his ears, it's laughable how hard his heart jumped in his chest in response. Was it from how extremely attractive Steve was or the instinctual flinch of someone who had been shoved too many times for merely existing somewhere? Eddie took another drag out of his joint, knowing the answer but wanted to push it down deep, deep within him where even he couldn't find it.
"Don't worry that pretty head of yours, Harrington. I'll be sober enough to fight later tonight. This isn't enough to get me to that point," Eddie reassured as he felt Steve's stare at the blunt between his fingers, snickering to himself to the thought of it being Steve's first time seeing contraband besides the movies. Rich kids. "Just needed some time to think without the little sheep surrounding me."
Steve gave him a short nod but made no move to leave, instead leaning against the backside of the caravan alongside him. "I wasn't worried about that. Though I would hide the smell from Nance unless you want to be nagged at later."
Eddie chuckled between his next hit, he'll scrounge the bathroom for some hand sanitiser or air freshener to slap on himself to cover it up. He just saw Nancy Wheeler saw down a shotgun to size and shoot point blank at a couple of trees, he rather not risk being on her bad side as Steve warned. No one knows better than an ex.
Besides their little pep talk earlier amongst the literal depths of hell, Eddie had no indication how he should act around Steve. The kiddos were easy, he can revert back to their cool dungeon master who knows exactly what will happen next behind a black board that hid his next move. With Nancy, he was more civil and listened attentively to what she had to say, she's the leader of this whole operation. Hell, Eddie felt some sort of weird camaraderie with Robin Buckley as well, like they were more alike than he initially thought.
Steve Harrington? The King? He had no clue how to approach it before his hands started to sweat and the nerves shot up his spine like he was anticipating a constant climb on a rollercoaster, awaiting the inevitable drop that could derail and kill him the higher up it got. It's better to put on a front, hide in somewhat plain sight so that he never will get found out for a confession that he never wants to actualise.
"... We made too many molotov cocktails."
The statement was so bizarre that it had Eddie snap out of whatever self-sinking hole he dug himself in, squinting his clouded eyes to focus on Steve's face. Too many? What does he mean by 'too many'?
"What?"
"I mean, we have way too many that we can't use all of them. Kinda inconvenient to dismantle them now after all that effort." Steve rubbed his nape as if he's a kid that told his parents that he's broken a valuable vase from playing indoors. It was endearing how many different faucets of Steve Harrington he managed to see on this fucked-up adventure. "So I asked Nance if it was alright if you and Henderson could hold onto the surplus. Just in case of an emergency you know?"
"Is that all you wanted to say?" Eddie asked curiously as there seemed to be more to this than simply giving him more ammo to throw at the flying fucks. Steve was fidgeting with the edge of his newly-bought military jacket, covering up more than he would've wanted but hey, he can't exactly demand him to wear his vest again just cause it made him feel fuzzier than the weed currently being wasted in his tight grip. "You could've told me later when Wheeler did the rundown. Finding excuses to talk to me, Harrington? I'm flattered."
Eddie's lips stretched out into a smug smile as he noticed Steve suddenly started to choke on his next words. Just because the world's ending doesn't mean he can't have a little fun messing with him, Eddie believed he deserved at least to tease Steve while he still could get away with it.
"Sure. Think like that if it helps you sleep at night, Munson." Steve rolled his eyes playfully whilst Eddie finished the last of his joint. Dropping it to the forest floor with his foot pressed down onto the flickered embers that remained, putting it out for good before he could add 'arson' to his other charges. "Here I was worried about you. This is a first fight for you so I wanted to see if you were feeling okay. Seems like you're alright enough with an attitude like that."
"Oh wow, the great King Steve is worried about little ol' me." Eddie's chest warmed from the concern, he didn't at all expect an attack on his heart. "I'd never thought I would see the day. Despite everything that's happened, this truly takes the cake for the most surprising thing I've witnessed lately."
The shove he got was light at best but Eddie still bellowed over as if Steve had punched his arm yet his fake scream of agony actually got a worried look from him. His eyebrows shot up as his eyes widened, scanning Eddie down as if he genuinely did hurt him from something that miniscule. He got another shove when he realised he was messing around, Eddie held back his tongue from saying anything about how Steve's lips formed a pout. He tried not to stare too long at them.
Sweet, caring, stupid Steve Harrington. His heart hurt thinking about him, making his chest squeeze so hard that sometimes he couldn't breathe at all from how stupidly handsome he was at all times. How cool he was, like how Dustin had described his good friend 'Steve' countless times over the past year, wiped that old image of him sitting on his throne adorned with a crown with something akin to a central warmth that's always around the corner waiting for anything you would need.
Now he wasn't just something pretty he used to look at from afar during maths class, even if Eddie was still doing that out of the corner of his eye. No, Steve became someone who he could possibly call a friend after this entire shitstorm is over, his heart yearning for what he does rather than how he looks (though he isn't complaining for the eye candy either).
It's too bad Eddie knew he literally had a zero chance with Steve to begin with. Stomping whatever domestic, gag-inducing fantasy his mind could cook up out like he did with his finished blunt. Eddie always knew he had shit luck with this sort of thing, he just never expected it to be Steve Harrington that would capture his every thought and replace them all with himself, branding his stupid, cute smile and dumb, fluffy hair until it's all he could see from the little sleep he got.
"Munson? Eddie? Are you there?" Steve's face was so close to his own when he snapped out of his thoughts, Eddie could count every eyelash curled up from this distance. There's a gentle grip on his shoulders, Steve's hands on either side as his eyebrows become furrowed with worry. "Can you hear me? I don't know your favourite song man, we can't have too many people being Vecna-ed."
Eddie cracked a grin at that statement, "It's Holy Diver by Dio, don't suppose you got a tape of that somewhere that isn't my own home?"
"We could swing by just in case, make it a round trip of getting everyone's walkmans and favourite songs," Steve suggested lightheartedly as the tension in his shoulders finally dropped, a chuckle escaping past those lips and Eddie felt a surge of pride that he was the one to make him laugh so cute like that. "Can't forget I'm your man. Very important stuff."
Eddie blinked at his words, his throat drying up as the quip he had prepared died as his brain tried to process exactly what Steve said. "Come again, Harrington?"
"I'm Your Man? Wham? That's my favourite song." Eddie suddenly exhaled a breath he didn't even know he was holding in, shaking his head in amusement while Steve finally let go of his form. Steve folded his arms as he cocked an eyebrow at him questioningly. "I thought you were a music guy, Munson. Or did I have the honour of being the first to name something you haven't listened to yet?"
"On the contrary, dear sweet Harrington." He took a step out to get back to work, possibly rid himself of the smell of weed before Nancy actually found out. Eddie turned around to face Steve, a dramatic sigh left his mouth as he put a hand up to his forehead like a maiden feeling faint in the regal era. "This is a sign of a lost cause for me, I cannot be seen with someone whose favourite song is from Wham."
Steve scoffed but made strides to get back right next to him, walking alongside Eddie with a determined look on his face. "Are you telling me you don't like Wham? George Michael sounds so good when he sings and all the songs are fun to dance to!"
Their friendly argument continued even as they both entered into the caravan, Steve waving an excuse to Robin who looked at them both with a knowing look in her eye that made the back of Eddie's neck shiver. Nonetheless, he scrounged the rest of the caravan finding any air freshener he could use to mask the smell whilst Steve continued to drone on and on about Wham's entire discography as if Eddie never heard of it before and he's being educated by his oh so gracious friend.
Eddie found it quite nice though even as he teased him further by mentioning he didn't care for ABBA either — that resulted in a whole new rant as Steve groaned in pain as if his words were a sword that stabbed right through his chest. He sounded more in misery than when his stomach was inhaled by demo-bats, having the pleasure of watching Steve try to sing renditions of their songs as if his out-of-tune singing in an echo-induced caravan would convince him otherwise.
(It did slightly. Only if Steve Harrington's singing though.)
"I'm telling you, Harrington, I think you need better taste." Eddie finally found some daisy-infused air freshener and started to spray it above himself in circles, his eyes closed shut and his mouth pressed into a thin line as he held back from needing to cough. "You didn't know Black Sabbath, why would I ever trust you to recommend any music to me?"
"Fine, we can trade tapes after this whole thing blows over then," Steve pleaded in a last ditch attempt to get Eddie to listen to his standard pop song playlist, Eddie would appreciate the effort if it weren't for what Steve is exactly asking for. "I'll listen to whatever heavy metal, demon-summoning song you want and I'll give you one of my heavy hitters. I'll get you to enjoy George Michael eventually, Munson."
After? Eddie replayed the word over and over in his head as he set the can down on a table. He twiddled with one of his rings as he tried to formulate any response to a statement like that. After this whole thing blows over?
The warmth that Steve was surrounded with started to infect Eddie way too quickly, it's becoming suffocating at how easily it is to like him. He needed to nip this quickly in the bud with some sort of quip or joke before he said something he would regret, he couldn't promise anything like that right now.
"Nah man, you'll be plenty busy after we slay this wizard," Eddie spoke through his teeth as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket, keeping them clenched out of view so he could anchor himself down better. "Considering how it's going with Wheeler, you definitely got this in the bag, King Steve."
He planned on leaving after that, side-stepping out of Steve Harrington's way to make his way back out to the 'trenches' of war. He probably wore that stupid, fond looking smile on his face that he wore around her, only reserved for one Nancy Wheeler and no one else apparently. Not that he's upset, simply just bitterly accepted the defeat before that battle had begun.
Yet there was a strong tug on the end of his jacket that made Eddie look back behind him, Steve's brown eyes meeting him and all he saw was waves of sadness rolling off of him in droves. He must've missed his wrist and ended up grabbing on his clothes instead but he made no move to correct it, his hands slightly shaking as he spoke back up again.
"Hey, don't say that, dude. Even if me and Nance get back together which, to be honest, probably will never happen, I wouldn't abandon Robin and especially not you either Munson. It's not ideal to start a friendship through shared life-threatening experiences but so far, I like my chances of being friends with you. So yeah, let's trade after okay? I'm not taking a no."
Friends.
Fuck. I'm in it now.
"Okay. I promise, Harrington."
Out of all places Eddie thought he would be at right now, furiously biking his way down a fucked-up Upside Down version of his trailer park with a cauldron of demo-bats chasing after him like he's a rotisserie chicken fresh out of the oven and ready for carving.
"God fucking dammit!" Eddie screamed into the empty air as he tried to multitask by choosing now to start lighting up some cocktails as he drove the bats further and further away from his home. Further away from Dustin so that he can ensure that they're safe. "Wheeler better have a fucking good shot soon, I swear to fucking Christ-"
The screeches pierced themselves deep into his eardrums but he still managed to light one of them up, used all his strength in his sole arm to chuck the vodka bottle and pray that it hits even one of them. Eddie never felt so happy to hear the familiar crackle of glass as he turned his body back around to the front to pedal faster, flinching and shutting his eyes as an explosion boomed loudly behind him.
"Holy shit, that was awesome!"
Despite the looming presence of death, Eddie still had the post-concert rush of his performance running through his veins. The feeling that he could do anything and everything as he shredded the last few notes of Master Of Puppets, that adrenaline thrill of finally playing it once without any mistakes was enough to keep him positive for now. He could still live to see the next day.
Lighting up another cocktail, Eddie screeched the bike to a stop when he deemed he was far enough, his grip on the bottle tightened as he hopped off and looked straight into the danger. His other hand held his dinky-old shield, some nails ripped off from the encounter with the vents inside the caravan. With his spear strapped ready to his side, he threw the molotov where a large number of them were flying, grinning to himself as he shielded himself from the blast.
Time to be a motherfucking hero. No more running now, Eddie.
Shrieks of gargled pain broke into the air like the red lightning cuts through the dark clouds of the Upside Down, Eddie looking down at his last bottle in his hand before he lit it up as well. He knew he needed to make it as even as possible between him and these fuckers, buy as much time as possible to help them out.
"Man, Wheeler's gonna be pissed if she finds out I didn't stick to her plan." Somehow the thought made him smile rather than the usual twinge of terror that dragged around when he previously imagined an angry Nancy Wheeler directed at him. Winding up his arm for another throw, he screamed a large war cry to get them all to swarm closer to his target. "Drink up mother fuckers!"
With no more explosives to throw, Eddie grabbed onto his makeshift spear for dear life and raised his shield higher for proper protection. He needed to be more careful now, Eddie still had that pesky human nature to keep fighting till the bitter end even if he knew deep down that he probably wouldn't even live to even have Nancy or Dustin to scold him over being stupid.
He was just so done running. Running away from his problems deeply rooted inside of him, his knee-jerk reaction even at this moment is to bolt straight back into the caravan. Yet he stood his ground, clenching his jaw as he slashed demo-bat after demo-bat that got a little too close for comfort. If this was one of his campaigns, he'd call his players foolish for attempting a move with only a few more hit points left. Yet he'd still let them make them choose their faith, to let them keep going down the path of a true warrior even if the odds were not in their favour.
"Don't try to be cute or be a hero or something."
Eddie winced as he remembered Steve's last warning too, wondered how'd he react seeing him clearly doing the opposite. It's too bad, he actually wanted to swap tapes later and start corrupting him with the 'satanical' music while he tortured him with Wham! and ABBA alike. He'd miss him if there is some sort of afterlife that existed, hoping that he and Nancy have fun in their Take on Me-esqe romance that they'll retell to their six children as they ride across the countryside together in their own dingy caravan not cursed with weird Upside Down fuckery.
He at least hoped Steve would mention him at least to his future nuggets. Talk about good ol' Uncle Eddie who sacrificed himself to save a town that wished for his cruel, torturous death.
It didn't even register for a moment that one of those demons found an opening at his neck, swooped it and wrapped its tail deep into his flesh. Eddie released a pain scream as the smoke started to surround him from the residual flames, using the end of his spear in some hopeless attempt of prying the fucker off of him. His distraction was his demise as several others aimed for his remaining limbs, foregoing everything to stop his attacks and making him drop his spear and shield onto the ground with a defeated klang.
He felt tears forming as the crushing inevitability that formed from his actions: Eddie was genuinely going to die here. Die in this hellscape, all alone, for the pure chance he gave enough of a distraction for the others. Eddie collapsed down onto the ground, the harsh pavement hitting his back isn't nearly as painful as these other demo-bats practically started to feast on his insides whilst he struggles fruitless against the restraints spreading him open.
Guess I didn't roll a Nat 20 for my attack. Eddie chuckled as he coughed up his own blood, his limbs grew weary the longer he tried to fight them off. It's probably the blood loss hitting as another demo-bat bit through the fabric of his jeans, his own vision became hazier as he stared into the eye of the storm. Lady Applejack would laugh at how terrible that luck was.
The concept of time was lost on him after he lost the feeling of his entire body, dark black splotches bled into his sight as he felt himself being drained of all his worth. Vaguely, Eddie thought he heard Dustin calling out for him but he chalked it up to his own hallucinogens finally getting to him, some sort of final peace before whatever deity out there finally laid him to rest. Funny, he never imagined his final thought to be worrying about that little tyke but it's how he is right? Always worrying for those little sheep, even if he's the one truly in danger.
Just before the last bit of his vision got stamped out, a thunderous clap of several demo-bats began to fall from the sky. His restraints loosened and he immediately gasped for breath, hungrily sucking in air before he turned to watch the dead cauldron rain down from the sky.
Did they get him? Eddie let out a sigh of relief as he simply stayed eagle spread across the concrete road, the blood still pooling out of him from how deep those fuckers got into him before it was finally over. They'd be some gnarly scars once treated, Eddie wondered if he could quickly write down he wanted people to see them during his open casket. Shit… They did it. Thank fuck, I hope that I helped them even a little. I can finally fucking rest.
Eddie was just about ready to drop dead, his 'hero's sacrifice' curling the corner's of his mouth into a pained smile, before he sensed something cup the left side of his face. He blinked twice, thrice even, because how was Steve Harrington here right now? Cradling his face with one his hands as he looked down at him with pure unadulterated fear in his eyes? There's no way he would've know where he was, he ran as far away as he could from their gateway.
"Christ, Munson! I fucking told you to not be a fucking hero!" Steve swore harshly as he glared at Eddie, not out of anger but almost something pained. Like he couldn't comprehend the motivations of a mad man. "What were you thinking, asshole?! You were the one who said you weren't a hero and then you pull this shit. I wouldn't have found you if it weren't for Dustin and the fucking smoke clouds. Jesus, Eddie, don't scare us like that."
The way his first name rolled off his tongue with a hint of fondness was enough to warm Eddie's heart as fucked up as it was, he needed the blood inside his system and not being wasted because Steve Harrington decided now to call him by name. He wanted to speak, say some random quip about hogging the spotlight, but his throat still burned as he tried. He coughed out more blood instead, his eyelids suddenly weighed like a ton of bricks as the threaten to close.
"Steve, he's shutting his eyes! Steve!" Eddie would roll his eyes if the sudden exhaustion didn't hit me like a truck, Dustin did end up coming back through the gate even after he told him to stay put. Little shit. He loves him. "Please, you need to carry him back through! W-we can get help from there b-but we can't leave him here, Steve-!"
Eddie couldn't hold on any longer as he body ached for rest, the final sounds he heard before slipping into a slumber was Steve's worried yells of his name. It sounded shaky, cracked at the edges accompanied by what Eddie could only think was tears.
Don't cry for me. I'm not worth that, Harrington.
White, blinding light.
Eddie gasped as he shot right out of whatever bed he was in, winced in agony as it dazed his vision for a few hushed moments. Where the hell was he? Wasn't he dying in the arms of Steve Harrington back in the Upside Down? How was he still breathing right now, he remembered those demo-bat's making him bleed out like a punctured caprisun being stepped on.
"Oh shit, Eddie, you're awake!"
He turned towards the source of the voice, not entirely ready to see Steve Harrington's face so close to his. His expression seemed so relaxed like a weight was lifted off his shoulders, his eyes shining as his smile widened across his face was somehow even brighter than what Eddie assumed to be hospital lights. He's in some sort of private room, devoid of all colour except from the CRT television playing some sort of old movie that he can't remember the name of.
Eddie Munson actually survived.
"Well shit, guess I am," Eddie chuckled lightly, grasping at the sheets underneath him as if he couldn't believe it was entirely real either. His relief turned to worry after he remembered he was technically still being vilified by the whole town, his eyes widened as he tried to retch himself out of bed. "Fuck, I need to fucking run before they track me down. Shit, shit, shit-!"
A gentle squeeze around his hand froze him in his tracks, Eddie trailed his eyes down to see his left hand gently wound around Steve's right. He tilted his head as he stared at their joint hands in confusion, the gears in Eddie's head clicking and turning in place as he wondered why exactly Steve was holding onto him in the first place.
Steve seemed to have noticed his intense look, yanking his hand back into his lap with a cough in his throat. "You don't need to worry about that. People are handling the situation right now and it's looking good in your favour. You're safe here, Eddie."
There was a clear pink colour dusted across his cheeks as Steve awkwardly scratched the back of his neck, Eddie was clearly out of loop of what entirely the situation was. Especially with how timid Steve felt around him all of a sudden, like something happened in the days that he was out of commission from his scuffle in the Upside Down.
Eddie fiddled with his fingers, wished he still had his rings on him to play with. "Can I get some more explanation? Not that I don't trust you man but I kinda want to know what happened after I conked out."
"Right. Of course, Eds." Eddie pressed his fingernails into the palm of his hands as his fists remain clenched in his lap, stopping himself from making some sort of dumb statement about Steve using a nickname on him. Not right now while he's still so confused about everything. Steve sat up in his own seat, a notebook materialised seemingly out of thin air as he flipped through it. "So, it turned out so many things happened while we were executing our own plans, there was a lot of catching up to get through…"
Steve was not kidding about the scale of information presented, Eddie had counted like over ten pages of notes being flipped through as he explained thoroughly what happened as concisely as he could. Turned out that the girl with super powers (which he found out her name was Eleven now) managed to 'piggyback' into Max's mind and attack Vecna/One/Henry in her mindscape while the three of them were attacked his physical form in the Upside Down. Whilst this was also happening, they got a lucky streak of the hivemind being interrupted by Chief Jim Hopper in a russian prison.
(Eddie was about to ask for more information on how he got into Russia but Steve looked like he was about to slip out of his own mind just thinking about it. Something to unpack later when he was ready.)
The important thing was that Eleven confirmed that he was officially dead and that Max was completely okay physically, she's just being monitored in the same hospital for a while for assurance. Hopper complied evidence with the help of Nancy and Jonathan to clear Eddie's name, the blame of the murders shifted to the same Henry Creel who is probably rotting on the floor in the Upside Down.
"Even though your charges will be dropped soon, it's likely you'll still face some anger from the mob even though you technically helped save this shitty town," Steve grimaced as he glanced at the concealed windows, sunlight barely passing through on what Eddie hoped to be a sunny afternoon. The curtains were drawn shut and by how pissed Steve looked talking about it, there's a certain reason that he's all by himself in this room as it's only patient. "They're processing everything at the station right now so it should be done by tonight. Do you need anything, by the way? I'm on duty for both you and Max at the moment but she kicked me out of her room."
"Sounds like she didn't want her mum to loom over her too much, Harrington." Eddie grinned in amusement, doubling over in fits when Steve huffed at his laughter. His pink cheeks were puffed up and Eddie had no hesitation to poke at it, grinning when he saw Steve breaking and chuckling in defeat afterwards. "If you don't mind getting me some water and something sweet, I'm currently craving for something covered in sugar right now before the nurse comes in with something that tastes like the floor."
Steve's chuckle was lighter and Eddie could seriously get used to this, watching him get up from his chair and out the door for his requests. "I'll see if I could smuggle in a pack of m&m's for you, rebel."
"You're my hero, Steve Harrington." He fake swoons with a dainty hand pressed to his forehead, letting himself fall back into his pillow whilst he held back a cackle as Steve flipped him off in response. "Okay, okay. Thank you, Steve! Come back in one piece!"
I mean, he used my name, I think I can call him Steve now. Right? Eddie thought to himself as his eyes stuck to the closed door of his hospital room, already missing the warm presence Steve took with him on his little quest for food and drink. Maybe some new nicknames while I can still bug him…
Over the next week, Eddie was deemed well enough for a discharge from the hospital. Besides the otherworldly scars that littered across the sides of his torso needing a rebandage later on, he was free to go back home and back to his normal life. Well, as normal as Eddie could get nowadays.
The charges he faced were dropped instantaneously as they persecuted the real culprit, announced the whole shebang on the news and everything whilst Eddie was still stuck inside the hospital. Hawkins had its doubts but the real killer was already revealed and had payed for the murders, there was nothing else to do despite several of his friends grunting that Eddie deserved an apology for the witchhunt they put on him. Eddie didn't care enough as long as he wasn't going to die anymore, he had enough close calls to last an entire lifetime.
He was dressing himself up in some spare clothes that Steve managed to drop off yesterday from his uncle's trailer, popping his head through his black Metallica t-shirt to find Nancy Wheeler standing by the doorway with an unreadable look on her face.
"Sorry for the intrusion, I just wanted to make sure you were really okay to go," Nancy stated as if it was normal for her to check up on Eddie, scanning her eyes up and down his form in a way that had Eddie awkwardly stood still mostly out of dread of what she'd do if he moved. "I didn't want the hospital to just kick you out if you needed more time. Do you know how hard it was for us to make them help you? Steve practically yelled at everyone in here until he got some proper service for you."
He snorted out of fondness as he chucked on his jacket. "Sounds like good ol' Steve alright."
Eddie smiled to himself at that thought though, remembering how stuck to his side Steve had been while he was conscious. Besides when Robin had to physically pry Steve away for work, nine times out of ten he'd be keeping Eddie company in this dingy old room either with a movie to watch together or his own personal stories to keep him entertained. He also made good on his promise about giving him tapes to listen to, Eddie had to begrudgingly let I'm Your Man replay over and over again on a spare walkman Steve lent him after he said he broke his last one as an excuse.
He was going to miss that dipshit being next to him. Especially in the quiet moments like when Eddie noticed Steve's intense focus on Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back, allowed himself to admire how cute he looked and burn every reaction to the movie into his brain (He's particularly fond of the one where Steve's eyes grew wide with shock as he turned to face him at the 'grand reveal', already spewed some sort of refusal to who Luke's father was). There were also times where Steve simply napped next to his side after a long day of work, Eddie waiting for Steve's breaths to even out before he leant over and stroked the top of his head, admiring how pretty he looked selfishly whilst it was only just them.
Looking at Nancy Wheeler after all of this, Eddie bitterly wished he was in her place. He had heard from Steve himself that she stayed together with Jonathan after all, bringing Steve into his warm embrace as he saw how bloodshot and teary-eyed he looked from the news. He couldn't understand it at all. He understood Nancy is entitled to whoever she wants to be with, he knows best about not wanting to force feelings for people, yet when he knew how Steve looked at her? How he stared at her like the sun shone right out of her ass?
(It doesn't help with the guilt of his heart cheering when he first heard the news, something he buried deep under the sand so he doesn't get any ideas).
"What will you do now?" Nancy asked curiously as Eddie grabbed his bag, raising an eyebrow at how he messily stuffed his belongings inside. "Most of us tend to hang around each other even without the world ending. Can't really leave the circle when you get roped inside, who else are you gonna talk about demons and other worldly theories with?"
"Cute way of saying you want me to stick around, Wheeler." Eddie appreciated the sentiment of sharing their trauma but he rather let it process in solitude with his now Vecna-Killer guitar that he missed so dearly. "I'll probably graduate and find a way to get the hell out of here fast. Too much of a reputation now, I can't be too popular to rain on King Steve's parade."
Nancy crossed her arms and leant against the door as he tried to escape. Ten points for trying to evade the group's marksman (or markswoman?). "Are you eager to leave or something? Steve and the kiddos would mope for weeks if he heard that."
"Mm hm, I'm sure Steve would get over it and find some other metal head to torture with his music taste," Eddie joked lightly as he stepped forward in an attempt for Nancy to break her form, she only dug her feet in the floor further as she put an arm out to fully block him out. "Okay Nancy, I'm going to need to go soon so move out of the way. Walking to the trailer park is going to take awhile too, y'know."
"Okay Eddie, I'll let you know that Steve is at the ground level waiting to drive you home himself as a surprise." Nancy felt intimidating despite the height difference between them, Eddie blinking as he craned his neck back to the window. He gingerly pushed some curtains back, a fond smile that reached his eyes formed as he found Steve Harrington by his car. "That's how I knew you were being discharged today. Steve had this grand scheme to take you out to the local diner to eat a proper lunch and hit the local records store afterwards so you could tell him what he needed to listen to. So yeah, I think he'd be upset for more than a few weeks."
Eddie felt short of breath from that revelation, the air tense between them as he looked down at Steve in the parking lot. "I… don't know, Nancy. I think it's just what he does for everyone, right? He's a literal homebody, he just wants me to feel okay after all that crap since it's my 'first time' and all."
Nancy bit her lip in hesitation but looked straight into Eddie's dejected eyes. "I don't think Steve would camp out in the hospital for anyone, Eddie. Hell, he didn't even come here the last three times he got beat up by monsters. Yet he offered to look after you even when everyone wanted to go through shifts. Everytime I peeked into your room, I always saw Steve holding tightly onto your hand. Staring at you with an expression I never saw him make before, like he was in utter agony while you were still asleep. He wouldn't go to those lengths for anyone else, even me, but he did it for you."
For me?
For me?
He didn't know what to think, sitting back down on his bed as he felt his face start to burn a bright red. Eddie didn't know about this, Steve never told him anything of the sort and just said he volunteered more often than the others to look after him. To think he'd been by his side the whole time, waiting for him to wake up and holding onto him like if it were a lifeline, Eddie knew what it could be but hoping was dangerous for someone like him. Hoping could ruin them for good.
Eddie Munson doesn't run from danger anymore.
"He's just outside right?" Eddie steadily muttered under his breath, shrugging a bag onto his shoulder as he maintained strong eye contact with Nancy Wheeler. The girl he was stupidly jealous of for years, she nodded firmly in place with a satisfied smirk on her face. "Thank you for telling me, Wheeler. I'll see you later."
His shoes squeaked across the clean floors of the hospital, his fists tightened at either side as he strided down the stairs as fast as he possibly could. Eddie had this fluttery feeling in his chest with every step he took closer to Steve Harrington, coupled by his nerves screaming to run and his heart yearning to get even closer to him. If there is a chance, if there is a chance, if there is a chance…
He didn't even realise he was out the doors until he finally came face to face with the object of his desires, a grin spread across Steve's face as he started to jog towards him and waved him down. "Hey Eds! Surprise, I'm gonna drive you home-"
Eddie didn't even give him the chance to speak anymore as he gripped onto Steve's wrist and dragged him along with only a small yelp in retaliation, the fear of backing down for when his senses finally reached his brain drove Eddie until he had Steve pinned in between his arms with his back against the wall all around the back area of the hospital. Private, alone, out of sight from everyone except him.
Steve still only looked concerned, worriedly checking over him for anything wrong. "Eddie, is everything okay? Did something happen before you lef-"
He got cut off as Eddie finally leaned in, capturing Steve's lips in a hungry kiss that had him keening in the back of his throat. Eddie was in absolute heaven, the intense smell of hair product, cheap vanilla cologne and dust that all made up Steve filled up all his thoughts as he moved his hands to grip properly at his waist. Steve's hands gingerly came up to squeeze onto Eddie's shoulders, reciprocating just as much as he pushed into the kiss harder.
Steve 'The Hair' Harrington still had moves, it seems. Eddie thought to himself, smiling into the kiss as Steve started to tug on his hair to pull him impossibly closer. He groaned in delight as he rode Steve higher up the wall, this man is going to be the absolute death of him as he squeezed his waist and felt a muffled moan leave his lips. Holy shit, why didn't I do this sooner?
He desperately wanted to keep going, nibbling and licking at Steve's lips that had him gasp into their mouths. But his lungs also craved air, Eddie breaking away regrettably as he tried to catch his breath. His forehead was leaning against Steve's own, the other still tightly grasped onto him like Eddie was going to disappear into thin air.
"Please…. Tell me this is real, Eds…"
Eddie found the look Nancy was talking about as he looked up at Steve Harrington now. It was nowhere near the same ones he gave to her. No, this was different. His eyes were focused solely on him, not like how a planet orbited the sun but rather how sea foam clung onto the sand as the waves crashed onto the shoreline. It was a yearning look filled with nothing more than adoration and the need to be closer, melded with him even for a few moments and he always comes back needier and begging for more.
This was how Steve Harrington looked at Eddie Munson.
And he couldn't have been more relieved in his life to finally see it.
"Darling, bring us home and I'll make sure you'll know it's real."