Chapter Text
Steve’s pacing around as he painfully watches the clock , it’s getting really damn close to the kids’ curfew , and if he gets them back past curfew again , he might not get to drive them around anymore . That sounds like … not such a bad thing , but these kids need him and he knows that . It would be nice to not have to worry about a bunch of kids though … no he can’t let them get in trouble because of him , especially like this .
“ Hey , Eddie , real sorry , but we gotta wrap this up for tonight , they all have to be home soon . “ , Steve iconically puts his hands on his hips like the responsible mom he is .
Eddie dramatically throws his hands up , “ Since when did you care about their curfew ? “
“ Since their parents all yelled at me after lasts time , with your horribly long nerd session that I had to twiddle my thumbs through , which , by the way , I could be doing so many better things and people during that - “ , the kids all groan and whine in disgust while Eddie pretends to be disgusted , but ends up laughing a little , “ so , you should all be very grateful for me . “
“ HARRINGTON - first of all , that’s REVOLTING , second of all , we all know that’s not true , so you should probably just hush . “ , Dustin’s right , it’s not true at all .
“ Yeah , Harrington , thinking about anyone ever touching you that way is - “ , Eddie dramatically shudders , “ but apparently someone did - “
Steve shoots him a half confused half disgusted face , “ What’s that supposed to mean ? “
“ Well I mean … with the way you’re acting , it seems like you’ve got a HUGE stick up your ass , Steve - o . “ , the kids all laugh as Steve just gets more offended .
“ Hey - I’m not - I DON’T HAVE A STICK UP MY ASS - I just wanna keep these kids out of trouble … and also keep my STICKLESS ass out of trouble with these said kids parents … “
“ Yeah , whatever , but hey , if you ever want some help loosening up so you stop being so damn tense , I give a great back massage . “ , he says sarcastically , keeping the kids laughing .
“ You know what , asswipe , I think I’ll take you up on that offer AFTER I drop these kids off , hm ? “ , the way Steve responds actually surprises Eddie , but he’s more pleasantly surprised than anything .
“ Alright , Harrington - well … I guess we have to wrap it up for the night for you little babies . Go on , get home , my bitching campaign will be here tomorrow . “
The kids all groan as they clean up and gather their things , as they do that Steve stands at the door with a hand on his hip , staring at Eddie , why the hell would I agree to that ? This is gonna be so weird … maybe once I get back , Eddie will back down from it and I’ll just head home or something . Yeah . “ Come on come on , it’s even CLOSER to the time I promised to have you back by . “
Steve opens the door and lets the kids all head out to his car , “ See ya soon , Stevie ! “ , he gives Steve an over exaggerated wave goodbye before flopping onto his couch ass first . Steve loudly sighs as he heads out to his car .
The kids all get dropped off on time , their parents all pleased with Steve for once , so he’s free to … go get his massage … the ride back to Eddie’s is fueled by Steve’s “ best songs ever written *not up for debate “ playlist , he needs his confidence to be at its peak for this one on one sesh with Eddie … why’s he so nervous anyways ? Eddie is a big goof , he probably won't even give Steve a massage , as if Steve hasn’t been in plenty of situations like this , but usually he’s not the one receiving , and it’s always with a chick … but that makes this all sound like him and Eddie are going to … oh get your mind out of the gutter , anyways , before Steve knows it , he’s back at Eddie’s .
Shit , well , here goes nothing . Literally , this means nothing to Steve Harrington … right ? It’s not like his palms are sweaty just thinking about Eddie’s nice strong hands on Steve’s tense back , and it’s not like he’s shaky just from the thought of how close he’s going to have to be to Eddie with his doughy sparkling eyes staring into his soul and his surprisingly nice smell ( of lavender and vanilla , Steve believes ) or -
Shit , he’s been standing at Eddie’s door for way too long … when did he leave his car ? … guess it’s time to knock .
Eddie must’ve been anticipating Steve … or maybe it’s just that his place isn’t that big … but anyways , Eddie looks more than thrilled to see him .
“ HEY ! You’re finally back Harrington ! Come in come in , and take your shoes off , shoes inside the house is weird , we shall get down to business immediately … unless you wanna have a little something to drink first , you know , calm your nerves a little before I work my magic ? “ , Eddie makes sure to usher Steve in before wiggling his fingers as he talks about drinks and magic , getting a predicted sigh and eye roll from Steve .
“ Yeah , sure , a drink - what do you have ? “ , he makes himself right at home like Eddie asks of him and takes his shoes off .
“ Hmm … “ , he does a comedic thinking pose , “ beer … yeah that’s it right now . “
He squints his eyes at the other before thoughtfully smacking his lips once before his dry remark , “ Beer it is . “
“ Ah , perfect . “ , Eddie grabs two beers from the fridge , cracks them open , and walks over to sit on the couch , handing Steve his beer on the way there , “ come , sit , get comfy Steve - o . “
With no haste , Steve makes his way over to the couch , “ Don’t call me that . “
“ What , Steve -o ? I hear the kids call you that though ? “
He takes a sip of his beer before responding , “ Ah , well , thing is , they don’t respect me or listen to me unless it has something to do with getting a ride somewhere or something nerdy like - like your guys’s nerd game . “
“ Well , if it makes you feel better Steve , I don’t ever respect or listen to you . “ , he flashes Steve a “ sincere “ grin , receiving a frown from Steve .
“ … great , thanks Munson . “ , Steve tenses up as Eddie relaxes on the couch , which Eddie picks up on .
“ See , that’s why you’re here , cmon , we're getting started , turn that way and keep sipping on your beer while IIIIIII - “ , Eddie practically leaps up to go put some music on , setting his beer on the table beside them , “ get some tunes on - hey , you like Metallica and Black Sabbath , right ? “ , he teasingly grins at Steve .
“ You know I don’t . “
“ Hah , I do , see it’s this thing called a joke , you could play along if you wanted to be any fun … but uh … what music doooo you like ? I might just have a tape for them … “
“ Great , thanks for the comedy tips … uh … I don’t know … I like ABBA … Tears for Fears … Journey … Queen … The Police … what - what ?? “ , Eddie decides to groan or fake hurl after every artist Steve lists , like the good friend he is .
“ I asked what music you like - that’s barely music … but I’ll see what I have - if I don’t find anything , I’m picking what we listen to … “ , he rummages through his plethora of tapes and finally finds a tape labeled “ Voulez - Vous “ by ABBA , “ … you’re lucky I’m a hoarder … “ , Steve laughs as Eddie defeatedly puts in the tape and If It Wasn’t For The Nights starts playing semi softly in the background .
“ Guess I am , this is one of my favorite albums by them , so I’m very happy . “ , he takes a sip of his beer as Eddie sits to the left of him .
“ I mean … it’s alright … hey I said turn that way , I wanna get this started . “ , Eddie points to the right , and Steve turns that way , having one leg off the couch and the other folded slightly in front of him and slightly under him . Eddie grabs his beer to take a long sip before he puts it back and turns to face Steve’s back , scooting himself close behind Steve , his one leg hanging off the couch like Steve’s and the other bent up on the couch , “ Are you ready to have your life forever changed by Eddie Munson ? “
Dear god does that have an effect on Steve , thank heavens Eddie can’t see his face turning red , why the hell does that even have an effect on him ? “ Yep - work your magic , Munson . “
Eddie smiles before starting with Steve’s shoulders , all those years of playing guitar must have given him strong hands because , so far , this is actually feeling great . Steve instantly relaxes under Eddie’s touch surprisingly .
“ Hah … see ? I told you … great massages … “
“ Don’t toot your own horn yet , it’s just begun … “ , Steve instinctively plays with his hair , unintentionally messing it up , “ don’t get too ahead of yourself … “
Eddie notices Steve’s hair , which is messed up … sorry , need to stress this again , Steve “ the hair “ Harrington’s hair is all messed up … oh of course Eddie has to point this out to him , “ What a sight to see … “
“ Hm ? “
“ Oh nothing … just … your hair is a little messed up … “ , Eddie lets out a soft exhale of a laugh . Steve slightly turns his torso and head towards Eddie so he can look at his face .
“ Is it actually or are you fucking with me - “
“ For once , I’m not - here , let me fix it for you , pretty boy - “ , Steve’s face quickly snaps to a confused and slightly disgusted one as Eddie starts trying to fix the other’s hair .
“ Pretty boy ? “
“ Mhm , you are a boy , presumably , and you are pretty … ? “ , he gets his hair pretty much fixed for the other as Steve’s confusion and disgust turns to confusion and … being flustered ?
“ You really think I’m pretty ? “
Eddie flashes Steve an unamused face , “ No , I’ve just said you’re pretty twice and didn’t mean … yes , Steve , you’re pretty . “
Steve’s been praised for his looks plenty of times but … pretty ? That’s new … girls are pretty , in how their hair curls and shines and bounces when they talk or move , how their doughy eyes sparkle when they look at Steve , how their voices sound , how they smell like flowers and … vanilla … hm … “ Well - I mean , you’re pretty too , Eddie - “
“ Oh stop trying to flatter me Harrington , you know , just for that , I’m messing your hair up again - “ , and without a moment wasted , Eddie is playfully messing Steve’s hair up , causing a laugh out of both of them .
“ Hey - “ , Steve manages to get out between lighthearted laughs , “ I’m being serious - “
Eddie looks at Steve , genuinely confused , “ … you’re not just fucking around ? “
Steve turns more towards Eddie to shoot him a sincere head shake , “ Nope … I mean - you’re very attractive , at least I think so … “ , any expression left on Eddie’s face fades as they stare at each other for a moment , each other’s eyes never holding this much depth to each other . They both have lost track of the time , and what song is playing , and since it’s completely silent between them , they both perfectly hear the first few seconds of “ Kisses of Fire “ , causing Eddie’s eyes to widen and for him to dramatically groan .
“ God I hate this song - ah ha ha - “ , he mocks the opening vocals , which causes Steve to laugh .
“ How did you replicate it perfectly - ?? “
“ … ok maybe I like some - SOME - ABBA songs … and while I do whatever … I’ll have them on in the background . “
Steve dramatically drops his jaw , “ YOU , Eddie Munson , like ABBA ? Did you really just say that , or have I had too much to drink ? “
“ God why did I even tell you - I specifically said SOME - it’s my guilty pleasure I guess - how are you supposed to listen to ABBA and NOT feel amazing ? And you definitely haven’t had too much to drink … buuut it is getting kinda late , you wanna just stay the night ? I’d feel awful sending out my guest in these conditions . “
Steve thinks for a moment , looking away from Eddie to look out the window , it‘s just dark out and Eddie’s being dramatic for whatever reason , before meeting his gaze again , “ Sure - where am I gonna sleep ? “
“ My bed , it’ll fit both of us . “
Steve shoots Eddie a look before finishing the rest of his beer and getting up , “ Fine , but you better not snore , I’ve gotta get up for work in the morning . “
“ Don’t worry , I don’t snore - “ , he finishes his own beer before grabbing Steve’s empty bottle and throwing it in the trash , then turning off the music and heading to his room , “ C’mon Stevie . “
They get into Eddie’s room and it’s just as Eddie as it could get , he quickly tidies up his bed a little and picks up a pillow off the ground and neatly places it on the bed . Steve is silently exploring the room with his eyes while Eddie grabs some clothes for the both of them . Steve sees Eddie searching through clothes and he takes his shirt off and … just stands there … shit … he doesn’t have any clothes to change into …
Eddie turns around to a shirtless Steve and dramatically covers his eyes , as if the sight of him makes his eyes burn , exclaiming , “ AHH - MY EYES - warn a man next time you decide to STRIP - “
“ Jesus - you act like this isn’t a sight to see - “ , Steve motions to his body , as he is quite proud of it .
“ I mean , it is a sight … technically … I just wasn’t expecting naked Steve Harrington to be standing there - CLOTHE YOURSELF , YOU DEVIL - “ , Eddie dramatically says as he tosses Steve a worn out “ Black Sabbath “ t - shirt and some loose fitting shorts , grabbing practically the same thing for himself .
Steve looks over the shorts , “ … you own shorts ? “
“ Yes , asswipe , I own shorts - ? You’re literally holding physical proof of it . Did you think I just slept in skinny jeans ? “ , Eddie shoots Steve the most “ done “ look .
“ No ! No - it’s just that I’ve never seen you in anything that resembles shorts - my bad - “ , he throws on the t - shirt and looks over the design , “ Hey - Black Sabbath - that’s uh - the one with … Ozzy Osborn , right - ? “
Just as soon as Steve lost all of Eddie’s respect , he gained it right back , “ You remembered - ?? I’m actually impressed . “
“ Well I think you’ve only talked about it 700 times - “
“ Whatever , you didn’t remember the first 699 times , so I’m allowed to be impressed - turn around , I’m gonna change - I’m not a WHORE like you . “ , Steve promptly does as he’s told and begins to change into his shorts - well , Eddie’s shorts - whatever . For some reason , he keeps getting the urge to turn around , to peek - he knows it’s wrong , and he’s not gonna do it , but damn does he find himself wanting to … but why ? I mean , he’s seen guys shirtless before and whatever … but never Eddie … why does he need to see him - ?
They both get changed and Steve can turn around without feeling morally wrong , and his eyes go straight to Eddie’s legs , “ Wow , they really do exist … “ , that comment gets him a shove from Eddie as he hops into bed .
“ You’re an asshole , Harrington - “ , he laughs to show he’s not being serious , as if he’s serious most of the time .
“ Hey , I’m more than just an asshole , I’ve got arms , legs , a torso , some great hair , a - “ , Eddie cuts him off before Steve can continue bragging about himself .
“ OK I GET IT - you’re a narcissist - now get into bed and get some sleep before I come bother you at your job . “ , Steve complies , getting into bed next to Eddie .
“ Hey - uh - you have an alarm clock - “
“ Oh - yeah , right next to you - “ , Steve quickly grabs it and set an alarm for tomorrow , then getting comfortable in bed .
“ I’m gonna let you know now , I’m a heavy sleeper , so I might just sleep through this , so if it wakes you - wake me . “
“ Oh trust me Harrington , I’m a heavy sleeper too , that thing will wake up anyone , even the dead … goodnight ! “
“ Goodnight … weirdo … “
“ I heard that , and let me just say that you calling me mean things like that only turns me on , so - “ , that comment from Eddie gets a groan and a gag from Steve .
“ Never say that again - bleugh - “
Steve falls asleep right away , but Eddie has some trouble , his mind is stuck on … a few things … that have happened throughout the day , he just keeps replaying things and thinking about what all they mean … he’s gonna have to go talk to Robin about said few things … and either he’s been up longer than he’s realized or Steve really is just already out of it , but Steve shifts a little … then turns towards Eddie … then cuddles into Eddie’s side .
Steve is going to kill Eddie without even trying . Jesus , the way the moonlight falls onto his face and hair , the way he’s so peacefully sleeping , the way he just CUDDLED into Eddie’s side - ?? Yeah … he definitely needs to speak to Robin … even though she’s going to bully the shit out of Eddie for getting so flustered over this , but how couldn’t he ? Big , tough , pompous Steve Harrington is cuddled into him - looking so damn cozy and … docile … its a new side to him …
Somehow , Steve being cuddled close to him makes it easier for Eddie to fall asleep , as he’s out after he’s finished freaking out . Having Steve this close gives him this … safe feeling , a feeling he hasn’t really felt in a while … but he knows Steve isn’t doing this on purpose , and that this is never going to happen again . How would Steve even react to Eddie being gay ? Not that Steve isn’t a cool dude but … it’s scary … and things usually don’t work out in Eddie’s favor …
It’s a problem for the morning , which for Steve , always rolls around too early for him . He woke up before his alarm surprisingly , but it’s because something shifted around him … shifted around him ? He takes in his surroundings and realizes he’s all cuddled into Eddie Munson , AND has Eddie Munson’s arm wrapped around him … did I really get that drunk ? I - I don’t think I did - I remember last night pretty clearly , only had one drink , and Eddie wouldn’t fuck with it … did I fucking cuddle up to him ? God this is embarrassing - lets just hope he didn’t realize - oh he did notice , but poor Steve doesn’t realize this - but … this is pretty comfortable … I guess I could stay like this for a little while longer … there’s no harm … WHY DO I LIKE THIS - ?? Maybe it’s just been so long since I’ve been intimately touched … but also Eddie’s a dude - and I’m a dude … and he smells nice … fuck stop thinking about how nice this is - this is weird - thank god he’s asleep and doesn’t realize any of th -
BEEP BEEP , the alarm goes off , which promptly startles Steve and wakes Eddie , who is extremely groggy , “ Mmh - mornin’ - “ , Eddie definitely isn’t fully aware of what’s going on , but he knows he’s comfortable .
Steve though , oh he’s wide awake , so he springs up out of Eddie’s warm … comforting … sweet embrace - shit stop thinking about it like that - “ Morning - uh - I’ve got to get going - y’know - work and everything - haha - “ , he awkwardly laughs as he practically jumps out of bed to go put his shoes on .
A groggy Eddie slowly sits up , slightly remembering what happened last night , realizing that they might have slept the whole night like that , meaning Steve woke up like that … shit - Eddie gets out of bed to at least see Steve out , “ Hey - uh - you want some breakfast or - “ , he yawns , “ - coffee before you leave or something ? I feel like I should offer because - “ , another yawn , “ - you’re still my guest and all - “
“ You know - I’d love to take you up on that offer another time - I just really have to get going - I still need to shower and - and throw on that uniform and - yeah - uh - thanks for letting me stay the night - see ya - “ , Steve quickly grabs his keys and leaves , leaving the trailer silent …
Shit .
He freaked him out , he didn’t even mean to . Eddie lets out a long sigh as he tries to wake up some more , heading back to his bedroom to fix his bed up , seeing Steve’s clothes on the ground , right where he left them last night … great … well , he already had to go talk to Robin , so it’s not like Family Video was out of his way for today’s plans … what if Steve just wants nothing to do with me now ? He must think I’m some weirdo trying to push myself onto him while he’s asleep … even though it was quite the opposite …
On Steve’s drive back to his place , all he can think about is how he was engulfed by Eddie’s smell and how he hadn’t felt that nice in a long time … and how badly he needed to talk to Robin . He hasn’t even realized he’s still in Eddie’s pajamas and , in fact , doesn’t have his clothes .
He gets home quickly enough , goes to get cleaned up and … oh god , these are Eddie’s clothes - I totally forgot … guess I’ll get them back to him at some point … I should probably wash them for him though , that’s polite right ? Whatever - he tosses the clothes in the wash , gets cleaned up , quickly does his hair ( and does it perfectly as usual ) , makes himself some toast , and checks himself out in the mirror one more time before heading out to pick up Robin .