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Steve is standing outside the door of Eddie’s trailer, shifting from foot to foot nervously. He’s been standing here for almost a full minute now, and hasn’t made any move to knock on the door. He is meeting Eddie’s uncle tonight. God, that’s weird to think about.
He’s met girls’ parents before. He knows how to make a good impression, but this is different. This is Eddie. He’s never dated a man before, and he’s definitely never dated anyone like Eddie before. He also honestly can not remember being this in love before. Maybe with Nancy, but even that seems to pale in comparison to his relationship with Eddie.
He takes a deep breath, hoping to calm his nerves, before slowly raising his fist and rapping lightly on the door. The door almost immediately swings open, a very excited looking Eddie Munson standing in the doorway.
Steve feels almost all the tension leave his body at the sight of his boyfriend, as he smiles brightly down at him.
“Steve! Come in!” Eddie says excitedly, moving to the side to usher Steve in. Steve walks in after just a second’s hesitation, letting Eddie close the door behind them. Steve looks around, but thankfully doesn’t see Eddie’s uncle just yet.
“I uh, I got you flowers,” Steve says a little awkwardly, holding out the bouquet of brightly colored flowers he had gotten from the store earlier in the day. Eddie smiles even wider at this, moving one hand out to grab the flowers from Steve.
“You’re a dork, Steve Harrington,” Eddie teases, his bright smile lighting up his entire face. Steve just smiles back, leaning in and kissing him quickly while he has the chance.
“We should probably put them in water. I had them in a cup before I got here, but it’s been a little while.”
Eddie nods, moving over to the sink and grabbing a large glass on his way. He fills the glass with water, placing the flowers inside, before placing the glass on the counter.
“So, where’s your uncle?” Steve asks, looking around the seemingly empty trailer.
“Oh, he just ran to his room. Spilled a little beer on his shirt, so he’s changing super quick.”
Steve just nods along, still looking around the trailer. He’s been here plenty since he and Eddie started dating, but he’s never seen it this clean. Eddie must have cleaned, which means he’s either really excited or really nervous, or both.
“Did you clean?”
Eddie rubs the back of his neck, a small blush taking over his face. “Uh, yeah. I wanted everything to look nice when you came over.”
“I’ve been here before you know,” Steve teases lightheartedly.
“I know, but this is different. I wanted things to be perfect. I really want this to go well.” Eddie admits, looking down at the floor a little embarrassed.
Steve reaches out and takes his hands in his, dipping his own head so he is making eye contact with Eddie.
“Hey. It's gonna be great. People love me! I wasn’t the ‘king’ of Hawkins High for nothing!” Steve jokes with a laugh, making Eddie laugh too.
“Whatever Harrington,” Eddie says, while rolling his eyes, the bright smile from before back on his face. Steve leans in, and presses his lips to Eddie’s, both of them melting into the kiss. It’s soft and unhurried, both of them just resting their mouths together, content in each other’s presence.
“I’m coming into the room, so stop making out,” Wayne calls as he walks into the room with a slight scowl. They quickly jump apart, Eddie looking mildly amused while Steve’s face goes bright red from embarrassment. Steve quickly pulls himself together, clearing his throat and wiping his sweaty hands on his jeans, before walking over to Wayne and offering his hand.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Munson. Eddie has told me lots about you,” he says, as Wayne grabs his hand in a tight handshake. He looks Steve over with a scrutinizing gaze, as he suddenly feels more than a little self conscious about the outfit he chose.
It’s one of Eddie’s favorites on him, a pair of dark jeans and his bright yellow sweater. He always says how it brings out his eyes, whatever that means, but right now he can’t help but feel like it is overly bright compared to Wayne and Eddie’s look. He feels horribly out of place.
Wayne sees the nervous look on Steve’s face and can’t help but smile a little bit, laughing lightly. He wants to scare him just a little bit, to make sure he knows he won't hesitate to kill him if he hurts his nephew, but he promised Eddie to play nice.
“Call me Wayne kid. Mr. Munson makes me feel old.”
Steve just nods as they release their hands. He stands a little awkwardly, not really sure what to do now. He glances over his shoulder to Eddie, who catches the slightly desperate look on his face. Eddie leads him and his uncle over to the living room, sitting them all down.
Eddie and Steve take the couch sitting with their thighs touching, while Wayne takes the chair across the room. Steve feels so out of his element. Despite teasing Eddie that everything would be fine, he suddenly feels like this is his first time ever meeting someone’s parents. Or, uncle he supposes.
Eddie reaches over and takes Steve’s hand in his, helping to calm him significantly. He is a little worried about showing affection in front of Eddie’s uncle, but he supposes this can’t hurt. Steve starts playing with the rings on Eddie’s fingers, feeling himself calm even further at the familiar action.
Wayne can’t help but smile a little as he watches the interaction. The gentle familiarity the two seem to have with each other is enough to melt his old heart just a little. Eddie looks truly happy. So does Steve, and that’s enough for him.
“So, Steve, what do you do for a living?” Wayne asks, teasing slightly, a small smile still on his face. Steve laughs a little, looking over at Eddie with a smile before answering.
“I work at Family Video. It’s not a great gig, but it’s better than when I worked at Scoops Ahoy at the mall before it burned down.” Steve responds, grimacing slightly as he mentions Scoops. He really did hate that job.
“Oh, that’s where I disagree, baby. That outfit looked fantastic on you,” Eddie chimes in, smirking at his boyfriend. Steve’s face goes bright red, as he looks over to Eddie with wide eyes. He looks back over to Wayne, unsure how the other man will react to Eddie so openly flirting. Eddie had said Wayne is supportive, but he can’t help being a little unsure. Lots of people say they’re supportive until they actually see it, and then all of a sudden things change real quick.
“Really?” Wayne asks, smirking over at the nervous look on Steve’s face. Eddie lights up at his uncle’s teasing, smirk turning into a genuine smile.
“Really. He wore this little sailor outfit. It had the hat and everything. The shorts were incredible .”
Wayne laughs loudly and the sound startles Steve a little. It’s so bright and genuine and he can’t help but be reminded of Eddie’s laugh. He smiles at the thought, squeezing Eddie’s hand a little. Wayne’s laughter calms down but he still has a bright smile on his face, and Steve’s heart aches a little at the sight. He’s never seen either of his parents smile that genuinely and it makes his heart clench just a little.
“I’m gonna go grab a beer, you boys want one?” Wayne says, getting up and walking over to the kitchen.
“Yes please!” Eddie yells, despite his uncle only being a few feet away. Wayne nods at them before walking over to the fridge. Eddie turns his attention to Steve, leaning in a little closer so he can talk to him quietly.
“You doing okay?” He asks, squeezing his hands. Steve smiles brightly at Eddie’s concern. He’s not used to other people checking in on him. He’s not used to being so cared for. He feels a few tears in his eyes, overwhelmed with the sudden wave of love he feels for the boy in front of him. He untangles one of his hands from Eddie’s, bringing it up to his cheek, stroking the skin lightly with his thumb.
“Yeah, I’m great, baby,” he replies honestly. He may be a little overwhelmed, but as long as Eddie keeps looking at him like that, he’ll be just fine. Eddie smiles, nodding his head, before leaning it up against Steve’s. They just sit like that for a moment, basking in each other’s warmth.
Wayne takes longer in the kitchen than strictly necessary, giving the boys a minute to be with each other without him there. When he walks back over he sees them leaning their foreheads together, Steve’s hand resting on Eddie’s cheek. He has never seen his nephew look so care free with someone before and the sight makes his chest fill with warmth.
The love he feels for his nephew is overwhelming sometimes. He loves his boy more than anything, and would do anything to ensure his happiness. He still doesn’t know Steve Harrington very well, but from their short interactions he doesn’t doubt he would do the same for Eddie.
He comes back into the living room, making a little more noise than he normally would to alert the boys. They jump apart, clearly a little startled. He leans down and hands a beer to each of them, both of them taking it gratefully. He walks back over to his chair, sitting down as he takes a sip of his own beer.
“So, how did you two meet?” Wayne asks, just to kill the slightly tense silence that had fallen over the three of them upon his arrival to the living room. Eddie tenses a little where he’s sitting, while Steve absolutely lights up.
“Eddie hasn’t told you?” He asks, with a slightly manic grin. Wayne shakes his head, as Eddie groans where he is sitting.
“No one wants to hear this story,” he says grumpily, taking a sip of his beer before crossing his arms across his chest. Steve is still smiling, but it’s gentler now as he turns towards Eddie. He takes his hands back in his, pulling his arms away from his chest to hold the hand not holding beer.
“Hey, I don’t have to tell him if you really don’t want me to,” Steve whispers to Eddie, quiet enough Wayne just barely catches it from where he’s sitting a few feet away. Eddie seems to think it over for a minute before shaking his head, a small smile appearing on his face.
“Nah, you can tell him. I’m just being dramatic,” Eddie says, leaning in and placing a kiss on Steve’s cheek. Steve’s smile widens at the motion, as he squeezes Eddie’s hand comfortingly. He turns back to Wayne who has been watching the soft interaction with a small smile of his own.
“Well, Eddie here shoved me against a wall and held a broken beer bottle to my neck the first time we met,” Steve says, smiling proudly. Wayne barks out a laugh, startled by the sentence. Of all the things he expected Steve to say, that was not one of them.
“In my defense, I thought you were there to kill me,” Eddie pipes up from next to him, scowling a little bit. Steve turns to him and smiles, before turning back to Wayne and continuing the story.
“It was when he was on the run, after everything,” Steve starts, sobering a little, but still smiling, “Henderson had elected my help to find him, insisting that he was innocent and in danger. I only knew Eddie tangentially at that point, but I trust Dustin with my life so I went with him. We found out where he was hiding so we went to see him.
We couldn’t find him at first, and we were about to give up when he sprung up from his hiding place, shoving me against a wall with the broken beer bottle to my neck. Man, I thought I was gonna die. I was so scared, but I could tell Eddie was even more scared. I also couldn’t help but notice how beautiful he was, even with broken glass pressed to my jugular,” Steve finishes, smiling at Eddie beside him.
Eddie is a little teary eyed as Steve tells the story. Steve loves to tease him for their first meeting, but this is one of the first times he’s heard Steve tell the story in its entirety. It’s a little overwhelming hearing his boyfriend so casually mention how he thought he was beautiful upon their first meeting.
They had met at such a horrible time in Eddie’s life, and he could not be more grateful they did. He doesn’t know what he would have done without Steve. Honestly, he thinks he probably would have been killed if it wasn’t for him. He squeezes Steve’s hand, blinking back tears as he smiles back at him.
“Damn kid. That’s one hell of a way to meet,” Wayne says, shaking his head as he laughs a little. Steve and Eddie can’t help but laugh as well.
“Yeah, feels pretty fitting though, all things considered,” Eddie says, smiling warmly at Steve before turning his gaze to his uncle.
“I suppose so,” Wayne says, laughing a little more before sobering a little, a more serious look crossing his face. “I’m glad it was you who found him and not someone else. This world is a cruel place.” He says, addressing Steve.
“I’m glad it was me too. Don’t know what I would do with myself if I didn’t have Eddie in my life,” Steve says, nodding a little as he smiles. It’s true. He really doesn’t know what he’d do without Eddie. He went most of his life not knowing the other man, but now that he does he honestly doesn’t know how he survived beforehand. Loving and being loved by Eddie Munson is the greatest privilege in his life, and he has no idea how he lived before he knew what it was like.
“I’ll cheers to that,” Wayne says, holding out his beer bottle to Steve. “I don’t know what I would do without Eddie in my life either.” Steve smiles, clinking his bottle with Wayne’s before taking a sip, Wayne doing the same.
“Okay, okay, can we talk about something else now?” Eddie pipes up from his seat. His face is bright red, and there are some tears in his eyes. Steve squeezes his hand again, nodding his head. The three of them lapse into easy conversation after that, the night going by quickly. Before they know it Wayne is looking down at his watch, eyes widening a little at the time.
“Shit, I should get to bed, I have an early shift tomorrow,” Wayne says, standing up to put his empty beer in the sink. He walks back over to the living room, Steve and Eddie standing in front of the couch.
“It was a pleasure to meet you, sir.” Steve says, holding out his hand for a handshake. Wayne smiles, shaking his head as he pulls him into a tight hug. It takes a moment for Steve to respond, but once he does he is hugging back just as tightly. He practically melts into the embrace, and Wayne thinks this boy needs to be hugged more.
“It’s just Wayne, kid.” He says, pulling away. Steve nods his head, smiling a little shyly. “Stay as long as you like. I’m gonna head to bed, so just don’t make too much noise if you do anything, yeah?” He says, smirking a little.
Steve’s face goes bright red as Eddie cackles beside him. Wayne pulls his nephew into a hug, Eddie hugging back.
“Night, Wayne.” He mumbles into his shoulder where his head rests. Wayne pulls away, ruffling his nephew’s hair before stepping towards his bedroom.
“Night, kid. Love you.”
“Love you too.”
Wayne walks into his bedroom, closing the door behind him as Steve watches the interaction with slightly wide eyes. He turns to Eddie once Wayne is out of sight, a questioning look on his face.
“You and your uncle tell each other you love each other before bed?” He asks, sounding genuinely confused, and maybe a little awed. Eddie furrows his brows as he looks at him, confused as well.
“Yeah? Doesn’t everyone do that with their parents and shit?” He asks, looking Steve’s face over. Steve laughs a little, shaking his head ruefully.
“Nah man. I honestly can’t even remember the last time either of my parents told me they loved me.” Steve says. He’s smiling but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. Eddie brings his hands up to Steve’s face, holding his cheeks between his palms.
“Well then I’ll just have to make up for it by telling you I love you every chance I get,” Eddie says with finality, leaning in and kissing Steve on the mouth. Steve sighs into the kiss, bringing his own hands up to Eddie’s waist.
“I. Love. You.” Eddie says, breaking up each word with a kiss to Steve’s mouth. He pulls away from his lips, peppering light kisses to every inch of Steve’s face he can reach, whispering he loves him between each kiss.
Steve’s face is bright red, but he thinks he’s never been happier as he giggles while Eddie continues kissing his face. He leans away from his mouth, before moving so he can pull him into a deep kiss. He tries to pour every ounce of love and affection he has for Eddie into the kiss, hoping desperately it’s working.
When they finally pull away they are both breathless, leaning their foreheads together. Eddie lets out a breathless laugh, and the sound is music to his ears. He leans in and places another lingering kiss to Eddie’s mouth, before pulling away again.
“I love you too,” Steve whispers into the space between them. It comes out a little choked, but Eddie thinks it’s the most beautiful sound in the world. Steve Harrington telling him he loves him will never not be surreal.
“Come on, let’s get to bed, it’s late,” Eddie says, pulling away. He moves to walk past Steve towards his bedroom, slapping his ass playfully as he does. Steve yelps at the slap, face going bright red as he stands there dumbly for a moment. Eddie walks the short distance to his doorway, turning back when he realizes Steve hasn’t followed him yet.
“You coming, big boy?” He teases, snapping Steve to attention. He nods his head, rushing over to where Eddie is as fast as he can.
As the two of them lay in Eddie’s bed that night, Steve in one of Eddie’s shirts, he can’t help but think this is the happiest he’s ever been. Who would have thought? Steve Harrington and Eddie Munson. Certainly not him, but he’s not complaining in the slightest.
“I love you,” Steve whispers, resting his head on Eddie’s chest as the other man holds him in his arms. Eddie smiles, leaning down and placing a kiss to the top of his head.
“I love you too.”