Chapter Text
It was the end of July and the Indiana sun was not kind to Hawkins. Even at 7am, the temperature could cook an egg on the sidewalk.
Steve was driving to the UHAUL store so Nancy and Robin could reserve a truck or a trailer for their big move. Eddie was sitting behind Steve, his jean vest draped over his right knee. Robin was sitting next to him and Nancy was riding shotgun. Nancy had her colorful laundry list of the things she and Robin had to do before they set out across the country for college. Robin was looking through an art magazine, pressing dog ears on random pages for a closer look later. Eddie heard Steve ask Robin if she had gotten any packing done. She blew a purple bubble with her gum. When it popped, she looked up at Steve and stuck her tongue out.
Robin had barely made a dent whereas Nancy was basically finished, aside from toiletries and her summer clothes. “Fuck you, Steve, you know I have undiagnosed ADHD.” Robin closed her magazine and dropped it on the floor board. She leaned up between the front two seats, resting her elbows on the seats. “Maaaaybe, my beautiful, talented, smart, wonderful girlfriend can help me? Did I mention beautiful?” She angled her head towards the older Wheeler and Eddie could hear a loud smooch.
Steve jumped slightly. “Seat belt! Seat belt, Robin!” He tried shoving her backwards, but Robin stayed put. Nancy was laughing and turned her face to give Robin a kiss on her lips. Not quite satisfied with all the chaos she was causing, Robin turned to Steve and blew him a raspberry on his cheek.
“Robin!” Steve yelled. The car swerved a bit. One of Steve’s hands was flailing behind his head. Robin collapsed back in her seat before Steve could squish her face. The girls were giggling at Steve who was huffing and acting annoyed (he was just putting on a show, Eddie knew he wasn’t actually pissed about it), and Eddie was just admiring them all with a stupid grin on his face.
Steve ran a hand through his hair and then reached over his left shoulder, behind his seat for Eddie. “You there, Munson?” He sat up straighter to look back at Eddie through the rear-view mirror.
Eddie reached up and held Steve’s hand. He took a deep breath, happy. “Yeah, I’m here,” Eddie chuckled and placed a kiss on Steve’s knuckles. He squeezed his hand and Steve pulled it back to the steering wheel. “I am just thinking. Maybe we need to hire the kids to come pack up Rob’s room since she has communicated to us she is struggling.” He dipped his head just in time to miss a hand from Robin.
Steve pulled into a parking spot at the UHAUL.
They all climbed out of Steve’s BMW 733i. The girls went ahead and walked inside the office, their hands interlocked.
Steve was making sure he had his phone, keys, and wallet in his pockets when two tattooed forearms wrapped around his middle from behind. He felt Eddie’s chin hook over his right shoulder. “Hi,” Steve pushed his aviators onto his head and walked them backwards so he could shut his door and lock the car. He held onto Eddie’s forearms as he made his way towards the office.
“Hi sweetheart,” Eddie kissed the crook of his neck, inhaling his scent for a moment before placing another kiss there.
Steve squeezed Eddie’s arms and stopped before walking up the three steps to the door. “What’s gotten into you?”
Eddie nipped at his neck, grinning to himself at Steve’s hitched breath, and then let go of Steve’s waist to slide his hands in his back pockets. “You need to cover up your fucking arms when you pull into a tight parking spot like that. And with one hand? And those forearms? Fucking obscene.” Eddie teased and squeezed his ass.
Eddie smirked as he walked around Steve, who was currently short-circuiting from Handsy Eddie. He opened the door and clapped at him to get his attention. “Stevie, come on.” He beckoned sweetly.
Steve snapped out of it and fixed Eddie with a stare that went straight to his dick. He couldn’t wait to be alone with Steve later. It was Eddie’s favorite pastime lately, or well, since meeting Steve, to find and push all of Steve’s buttons that made him blush like that. Eddie thought about giving Steve’s ass another slap when he walked through the door, but decided against it.
Robin went to sit in one of the boring office chairs they had in the lobby. She pulled her rolled up magazine out of her back pocket and folded one leg underneath her while draping the other over the armrest.
Steve and Nancy stood at the counter, waiting for the clerk to get off the phone. Eddie saw a shine to the back of Steve’s neck and his temples. It was probably from the summer heat outside, but Eddie liked to think he caused some of it. Unable to keep his hands to himself, Eddie reached out and hooked his index fingers through the loops of his blue jeans, leaning forward to lick a stripe up the middle of Steve’s neck.
Steve jumped slightly and turned around. “No, go sit,” He pointed to where Robin was. “Go over there and sit on your hands since you can’t keep them to yourself.”
Eddie grinned. “Okay, Mr. Oh-So-Serious.” He let go and winked at Nancy who was smiling behind her hand. Nancy winked back.
Eddie sat next to Robin. There was a small coffee table in front of them with various AARP magazines splayed out. It was evident they hadn’t been moved in a while due to the thin layer of dust on the covers. Giving up on the magazines, Eddie slumped back into the chair.
The clerk finished his phone call and was talking with Steve and Nancy about their selection of vans, trailers, and trucks and pricing. Nancy was pulling out her notebook and the guy was showing Steve something on his computer screen. Nancy pushed up on her tiptoes to view the screen as well.
Eddie noticed Robin was staring at her girlfriend rather intensely. Or rather, staring at her girlfriend’s ass intensely. Eddie decided to look at Steve’s ass and nod to no one in particular. “We got some sweet ass, Buckley.” Eddie whispered and held out a fist bump.
Robin rolled her eyes and side eyed his fist with a judgy look. She bumped her own against it anyway. “Yeah, we do.”
“Listen, I can come over tomorrow and help you pack. My shift at the cafe doesn’t start till 4, so,” Eddie shrugged.
“Thanks,” Robin pushed some hair behind her left ear. “That would be great.” She knew any of them would come and help her if she had asked. She just wished she could have made more progress by now. She was sure it had a lot to do with the leaving. She was excited to start the new adventure with Nancy. No doubt about that. But she was also sad to leave behind Steve and Eddie. Although she would never admit out loud, she will miss the munchkins a lot, too.
“Do you still have gum?” Eddie asked after Robin blew another bubble. He needed something to do because he was starting to feel like he was losing his goddamn mind. He wanted to be close to Steve. Maybe some harmless oral fixation with grape bubble gum would help for now.
Robin pulled her gum out of her purse and pulled out a piece for him. “Thanks,” He said and opened the wrapper and immediately put it in his mouth. When he turned back to the desk he saw Steve looking at him. His body was twisted slightly and his chin rested on his hand. Nancy was busy with writing something on her list and the clerk had gone to the back for something. Robin had gone back to reading her magazine.
Eddie held Steve’s stare. Eddie’s entire body buzzed at it. He loved moments like these where the world was clearly around them, but they weren’t concerned with it. Just staring at each other. He couldn’t confirm from this distance, but he would bet Steve’s pupils were blown just as he knew his own were. Because Eddie was feeling the moment, he decided to make a show of dragging his eyes down Steve’s body. His skin was a lot tanner now that it was summer and Eddie knew for a fact that his chest had zero tan lines because Steve liked to play basketball shirtless at the park or at Lucas’ house. Eddie slowed his gaze at the line of Steve’s back. The jeans Steve was wearing did nothing to hide his nice ass and thigh muscles.
Eddie had to look back at Steve’s face before he really turned himself on and this got embarrassing. He had to bite down the smirk threatening to show how Steve’s jaw was basically on the floor. Eddie settled on puckering his lips at him with a wink.
Steve glared at him again, but he also licked his lips. But, before he could do anything else, the clerk was back and he had to turn back around.
“You two are so gross. It literally makes me want to vomit.” Robin said beside him.
“I’m rubber, you’re glue. Whatever you say bounces off me onto you.” Eddie mocked. He unfolded the gum wrapper and placed it on the table. He got an idea and pulled out the black sharpie he had in his pocket.
Robin peeked over her magazine to check out what Eddie was doing. She couldn’t see what Eddie was writing, but she knew he was always writing Steve sonnets and drawing semi-lewd, semi-lovesick pictures on post-it notes or the back of gas station receipts.
Ten minutes later, Nancy had signed all the forms needed and they were piling back into Steve’s car. On the drive back, Nancy and Eddie switched seats.
Robin sat in the middle seat with her arm wrapped around Nancy’s arm, her head on Nancy’s shoulder, while Nancy checked off various things on her list. Nancy finished up with her notebook and slid it into her tote bag at her feet. Robin immediately lifted her legs to go over Nancy’s lap and her arms slid around her waist. “I love you,” She whispered in Nancy’s ear.
“Love you,” Nancy kissed Robin’s nose.
Up front, Steve’s hand was holding on to Eddie’s upper thigh as he drove. Eddie’s arm was draped across the middle to scratch the nape of Steve’s neck. When Eddie lightly pulled at his hair, Steve’s hand slid further north on Eddie’s thigh and down between the back of his thigh and the seat. Eddie grinned and looked out the window for the rest of the drive.
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Later while Steve and Eddie were tangled up on the couch watching T.V., Eddie pulled the gum wrapper out of the pocket of his jeans. “Oh, I made you something,” Eddie handed it over to Steve.
Steve had to squint in the low light of Eddie’s living room, but he was able to make out the small comic on the silver wrapper.
Eddie reached over Steve’s head to grab some popcorn. Steve smiled warmly at the picture. He lifted his hips to slide the wrapper in his front pocket. “Thanks, babe,” He pulled down on Eddie’s necklace to kiss him. “Ditto.”