Work Text:
"I don't want my hair cut I like it long." Said the young girl sitting in Steve Harrington's chair at the salon he was currently renting space at.
"Roberta you're getting your haircut you do not take care of it." said the young girl, Roberta's mother.
And that's when Steve heard enough
"I'm sorry Mrs Smith but Roberta does not want her haircut and I'm not doing anything without her consent."
"She's six and she won't take care of it she's getting it shaved off."
Steve turned his receptionist Amanda and went "hey Amanda can you watch little Roberta for a minute I'm going to have a word privately with Mrs Smith, come with me Mrs Smith." Steve and Mrs Smith went to a private corner of the salon. Steve hoped he could keep his cool just enough that little Roberta wouldn't hear.
"She is 6 years old she doesn't know how to take care of her hair I am not shaving it, you can go find someone else who will or I can teach both you and her how to take care of her hair but I am not doing something to a child that they do not want even if it is just hair. "
"I'm not paying you!" spat Mrs Smith.
"That's fine I don't need your money I just need you'd promise me that you will repay my kindness to somebody else who needs it."
"Fine" Steve was apprehensive if Mrs Smith would really do good and that she had it in her heart to do good but Steve wasn't going to take it out on her daughter so Steve went back to Roberta with Mrs Smith following and showed the girl how to detangle and brush her hair and how to use detangler spray and where to get it or how to make it. After he was done with Roberta and she left with her mother very happily and with long hair.
Steve went to get his next client from the waiting area, he was met with a young woman in a wheelchair and one Eddie Munson "oh Steve we need your help"
"okay what do you need help with?" Asked Steve
"I recently started taking care of Miss May she's a neighbor, she has cerebral palsy her hair is a mess I've been trying to detangle it for days and I thought if it was anyone could help her it be you, she's not interested in keeping it short"
"Okay let me take a look"
Steve spent a good hour detangling and styling mays hair so it would be easier to take care of and showing Eddie how to manage it at the end of the appointment Eddie gave him a crumpled up $100 bill Steve replied simply with "I can't take your money dude not with the amount of good things Dustin says about you"
"Henderson, Dustin Henderson he's in my D&D party that I DM?"asked Eddie
"Yeah I've been cutting his hair for years since I first started out hairdressing the things you do for that kid is payment enough"
"How do you make any money ,you don't do this for a lot do you?"
"I do, for anyone who needs it. the people that can afford to tip more do, so I can make a living and I can help people who need it"
Eddie puts the bill in Steve's hand and says "for anyone who needs it, you're a good man Steve Harrington"
Every 4 weeks Eddie Munson and May would come in to have may's hair done by Steve. Steve got to know May and Eddie a lot better. He knew that May got a little bit of money each month in the form of a disability check and Eddie got paid a little bit by her family but it wasn't much just enough to live off of. This went on for months and one appointment may asked "why?" "What may?" replied Steve "why do you do this you take little to no money from people who can't afford it and you style and cut hair of people other hairdressers would just turn away, why?”
"Because hygiene and hair Care is a basic human necessity, because people shouldn't be turned away from salons, because it's the right thing to do."
May look at Eddie and went "holy shit" and he went "holy shit"back "I told you he was a good guy May" Steve stared at the two in shock " I mean I always consider myself a good guy but it's good to know people think the same" and with that Steve continued on not thinking much of interaction
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Later back at May's home May and Eddie were sitting at the kitchen table
"ask him out" said may
"No Harrington isn't like that he's not gay"
The face that May made could kill someone the daggers she shot
"Well you won't know unless you ask so ask him, ask him out."
"No"
"What are you afraid of him saying no."
Eddie Munson stared at her got up quickly and said "I will be back in an hour." and ran out the damn door.
Eddie ran all the way to Steve's salon when he got there there's Steve Harrington was standing at the register checking somebody out Steve stared at Eddie out of breath puffing like a dragon and got concerned. After finishing checking the client out Steve walked over to Eddie and said "what the fuck is going on is everything okay" as he led Eddie into a into the color mixing room privately secluded from the rest of the salon thinking that something had happen to May and Eddie was going to have an absolute breakdown he wasn't expecting this
"Go out on date with me? Your beauty Harrington your soul the way you take care of people, the way you use your talents for good it's intoxicating it's annoying as shit because I will never be half the man you are,but it doesn't stop me from loving you,I love you Steve Harrington."
Steve Harrington looked at Eddie with his jaw on the ground in awe of the absolute balls Munson had
Steve then collected his jaw from the floor turned away from Eddie looked up to God and silently thanked him for answering his prayers that he didn't have to confess his feelings first because what Eddie Munson did not know was that over the past few months of Steve doing May's hair Steve started falling hard for the metalhead
After collecting himself Steve turned back to Eddie and said "Tony's pizzeria 7:00 p.m. Friday see you there Eddie"opened the back door of the coloring room that they use for ventilation and led a end absolutely shocked Eddie out the door.