Work Text:
If you asked Steve, love was kind of stupid. He respected the emotion, of course—no matter how stupid it was, it was still something people felt. It just didn't need to be so important.
Like, when Nancy jumped out of the boat to get Steve, why did Eddie think she was in love with him? She'd do that for anyone. She was Nancy. She'd never hesitate to save a life.
Dustin still thought Steve should date Robin, and he couldn't come up with a good explanation for why he didn't. He couldn't just say, "We don't love each other," because that would seem like a lie. Of course they loved each other; why else would they spend so much time together? It wouldn't matter that it wasn't love for Steve, because when everyone else looked at them, that was what they saw.
Barb had looked at Steve and thought, "That's a guy who doesn't love." Nancy had thought, "That's a guy I'd like to love." Steve had looked at them and thought nothing. Nancy was smart, and hot, and there wasn't anything to think about.
Maybe, finally, Steve would tell them that it wasn't love. He didn't have love for anyone. It would be really nice if they'd stop assuming that.
That wasn't going to happen. This was Hawkins, Indiana. If the wrong person learned that Steve didn't have a heart, he'd be the target of the next manhunt.
—
"Eddie!" Robin shouted.
"Rob," Steve groaned, rubbing at his head. "Seriously? At work?"
The random mom who'd been browsing the kids' movies slipped out very conspicuously before the town's most notorious freak could get to the door.
The bell jingled again as Eddie leaned his head in. "You guys open?"
Robin giggled and Steve groaned again. "Get the lights, Munson."
The store dimmed and Steve leaned back, stretching his neck. "God. I need to start wearing sunglasses or something."
"That's what I said," Robin grumbled. "Eddie!"
"Buckley!" Eddie cried back, luckily not shouting. He nodded to Steve, who waved. The idiot seemed to have not realized yet that he didn't need to act "cool" for Steve.
"Eddie! We're watching Rocky Horror tonight! Join us!"
"We?" Eddie asked, glancing at Steve.
"Yes, we," Robin chided. "We're having an older-freak movie night."
"We are not calling it that," Steve grumbled. "Get me an Inderal, Rob?"
While Robin searched Steve's bag (his mom purse, as she called it), Eddie interrogated Steve.
"So, who's in the freak club?" He kept his voice low enough that it didn't hurt, because he was nice like that.
"You get to find out if you come," Steve informed him. There was no way he'd say anything outside of the movie night.
Robin shoved a pill bottle in Steve's face, interrupting their staring.
"Thanks, Rob," he murmured, giving her a grateful look.
"I'll be there," Eddie told them. "It's Rocky Horror. There'd better be freaks there."
Steve and Robin both gave him matching grins.
"Don't worry about it," Steve told him. "You'll have company."