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They were having a swim party at Steve’s house, the whole lot of them. School had just gotten out for the summer and the kids were rowdy, not that Eddie could blame them at all. He himself was incredibly relieved to never have to go back to school. This was his first summer as a free man.
That phrase had really taken on a whole new meaning after all the shit during spring break, he had to admit.
Steve had said the kids had begged him to have the party, but Eddie was secretly convinced he’d come up with the whole thing and just didn’t want to be seen as the softy he really was. It was adorable, really. Not that Eddie would ever say that to his face, even as a joke. He wasn’t that brave, especially when it came to the guy he’d been crushing on for months now.
A swim party wasn’t the best place to be hiding that crush, though, seeing as swimming generally meant half naked and dripping wet. Eddie was sprawled out on one of the lounge chairs, ostensibly helping to supervise the kids as they attempted to drown each other in the deep end, but mostly just watching Steve from behind his sunglasses. Their host hadn’t gotten into the pool yet, too busy getting drinks and snacks and yelling at the kids for running by the pool. Sooner or later, though, Eddie was sure he’d get in.
Finally, Steve had exhausted his need to run small errands for the kids and was getting ready to jump in the pool with them. Eddie tried not to stare too obviously, but it was hard once Steve took off his shirt.
He’d known Steve was gorgeous, obviously. Everyone in town knew that. But seeing his golden skin in the sunlight, covered in a smattering of moles, was something else. The rough edged scars left by the demobats was obvious especially in this light, but Eddie couldn’t help but think it made him look even more attractive. They showed he was brave, they showed he was fearless, they showed he survived.
Steve turned to toss his shirt to one of the empty lounge chairs and finally seemed to notice Eddie watching, his sunglasses having slipped to the end of his nose as he took in the glorious sight before him. Steve raised an eyebrow in question, and Eddie felt his cheeks flush.
“Hey, can’t expect me not to look when it’s all on show, hot stuff,” he said, voice quiet enough that none of the kids would hear over their own yelling.
Apparently, though, that was the exact wrong thing to say.
Steve immediately flushed, but not the pretty flush of fond embarrassment or even too long in the sun. No, this was shame, pure and simple. Eddie would recognize it anywhere, he just hadn’t expected to see it on Steve “The King” Harrington.
Before Eddie could think of anything else to say, some way to take back the words that had already left his mouth, Steve was rushing forward to grab his shirt and pull it back over his head. In a flash, he’d power walked back into the house without a word. Eddie could only watch in dismay.
Steve came back out a while later, but he didn’t go into the pool. And he didn’t return to the lounge chair beside Eddie either. Instead he mostly stayed on the other side of the pool, talking to the kids as they swam, or over in the grass where Nancy spent most of the day laid out in the sun.
Eddie tried not to be offended by being avoided since it was really his fault in the first place. Sort of. He wasn’t exactly sure why his words had set Steve off so much. Eddie was the first to admit that he was too much sometimes, that he said the wrong things and got people mad at him. It had happened before and he was sure it would happen again. It was who he was.
This didn’t seem like that, though. He’d dwelled on it for the rest of the afternoon, wondering if Steve had freaked out about Eddie obviously checking him out and calling him hot. It would have sucked, but he wouldn’t have blamed Steve for that kind of reaction. He would have just had to be more careful about it in the future. But that didn’t add up with the reaction Steve had had.
Steve had looked ashamed. Not mad, not disgusted, but ashamed. That was something else entirely, and Eddie was having a hard time figuring what that something else was.
A few days later, the only explanation Eddie had come up with was that Steve was insecure about the demobat scars. Which was ridiculous because as Eddie had first said after Steve got them, they were metal. And it’s not like they were that noticeable by now anyway, once they’d healed up, and he was still ridiculously hot either way.
But maybe Steve had been the hottest thing at Hawkins High for so long that it freaked him out to have something not perfect. Eddie kind of wanted to ask, but he was afraid it would upset Steve again, and he didn’t want to do that. Especially when Steve was just starting to get back to comfortable with him after avoiding him for the rest of the day at the pool party. Plus, he probably didn’t want to hear from Eddie, his friend, how hot he was. Plenty of girls told him that all the time anyway.
Eddie let the matter leave his mind after that, happy enough to just be Steve’s friend and pine from afar, even if it hurt to know that’s all he’d ever get. If Steve wanted to talk to him about his scars or his possible insecurities, that was fine. He wouldn’t ask though.
He still watched Steve, though, still kept close to him and touched him when he could. It was easy enough because they were friends and Eddie was a tactile guy anyway. He was the only one to notice that he touched Steve more, or that when he touched him, he wanted in a way he knew he probably shouldn’t. He’d never been good at making choices that were good for him.
As part of their friendship, and this new group of friends Eddie had somehow acquired from spring break, they went places together, did things as a group. This was one of those nights where they even got to leave the younger kids at home, just the older ones of them going out to dance the night away.
It made them feel young in a way they all needed, Eddie thought, and it was fun too. Both to spend time with friends and to maybe catch the eye of someone pretty to dance with awhile. Not that Eddie really took part in that portion of the events, but the option was there in a way.
Eddie had volunteered to drive tonight, giving the others the chance to drink. Steve was his first stop since that would give them just that little bit more time alone together. It didn’t necessarily make sense with how everyone else’s houses lined up, but no one had called him out on it before, so he would take what he could get when he could get it.
Usually when Eddie got to Steve’s house for something like this, Steve was already ready and waiting to go. Not tonight though, so Eddie decided to go in and find him. It only took a few minutes of searching to find him in his bathroom, messing with his hair.
Eddie allowed himself a full minute to watch, Steve too consumed to even notice his presence, before clearing his throat. Steve jumped, whirling around with his comb in front of him like that was any sort of a weapon. Maybe in Steve’s hand it could be, if Eddie was being honest.
“Aren’t you ready yet, pretty boy?” Eddie drawled, raising his eyebrows. “We’re gonna be late.”
Steve flushed, shaking his head. “Give me a minute,” he said, turning back to the mirror.
Eddie watched as Steve continued to comb and fluff and spray his hair. It seemed that the longer Steve worked at it, the more frustrated he got. His hair maybe looked a little flatter than usual, but Eddie couldn’t see anything worth getting worked up over. Steve still looked amazing.
“Hey, Stevie,” Eddie said slowly, stepping forward to put a hand on Steve’s wrist, stopping him from running it through his hair for the hundredth time. “I’m sure your hair is good enough.”
“It’s not,” Steve snapped, his voice breaking a little on the words. He tried to pull his hand back, but Eddie just tightened his grip. “It has to be perfect. If I don’t look perfect, it’s… what’s the point? My hair’s all I have anymore.”
Eddie realized suddenly that there were tears shimmering in Steve’s eyes and that the conversation they were having had gone away from hair to something else entirely. Something Eddie had noticed about Steve before, but hadn’t quite believed. Steve was embarrassed — no, ashamed — of the way he looked, of looking anything but, as he said, perfect.
It was mind boggling and so, so sad. Because to Eddie he looked amazing all the time, no matter what his hair looked like. Because he was amazing.
“Steve, fuck, no,” Eddie said, voice low and pained.
He let go of Steve’s wrist, but only long enough to pull Steve into a hug. Steve struggled a little at first, surprised and still upset, but quickly relaxed enough for Eddie to really wrap his arms around him, arms tight. There was still tension thrumming through Steve’s body, enough that Eddie could feel it as close as they were.
They stayed silent for a moment, until Eddie just couldn’t keep quiet anymore. It was killing him to know Steve thought so badly about himself when he was the best of them in a lot of ways.
“You’ve got nothing to worry about, you know,” Eddie said lowly, almost whispering right into Steve’s ear. “You look good no matter what. Hair done or not, shirt on or not. You’re hot stuff, Harrington.”
Steve scoffed, the sound wet like those tears in his eyes were still there. “I know that’s not true,” he said equally quietly. He shook his head when Eddie tried to interrupt. “If I was still… like that, like I was in high school, I wouldn’t get turned down for so many dates.”
Eddie considered for a moment whether he should say more, because saying more would absolutely show all his cards if he hadn’t yet. With anyone else, it probably wouldn’t be worth it. But for Steve, it barely took a thought. He was worth it. Always.
“Those girls have no taste at all then, Stevie,” Eddie said, louder now, aware of the heat behind his words. “You’re gorgeous and any of those girls should be fucking lucky to have you.”
It was quiet in the bathroom for several long moments, long enough that Eddie started to think that he’d ruined it. Ruined the best friendship he’d ever had, whatever else his feelings for Steve were. He swallowed hard and started to pull away, resigned to leaving as quickly as possible and probably never coming back.
To his surprise, though, Steve’s arms tightened around him immediately. “Are you…” he started. “I mean, do you…?
His voice was so quiet that Eddie almost couldn’t hear him, and so insecure that it almost broke Eddie’s heart on hearing it. There were tears stinging his own eyes because how could someone as amazing as Steve ever think he was anything but?
“You’re the strongest, bravest, most ridiculously caring person I’ve ever met,” Eddie said, feeling off center and unsure, but determined to let Steve know how good he was. “You’re better than whatever you think you are. And yeah, super fucking hot. How could I not?”
“Oh.”
Eddie didn’t have time to wonder what was going through Steve’s head before Steve was the one pulling away from their hug. But he didn’t go far. Eddie had only the second’s warning of Steve’s hand on his cheek before Steve was kissing him, deep and wet and almost desperate.
Eddie could do nothing for a moment except hold on for the ride, but as soon as his brain came back on from the shock of being kissed by Steve fucking Harrington, he was kissing back with equal fervor. He felt like he’d just won the lottery, his heart beating fast with the exhilaration of something he honestly never thought he’d get to have
One of Eddie’s hands trailed down Steve’s side, and it was a surprise when Steve only flinched a little when his fingertips brushed the demobat scars. Maybe Eddie’s words really had gotten through to Steve. He tucked that thought away for later, content to clutch Steve’s hip and pull them impossibly closer as they kissed.
Finally, they pulled apart enough to press their foreheads together as they caught their breaths. Eddie wasn’t sure how long they’d been kissing. It felt somehow like forever and no time at all, but that might just be the romantic in him talking.
A phone ringing somewhere in the house interrupted the afterglow, if it could even be called that. The two of them jerked away at the sound, shocked by the sudden intrusion of the real world. They looked at each other, and Eddie suddenly realized that he’d actually come to Steve’s to pick him up, not just to hang out.
“Robin is going to kill us,” Eddie said, looking down at his watch. “We are so fucking late.”
“Oh, shit,” Steve replied, eyes going wide. It was more than a little flattering that he’d lost track of time just as much as Eddie had.
Steve glanced at the mirror, and Eddie was proud that Steve’s hand only twitched toward his comb for a moment before he shook his head. Steve took Eddie’s hand and pulled him out of the bathroom, heading for the door. Eddie was more than happy to follow him any time, but especially now, with their fingers intertwined and Steve showing no sign of freaking out.
“Do you want to stay the night after?” Steve asked, just before they stepped outside. He looked shy and so very pretty staring down at the ground. “We can… talk.”
Eddie felt a frankly ridiculous smile overtake his face. He reached out to put a finger under Steve’s chin, pushing it up so he could press a soft kiss to his lips. The move made Steve smile too, and Eddie could swear he’d died and gone to heaven somewhere in the last half hour.
“It’d love to stay the night,” Eddie said, because really, there was nothing else he wanted in the world. Not as long as Steve was there with him.