Chapter Text
Come on, pick up. Pick up.
Steve had his arms crossed against his chest, pensively tapping his pointer finger on his upper arm. The living room landline rang for no one for the third time that morning as he tried to reach his best friend. Finally, he heard a click , and he launched off before she had a chance to say “ hello ”.
“Robin, finally! Everything okay? I’ve been trying to call you like, all morning. We need to head out soon or we’re gonna be late.”
A moment of silence.
“Robin…?”
“Okay. Before I answer, promise you won’t get mad.”
But Robin didn’t have to answer. Steve could already hear the hoarseness in her voice, her words coming out softer and a bit more nasally than usual. Robin was sick, and if she was sick, then that meant…
“Jeez, sorry Rob. I wouldn’t have called so many times if I knew you were sick.” He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “So I guess that means…”
“Yeah,” Robin answered woefully. “If it was just at Family Video or whatever I’d probably be fine, but those camp kids are little germ-spreading factories, so.” Steve didn’t have to see her face to know she was making a guilty grimace. “Guess I’m gonna have to sit this one out. Sorry, Steve.”
The situation sucked, for sure, but there wasn’t much either of them could do about it. Steve was mostly just disappointed he wouldn’t have his best friend there to lean on during his first week as a camp counselor. “It’s okay, Robin, just focus on getting better. I’ll call you when I get to camp, okay?”
“Okayyy,” Robin sniffled. “Drive safe. See you next week?”
“Yeah, see you next week. Get some rest.”
-
The drive to camp was uneventful without Robin there to fill the silence. Steve fiddled with the radio, unable to focus on one station for too long before switching to another. Gradually, pavement gave way to gravel roads, houses fading into endless lines of trees, and Steve pulled into the dusty Camp Bauman parking lot.
“Right. Here we go.” Steve took a steadying breath through his nose and stepped out of the car. He squinted against the mid-afternoon sun, the pale gravel beneath his feet reflecting it back into his eyes. Steve grabbed his sunglasses from the passenger’s seat and headed towards the group of people gathered near what he assumed was the dining hall.
Orientation went as expected. The other counselors were already there- Vickie, a sweet red-headed girl that Robin had gushed about for weeks last summer, Eddie, a metalhead guy that Steve recognized from high school (Eddie “The Freak” Munson, he remembered people calling him), and Jessica, who was called in to take over for Robin last minute and seemed to rather be literally anywhere else. Murray, the eccentric camp director, showed the small group around and reviewed the basic rules before leaving them to their own devices.
“He is so weird.” Jessica popped her gum, staring Murray down as he meandered back to his office. “He probably uses this place to cover up, like, a drug front or something.” She flipped her perfectly-styled blond hair over her shoulder. A few years ago, Steve might’ve laughed along with her, but now he just cringed.
“A man’s gotta make his money somehow,” Eddie shrugged. Jessica rolled her eyes at him and swung her bag over her shoulder, ignoring him in favor of heading in the direction of the girls’ dorm. Vickie glanced between Eddie and Jessica nervously, eventually deciding on giving Eddie an apologetic look before following Jessica to the dorm to unpack the rest of her things.
“Well she seems pleasant,” Steve whispered under his breath, mostly to himself. Still, he felt a twinge of guilt knowing that, at one point, he probably would’ve treated Eddie the same way. He tried not to dwell on it though, he tried. He’d grown, he’d graduated high school, and even before then he’d had some sense smacked into him months before walking the stage. He wasn’t that person anymore. He hoped that if Eddie remembered him, it wasn’t for now-uncharacteristic reasons.
“What was that, Harrington?” Eddie raised an eyebrow. His face was carefully neutral, challenging. Oh, Eddie definitely remembered him.
Shit. “Oh no, nothing.” Steve waved his hands in front of his chest in defense. “I just. She was being rude to you for no reason. Like, this is a job, not high school, y’know?”
Eddie studied him for a moment longer, eyes boring into his skull like they could read his thoughts. It was fucking nerve-wracking. Steve fought the urge to look down at his shoes. After what seemed like forever, but what was probably just half a second, Eddie’s lips quirked up in a smile.
“You’re telling me,” Eddie sighed. “You’d think being stuck with me in the middle of buttfuck nowhere would be enough to wedge the stick out of some people’s asses, but I guess not.” He blew a puff of air out from between his lips, making a raspberry noise. “Whatever. Can’t say I’m not used to it. C’mon, Harrington, your castle awaits.” He gestured in the general direction of the boys’ dorm.
The you shouldn’t have to be used to it died on Steve’s tongue. He just nodded and followed Eddie down the gravel path, leaving a good two or three feet between them. He hoped that his flimsy excuse of an explanation was enough to get his point across, and that Eddie didn’t spend the whole week thinking he was some asshole jock that liked to push people around in his downtime.
-
The kids came in droves. Steve was stuck on desk duty, or rather sorry-excuse-of-a-parking-lot duty, a clipboard with a list of names grasped in his hands as he checked campers in through the open windows of their parents’ cars. There was a good variety- kids ranging from ages seven to sixteen- excited, seasoned campers back for another summer, as well as nervous first-timers that twiddled their thumbs in the back seat. He had more than one boy ask him if Eddie was there that week, and was always met with a big grin when he confirmed that yes, Eddie was there. Even though he didn’t know the other boy much at all, it stirred something akin to pride in his stomach. He was glad that, even if Hawkins treated him like shit, Eddie had an eclectic but supportive gaggle of people to make him feel at home.
“Jesus, Steve, I thought campers had jumped you already or something.” Robin’s voice was crackly over the old camp landline. Steve put a hand over his other ear so he could hear her better, campers trickling in through the dining hall doors a few feet away.
“Yeah, sorry, check-in was chaotic as hell. How are you feeling?” He played with the phone chord between his fingers.
“I’m fine, Steve. More importantly, how are you? Who are the counselors this week? Making any friends?”
“Who are you, my mom?” Steve chuckled. “I’m good, Robin. Eddie, Vickie, and Jessica are here this week. They seem nice, I think.”
“Damn, Vickie and Eddie are there? I picked the wrong week to get sick, we would’ve been a dream team!” Robin groaned. Steve swore he heard a little thunk , probably Robin’s head bonking against the headboard of her bed. “I’m glad you and Eddie are getting along, though. He’s a great guy, you two just seem like. Polar opposites.”
“Yeah, tell me about it. I’m still kind of scared he thinks I’m some dumb, rich asshole like I was in high school. I don’t think I was ever mean to him directly, but…” Steve trailed off.
“Well, you are kind of dumb. And your parents are rich. But you’re no asshole, Steve.” If she was here, she’d probably be giving him a pat on the shoulder right now.
“Gee, thanks, Rob.”
Robin ignored him. “I feel like Eddie has pretty decent intuition about people. Just be your charming little self and I’m sure he’ll get the picture.”
Steve’s gaze trailed over to the kitchen, separated from the dining area by a counter so that the campers could line up and get their food. Eddie was there with Vickie, his tongue sticking out in concentration as he spread peanut butter on a piece of bread, his long hair pulled back in the messiest ponytail Steve had ever seen. Steve wasn’t sure why he was so set on making a good impression on Eddie. He certainly didn’t feel this sense of urgency when Johnathan and Nancy started dating, even though he and his old “friends” had targeted Johnathan in the past. Maybe it was just the environment- nobody wanted to get stuck out in the woods all summer with someone who hated their guts.
“Yeah, you’re right, it’ll probably be fine. I don’t know why I’m freaking out so much.” Steve ran a hand through his hair. “Hey Robin, I need to go help get dinner ready. Talk to you later?”
Robin hummed. “Yep, talk to you later, Steve. Try not to have too much fun without me!”
Steve said his goodbyes and hung up the phone, making his way over to the kitchen with a bit more confidence in his step, determined to get out of his own head. Eddie spotted him and gave him a wave.
“There you are, Harrington! Be a dear and get the lemonade ready for me, yeah?”
“On it,” Steve replied, his face feeling a bit hot. The summer heat must have been getting to him already.
“Thank youuu,” Eddie sang, then immediately launched into a heated discussion with one of the campers who was complaining about dinner not being ready yet. Steve recognized him as one of the kids who’d asked about Eddie while getting checked in- a boy around fourteen or fifteen with curly hair tucked under a multicolored cap. He smiled to himself and reached for a pitcher.
-
Steve hadn’t felt this exhausted in, well, ever, and he hadn’t even been at camp for a full day yet. He sighed, tired body sinking into the old mattress, springs squeaking under his weight. He’d have to make some coffee in the dining hall tomorrow morning, or else he’d be dead on his feet.
“What’s up, kiddo?” Steve’s ears picked up Eddie’s distinct voice from the other side of the dorm. He cracked an eye open, seeing one of the younger campers standing next to Eddie’s bed, a nervous look in his eyes.
“Of course, dude! Steve’s new too, we can all go together.” Steve quickly looked away, embarrassed about being caught eavesdropping, but Eddie had already caught him in his sights. He motioned for Steve to join them, and moments later, he was slipping on his shoes and following Eddie and the little boy out of the dorm and into the cool, quiet night.
Eddie ushered the boy over to the outhouse. Steve could see why going here alone would be scary for a kid- the area only lit with an old lantern that was being swarmed by a conglomerate of moths and spider webs. “Holler if you need anything, okay? We’ll be over by the picnic table.” The kid nodded and went inside. True to his word, Eddie perched himself on top of the rickety table, his feet resting on the bench, head tilting up to look at the stars.
After a beat, Steve joined him.
“So,” Steve cleared his throat, attempting to cut through the awkward, heavy silence in the air. “What brings you out here? I didn’t peg you as the type who’d want to hang out with pre teens all summer.”
Eddie shot him a lopsided grin. “I could say the same for you, Harrington. Aren’t you supposed to be off interning for some…” he waved his ringed hands around flippantly “…fancy pants job like real estate or marketing or whatever?”
Steve smiled back despite himself, a huff of breath leaving his nose. Even though Eddie was messing with him, there was a good amount of truth behind his words. His dad did have “some fancy pants job” (though Steve still couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was- executive of some big-shot tech company or whatever) that he’d been trying to convince Steve to intern at as soon as he’d entered senior year. Not that Steve ever took the offer.
There was something in the atmosphere, maybe it was the calming summer night breeze, the stars brighter than he’d ever seen them before, the likeliness that he’d ever speak to the guy next to him again, at least not as intimately as he was now, that made him feel like opening up.
“Well,” Steve sighed, leaning back on his hands. “I probably would be if I was the same person I was three years ago, but…” he shook his head. “I dunno. After the Byers kid got kidnapped, nothing felt the same. I realized I was kind of just going through the motions and doing what was expected of me, y’know? And I don’t wanna do that anymore.”
He glanced over at Eddie to gauge his reaction, half-expecting him to be bored, or even annoyed, but was met with deep brown eyes locked onto his, drinking in every word he had to say, eyebrows slightly furrowed in a mix of understanding and concern. Steve shakily tore his eyes off of Eddie, his stomach flipping in a way that it had not done in a long time.
“Yeah,” Eddie nodded. “Yeah, I feel you man. I’ve always been, uh …different from other people my age. At some point you gotta give up on trying to fit in and just embrace it. Give ‘em a good reason to stare.” He gave Steve a grin, sticking his tongue out between his teeth. Vaguely, Steve remembered the harsh whispers that had once flowed from their classmates’ mouths without a care as to the damage they could do. Weirdo. Creep. Freak. And other much uglier words starting with F that left Steve’s guts in a twist. He found himself marveling at the confidence it must have taken for Eddie to put his authentic self on full display, in Hawkins, Indiana of all places.
Steve gently knocked the side of his knee into Eddie’s. “You wear it well. I’ve been here for what, a day, and I can already tell these kids worship you.”
Eddie leaned forward a bit, gripping onto the edge of the metal picnic table like he couldn’t contain his excitement. “You really think so?” Steve hummed in response. As much as Eddie didn’t seem the type to need others’ approval, he seemed to glow under Steve’s praise. “You flatter me, Harrington, truly. Don’t get too jealous, though. I’m sure the kids will be all over your whole hot popular jock shtick in no time.” He swayed into Steve’s space for a moment to press their shoulders together in mock encouragement. Steve tried not to think too hard about how Eddie had off-handedly called him hot . “OR!!” Eddie continued, a bit too loud for the night around them. “I could make you my mini-me! Do the opposite of Grease and The Breakfast Club and all that shit and turn you into one of the outcasts!”
“Didn’t they give a girl a makeover in both of those movies?” Steve mused. Eddie pouted and stuck his tongue out at him.
“Boo party pooper. Those kinds of makeovers are for any gender, Stevie, that’s kinda the whole point. But no worries.” He gave Steve’s shoulder a hardy pat. “I have the whole summer to culture you.”
Before Steve could wrap his head around the implications of spending the whole summer with Eddie Munson, the timid sound of a little throat being cleared came from behind them. The boys turned their heads in unison towards the camper, who was nervously wrapping the front of his shirt around his hand. “Counselor Eddie? I’m all done in the outhouse.”
Eddie’s features softened. “Wasn’t so bad, was it?” The camper shook his head, and Eddie gave him a proud nod. “Good. C’mon, kid, let’s get you to bed.” He hopped off the picnic table and offered the little boy his hand. To an outsider, the image would look absurd- a shy kid no older than eight in a camp t-shirt that nearly swallowed him whole, happily holding the hand of a metalhead with wild hair and a worn leather jacket, but to Steve it was the most natural thing in the world. Like they both belonged there, in that moment.
Steve trailed behind the odd pair, hearing Eddie laugh when the little boy told him about how much the outhouse stank. He began to understand why Eddie liked it here so much.
The bubbles of anxiety that had been brewing inside him all day finally began to settle. He missed Robin, but having someone like Eddie here with him, with his unexpected warmness and understanding, made him feel a bit more at ease. Maybe this first week without his best friend wouldn’t be so unbearable after all.