Chapter Text
It was a late Friday night when Eddie Munson showed up at his doorstep. He remembered it down to the fact that it seemed like he’d had a long day, judging by the way his eyes weren’t as lit up as usual. It’d been weird, really weird.
When he opened the door, the older man wasn't facing him. He wasn’t wearing his usual jacket-battle vest combo, probably because summer nights and their signature warmth were starting to creep into the air. He was wearing a dark brown t-shirt and the name of a band he did not recognize was imprinted on the front along with some skull imagery.
“Munson?” He called out as Eddie turned around. Embarrassingly enough, his Friday night had consisted on doing some extremely necessary laundry, drinking beer and eating ice cream. At a solid quarter past midnight, he was about to fall asleep on the couch. That was when he heard the knock on the front door. A wave of worry washed over him, because why the fuck would Eddie Munson be standing on his doorstep at a quarter past midnight? “Is everything okay?”
“Harrington, hey.” He calmed down as soon as he heard Eddie’s voice. Over the past few weeks he’d learned to classify Eddie’s voice tone. He could tell when something was wrong, when something was horribly wrong, when Eddie was messing around, and when he was dead serious. A lot of late nights on the phone talking about scars and nightmares and life and death taught him how to. Actually, one of the reasons he was worried was that he was there on his doorstep, that he didn’t call. What was so serious that he couldn’t call? “Yeah, yeah. Everything 's cool. Um, so I have to ask you something.”
The color on Eddie’s voice was familiar, but he couldn’t quite see through it. He didn’t like that. “Ask away, I guess.” He leaned forward, his hand still on the doorknob.
“So… I may or may not have told a couple of friends I have… kind of… a date? For our gig on Thursday.” He mumbled out, which was weird, because Eddie Munson never mumbles when he’s trying to get a point across.
Steve made a weird face. “Corroded Coffin gig?” He was intrigued on where exactly this was going.
“Yeah. We’re finally getting back on stage. It's not gonna be big or anything. It's going to be at the Hideout, just us and whoever wants to get shitfaced at the Hideout on a Thursday night." Steve noticed Eddie was balancing his weight between his feet and wouldn't look him in the eye. The first part was usual, but the second observation was odd to say the least.
"Alright… That's a problem because…?"
"Because I lied." Something about the way he was shuffling his feet and stuffing his hands deep into the front pockets of his jeans should've guided him towards realizing what was about to happen. "I don't have a date."
"Oh."
"Yeah. Kinda made a big deal out of it. Banged all the pots and pans." He scratched the back of his neck with his right hand. "I had too much to drink, I think. Um… These motherfuckers I've decided to call friends were giving me shit about never dating or having anything serious." He chuckled slightly "Thing is: now I need a date. If I don't show up with someone they are never going to let me live it down."
Maybe if it wasn't past midnight or if he had one less beer, Steve would've caught on at that point. "Oh, ok. So what's your plan?"
Eddie looked mortified for a single second. Was he expecting Steve to understand what he was proposing? "So. You see, I was driving back from Henderson's and I knew your house was on the way so I figured I'd just stop by. I wasn't sure you'd be home. I was wondering if, uh, you could help me out?"
Steve's brows furrowed. "I'm down, sure. But how? What do you have in mind?" He was genuinely clueless.
The metalhead let out a heavy, exasperated sigh and shook his head. "Listen man, I wouldn't be asking you if I had a choice besides eternal embarrassment. Could you, maybe, pretend to be my date?"
The younger man blinked thrice. His eyes widened more each time. Yes, right, because Eddie is gay. He blinked at the reminder.
Eddie came out to him in the middle of one of those late night talks on the phone. His voice faltered for a moment after Steve made some joke about how it was weird he didn't have a girlfriend. He then sighed, shakily and loudly, and started the 'I have to tell you something' statement. Of course Steve had been cool with it. It reminded him of Robin, cold bathroom floors and honesty. He was also really happy that he trusted him with something like that, so important and personal and scary. He let him know that, of course, and that he was supportive. He hoped he had correctly interpreted the one sob he heard through the line to be one of happiness or relief.
"I thought about asking Nancy or Robin, but both Gareth and Jeff know I don't swing that way. It would make everything worse." He kept fumbling with his rings and hair, pockets no longer being enough to occupy his hands. He couldn't stay still for the life of him. "So um… You're kind of my only option here, big boy."
Steve shivered. "Won't they know I'm, you know, me? It's a small town, don't you think it would be suspicious?"
"No, no, no, that's the best part. It's perfect. First of all, it would be a personal achievement to have them think I pulled the Steve Harrington. Steve "the Hair" Harrington. King Steve Harrington. Second of all, I can just tell them you're closeted or something and they won't expect anything public. And they'll never say a word about it with anyone else. And third of all, after Thursday I can just tell them you were playing with me or make something up and you'll never have to do it again. I'm pretty sure they already hate you, so same difference. I could even play 'heartbroken boy' and get them off my ass about dating for a few months. All you'd have to do is show up!" Finally, after all that talking, he got his 'Munsonisms' back. Loud talking, big hand gestures, glitter in his eye. Still, he wouldn't meet Steve's gaze. His eyes were on the ground. He looked up briefly and it seemed like he shrunk a little. "So… what d'ya say, Stevie? Help a man out?"
Although he might have wanted to think his answer through, inexplicably words were leaving his mouth before he could realize. "Sure. Why not?" Maybe it was the way Eddie seemed genuinely nervous, maybe it was about how he looked scared to some extent, maybe it was the way his hair was framing his face perfectly and his eyes were glistening underneath the moonlight, but that was that.
The metalhead didn't seem to believe it at first. "Really? Are you completely sure? You know, with the whole gay thing. I wouldn't want you to do it if you're not ok with-"
"Eddie." He cut whatever he was going to say short. "It's okay. I don't think there'll be any danger to it. These are your friends, right? Don't worry about it. All I have to do is show up, right? I'll do it."
Eddie finally looked at him in the eye. He grinned widely, it looked like he'd sprung up to life. He stared for a little bit before he spoke again. "Ugh. Steve Harrington, I could kiss you right now."
The ex-jock laughed. It felt like dust had settled. "Ooh, careful there, Munson. You might fall in love and then we'd have a problem."
He cackled and shook his head, his long hair following the movement. "Mh, I'll have to restraint from it then."
They both laughed for a while after that.
Eddie finally settled into a big smile. His big doe eyes were staring right into Steve's soul, or so he felt. He looked around for a minute and then stepped forward. Before Steve could react, he was standing on his tip toes and planting a short kiss on his forehead.
And just like that, he was already jogging towards his van. He turned around, already grabbing the front seat door's handle. "Thursday!"
Steve was barely able to react. He was glitching, buzzing if you will. It felt like his sistem had been rebooted. "Thur… Thursday!"
Still smiling, Eddie nodded and jumped onto the van. He made a 'goodbye' gesture putting two fingers on his forehead and he drove off.
So there he was: Steve Harrington, rummaging through his closet in an attempt to find something to wear to Corroded Coffin's Thursday night gig.
Eddie offered to drive him to the Hideout, but considering he had to get there earlier to set up, Steve decided he did not want to stand around and do nothing for two hours in a foreign environment. His thing was house parties, maybe even some fancy clubs. He excelled at that kind of social gathering, or so the record showed, but hanging out at seedy bars where people played live, loud, 'weird' music was most definitely not his thing. To be completely honest, he was quite nervous.
Nevertheless, he was bracing himself for it. How bad could it actually be? As a matter of fact, his biggest problem at the moment was his wardrobe. He found that his arrangement of clothes suffered from a horrible condition of 'uncoolness'. Polo shirts and Levi's jeans were scattered on the floor as Steve wondered how he ended up in that particular situation.
The one dash of hope he had vanished when he remembered he'd given Eddie his vest back a few days ago, the one he lent him in the Upside Down.
He settled for a black polo shirt and his cheapest looking pair of jeans. Eddie was definitely going to make fun of him for it. He was going to give him that wide, enchanting grin of his and then tease him for not owning clothes 'metal' enough. He could sense it. He could already hear his laughter bouncing off the walls.
That made him smile. He wouldn't have realized it if he hadn't been right in front of the mirror fixing his hair.
Thing is, he was very happy about the strong friendship he'd established with Eddie. Of course the whole Vecna ordeal made them bond, but that didn't mean they got to know each other. However, for Steve it was enough to decide he liked him. As a person, of course. He liked seeing him around the kids, he liked seeing how he took care of Dustin just like he did if not more intensely, he liked his over-the-top personality and he liked the way his eyes had a special, different way to look at everyone. He wouldn't look at two people the same way. He liked the way he talked to him, how he joked around and called him names. He got to see enough of him. Enough to know he was a good person. Enough to know that, once it was all over, he wanted him to stick around.
That's why he almost lost it when he nearly died.
The memory was as fresh as it was the day it happened. It was over, Max was safe, Hawkins had been saved and Vecna was dead. Everything had gone according to the plan, except it hadn't.
Him, Nancy and Robin were heading back to the trailer's gate when they heard Dustin's desperate cries for help. His voice was hoarse and broken. All the poor kid could do while they tended to Eddie was to whisper 'Help him, please help him.’ It was bad. It was like, properly horrendous. Flesh was exposed and he was pretty sure it was bone he felt when he reached for his sides with random rags to stop the bleeding, but after everything they'd seen, it seemed salvageable. He seemed salvageable. The scariest part was probably that no matter what they did, they couldn't wake him up. But he was breathing. His heart was beating. So he kept calm for as long as he could. They dragged Eddie back to regular Hawkins and got him the help he so urgently needed. Only when there was nothing left to do but wait, when the kids were home safe and the dust had settled, only then he broke into tears. Robin held his head and hugged him. 'You did so well, Steve. You kept them all safe. They're all ok, they're all alive.' A part of him felt like it was bullshit. Eddie wasn't ok.
He wasn't ok at all, actually. Even if everything had gone alright, there was still the whole murderer/town pariah thing to deal with. A part of him still felt guilty for being skeptical at first. He hurt for him, he was damaged.
Luckily, things started to look up soon enough. After the first week went by, Eddie was strong enough to sit up. Doctors said he was extremely lucky. While they didn't exactly question what exactly happened to him, they made it abundantly clear that just a bit more (of whatever it was) would've definitely left him in a bad shape forever, that if it didn't kill him. Somehow Steve felt guilty. He went through the exact same thing, demobats and all, and he'd been fine and dandy with no more than a few bandages and stitches. However, once Eddie could stand up, recovery was quick. Also, all that time from when he was knocked out was actually helpful for Hopper, the government people and the party to clear out Eddie's name. They found a way around it and somehow managed to pin it all on Victor Creel. Eddie was a free man. It's not like the whole town bought the story but hey, you win some, you lose some.
Eddie went home after nine weeks on the ICU. Government covered all his hospital bills, which was the least they could do. The kids, Robin, Nancy and Steve surprised him with a 'You survived!' party in Wayne's trailer. Dustin even had 'I survived the Upside Down' t-shirts done for everyone, they had a really nice time.
The late night calls started that very same day. The phone rang at the Harringtons' residence and Steve picked up half asleep.
"Hello?"
"Harrington?"
"Oh, hey Munson."
"Shit, I woke you up. Sorry, I didn't mean to-"
"Eddie, it's fine. Is everything alright?"
"...I can't sleep."
"Mh. Nightmares?"
"Yeah. I'm sorry, I didn't know who else to bother."
"You're not bothering me."
"Don't lie."
And so it started. At first it was only a couple nights a week. Eddie would call if he couldn’t sleep, or maybe right before going to bed, but then it became a habit. It was almost daily, even if they'd already seen each other during the day. Steve started calling too. Something about their matching scars and matching nightmares brought them together. Sometimes one of them would call sobbing, just woken up from one of those nightmares that feel too real, sometimes they would call laughing to tell a funny story. Sometimes they would call and just stay quiet, keep each other company. They often fell asleep while hearing each other breathe.
Steve didn't know if he could go back to not doing that.
He'd been lost in all of that for about ten minutes when he snapped out of it. Some car passed by his house blaring with music. It was actually good for him, he could've stayed lost for a lot longer and then been late.
He sprayed himself with cologne before he checked himself out in the mirror. He thought he looked good. He wasn't exactly dressed for the occasion, but he didn't think anyone would realize. One last spray of Farrah Fawcett closed the deal, so he grabbed his keys and headed out.
It couldn't be that bad, could it? He'd just go to this bar, maybe knock back a couple of beers, listen to strident music he knew he wouldn't like (despite Eddie’s attempts to find a metal song he'll genuinely enjoy) and then leave, right? He enjoyed spending time with the metalhead anyway, so he didn't think it would be too different.
He checked his pockets to make sure he had everything he needed and closed the door behind him. He managed to soothe his nerves by the time he was on the open road. He'd written down the address Eddie gave him, but lucky for him, he kinda knew where he was supposed to be going based on references.
It hit him midway there. He was supposed to be showing up for a date. It's not like he'd forgotten, but the statement slapped him in the face all of a sudden. Was he supposed to bring something? Do something in particular? Some time had passed since the last time he went out with a girl. What would he normally do? Well aware it was a fake date as he was, he didn't want to disappoint Eddie. He didn't try to find much logic to the thought. He stepped on the brakes and took a little detour.
It was probably a bad idea. Eddie told him they would start playing at nine o'clock. Emphasis on the o'clock part, because the establishment was only letting them play a one-hour set. Strictly. Because of this, Steve had planned on getting there around eight forty, eight forty five max. He left his house at the exact time he needed to get there as planned. But of course, he had to take a detour to buy flowers. Flowers. Does Eddie even like flowers? Would Eddie's friends think this was normal? Was he exposing himself too much?
He barely had time to think of all of that, he was running late. He got to the Hideout at eight fifty-five and probably forgot to lock the car. He scrambled himself across the parking lot to the entrance and sighed in relief when the man at the door didn't card him. He must've looked ridiculous when he stepped in; wearing a polo shirt, looking lost and stupid, holding a small bouquet of flowers he didn't know the name of (they were white and yellow daisies)... He definitely stuck out like a sore thumb.
He walked into the place. The stage, which could barely be called a stage, was already set up and two people he thought he was familiar with were already up there. He worried he had missed something, but he relaxed soon enough.
'Relaxed'. That's a funny way to put it.
"Harrington!" Eddie appeared out of nowhere and hugged him around the neck. "I thought you were going to stand me up." He whispered, chuckling.
"What? Me? Stand you up? Never." He laughed. "How's it going, Eds?"
Eddie finally stepped back from the hug, giving him a chance to look at him. He swallowed thick unconsciously and imperceptibly. He was wearing a Corroded Coffin t-shirt, not short enough to be a crop top but enough to expose his navel and his scars, tight black jeans and a pocket chain. There was something different about his eyes. Was he wearing makeup?
"Well, better now that you're here. Jeff and Gareth were getting insufferable. They’ll keep their mouths shut for a while now… Now what are you wearing? You look like- Are those flowers?"
Steve looked down to them and back up to Eddie. "Yeah?"
The older man blinked. "For me?"
Ok, so it was weird. Way to go, Steve. He made his lips into a thin line and awkwardly offered the bouquet to Eddie. He was expecting mocking laughter. Indeed he heard laughter, but it was not mocking at all. It was… gleeful.
"Oh god, Steve Harrington." Eddie laughed. He took the flowers and instinctively smelled them. He shook his head and leaned forward. "What are we going to do about you?" He ruffled Steve's hair with his free hand and held the flowers to his chest, probably just for commodity.
"I-"
"Eddie!" A voice came from the stage, from the guy sitting behind the drums. "Come on, man!"
"Ah, nine o'clock." The older man declared. "I was worried you'd miss this, I prepared a little something just for you, helps sell it. My crowd awaits." He grinned widely, patted his shoulder and skipped off to the stage. He got up on it with a little hop.
Steve was stunned to say the least. What was that supposed to mean? Prepared a little something for him? Just for him?
He looked around briefly. It wasn't packed, but it wasn't completely empty either. Twenty people in total, probably. Give or take. The more he looked at the people there, the more he realized he definitely didn't fit in with the aesthetic. That was fine, he stopped caring when Eddie's voice flooded the place.
"Greetings, nice and humble citizens of Hawkins!" He spoke in his signature theatrical voice. All eyes were on the stage now, a couple of drunk guys whooped. Steve was aware he had to take a seat at some point, but at the moment he was stuck in place. Eddie had used the rubber band that tied the flowers together to tie them to the microphone stand. Something unexplainable and undefinable flipped in his stomach.
"I hope you're all having a great evening, 'cause we're here to ruin it!" Some laughter echoed through the room. Steve didn't realize he was laughing too. "Kidding, kidding. We hope you enjoy the lovely little set we've prepared for you, we-"
"Eddie, shut up!" The voice behind the drums made itself heard again. Laughter filled the room again.
"Geez, alright, I'll cut it short." He faked annoyance and rolled his eyes. "That's Gareth on the drums. Give it up for Gareth!" People actually clapped. Not too loudly, it was almost awkward, but they clapped nonetheless. "We have Jeff on the bass… Yeah that's right, give it up for him. And we have Ethan as second guitar, but nobody clap for him. He was late."
The room laughed again. Eddie was in his element. It was quintessential Eddie right up there on stage. Steve couldn't take his eyes off him and he thought nobody else could either.
"But none of 'em matter, 'cause then there's me: Eddie. Lead singer and first guitar, thank you very much." He bowed theatrically as people clapped and laughed. Steve perked his head. He didn't know Eddie sang. "Thank you, thank you. Let me get started before Gareth here kills me. This first song is for a special little someone. You all know it, I'm sure. Don't hesitate to sing along, but don't expect the whole show to be like this though. It gets more intense."
That grin of his, for fuck's sake. That smile. He smiled like he could have the whole world in the palm of his hand if he wanted to. Gareth counted in the song with his drumsticks and Ethan started playing the guitar. It was different to Eddie's, it had an acoustic sound to it. Steve didn't quite catch the tune at first, but when Eddie's voice broke in, it wasn't hard to.
"I can dim the lights and sing you songs full of sad things…"
The song had been taken down an octave, probably because Eddie's voice wasn't very high-pitched, but it was completely recognizable.
Steve's feet were more glued to the ground than ever.
"We can do the tango just for two. I can serenade and gently play on your heart strings."
And then Eddie's eyes were right on him. He was strumming the guitar softly, little chords here and there. The lighting wasn't very good, but the way the light fell over the lead singer outlined all of his features. He could not take his eyes off of him.
He couldn’t even pay mind to the way they excellently arranged the song so they could play it with what they had, how Ethan’s guitar seemed to replace the piano, the way they made it theirs. He could only think about how Eddie had a really nice voice. He expected it to be a bit more raspy, darker even, but it was actually quite clean. Almost delicate, at least for that song.
That song. Dammit, Munson.
One time Eddie was ripping Steve's music taste to shreds, kicking him for liking ABBA, KC and the Sunshine Band, Wham!, among others, and Steve let it slip that he liked Queen. It actually saved him, because Eddie happened to really like Queen. 'I knew there was good taste somewhere in there.'
This was his favorite song. He didn't know if Eddie remembered it or if it was a simple coincidence.
"I'd like for you and I to go romancing." Eddie sang much more softly than Freddie in the original song, his voice sounded airy and rich. He took one of the daisies out of the mic stand as fast as possible so he wouldn't miss his queue with the guitar and held it out towards where Steve was. "Say the word, your wish is my command."
The ex-jock actually laughed. He felt the blood rush up to his face and his heart pound deeper, and he laughed. Not mockingly, but joyfully. This crazy person, Eddie Munson.
Eddie laughed too. He stepped away from the mic just to do so. Just then did Steve realize that Jeff and Ethan were singing back-ups.
He could watch Eddie up on that stage every day of his life. He just seemed… happy, careless. He didn't know about before, but he definitely didn't ever seem happy and careless after everything that happened. It gave him an insane amount of peace to finally see him like that.
"Hey boy, where do you get it from? Hey boy, where did you go? I learned my passion in the good old-fashioned school of loverboys."
What happened next was what truly left Steve slack-jawed. It took a hold of him. Eddie put the daisy's stem in between his teeth and went for the guitar solo. He pranced around the stage, twirled and skipped and moved his head and he never looked away from Steve for more than three seconds. He was really going for it.
Steve had never seen Eddie actually play. He'd heard him, but he had never experienced this. He wondered if he'd ever find something that made him feel how Eddie seemed to feel when he played. He didn't have too much time to wonder though, he was busy having his heart in a knot and not noticing it.
"That's because I'm a good old-fashioned lover boy." By the time the song ended, Eddie had managed to tuck the daisy in his hair, using his ear for support. Steve thought he looked pretty.
The small crowd (could it unironically be called a crowd?) clapped and cheered, to which Eddie responded with a bow. His smile was the brightest light in the room.
"Thank you, thank you. You're so nice." The man on stage stared at Steve for what felt like an eternity. There was something in his eyes he couldn't quite read through. He blinked and turned back to the microphone. "Sadly, we regret to inform you we're going back to our regular schedule, apologies. No more Queen. Hope you'll stick around for a truly metal show, though. Gareth? And a one, and a two and a one, two, three, four!"
The show truly was something. While Steve barely knew any songs besides from some tunes that Eddie constantly played in his van, he was actually enjoying himself. Only after the third song did he find it in his heart to get his ass to a stool.
Eddie was glowing. Even after his voice adapted into that rough, deep and dirty characteristic metal tone, he still looked and sounded like a piece of art. If anything, Steve was impressed with the man’s versatility. He thought it was fun to see him get lost in the music like that. He was truly built for this.
Somehow, they managed to fit twelve songs in the sixty minutes they had. Eddie would occasionally chime in between songs to say something funny, banter with his bandmates or present a song. He would also constantly glance at Steve. Any chance he got. The fallen king of Hawkins thought all of this would look better in a huge stage with lots of lights and an actual crowd to watch it.
They closed with Metallica’s ‘Whiplash’, so yeah, that was quite intense. It seemed like the audience was quite familiar with it, because they cheered as the first guitar notes made their entrance and sang along. They went out with a bang, definitely.
"Thank you, thank you, Hawkins. I hope you've enjoyed us. You know, if we're lucky and if you had a good time, we might be here next week, same time." A group of three that was seated at the very back of the bat cheered, which made Eddie smile widely. "Thank you!"
The band members hopped off the stage as the drunks and punks clapped for them. They would have to take everything down in a bit, but they were off to take a well-deserved break.
Even without the music, the gear, and the bad lighting, Steve still couldn't take his eyes off the lead singer. He was watching the man stroll off to the bar when he saw him stop on his tracks. He ran back to the stage and grabbed the bouquet off the mic stand. Steve's heart beat faster for a second.
In the blink of an eye, Eddie was back with his bandmates chugging a glass of beer. He held the flowers right in front of himself, probably bragging to the infamous Jeff and Gareth that he did actually have a date. Rubbing in their faces that said date was Steve Harrington. He thought about it, and he didn't really mind that use of his reputation.
He didn't mind at all.
Steve, he was one to have many thoughts and not take the time to understand any of them .
He was happy to help his friend out.
The boy in the polo finally managed to rip his gaze off of Eddie and look around when music started bouncing off the probably cheap speakers the bar owned. Yup, he was definitely out of place. He was lucky nobody had called him out yet.
He sighed. Maybe he could head home soon. It's not like he hated being there, it was surprisingly ok. It's just that he felt like his mission had been accomplished and there was no reason for him to hang around anymore.
Boy, was he wrong.
He looked back at Eddie and the band and he found three sets of eyes on himself. It made him flinch a little.
When he looked to the side out of awkwardness, he found that Ethan was on stage taking down the drums. He pretended to be really interested in it for as long as he could before turning back to the others.
Eddie wasn't looking at him anymore, but Jeff and Gareth were. The metalhead seemed exasperated; he started shaking his head violently and gesturing negatively with his hands. He was saying something, but his lips were hard to read. Gareth suddenly turned his eyes back to Eddie and stepped towards him. Said drummer pointed at Steve without looking at him and Eddie swallowed thick.
Steve felt like he was watching TV on mute. It was an interesting interaction to watch to say the least, but the imaginary fourth wall that he built unconsciously collapsed when Munson stared at him like a deer in headlights.
He watched the man push his tongue against his cheek and huff before pushing Gareth (out of spite judging by the intensity of the movement) and walking away from both of his friends. It took him longer than it should've to realize he was talking towards him.
Eddie regained some of his cool on the way there, he could tell.
"Hey, big boy. How'd ya like the show?" He looped an arm around Steve's shoulders, the same arm with which he held the bouquet. "I, for one, loved the flowers."
"Damn Munson, you had a dirty little secret. I didn't know you could sing." He chuckled teasingly.
"Well, I hope you were pleasantly surprised." He mocked, but there was something that resembled hope and expectation in his tone.
"I loved it, Eds. You guys are really good. Like, for real. I'm not just saying that." Steve offered his patented charming smile as he said so.
Eddie faced away from him for a moment.
"So, um… What time do you need to be home?" He turned back to the ex-jock.
He shrugged. "Uh… I don't really have a curfew? I do have work tomorrow, but I have the afternoon shift, I…"
"They wanna talk to you." Eddie deadpanned.
Steve cocked his eyebrows. "They… Your friends?"
The long haired man scratched his neck. "Yeah. I tried to talk them out of it, but Gareth… I don't really know what his deal is, but he's on and on about how this is weird and impossible. So much for having faith in me, huh?"
Steve licked his lips and twiddled his thumbs. He didn't like that idea, at all. He was aware of many things that made his skin crawl the fact that these Hawkins outcasts strongly disliked him being one of them. He could've had hope and thought they didn't really hate him or anything despite his reputation, but Eddie made that clear the other night.
"So, he wants to have a heart to heart or something like that?" He laughed nervously.
Eddie lulled his head sideways. "Not quite. He wants you to come sit with us in the back for our little after show ritual. We chug beer and talk shit, honestly. Maybe discuss what could've been better and stuff like that. We used to do it after each and every show back when we played regularly." He gave Steve an apologetic smile."I told him no, but he's uh… adamant."
Steve looked like his whole system was being rebooted. He really didn't know what to say. Maybe karma was getting him after all those years of being a douche (as if fighting demodogs, demobats and god damn Vecna wasn't enough).
His heart started beating faster. What would that mean for their little set up? Would he have to pretend to be Eddie's boyfriend? It gave him chills, but not in a bad way, at least he didn't think so.
"Listen, if you want out then you're out. I'll deal with it." Eddie seemed concerned, probably because Steve spaced out for quite a long time while making a face that you would make if you were afraid of needles and were waiting in line to be vaccinated.
The younger man let out a breath that he wasn't fully aware he was holding. He was there to help Eddie after all, right? How bad could it be?
"No, no, it's just… I don't know what I'm gonna say, what I'm going to talk about. Do they expect us to act like a real couple or…? I'm…" Steve quickly ran a hand through his hair. "I said I'd help you, I'll help you. Just tell me what to do."
Eddie stared at him, pupils blown wide. His expression went blank for about three seconds before he grew a big shiny smile. He softly put his free hand on the boy's neck and he used his thumb to turn his chin towards him so they would be completely face to face.
"Steve Harrington. You get more and more kissable by the fucking minute."
Steve smiled with closed lips and puffed out his cheeks. "Hm, I try my best."
So that was that.
He didn't have much time to think about anything, because suddenly he was walking with Eddie towards the back of the bar, following after Gareth, Jeff and Ethan. He took in a few essential ideas from Eddie's mumbling:
1- They don't have to act like a couple, but a few glances and touches here and there would be fine. Eddie wouldn't want to seem like he's settled for someone who doesn't care for him.
2- Gareth hates his guts. Jeff and Ethan might or might not dislike him in their own ways, he is Steve Harrington after all, but Gareth seems to hold a grudge of some sort.
3- He doesn't need to make conversation. They talk a lot on their own, he should just try to go along with whatever the subject and not force it if he doesn't know enough. If they're talking DnD, Eddie exemplified, it's not a good idea for Steve to try and butt in. He'd just embarrass himself.
4- It's ok if he wants to duck out at any point. He'd just have to let Eddie know. (Eddie assured him of this even after he insisted it would be fine.)
Before he knew it, they were in a poorly lit room, scattered across two chairs, a couch and a bean bag. He and Eddie took the couch, of course. Suddenly there was beer in his hand. Jeff handed it to him.
There was an awkward silence, and he knew it was awkward because nobody seemed to feel comfortable. He also felt like all of the eyes in the world were on him, but that's besides the point.
Thankfully, the dense atmosphere was cut off by the sound of Jeff putting his beer down on the floor and clearing his throat. "Eddie's getting better and better at Whiplash. Man, it was almost flawless tonight."
The guitarist scoffed playfully. "I'm far from flawless, thank you Jeff." He took a sip from his own beer. "I need to work on the bridge, it's kicking my ass."
"Not bad for the first show in months, Eddie." Ethan chimed in. "You're practicing your ass off and it's paying off, give yourself some credit."
"Well how about you in that opening number, dude?" Eddie's grin grew wider. "Fantastic. Exactly what I had in mind. You blew me away."
Ethan laughed soundly. "It couldn't be less than that after all that practice you put us through. A fucking Queen song, too."
The long haired boy seemed to choke a little at the statement recently made.
Steve licked his lips. What did 'all that practice' mean? Did Eddie go too far out of his way just to do a little something for him?
"You all sounded great." Steve's voice finally cut through the air, freezing the room for exactly six seconds. He almost regretted talking.
"Thanks, man. 'Appreciate that." Jeff, who'd picked up his beer to take another swig, gestured with the bottle towards him. Steve mirrored him.
"Really, I enjoyed it. It's not even my music of choice, but you guys have something special. I mean it." He tried to sound as confident as he could.
Jeff and Ethan seemed very happy at the statement. Eddie smiled warmly and slightly leaned towards him. Steve noticed that, surprisingly just now, the daisy the metalhead had tucked on his hair was sliding off. He pushed it back without really thinking about it.
Gareth, who'd been awfully quiet, cleared his throat. "What a great sacrifice to make. You know, to come here and listen to music you don't like."
Steve glanced at Eddie, who was frowning at the drummer. He stammered before he answered. "Uh, not really… I don't hate the genre, it's just not my thing. And it was nice seeing you guys play."
"I don't know if Eddie's told ya', but we used to play here often. Like every single week" Jeff intervened as fast as he could, maybe to keep Gareth from talking. "We were set back when our fearless leader was in the hospital, but we're hoping to be back on track."
Steve nodded. He did know. Eddie told him. He also knew because whenever he went to visit his friend in the ICU, he'd mention how pissed he was about not being able to play (at least once per visit).
"I wish you the best of luck." He said. He felt a bit awkward about it, but it went away when he heard 'thanks.' He looked to the side to find Eddie looking at him with a big, toothy smile.
He was about to wonder if it was because of what he said or for playing the part, but he was distracted. Gareth started chuckling out of nowhere. Everyone looked at him, slightly thrown off. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. This is just too weird."
"What is?" Ethan asked from the bean bag, stretching his arms out.
"Steve fucking Harrington. Here. In the Hideout. Just… Drinking beer with us." He leaned forward on his seat. Steve swallowed thick.
"Alright Gare, lay off him." Eddie fended. Nothing the drummer said was offensive or anything, but there was something in his tone. The ex-jock couldn't quite pick it up, but Eddie seemed like he sure did.
"I'm just saying it's weird. What? He's converted now? He's not in the chase for us freaks anymore?"
Steve's not gonna lie, that stung a little. Who he was in the past still haunted him at night. While he didn't think of himself as a bully, he was friends with bullies who made other people's lives miserable. He wasn't cleared of that. And it's not like he was very nice either, like he didn't do some good old locker-pushing and occasional name-calling. He didn't know what to respond with. He didn't know if he could respond.
"Hey, Gareth? Knock it off. Really." Eddie sounded properly pissed. That was his signature pissed voice tone.
"I'm just confused." He shrugged. "What exactly are you doing here?" He stared daggers at Steve.
It actually took him about ten seconds to open his mouth and answer. Now he knows what Eddie was so worried about. "I'm… I came to see the show."
Jeff and Ethan seemed pretty uncomfortable. It was an uncomfortable situation. Whether they liked him or not, Steve didn't know, but they were definitely not on board with whatever Gareth was doing. Eddie snaked an arm around Steve's shoulders, still fulminating his band mate with his eyes. He didn't react to it, Eddie's quite the touchy type, he's used to it. He actually relaxed into the embrace.
"But why? Like… Ok, for how long have you guys been taking? Because this whole thing, it doesn't make sense to me. What are you trying to do?"
"For fuck's… Can you leave him alone? I didn't bring him back here so you could cuss him out." Eddie stated. He said it quite loudly.
"I'm sure he just came to have a good time, right?" Jeff popped in unsurely, as if he couldn’t believe he was defending Steve Harrington. Steve appreciated that.
He didn't want to be there anymore, but somehow he felt like he deserved it. He nodded, looked directly at Gareth, and stammered his way to a response. "I did! I… Eddie invited me, I really wanted to watch him play." And although it wasn't the reason he was there, it wasn't a lie.
Gareth sighed heavily and looked over at Eddie for a moment before continuing his rant. "Oh, really? So you don't think he's a freak? You're not toying with him? Because you know, you have quite the reputation and-"
Eddie went slack-jawed for a moment, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He interrupted his friend. "Gareth, I swear to-"
"I like Eddie, alright?" Steve interrupted the interruption, finally collecting himself. It did upset him that Gareth would think he was playing with Eddie's feelings. He would never do that. Up until that point, he'd felt as if he deserved all of that, but something about the implication that he would hurt Eddie really bothered him. "I know I've been a dick, I know that, but that's not me anymore. I care about him, I wouldn't be back here if I didn't. I regret the way I acted in high school, and I'm sorry if I ever hurt any of you. I'm just here for Eddie. That's all there is to it."
Steve felt the metalhead slightly tighten the grip he had around him. The room stayed silent for a little while, but all Steve could focus on was the way Eddie wouldn't let go of him.
"I think we should leave." Eddie licked his lips after he made that statement. No one really had anything against that. He finally removed his arm from Steve's shoulders to stand up.
Steve stood there awkwardly as Eddie walked up to Ethan and Jeff. They exchanged their corresponding goodbyes. "Alright. See y'all for practice on Saturday." He fist bumped Ethan and he patted Jeff's shoulder before shaking his hand.
"Uh, pleasure to meet you." Steve waved his hand, still standing in front of the couch.
"Yeah man, we'll ah… We'll see you around." Jeff smiled and once again gestured with his bottle towards Steve. He winced and nodded.
He couldn't tell if he meant it or not, but he didn't mind. He caught Eddie smiling at them when he looked back at him.
"Let's go, big boy." The metalhead took a hold of Steve's wrist to lead him out of the room. Gareth was the closest to the door, so they had to pass him to get out. "Bye, dick." Eddie sang. The way he said almost made Steve burst out laughing, but he feared maybe Gareth would actually murder him if he did. Holding back laughter became harder when Eddie used his free hand to slap the back of the drummer's head as they left. "I can take care of myself, y'know?"
He might have ended up giggling on their way out, actually. As they returned to the noise and chatter of the bar, guilt sat on the bottom of Steve's stomach.
"I'm sorry, Eds. I really wanted it to work."
Eddie didn't seem to mind. In fact, Eddie was kissing his cheek before he could tell. "You amaze me." He softly patted the cheek he kissed. "Gareth's just… Like that. You did what you could."
Steve should have thanked all the gods above for the poor lighting, because his face was rapidly pinking up. "I kinda deserved that, though. I've been quite the douchebag."
The guitarist slid his hand down to the neck of the black polo and pulled on the flaps to straighten them. "Maybe you did. A little bit." He grinned playfully. "But you're not that person anymore. And you know something Stevie? You said you liked me." He made the 'l' linger.
The younger man felt heat from the bottom of his neck to the very top of his forehead. He laughed nervously. "What about it? I do. You're my date, remember?"
Eddie laughed along with him. "Oh, silly me."
They walked towards the stage and Eddie hopped on to grab his guitar. It gave Steve time to cool down, the situation was starting to become a bit too much.
Once Eddie came back with his sweetheart (Steve knows that's how he calls his guitar) under his arm, they started to head towards the exit door.
"I really do like you, you know?" Steve glanced at Eddie as he spoke. "And you're someone I never thought I'd like. I'm happy you're in my life, Eddie."
He didn't know where that came from, he just suddenly felt the need to say it.
Eddie smiled widely without showing teeth. He looked down for a second before he purposely bumped against his fake date. "You're not bad at all either, Steve."
They left the bar behind. Steve unconsciously followed Eddie to his van like a little puppy. The owner of the vehicle slumped against it and crossed his arms. "So… I'm taking it you wouldn't like to come next week, would you? I wasn't going to ask but, uh, I liked having you here and-"
"I would love to come, Munson." The words were out of his mouth before he could process a single one of them.
Eddie's eyes lit up.
Eddie has that thing; he talks with his eyes. He usually doesn't need it, his words are more than enough but, boy, when they talk. It'd be way too easy for anyone to get lost into those deep, chocolatey eyes. Right at that moment, they were full of gratitude and joy. Steve was more than happy to be the recipient of that.
"Ok, then."