Archive of Our Own ^beta

Ever since the whole Upside Down situation, Eddie is an icon of bad luck. Now, he's never been a real lucky guy in all his life but lately if something can go wrong, it'll go wrong for him. He's too scared to not put a lottery ticket on these days because he's so damn sure that the one day he doesn't his numbers will come up. If he ever wins he's sure he'll get hit by a bus on his way to claim it.

He's not really sure if the Upside Down had anything to do with it. Are monster bat teeth coated in anti-luck juice? That probably isn't it, that doesn't really seem right but, hell, neither does a mirror dimension full of demonic creatures and one guy with what he's been told was truly the worst skin anyone had ever seen. 

He doesn't mean to be dramatic but maybe the real curse of Vecna isn't mental torture and being snapped and broken in midair, it's having really irritating but ultimately not actually dangerous bad luck?

Mostly the whole bad luck thing is just an annoyance so he plays into it for humour. "You'll never guess what happened to me this time" is a conversation starter he's pulled out at least once a week. He lets his friends laugh with him about it all. If he doesn't laugh about it he'll probably cry.

His van is giving him shit for about the nineteenth time that week so he's out making a real heroic effort at fixing it by himself, probably doing more damage to his hands than he's doing good to the engine but he likes working on it anyway. It's a little bit of normalcy for him, something he did in The Before Times. Even if he sucked at it back then and continues to suck at it now.

He hears a bang on the side of the van and a voice says "Take me to school?" It's never so much a question as a demand with one eyebrow raised when it comes to Max Mayfield. He wouldn't have it any other way, even if he won't admit it out loud to her. She comes out of nowhere, silent as a ghost when she speaks and he cracks his head on the hood because, well, of course he does.

Before he can even agree to take her to school she's already starting her attempt at climbing into his van, throwing her stick in first. 

"And what if I said no, huh? What would you do then?"

"As if you could ever say no to me. Can we go? Some of us have learning to do." If anyone else said that to him – poked right in one of his many sore spots – he'd probably have to wrap the feelings up in a bundle of fake laughter, take them home, and cry about them later when no one's looking and no one will be looking until the red puffy eyes disappear. From Max, though? It's just funny as shit. He thinks there's not much she could say to him that he wouldn't like to hear.

See, he won't be graduating this year. Or any year after. Turns out that being framed for murder by a psychotic strip of jerky on legs, going on the run to avoid the angry mob out for your very blood, and being so badly torn apart by creatures from another dimension that you spend six weeks unconscious in a government medical facility bed and a further four weeks conscious in that same bed will do that to your grand graduation plans. Turns out this wasn't his year. '86 baby, indeed. His new best government friends – who never call, who never write – put out some story that he's a goddamn hero and the school still won't have him back for a fourth attempt. Bad luck, Eddie.

"Alright, alright," he says, hoisting himself up into the driver's seat with a difficulty he's barely beginning to get used to, tossing his cane in the passenger footwell, and throwing the van in gear. "I don't see why Steve can't take you."

"You just want him to come around so you can keep making moon eyes at him. It's so embarrassing to watch." she says, continuing her own difficulty in reaching the passenger seat, wordlessly taking his outstretched hand for leverage. First thing she does is knock his cane out of the way with her own. Every damn time.

"You don't watch shit, Red. You can't even see!"

"I can still see, dipshit. You're lucky everything is blurry so I don't have to barf every time you make googly eyes at him." She fake gags and sticks her tongue far out to really sell the false retch and he can't keep the smile off his face.

"I should throw you out of this van right now. Tell me, Little Red, why do I keep letting you in my van?"

"No one else will listen to you whine about your spleen, I guess."

Yeah. The bats, uh, ate that. They had a real good attempt at getting to his stomach and large intestine too but the spleen was the only organ that didn't pull through in the end. Everything else got a patch job but the spleen was just gone.

"Hey, now! The spleen is infinitely more important than its stupid name would have you believe. You may laugh, Maximilian, but it filters your blood! I'm missing a whole entire blood filter!"

She just laughs at him. He doesn't really mind, he's getting quite used to that. Really, he likes it when she laughs, he likes hearing it burst from her mouth. She hasn't had a whole lot of reasons to laugh this last year so if he can give her one by nearly dying then sure. Why not?

"Maximum! I'll have you know it's an important part of your immune system! I'll have to take antibiotics every day! For the rest of my life! Forever!"

She's still laughing as they arrive at the school and while he's trying to tell her again just how serious an OPSI, an Overwhelming Post-Splenectomy Infection, could be she slips out of the van and lands on two wobbly legs and a sturdy stick.

"Need picked up again later?"

"Nah. Steve's droppin' me off today. See ya." She says with a smirk before just turning and walking off.

God. God.

He'll have to spend some time today practicing how to not look at Steve like he painted the stars. God knows he has time. God knows he'll need it.

There were a lot of bad sides to the whole Upside Down business. The watching people die, the nearly dying himself, Max nearly dying, the world nearly ending. But the good side? Eddie made absolute bank in hush money. And that's something, right? He really doesn't need to work, or sell, for the time being. 

Which is great because the whole Eddie Munson: Town Hero shit didn't really stick. Or, it didn't actually land in the first place. So, needless to say, he's not the most desirable hire in town. Not really who you want to be the face of your business. Or even stacking your shelves. Not even scrubbing your toilets, actually.

To fill the time, a lot of what he's been doing is just attending the Steve Harrington School of Driving the Kids-Who-Aren't-Really-Kids Around Where They Need To Go. Max and Erica definitely abuse the privilege most often but he doesn't really mind. It's nice to have company. Nice to feel useful and wanted, even if it is just for a ride here and there.

Mostly what he does with his time is putter about. Tries to keep moving, keep using the damn cane so he doesn't have to use the damn wheelchair. Sometimes he uses the damn cane so much he has to use the damn wheelchair. He's grateful for them both, he really is. He knows they're his tickets to freedom and without them he'd be stuck inside his apartment with Wayne hanging over him, asking him what he needs every five minute. The guy means so, so well but Eddie needs his freedom. 

All that freedom is what made him actually realise the whole bad luck thing was happening in the first place.

There had been little things around the new apartment; glasses constantly shattering in his hand, a mirror breaking with zero reason while he was just trying to fix his hair so it didn't look quite so fixed, his freezer packing in the day he made a huge pot of chilli for freezing, him dropping said huge pot of chilli trying to carry it through to Max's new place to use her freezer, every single pack of 'boneless' chicken he cooked being full of bones and cartilage and shit he couldn't even name, his milk souring, eggs turning. Kind of stuff to make you sigh and, if you're as dramatic as Eddie can be, curse a God you may or may not even believe in, but nothing major.

On the scale of bad luck he knows there was the whole, you know, witnessing and being framed for a supernatural murder, witnessing and being framed for a second supernatural murder, being hunted by the town, nearly dying…thing. The shit happening now can't compare to any of that and he knows it. His luck can't be all that bad when he managed to pull through all that, even if he does just think he made that through coasting on his good luck charm, Steve. Never mind all the shit that just keeps happening.

But what really sealed the deal in his mind was definitely that first walk into town by himself. He made it barely halfway there, body aching, just getting used to walking with his stick, but enjoying the freedom and the fresh air filling and stretching his lungs, before a car roared past, through a puddle, and sent a tidal wave up and right over Eddie, soaking him to the bone in an instant. It hadn't even rained, so who knows where the puddle came from. When he'd turned around to complain, a bike messenger knocked him right on his ass and just kept on peddling without a word. When he opened his mouth to yell after them, a wasp flew right on into his mouth and stung his tongue. All around, not a good day.

It's not always that bad. Sometimes it comes in handy, actually. He can practically control the weather. You want rain? Just tell Eddie Munson to go outside without an umbrella. And Nancy uses him like a radar for which horses not to bet on, so that's something, right?

He's got a few hours to kill before he makes a fool of himself in front of Steve again so he does what he always does. Visits Nancy at work.

He's not having a great day, painwise, and he's not even halfway limped his way through the door before she's asking "Hot or cold today, Eddie?"

"Hot today, Nance." he adds a quick "Thanks" as she sticks a heat pack in the microwave for him.

"So, to what do I owe the pleasure today?" she says with a smile. He trusts she really means it considering if she's not working she's the one who visits him, showing up at his apartment with takeout or some video she got from Robin. They all visit him but she comes the most by far and he loves the hell out of her for it.

"Just got done dropping Maximus off at school and thought I'd visit my best gal, that's all."

She hands him the heat pack and he slaps it straight on his hip, the relief is instant and he sighs right into it. Turns out your body taking that kind of extreme trauma will fuck up your nerves, like, permanently.

"Are you going to the party next week?"

He has to stare at her for a little while, really let the gears and cogs turn, before it finally clicks into place in his mind. Ah, shit. Yeah. Halloween party at the Argyle and Jonathan abode.

He's been silent too long, staring at her like he forgot how to speak. He's just remembered to close his mouth when she speaks again.

"You know if you don't Argyle is gonna cry, right? Do you want to be responsible for that?"

"Don't guilt-trip me, Wheeler. It's just…"

"First party since everything happened, you're worried about being around so many people, and you're worried about people's expectations?"

Of course she'd just read him straight away like that. This chick really gets him.

"I'll see, Nance."

"Alright. Just don't leave it too late to decide. I don't know if you'll be allowed in that door without a costume. And remember the theme is horror movie characters. Argyle is going all out, Jonathan says he's been handcrafting all the decorations for weeks. It's their housewarming as well as a Halloween party, you know. It's special."

"Yeah, I know."

And because Nancy knows him so damn well she knows that's as far as the conversation is gonna go without him verbally shutting down so she switches up.

"Are you picking Max up from school again?"

"Nah, Steve's getting her so I'm as free as a bird this afternoon."

"And will you be saying anything to him today or just peeking out of the window like he can't see you standing right there?"

Ok, Nancy probably knows him too well.

"Do us all a favour and go say hi to him today, Eddie. Invite him inside."

That's the thing. Steve has been in his apartment. Hell, he helped Eddie and Max both move into their new apartments, next door to each other as if the world just wouldn't let them not be neighbours. It's just, he hasn't hung out with Steve alone. Nancy shows up alone, Argyle shows up alone. Even Jonathan shows up alone with a six pack every few weeks. But Steve he only sees as part of a group, or, more often, just along with Robin, like they're a package deal. Well, not like. They are a package deal.

It makes the whole asking Steve out thing that much harder.

It's not that he's not gonna do it, it's just finding a moment. A moment where the ceiling above him isn't spilling water down on him. Like it is right now.

"Eddie, oh my God!" He hears Nancy say but he doesn't even try to move out of the way. Just kind of groans, kind of sighs, and lets it happen. If he tries to get out of the way of the stream he'll probably slip or pull an electrical cable out of somewhere so he just sits there, resigned to his sodden fate.

When the water finally stops and he can look around and make sure that, yeah, everyone in the whole room is looking, Nancy asks if he's ok. These things happen so often that he can see she's hiding a laugh behind her hand.

"You can have your little chuckle, Nance, I'm fine. The water was kind of warm so that's somethi-"

He's interrupted by the sound of the heating pad bursting, spilling pathetic little seeds into the pathetic big puddle he's pathetically sitting in.

"And that's my cue, I think. With that, I bid you adieu, Miss Wheeler." He doesn't even offer to clean up the mess his luck brought with him, he knows she'll tell him no. It's a wonder he isn't banned from her workplace. He reckons the garbage disposal fiasco or the lightswitch incident both should have had him banned.

"I'll see you later, Eddie. Think about the party, will you? And please speak to Steve!" she calls after him as he leaves. 

Yeah, yeah. He will. Absolutely.

Except really he just freezes up again. He watches Steve swing his car into the lot and right into a space in front of where Eddie is standing at his window. He does mean to go out and say 'hey, wanna come in?' But all that happens is he kind of just opens his mouth a little then waves. Good job, Eddie.

He does get a wave back and a dopey grin before Steve backs out of the space and fires off again so it's not a complete loss, really.

Someone knocks on his door loud and he drops his glass – his favourite glass – and watches in slow motion as it somersaults through the air and smashes into jagged pieces all over the ground. He curses whoever the hell would dare knock on his door like that, swings it open with force to confront them, and is met with the sight of Max.

"You're taking me Halloween shopping with Steve tomorrow and I'm ditching you both the second I get my shit. Ask him out when you're alone with him." she tells him before spinning on her heel and disappearing up the hallway without so much as a goodbye.

He stands there in his doorway, mouth hanging open, a sense of panic hanging in the air and settling in his stomach. He only remembers to shut his mouth and go inside when the bulb above his door blows.

******

Eddie somehow finds himself waiting outside Steve's house ten minutes early, Max in the seat next to him. He can't believe he's getting moral support in his love life from a high school kid.

He's drumming the shit out of his steering wheel, a beat made up of pure nerves. He tries to pass it off to Max like he's just giving the second most metal performance in the history of ever but he knows she's having none of it.

He also knows he looks like shit today.

His shower gave him about 20 seconds of heat before dumping pure ice water on him, his hair dryer blew up in his damn hand so his hair is hanging limp and half wet, his eyeliner went missing, and when he tried to put his good jeans on the button completely fell out onto the floor and rolled away to lands unknown.

He's dressed like shit, he looks like shit, and he's supposed to ask Steve Harrington out today. He's pretty sure he's forgetting something and he's very sure that it was something important.

God help him.

He watches Steve and another form he thinks is probably Robin peek up over the sill of an upstairs window. What the hell is Robin doing here? Why is Steve hiding? Did he change his mind because Eddie looks like complete ass today?

He just keeps drumming. Stop thinking so much, Eddie.

"Can you cut it out? You're making me nervous." Max snaps after making a concerted effort to deal with his obnoxiously hard and loud air drumming.

"What if he says no, Max? I look like complete dogshit today, what if he takes one look at me and changes his mind?"

She huffs the biggest sigh, so hard it's nearly a groan. "He likes you and you know it. You like him and you definitely know that. Why is this so difficult for you?"

See, that's the thing. He knows Steve likes him. He's not so stupid he can't see that. The dude looks at Eddie's lips more than his eyes. Constantly calls him just to check in on him. Oh, and he flat out told Eddie he liked him when he thought he was unconscious. Or dying. Eddie hasn't quite gotten around to telling him he heard that, though. He wonders if maybe that's the thing he was forgetting? But, nope, that doesn't seem like it.

"Jeez, you get two partners and suddenly you think it's that easy for the rest of us, huh? How are Lucas and El anyway?"

"They're both fine and you know it. Don't change the subject. Ask him out today for everyone's sake. I'm not hanging out with either of you ever again until you bite the bullet." Her expression is so deadly serious he thinks maybe he really won't see her ever again if he doesn't do the damn thing.

He opens his mouth to argue or make some smart-assed comment – Is that a threat or a promise? – but before he can, Steve is pulling the door open and Max is budging over to make room for him.

"Sorry you were waiting so long, man. Wasn't expecting you yet. Robin was just, uh, helping me with something." Steve's face is flushed and there's a glint of what Eddie dares to believe might be a sheen of nervous sweat but everything else about him is as perfect as always. Perfect face, perfect hair, perfect proportions, perfect style. Perfect guy. Eddie can barely keep himself together sitting this close. Thank God Max is sitting between them or he'd have probably made a fool of himself already.

"H-hey, man, it's cool! We were, uh, early anyway! So no problemo!" He knows Max caught that stutter. And who says problemo?

He also knows he's staring at Steve. He knows Steve is staring back because their eyes have met, only a head of red hair between them. He smiles and Steve smiles back and Eddie feels like he's going to choke to death on his own tongue, that little traitor that lives in his face and makes him say things like "problemo" or, as an alternative, absolutely nothing at all.

"Are we gonna sit here all day? I don't know how I'm gonna finish my costume with shit from Steve's stupid house."

Eddie grimaces, shuts his eyes, prays, and tries to start his van. It gives a jolt and a shudder and he thinks it's about to crap out again but it starts up eventually. Steve really is a good luck charm.

"My house is stupid?" Steve says with fake hurt in his voice. Eddie huffs out a little laugh as he throws the van in gear and pulls out of the drive. He knows Steve doesn't give a shit about that house. As he leaves he watches Robin's head peek out and disappear just as quickly again. He wonders what's so interesting about his driving.

******

He's never really sure how he and Max get to bickering. Honestly, it always happens whenever he has to drive her somewhere further than five minutes away. One second they're in silence listening to the radio, the next Steve is darting his eyes to and fro to watch each of them argue in turn.

"He broke half my bones, Eddie. I'm gonna get arthritis so early and who knows if I'll ever get rid of the stick?"

"I got half eaten by monsters, Maxxy! And, might I add, I definitely can't walk without a stick ever again. Did you miss the wheelchair in the back of the van?"

"I have a wheelchair too."

"Yeah and you keep it in the house. I have to keep mine handy in my van, Maxxo, wherever I go."

"I'm practically blind, Eddie!"

"I don't have a spleen!"

"God, that again."

"It's a deceptively important organ, Maximal!"

"I got fibromyalgia from this shit!"

"I did too! And mine's probably worse."

"Why would yours be worse?"

"I have more nerve damage, you know, from being partially eaten by monsters. And I'm bigger than you so I just have more nerves."

"Well you're goddamn right about that."

This is kind of their thing. Everyone else treats them like delicate china, like they're all scared that if he or Max bumps into something too hard or at the wrong angle they'll completely shatter. It's nice knowing everyone cares, it really is, but it can be so suffocating. Being able to scrap it out verbally with Max, is like therapy for them both; like a chance to vent their frustrations with the hand they've been dealt. He hopes she gets as much out of it as he does. She's the little sister he never knew he wanted until he was fighting with her in his van.

Steve has been watching them this whole time like he doesn't know if he should laugh or be absolutely horrified. Eddie guesses he kind of gets it, though. He knows Steve's deaf in one ear and his vision is failing; he can see the scars peeking up from the collar of Steve's shirts, twisting around his neck; he's had to pick Steve up, Robin in tow, from work when he's had a migraine so bad he can't make it home alone; he watches Steve grimace and rub his side every time he stretches too far, twists too fast. He knows that feeling very well.

"Do you guys always argue over who's more disabled or am I just getting a special performance?" Steve finally says, clearly having decided it's more funny than horrifying, thank God.

"Oh, it's an everyday occurrence with this one. I drive her around everything and this is the thanks I get." Eddie tells him. Before Max can say her piece he's pulling into the parking lot, gesturing with one hand, and announcing "We have arrived."

Eddie watches as Steve hops out first and helps Max down and onto her feet. He smiles as he watches Steve hand her her stick with that infamous dopey Harrington grin because, God, he's just so sweet. When he turns to start his own descent, Steve is right there next to him. He must have sprinted around the van at some ridiculous speed.

"Need a hand?" Steve says, waggling his fingers, a dopey grin on his face like he just made a funny joke.

"Why thank you, kind sir." Eddie replies, trying not to seem overly keen to take advantage of this unforeseen chance to hold Steve Harrington's hand, even if only for a second.

Except that second stretches on into seconds and suddenly Eddie is holding Steve's hand as they walk down the street, heading towards the store. He can't believe his luck.

He's pretty sure he hears a grumbled "Finally." coming from Max but he lets it slide. He doesn't really care about anything anymore because Steve Harrington is holding his hand and they're shopping together with Eddie's honorary little sister and Eddie just thinks there's never been a better day. He just wishes he could put his finger on what he's forgotten.

When there's a thud, a clang, and a yelled warning from above followed closely by a bucket of water coming tumbling down from a window cleaner above, Eddie, entirely used to these things happening and resigned to ending up soaked to the bone for the second time this week, just closes his eyes and waits to feel himself drenched by dirty window washer water. Instead what he feels is being pulled out of the way by his hand and caught before he can lose his balance and then suddenly there he is, in Steve's arms like a delicate maiden who swooned and nearly fainted. With this close up view of Steve's face he thinks he might still do that.

"You alright?"

Eddie grins and places the back of his hand on his forehead, really selling the whole delicate maiden thing. "My hero!"

"God, you're both insufferable." For someone who went out of her way to help create this moment, Max sure is determined not to let it go un-mocked.

Steve helps him right himself and get his balance with his stick again. Eddie only has a second to mourn the loss of Steve's hand in his own before Steve reclaims his grasp. He really hopes the heat he can feel blooming across his face isn't too obvious.

Max, of course, doesn't actually need anyone's help to look for what she's here for. She can see enough to manage, just can't read the prices. Doesn't matter much since she has two chaperones with her, both offering to pay for everything. Eddie just sits in a chair and watches her acting skills in motion as she pretends to browse.

When she finds what she supposedly desperately needed – a plain white t-shirt – she instantly makes up such a blatantly obvious excuse that Eddie has to struggle not to groan. Or throttle her. Both options seem equally appealing.

"Oh, man, I forgot. I'm supposed to help Lucas look for his dog today."

Jesus Christ, she could have at least tried to come up with something feasible. That excuse reeks of horseshit.

Steve cocks his head, quirks an eyebrow, and tells her as much. "Max, Lucas doesn't have a dog."

"Well not now he doesn't. Why do you think I have to go help him find it? Jeez." Then she just turns and walks off. Eddie watches her get into Nancy's car. Ah. It's a team effort. A conspiracy of friendship.

"So, just us two I guess?" Steve says, tearing Eddie's eyes away from the intrigue of the blatant scheming of their friends.

Eddie stands up faster than a man of his health has any business standing up. "Yeah! Alone at last. So, hey, I was just wonderi-" he starts to say before his vision starts to turn to black spots and the ground starts coming up to meet him. 

He finally gets up the nerve to ask Steve out and he has to go and faint right onto him. Just his luck.

******

He wakes up in a hospital bed and he could cry then and there. He won't, he has a reputation to protect, but if he never sees another hospital bed for as long as he lives it'll be too soon.

His specialist is standing over him. Dr Peter J Williamson, consultant. They're tight. Real close friends. Eddie got a good rapport going with him when he was stuck in hospital those last few weeks after clawing his way back to consciousness. They both have 'son' in their name and everything. That's what all great friendships are made of.

"Hello, Mr Munson."

Yeah, great friends.

"Hey, docso. Remember, call me Eddie. Mr Munson is my uncle. And, I guess, my old man too but he doesn't count. Miss me?" It would be hard to miss the way Williamson screws his eyes shut and breathes deeply, almost like he's counting to ten or something.

"Remember it's Dr Williamson."

Oh yeah, he definitely missed Eddie.

"Well alrighty, tell it to me straight, doc. It's the ol' spleen isn't it?"

"Well, as you know very well, you no longer have a spleen. So, I'm not really sure what you think it could have done to make you faint, Edward. However, we did check your bloods just in case. Platelet count is high but that's to be expected, that's a consequence of the splenectomy. Reticulocytes still raised at 228 but, again, that's just a measure of your marrow having to work harder. Bilirubin level was normal at 12, too."

Sounds like a whole lot of gibberish to Eddie. And who the hell is Edward?

"Ok, so why did I faint? People don't just do that for no reason, right? Am I dying? Is this the end of the line for ol' Eddie?"

"Well, the best that I can figure out is that you didn't eat or drink enough then stood up too fast."

Ah. So that's what he was forgetting. The whole eating and drinking thing. That's definitely not completely mortifying at all.

Coincidentally, Steve walked back in the room carrying food and drink just as the doctor said that.

"Dude, I told you." Steve places the stuff he was carrying down on the side table and it honest to god had to specifically be so he could pop a hip and stick his hands on his waist like some disappointed momma who just found out you broke her favourite mug horsing around in the kitchen.

"Dude, no you did not?"

"I did, you were just unconscious already. Damn mouth hanging open and everything." Great, now he knows that he was probably drooling while Steve carried him to a hospital. Again.

"Oh well that's becoming a bit of a habit, isn't it? You need to stop telling me things when you think I'm unconscious, Steve." Eddie tells him, wincing as he does because he realises mid sentence that he just gave up that little secret.

The confused frown on Steve's face is instant and somehow he manages to pop his hip even further. "Oh, so you heard about before? Or were you actually awake? And you didn't say anything?"

"O…K…I'm going to just…continue my rounds. You're free to go once you're ready, Mr Munson. Just don't stand up so fast. And remember to eat and drink, as always. They're basic human needs, shouldn't be this difficult." Eddie had forgotten the doctor was even there, and he guesses Steve had too when he watches him instantly soften and thank the doctor on Eddie's behalf.

"Man, he still really does not like you, Eddie."

"I think I'm winning him over. Next time I even think we'll be on a first name basis."

The expression on Steve's face is honestly a little bit heartbreaking, all soft concern and puppy dog eyes. "There better not be a next time, Eddie. I mean it."

"I was joking. Sorry. I promise to remember to eat breakfast and not stand up so fast from now on. Scout's honour." He replies, giving a quick salute.

"So…you heard what I said to you? In March? About how I felt?"

Eddie suddenly feels extremely stupid for not saying anything sooner. It's been months and he can't believe he didn't tell Steve right away. Like, the instant he woke up. "Yeah. Sorry I didn't say anything."

"Why didn't you? Do you...not feel the same way?" He's so hesitant to ask that second question, avoiding eye contact and pulling on his shirt sleeve, that Eddie feels his heart break a little bit more.

"No! I mean, yes! I do! I just didn't think I was supposed to hear that, on account of me being on death's door and you thinking I was out for the count, y'know? I thought maybe it was a heat of the moment thing too. I figured you'd say it again when I was conscious if you meant it and then you just never did."

"Oh. I guess in my mind I'd said it once already. It took a lot for me to say that so I just hoped you'd say something before I had to do it again. Everyone told me you like me so I just thought I'd wait for you to say something."

"Well, hey, do you wanna-"

The door to his room slams open at just that moment (because of course it does) and of all people to interrupt him trying to ask Steve out, in comes Nancy, Max right on her heels. 

He's lectured thoroughly on the merits of eating breakfast and staying hydrated by both of them and he tries not to be embarrassed at the fact a high school girl is part of a team reprimanding him for his self care standards. By the time they're finished, Steve is swearing at his own watch.

"Shit, I forgot I have to take Robin to work, I have to go now if I'm gonna make it. I'll see you all at the party! And look after yourself, Eddie, I mean it!" He calls the last two sentences over his shoulder, giving Eddie no chance to explain to him that actually he was thinking about skipping the whole party thing.

"You still didn't ask him out, did you?" Nancy says, a hint of exasperation drifting from her.

All he can do is sigh.

"Typical." he hears Max mutter.

Yeah. Typical.

******

"You have to pick a costume. It's not hard. You're going to the party, you need a costume."

"Nance, my entire wardrobe is shades of black with some Hellfire Club shirts thrown in for colour. What makes you think I have a costume in there?"

"Well, Eddie, what made you think you could wait until the day before Halloween to decide you're going to a costume party?"

She's got him there. Touche.

He'd really tried to get out of it but when Robin and Nancy showed up with Chinese food, the latest gossip, and the information that Steve was looking forward to seeing him at the party his resolve gave out. So now here he is, the day before Halloween, no costume, and no idea what to do about it.

Despite his reputation he's really not the biggest horror guy. He'd considered that old Michael Myers mask that had done him so well all those months ago but Max told him it was long gone, left behind in the chaos.

"Ok, what horror films do you like? You must like some?" Robin had asked, frowning slightly at him like she just couldn't believe that the hellfire club guy with his metal and his devil imagery wouldn't be a horror movie buff.

"You can check the tape collection, gals. Your friend Eddie Munson is not so into horror."

They indeed checked the tapes, both of them pouring through the Munson collection, trying their best to help him out. He sits there just shaking his head, accepting his costume-less fate, knowing that the whole exercise is futile and that they'll never fin-

"Oh, this is perfect. I didn't know you liked vampire movies, Eddie? I bet you have these clothes just lying around! And even the name is perfect! You can't deny just how ideal this is. Come on, Eddie!" Eddie would rarely deny Robin anything anyway but he did have to admit that she was onto something here. It's simple, bordering on lazy, and has potential for humour. He can live with that.

Robin looked absolutely ecstatic about finding the 'perfect' easy and quick costume for Eddie and he got the feeling there was some other reason she was so excited about this choice.

"You're going to have so much fun at this party, Eddie. I promise." He really did believe Nancy whenever she promised him things, no matter how ridiculous they'd been. Hell, he'd believed her when she promised him he'd be alright when they'd found him torn up and shredded and he's still here, on two feet with an extra "leg" for help, only one organ, one nipple, and some muscle missing.

"If no one gets who my costume is it's your fault, gals."

******

Eddie may or may not be completely freaking out. Halloween day is here and that means today is the day he finally asks Steve out on a goddamn date. His stomach aches just thinking about it.

Nancy already showed up and helped him with some prosthetic wounds before she had to go get herself ready. He's ready to go, really, he is. Except he's struggling to make himself get over the threshold. 

His mind is racing too fast for him to follow. A thousand questions, a thousand scenarios, a thousand what ifs. His head is banging with it all. 

And then his door is banging.

"Take me to my party?" Of course it's Max, of course it's not really a question.

He sighs with all the strength his inner theatre kid can muster, projecting it right down the hallway, right out the front door. All he gets in return is a raised eyebrow and a slight smirk.

He just gives in. As always. "Fine. What the hell are you supposed to be, anyway?" 

"Mad Max, obviously. You don't watch movies? What the hell are you supposed to be? What's that on your forehead? Is that some Treasure Island reference? X marks the spot?"

"Nope. Sorry, Maximo, it's rated R. Too adult for your childlike little mind."

She raises her voice loud as she can to ask "So it's porn?" and he can practically see the soundwaves flowing down the hall and entering every neighbour's apartment.

He shoves a hand over her mouth to whispershout "No it's not a goddamn porn you little asshole." She licks his palm, mischief written all over her face plain to see. He can't stay mad at her when she's having so much fun tormenting her. He wipes his hand on the white t-shirt that she apparently actually did need to buy.

"Get your ass outside and in the van before I change my mind."

She walks away, clearly proud of herself. He grabs himself an umbrella, just to make sure it won't rain.

They both manage up and into his van, he does his usual prayers and begging to the universe to ensure his van starts and it seems like it really has half a mind to not even try to start. In the end it finally sneezes its way into life and they're off.

"You nervous?" She asks him, a genuine question in a genuine moment. These are more rare than the fake fighting but no less special.

"Max, I'm seriously about to sweat this prosthetic right off my forehead. It's not just Steve, it's everyone. I haven't been out much since it all went down, you know? There's some expectations I believe I am not quite ready to live up to yet. And as for Steve? Well I'm still terrified he'll say no or he'll laugh at me or some shit."

"Eddie-"

"Because yeah my costume is kind of lame and what if he's gone all out, you know? What if he's in some perfectly amazing costume and he's expecting something great and I walk in as a Fright Night character. Has he even seen Fright Ni-"

"Eddie. Steve never shuts up about you. Not ever. He asks how you are before he asks me how I am when he picks me up. I've listened to you both whining for months now about how you wish the other one would make a move. Can you please, please just ask him out. Trust me, trust Nancy, trust everyone. He likes you. Okay?"

Whenever Max is sincere with him it really makes him feel like he's gonna cry. If he wasn't driving he would have pulled her into an embarrassingly big bear hug and not let her go until she whined she couldn't breathe. Since he is driving he settles for ruffling her hair.

"Hey, watch the hair. It took forever and if you mess it up now-"

"I'd love you even with messed up hair, Maxling."

"I love you too, even with your stupid treasure marker on your face. Now, can we get moving? You're driving like a grandma and I'm gonna be late."

"It'd be funny if my van broke down right now, huh?"

And then of course, of course, the van gives one last valiant rattle and cough and then judders to a complete halt. He should have kept his big mouth shut.

"I could kill you sometimes."

******

Luckily for Max, he broke down about 100 feet from where she needed to be. Unluckily for Eddie, he's on the other side of town from where he needs to be.

He has to get out of his van and try and show that engine who's boss because now he's out here and on his way there is no way he's missing this party.

He gives up the third time his car shoots oil at him because third time unlucky it got him right in the mouth and he thinks he'll be tasting it for the rest of his life. He's sitting in the passenger side, dangling his legs out the door, and just leaning across willing himself to just die on the dashboard when his knight in shining armour shows up.

Or should he say, his Nancy in shining Ripley costume.

"Need a ride, mister?"

"Nancy fucking Wheeler I could kiss you square on the mouth. I won't because of the whole oil situation but the thought is there. How the hell did you know?"

"Max called ahead, caught me just as I was leaving my house. We're getting you to that damn party. Hop in."

He hops right on in.

She just silently laughs at him.

"Nancy Christine Wheeler, you wouldn't be laughing at a guy when he's down would you?"

"I'm so sorry, Eddie. You just have more oil on your face and shirt than should have been in your van. I don't know how that could even happen." She's starting to cry with the effort of poorly holding in her laughter.

"Just my luck, huh? Just laugh, Nance, it's fine. I'll just pretend it's really dark old blood, it'll add to the whole vampire thing." He says, chuckling along with her as she finally lets her giggles out.

They're still laughing when they arrive and god damn, Nancy wasn't kidding when she said Argyle was going all out.

Some decorations are taller than the bungalow they adorn and not an inch of the whole home is bare. It seems like Eddie should be paying a fee to even look at the damn place.

The first thing Eddie notices is the Xenomorph scaling the side of the house, made entirely of bottle caps and ring pulls, lit with a string of green lights.

It was clearly the first thing Nancy saw too because he hears her say "Oh I have got to get Jonathan to take my picture with that."

"Argyle made that? By himself? Out of scraps? God, I love that dude."

Eddie can't keep the grin off his face. He seriously feels like a little kid in Santa's grotto. Everywhere he looks there's something else insane for his eyes to behold.

The roof is covered in Gremlins, posed in various ways showing the destruction they were causing on the roof. It looked like Argyle had pulled up tiles to put in their hands and everything. One of them had the telephone wire in its mouth and Eddie was pretty sure Argyle and Jonathan wouldn't be making any calls any time soon.

A werewolf is up on top of the house, poised to pounce, jaw opening and snapping shut rhythmically. Eddie only jumps half out of his skin when an ear-piercing howl emanates from the belly of the beast.

Either side of the short path to the house was a graveyard, individually carved and painted foam headstones lining the yard, swimming in a fog Eddie couldn't quite see the source of. A beam of red light aimed into the fog made the whole yard look like hell was arriving through the ground.

As Eddie was admiring the huge calavera hand painted on the front door, it swung open revealing Argyle himself, dressed as a Gremlin, moving ears and all. Eddie felt himself pulled in for the traditional Argyle bear hug and over his shoulder he could see Jonathan dressed as Gizmo, ears also twitching and moving around of their own free will. He should have known they'd do a couple's costume, in hindsight.

 "Hey, hey, welcome to the Jargyle homestead. Grab yourself a brewski and I'll give you the tour. I didn't put up any bat decorations out of respect for you and Steve-o, Edster, so don't sweat it."

"You did all this yourself, Argyle? Seriously?"

"Sure did, little bro. I've been tinkering with all of it for months, man, never thought I'd get sick of handcrafting Gremlins but I hope I don't have to do any more until next year, y'know, man?" 

"Well, big guy, I'm sure you won't have to make any more Gremlins for years to come. There are about eight of 'em up on the roof." Eddie reminds him, grabbing himself and Nancy a beer each, cracking them open, and scanning the room, trying not to make it too obvious that he's looking for Steve.

He spots a Jason Voorhees, an Elvira – bit of a cheat on the theme if you asked Eddie – and two sets of the spooky as shit little twins from The Shining before Argyle is guiding him away and telling him, "Hey, no peeking ahead, man. Let me give you the official Jargyle homestead tour."

Every single room is decorated. Every. Single. Room. Including their off-limits bedroom that Argyle tells him is so no "hanky panky" can happen. "It's not that kind of party, dude. Don't want you and Harrington getting any ideas, man."

It's starting to feel like everyone knows about him and Steve before they've even had a chance to get together.

The tour loses Nancy at this point, Argyle and Jonathan not even seeming to notice. Eddie watches her sneak off towards who he thinks is Robin. She's wearing a mask so he can't really tell. It's an old and worn Michael Myers mask. He just knows it's the same one Max told him got lost. That little shit.

"And last but not least, dude, here's my pride and joy, The Toilet of Terror! Prepare yourself, man, it's really something special in here." Argyle tells him before swinging the door open and revealing a literal bloodbath. Every surface is covered in blood, it's splattered across the ceiling, it's dried in drips down the walls, the bath is full of bloody water, and a hidden speaker is playing music from Psycho. All Eddie can do is just stand there with his mouth open and think Argyle is a little bit insane for this. This is going to take days to clean up. It looks cool as shit, though, so he bets Argyle and Jonathan don't care.

"Yeah we're, uh, not gonna be getting our deposit back." Jonathan says quietly into his ear. "Made him happy though so I don't really care. Steve's in the kitchen biting his nails and pacing a hole in the floor, by the way. Just in case you wanted to know for any reason."

God. Everyone really does know.

He finds Steve exactly where Jonathan said he'd be. He finds him wearing a costume of his goddamn gay awakening. He finds Steve dressed as Ash from The Evil Dead. He finds himself unable to speak.

"Hey! Hey, Eddie. Or should I say Evil Ed? I love Fright Night, dude. That's my favourite movie. I thought for sure you'd be Michael Myers! Looks sick. You look great. Is that oil on your face?"

Steve Harrington. Ash. Fake blood. Chainsaw. He really can't speak. He's gonna have to force himself to speak.

"Oil face yes."

Good job, Eddie. Great job, in fact. Five gold stars. Try again.

"Car trouble, yeah. Nance came to the rescue or I'd probably still be hobbling my way here. Speaking of, I could really use a seat. Can we go somewhere private?"

Steve nods and Eddie moves as quick as he can, heading for that off limits bedroom. He catches Argyle's eye who nods then mouths 'No hanky panky'. It's like having an embarrassing older brother. He just shoots finger guns back with one hand.

They reach the bedroom and the sounds of the party seem to just completely fade away. It's just them. It's terrifying but it's perfect. Evil Ed is alone with Ash. Eddie is alone with Steve.

Steve tries to be smooth, tries to say, "Alone at la-" but Eddie can't wait a second longer.

"Go out with me sometime?" He blurts out, unable to hold back for even a moment, not even the length of 'st'.

"Sure."

"Sure?"

"Yeah. Sure. I'd love to go out sometime, Eddie."

"That was….easy."

"Were you expecting to have to convince me?"

"I don't know, Steve, I'm just not a very lucky guy. It's like the universe is out to get me. My luck is reaching iconic levels of badness. So I guess I thought either you were gonna say no or an asteroid was gonna crash through the roof exactly where I'm sitting." He looks up at the ceiling like he's not quite ready to trust that an asteroid won't come crashing through.

"I don't think you're so unlucky, Eddie. Look what you survived. And all the people you're surrounded by now. That seems like pretty good luck to me."

"That's all down to others, man. I didn't drag myself out of there, you all carried me. And then you just stuck around. Have you forgotten the car-puddle-bike-messenger-wasp-in-mouth incident so quickly?"

"Was I or was I not there to pick you up that day? Isn't it pretty lucky that someone came along just at that moment?"

"I guess but-"

"Your luck just isn't that bad, Eddie. You've got good people all around you. Everyone's here for you. I'll be there to pick you up when a bike messenge nearly runs you over and I'll be there to pull you out of the way of dirty buckets of water."

"I'd really like to kiss you now, Steve."

Steve just smirks at that and says "Sure."

Just as Eddie leans in to finally feel those perfect Harrington lips, there's a pounding on the door and a shout of "No hanky panky, dudes!"

Eddie is about to curse his luck, curse the universe for letting him get within inches of finally, finally kissing Steve then interrupting him again.

He's about to do that but before he can, Steve has closed the distance and they're finally, finally, finally kissing, hands finding their way into each other's hair, Eddie's stick falling to the ground with a thump. It's not perfect, but it is perfection. It tastes like engine oil and fake blood, but it tastes like Eddie and Steve.

"I mean it, brochachos, no hanky panky in our bed!" Comes a voice at the door. They ignore him for just a little while longer, let themselves come very, very close to getting carried away, before pulling apart, all heavy breaths and swollen lips, smiling into each other with their foreheads pressed together. 

"I think you have, uh, oil on your face, Steve."

"I think you've got fake blood on your face, Eddie."

When they leave the room, hand in hand, it's to applause and shouts of "Finally!" and "It's about goddamn time!".

Eddie thinks that's maybe, actually, he just might be the luckiest guy on the planet.