Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Eddie thought it was a joke the first time. The first several times, in fact.

Not about how Steve could sing. No, Eddie was not surprised at the star quality of the man's pipes. Enamoured to an absurd degree, absolutely. But after seeing Steve fight off that demobat by biting it and ripping it in half–the beast's blood dripping from his mouth as he stood there shirtless and grimy and glistening with sweat like some vampire-esque, Greek demi-god immediately after battle–Eddie swore he'd never again be surprised about what Steve Harrington could do.

(At one point, Eddie had also sworn to rid himself of the decade-long crush he'd held for Steve now that they were actual friends, but the masochist in him refused to let go of hope. Especially now that they survived the Vecna-pocalypse together.)

Regardless of his non-surprise at Steve's vocal abilities, Eddie just never thought he'd get to be the audience for his… performances. And that apparently they all meant something.

–

Eddie hates hospitals. They smell of artificial death, like chemical cleaning agents used to purify and nullify the health sins of its tenants. Even while filled with people, Eddie thinks hospitals only manage to wipe out every trace of humanity left in a person's body.

So when he finds himself splayed flat in a hospital bed, a tube shoved down his throat and who knows how many needles shoved in his arms currently covered by itchy sheets and blankets, no one can blame Eddie for immediately choking and running face-first into panic. He thrashes, eyes roaming without seeing anything beyond a blur and limbs thrumming in fear as he gags around the foreign object lodged down his windpipe and taped to his face. He barely registers the voice by his side screaming his name before strong hands hold him down and the same voice screams for "a doctor, a nurse, anyone! Eddie's awake!"

Eddie feels a hand pressed to his cheek, calloused thumb pressing into his cheekbone with a practiced ease. Only when Eddie regains control of his eye movements does he see a scruffy Steve Harrington, holding Eddie in his hands and looking at him with those downright dangerous golden-brown eyes. The fluorescent lighting almost makes them give way to olive green, like the color of the earth on cool fall mornings. But he doesn't get the chance to keep his gaze because nurses pull Steve away all too soon as they remove the tube from Eddie's throat with unnecessary force and shove more meds through his IV line. Eddie looks over at Steve, now standing in the corner with tears streaming down his face, one last time before the light sedation pulls him back under.

He doesn't know how long he's out. Eddie hates that sedation isn't like actually sleeping. More like blinking and shifting into a new reality, one in which you're still incredibly exhausted and in pain from whatever your body went through in the millisecond it took to shift planes of existence. As if he needed another reason to hate hospitals, the prank of sedation gives him another.

So while Eddie slowly wakes with the effects of sedation finally wearing off, he can't actually force himself to open his eyes and take in his surroundings again. So Eddie takes in his other senses. He can feel some sort of large rubber over his nose and mouth, forcing air into his lungs. The blankets are warmer but just as itchy, at least where he can feel them. His mouth is dry and tastes like salty beach sand. A weight presses into his arm over the blankets, warm and comforting in the otherwise sterile room. And while he can barely move his eyelids and opts to keep them shut, Eddie lacks any ability to shut off his hearing. 

This is what finally woke him, he thinks. Not the beeping of the heart monitor nor the machine helping him breathe. But the whisper of a song that hovers in the air from a voice likely belonging to the noted weight on his arm. Low and sweet and only just loud enough for Eddie to recognize the words and melody. "Bring it back, bring it back. Don't take it away from me because you don't know what it means to me."

A sob travels through the mattress, the sound of it too real to be anything but a living, breathing person and not just a recording of Queen on a boom box. Curiosity wins the battle of consciousness versus sleep, at least for the moment, as Eddie slowly opens his right eye to peek at the presence near his torso.

A slumped head lies in the empty space between Eddie's torso and the edge of the bed. He would have clocked Harrington sooner, honest, but all he sees is an uncharacteristically greasy head of brown floppy hair covering the little bit of face not pressed into the mattress and a large hand draped on Eddie's arm, the blanket the only barrier between them. Eddie hears a sniffle and sees the sigh in the movement of shoulders, but the throat-clearing groan is what enlightens Eddie to the identity of his visitor.

Eddie slowly opens his other eye and almost immediately regrets it, the light from the room too bright against his retinas. He winces and groans at the pain now coursing through his head, alerting Steve in an instant.

Steve's immediately in his space, eyes bloodshot and sunken and transfixed on Eddie. Steve offers him the biggest, goofiest grin he's ever seen on a person, let alone Harrington. And sure, Eddie is probably reciprocating a smile, but a painful tug at the side of his face tells him to stop. He's just glad he didn't wake in a panic like last time. Eddie muffles a simple "hey" through the mask, and Steve continues his smile, hand still draped over Eddie's arm.

"Hey yourself, Eds." Steve's smile is warm, comforting as always. Eddie hates that he loves it.

Eddie furrows his brow. "Why are you here?" He wishes this mask could come off, but the sharp pain in his ribs from every forced inhale tells him that it isn't an option right now.

Steve scoffs. "Can't a guy sit with his buddy in the hospital while he recovers from surviving hell?"

Eddie shakes his head. "Sure, but… I'm not exactly the best company right now, Harrington." He coughs into his mask, the pain in his torso skyrocketing with each cough and triggering the waterworks.

Steve's smile falters for a moment as fear enters his eyes, but Eddie feels Steve's hand move to his face to wipe away the tears. "You're more than enough company, man."

Eddie focuses on taking in each breath, wincing at the pain during the extremes. "You're the only one here, so I can't be that great." This whole 'it hurts to talk' thing is probably going to kill Eddie faster than anything else at this rate.

Steve shushes him with a wave of his hand. "Kids are at school. Wayne's sleeping off a night shift and staking out a new place to live. Hospital has visitation limits in the ICU. They couldn't all be here even though they would if they could. So it's just me."

Eddie strains against the mask, breathing ragged and uneven. "And King Steve- doesn't have… big plans to- escape Eddie the… the Banished?"

The man shakes his head, playing with a loose thread on one of the blankets as he taps Eddie's mask with the tip of his finger. "Nah, man. Someone's gotta make sure you're still breathing. Besides, Family Video's a bust now, and the last thing I want to do right now is sit in a big house all by myself."

Eddie feels his eyelids drooping, like staying awake for five minutes was too much of a workout. But he needs to respond to Steve before he passes out again.

"Well, thanks Steve. Sorry I'm not… a more engaged host."

Steve shoots him a soft smile. "Just get some rest, dude. We're all rooting for you on the other side of this thing. See?"

Eddie rolls his eyes, almost letting them shut on his own accord, but Steve directs his attention to a small table holding several vases of flowers. He can't read the notes from this angle, but the homemade "Get Well Soon" poster in Dustin's script tells Eddie everything he needs to know.

Eddie sniffles his nose, trying not to smile. "That little butthead."

"Wasn't just Henderson," Steve corrects. "The whole party, your band, Wayne, and Rob and Nance. All of us."

He takes in a deep breath as he surveys the assortment. Eddie wants to run from this, run from their attention towards him and his stupidity for letting them into his life just to destroy his heart later when they eventually stop liking him, but he can't get out of this damn bed. So he shifts, the blankets now too uncomfortable when paired with the shame coursing through his veins. But a peculiar set of flowers catches his eye among the bouquets, bringing him back for the moment.

Eddie tips his head. "The tulips. And daffodils, in the split Coke bottle. Resourceful. I like 'em."

He looks back to Steve, whose face quickly reddens as he answers. "Um, uh… those were mine, rather my mom's garden. Kinda low on cash at the moment, otherwise they'd have looked nicer."

"You…" Eddie squints at the man. "You stole flowers for me?"

Steve's eyes almost burst from his face. "No! Well, sort of, but they're not even here to miss them so-"

"Steve!" He half-yells through his oxygen mask, draining his energy to gain The King's attention. "I like that I've corrupted you. Even with stolen flowers. I'm touched." He presses his hand to his chest, attempting some sort of theatricality for the occasion.

Steve seems to calm at this, a silent laugh shaking his shoulders. "Yeah, you're definitely a bad influence here, Munson. But a welcome one."

"Oh Steve, I must warn you. Flattery works too well on me." Eddie wiggles his eyebrows at his bedside visitor, only stopping when he feels them pull at whatever stitching holds his face together. Steve laughs either at Eddie's antics or his wince in pain, which would normally be rude. But it was Steve, so he'd take it all.

The Curiosity Goblin knocks at Eddie's mind again, coercing one more sentence from his chest. "Were… were you singing? B'fore I woke up?"

Steve cups a hand to jaw, brain somewhere between deep thought and visual panic. A huff admits his defeat. "Yeah. Sorry about that."

And Eddie cannot handle that sad look any longer, so he meets Steve halfway with some semblance of honesty. "It was nice. Queen's always a winner. Even their sad stuff.

Eddie wants to keep talking with Steve, hearing the other man's voice, but a nurse walks in and ruins everything by checking his vitals and doping him up with more meds. So Eddie slips away back to the land of half-sleep with a bit more willingness than last time.

Because as long as he wasn't lying to a half-dying man, Steve isn't leaving.

And he doesn't leave. Which should worry Eddie if he thought about it, but waking to the sight of the one and only Steve Harrington at his bedside was too delicious to lose to a downward spiral in his brain.

Eddie spends the next two weeks in the hospital, getting wheeled out for surgery and consultations and testing to the point of lunacy. He's never admitted it, but the only thing keeping him sane is Steve's company. Steve napping in the incredibly uncomfortable armchair. Steve refusing to leave until Eddie gently points out the state of Steve's hair. Steve giving in and slipping away for a few hours only to return with new clothes, washed but unstyled hair, and what looked to be a small overnight bag. 

Steve singing. Steve just... singing to Eddie. Steve listening to his new Walkman and quietly singing some depressing Smith's song to himself only to seamlessly transition to "Open Arms," all as he draws in a sketchpad and blissfully unaware that Eddie is awake and watching and listening with ears wide open. Steve blushing at being caught as he looks up mid-chorus but continues with Eddie's goading. Steve putting on his best Billy Joel impression and singing "Just The Way You Are" with more bravado than Eddie would ever dare to give such a song.

Eddie soaks it all in, every last drop of the essence that is Steve Harrington infiltrating his life. And as much as it terrifies him to his bones and back, Steve Harrington might just be his favorite thing.

Chapter Text

Eddie's only warning of a certain bard-barian's presence was a toot of a joyful but poorly-tuned lip trumpet echoing in the hospital's exit alcove. "Doo-doodoodoo-doo-doo-doot! Eddie the Unbanished has Returned to his Kingdom at last!"

He flung his head back against his wheelchair, currently pushed along by a nurse, smiling as he gave a slow clap for his efforts. "Bravo, Harrington. I thought Buckley was the band geek in the relationship?"

Steve grins and shoots him two raised eyebrows. "A Platonic relationship, thank you very much," Steve corrected with extra enunciation, "and she's at school, so you get me and my musical stylings right now, Munson."

"Oh joy, lucky me," Eddie snarks back in as flat a tone as possible.

But Steve has eyes and clearly sees the grin that Eddie cannot hide to save his life. "You know you're happy to see me, dude."

"Says the man who has barely let me have a moment to myself for the past two weeks." Steve is right, of course, but Eddie is in no place to admit any of that right now. No sir, no way.

The nurse clears her throat behind Eddie, snapping him back to reality. "Would you like some help getting Mr. Munson into the car, sir?"

Eddie almost responds, until he realizes she had not, in fact, been addressing him. Steve doesn't realize this, so Eddie gets his attention instead.

"Do you want to manhandle me now, big boy? Or would you like the nice lady to show you how it's done first?"

Steve flushes red at the question and averts his attention to the nurse. "Some help would be great, thanks."

So the nurse does just that, wheeling Eddie up to the open back driver's side of the car and showing Steve how to help him into (and eventually out of) said car. She pulled him up by the medical band wrapped around his chest, using what little locking-action he had in his knees to help pivot him into the back seat. Eddie wishes nerves could heal faster, but something about retraining muscles and neurons on how to work again takes time and a shit-ton of effort, so for now it meant incredible weakness in his lower limbs and needing help just to get into a car. Damn demobats putting him through damn medieval stretcher torture.

Once settled back in his seat, Eddie bows out the door in mock gratitude. "Thank you for showing my manservant how it is to be done, Fair Lady."

The nurse gives an outrageous laugh, and Steve actually laughs with her this time. "Anything for you, dear. We'll see you again later this week for physical therapy and your follow up, yes?"

Eddie nods, "Wouldn't miss it. Friday, 10 o'clock sharp. Got that, Mama Steve?"

Steve hardly reacts this time, just leans on the open door and gives a polite, all-too-sincere smile. "That and every appointment for the next month, Eds."

Before Eddie can react, Steve turns to the nurse. "Thanks again, for taking care of him."

"That's what we do, hon," the nurse reassures as she hands him a large plastic bag. "Now here's Mr. Munson's personal effects, along with a copy of his at-home physical therapy routine and materials. Y'all stay safe out there."

Steve nods as she walks away, quickly turning to Eddie and handing over the bag. "Ready to get out of here?"

Eddie reaches across his chest to grab the seatbelt behind his shoulder, pulling the buckle across him and locking himself into place. "As I'll ever be."

Steve closes the back door and slides into the driver's seat, buckling his own seatbelt before grabbing some sort of hat out of the passenger seat and placing it on his head. He looks back at Eddie and asks oh-so-innocently, "Let's set sail, shall we?" As if he isn't wearing what Eddie can now see to be some cheesy sailor's hat with the word 'Ahoy' stitched across the front.

Eddie can barely stifle his laughter. "Okay, One, where did get that hat? B, where are you taking me? And Thirdly, when did chauffeurs start moonlighting as sailors?"

Steve starts driving before he responds, slowly pulling out of the hospital parking lot. "Summer job last year, the ice cream place in Starcourt. We're going to the grocery store first to pick up some sustenance, then to Hopper's cabin south of town. Chief and a few others worked to fix it up best they could for us to hunker down for a few days until the new trailer is ready. And no, they probably don't, but I also don't have anything close to a chauffeur's uniform, so this hat was the closest you're gonna get."

"Well aren't I special?" Eddie teases before settling into the silence, gathering courage to address the giant elephant in the car with them. "Seriously, Steve, thanks for picking me up. I could have just stayed there until Wayne got off shift."

Steve shakes his head. "And have them leave you in the waiting room all day? Wouldn't have felt right."

"Still," Eddie retorts, "I appreciate it."

Steve smiles. "Don't speak too soon. Because in my car, Driver picks the music."

Before Eddie can attempt to fight it, Steve clicks PLAY and the all too bright vocals of pop-studded George Michael fill the air, as if Steve purposefully chose the perfect song to use against Eddie as torture.

"Come on, man. Have mercy on an injured man."

He can see Steve's smile in the rear view mirror. "Nope. Just enjoy the ride."

Eddie laughs in feigned annoyance. "Just no more Wham! Please. I'm begging you."

Steve slumps his shoulders. "Fine, but I'm not changing it until after this song. Because don't you know that? Baby, I'm your man! "

So much to Eddie's dismay, Steve sings and bops along while first hopping over to the general store, where a chipper woman with a scarily similar haircut to his own stood with the reinstated but not-as-chipper Chief Hopper, ready and waiting with a cart of groceries. Eddie wills his adrenaline to stop in seeing the Chief, especially as Steve puts the car in park and greets them both.

To his surprise, the woman opens Eddie's car door and greets him with open arms and one of the kindest smiles he's seen in ages. "Hi, Eddie. I've heard so much about you. I'm Joyce, Will and Jonathan's mom. It's so nice to finally meet you in person."

Something in Eddie's brain finally links the neurons together, so he does his best to return the sincerity. "Well, as long as you don't tell Chief what you've heard, we're all set, Mrs. Byers."

"Please," she retorts. "Call me Joyce, and you're just fine, Eddie. I know that, my boys know that, we all do. El's on your side, which means so is Hop back there." She nods her head sideways to the trunk of the car, where he hears Steve and the Chief loading the groceries into the trunk.

He swallows the lump in his throat and presses his lips nearly invisible, letting himself be pulled into a hug. "Just not used to all this. Thanks, Joyce."

She gives him a final squeeze before leaning away, smiling wide enough to crease the corners of her eyes. "You call if you ever need anything, alright? Your uncle included."

"Stop smothering the boy, Joyce," a gruff voice jokes from behind her. "Munson's been through it worse than most of us."

Joyce stands and smacks Chief Hopper square in the chest with the back of her hand. "Which is why he's due for some mothering. And who are you to talk, Mister 'Barely Survived An Explosion and Siberian Prison?' Honestly, Hop."

"I said 'most of us,' didn't I?" The man smirks at her before bending and turning his gaze to Eddie, who is sweating in his seat from proximity and holding back a laugh at their banter. "You alright, Munson?"

Eddie nods, feeling his eyes blow saucer-wide before answering in one quick breath. "All good here, Chief."

He nodded down into the car. "Just take care of yourself, son."

Eddie flits his eyes to the boy standing behind the two adults with hands sitting firmly on his hips, eyes already staring back at him and failing at holding back a laugh. This makes Eddie break out of his catatonic fear just enough to grin. "Will do, sir."

Both adults back out of the doorway, seemingly satisfied for the moment. The heartbeat in his ears drowns out whatever conversation Steve holds with them. Receiving actual motherly care was too much for Eddie as it was, let alone living in a reality where he could be chummy with the damn police chief.

Eddie only just catches Joyce and Chief Hopper wave their goodbyes to him in time to wave back. Steve takes his place behind the car door, head popped up over the edge. "Ready to head out of here, Eds?"

"Take me home, Harrington."

Steve smiles before shutting the door and hopping back into the front seat. He pulls out whatever had been in the deck and replaces it before scooting out of the parking lot, driving the two of them out of Hawkins proper. To Eddie's surprise, Steve's choice takes a 90-degree turn from 80s pop into 70s soft rock, specifically to the band secretly closest to Eddie's heart. Not that he would ever freely admit it to anyone. 

Eddie stares out the window and hums along, eyes following the treeline as he mouths the words to "Let Your Love Go" and "Take Comfort."

Steve sings along from the front seat, voice smooth and confident instead of soft or performative like he'd done at the hospital. He knows every word, never faltering, and Eddie feels his heart settle in his chest. Because of course Eddie's heart is a traitor to his own well-being.

The cabin pulls into view just before Eddie's personal kryptonite can play on the tape, and he profusely thanks the universe for sparing him from what would have been utter torture. Steve parks the car and turns down the engine before he turns back to face Eddie. "Welcome to our hideout!"

Eddie snickers as he stares through the windshield at the structure before them. Plywood boards cover half of the structure, from what remained of the roof to the walls and where windows should be. "I don't mean to sound rude, but why are we here as opposed to an actual house? Does this place at least have running water?"

"Yes, and it's just for a few days. I uh…," Steve coughs, "I'd have taken you back to mine, but my parents are actually home for once. And let's just say they're not the friendliest to my friends."

Eddie grimaces. "Yeah, I'm not exactly the 'meet the parents' type anyway, I suppose."

"I never said that, Eds," Steve says in an all too confident half-whisper. "Now, let's get you inside."

Steve hops out the car and whisks out of Eddie's sight, just long enough for Eddie to catch his breath and unbuckle himself. But he doesn't get too long, because Steve's opening his door and crowding into his space.

"Ready to be manhandled, Munson? Your words, not mine."

Eddie chuckles and gives a nod. "But you're the one saying them now, big boy."

Eddie does his best to shimmy closer to the door and twist his body to face Steve, but he can feel his arms giving way as he pulls and pushes his body.

"Here, Eddie, let me," Steve interrupts by touching Eddie's knee, bringing him to a frozen stop. He can't move them that well, but he can feel every inch of Steve's hands hooking behind his knees and pulling his legs up and over the edge of the door frame. He quickly changes positions and pulls Eddie closer, one hand firmly holding the medical band and the other wrapped around to Eddie's back. It's all he can do to keep breathing and wrap his arms around Steve's neck as directed, with Steve's large hand practically caressing his shoulder blade (if that were possible).

"On three, Eddie. One, Two, Three!" Steve lifts him up by the band and under his arm, pulling them chest to chest as he wraps his arm around Eddie.

As for Eddie, he can't stop himself from wrapping his working appendages even tighter. He's logically not afraid of falling out of his grasp, but instinctively he cannot help but close any remaining gap between them in the name of self preservation.

Steve holds him close as Eddie does his best to lock his legs for some stabilization. "Your chair is already inside, so I hope you don't mind this next part."

Eddie barely mutters a "What do you mean" into Steve's ear before the hand once holding the band around his chest now hooks under his knee to lift him off the ground, a yelp and a "Harrington!" escaping his throat. He's sure Steve can feel Eddie's heart beating through his chest at this angle. But he pays no mind as he carries Eddie bridal-style across the lawn and up the steps of the cabin to an already opened door. Steve even carries him across not one but two thresholds. He carries Eddie through the front door and the bedroom door, before setting him on the edge of the bed.

Eddie lets out a breathy laugh. "I know you've had a lonely few weeks without a date, Harrington, but you only had to ask if you wanted me in bed."

The joke is dangerous, Eddie knows this, but the moment is too ripe and perfect not to strike the iron while it's hot.

Luckily, Steve throws his head back in laughter, hands running through his hair before resting on the back of his neck. "I'll remember that for next time."

And Eddie… he doesn't know what to do with that. Now is hardly a time to act on instincts, he decides. That is until he sees a brand new wheelchair sitting in the corner of the room. Much nicer than any he'd seen at the hospital, and less bulky.

"Is… is that for me?" Eddie hesitates as he asks a rather rhetorical question. "I mean, I'm the one who can't walk here, unless you bought yourself a new ride I don't know about."

Steve breathes a laugh through his nose. "Yeah it's for you. We all pitched in, one for you and one for Max. Government was only gonna provide you two with a clunky thing like at the hospital, so we covered the difference."

Eddie feels his jaw hit the floor. "Steve, I can't-"

Steve shushes him. "Just take it, Eds. We can talk about it later if you want. Besides, the kids wanted to jazz it up anyway. Just sit tight for now. Get comfy, whatever. I'm gonna grab the rest of the stuff. Yell if you need anything."

And just like that, Steve leaves Eddie alone in that small bedroom. With a brand new wheelchair just for him, bought by everyone. And the longer he sat there thinking about how much that dumb piece of equipment must have cost them, the more he felt his emotions knocking at the wall of his heart. But, he also felt his body scream out for rest on the small but surprisingly comfortable bed. And if these last two weeks have taught him anything, it was to sleep when he felt tired. He could process emotions later.

So Eddie shuffles down, wiggling himself to lie flat on the bed. He listens to Steve fussing about in the other room, easy enough since he left the door open. Bags rustling as they're set on various surfaces, shoes traipsing across the wooden floor, Steve humming to himself, back on his Bread kick. It's not actual music by any means. But for the moment, this small sliver of time, the sounds surrounding him in that tiny cabin are music to his ears.

Eddie doesn't know when he falls asleep. Maybe it was sometime while listening to Steve making a late lunch. But Eddie knows he'd been sleeping, because in one moment he's stiff as a board before half-catapulting upright in bed and screaming his throat raw, and a gentle hand taps at his face. He doesn't need to open his eyes to know it's Steve. He'd know those hands anywhere, rough at the edges but always soft with Eddie.

Including this Eddie, who only vaguely recalls his nightmare, remembers vines around his throat as bats tear at him limb from limb. The chants of  "Hey, hey Eddie, wake up, you're safe now, I've got you" are the only proof he needs to calm his racing heart and wince as he opens his eyes.

Steve is right there, kneeling at his bedside, cradling Eddie’s face in his hands. Steve is scarily gentle with him, down to the eyes. Eddie doesn’t see fear in them. How could he? Steve sat through every single one with him while he was in the hospital, and he was always there to coax Eddie back to calm.

This doesn’t mean his embarrassment is gone. No, Eddie’s pretty sure he’ll never get used to someone seeing him so vulnerable and scared and downright pitiful, waking up from a nightmare like a little kid.

But he’ll never grow tired of waking to Steve’s face. That much he knows without a doubt in his mind. He just… can’t get used to it. Should not get too acquainted with the feeling, since he’s bound to never have it again one of these days.

“Talk to me, Eds.”

Eddie snaps out of his haze with a lazy pluck of an invisible guitar string. “Nightmare.”

A sliver of a smile hides at the corner of Steve’s mouth. “I kinda figured, with the screaming and all.”

Eddie laughs through his nose. “Is that why we’re in the woods, so we don’t get the cops called on us if I scream too loud?”

Steve’s hidden smile instantly turns into a wicked grin before he says, “That's what she said,” with too much gusto before bursting into laughter. And Eddie cannot help but join despite the pain in his abdomen.

“Okay, okay,” Eddie chokes out after a minute. “I walked right into that one.”

Steve nods. “You did, but that’s alright. And no, to answer your legitimate question, that wasn’t the reason we’re out here. Just a happy coincidence.”

Eddie’s fingers play with a tassel on the blanket he definitely didn’t put on himself before he fell asleep, letting his mind hover before asking a new question. “Do… do they ever stop? Or get better?”

Steve lazily rubs his thumb across Eddie’s cheekbone, and Eddie forgets how to breathe for a split second. “No, and yes. In that order.”

He pulls his face out of Steve’s hand to turn his head to the wall. “Oh joy. Looking forward to a lifetime of this shit.”

He can still feel the aura of Steve’s hand on his pillow, and the feeling is almost more overwhelming than actually having Steve’s literal mitts on his face. He’s silent to Eddie’s remark, frozen in place, and Eddie almost wishes he had turned into Steve’s embrace instead of away from it, just to try and see what was going on in Steve’s head through his expressions.

But before Eddie can double back and change his direction, he feels the mattress dip beside him as a shadow covers his body. A soft grunt from Steve tells him exactly what’s going on without the need to look.

But he does look. Eddie shifts his gaze back at Steve, now sitting beside him with his back against the headboard in a twin-size bed too small for one almost-adult let alone two. Eddie shifts ever so slightly closer to the wall, just to give Steve a little bit more mattress room, even if he can’t actually create much distance between them.

Steve's hand to his shoulder stops him. "Nowhere to go that way, Eddie."

He looks up at the floppy-hair above him, looking down with a fond smile that, in any circumstance, should scare Eddie. But it doesn't.

"Just trying to give you some space, man."

Steve chuckles. "I didn't join you on this bed to give you space, Eds. Just come here."

And Steve slightly manhandles Eddie once again, this time only pulling Eddie close enough so Eddie can lay his head on Steve's thigh. Eddie's pretty sure he's still in his nightmare somehow, because for all their connection or growing friendship over the past few weeks, laying his head in Steve's lap had never been on the table. And it still isn't, when Eddie realizes this is not a dream nor a nightmare. Not with how gingerly Steve literally lifts Eddie from under his arms, pulling Eddie's body over his thigh with too much ease to settle Eddie onto his stomach. Eddie has to remember to breathe as he settles his head back into Steve's chest.

Steve pulls the blanket over both him and Eddie now, officially trapping Eddie for the time being. "Comfy, Eds? Need a pillow under your lower back or anything?" Steve brushes the residual hairs away from Eddie's face, lighting his skin on fire. He prays to any listening deity to ensure Steve cannot see his face right now.

Refusing to stay this flustered, Eddie settles back into Steve with a shuffle of his shoulders. "Nah, you're the only pillow I need, Princess."

Steve laughs deep in his chest at the nickname, and Eddie thanks that same listening deity for giving him the opportunity to be this close to Steve's chest and able to commit his deep rumbles of laughter to memory.

"Princess?" Steve scoffs in mock defense, voice rising due to what Eddie knows to be a smile taking over that square face. "What princess have you read about that would let the jester use them as a napping pillow?"

The Prince of my dreams, Eddie thinks. "Well, you won't let me call you King Steve, and I thought Princess suited you better anyway."

Eddie feels Steve's breath push through his bangs. "Only you, Eddie. Only you."

And Eddie isn't sure what to make of this, of them, of this exact moment, even as Steve wraps one arm around to rest on Eddie's chest, the other making a home in his hair. He feels Steve's fingertips lightly rub against his scalp, and it's all Eddie can do to not sigh at the feeling. Nope, no sounds come from Eddie. He hopes none do, anyway.

Eddie lets his eyes drift shut, but he cannot sleep. He focuses on the warmth of Steve's body, on gentle hands taking care of him. He doesn't think, just feels.

And if he had been thinking, he would have missed Steve beginning to hum. But since he isn't, he hears every reverberation in Steve's chest. The sound envelopes him like a second blanket, warm and cozy and just what the doctor ordered.

And then Steve starts to sing. Low and soft.

" If a picture paints a thousand words, then why can't I paint you? The words will never show 'the you' I've come to know. "

This… Eddie's sure this isn't happening. But Steve keeps going.

" If a face could launch a thousand ships, then where am I to go? There's no one home but you. You're all that's left me too. "

Eddie bites his lower lip to keep his tears at bay. His personal kryptonite, his Mama's song. Her lullaby of choice for him every night. Fuck.

" And when my love for life is running dry, you come and pour yourself on me… "

"Steve," Eddie tries to interrupt at barely a whisper, but Steve quiets him with a hand pressed to Eddie's chest.

" If a man could be two places at one time, I'd be with you. Tomorrow and today, beside you all the way. "

Eddie sniffs back his tears. If Steve only knew…

"If the world should stop revolving, spinning slowly down to die, I'd spend the end with you, and when the world was through… "

Steve stops himself this time, taking a deep breath before the final lyric. Eddie swears he can hear Steve's heart beating double-time in his chest.

" Then one by one the stars would all go out, then you and I would simply fly away. "

Eddie wipes a tear from his eye, taking several beats before he dares to speak.

"Ste-"

"Eddie I-"

They both stop speaking when they realize how they hear each other's names. He feels Steve's chest hold back a laugh. "You go first, Eddie."

Eddie takes a deep breath, weighing his options before choosing what is technically safer. "I was just gonna say, my mom used to sing that song to me."

He somehow hears Steve smile as he speaks. "Your mom has good taste."

Eddie nods. "She did."

"Oh," Steve breathes, "I didn't know."

"Didn't think you did, Steve. It's okay." And it is okay. The memory of his Mama doesn't sting like it once did.

Steve traces his pointer finger along Eddie's pinky, their hands already dangerously close on Eddie's chest. "Do you want to talk about her?"

He shakes his head. "Nah. It was just nice, you know? And you've got a good voice. She would've liked it."

"As long as you did, Eds."

He wants to say he loved it. Wants to say so much to the man literally holding him in his arms, back to chest, but he doesn't want to ruin this. Eddie wants to savor what they do have rather than ruin it with his schoolgirl yearning.

"I did, Steve. I did. Now, what were you going to say?"

Steve clears his throat. "Nothing. Just… wondered if you liked it."

And Eddie is smarter than his high school teachers peg him to be, so of course he hears the inkling of something else, of the subtext in Steve's voice, but he cannot make out what that subtext is for the life of him. So he notes it as a moment lost, hopefully just temporarily.

"Alright big boy, whatever you say," Eddie half-teases. "Now are we going to get up or continue with a nap?"

He hears Steve thunk his head against the wall. "Ten minutes? Twenty max."

Eddie wiggles his toes, happy to take whatever Steve will give him even as a shadow of guilt clouds the edges. He's never known generosity like this, how much people are just willing to give him without asking for anything in return. Keeping him company in the hospital, giving him a place to recover in peace, buying him a fucking wheelchair for Christ's sake. He fears the moment it all gets ripped away when they realize he isn't worth all this trouble. But it doesn't stop him from accepting the help. He tried denying it before, but one word from Wayne and Steve was all he needed to shut him up.

So Eddie relaxes into Steve's touch. He embraces warm arms and gentle touches while they're still for him. And hopes that maybe one day he'll get to show his appreciation in return.

For now, he lets the veil of a nap take over, however brief.

Chapter Text

“Ready, Eddie?”

He gives a nod before leaning forward on his forearm crutches as Steve pulls Eddie up from the medical band over his robes. Said robes are just this side of too flowy for him to move properly, but at least they cover the supportive braces over his knees. Nevertheless, Eddie was hell-bent on walking across that stage. Medical exemption from finals or not, Eddie Munson was finally getting out of high school.

“Edwin James Munson.” Principal Higgins’ voice echoes across the gymnasium. Considering how half the town tried hunting him down as a possible serial killer just under two months ago, Eddie had expected more booing. Maybe the “town hero” cover up partially worked after all. He still welcomes the general silence of the crowd, aside from an enthusiastic group in the far corner of the stands. He’ll be grateful for that rowdy bunch for every day of the rest of his sorry life he gets from here on out.

“Edwin?” Steve huffs a laugh through his nose as he quickly removes the medical band.

Eddie narrows his gaze. “Choke on it, Steven. I’ve got a diploma to accept.”

Eddie takes a tentative step forward. The delayed graduation due to apocalypse clean-up and mourning the deaths of three students had only given him a few extra weeks of physical therapy preparation. He can feel every muscle burning as he walks the fifteen or so feet from the wings of the stage to Higgins himself. But the cheers from The Party and Uncle Wayne from the back soothe the ache in his legs and push him forward.

Eddie stands tall as he finally reaches Principal Higgins, looking him straight in the eye as the man holds out his hand towards Eddie. “Congratulations, son. You really have… earned it.”

“Just blood, sweat, and tears, Higgins,” Eddie jokes, shaking the principal’s hand.

Principal Higgins just nods, replacing his hand with his official high school diploma. “Now get out of my high school, Munson.”

Eddie smirks at the man. “With pleasure.”

He may not be able to run like hell out of there, but Eddie did make sure to flip him the bird as soon as he made it the further ten feet to Steve, waiting with his chair on the other side of the stage. So Steve runs for them, pushing Eddie at warp speed out of the gymnasium before anyone dares catch and reprimand Eddie for his last moment of high school defiance.

And while Eddie hates missing Wheeler cross that stage herself, he’d already asked Buckley to give her his immediate congratulations. “In whatever form you desire,” he’d suggested at the time.

“As long as you let Steve do the same to you,” she had teased right back, quickly shutting him up.

And now he is doing just that, letting Steve push him out the front doors and across the parking lot.

“Fuck you, Hawkins High!” Eddie screams at the top of his lungs. “I’m a FREE MAN!” Steve just laughs above him, hollering as they whiz down the ramp to Steve’s bimmer.

As Steve finally releases his grip on Eddie’s wheels and leans against the car, Eddie takes a moment to just… appreciate Steve, to put his thoughts kindly. Steve already knows the first set of grateful thoughts. But now… Eddie indulges himself on the scene in front of him. It’s his graduation day, after all.

He indulges in Steve, who tilts his head back as he breathes through a wide smile, sweat glistening on his forehead, neck scars, and the sliver of collar bones visible at the edge of his shirt collar. Who must have searched far and wide for that gorgeous brown-and-white patterned button-up shirt and gray trousers combo, seeing that the Top Gun premiere photos only just released earlier that week. Who leans against his car and rakes a hand through his hair like he’s Hawkins’ own Tom Cruise.

And Eddie… is not complaining one damn bit.

The screams of not-quite-children, not-yet-adults breaks Eddie from his trance and Steve from his breather. Steve takes Eddie’s crutches, tossing them in the trunk, before Dustin runs at break-neck speed towards the two of them. Eddie lets the butthead devour him in a hug, followed shortly by the rest of the Party, their parents, his fellow graduates, and a teary-eyed Uncle Wayne.

Wayne holds on the longest, literally lifting Eddie out of the chair to pull him into a hug. He swears he hears the click of a camera somewhere off to the side. Eddie just buries his face into Wayne’s shoulder.

Somewhere in the hullabaloo of “congratulations” and “we did it,” the group caravans to the new Byers-Hopper estate at the edge of Hawkins. The Party planned the whole thing, throwing it all together for him, Robin, and Nancy just that morning (if what Harrington said is true), although Eddie knew the other two graduates definitely helped with the ordeal. At this point, Eddie is just happy to have actually walked across that stage, proof that he could finish something and that the physical therapy really was working. Sure, now he knows he’ll spend the rest of the celebration in his wheelchair, but his physical therapist’s words ring in his ear, “Part of recovery meant accepting the wins when and where he got them.”

Steve, Robin, and Eddie are the last to arrive, because Robin had to make an appearance at her official family graduation party. And honestly, who are Steve and Eddie to leave her alone when faced against an army of Buckley’s?

Robin offered to help Eddie out of the car, but Steve waved her off. “I’ve got a system, Birdy.”

“Yeah, a system,” Eddie jokes. “Don’t mess with it.”

Steve pouts as he lifts Eddie out of the car, hand sliding against the silky texture of Eddie’s shirt. “Are you gonna start complaining now? After a whole month, Munson?”

Their faces are mere inches apart as Steve holds him upright. Eddie’s mouth runs dry. He’s never stayed this close to Steve’s face for so long, nor had the chance to freely look in his eyes. Eddie’s certain he looks like a deer in headlights looking at Steve, but fuck him if he wasted this opportunity.

Eddie swallows the lack of saliva in his mouth and croaks out his reply. “No complaints here, Mama Steve.”

Eddie watches Steve’s cheeks turn a lovely crimson, creating a gradient background for his freckles. Robin chuckles beside them and pulls their gaze away from each other.

“Have you finally accepted your role in the Party, Steve?”

“No,” Steve insists, turning back to Eddie with a flustered smile. “What am I gonna do with you, hmm?”

“Put me in my chair, hopefully,” Eddie smirks. “Unless you plan on holding me the entire night, Stevie.”

Robin covers a laugh with a cough and pushes Eddie’s chair behind him. “Okay lovebirds, enough with that. Let’s get to the party before the kids eat all the cake!”

“Who are you calling a kid, Robin? I thought we were your friends.”

Steve sets Eddie down in his chair before they both follow Robin’s gaze at the side of the house. She bellows out to the lanky boy, “We are, Baby Wheeler, but you’re on thin ice.”

Mike crosses his arms and cocks his head. “Says the girl who’s not-so-secretly dating my si-”

“ MICHAEL WHEELER!” Robin tears across the yard before Steve and Eddie even start to move.

Eddie looks up at Steve, who is clearly holding back a grin. “So… Rob and Nance, huh?”

Steve just nods his head, turning to grab a gift bag from the trunk. “Yup. Ain’t it something?”

Eddie raises his brow towards Steve. “And you’re okay with your so-called ‘Platonic Soulmate’ getting with your ex-girlfriend.”

“Yeah,” Steve breathes as he looks down at Eddie with a very visible smile. “I am. As long as they’re both happy.”

Eddie… can’t quite process everything running through his head right now. He notes some vital information for later and does his best to return to the task at hand.

“So… should we join them, Harrington?”

Steve tucks a flyaway strand of hair behind Eddie’s ear as he loops the bag to the back of Eddie’s chair. "Let's go party."

Eddie catches his breath as Steve pushes him through to the backyard. They stroll into exactly what had been communicated, a small gathering of the Party and his band and those in the know of the Upside Down nonsense, and Eddie breathes a sigh of relief. As great as that day was going, Eddie didn't want to push himself with too many surprises.

Steve steers Eddie to an open table, placing the bag on Eddie’s chair on the tabletop. Steve raises his hand. "Wait here for one second. I've got a small surprise for you."

Eddie thought too soon. Because of course Steve would have a surprise for him. Eddie closes his eyes in despair and only opens them when he hears the footsteps of the man himself stopping beside him.

"A cake? That's the surprise?"

Steve nods, placing the cake on the table. "I made it with Mrs. Henderson last night. I'm good with the baking part, but she helped me decorate it. You said chocolate's your favorite, right? With vanilla-almond frosting?"

"Yeah," Eddie smirks, picking his jaw up out of his lap. "But only with sprinkles inside the cake that look like confetti."

Steve's smile widens across his face, teeth on full display as he cuts out a slice for Eddie and places it on a nearby plate. Chocolate cake with confetti sprinkles and vanilla-almond frosting. Decorated with a fancy border and "Congratulations Eddie!" written in icing on the top. Made by Steve. For Eddie.

Yup. Eddie is ass over tits for this boy. Against any of his remaining better judgment.

Steve pushes the slice closer to him, handing him a fork. "Here. I've got another thing for you, but first I'm gonna make sure Robin didn't actually kill Mike."

Eddie grins back up at Steve, ignoring the pricks poking at his eyes. "Yeah, can't have Wheeler the Squealer dying at the hands of his sister's girlfriend."

Steve squints his eyes in a smile before turning away on his heels. And Eddie watches him walk away with his own soft grin tugging at the corner of his mouth.

He takes a breath once Steve is out of sight, diverting his attention back to his cake and the Party around him. The kids created an entire stereo set-up in the backyard, aided by equipment from the Wheeler household. Eddie's contribution, as a request from Henderson himself, was what survived from his music collection after the "earthquake," not that there was much left. What did survive were his favorites and some crowd pleasers, radio-friendly hair-metal and other rock classics. He watches as Dustin and Max start an impromptu headbang contest to Van Halen's latest album. Lucas judges their efforts, likely giving Max some bias in her favor since she's also using her chair that day (and still beating Henderson by a mile in Eddie’s opinion).

Eddie also knows that, much to his dismay, Steve had also contributed some music from his collection. Everyone did, but Eddie partially feared that Steve would just play ABBA all night if he could. Yes, practically living with Steve for the week at Hopper's cabin meant Eddie now knows all the nuances of ABBA. Hell, even the move to the new trailer "required an ABBA christening" according to Steve. And who is Eddie to argue with someone literally helping him move house? But no, he did not want to admit his appreciation for ABBA here and now. Not when he was already so… exposed. 

So when Eddie's eye catches Steve walking out of the house with Robin and Mike close behind, he already suspects where Steve is going. He watches Steve pull out a cassette from his pocket, looking like an obviously homemade mixtape, and pop it into the stereo. Eddie prepares himself for both the worst and the best. Worst, straight ABBA and Tears for Fears favorites. Best, Queen and maybe some AC/DC if he was lucky. He ate his way through the slice of his graduation cake for emotional support.

Which, okay, bad move on his part. Eddie nearly chokes on the delicious chocolate when Steve’s voice cuts across the lawn, singing along to Queen's "Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy” and turning to lock eyes with Eddie.

And if Eddie wasn’t already head over heels for Steve Harrington, he knows this move seals the deal. Fuck.

Eddie manages to swallow the cake as quickly as possible, not savoring it like he wanted because Steve baked the cake himself, and Eddie doesn’t want to waste it. He also refuses to die by chocolate cake asphyxiation when he'd survived literal monsters from another dimension nearly eating him alive.

Before Eddie can even swallow properly, Steve closes the distance between them and grabs the plate out of Eddie’s hands. "...I can serenade and gently play on your heart strings," Steve croons as he sits himself in Eddie's lap, capturing Eddie’s attention with a hand along his face as he finishes the verse, "Be your Valentino just for you."

Eddie thinks his heart will burst out of his chest if Steve moves another inch. But Steve isn’t a mind-reader, so he continues and jumps out of Eddie's lap, running behind Eddie to push him around the lawn. Steve's voice is warm and velvety and filled with so much life, and Eddie cannot contain his smile as his own personal bard continues his dance and serenade. 

"What'cha you doing tonight, hey boy?" Steve lilts in Eddie's ear, "Set my alarm, turn on my charm, that's because I'm a good old-fashioned loverboy."

Eddie was thankful his heart directed more blood flow to the blush on his cheeks and not further south. Not now, bud. Not the place.

"Harrington," Eddie eventually chokes out in protest, "what has gotten into you?"

Steve stops them in a center spot of the lawn, still bouncing his head as he walks around to face Eddie head-on. "What? A guy is not allowed to celebrate his best friend's big day through song?"

Before Eddie has any time to process Steve's words or interject in any way, the kids join their impromptu dance space on the lawn. Steve continues to sing, even winking at Eddie with an outstretched hand as he warbles the words, "say the word, your wish is my command." He hears a dueted "oo-ooh" beside him, finding a wild Max and Lucas smirking at him with eyebrows too wiggly for their own good. He threatens them with a snarl before they're on the move again, Robin and Lucas carting the wheelie djo around the lawn to follow Steve's performance.

The flirty bastard's voice somehow keeps in stride with Freddie himself, albeit with a different timbre. Steve's voice is warmer with a subtler edge, more baritone to Mercury's tenor, but his falsetto was nearly as pure. And the purr that came from Steve during the bridge was enough to make Eddie swoon, whisper-singing the lyrics as he waltzes over to Eddie and locking his gaze.

"When I'm not with you, Think of you always, I miss you. When I'm not with you, Think of me always, Love you, love you…"

Eddie knows at that moment, as he feels the blush take over his face and chest, "Singing" Steve Harrington will be the end of him.

Steve dances backwards away from Eddie, sinfully swaying his hips to the beat before turning on heel and practically shimmying his way back.

“Dining at the Ritz, we’ll meet at Nine precisely. I will pay the bill, you’ll taste the wine.”

“Oh, dinner and a show, Stevie?” Eddie teases with a smile.

But Steve doesn’t miss a beat, leaning close as he runs a finger along the collar of Eddie’s button-down shirt. “Driving back in style in my saloon will do quite nicely. Just take me back to yours, that will be fine.”

How it’s possible for Eddie to feel his heart in his throat and his ass at the same time, he doesn’t know. He’ll figure that out after Steve’s torture performance is done. Maybe.

All too soon and with a flourish, the song ends only to fade into a soft percussion beat and high synth-piano melody.

"Steve," Eddie interrupts with a glare as soon as he recognizes the tune, "who let you be in charge of the music?"

Steve turns to him, his hips now slowly swaying in half-time with the beat. "Come on, Munson, just appreciate the sweet stylings of REO Speedwagon with the rest of us."

Robin barks a laugh from behind Eddie, voice dipping into a low whisper only for him to hear. "Just take it, Eddie. Steve only performs for the people he loves. Embrace the moment."

Eddie looks back to Robin, and the look on her face tells him that she already knows. She knows that Eddie had fallen for the man currently crooning to him and anyone else who could hear. That Eddie only looks forward to weeks–nay, months--of physical therapy because Steve still drives him to every appointment and stays with him after each one. That Eddie's heart was gone from the second he woke up in that hospital room to Steve's face looking down at him, face wet with tears and the biggest smile plastered on his face.

So all Eddie can do is smile back at Robin as she pats his cheek, turning him back to Steve and the kids belting out the cheesiest chorus to Eddie himself and pointing directly at him. Will and El even went for the Munson-level dramatics, knees to the ground and clawing at the air in a fit of performance passion.

"Cause I can't fight this feeling anymore

I've forgotten what I started fighting for.

It's time to bring this ship into the shore

And throw away the oars, forever…"

Eddie lets himself get lost in the song, swaying in his seat with Robin and Nancy and the kids and Steve, anyone who came by to grab his hand and sway with him. And Eddie, much to his surprise, gladly stays in that moment, as corny as it is. But what is life without a little bit of cheese?

And honestly, he would have actively stayed in that moment if it meant the strings of "Honey, Honey" wouldn’t break it. Like they do now.

"No! No," Eddie stops his swaying to turn his wheelchair to the man with the hair and the ‘Tom Cruise at the Top Gun premiere’ look and attitude, his debate at the ready. "Absolutely not, Steve-o, you've lost your music privileges now. I will not listen to any more ABBA on my graduation day!"

Steve's face goes wild in that moment, eyes glistening with mischief and smile growing impossibly bigger as he dances towards Eddie in-time with the music. "Only if you'll actually dance with me, Eds," he asks, both hands outstretched towards Eddie.

Before he could even protest, Robin and Nancy pull Eddie out of his chair, making sure he was stable enough to even stand before Steve whisks himself around, now holding Eddie from behind. Steve braces his arms under Eddie's, and Eddie laces their fingers together just so he could have something to grab onto in this endeavor. He is just strong enough to hold on and almost completely weak in the knees from the proposition alone, but Eddie also knows he isn't strong enough to let go and walk away either.

Somewhere in the distance he swears he hears Gareth and Jeff and Frank hoot and holler out a “Get it, Munson!” He’ll give them hell for it later.

Steve zeroes in on Eddie’s moment of weakness without knowing it, singing the words right into Eddie's ear, "Honey, honey, let me feel it, ah-hah, honey, honey…"

Eddie grits his teeth in a grin, "King Steve-"

"Honey, honey, don't conceal it, ah-hah, honey, honey…"

"Harrington-"

"The way that you kiss goodnight-"

"Steven!"

"The way that you hold me tight-"

"Steve…" Eddie whispered, more to himself than the man holding him upright.

"I feel like I wanna sing when you do your thing!"

"Oh, Princess," Eddie spits out, leaning his head back onto Steve’s shoulder to put his smile and dimples on full display with the blush. He squeezes the hands that hold him up and move him with the music. "You asked for it."

Sue him, because dammit, Eddie can’t control himself anymore.

"I don't wanna hurt you baby," Eddie sings with the bridge, holding onto Steve a little bit tighter, "I don't want to see you cry, so stay on the ground, boy, you better not get too high…"

Eddie hears Steve's smile in his reply, feels Steve wrap his arms (and Eddie's by default)  around his waist to hold him closer, as he sings the rest of the bridge, "But I'm gonna stick to you boy, you'll never get rid of me. There's no other place in this world that I rather would be…"

Eddie can feel Robin's gaze on them, probably Nancy’s and Dustin’s too at this point, but he is too lost in the moment to care. He doesn’t want to be anywhere else either.

Not until Robin races back over to them, taking Steve's place in holding Eddie up around his chest so Steve could whirl around and directly face Eddie, hands hardly breaking as Steve pulls him in close, one arm wrapped around Eddie’s lower back and the other holding his hand. As if “Honey Honey” were a romantic waltz and not Swedish pop.

Yup. Head over heels, ass over tits. For Steve Fucking Harrington. Just his luck.

Eddie is just glad the kids don’t notice them, or at least have the tact to avoid making their awareness known. They all just keep dancing, truly being kids for the first time in too damn long on that grassy lawn of dance floor.

Robin, however, does not hold back her faux-gag from Eddie when he and Steve sing the bridge again the second time it comes around.

The song comes to a close, and Steve keeps his gaze on Eddie, preventing him from looking anywhere else (not like he wants to anyways). They’re so close now, damn near chest to chest were it not for Robin’s hands acting as their buffer. Eddie could kiss him, desperately wants to kiss Steve, but he drops his gaze before greed gets a hold of that wheel.

From the corner of his eye, he does see Nancy run to the stereo and pop out the cassette. Eddie breathes a minor sigh of relief that someone actually listened to Eddie's request. Nancy even throws in one of his own mixtapes for good measure.

But Steve also notices Nancy's action and flushes beet red, holding onto Eddie closer around the middle as they turn to see Nancy reading something on the cassette and calling Robin over.

"No no, Nancy!" Steve yells across the lawn in what Eddie can only describe as his 'exasperated mom' voice. "Put it down, please! Robin, a little help here!"

Robin does no such thing. She lets go of Eddie partway through Steve's plea and reaches Nancy to read whatever was on the cassette, only to look back at Steve and Eddie with a fond smile that, if he’s being honest, Eddie can’t understand whatsoever. But Steve clonks his head on Eddie's shoulder, grip slightly loosening around Eddie’s waist just above the demo-bat scars and wounds. Eddie wraps his free arm around Steve's shoulders in a flurry, because he knows he’ll collapse to the ground at any moment if he doesn't hold on tighter.

"Steve, Stevie, I'm falling," Eddie squeaks out, gripping Steve's shirt and shoulders with whatever finger strength he has left. "Chair, now, please!"

This must bring Steve back into the moment, because Eddie feels himself being lifted off the ground, one arm wrapping around his back under his arms and the other tucking under his knees. And now Steve Harrington, his newest personal kryptonite and probably favorite human, carries Eddie bridal-style across the lawn and back to his wheelchair. As if Eddie were light as a feather.

And just like that, Eddie has a memory to replace the one where he was carried out of the Upside Down in a similar way by the same man, but bleeding out in the worst pain of his life. Or getting carried into a run-down cabin on the outskirts of town. This time takes the cake.

Steve sets him down in the chair gently, rolling Eddie back to the table from only 15 minutes ago. "Your cake, good sir," Steve huffs, a flush still lingering on his face.

Eddie rolls his eyes, fighting back his own blush he allowed to run loose for too long. "Cake's too good to waste, Harrington. My highest compliments to the baker himself."

Steve smiles back, wrinkles appearing beside his eyes. Steve then leans back, stretching his torso as he reaches and ruffles the back of his own hair. "Thanks man. Enjoy it. You definitely deserve it."

"D'you forget something, dingus?" Robin jogs over to them, cased cassette in hand that Steve quickly grabs and hides in his pocket.

"Thanks, Rob," Steve says through gritted teeth and what could only be a soulmate death glare. Eddie lowers his brows at them, wanting in on whatever secret was on the tape, but Robin just flashes Steve a grin and a wink at Eddie as she walks away.

Eddie chuckles as he grabs another fork’s worth of cake. “Tape really that embarrassing, dude?”

“No,” Steve grimaces. “Just… personal.”

Eddie nods. “Alright, keep your secrets, Princess.”

Steve rolls his head back as he takes a seat next to Eddie. “You’ll survive for now. First, you need to open this.” Steve then pushes the previously forgotten gift bag towards Eddie. 

“Wait,” Eddie quickly swallows his smaller bite of cake. “That wasn’t for Robin? Or Nancy?”

He shakes his head. “Nope, just you. Left Rob's at her first party, Nancy got hers earlier.”

And yeah, sure, that makes sense, but… “Wasn’t really expecting anything, Steve. Not from you at least, since you’re practically my nurse at this point.”

Steve’s smile softens without faltering. “Just open the gift, Eds.”

So Eddie pushes aside his cake and tears the tissue from the bag, flinging it left and right around them. Inside he finds a simple wooden picture frame, maybe the size of a sheet of paper, holding a black and white sketch surrounded by dozens of messages in various colors.

The sketch? It was just… Eddie. Rendered in pencil and black ink by someone else's hand. Eddie as the Hellfire Dungeon Master, Eddie in his gear from the Upside Down braced for battle, Eddie in a graduation cap and gown with a diploma-clad fist in the air, Eddie playing his guitar as if he were center stage of his concert, all surrounding Eddie’s smiling sketched profile. Messages fill the remaining white space around the images, of praise and gratitude and good luck from the band and the Party and their respective adults… and a tiny heart from Steve, written in the bottom right corner like a signed work of art.

As if that clarifies… anything, no matter how much Eddie wants it to mean something. 

“Steve,” Eddie finally forces his brain to make words again. “You drew this?”

He nods, biting his lip. “I used to draw a lot as a kid. Dropped it in middle school after my dad said some bullshit about it. And since I kind of picked it up again while you were in the hospital, I hoped you’d be a good first recipient.”

Eddie clears his throat. “Steve, this is…”

“It’s fine if you don’t like the pictures. You can just,” Steve pauses, “I don’t know, cover it up with an actual photo or something.”

Eddie shakes his head as he places the frame on the table and practically pulls Steve out of his seat into a hug. He hits Eddie’s chest with a grunt before leaning into the hug.

“I love it, Steve," Eddie clarifies, "And if it isn't blatantly obvious, I think you’re amazing. Really, Steve. Thank you for everything, not just the picture.”

Steve wraps his arms around Eddie, finally returning the hug. “It’s the least I could do.”

“Okay, first off,” Eddie pushes Steve to arm’s length to look him square in the eye. “The least you could do ? Steve, I literally made a joke about you becoming my personal nurse not five minutes ago. You do nothing but take care of me, and now you do this? And got everyone to sign it with messages?”

Eddie watches Steve release a shaky breath before he responds. “I- we almost lost you, Eddie. You and Max. Of course I’m going to do what I can to take care of you.”

Eddie widens his gaze at Steve. “Right. I wasn’t the only one hurt that day. Why haven’t you been at Max’s beckon call?”

Steve lifts a hand off of Eddie’s waist to rest on his arm, eyes following the same path. “Because, because Max has Lucas… and the other kids, and her mom, but Eddie, you…”

Eddie watches as Steve’s fingers rub at the fabric of Eddie’s shirtsleeves, lost in thought somewhere else. So Eddie tries bringing him back. 

“I have you, yes, but I also have Uncle Wayne. And the band, even if half of them are still in high school.” Eddie watches Steve take in a deep breath, eyes still elsewhere. “I am so, so grateful for all you do to help me, but you don’t have to do it alone, Steve. Or I’ll be afraid no one’s taking care of you.”

That’s what brings Steve back. What makes Steve freeze in his actions and turn almost rigid in Eddie’s grasp. What makes Steve finally look up at Eddie with eyes on the brink of overflowing.

“Oh, Stevie…” Eddie can feel his heart lurch in his chest and swallow any words he could say to fix this. “Just, come here.”

Eddie pulls Steve in for a much gentler hug this time, unintentionally coercing Steve to sit in his lap for the second time that day. He held him close, this boy who hides a heart of gold under the steel armor of his body. He feels Steve cry into his shoulder, just a little bit but more than enough to tell Eddie what he couldn’t say.

Eddie takes a deep breath and gently rubs up and down Steve’s spine as he lowers his voice to an almost whisper. “How about we have each other’s backs, hmm? Take care of each other? And ourselves?”

Steve releases a single chuckle at that moment. “Yeah, alright. Can do.”

“Okay,” Eddie nods. “Now, I know I’m a comfortable seat, but I’ve been working hard on keeping the feeling in these bad boys.”

“Oh shit,” Steve hops out of Eddie’s chair and sits back on his own. “Sorry, man.”

Eddie smiles over at this silly, silly boy. “I’m all for cuddles man, but maybe just not in this chair.”

“Oh, don’t tempt me, Munson,” Steve teases.

Eddie dares to pat Steve’s knee. “Wouldn’t dream of it, Princess.”

Steve doesn’t dance or sing again that night, but Eddie doesn’t care. One round was more than enough for him to last a lifetime. Instead, Steve spends the night almost constantly at Eddie's side, grabbing him food and beer and bringing him anywhere he needs. Really, the Nurse Steve and Mama Steve jokes are putting it lightly, but Eddie knows better than to push too much. Not yet, not after their… conversation.

They need to take care of each other, after all.

As the night winds down, Eddie makes the rounds to say his goodbyes and thanks to everyone, kiddos and adults alike. Robin shoots him a look and a glance at Steve, which, okay, what is that supposed to mean, Buckley? So he gives her a shrug and a “we’ll talk later,” which leaves her satisfied for the moment. 

Wayne left earlier in the evening, still unable to get out of that third shift even for Eddie’s graduation. So Steve brings Eddie back to the trailer, because “I already planned on it, Eds.” He helps Eddie up the steps and half walk through the trailer to his bedroom, not carrying him this time but still bearing most of the weight. And true to his nicknames, Steve helps Eddie through his night routine, just like almost every night at this point.

But he stays. Rather than leaving like he had so many times before, Steve stays. Takes the spare shirt and sleep pants Eddie throws at him from his dresser. Takes the toothpaste Eddie offers, even without the luxury of a toothbrush. Takes the space Eddie leaves at his side in bed. Takes the things Eddie offers to try and take care of Steve in return. Just like a normal, trauma-bonded friend would do. Surely.

That night, Eddie falls asleep tucked into Steve's side, strong arm wrapped around his shoulder and melodies of his bard’s ministrations acting as Eddie's personal recipe for the best sleep he’s had in weeks.

Looking back, this time may be his favorite. Eddie keeps the memory of his graduation night tucked in the back of his mind, warm and comforting and real for when the nightmares come flooding back and make him feel cold and jagged and distant. Eddie knows he can pull it out when he needs a reminder that he isn't alone anymore. And neither is Steve.