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It's 1986. Steve falls in love with Eddie first. It's crazy. It's so crazy. He falls in love between the world ending for the fourth time and saving it for real this time. He falls in love between rushing into a hospital with Eddie's bleeding body and staying by his bedside.
In the aftermath, they become friends. Real actual friends with a little more trauma than normal friendships but they support each other, help each other grow. They smoke weed, go to the quarry, go bowling. They have hundreds of D&D nights. They co-parents the kids and they drag Eddie to his graduation. They throw parties and pool parties. Go to Indiana to go barhopping and record thrifting. In-between all these moments Steve falls in love. He can't pin point when exactly, but maybe he's been in love with Eddie Munson all along.
Steve keeps it in, because their friendship was so much more important. He's the closest thing Steve will have as a bestfriend (Robin's not counted, because Robin's not just his bestfriend). The pining, the yearning, the longing, it's okay. It's okay as long as he has Eddie beside him and it's so much better than not having him.
It's 1991. It's 1991 when Steve finally cannot take it. He wants so much more with Eddie. By now, they've moved to Chicago, they're both struggling adults but at least they're together and what he feels for Eddie is killing him inside. He knows Eddie doesn't feel the same. He knows. But Steve still wants to tell him so he can hear it from Eddie's lips, that he doesn't feel the same, so Steve can just fucking move on.
Steve tells him. Steve tells him on a rainy evening. Eddie looks shocked, like he's never even thought about it and it truly hurts more than anything. Steve would rather get eaten by demobats again than this. Steve tells him that it's okay if he doesn't feel the same way. He just wants Eddie to reject him so he can finally, finally move on. Eddie looks at him, and tells him, "I will always love you, Stevie. But I don't think I've ever loved you in that way." They move out of their shared apartment, a mutual decision on both their sides.
They both stay in Chicago. They stay best friends who meets up every Friday night for a drink. They have lunches together. They talk about the kids and share tidbits of secrets that was supposed to be secrets. They're best friends and it's everything Steve Harrington has wanted as he tries to finally move on.
It's 1996. The whole Party is in town for whatever reason. They don't really need a reason to see each other. They're in Robin and Nancy's shared home. Eddie's DM-ing just like the old times.
Eddie's working at a small music studio as a Producer. It's nothing big yet, but he's finally in that stage in his life that he's happy and he's done something real in his life. Steve's getting his Phd in Child Psychology and it takes everything in Eddie to not tease and call him Doctor every fucking waking minute.
They're having a snack break in between the campaign. Eddie's sitting and eating on the couch when Robin plops down beside him, throwing her legs on his lap. They're still close, they see each other almost every other week. They laugh as they watch Steve and Dustin wrangle each other for a drink or a snack, no ones really sure.
"Hey, Eds?" Eddie hums, looking over at Robin.
"I am glad you and Steve stayed friends." The confession surprises him. They never talked about it after that night, some part of Eddie knows that Robin knows but they've never talked about it too.
"Of course, we stayed friends. Why wouldn't we?" Eddie answers, his voice unsure of why Robin is even bringing this up right now. It's been 5 years since that rainy night.
"I don't know. You know that love where you feel like you'll explode if you don't tell them? Like the one that makes you feel like your a ticking time bomb?" Eddie shakes his head as Robin continues, "That's what Steve had for you. I guess that love was also enough to just love you as a friend. I am glad you're both happy." Robin kisses his cheek before leaving.
Eddie stares at Steve, really looks at him, as he laughs and smiles with the kids as they catch up with their lives and Eddie watches as if in command, Steve turning to him like a boat finding his lighthouse. Steve smiles at him and it's a different one, his eyes crinkle into crescent moons and Eddie swears his eyes shine in the dark room and a bomb explodes in his heart.
Eddie tries to remember every time he felt this way around Steve. The day he wakes up from the hospital, the day he graduates high school, the day they drop of Dustin to college, the day they move in to their apartment, the day Steve told him that he loved him, every goddamn day in between.
And god, Eddie's the biggest fucking idiot. Eddie's been a ticking time bomb in the last ten years and he always thought it was just nothing. It was normal to love someone this much because, you know, he saved his life and Steve's his bestfriend. He didn't even realize he loves Steve, but that means nothing now, he's already five years too late. He's seen Steve going on dates, trying to move on from him and he even supported him.
It's 2000. Britney Spears is everywhere and Eddie Munson is still in love with Steve Harrington. He stops dating, gives up on it all together. He's the one pining, yearning and longing now and he hates it only because this is what Steve felt for so long and Eddie can't believe he even didn't notice.
Eddie's content in it. He missed his chance, he missed it by five years when Steve held out his heart to him in his palm. Eddie's happy in every aspect in his life. Eddie is working as a Producer in a big company now, if you see the latest big hit you can usually see his name in the writers and producers. He just bought Wayne his first apartment, he has a cat named Sabbath. Max and Lucas just got married. Robin and Nancy are adopting kids. Dustin is ring shopping. Will and Mike finally got their shit together. Steve is in the peak of his career, he's writing a book about child abandonment issues and teaching classes and giving seminars in his free time while dating the most gorgeous girl Eddie's ever seen. Eddie swears that if he isn't gay, she would be his type, not only that but she's actually kind and good to Steve. She works as a social worker and is an actual angel on earth and no matter what Eddie does, he doesn't have it in him to hate her. They're all sure they're headed to marriage. The kids all love her, and has Robin's stamp of approval. He is happy. Everyone is happy.
There's a big gaping hole in his heart that only Steve Harrington can fill and he doesn't know what to do when he stays up at night, in a big cold bed, alone, filled with regrets or when they're at parties and Steve's laughing with her and Eddie thinks that could've been him.
But it's okay, Eddie will swallow his feelings because the love of his life is happy. It's okay as long as he has Steve beside him because being his bestfriend, even if that means he'll have to stand behind him at his future wedding, is better than not having Steve in his life.
It's 2002 and with that comes Steve and his girlfriend breaking up. Everyone's surprised (not Robin, but she won't say why) because they were perfect for each other. Steve doesn't even shed one tear, just tells them that the breakup was mutual and that they were both happy with the decision.
Eddie should really shoot his shot, but around this time his first album just came out. The company director of the company he works for signed him for a one time album (for now). He knows he's older now but the company director didn't really care because Eddie's always had the talent for it. He knows the pop girlies are on the rise but the metal scene was pretty hot too. He calls the old Corroded Coffin members to finally make their dreams come true. Gareth, Jeff and Paul comes to LA and they work on the album. It's easy work because Eddie has books and books of songs written (all about pining over Steve Harrington).
Gareth takes one look at the lead single the company director choose and looks up at him, "You still haven't boned Steve fucking Harrington?" Eddie sputters an embarrassed response and he asks how they even knew.
"Oh come on! He always went at The Hideout when we played, and you guys pined over each other like crazy! You looked at him like he created the fucking universe." Jeff laughs, looking over the song.
"Really???" Paul reads the lyrics and tries to sing it, "You're an angel on earth, and I am the devil on earth. I regret missing the train to heaven."
The album comes out in three months. It's a fast production, and it's doesn't exactly become a hit but it's enough to put them on the map. It becomes a hit on the metal scene and plays on the radio, Eddie's a well known producer at the time and people looked forward to his first album. They do press for the next two weeks and they go home for rest (with more plans for the future) because yeah, Eddie goes home to a cold, lonely apartment but the others have kids and wives and families.
Eddie doesn't exactly call Steve, not when he just came out with a literal song that screams "I am so in love with you and I am sorry I missed my chance." The last time they talked was when Steve broke up with his girlfriend and Eddie comforted him but Steve told him he was fine and that "it wasn't meant to be" whatever that meant.
Robin picks up Eddie on the airport with a huge sign that says, "ATLEAST YOU DIDNT MISS YOUR FLIGHT" They laugh about it for a solid minute before Robin hugs him and pulling away with a smirk, "Do I get royalties for giving you the album name?" Eddie rolls his eyes and hands her a signed CD of "The Ticking Bomb - Corroded Coffin"
Robin laughs as they finally make their way out of the airport, "You finally gonna talk to Steve about that train you missed?" Eddie shakes his head, "He just broke up with his girlfriend! And also, just because he did, doesn't mean I have a chance! I missed my chance!"
Robin just laughs in disbelief and mutters a silent, "These idiots."
It takes a week before Eddie finally sees Steve. It's not with the lack of trying, he's tried looking for Steve everywhere but it seems like the other man has been avoiding him like the plague.
Eddie finally sees Steve when he comes barging on his apartment on a rainy evening. He's wearing his sweater vest and glasses, looking and giving the professor vibes that could have Eddie on his knees. He's also drenched from the rain.
"Why? How? Come in! You're going to get sick!" Eddie pulls him in, and he tries to help Steve out of the wet clothes as he hands him a towel but Steve just sighs frustrated, pushing a Corroded Coffin album at Eddie's chest.
"Are you okay? What's this for?" Eddie asks, holding the somewhat wet and broken CD case.
"Are you okay he asks?!" Steve repeats, pulling at his hair.
"What's the problem, Steve?" Eddie's honestly not sure what's happening and he's getting worried.
"What's the problem?" Steve repeats, eyes widening, "I'll tell you the problem Eddie Munson! In 1991! I told you that I loved you and you said you didn't feel the same way about me! I moved on! I tried to move on! And then ten years later you come out with a song saying that you regret missing the fucking train? You come out with an album filled with 13 songs that just screams pining, yearning and longing? For me?! You know I bought this album the first day it came out and you know what my ex told me? You know what, my perfect, wonderful ex told me?" Eddie shakes his head.
"She tells me "This is about you, Steve." She doesn't even say anything else! She just kisses my cheeks and packs her bags and tells me to be happy! Because everyone knows! Everyone in this goddamn green earth knows that I am still fucking in love with you! That no matter how hard I try I will always belong with you! I am not a missed train! I've been waiting for you on that platform since 1986, Eddie!"
Eddie kisses him. Eddie kisses him and a timer sets off on his chest, like it's finally free, like it's finally home. There's still so much to talk about, so much to fix, so much time to catch up on. But for now everything's right in the world and he has Steve Harrington in his arms.
It's 2004. Eddie Munson-Harrington sits on a train going around New Zealand, his husband, Steve Harrington-Munson, sleeping lightly on his shoulder, as they travel to their honeymoon.
He didn't miss the train this time.