Chapter Text
The cafeteria was loud, buzzing with the usual activity of High School nonsense. Guys flirting and failing, cliques talking far too loudly about their current interests, assholes bullying those who they thought were weaker than them and all the other crap that teens do. Nothing new or interesting, just the same old bullshit. Steve had pretty much drowned out the conversation the kids were having at the table and it seems as if Robin had done the same. The pair of them silently eating lunch wishing the school day would hurry up and end already. Steve finishes and immediately gets up to leave.
“Hey Dingus you can’t leave me alone with your kids!”
“How many times Robin, they’re not my kids”
“Could’ve fooled me Steve, you’re basically their mom”
“I’m an unpaid babysitter, a job which I did not sign up for. So forgive me for trying to get a measly 15 minutes of peace from the goblins”
“We’re not goblins you asshole!”
“Watch your mouth Dustin or I’m not gonna drive you to the arcade tomorrow!”
Dustin grumbles under his breath and quickly quiets down at the prospect of not having the taxi of Steve to give him rides.
“Fine, point taken Steve but this officially goes as a tally on the you suck board”
“Yeah, Yeah Robs”
Steve leaves the table, dumps his trash and puts his tray away. He heads to the bathroom that's tucked away by the old music room, knowing very few people actually use it so it's a good place to get some quiet time. He skillfully navigates the hallways of Hawkins High doing his best to avoid running into anyone who will try and start a conversation or a fight with him. He’s been here long enough to know this school like the back of his hand.
As Steve turns the corner into the hallway of his semi secret bathroom he hears a faint melody winding its way from the old music room. The closer he gets the more intrigued he is to find out who’s creating such a beautiful sound. The last person he expected to see was Eddie Munson when he peered in through the door window. Surely he should be playing some migraine inducing metal or something, not strumming a gentle tune full of emotion on a beaten up acoustic guitar. The sight before him contradicts nearly everything he’s ever heard about the boy. In fact the way the light is shining in behind him, causing a glow to outline his form makes him appear practically angelic, not like a Satan worshipping cult leader at all.
Steve can't help but stare at Eddie, watching how his fingers move over the strings, how his face seems so full of emotion and peace at the same time and how the sun shines through his long curly mess of dark brown hair. Each chord played sends little sparks through Steve's brain. “Wow” the exclamation escaping his lips without thought, Eddie looks up at the noise and Steve ducks below the window so fast he's sure he wasn’t spotted. After a few moments Eddie starts playing again and Steve slumps down to sit on the floor by the door. I’m just enjoying the music, it’s only the music, Steve convinces himself. He stays there until the bell rings for the end of lunch, listening intensely to every tune seeping out from the door. He races away as quickly as he can once the bell chimes making sure Eddie doesn’t spot him. That was a much nicer way to spend his time than hiding in a bathroom. Steve spends the rest of the day with a smile on his face and Eddie’s music filling his head.
Steve sneaks to the old music room to marvel at Eddie and his music every lunch for the next two weeks, making up some bullshit excuses to leave early and sometimes skipping lunch altogether. He is officially on Robin's bad list and he understands even less of what Dustin is on about now on their car rides home. But he doesn't care though, secretly visiting Eddie each lunch is now the main reason he manages to survive the school day. Each time he visits he finds himself getting more and more intrigued by the musician instead of the music. ‘Shit, do I have a thing for Munson?! No, no, he’s just really good at playing the guitar and the songs are really calming, that's all, right? right.’ He quiets his thoughts as quickly as they arise, it would be ridiculous for him to have a crush on Eddie. Eddie probably hates him anyway, Steve was a complete jerk in the past and wouldn’t blame Eddie for thinking he still was.
One day in the second week Steve was later than he wanted to be leaving lunch due to Dustin not shutting up about some very important reason as to why he needed a lift to Will’s house that weekend. After agreeing to give him a lift (Dustin should know by now that Steve will always give him a lift if he asks, he’s a sucker for the little squirt) he rushes to the old music room as fast as he can, desperate not to miss a minute more of Eddie. As he turns the corner to his now favourite hallway in the school, thoughts of Eddie and his guitar fill his mind.
Steve doesn't spot the obvious cable dragging across the floor by the music room, his brain is too preoccupied. He doesn't slow his speed as he approaches the music room and trips over the cable, crashing head first into the door collapsing in a heap on the floor by Eddie's feet. “ Harrington?! ” Eddie yelps in surprise, jumping up from his seat and nearly dropping his guitar. “ Shit! I’m so sorry, let me just…” Steve ungracefully pulls himself up to his feet “there I’ll get out of your hair now, sorry again.” He turns to leave and can feel an intense heat spread across his face as he turns an ungodly shade of red from embarrassment.
“I know you’ve been hiding by the door and listening to me play for the last two weeks”
“Oh, I, well I mean, it’s just that, umm… shit ”
“No need to be embarrassed King Steve, I’m flattered”
“It’s just Steve. How did you know I was there?”
“You’re not very good at keeping quiet big boy, You make these little noises of approval and sometimes hum along. Not to mention the day that you were literally peering in the window before ducking away when I looked up!”
“ Fuck, you saw that?! I thought I was quick enough”
Wait a second, did Eddie just call him Big Boy? Big Boy! A knot forms in the pit of his stomach and his heart seems like it’s about to jump through his chest. Steve bottles up whatever is going on and decides to unpack it later because now is not the time. He’s snapped from his own thoughts by the sound of Eddie giggling. “Oh King Steve you’re not as subtle as you think” Eddie winks at him causing Steve’s heart to once again try and escape from his body. What the hell is going on?! Steve is just really into the music right? Eddie is not the usual type Steve goes for, he’s so wild and rough around the edges. Absolutely nothing like any of the girls or the few boys he’s been with. So why does it feel like if he gets any closer to Eddie he’ll explode? Steve grabs the door handle preparing to exit the room, even though he really doesn't want to.
“Stay.” Eddie has a chance to spend some actual time with Steve, the thought of him being just outside the door and out of his reach for the past few weeks has been torturous. “I mean you’re already in here, it's got to be more comfortable than sitting in the hallway.” Don’t sound too desperate Munson, don’t scare him off. Why does it matter? The King is 100% straight anyway, you don't stand a chance its just another stupid crush. A thousand thoughts rush through Eddie's brain but the one shouting the loudest is that he doesn't want Steve to go. “Are you sure? I’d like that, the floor in the hall is super cold plus the door kinda muffles some of the sound.” He lets go of the door handle and sits down just a little distance away from Eddie.
“Welcome to your personal concert from the best Bard in town!” Eddie chimes.
“Bard?”
“Jesus Steve, do you really not know what a Bard is?”
“Umm…”
“It’s like an old-timey word for a musician. They were poets who wrote songs about heroic quests and love and stuff. In D&D they’re magical and they use their songs to cast spells and shit, although they don't have to be musicians in D&D, just creative and artistic, but that's not the point. Basically it's just an old fashioned word and I could've just said musician but I didn’t because I have an annoying flair for the dramatic.”
Eddie rambles like a crazy person but Steve is hooked on his every word. Glimmers of passion and excitement twinkle as he speaks about something clearly important to him. The corners of Steve's mouth pull into a gentle smile, he could listen to him talk like this for hours. “No, I like the word Bard, it fits you more than just a musician.”
Eddie blushes as his comment and thinks about what Steve meant when he said it fitted him more than just a musician, does Steve think he’s magical? No that would be stupid this is the first time they’ve ever really spoken to each other. With that Eddie picks up the guitar and starts playing, his fingers dancing up and down the neck of the guitar. He tries desperately to not let the fact that Steve wanted to stay distract him from giving the best performance he can right now.
As the minutes go by Steve unconsciously moves closer and closer towards the talented boy next to him. He just can't take his eyes off him, every inch of Eddie Munson a delight to behold, how could anyone not be fascinated by him? Every so often Eddie peered up at Steve through his long eyelashes, head still tilted down to his guitar. Steve melts every time, those dark brown eyes are going to be the death of him. Somehow he is still delusional about the reason he likes Eddie, ‘ not a crush just a great musician’ he repeats over and over in his mind, ‘ not a crush just a great musician’.
It’s a few minutes before the end of lunch when Eddie suddenly stops playing and gently places down the guitar. Steve lets out a quiet whine, wishing Eddie would continue playing forever or at least through next period, Steve could afford to skip a class or two. “Don't worry your pretty head Harrington I’m not stopping playing forever, I just want to ask you a question.” Shit, I called him pretty, curse my natural flirtiness! Eddie’s hands drop down next to him, accidentally brushing Steve’s, electricity shooting through him at the quick touch of his soft skin. The contact alerts Eddie to how close Steve had gotten to him, he was too focused on performing to realise at the time.
“Why do you keep coming by every lunch?”
“ You. ” Without thinking Steve had replied, his heart had taken the wheel on this one leaving no time for his brain to come up with anything to say.
“Oh.”
“ Oh. ”
It feels like time has frozen for a moment as both boys mentally unravel the meaning of Steve’s reply. They stay in silence just staring at each other for what feels like an eternity until the bell rings causing them to come back to life. Steve makes a rush for the door, desperate to escape before he says anything else stupid. He gets one foot out the door when Eddie calls after him. “Hey Steve, come back tomorrow…please” His voice is so soft, lacking in any of his usual confidence and bravado. Steve turns his head to face him, shyly smiles and lightly nods his head before leaving and gently closing the door behind him. He lets out a deep breath he didn't even realise he was holding in and heads to class. Once Steve has gone Eddie feels a tear prick in the corner of his eye, as much as he wants this, wants Steve, he can't help but worry about letting someone in again, being vulnerable and the absolute heartbreak he’s going to feel when it inevitably goes wrong.