Archive of Our Own ^omega

Christmas - what a shithole.

Eddie Munson hated Christmas. It's a fact about him that he wore with honour and pride. He couldn't stand the flashing lights, lively music, and cliché movies people shoved down his throat. Gareth and Jeff would try to convert him, force him to wear ugly sweaters and eat pudding until his guts were stuffed. It never worked. He still resented the holidays afterwards, to the dismay of his friends. He couldn't find it in himself to care about the festivities. Not only was it blatant commercialisation on a stolen holiday, but it was also too bright and too cold. Eddie hated it.

Hawkins was usually turned into the icy pits of hell around wintertime. The cold bitter bite of frost would nip at people's noses until they bled red and mucus, and the roads would turn frozen solid and dangerous enough to end lives instantaneously. But the folks of Hawkins, Indiana wouldn't let that stop them, even if it became harder to escape the warm confines of their beds and had to wrap up in extra layers than usual (Eddie despised it - his closet consisted of thin t-shirts and leather jackets. Adding a bauble hat and gloves would compromise his style, making him look soft instead of sharp around the edges). The residents of the Suburban town still managed to find joy, however, in the season and cheerfully sang down the icy roads.

But Eddie believed that year would be different. However, as he learned miserably, the people who saved him from Vecna's clutches - and the murder charges pinned on him - celebrated Christmas to an embarrassing amount. Which was fair after the horrors they had to witness for three years, after the endless stress and worry that weighed them down, but Eddie wouldn't concede. He only learned about this horrendous display of affection for the festivities when Dustin shoved a handmade advent calendar in Eddie's arms the day before, ranting about how they did it every year and how Eddie was family now, so he had to join in. Eddie took it, of course, but with a sneer on his lips, ruffling the boy's hair to his annoyance. If it came down to it, he would much rather be shot in the head by Henderson himself than celebrate Christmas.

That was, of course, until he stepped into Family Video with his cane, shaking like a leaf on a windy day wearing nothing but his leather jacket, and saw Steve Harrington in an elf costume. Usually, the sight would appal him - vomit green with fluffy trimmings and a little golden bell at the end of a pointy hat made bile burst in his mouth. But when his eyes landed on Steve, leaning against the counter and rummaging through a pile of tapes, Eddie physically stopped in his tracks like a deer in headlights.

"Eddie?" Robin said, walking out of the breakroom and straight to him with a hidden concerned glint. Eddie paid her no mind, eyes fixated on the swoop of Steve's hair and the fake pointed ears he wore. Steve's eyes were still on the tape covers, so Eddie stared as much as he could, drinking in the sight of Steve Harrington in the ugliest costume Eddie could have ever seen. "Dude, you good?"

"I'm fine," He answered, back to the bitter and gloomy mood he was in and swatting Robin's hand away from his face. He hopped onto the counter, leaning his cane against it, legs swinging from under him, and crossed his arms over his chest. "Actually, no, I'm not. All this Christmas spirit is slowly killing me from the inside out, wrenching out my soul with a crowbar. I'm blowing my brains out if I hear one more goddamn Christmas song."

The store was silent for a few moments before Steve began to hum a Christmas song under his breath, unaware of the stink eye Eddie was giving him as he slowly craned his neck towards him. Robin erupted into hysterics which startled Steve out of his trance. He looked around just as Eddie put two fingers to his temple, pulled the trigger and flopped over the counter dramatically. Robin was doubled over, grasping her stomach for dear life like it would split open, and Steve looked around, confusion written all over his face.

"What did I miss?" He asked with conjoined brows. Eddie rolled his eyes lovingly, flopping a hand to his forehead.

"You've killed me, Stevie!" He announced to the store, which was empty of customers and consumed with Robin's cackling snorts, slapping her knee like a cowboy - or cowgirl. Eddie batted his eyes up at Steve, and Steve watched with an amused smile etched on his face, his hands straddled to his hips. "You've singlehandedly destroyed my existence, and now I shall perish into the darkest of black holes. What do you say, Harrington? Will you plead guilty to this horrific crime you've just committed?"

"Fuck off, Munson," Steve said with no bite. He hauled Eddie upright, so he wasn't teetering on the edge of danger, dusting his hands off, and the bell that hung from his head jingled merrily. "By the way, how stupid are these costumes? Keith made us wear them thanks to the festive season." Eddie dragged his eyes over the costume again as Steve gestured to it. Somehow, it felt wrong to see Steve in anything that wasn't a polo shirt and tight jeans, but Eddie shoved the feeling down, looking on with delight.

Robin gathered herself up, wiping tears from her eyes and joining Steve behind the counter. "Steve only agreed because he thought he'd be able to wear his ugly Christmas sweaters in public for once. He has a whole collection in his closet. I've seen it." Robin physically shivered, turning to the computer and clacking away at the chunky keyboard.

"A collection, Harrington? Dude, that's terrifying. You've just been bumped down to eleventh on my friend list," Eddie groaned, grabbing a possibly out-of-date lollipop from the rack. He flicked it in the air like he was making a tick and unwrapped it, popping it into his mouth. Steve watched the motion with a wounded look on his face.

"How fucking dare you, dude. Eleventh?! And who's in the first place? Henderson?" He accused, cocking his hip like a suburban mum who just won a roast battle. Robin stifled a gag from where she sat, fixing the hat on her head.

"You called?" Dustin said, popping his head from the aisle. Eddie fell backwards, squealing out a "Jesus Christ" around his lollipop before pathetically falling off the counter and onto the floor, flaying his arms about comically. This started a wave of hysterics, washing over everyone as they laughed until tears slipped from their eyes. Eddie grumbled under his breath, only a little heartened by the laughter that filled the chilly air. He sat up, rubbing his back feverishly.

"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up, assholes," He mumbled and sat back onto the linoleum side with little restraint, fire licking at his injuries. The others didn't even try to calm down, deciding to writhe on the Cheeto-dusted floor and cough their lungs out. Steve, at least, threw him an apologetic grin, bracing himself on the countertop in case he ended up on the floor like the others. Once the cackling died and they were heaving great breaths to steady their light-headedness, Eddie asked, "How long have you been here, Henderson?"

"The little shit has been here all day driving me mad," Steve answered in turn. He flipped through a magazine spread out next to the stack of returns. Eddie couldn't see the specifics of the magazine, but a peculiar picture of Farrah Fawcett caught his eye. "Skipped school and everything to hang out with us losers. Which, Henderson, is stupid even for you. School's important, don't do drugs, all that shit." He flipped his hand around in the air as he spoke as if he was reading from a list called 'the loser's guide to morals.'

Dustin rolled his eyes, finally joining the group around the boxed off-site. "Whatever, Steve. It's not like it's imperative anyway."

Eddie jumped off, popping the lollipop from his mouth, so it echoed throughout the store. He grabbed his cane, walked over to Dustin and planted a firm hand on Dustin's shoulder. "You wound me, Henderson. Wasn't me being a super-super senior teach you nothing?" He batted his eyelashes and jabbed the sticky sweet to his chest; Dustin grimaced, shoving him away playfully. Eddie grabbed at his heart, morphing a mortified expression on his face.

"As I said, it wasn't important anyway. Just algebra and who got who for secret Santa," Dustin countered, cutting his hand through the gingerbread-smelling air. A giant red hat hiding his curly hair swung maliciously behind his head, the ball of white fur matching the snow that covered the ground outside.

"Ooh, spill the beans, Henderson. Who'd you get?" Steve leant his chin on his palm, a brisk smirk on his face. Robin diverted her attention back to the conversation, swirling around on the chair and giving Eddie a 'why are we friends with these idiots' look. Eddie shrugged his shoulders.

"Fuck you, Steve," he exploded, grabbing a lollipop and sticking it in his mouth. After a while, Dustin popped the sugary stick from his mouth and answered in a hushed tone, "I got Lucas." Eddie let out a loud and quick laugh, throwing his head and sending his hair flying. Robin rolled her eyes, and Steve's smile grew wider until it shone like the sun.

"Pay up, dingus," Robin demanded, flicking her hand towards her. Steve groaned, fishing into the lime green costume and pulling out a handful of bills. Robin snatched them with greed, chuckling to herself and counting the papers like a businessman in the black-and-white movies Wayne used to watch after his shift. After she had counted each bill, she stuffed them into her pocket and idly spun around in the chair she was still sitting on. "Good doing business with you." A smirk was plastered on her face when she turned to the group again, and Steve rolled his eyes, grumbling under his breath.

Dustin watched the exchange with a shocked face. His mouth flapped open and close, and when he had sufficiently re-enacted a desperate goldfish, he abandoned his sweet on the counter and jabbed a brutal finger into Steve, who winced at the pain. "You fucking bet on me, Steve?! What the hell, man!" He complained, sending his arms flying in the air.

"Like you don't bet on me, Henderson," Steve casually commented, his eyes darting to Eddie for a moment. Something about the glance held a secret Eddie wasn't aware of - context he knew he wouldn't be filled in on. It was gone as soon as it came, but Eddie held onto the sober expression that stoned onto Steve's face for that millisecond, held onto it like the string connecting him to the world, taut and slipping from his grasp. But the moment was gone, and Eddie brushed it off - it was Steve, after all. "Anyway, Munson, why are you here? Missed me already?"

He binned the definitely out-of-date lollipop and hopped over the counter in one graceful step that left him shocked, resting his head with his hand. "Oh, absolutely, Harrington. Who wouldn't miss the glorious hair of Steve 'The King' Harrington?" He stroked the auburn hair delicately, the smell of hairspray and cinnamon invading his nostrils at the proximity. The shade of red on Steve's face astonished Eddie, a pretty deep pink along his chiselled cheeks.

"Well, Munson--"

The bell rang.

Eddie darted to the other side, picking up a random magazine and inspecting it, partially hiding his face. Steve straightened up, adjusting the hat on his head before leaving the group to help the elderly woman who had opened the store. Once they were far from them and unlikely to listen to the conversation, they all relaxed, simultaneously breathing a sigh of relief. Robin was the quickest to recover, flipping Eddie's magazine, so it wasn't upside down anymore and perching herself beside him, her little bell jingling along with her.

Robin was ridiculously smart. Since their unfortunate bond of a specific foreskin-looking monster and an interdimensional hellhole that looked like Hawkins, Eddie would say the two of them were close. Trauma bonding, and all that. And to everyone's surprise (not really), they found common ground between them. First of all, they were both queer. That was a rollercoaster neither of them knew how to navigate for several months, but once they did, it was all rainbows and sparkles and whatnot. The first time Eddie realised Robin possibly wasn't as straight as he thought was the day after Vecna. Eddie was still in the hospital, nursing his demobat injuries, and he was still delirious from all of the drugs, but he was sure he saw her hold Nancy's hands in a way that screamed not-as-platonic as Robin tried to cover it up to be.

Second of all, they were both autistic. Social cues didn't seem to grasp either of them, and they both had bizarre interests in categories that seemed far-fetched to the typical person. Eddie was twenty when he got tested, but Robin hadn't simply because it was too expensive (and too overwhelming for her, which was fair enough). The only reason Eddie did was that after Vecna, and after Eddie was out of the hospital with a wheelchair and a few more scars than earlier, a doctor the gang trusted evaluated him for anything strange. A psych eval to make sure he wasn't secretly Vecna's assistant. Owens (the 'trusted' doctor) had told him over a cup of coffee at his temporary home, somewhere quiet and far from the prying eyes of Hawkins. In response, Eddie had chugged his coffee, shrugged his shoulders and said, "Eh, I thought so."

Thirdly, she was the only one who knew about Eddie's darkest secrets: his embarrassing crush on Steve Harrington and that Eddie wasn't always a boy. Robin found out about his crush after a smoking session on Eddie's new and improved trailer roof (free of portals and dead cheerleaders). Weed had made his mind foggy and allowed the thin filter between his brain and mouth to snap, so he told her out of the blue, and Robin had stared at him, bloodshot and jaw dropped, before saying she suspected something when Eddie gave away his battle jacket for Steve's 'modesty' - he didn't want to stare at Steve's chest the entire time in the shadow realm, but he ended up doing that anyway.

Eddie could recall the first time he knew he wasn't a girl. It was in the playground, and he was sitting on the swings, watching the other kids run around and have fun, and then he just knew. It was like a holy light dawned on his tiny head, making the pieces fit together. One minute he was worried about what snack his Mum had packed for him, and the next, he knew he was a boy. He had thought about it beforehand, of course - allowed his tiny brain to circulate on the idea that maybe he wasn't like the other girls his age. But it hadn't entirely settled on him until he was on the swings on that cloudy February afternoon.

He could also recall the first time his dad found out. It was right before he got sent to the big detention hall, and Eddie could still recall the feeling of spittle landing on his face as the man screamed at him, waving scissors around his kid's poorly cut hair. The buzz of the clippers still jumped around in his skull every so often when the memory decided to pop up, and the feeling of cold concrete on his bare feet stained his soles. Wayne had answered, shocked to see a younger Eddie on his doorstep with a shaved head and crying his heart out. The cops came, his mother's grave was left abandoned, and it was decided Wayne was his guardian. They came up with a story, so Eddie was truly in the clear: Eddie moved from Texas to Hawkins after his twin sister ran away. People believed it, and Eddie grew up without the fear of never truly being himself - something he could never do.

Robin finding out wasn't as earth-shattering as Eddie had pictured it being, but then again, he had planned for no one to ever figure it out. Robin was just the lucky person who had stumbled onto it by chance. It was a few days after he got out of the hospital, unable to do anything by himself without the help of someone else. Whilst his uncle was at work, Robin made sure Eddie didn't accidentally open up any of his wounds and could shower. Long story short: his towel dropped with Robin in the room, and then she knew. Not the most convenient way of finding out, but Robin seemed to be okay with it, even making jokes now and then about it.

When Robin stood beside him on the first day of Christmas, she knew something was wrong by the mundane look in his eyes. "You doing okay, bud?" She asked, her legs sprawled out in front of her, crossed at the ankles, and leant her head back to see Eddie's face. He scratched his jaw awkwardly, stubble and acne catching at his fingernails. It was as if Eddie was glass Robin could see through, revealing his insides to her in a morbid display.

"Oh, you know, just going through it all," he answered as opposed to an actual response. If he set aside the theatrics and fake smiles, Eddie would admit that he wasn't okay, bud. In fact, since Vecna, Eddie was never alright. "Massive crush on a straight guy, blocked nose, undying distaste for the holiday season; all great ingredients for a happy Eddie sundae."

"Wait, what straight guy?" Dustin piped in, scratching the hat on his head.

Robin looked at Eddie, asking for the okay, which he gave before turning back to the egotistical child. "Steve. He's been crushing on him since Vecna."

Eddie scoffed, taking his cane and leaning against it. It was long and painted black, chipped where Eddie had fallen or mishandled it, with carved sketches in the wood. Eddie didn't like it very much even though it did make him look like the maleficent villain he pictured himself being in his mind, but he didn't have much of a choice. "You guys make me sound pathetic," He complained, the urge for a cigarette burning the back of his throat.

"It kind of is," Dustin admitted with a shrug of his shoulders. "I mean, Steve? Of all the guys you could crush on, why him? He's not even as cool as you, Eddie."

That was the question that circulated in his brain for many months. He wasn't sure when the crush developed, but he was certain it was during their walk through the haunted woods when Eddie rambled on about Black Sabbath. During his stay in the hospital, Steve would visit Eddie during his stay (they were both admitted because of the demobat bites) and sit by Eddie's side as he slept to ease Eddie's mind. Sleeping was as difficult as eating cement for him, and Steve offered to watch over him in case anything happened. The kindness Steve displayed wrapped around Eddie's heart like tentacles, feeding on every crevice and seeping into his soul. But why he had a crush on the former king of Hawkins High's halls was a true mystery. It might have been the hair, the doe eyes that watched him, or maybe even the martyr complex, but Eddie was never sure, deciding to leave it.

It wasn't as if it mattered anyway. Steve was a hundred per cent, without a doubt, guaranteed to be straight.

"Even though he's my best friend," Robin added, "I have to agree. He's a dingus." She pushed herself away from the counter and to the returns bin, deciding it was best to start work in the middle of the day. On the other side of the store, Steve's bell jingled as he explained to the old lady with him with flying hands. He was polite and patient to her, but every so often, he'd send the group a fleeting look. "Anyway, why are you here, Eddie?"

"Can't I see my best friends without reason?" He batted his eyelashes at her, watching as she strolled away with a trolley full of VHS tapes. Stacking them on the shelves, Eddie followed Robin like a lost puppy, his cane hitting the carpet in a steady rhythm. "I felt like being a menace to society for once. I'm so bored stuck in my trailer all day, it's like my brain is trying to claw out of my skull." He dragged his fingers down his face dramatically.

Robin snickered lightly. "Get a job then," She offered, putting Labyrinth on the shelf haphazardly.

"Yes, because anyone in this red-neck town would hire me after staging a manhunt." Hawkins had a hard time looking past the false murder charges and the wild hair to see the truth about Eddie. Yet again, Eddie didn't want people to see the true him. A beast lived under his skin and in his bones, snarling at every sneer Hawkins threw at him.

"I can help you find a job as an early Christmas gift," she joked.

"Bite me," He replied.

After the old lady left happily and Eddie had sufficiently outstayed his welcome, Eddie waved farewell to his friends and turned for the door. "See you losers later," He yelled behind him, grabbing the icy door handle and opening it. Frozen air hit his face like a sucker punch to the jaw, biting at his flesh with no remorse. Eddie turned back, suddenly reminded of the trinket in his jacket pocket. "Oh yeah. Henderson, what is this?"

In his hand was a wooden carved bird statue. He had found it behind the first door of the advent calendar Dustin had made him. It was pretty and expertly carved, with burgundy wings and a white patch beneath him. On the stump was the initials 'J. E. H.' The beady black eyes of the bird bored into Eddie's soul, endlessly dark and mysterious with a small sparkle.

"Oh, it's a robin. Like the bird? Don't you know what a bird is?" Eddie rolled his eyes, shoving the wooden bird back into his pocket along with a crumpled pack of Salem's and quarters he found hidden under his bed. "El made them for everyone. She's gotten really good these past few months."

"She made me a frog the other day. I thought Hopper made it and stole the credit," Steve joined from the counter, who had been watching Eddie the entire time. He smiled brightly at Eddie and turned to Robin, who nodded, eyeing Eddie with a secret message he couldn't decipher.

Eddie left, and on his walk back to the trailer park, he thought about the looks and the robin in his pocket. He thought about how the months had passed him so quickly that he had no clue Jane had taken up widdling as a hobby or how Dustin's hair nearly reached the end of his neck. Time was like sand slipping past his fingers, and suddenly, he was outside of his new trailer, silver staring back at him. He entered an empty living room with a cigarette between his lips, filling the air with a minty freshness. The quiet filled the alcove in his chest, and he watched as the sky turned to dusk, sleep far from his reach.

With nothing else left to do with his days, Eddie returned to Family Video the next day. And then the next. And the day after that. Each time he entered, the sight of Steve Harrington would blow his mind, make his tongue dry up and knees shakier than usual. It was torture having to keep his hands to himself and not kiss Steve's soul right out of him. He ignored Robin's, and sometimes Dustin's (when he decided to ditch school and annoy everyone) perpetuating stares. They drilled into the back of his skull like thorns, and Eddie would shiver, turn to see the two of them staring at him, and then Eddie threw them the finger.

On that particular Tuesday afternoon, Eddie walked into Family Video with frost nipping at his nose to find Steve, not in his elf costume. He was behind the counter, flipping through stacks of green with a bright blue sweater. It was cable knit, with a snowman on the front and balls of fur poking out of the material. The snowman's pebble eyes bore into Eddie's soul, and he felt the burn of it as he walked to Steve, leaning more on his cane than usual.

"Sup, Stevie? Tell me, why are you wearing that abomination and not the other one?" Steve looked up at him with a sneer, ignoring Eddie's question and returning to his task. Beside him was a little slip of paper, a dozen marks scratched into the notebook paper. Steve put the wad of cash he had been counting on the side and put another tally, rummaging through the register for more. "Y'know, if I wasn't your friend, I could steal all this money right now. Aren't you supposed to do this at the end of your shift?"

"Go away, Munson," Steve ordered with no bite. "I'm very busy. Annoy Robin or something. I can't deal with you and do this at the same time." He waved his hand in Eddie's face, barely missing the point of his blushed nose, and restarted his count. Eddie strolled away, bored out of his mind, and came across Robin on the floor in the Sci-fi section. She was wearing the usual elf costume, a bright green hat and all.

Surrounding her like a shrine was a bunch of magazines with random pages opened, displaying various objects Eddie couldn't name. One was a bright pink hair dryer-type thing, and on another were various accessories that would come as part of a beginner's pack for torture. Eddie joined her on the floor, leaning his chipped cane on the shelves of VHS tapes, and shimmied closer to her, careful of the magazines.

"Robster. Why exactly are you performing a ritual in the middle of Family Video?" He asked, picking up a mag with his index finger and thumb as if it was contagious of a deadly disease. On the cover was Farrah Fawcett, just above her head, in bold italic letters, was 'Amazing hair products for half price!'

In a whispered tone, she answered, "I'm trying to find a present for Steve. But the dingus is too rich, and I have no idea what to get him!" She grabbed her hair harshly, scratching it viciously like ants were inside her brain. From the bags under her eyes, Eddie would assume that's exactly how she felt. She picked up a magazine, showing an acidic-looking facewash and mumbled, "I mean, do I get him this?" She dropped it and picked up another, shoving it in Eddie's face, "Or should I buy him the sprays? This is too hard, Eddie. Help me."

Carefully, Eddie dropped the mag to the floor and took Robin's wrists, gently rubbing his thumb over her veins. "Rob, I can assure you, whatever you get the dickhead will be perfect." He gave her a comforting smile, and she returned it, resting her head on his shoulder. The itchy fabric of the costume rubbed against his hands uncomfortably, making him want to gag, but he suppressed it and rubbed Robin's back in circles.

"Y'know I can hear you, right?" Steve shouted, making the two jump. "We work in a very small store. I could hear a pin drop from China."

"Fuck off, Steve!" Robin yelled, cupping her hands around her mouth to amplify the sound.

"Yeah, fuck off, Steve! Keep your nose out of other people's business," Eddie added, a wide and mischievous grin stretching his face.

Steve suddenly appeared, poking his head above the row of VHS tapes, hair covering his forehead where it broke off from the hairspray wave. Pink dusted his cheeks magnificently, and a row of teeth shone with Steve's blinding smile. "Not if the business is about me. What do we have here, anyway?" Steve got onto his tippy toes so he could see over the endless black boxes, but Robin was too quick, covering the sprawled-out images with her body and hands.

"You can't see yet! You don't want to ruin Christmas now, do you?" She looked up at him awkwardly, craning her neck uncomfortably, and quickly gathered her mess into a pile. Eddie groaned, standing on his feet and clutching onto his cane. Another reason why Eddie hated Christmas, which he didn't know about last year, was that the cold weather made his legs stiffer than they usually were. His sides would ache with vengeance, and the headaches worsened with congestion. Robin snapped her attention to Eddie, and when she was on her two trembling feet, she planted her hands on her hips and frowned. "What's so wrong with Christmas then, Eddie?"

A thousand answers entered Eddie's mind, a whole list stuffed into his back pocket along with the plethora of nicknacks the kid had loaded into the advent calendar they had made. But the words didn't catch on his tongue, so he shrugged his shoulders and walked slowly to the counter. "I just do, always have. It's a cheery time, and my poor, black heart can't take the gingerbread and carols much longer," He explained whilst unwrapping a candy cane and shoving the end into his mouth.

When the two had joined Eddie, Robin snapped her fingers, bouncing on the heels of her converse and slapped Steve repeatedly in the arm. He moaned, rubbing the area as Robin grabbed Eddie's hands, jumping up and down. A wildfire danced in her eyes and lingered in her smile when she said, "Let's have Christmas together then! Like a big old traumatised family! We can bake cookies and invite the kids and convert Eddie and shove him into one of Steve's sweaters."

"Great. So I narrowly avoided conversion therapy, now this?" He joked, ignoring Robin's eye roll and more concerned about Steve's reaction. He simply covered his aching grin with his fist, blue fabric stark against the cedar of his large eyes that withheld the universe. No sourness tainted his face like a lemon, and no prejudice clouded his mind; Eddie noted it down in the extensive list he'd been creating about the guy since he realised Steve wasn't an asshole like he had been in High School.

"It's not conversion therapy if it's for a good cause," Robin said in a singsongy voice, grabbing a notebook and pen from a drawer and plotting her devious plan. Steve fell onto the chair on the other side of the counter and shimmied towards Robin, watching her messily scribble down her ideas. A sketch of a gingerbread man was drawn, along with a TV, a tree, and a cross over a fire.

"Okay, but whose house would we hold this at?" Steve asked, and then all eyes were on him as if he had asked the most ridiculous question. He threw his hands up and pushed himself away. "No, no! My parents would kill me."

"Are your parents home?" She asked quickly, pushing the top of her pen into her freckled cheek.

"Well, no--"

"Then we do it at yours," She scribbled something down among the yellow pages.

"--But that doesn't mean we can wreck the house! If those shitheads come over, they'll burn my kitchen down or jump into the pool and turn into icicles. I can't have that, Robin. I just can't. The mums are just starting to like me, and if I kill one of their kids, they won't let me into their book club." He grew red at the spontaneous comment, hugging himself with crossed arms. Eddie chuckled, imagining Steve around a group of mums with 'Pride and Prejudice' in their pedicured hands.

Robin huffed with annoyance. "That won't happen, and you know it. Now, leave me for the next two hours so I can properly plan this." She clutched the crumpled notepad and skipped to the backroom, chuckling to herself with a gleaming smirk. Once her ugly costume was out of sight, the two boys sat in silence, no longer sure what to talk about since their buffer was gone.

Ice reached its frosted fingertips over the windows, creating intricate patterns that serenaded with one another. The land outside of Family Video was covered in inches of snow, glittering in the dazzling sun and blinding people with its incredible smiles. It was like a little kid had taken cartons of glitter and poured it over Hawkins. Even Eddie, with his leather jackets and furrowed brow, could admit the sight was beautiful. A small snowman stood guard outside of the doors, two thin sticks for arms and a knitted scarf adorned its neck - Eddie had almost kicked it down until he realised the scarf belonged to no other than Steve. The sky was turning darker with each passing minute, the day dying and the night throwing the shadowy veil off in a flourish of vibrant hues.

Once Eddie's candy cane had sufficiently been eaten and left fresh air kissed into his mouth, Eddie couldn't help the jitter in his bones. It was getting late, and Wayne would probably be out searching for him soon, but Eddie didn't want to go. Even in the awkward silence as Steve worked and Eddie loitered around, he couldn't pull himself away from the stifling air and say his goodbyes. He wanted to talk to Steve, but what to talk about stumped him. Small talk was for people who hated themselves and had no point in society, and Eddie, as much as he did hate himself for an amalgamation of reasons, was not one of those people.

Steve lifted an open cardboard box onto the linoleum side and rummaged through it. "I can't believe Robin is dumping her half-assed plan onto me again. Tell me why she just ropes me into her bullshit all the time because, honestly, it baffles me sometimes," He chuckled lowly to himself, taking a stack of VHS tapes and ripping a piece of paper from their collection of notebooks. With a quick scribble, he pushed the stack to the side and reached inside the box for the next one.

Eddie shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe because you're best friends? I mean, she loves you, man, so she's obviously going to dump her shit on you," Eddie replied as he examined a VHS on the top of the endless piles. It was Star Wars, the pixelated eyes of the characters staring back at him. He put it down and took another. "You know, before all this stuff happened, I would have said she was into you. But, now, mmm, I don't think so."

A gasp escaped Steve's lips. "And what's that supposed to mean, Munson?"

Their eyes met, and Eddie smirked. "Aren't you guys Platonic with a capital P?" Steve washed away the faux-wounded look on his face and replaced it with a warm grin. The sun beamed from his chest and sparkled in his teeth. "Also, Robin told me. You know, her deep, dark, precious secret." He made a gravelly voice, wringing his hands and creeping closer to Steve, trying to impersonate Gollum even though he knew Steve wouldn't understand the reference. He pushed Eddie away, rolling his eyes.

"When'd she tell you?" He asked, pushing through another stack of VHS tapes and noting it down on his paper.

"Sometime in August. How about you?"

"Do you remember when Starcourt burned down?" Eddie nodded briskly, recalling fluorescent lights, crowds of brightly dressed people, and a record store tucked away in a corner. "Well, after I and Robin escaped the Russians, we puked our guts out in the cinema bathrooms. That's when she told me, right after I told her I liked her." He cringed at the memory, hauling out another pile of tapes.

Eddie sucked in a breath through his teeth. "What a way to get rejected, Stevie. But you took it as a champ?"

He allowed Steve to pick between the lines, and figure out the actual question he was asking: "And you didn't hate her afterwards? Didn't call her a slur and throw a punch at her face?"

"Yep," He answered, popping the 'p' and smiling to himself. "I'm not the man I used to be, Eddie. I've... Realised a few things about myself since High School." Eddie wasn't sure what that was supposed to mean, but in the back of his mind, he did. Steve had changed, had shed his old letterman skin and put a more scarred, loved jacket on in replacement. And no matter how often Eddie would wake up and wonder 'is today the day it all changes?', it never will.

A stoic silence spread out around them before Eddie cleared his throat. "I'm also like that, by the way. Not for girls, obviously, but for, you know. Guys. I like guys. I prefer ass over boobs. That was gross - I like guys; I should have just said that instead of saying other things, and now I look like an idiot, and..." He rambled on, letting his hands fly around the air as he tried to reiterate his point. Steve watched in silence, nodding his head and staring at Eddie with something in his eyes, watching with his jaw leaning against his fist and the paper being crumpled by his elbow.

"Me too." He said, cutting off Eddie's word-vomit. Eddie stood in silence. Steve noticed the quietness and quickly added, "Well, I think so, anyway. And, um, it's not just guys. I like girls, I know that for sure, but guys are alright too. And anything else between that, I suppose. Robin likes to say that I'm greedy, but the more the merrier, y'know?" He chuckled dryly, flicking his eyes over to Eddie to gouge his reaction. Eddie stared in shock. "Is it seriously that surprising to you that I like guys?"

"I mean, yeah. You're Steve Harrington. Lady killer and now guy killer as well. You had everyone kissing the ground you walked on as soon as you stepped into the doors!" It was true - not that people actually kissed the floor Steve walked on, but people worshipped him. Whenever Eddie would walk down the halls, all he would hear was gossip on the latest Harrington lore, even after Steve graduated. His ghost would stalk the Hawkins High's halls until Eddie was pulling his hair out to distract him from the name 'King Steve'.

Steve scoffed sourly. "I'm not that person anymore. Who I was back then isn't who I am today, and I'm proud of that. Also, I was not a lady killer." He twirled the pen in his hand and then jabbed it into Eddie, who dramatically clutched his chest like a wounded knight and graciously (not) fell on top of the counter.

"You so are," He countered, muffled by the position he was in. Eddie stood back up again, blood rushing into his skull quickly. "All of Hawkins wants a piece of Steve Harrington."

"Do you?"

"What?" The air stopped, a tight knot tugging in Eddie's stomach.

Steve looked up, blissfully confused as ever. "If all of Hawkins wants a piece of me, does that mean you do too?" He leant closer to Eddie, his chin resting on his hand and a smirk carving its way through the scarred flesh. Through the haze of Eddie's mind, he pinpointed all of the scars on Steve's face: the one by his temple, a little cut above his bushy eyebrow, a slit of pink by the corner of his mouth. If he looked further down, he would see the angry, writhing mark wrapped like a tail around Steve's neck, the same one Eddie had around his. They shared a lot of the same scars across their bodies, a map of the terrors they had faced; Eddie kept his eyes on the minute one by Steve's rosy lips, a crack in the once-perfect Harrington doll.

The door blew open, and a gust of frosty wind bellowed in. The two moved away from one another, Eddie tugging his leather jacket closer to his body. A ball of fiery red hair under a beanie walked in, followed by a familiar basketball-obsessed friend. Their arms were interlinked, and Max's cane bobbed in front of her as she crept closer to the two. Max wore a red cable knit jumper that her Mum probably made her wear; Lucas wore a similar blue one, proudly showing it off to the world whilst Max tried to hide it over her jacket.

"Hey, Steve!" She yelled in the otherwise quiet store. Steve groaned, withdrawing his hands away from his already damaged ears.

"What if I wasn't working today, hmm? Would you have yelled that in a store full of people?" His palms found his hips as he scolded her, but not as effective as he thought. Eddie nodded to Lucas, and he waved back. Out of all the kids, Eddie would say he wasn't close enough with Lucas as he would prefer, especially since Eddie hadn't gone to any of the games he was so fond of. But Eddie had gone to a few since the new school year started, and Lucas would thank him each time before packing for Hellfire.

"Absolutely," She answered in total confidence. "Also, Lucas told me you were in. Hey, Eddie." She joined Eddie at the counter, Lucas in tow - Max didn't need an escort with her (as she had reminded the group several times), but Lucas liked spending time with Max, who had luckily taken him back as her boyfriend.

"What do you shitheads want? I'm guessing it's not to rent a movie," Steve asked while shoving the tapes back into the box, ticking off his chicken scratch. Eddie watched, bored, but also enticed by Steve's hands - big with pale tendrils and painted pink nails.

Max rapped her knuckles against the worktop, finally unwrapping her arm from Lucas'. "Robin called us earlier about a group hangout for Christmas. And we'd like to propose another idea: a sleepover on Christmas eve." She and Lucas waved their hands frantically in their hands; Lucas was a little more enthusiastic than the latter. Steve rested his head down, singing a long, guttural note.

"How did she call you, though? She's been trapped in the backroom for hours now," Eddie queried.

"There's a phone back there," Steve answered and pointed to the door with his thumb, head still against the board. "We can't have a group sleepover. I may be rich, but I'm not that rich! And what would your parents think about all this? Won't they want you guys on Christmas instead of with...?" He gestured blatantly to himself with one hand, head turned to address the group.

"My Mum doesn't care. Just as long as I'm home at a reasonable time," Max answered with a cheeky grin.

"Neither does mine. You'd have to ask the others, though. I know Joyce can be a little... Protective," Added Lucas.

Steve moaned again, smothering his face against the worktop. "I can't be bothered to organise all of this. I'm stressed as it is trying to buy you weirdos gifts, and now I have to deal with this!" He complained, sliding pathetically down. It was awkward to watch (well, except for Max, of course), and Eddie wanted desperately to wash the image from his fractured mind.

A lightbulb shone above his head. "How about I help?" He asked whilst teetering on edge, throwing his legs out behind him. The plastic dug into his achy stomach and palms.

His head shot up, and Steve stared at Eddie, gauging for something false in Eddie's eyes. "Are you being serious?"

"As serious as a heart attack," Eddie replied with a devilish smirk.

"How, though?" His fingers ran through the waves of hair on his head.

Eddie hummed, rubbing his forefinger and thumb on his stubbled chin as if he was a wise old wizard like Gandalf, his mind full of wisdom and knowledge. If he were honest, he hadn't completely thought of it before blurting his words out, too keen on trying to brighten Steve's mood than his role in Robin's devious plan. "I can help with snacks and wrangling the gremlins. Or anything you want, honestly. Just as long as I can help," He shrugged his shoulders to try to conceal the jitter in his bones as if he could dispel the shake and anxiety in his being.

"Thank you, Eddie," Steve's voice was sweet, a saccharine whisper that wouldn't brush a rose's petals. He got to his feet, brushing off the ugly green trousers, and Eddie noted the tint in his cheeks, the moles that littered along acres of flesh and the curl of his hair at the nape of his neck.

"No problem, Stevie."

"It has to be perfect, Robin," Steve grumbled for the millionth time that day, rubbing his gloved hands together as the two walked down the icy sidewalk, peering into countless shop windows for the perfect present. Smog glistened in front of their faces, devolving into the snowy scenery around them. Indianapolis was quite beautiful during the winter seasons, with large decorated trees shining on every street and an array of Christmas songs filling the long drive.

"You'll find one, I promise," Robin replied monotonously. The little ball sitting on her hat bobbed with each step as they walked the long miles of icy road, snow crunching under their feet and people passing them by with arms stuffed with bags. Christmas time always brought along hoards of people, but back in Hawkins, it wasn't as bad; Steve found the environment overwhelming, clutching onto his coat as if that would help him breathe a little easier.

They passed hundreds of stores, but none were right. Each didn't contain the present Steve had envisioned. He was sure Eddie wouldn't want snowglobes or glamorous shoes; tiny gingerbread men, or another mug for his collection. The present he had in mind was more sentimental, more personal (or even romantic, some might say) that would blow Eddie's socks off and finally understand the embarrassing secret Steve had been hiding since March. Robin thought the idea was dumb, that Eddie wouldn't understand it if Steve had written thousands of letters in red ink, but Steve didn't care - his only concerns were the present and the sleepover he had to manage in six days.

"Aren't there any nerd shops in Indianapolis?"

"I mean, yeah, there has to be. But I wouldn't know where they are. This is the first time I've ever been out of Hawkins." Robin replied, hugging her chest through her bright yellow puffy jacket. "There was one time I tried sneaking off to Europe for the summer, but I wrecked a few cars and landed myself that awful job slinging ice cream." She shivered with disgust. Steve wouldn't say his old summer job was that awful - of course, that was before the evil Russians.

Steve peered through another shop window, glancing at the person in the reflection watching him, and asked, "Wait, so that's why you were working at Scoops? I always thought it was because you loved wearing a sailor's uniform and cleaning up a toddler's puke." He grinned evilly at her glaring eyes.

"Oh, yeah, that was the best summer of my life," She said sardonically, shoving Steve, almost pushing him through the door of a shoe shop. "Well, now that I think about it, it wasn't so bad. If I didn't go to that stupid job, I wouldn't have my favourite dingus in the whole world." Wrapping an arm around his shoulder, Robin hugged Steve to her side, ignoring the passers-by that either gave them disgusted looks or awed.

"Love you too, idiot. But please get off me, you're choking me."

They walked until the soles of their feet hurt, wandering the stoic streets in search of the one shop they were looking for. Steve knew that Eddie would sometimes drive to Indianapolis to snatch the patches stitched to his blood-crusted battle jacket, and Steve wouldn't rest until he found it. The sky grew dark and dreary with spittle when Steve spotted an odd item displayed in the window. It was shiny and silver, fingers curled around a jewel that sparkled like pixie dust. It was joined by other odd objects, such as various crystals varying in height and colour, hand-painted decorations of fairies and dragons, incense holders, and jewellery galore. Steve gasped when he saw it, certain he had found it.

Walking inside, Steve was hit by the smell of weed and musk. Tables lined with dyed fabrics stretched along the shop floor, and the room was filled with the tinklings of trinkets that hung from the ceiling. Display cases of comics and ancient books sat in the corner, collecting dust, and there wasn't a wall covered in leather bags and tapestries. Robin ran to the far end of the store, enchanted by the crystals that shimmered in the low light, whilst Steve walked to the person behind the counter, shoving his hands in his pockets awkwardly.

"Good day," The old woman greeted when she noticed Steve, wearing a bright smile on her wrinkly face. "How may I help you? You look a little lost."

"I am, honestly. I'm looking for a gift for my friend that sometimes comes in here. Tall, long curly hair, kinda crazy looking?" The lady looked at him puzzled, and he dropped the subject, clearing his sore throat. "Anyway, I'm not into any of this stuff, but I was hoping you had some sort of jewellery I could look at?"

"Oh, sure! Right, this way, young man!" She waved him over and trudged over to a glass table. Inside was an array of handmade items, silver and gold shining in the lamplight. Some had jewels wrapped around the design, and some had demonic faces carved into them, somewhat resembling the ones Eddie already wore. Necklaces hung around black chains and bracelets made of leather braided into one another. Steve stared at the overwhelming amount, jumping on his heels. When an excruciating amount of time passed, the woman asked, "What month was he born?"

"Excuse me?"

"Your friend. If you're looking for a gift, you could make it personal to him by adding his birthstone. We have a whole collection of birthstones in different designs and sorts." She pointed to a set of rings that were displayed on a ceramic hand, wire wrapped around gems and yarn.

Steve thought it over for a moment before answering, "October. His birthday's on Halloween, funnily enough."

The woman smiled and took a key from her pocket, opening up the case and plucking a ring from the dainty hand. It was chunky, with thorns burned into the metal and a blue jewel in the centre, splashes of rainbow swimming inside it. "Opal it is then. Unless you prefer tourmaline." She pointed to a smaller, more thin ring with a dazzling hot pink gem.

He shook his head, smiling minutely. "This is perfect. I'm sure he'll love it."

Kids barged through the door, bickering about who they were sharing a bed with and what movie they'd watch. Huge backpacks hugged their backs, overflowing with blankets and wrapped presents crumpled under VHS tapes and snacks. Eddie had told each of them to bring their own food since "they didn't have all the money in the world" - the kids complained, of course, but they all complied anyway. Their bright smiles lit the empty house, chucking their things about the place and setting themselves around the couch. Lucas, Dustin and Will sat in their own conversation about what presents they were hoping to get, Mike and Jane were looking at photos of Max when she was younger whilst she grumbled beside her girlfriend, her arms crossed but her cheeks dusted with pink. Erica was helping Steve.

Nancy and Robin were making nachos in the kitchen, exchanging secret glances with each other, and Steve was hauling boxes down from his loft, dust climbing up his nose and making him sneeze every two seconds, to Erica's dismay. Eddie observed the scene in awe, disgusted by the ugly Christmas sweaters they all wore and the overwhelming smell of hot chocolate, but he was glad to see nearly everyone he cared about wrapped in one house because of Robin's diabolical plan, not one from a malevolent warped creature from a twisted version of his home.

Steve groaned as he chucked down a box, arching his back and stretching his arms. "That's the last box! Now, who's helping me set up the tree?" Hands shot up from nearly every kid but Erica, who shook her head, exhausted and collapsed on the couch on top of everyone. Steve rubbed his chin in thought when examining the clang of teenagers. "I'll pick Dustin, Lucas, Max and... Eddie!" The boys shot up excitedly, shoving Erica away harshly, and they ran to the dusty boxes and ripped away the old tape. Max flew her hands in the air before grabbing her cane, following the direction of Dustin's annoying voice.

"Hold up! Why do I have to help? There are enough kids here to exploit free labour," Eddie asked, gesturing to the remaining kids on the couch.

"Yeah, but it's more fun when I drag you into things. Now, come on!" Steve grabbed Eddie's hands firmly and helped him towards the boxes, carrying his battered cane. Eddie glared at him, and Steve laughed lowly, bringing the corners of Eddie's mouth to twitch upwards despite his best effort.

The five of them all put up the musty Christmas tree, arguing which part went where and counting how many times they got stabbed by the pines. It was a fake tree because Steve couldn't be bothered to cut down a real one, but also because Steve's parents never had the time to help their son pull it into their big, empty house. It was a sad fact Steve begrudgingly told whilst lifting Lucas to put on the peak. It made Eddie's heart sink to his ass, but he didn't say anything; his parents weren't the best either, and Steve didn't need to hear another's sob story over their parental issues. Max only joined in once the baubles and tinsel came out, with the help of Lucas, of course. She threw a fit when Steve told her to be careful, saying she was the only non-accident-prone person in their group, right before Dustin stepped on a lightbulb and ultimately broke all of them.

Steve carefully placed the ceramic angel on the twinkling tree, smiling brightly. He tapped Eddie's head, and Eddie set Steve down, hobbling away to hide his flushed face. The teens cheered, high-fiving one another and admiring their work. Mike hugged Will to his side, pecking his cheek, and Lucas, El, and Max laughed at the ridiculous photo of baby Steve printed on one of the decorations, closer than Eddie had seen them since they all ended up together; Erica was still dead on the couch but gave a thumbs up to offer her support. It wasn't the most beautiful tree - not front cover Mum mag worthy - with chipped snowflakes, brightly coloured tinsel wrapped around it, and more Star Wars baubles than Steve would have liked, but it was special, symbolic, representing the odd family Eddie had ended up in.

Nancy slapped her hands together suddenly. "Who wants to watch a movie?" She announced, and the teens jumped onto the sofa, squishing Erica and themselves close, wrapping many blankets around to protect them from the cold. Steve started a fire in the fireplace whilst Nancy chucked a tape in the player, ignoring the kids' incessant cries for them to choose. Eddie sat on the floor by Dustin's legs, his knees achy and his scars itchier than usual, but he ignored it as the screen turned from blue to black.

"Gremlins?!" The teens groaned, flinging their arms in the air. Max rolled her eyes, returning to her braille book and ignoring everyone, as usual.

"It's an amazing movie with a lovely Christmas feel to it," Robin supplied, setting the nachos on the coffee table and standing beside Nancy, exchanging a soft smile. "Also, I think the mogwai is very cute."

"Agreed!" Max added with a point of her finger.

The kids shut up after that, watching the movie and devouring their snacks. Steve sat on the floor by Will's feet, on the other end of the sofa, and he and Eddie glanced at one another. Steve had big eyes, with brown swimming around that reminded Eddie of his younger years, staring into a cup of hot cocoa whilst his Mum cooked pigs in blankets for him to eat. They were round, and the lightest shade of purple brushed underneath them from restless nights and nightmares. They held galaxies and words that were spoken between them, accompanied by Steve's toothy smile and the apples of his cheeks.

"Kids, huh?"

"Tell me about it."

"You love them."

"As do you."

Somehwere in the middle of the movie, Eddie got up from Steve's beige carpet with a numb ass and a full bladder, limping with his cane. He wandered Steve's endless halls, decorated by photos most commonly found in motels and an eery, unsettling feeling delving into the cove of Eddie's chest. Each room was the same: window, white walls, grey carpet, mediocre furniture, ghosts of joy standing in the corners. They were all spotless as if Steve cleaned each one daily in case his parents came home, and that became more abundantly clear when Eddie searched every room for a toilet, never finding a speck of dirt or a cobweb anywhere. Every room was clean, pristine, and empty of everything. No young Steve, no loving parents - just white walls, grey carpet, and snow falling outside the windows.

Eddie shook his hands incessantly when he exited the toilet, cane resting against his leg. The door shut behind him, and he strolled through the haunting hallways once more, checking for creepy girls with black, long hair, but he came across something better. Leant against the doorway were Robin and Nance; Robin played with the edge of her red jumper, and Nancy twirled her permed hair around her finger, giggling at Robin's babbling mouth. It was a surreal image - to see the girls laughing and giving each other googly eyes even though when they first met, Nancy was guarded, not ready for everything that came with Robin. Eddie smiled, unable to help himself, and noticed something hanging above them.

"Hey, Rob," He called, catching their attention. He pointed to the green shrub hanging innocently above the two, and Robin gasped, her fall devoid of colour; Nancy looked, and her face went pink, biting her lip gently to contain her laughter.

"Nance, I'm sorry, I--" Robin quickly defended, her eyes not leaving the mistletoe.

"Rob." Nancy's voice was delicate as a whisper as she took hold of Robin's jittery wrists, bringing her face close to Robin's trembling lips. It was a quick kiss, nothing crazy or star-breaking, but when they parted, Rob's face was a cherry, the dopiest smile stretched onto her face. "You have to kiss under the mistletoe. That's the rules, and I'm a rule follower, remember?"

"Shut up," She said, shoving Nancy's cheek and laughing. Eddie left, a little embarrassed and suppressing a gag, and returned to the couch. When Steve looked at him, wondering where Robin was, Eddie shrugged, letting Robin have her fun - just in the meanwhile. He was cruel, but not that cruel.

Night rolled in quickly. Soon, the sky faded to black, and the breeze outside grew larger and colder teeth. Pizza was stuffed into everyone's mouth (Steve didn't have the energy to cook a three-course meal they all lovingly deserved), and cots were made for the little ankle-biters. Steve's living room quickly descended into a chaotic pile of blankets, pillows and mess. Everything was out of place, and the teens were gathered on the couch even after the movie had finished, promising they wouldn't stay up late with fingers crossed behind their backs.

"If any of you need anything, come find us. But if it's for stupid things like beer and more pizza, call your parents. I'm not your Mum," Steve asserted from the stairs, hands hooked to his hips and proudly presenting the putrid sweater he had on. Eddie would say he had a labyrinthian vocabulary, but Eddie couldn't find enough words to describe how awful Steve's jumper was. To put it lightly, Steve's mother would need to buy a new carpet after Eddie painted it a lovely shade of green.

"Whatever, Mum. Night!" Dustin called with his blatant attitude, waving to the four elders. The rest of them said their goodnights - with a lot less attitude as well - and the older teens climbed the stairs, eyes heavy and the call of their beds chanting their names. For Eddie, however, his heart was pounding out of his chest. Not only did he have to share a bed with Steve thanks to Robin's new relationship status (which was great, and he was happy for her, but he didn't at the time of his impending doom), and he had also forgotten that he was wearing his binder. Steve was a cool guy, accepting of everybody and their overly inflated egos, but Eddie felt he was a special case; for starters, being trans wasn't the most outstanding thing, and a part of him still feared the crown floating above Steve's obnoxious hair. Steve had changed, but to what degree?

"Night, Rob. Love you," He said, wrapping Robin in his arms. Robin clutched onto his back as she always did, smothering her freckled face into his shoulder and pecking his cheek.

"Get some sleep, dingus, or I will find you," She warned, backing away from the boys to Nancy, pointing a crooked finger at Steve. Nancy rolled her eyes, catching Robin's free hand with her own and interlocking their fingers together.

"Just down the hall as always!" He reminded her, which was useless since she knew already. The two of them had spent enough nights in each other's arms after Russian-related nightmares to know the whole layout of the Harrington household. Possibly the forest as well.

"Love you too, Stevie," She called before disappearing behind the chalky door of the guest room - practically her room. Nancy waved bye, and Eddie returned it with a face that said, 'Why do we love these idiots again?'

'Because they're our idiots?' She supplied and followed Robin inside.

The door clicked shut, and Steve walked down the hall, Eddie following closely behind with his cane. Even with physical therapy, Eddie found walking harder without the additional support, which, for the most part, made him feel worthless. As much as his shrink told him it wasn't true, Eddie felt like a dead weight, a burden to everyone around him because he made a stupid decision. Although, he hadn't expected any consequences from that idiotic decision. One minute, Dustin was above him, tears hitting his face as the world went dark, and the next, he awoke on a hospital bed, a breathing tube rammed up his nose and the unexpected feeling of relief. Max felt that way when the days got difficult and her temper would wither. When something as simple as tying her hair up proved to be a monumental task, she'd cry in Jane and Lucas' arms, telling them over and over that she was better off dead. She wasn't. The first time Eddie saw her again, bandaged up and still getting used to her loss of vision, Eddie teared up, the knot in his chest releasing magnificently.

Upon the seemingly infinite hallway, Steve stopped outside a door that seemed identical to the hundreds they had passed. But when Steve opened the door, Eddie saw how it differed from everything else in the house and how it was still so devoid of life; plaid covered the walls and bed in a boring, uninteresting gaze, the window gloomed with pearly white, the shelves were lined with swimming trophies and old textbooks gathering dust, and a framed photograph of a red car hung from the wall that added colour, but Eddie knew enough about Steve to know he wasn't interested in that sort of thing.

Steve noticed Eddie staring at the layout, and he sheepishly scratched his chin, mumbling, "It's not much, I know. And I get it if you'd prefer to sleep with the kids or even those two, but I doubt you'll get a wink with either of them." A chuckle to ease the tension passed his lips, and he began to close the door before Eddie spoke up.

"It's totally fine, dude," He assured, even if his logic told him to run as far as he could, to book it to the next town and never show his face in Hawkins again. But he had left that behind, promising on his mother's grave that he would be braver. He didn't feel brave at that moment, staring at Steve's doe eyes and feeling the rattle in his breath, but baby steps. "As long as you know I'm a kicker in my sleep."

"Great. Just what I need," Steve bemoaned and kept the door open as Eddie entered into the world of ugly interior design.

The two of them had already moved their bags into the room a few hours prior, so Eddie happily trodded to his ruined school bag, fishing out a crumpled pair of hopefully-clean pyjamas (a ragged band shirt and checkered trousers) and observing the bedroom some more. Despite first glance, the room had a splash of personality hidden from the naked eye. When Eddie explored it further, he saw above a dresser a turntable, a box of records forgotten behind the door, hidden from plain sight, and a corkboard scattered with polaroids. Some were of meaningless but beautiful things like the sun and the quarry, a bird's nest high above in a tree, and the treeline, with a fox's head peeking from behind a long trunk of wood. The rest were photos of the gang - Erica and Lucas napping on top of each other, Will and Mike smiling uncomfortably at the camera on their first date, the day Robin came out and got rainbow confetti stuck in her hair, a large smile stretched on her crying face, Hopper and Joyce sitting on their rocking chairs on the cabin's porch, hand in hand and staring at the clouds blissfully. It caught Eddie by surprise when he saw his face, ignorantly unaware of the camera and holding a joint between thin lips, hair wild, eyes feral, and the words 'Rocking out' written in black ink under it.

He snatched it from its pin and directed Steve's attention to him with an exaggerated cough. "So, tell me, Steve. Is this what you do for fun around here? Take pictures of your victims and hang them around your room? How psychotic are you?"

Colour shifted rapidly from Steve's face, from a boney white to a hot pink in record time. He stormed towards Eddie, clutched the polaroid harshly, probably crumpling it, and took the other pictures down from the board. Eddie couldn't hear the mumbled string of words Steve cursed upon himself, but Eddie knew it wasn't great, and gently took hold of Steve's wrist, heart pulsing like gunfire under his touch, and Steve stopped. "I didn't mean anything bad about it," Eddie said. "It's sweet, you know. Also, your room definitely needed it. Not to be rude, but you have poor taste in... Everything, Harrington."

"Don't. It was my Mum's idea. I came back from middle school one day and found my room like this - all my toys gone. They even got rid of Alex, a lion plush I had since I was tiny. I was, what, ten at the time? Can't do much at that age, and so I've just had it the same since," Steve explained, pining the photographs back onto the corkboard and not even blinking at the depressing story whilst Eddie stared at him, mouth agape and jaw on the floor. "What?"

"What?!" Eddie exclaimed, dumbfounded and a bit louder than he should have, but the guy just trauma dumped on Eddie and acted like it was nothing. Eddie had a shitty childhood, that was pretty clear, but at least his asshole dad didn't throw away all of his toys. His dying mother didn't redecorate his entire room in the space of a day without even asking him first (although she had tried to clean once or twice, which wound Eddie up so much that he didn't talk to them for a week). "Oh, Steve. Steve, Steve, Steve, Steve, Steve, Steve," Eddie repeated whilst placing a hand on the man's shoulder, trying desperately to contain himself even though all he wanted to do was explode. "Do I need to call my therapist?"

"Huh? No, what? Eddie, of course not. It's fine. I was ten. I got over it like everyone else," Steve countered, flicking Eddie's hand away and rummaging through his drawers for more thumbtacks.

"Well, if someone had truly gotten over something like that, they would've changed their room by now." Eddie gestured to the ugly, plaid wallpaper and matching bed set, the car photograph and swimming trophies. His cane knocked on the floor as he sat on the bed, feeling his weight sink under him. "I mean, ten years, Stevie? You've dealt with this for ten years and haven't gone insane? New world record."

"My Mum..." He began, keeping his back to Eddie. "I tried to change it a few years back. Tommy and Carol came over once and saw all of... This, so I spent all weekend getting new sheets and picking out plants. Very adult things for a freshman. But when my Mum saw, she tore it all down and asked why I was trying to destroy her hard work." He chuckled dryly. It felt wrong, sardonic, twisted in on itself like a mess of recoiling vines. "It took my father slapping me before I binned it all. Never tried since."

Eddie stayed silent for a long while. He tried desperately to speak, to break the quiet, but words evaded him. Steve sniffled and turned around, sensing the awkward tension that built around them. "Sorry. It's stupid. It's just a room, but it sucks, you know?"

"I do," He said, and Steve stared at him to carry on. "My parents never did that, but after my Mum died, my dad tried to drag me into the family name. Stealing cars and all that. And I thought it was so he could spend more time with me, as fucked up as that is. But after a while, I realised it was just so he could exploit my dainty little fingers." Eddie twirled his fingers around for good measure. "So, yeah, I know what it's like to have shitty parents. And I'm sorry you had to deal with those assholes for so long."

"I'm sorry your Mum died," He replied, wiping his eye. "And that your dad is a shithead."

"Can't choose your family. But I have Wayne now and you guys." Eddie smiled, and Steve laughed dryly, a small outburst as he shook his head. The conversation died, and Steve rummaged through his drawers for some clothes.

Now was the time Eddie should have left to change in the bathroom. It seemed like the right choice, a reasonable idea his warped mind made. But Eddie stayed. He was rooted to the bed, unable to escape and clutching his clothes like a lifeline. Behind him, Steve dragged his sweater over his head, exposing the pink scars along his shoulder blades and up his sides. Some were raised like worms crawling under Steve's skin. Eddie felt his ache and itch at the sight like they were being ripped open, teeth digging into his skin again.

"You can change, you know. Or would you rather watch me first?" Steve teased, snapping Eddie out of the black hole he had been sucked into. Eddie blinked once, twice, and took the hem of his shirt in hand, breathing deeply. Everything relied upon this moment, this split second where the line between friendship and danger would be crossed. He stuffed as much air into his lungs and pulled his shirt off. "Hey, dude, are you okay?"

"Of course. I'm just peachy," He tried to stop the waver in his voice, chucking his jeans off as quickly as possible and pulling on his checkered ones. He went to pull on his band shirt, but Steve stopped him, scanning Eddie's face for injuries or lies whilst crouching before him.

"What the hell is this then?" Steve asked, looking at the black strip of fabric across Eddie's chest. He didn't speak harshly, not an ounce of disgust or hatred leaking into his low voice; there was only worry, Steve's hands scorching Eddie's arms and cheeks. "You're not hurt, are you? Because I can wake up Nance and take you to the hospital right away. You shouldn't keep these things from us, from me. We can help, Eddie. We're family, remember?"

"I'm not hurt, Stevie," He said as gently as he could, pulling Steve away so he could breathe right. Having Steve in such close proximity intoxicated Eddie, dragging his eyes down to the scar above his lip and clenching his ribcage into a tight hold. Steve kneeled by Eddie's legs, watching Eddie as he tried to figure out a way to tell Steve. "I don't know how to put this lightly without freaking you out." Steve's brows grew further together at that, and Eddie continued, "When I was younger, I felt like I wasn't right. Like I was trapped in someone else's body, which I was. In some fucked up twist of fate, I had been put in a girl's body. But I'm not. And so I wear things like this to be who I am. Owens had suggested getting surgery, but I'm not trusting those shady government fucks with my life." He chucked dryly, but Steve just stared, slowly sinking to the floor.

After a few moments of Steve staring into nothing, he whispered, "But you're still a guy, right? You being born in the wrong body isn't going to freak me out or change anything. You're still Eddie, and you're still family." Eddie breathed a colossal sigh of relief, sagging under the pressure and letting his hair encompass his face.

"Thanks, man," Eddie murmured, exhaustion taking hold of his being, and he dragged on his shirt after Steve backed away. His binder was shoved in the bottom of his bag, and the two crawled into bed, a blaring silence succumbing over the room. Darkness fell like an inky veil. Eddie felt his eyes be pulled by weights until they were shut. But right before he did, on the thin veil between his reality and the dream world, he felt Steve's pinky twist around his, and a bright light bloomed from his chest like a field of rosy flowers after a dreadful winter.

Eddie woke up to the sound of someone knocking on the door. The soundless reality Eddie had been slowly drifting in popped like a bubble, leaving him to open his eyes to the white popcorn ceiling that wasn't his room. White light flooded the room from the window, blinding Eddie momentarily. A warmth caressed his side, and when he threw the duvet off him, cold licking at his ankles, he missed the feeling that pooled from the man beside him. His cane's handle let a bitter groan rumble from Eddie's throat, his muscles tight and agonising as he walked to the door, mumbling, "I'm coming, I'm coming. Sheesh. What the fuck is the time?"

Behind the door, Eddie discovered when he opened it, was all of the ankle-biters, gathered around in the small hall and shoving each other. "About time!" Dustin exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air in his festive Star Wars onesie. All of the kids were rugged, hair messy and cow licked; their clothes were rumpled and creased, dark red lines adorning their plush faces.

"Merry Christmas to you, too," Eddie greeted sardonically, shutting the door. It was too early to deal with them, and his head thumped in time with his heart at his temples despite only getting out of bed.

Just as the door was about to shut, Mike threw his foot in the way, promptly squishing it and stopping Eddie from his refuge back to Steve's comfortable bed. "I want to open up my presents," He demanded, and Eddie's brows furrowed in irritation.

"Not with that attitude, you're not," Eddie answered teasingly. The kids threw their arms in the air, eyes rolling and some leaving, understanding that Eddie wasn't a pushover, unlike Steve. Will's face exploded with colour at his boyfriend's stubbornness, torn between joining his sister downstairs, who had left with Erica or staying by Mike's side. Lucas copied his girlfriend's stance, crossing his arms over his chest and puffing out his cheeks like an angry pomeranian.

A pair of cold hands slithered under Eddie's shirt, wrapping around his middle, and a chin jutted into his shoulder. Sleepily beside him, Steve murmured, "Oh, come on now, Eds." Eds? "It's Christmas time. Stop being such a grinch."

"I'm not--" But before he could finish, the remaining kids cheered and raced downstairs. It was a miracle the stairs didn't collapse under the pressure and that Eddie wouldn't be spending Christmas in the police station - again. Steve sighed, resting his face and enveloping Eddie's goosebumped shoulder in mused, brown hair that sent a shiver up his spine. "These kids will kill me one day."

"Not if I do so first," Steve joked, humming into Eddie's wafer-thin shirt. He needed to get a new wardrobe before his balls fell off.

"How'd you sleep?" Eddie asked instead. Steve's hands flexed under Eddie's tensed muscles, and Steve rested his head beside Eddie's. A domestic, warm feeling bloomed, stark against the bitter wind and frosty fingers under his pliable, scarred flesh.

Steve hummed for a bit, thinking over his answer (for once). "If I am honest with you, promise not to laugh at me?"

"Promise," And Eddie meant it. How could Eddie, town freak and outcast, laugh at Steve Harrington, the former king and professional monster hunter? Steve was everything compared to Eddie - he was the stars, the planets, the galaxy above them; he was the birds' song on a hot summers day and the feeling of warm sand after a long winters death; Steve was the sun and the moon, twinkling under the veil of night whilst cigarette smoke climbs up, wishing to kiss their beauty. Eddie was none of those things, but maybe he could learn to be the smoke clinging to Steve's hair after a long night, the sunlight that cared for his face, and the holder of his eyes, to kiss the tears and smiles that grew.

"I haven't slept that good in years - since '83, really. And I got to sleep in!" He chuckled, a little on the side of delirium, and sighed happily. Eddie had never seen Steve so free, unplagued by incomprehensible horrors behind his eyes and the creak in his bones. It was a new Steve, a better Steve, and Eddie didn't know if that was because of his rest or if it was Christmas - he didn't mind either.

"Good. I'm glad your highness slept comfortably with a peasant in his bed," He teased, bringing his face close to Steve's. Whilst laughing with a pink face, Steve batted him away, removing his icicle digits away from Eddie and following the band of mischiefs downstairs and into the lofty living room. Eddie waited a moment, savouring the moment as it lasted in the air, leaving a saccharine taste in his rotting lungs. It felt like hope, and he descended the stairs one at a time, gripping hard to his cane and knowing he'd always have to, but at least he could live in a world with people that loved him.

Downstairs had quickly devolved into a warzone. Wrapping paper was thrown left, right and centre, hanging off the chandelier and towering bookcases; the ground was unseeable, covered in presents and mess; the kids were all sat around the tree, bickering and chattering like all of them had turned deaf. On the sofa, curled together, were Robin and Nancy, mugs in hands and watching the chaos whilst sipping coffee (hot cocoa for Robin - she hated coffee). Steve was at the forefront of it all, trying to maintain some level of order, although it was useless as the kids didn't listen to him, snatching presents off one another like mums at black Friday. The only well-behaved one was El, and that's because she was on the sofa, waiting patiently for everything to calm down before she threw herself into the pile. Things only went downhill from there when Joyce and Hopper showed up, carrying sacks of more neatly wrapped gifts with a struggle, to which Steve helped carry them in after a gentle bear hug from Joyce. Jonathan and Argyle were in California, trying some weird thing Argyle had suggested that Eddie couldn't be bothered to dissect just yet. Honestly, Eddie was impressed with the number of presents that sat under the tree - he didn't remember Steve telling him about it or Robin. He had assumed the kids would open the small presents they brought and go home to the big ones later.

Robin elected to handle breakfast as Hopper and Steve cleaned up the mess, the kids already succeeding in their rampage and happily messing around with their own. Eddie was on the couch, hugging a blanket to his chest to suppress the icky feeling in his stomach (he hadn't been around the group without his binder before, but so far, nothing had changed, and nobody had mentioned anything). Mike whispered into Will's ear on the other side of the room, a giddy grin on both of their faces, and suddenly Will got up and pushed to his bag. He pulled out a rectangular, messily wrapped gift and handed it to Max, who took it questionably.

"I know it's not much, but I wanted to make you something. And I know it's hard for you now since Vecna," Will explained, trying to display a ray of confidence in his otherwise shy demeanour. Lucas gave him a thumbs up beside Max, who carefully opened the robin-printed paper with dainty fingers, and Jane smiled warmly, watching and waiting. "It's based on one of the campaigns that we did, and Lucas helped me translate it. If it's not that good, you can give it back. That's fine."

Max held a book in her hands, feeling the little bumps on the cover with a surprised look on her face. The cover was hand-drawn, with six adventurers standing in a battle against a Thessalhydra: a paladin, a ranger, a wizard, an artificer, a mage and a zoomer. Max opened it up, careful not to rip the hastily glued-together pages and read the first line with her fingers, her expression unreadable. She closed the book, cleared her throat, and said, "Thank you, Will. And you too, idiot. For someone who's dating Mike Wheeler, it's not half bad."

"Hey!" Mike yelled, offended; Max stuck her tongue out at him - the same girl as she always had been. It was a little hard to find her some days through the smog and melancholy, but she was still there underneath it all, sassy and with a heart full of love.

The others got little presents from each other as well. Joyce watched in awe as Jane gave everyone a carved blue jay, painted blue feathers bleeding into white streaks. Dustin got Lucas a new basketball, promising to ditch Eddie's campaigns in favour of Lucas' games (Eddie threw a pillow at his head for good measure, but vowed also to that promise). Nancy gave Robin a chain necklace after Robin had lost her favourite one during the fight at Starcourt, which earned a few tears and flapping hands. Max got everyone a card with a middle finger scribbled on the front - the inside was filled with brutally honest words that especially got a rise out of Mike. Eddie gave Dustin his DnD figures and painting set, asking the kid to help him since he no longer could with the permanent shake in his bones; Dustin accepted, warning Eddie that he would go overboard with some of them. Max gave Erica a large file, the contents mysteriously hidden, but they could all figure out what was inside it. The older Wheeler passed Eddie a peculiarly large box to Eddie, containing a new and improved cane for him, along with a few other items that brought a glassy shine to his eyes. Steve received nothing but love, stemming from hand-written notes of the kids' adoration for him to Robin giving him all of his stolen clothes back.

Eddie came back after changing to find everyone gathered around the TV, watching Star Wars. He returned to his seat next to Nancy, feeling a lot better after putting his binder back on. She nudged his arm, handing him a steaming cup of black coffee and asked, "When are you going to tell him?"

"Hm?" Eddie said over a mouthful of scorching coffee, raising one eyebrow. Nancy rolled her eyes, shaking her head as she did.

"When are you going to make the move on Steve?" Nancy reiterated. Eddie choked on his coffee, punching his chest harshly as he coughed and wheezed. Was it so obvious? Hopefully not, but Nancy was a genius. She was brainy as well as beautiful, and Eddie should have realised that she would connect the dots over Eddie's shameless flirting eventually. He just didn't realise it would then and there, right when Steve was talking to Joyce, sweeping his fingers through his hair and smiling like a mad man, moles dancing his skin.

Once the coughing died down and he got a few deadly stares, Eddie answered, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Play dumb, and they'll never know.

"Don't play dumb with me, Eddie." Never mind then. "I've watched you both dance around each other for months. Even during Vecna, I was ready to stumble upon you two making out somewhere." If Eddie were honest, it had almost come to that many times. With life and death blaring in your face, it's easy to flirt with the guy you had presumed straight and fantasised about kissing his chapped lips whilst death knocked on the doors of the trailer. And if he were even more honest, he nearly had kissed Steve back in the trailer and in the twisted forest before that. "So, tell me, when are you making your move, Eds?"

"What if I ruin everything?" Eddie questioned instead, staring at his rippled reflection in the endlessly dark pits of his drink. Nancy scoffed beside him, and he added, "Don't give me that shit. I'm being honest. I love Steve - interpret that however you want - and if I lose him, Nance. If I lose all of you guys, my life would slowly crumble as it did before. If I have to watch Steve fall in love with hundreds of people that aren't me, I would rather stick a needle in my chest and watch."

All was silent for a moment as Nancy pondered on her words. The distant chatter of Joyce and Steve played in the background, ear-aching sound effects coming from the television and the crackle of bacon on the stove. "I was afraid Robin would hate me if I asked her out," she said. "I was so terrified I would cry into my pillow some nights and wish to be straight. I wished I could fall back in love with Jonathan or even Steve and hope everything went back to normal, whatever that was. But it didn't. So, I took a leap of faith. And I nearly shat myself, Eddie, but it was worth it because now I have her." Her expression softened kindly, the harsh lines of trauma fading from her face and posture. "I may not have her forever, and one day it might all change, but I have her now, and that's what I care about most. Not about what we'll be like in the future or if my parents will disown me if I ever tell them. All I care about is her and her happiness."

Everything was broken when the sound of Robin's high-pitched scream came from the kitchen. Everyone turned around to see a giant flame leaking from the pan Robin was cooking in, and Robin ran from it in fear. Hopper got into action, grabbing a tea towel and fanning it. Joyce rummaged through the cupboards and chucked water onto the flames, but they didn't die down. Finally, Steve found the fire extinguisher and killed it, panting like a rugged dog. All eyes turned to Robin, who squeaked out a little, "Sorry," from where she hid behind the armchair.

Nancy turned to Eddie, face completely unfazed, and added, "I also have to make sure she doesn't die." Robin battered her around the arm, a small but playful argument starting between her, Nancy and Steve, adrenaline pumping through their bodies. Eddie sipped from his mug, turning Nancy's speech over in his head, wondering whether he should take the leap of faith. If he should walk over to the edge and jump, hoping that he'd be caught in Steve's arms, not dropped to the pits of hell.

The day continued tiringly, the kids packing their belongings and wishing everyone a Merry Christmas as they filtered out of the home one by one. Joyce and Hopper gave the kids a ride home, promising to come round later to pick Steve up - he was invited to a Hoppers-Byers family dinner. The older ones stuck around, helping Steve clean up the burnt pan and anything that needed sorting before they left. Eddie could not help, however, as Steve ordered him to relax. So, in good nature, Eddie sulked on the sofa, arms crossed and legs sprawled out in front of him, scowling at the wall.

"Can you stop? You're going to get wrinkles on your face by twenty-five," Robin voiced from the kitchen, scrubbing away at her accident with ferocious speed. Nancy stopped sweeping the carpet for a minute, nodding her head and continuing her pursuit of ridding the carpet of the kids' disgusting crumbs.

"I don't understand why I can't help! I'm not that weak and old to clean a few dishes and pack away the cots, am I?" The girls didn't reply, allowing Eddie to sit in his childish temper for a minute before curiosity hit him. "Wait, where is Steve, anyway?"

"Gone to get your present," Robin mindlessly answered. Nancy shushed her, and Robin stuttered out, "Wait, no! He isn't. I lied. He's... He's... Cleaning the bathroom?" Nancy facepalmed her forehead, dropping the broom and escaping outside. "Shit. Angry girlfriend alert. Wish me luck, Eddie!" He couldn't reply as Robin rushed outside, shutting the sliding door behind her. Eddie didn't want to pry on their business, so he stared at the wall, waiting for Steve to join him.

"Miss me much?" Steve joked as he descended the stairs, a small box in his hands. Eddie sat up, shocked to see that it was perfectly wrapped with a red ribbon sitting on top and the sheepish, almost embarrassed grin on Steve's face. He sat down beside Eddie, fiddling with the lends of the bow and jittering his knee up and down. "I'm guessing Robin spilt the beans?"

"Of course," Eddie chuckled dryly. Steve tutted, glancing outside before quickly averting his gaze. "Is that a present for little old me? Oh, Steve, you shouldn't have!"

"Fuck off with the theatrics, Munson," Steve laughed, shoving Eddie's shoulder. The wrapping paper had snowflakes dusting it, glitter tainting Steve's palms like the snow outside. Slowly, Steve handed it to Eddie. "If you hate it, say so. I'm not going to care or be offended."

Underneath the layer of paper and tape was a black box. Eddie's heart almost fell out of his ass, mind racing and heart thumping out of his ribcage. His fingers shook when he opened it up, finding a ring inside. The band was thin and silver, with ivy marked into it and vines curling around the gem set in the middle, shining with rainbows and light. Eddie didn't know a lot about crystals, but he could name the basics, like rose quartz. But the gem on the ring he couldn't name; he could only describe it as beautiful and dazzling, capturing his attention and mind in its colourful aura.

"It's your birthstone."

"What?"

Steve's face went a shade darker. "The lady at the shop told me about birthstones and stuff. And she said that opal was your birthstone, so I got it for you. And now I'm just realising how cheesy it all is--" Before Steve could continue his ramble (which Eddie knew was about to come), he hugged Steve. It was awkward since Eddie still held onto the box and ring and Steve had hunched over - Eddie didn't care, and he was sure Steve didn't either.

"Thank you, Steve," Eddie said when the two pulled apart. His cheeks were on fire, a little lightheaded at the prospect that Steve Harrington had gotten him a present. "I couldn't get you anything because what the fuck do you get Steve Harrington? But we could go to Indianapolis together in February. We could hit up a few metal concerts and finally, show you some good music." Eddie had pondered on giving Steve a battle jacket for his Christmas gift. However, after a lengthy debate with uncle Wayne, he concluded that it was too much of a romantic gesture and scrapped the idea immediately.

"Fine, whatever." Steve dramatically sighed, and the two laughed. Eddie could picture it: he and Steve in the flashy streets, wearing ripped jeans and Eddie's muscle shirts, heavy makeup around their eyes. Steve would listen to the music and be fully indulged in it, finally joining the dark side like Eddie had planned all along (you can take the man from the theatre, but not the theatre out of the man). Eddie pocketed the thought and slipped on the ring. It was stark against his more worn, chunkier rings, something a hipster would wear than a metal head, but Eddie loved it nonetheless, butterflies hatching in his stomach.

Giggles came from behind the two as Eddie examined his collection of rings. They turned to find the teens all behind them, watching the two with pent-up laughter and antsy faces. Steve glanced at Robin, talking to her through their secret eye language. She pointed up, and above them was a floating shrub of green and red. Eddie gulped, wishing he had believed in karma a lot sooner. Blood trickled from El's amused face, obviously an accomplice to their friend's evil plan.

Steve turned to Eddie, and Eddie turned to Steve, unsure if he should run or stay put. "Rules are rules, Munson," Steve said, shrugging his shoulders, and kissed Eddie. It was light, a butterfly kiss against Eddie's shocked lips, but that didn't stop the heat rising to Eddie's face, steam whistling out of his ears. Steve hesitated a moment when he pulled back, his large eyes waiting for Eddie to make a move - to jump from the cliff. Cheers came from the group behind them, but they faded into nothing. The wind howled in his ears, the sun blinding him, and Eddie hung one foot over the cavernous drop, knots in his stomach. He could count the stars in Steve's eyes, the swoop of his long eyelashes, the moles that littered his face and neck, and the shade of pink around his neck; Eddie could see the beauty of it all in front of his face; he stared at the face of the sun, complimented it and wept at how gloriously his heart pounded for it, and he jumped.