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"Baby, I have to go."
Steve let out an annoyed huff of air through his nostrils as his hands gripped tighter into the fabric of Eddie's shirt. He tugged more urgently at the fabric while refusing to pull away from their shared kiss. Eddie chuckled softly against his lips, and his hands ran soothingly up and down Steve's sides until they settled at his hips with a firm squeeze.
He nipped at Steve's lower lip and pulled back with a grin, "If I don't go now, Jeff and Kevin are going to come in here and drag me out by my hair."
"Definitely sounds more like a them problem than a me problem," Steve muttered with an eye roll.
"You're so fucking dramatic," Eddie teased, clearly delighted, as his head dipped forward for another swift kiss.
Steve narrowed his eyes, unimpressed, "You're one to talk."
Deep down, Steve knew that he was being silly. Eddie and his band had a few shows to play— shows that they had worked really hard to book and were all extremely excited to go play. It just meant that they'd be gone all weekend. Eddie would be off being a rockstar while Steve stayed home to work at the video store, did assignments for class, and hung out with Max.
If she didn't decide to run off with Lucas or some of her friends.
He was being silly.
He was just going to miss Eddie.
"I will call you from the motel room," Eddie promised, full lips falling into a placating pout.
With a very reluctant and put upon sigh, Steve let go of his hold on Eddie's shirt and allowed his hands to drop to his side. Ever since they moved in together– bought their house with a boatload of government hush money– he and Eddie had hardly spent a full day apart from each other. So, now that he was being faced with the unfortunate reality of several days away from Eddie, he was not very excited.
But, he just had to suck it up.
The sooner that Eddie left, the sooner that he would come back.
"Fine," Steve huffed with a pout of his own. He flashed Eddie a small, sad smile but nodded his head slowly. "I'm just gonna miss you."
Eddie leaned in to kiss him one more time, lingering for just a few seconds. "I'm gonna miss you like crazy. But I'll be back in a few days and then I won't let you out of bed for a full twenty-four hours."
Steve snorted back a laugh, shoving playfully at Eddie's shoulder, "Okay, okay. Go."
With a lewd grin and one more fleeting kiss, Eddie stepped away from Steve and hurried toward the door leading into the utility room, and subsequently the garage. He yanked his haphazardly packed duffle bag from the floor along with his guitar case. He turned one last time to shoot a glance over his shoulder at Steve, who only smiled and gave him a small wave.
Eddie winked and rushed out the door.
There were muffled voices followed by the sound of heavy doors being slammed shut. Then the engine of Eddie's van kicked to life before it pulled away.
Steve stood alone in the quiet of the house for several seconds.
It was a strange feeling– being alone in a silent house.
He had been so accustomed to it as a teenager, even if it always felt like an oppressive weight pressing down on his shoulders with every breath that he took. But here, in his house that he shared with Eddie, and Max? It was almost comforting.
Glancing down at his watch, Steve let out a soft hum. He had enough time to work on some preliminary sketches for class before he started dinner for him and Max.
And it would at least keep him distracted from missing Eddie too much.
A blast of hot air hit Steve in the face as he bent down to pull a tray from inside the oven. He quickly set the pan on the cook top, carefully avoiding the pan sitting on the front right burner, and gently kicked the door shut while he set down the dish towel he'd been using to protect his hands.
As he turned to open the cabinet where they kept their plates, Steve heard the front door being opened and closed rather heavily.
"Stop slamming my door, Maxine," Steve called out as he grabbed two plates.
"Sorry, mom," Max said with a chuckle from somewhere behind him.
Rolling his eyes, Steve turned around– ready to say something about the mom comment– but paused when he spotted Will standing just behind Max beside the dining table.
His eyes widened a bit in surprise, "Oh. Hey, Will. I didn't know you were coming over tonight."
"Yeah, Max said it'd be okay. It is okay, right?" Will asked, nervously glancing between Max and Steve. Which was a little strange, all things considered. Will was always welcome in their house– all of the kids were. Sometimes a little too welcome, if coming home to Dustin eating his snacks on the couch last week was any indication.
Steve nodded and waved a dismissive hand through the air, "Yeah, of course. You guys can put your stuff down in Max's room. Dinner is ready."
The two of them quickly spin around and retreat into Max's bedroom. Shaking his head, Steve retrieved a third plate from the cabinet and set it down on top of the other two. He turned off the burner just as Max appeared at his side, taking the plates in her hand.
"What's for dinner? It smells good," she said nonchalantly, heading to the table to set out the plates.
The subtle and relaxed domesticity was not at all lost on Steve.
"Cheesy stuffed peppers and some vegetables," Steve answered easily. He turned to a different cabinet and pulled out a serving bowl to transfer the pan of sautéed vegetables into.
"I love that you double down on vegetables when Eddie leaves," Max said with a low chuckle. Steve rolled his eyes but didn't respond. He just grabbed the bowl and the pan of peppers to carry to the table.
Will was already seated, looking slightly awkward with his suddenly perfect posture, and Max hurried over to drop some silverware at each plate that she'd previously set out.
"Eddie doesn't eat green things," she stage-whispered in Will's direction, her eyes locked on Steve.
Steve tossed the towel he'd used to carry the pan at Max, which just made her laugh as she slid into her seat.
"What do you guys want to drink?" Steve asked, heading back to the fridge.
"Is there still lemonade? I know it was looking low last night," Max said over the soft clinking of silverware.
Steve let out a soft hum as he looked around the inside of the refrigerator. There was a full pitcher of lemonade sitting on one of the shelves. "Eddie must have made more this morning," he said, mostly to himself, as he grabbed the pitcher.
He made quick work of also picking up some glasses before he finally returned to the table to take a seat. Both Max and Will had already served themselves some of everything but hadn't yet touched their food. "You know you don't have to wait fot me– you can just eat," Steve murmured as he carefully moved a pepper onto his own plate.
When he looked up, he noticed the two teenagers exchanging heated glances between not-so-subtle head nods in his direction.
"I know I'm mostly deaf, but I'm not stupid," Steve said, scooping a spoonful of veggies onto his plate. He set the spoon back into the bowl and looked between Max and Will with raised brows. "So, why don't you go ahead and tell me whatever it is you're scheming?"
"We're not scheming," Will mumbled half-heartedly.
Steve snorted back a laugh and rolled his eyes.
"We're not!" Max insisted a bit too firmly. She locked eyes with Steve, and the two of them stayed there in a stalemate for what might as well have been hours before she let out an annoyed breath and slumped back in her chair. "We just… had something we wanted to ask you about."
Well, that certainly piqued Steve's interest.
He cut into his dinner slowly and lifted a forkful to his mouth; he took his time chewing to not only irritate an already on-edge Max, but to mentally prepare himself for whatever conversation was about to happen. When he finally swallowed, he grabbed his cup of lemonade and looked between Max and Will to try and suss out what was bothering them.
"Go on," he said in a low voice, lifting the drink to his lips.
"Wewantedtoaskyouaboutsex," Max said in one rush of breath.
Suddenly, Steve's sinus cavities were full of tart lemonade as his lungs attempted to push out any that snuck down the wrong pipe in his surprise. He sputtered inelegantly, slapping a heavy hand to the center of his chest as the mouthful– noseful– of lemonade spilled down his face and onto the table.
"What?" he gasped, trying and failing to both regain control of his bodily functions and clean up the mess he just made.
Will ducked his head into his hands and let out a deeply embarrassed sounding groan.
Max, to her credit, kept her composure the best out of all of them. Even if her face was dangerously close to being the same shade of red as her hair. She cleared her throat, straightened her back, and laid her hands flat on the table as he fixed Steve with an unwavering look.
"We. Wanted to ask you. About sex," she reiterated slowly, deliberately.
It did not help Steve in his floundering– at all.
"What? Why? Why now? Why me?" Steve groaned. He got up from the table to grab a roll of paper towels from the kitchen counter.
As he dabbed at the wet spot on his shirt, he glanced back at the table to see Will was still avoiding his eye but at least his head was no longer in his hands, and Max had moved on to fidgeting with her fork as she prodded at a green bean on her plate.
"You are… uniquely qualified to help us both," Will said in barely more than a whisper.
Steve made a confused, distracted sound as he slowly shuffled back to the table.
Max smirked at her plate, "You have had sex with a lot of people— supposedly. And you've had sex with girls and boys."
"A boy," Steve corrected swiftly. He winced slightly at the word as he sat back in his chair. Being twenty and describing Eddie as a boy was not the move. "A Man."
Will cleared his throat, and finally made eye contact with Steve from across the table, "Max is pretty much your kid, so she's obviously going to come to you. And, uh, you're kind of the only other… you and Eddie are the only people I'd feel comfortable talking to about this."
Now, that hit Steve right in the heart.
He remembered his own sex talk from his dad— if it could even be called that. Art Harrington tossed a box of condoms onto fourteen year old Steve's bed and told him "no glove, no love" before immediately walking back out of the room. Which left Steve to pretty much figure everything else out on his own.
To, uh, varying degrees of success.
And a lot of awkward fumbling.
Steve shook his head to push those thoughts from his mind. He moved his plate away from where Max had set it, and laid it hands down in its place.
"Okay," he said with a long exhale, "What do you want to ask me?"
Max and Will's head snapped toward one another instantly– almost as if they couldn't believe that Steve had actually agreed to answer their questions. They leaned in close and began to whisper fervently back and forth at a speed and volume that Steve had no hope of picking up on.
While they heatedly went back and forth, Steve took the time to fully sop up the mess he had made at the initiation of this conversation. He wiped at the spilled lemonade and wrapped a napkin around the wet mass of paper towels before he set it to the side.
Out of the corner of his eye, Steve spotted Max and Will turning back to face him so he reluctantly looked back up at them expectantly.
"How far into a… relationship should you expect sex to happen?" Max asked, trying her damnedest to keep a serious expression on her face.
Steve's nose crinkled in distaste, "I mean, you shouldn't expect sex. Ever. Like… from someone else or expect that they'll want it from you."
Max's brows dropped and furrowed, forming a deep wrinkle between the two.
"Relationships aren't like an arcade machine where you put time in and get sex out," he said with a bit of a huff, glancing between the two teenagers at his table.
"But, you—"
Steve waved a hand in front of him to cut Max off before she could go any further. He sighed heavily, his chest and shoulder slouching with the sudden release of air. "I– I definitely fooled around with and had sex with girls who probably weren't ready, and I, also, probably wasn't ready. Please do not base your life choices off of me," he said with a dry, humorless laugh.
Will sucked at his teeth in thought, "So, how do you know if you're ready?"
That was the million dollar question, wasn't it?
Absently, Steve raised a hand to tug at the silver chain around his neck until the silver letter E pendant that hung from it was pinched between his fingers. He ran it back and forth as he mulled over his thoughts. The gentle vibrations that the link made against the chain was almost soothing in a way– made his brain a little calmer and his thoughts easier to parse through.
Now, several years removed from the fact, Steve knew that he hadn't been ready to take that step the first time that he had sex. Uneasy groping in Amy DiMarco's basement because everyone was doing it . He'd hardly talked to her before that night— all Steve knew was that she was a year older and Tommy said that Carol said that Amy said that he was fine.
Apparently that was enough for Steve to agree to a stilted movie date turned forgettable romp.
With a low groan, Steve dragged a slow hand over his face. This was not how he had planned to spend his evening.
"When you want to have sex and not just because the person you're with wants to," Steve answered finally, shrugging a shoulder. He dropped his hands to his lap with a soft sigh. "And when you understand, and can talk about, everything that can come from sex— pregnancy, diseases, heartbreak… whatever."
Both Max and Will looked away from him for a moment in what seemed to be silent contemplation. Steve glanced over his shoulder at the refrigerator and briefly wondered if he should grab a beer from inside. He felt like he needed a drink. Something to take the awkward, nervous edge off.
"Two of those things seem like they can be handled by birth control," Max said wearily.
Steve blew out a slow stream of breath from between his lips. He had not woken up that morning expecting to have to talk through birth control with his pseudo teenage daughter. "True, I mean… yeah. But sex can change your relationship with someone. Sometimes it makes it better— sometimes they treat it like they've achieved some kind of goal and are done now. You need to be able to protect your heart as well as your body," he explained.
Max nodded slowly while Will took a sip from his own glass of lemonade.
"Which is better? The pill or condoms?" Max asked, rather directly.
Steve grimaced.
"I'm not really an expert on the pill. I know it has side effects? That's a doctor question, not a Steve question," he said, mouth and nose scrunched briefly in discomfort. He pushed a hand through his hair before crossing his arms over his chest. "If you're going to be having sex, I would say you should use a condom no matter what other… methods you're using just to be sure."
Steve turned his head just enough to face Will, whose face was creased just a bit in thought, and let out a soft, sad breath.
"There's… a lot of really scary shit going on in the world when it comes to men who have sex with other men. People getting really sick and dying— so you need to be safe. Always. I don't care who you have sex with or what he tells you– always use a condom. No matter what. Okay?"
A heavy sort of silence settled between them. Steve wished there was a better way to explain the importance of being safe without potentially scaring the kid, but facts were facts he supposed.
"Where do you even get condoms?" Will asked, glancing between Max and Steve.
Max looked over at Steve expectantly.
"The store? I always got them at Melvalds."
Will physically shuddered, "You want me to buy condoms at the store where my mom works?"
A completely unintentional snort of laughter bubbled its way out of Steve before he had a chance to stop it. He'd completely forgotten that Joyce got her old job back when they returned to Hawkins.
Will looked less-than-amused at Steve's apparent entertainment at the prospect of him having to buy condoms from his own mother. Steve could sympathize to an extent— he'd had to face Joyce on more than one occasion with his own extracurricular purchases. Although, he couldn't imagine having to deal with a parent in that situation. A real parent, that is, because lord knows that his parents wouldn't have paid him any mind either way.
"You know what? Hold on."
Not waiting for a response, Steve pushed his chair back from the table and got to his feet. He turned away from the two teens before heading off down toward his and Eddie's bedroom. He crossed the room to crouched down in front of the nightstand on Eddie's side of the bed, and pulled open the bottom drawer.
Inside— under a weed grinder, a tattered copy of Rolling Stone, and a Polaroid camera— was just what Steve was looking for.
Two unopened boxes of condoms– and a few loose foil packets floating amongst the mess. It had been several months since he and Eddie had stopped using condoms; the decision to do so had been rather abrupt on their anniversary, but they managed to have an actual conversation once the old Scoops Ahoy uniform was put away and they were laying in bed after.
He figured he could pass on the Harrington tradition if not having to buy your first box of condoms.
Snatching up the boxes, Steve stood upright and nudged the drawer shut again with his foot. He left behind the stragglers because, well, sometimes it was easier to clean up after lazy sex when they used a condom.
Steve exited the bedroom and marched back up to the dining room to see Max and Will, once again, leaning in close and whispering conspiratorially amongst themselves. They both looked up at his approach, however.
"Don't say I never did anything for you," he deadpanned, setting a box in front of either teenager. He watched, a little smugly, as a look of surprise and something akin to embarrassment spread across both of their faces.
Will tentatively picked the box up and turned it over in his hands. Max mirrored his movement but shot Steve a mischievous smirk. "You guys have so many condoms hanging around you can pass them out like a perverted trick-or-treat situation?" she asked, eyebrows ticking upward.
Steve balked at her while Will bit back a small laugh.
"No," Steve said, sounding much more the annoyed teenager, "We just don't need those anym–"
His voice trailed off as he realized what he was saying. And at the wide-eyed looks he received as the words left his mouth.
He was going to kill Eddie for leaving him home alone to deal with this.
Will cleared his throat, "Didn't you just say to always use one of these? No matter what?"
Heat erupted under Steve's skin and rapidly spread from his cheeks, down his neck, and across his chest. He could practically feel sweat breaking out under his arms and at the small of his back as he choked on his heart that had suddenly lodged itself in his throat.
"Look. Yes , I did. And I meant it. However. Eddie and I have been together for over a year and have only been with each other in that time," Steve tried to explain as he stumbled over his words. He sighed loudly and rubbed at the back of his neck– the muscles there feeling tense all of a sudden. "We also both went to the doctor to get checked out— and it's not like he can get me pregnant. So, I still stand by what I said. Every time. No matter what. Both of you."
Will looked a little sheepish, but nodded his understanding. Max also nodded, despite looking far too amused for Steve's liking.
Far too much personal information had just been spilled, Steve desperately wanted to pivot away from it.
Looking back at the table and the mostly untouched food in front of him, Steve couldn't help but sigh and silently mourn his lack of appetite. He glanced from the dishes, back to Max and Will who suddenly seemed to look much more mature and older than they had when they first came through the front door.
"Whatever you decide to do is your choice. Don't let anyone talk you into something you're not ready for and if anyone tries to push you or force you– my bat is still in my trunk and I will not hesitate to swing," he said firmly, fixing the both of them with a hard but reassuring stare.
Max's smile was soft and warm, like she had just received a thoughtful, heartfelt gift– not like Steve had just threatened violence on any future malaligned partners.
"I have some stuff to work on for class. So, I'm going to go do that. You guys eat, and please put away whatever is left when you're done?" Steve murmured as he once again stood up. He'd eat later when the shock and discomfort of this conversation wasn't so fresh. "If you need a ride home later, Will, let me know. If not– you know you can crash here. Just let your mom know."
"Okay, Steve," both Max and Will responded.
He nodded once in return before he shuffled off to the front bedroom that had been designated for his art supplies and work. He closed the door softly behind him, and let himself lean back against it with a long, drawn-out sigh. His body sagged and he tilted his head back as his eyes fluttered shut.
That was, frankly, way too much to process at the moment.
He needed some time to decompress and clear his head— so he pushed himself off the door and walked over to the large table by the window to continue on his sketches.
"This is Steve," Steve murmured into the phone that he cradled between his shoulder and head. He'd moved on from paper sketches to canvas and had really zeroed in on working. He'd almost completely missed the phone ringing.
From the other end of the line, he could make out several voices in the background cheering and laughing before Eddie's own laugh tinkled down the line.
"Baby! Oh, Stevie, I miss you. I wish you could have been here tonight. It was amazing! How are you? How's your night?"
Steve set down his paintbrush as Eddie rambled giddily in his ear. He couldn't help but smile to himself at the absolute joy in his tone. He was happy for Eddie and the guys, he really was, however–
"I'm mad at you," Steve said simply. He sat down on the stool in front of his easel with a soft, annoyed hmph.
Eddie made a very confused sound. "What did I do?" he asked, voice pitching up.
"Oh, I don't know. You left me home alone to have to field questions about sex from Max and Will. Oh, and they are both now fully aware of the fact that we don't use condoms and this is all your fault and I'm mad at you."
There was a long stretch of silence on the phone line. So long, in fact, that Steve briefly worried that Eddie had hung up on him or that they'd been disconnected. Though, that fear quickly went away as Eddie started to laugh. Normally, Steve loved Eddie's laugh in all of its abrupt and loud glory.
Now, Steve kind of wanted to crawl through the phone and smack him.
After far too long, Eddie managed to pull himself back together.
"Oh. Oh, baby," he cooed softly, even though Steve could still hear the last dregs of laughter around the edges of his words. "I am so sorry you had to deal with that alone."
"You don't sound sorry," Steve grumbled.
At least Eddie had to wherewithal to hold back the burst of laughter that tried to break free. Steve narrowed his eyes at the painting that he had been working on.
Eddie forcefully cleared his throat, "I am sorry. And I will make it up to you when I get home Sunday night."
"Bold of you to assume that we will ever have sex again," Steve muttered with very little heat or conviction behind his words.
"Who said anything about sex? Jeez, get your head out of the gutter, Harrington."
Steve snorted back a laugh and rolled his eyes.
"You're the worst and I hate you," he replied, tone warm and affectionate.
Eddie chuckled low, "Don't worry, baby, when I get home I'll fuck you just how you like until you're nice to me again."
His words were met with a chorus of groans and exclamations of disgust by the guys in the background, which just made Steve laugh to himself and roll his eyes. Eddie was downright giggling into his ear.
Fuck, he really missed him.
"I'm glad your show went well," Steve said softly, changing topics, "I wish I could have been there."
Humming to himself, Eddie sounded like he was readjusting the phone, "Me too."
"I love you," Steve nearly whispered.
"Love you too, sunshine."