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Steve is used to being the one the kids come to for romantic advice. It’s become part of his role as the older and more experienced member of their group.
What he does not expect, is for Mike to show up, arms crossed and sneering—snapping insults as much as he’s trying to ask for help.
Eddie and Robin are there too—because Mike has interrupted one of the few afternoons that they’re all free and available for a movie. Like hell is he sending them on their way, especially when Mike is being such a little shit.
But eventually, after a painful twenty minutes where he wants to throw the kid out on his ass at least three times, he finally spits out the question.
“What do you do if you like someone but they don’t like you back?”
It’s… to be honest, it’s not a question Steve really wants to answer. Because, yeah, he’s over Nancy now, finally, but it’s still a raw wound that he doesn’t want picked at—but one of his kids is asking, so he’ll answer the best he can.
Only, before he can get more than his mouth open, Eddie, who had been leaning against the couch, abruptly leaps over it, all gangly limbs and the sound of the chains on his jeans rattling.
“Unrequited, I hear, lil’ Wheeler?”
“Yeah?” Mike snaps, “So what?”
“So,” Eddie stresses, “you bring it before our liege? Our fine and noble knight who has the heart of many ladies in his hand?”
Robin makes a gagging noise and Steve shoots her a betrayed look, Eddie ignores them both.
“So?” Mike snaps again, crossing his arms. “He’s also been dumped and stupidly into my sister—”
“And do you have or have you had the one you currently like?” Eddie asks. Mike falls silent. “Precisely, oh young adventurer. Therefore, you must come to a master in such trials.”
Mike scrunches his nose. “A master? Who?”
Eddie grins, and it’s different to his others, it’s kind of… painful. Robin’s amusement has also disappeared, she’s watching Eddie so carefully. Steve feels a little out of his depth, like he’s missing something important. But Eddie takes Mike by the shoulder and leads him over to a chair. He has him sit down and then he perches on the coffee table and… answers. His voice is lower, his gaze serious—none of the silly exuberance of before.
“You think I’m out here winning the hearts of people I like? You think I don’t know what it’s like to look at someone and know they aren’t ever going to like you back?”
Mike stares at Eddie like he’s completely baffled by the concept, to which, fucking ow. The little shit thinks Eddie’s got more game than him? And he’s not trying to be an asshole, Eddie’s funny, and smart and crazy talented on guitar. He should have babes into him, but he’s also nicknamed ‘The Freak’ and Hawkins was out to kill him. The odds of him winning as many girls as him isn’t exactly high.
“Then what do you… do?” Mike asks.
“Weeelll,” Eddie drawls, “you be their friend.”
“But—”
“You be there the way they’ll let you be there, okay, kid? You love ‘em from the side. You make ‘em feel good, show them how amazing they are. You help ‘em out with people they like.”
Mike’s face twists in horror. “But I like them! I don’t want them to like—”
“Tough shit,” Eddie says flatly, his smile almost unkind. “You don’t be a fucking dick and ruin their chances to be happy. You fucking suck it up. You realise that being their friend is more important than the stupid squishy feelings in your heart. And if it’s not more important, then you stop hanging out with them. Simple as that.”
“That’s shit advice!” Mike shouts, jerking to his feet. “I don’t want to do that!”
“Oh? You want a nice little happy solution?” Eddie asks, clutching his hands under his chin. “Oh, go click your heels and kiss them on the doorstep under the rain and they’ll fall in love with you too!”
Robin laughs a little, the sound almost nervous—and maybe Steve should have laughed too at the dramatics that are so terribly Eddie, but Steve feels suddenly confused.
Because… because he and Eddie were caught under an awning once, a few months ago. They’d run from his car to the front door, and he’d dropped his keys. They’d been soaked to the brim, and he’d laughed so hard and leant against Eddie. The metalhead had seemed odd in that moment, biting his lip and looking nervous and something else Steve hadn’t been able to name, not at the time, or in the months since, but, now he can name it—longing. Eddie had looked longing.
And with the last few minutes playing back over in his head, Steve is feeling something dawn over him, something that makes him feel so horribly stupid as he stares at the metalhead.
“Life isn’t a fairytale, you know,” Eddie states. “You got a crush that won’t go anywhere? You bury it and hope it’ll go away before it gets awkward. ‘Cause, if you’re anything like me, the last thing you want is to have ‘em stop wanting to spend time with you, right?”
Mike scowls and crosses his arms, but he doesn’t deny Eddie’s point. Eddie smiles a little sadly. He stands up and claps Mike on the shoulder, shaking him gently.
“It’s a tough one, kid, but maybe you’ll have better luck than me.” Mike looks up at him, expression still so downtrodden. “So, if you think they might like you back someday, that’s when you come and see ol’ Stevie. Guarantee he’ll find a way to win you your girl.”
Mike makes a face, and whether it’s the prospect of coming to him for advice or something else, Steve isn’t really in a position to uncover—he’s too busy staring at Eddie.
“And what if they don’t ever want me?” Mike asks quietly. “What if I can’t make it go away?”
Eddie smiles again, but it’s his sad one from earlier. “Still early days, kid. People come and go. Plenty of fish in the big ol’ sea.”
“Not like them,” Mike mutters.
“Then be their friend,” Eddie repeats. “Being close to them… it has its own rewards, Mike.”
“Even if it never happens?” he insists.
“Even then,” Eddie says, firm and serious. “If they’re the right one, they’re worth a little bit of pain.”
Steve is sure Eddie keeps speaking after that, but he kind of just… stops listening. He can’t listen, his brain is too busy trying to put the last few months together like puzzle pieces to a whole new picture.
Jesus. Just, Jesus.
Eddie likes… and he never… and he’s in pain and he’s queer?
He looks at Robin who is wide-eyed and looking at him—something resembling panic in her expression but also concern, maybe even guilt. He gapes at her, ‘you knew??’ he demands in expressions alone.
She winces back and lifts one helpless hand, ‘I couldn’t tell you.’
Which means it’s true, it’s Jesus Christ, a real thing. Eddie was talking about him, Eddie likes him.
When Mike makes a sound of disgust and starts to walk out of the room, Eddie follows, leading Mike out of the house with an arm around his shoulders and more encouraging whispers. At that point, Steve finally stumbles to the couch. He collapses onto it, his head in his hands.
“Steve,” Robin whispers. “Steve, I’m sorry, but I couldn’t say anything to you, I couldn’t—”
He holds up his hand and she falls silent; knowing he needs the quiet, needs to process. She wraps one hand around his wrist, the other rubs his back, supportive and close.
Steve shuts his eyes and just thinks, because Eddie made his stance clear; he was a friend, he wasn’t crossing a line, he was burying his unrequited love down deep and not acting on it. Like when he wanted to kiss him under the awning but didn’t—or when he tried to help him with girls, or listened to him talk about Nancy when it would be the last thing he wanted.
When Eddie showed up in the middle of the night because it was lonely in the Harrington mansion and he wanted company. When they shared a bed and it was easy to fall asleep, and it didn’t matter that it was a dude when they were curled up together and sleeping without nightmares.
When Eddie played guitar for him, or patiently explained something nerdy—when he offered to watch him shoot hoops as long as he didn’t have to do anything but whistle or applaud when he got a basket.
When Eddie was there, always and at the drop of a hat. When Steve had come to rely on that and look forward to an afternoon spent with Eddie more than any date he might have lined up with some random girl.
You think I don’t know what it’s like to look at someone and know they aren’t ever going to like you back?
The words hit even harder when they repeat on his mind—knowing Eddie was looking at him, was already resigned to that future.
And before he’d known, he’d thought it was shit Eddie couldn’t win babes when he was such a great fucking dude.
And he’s not a babe not even close, but he’s a friend and he never knew, and he’s wondering if half a dozen trips to the movies and the arcade weren’t actually dates he’d never known he was on.
“Well, that was fun,” Eddie says sarcastically, piercing through Steve’s spiralling thoughts and making him turn to look as Eddie re-enters the room. “God knows who the kid’s decided to like, but it ain’t going to be pretty if they don’t like him back.” He shakes his head. “Hopefully he’ll keep his trap shut, yeesh.”
It takes a few seconds of silence for Eddie to realise something is different. He frowns and looks at them with puzzlement mixed with concern.
“Hey,” he says. “Something wrong?”
Robin squeezes his arm, but Steve can’t just sit back and do nothing—can’t pretend. So, he stands, he turns and faces Eddie who still looks confused.
“I didn’t know,” Steve whispers. Eddie tilts his head, brows furrowing. Steve takes a halting step forward, stops, tries again. “I didn’t know, Eddie.”
The penny drops.
“Shit.” Eddie’s eyes go wide and horrified. “I-I thought you did.” His hands half-rise like he’s trying to shield himself. He looks like he’s preparing to run. “Fuck, fuck, I thought you… thought you ignored it. Oh God, Steve. Shit. I’m sorry, I—”
But Steve uses the babbling to close the limited distance, to grab one of Eddie’s wrists and keep him near. The metalhead immediately winces, and hunches, like he’s trying to make himself smaller.
“I-I wouldn’t have said anything if you hadn’t… Jesus.” He meets Steve’s gaze then, sad and scared. “Friends, Steve. I want to be friends. I meant that, meant it all, meant—”
Steve closes the last of the distance. He cups one hand to the side of Eddie’s face and presses their foreheads together. He shuts his eyes, just sharing Eddie’s space and his breath. He hears Eddie’s hitch in shock.
“I didn’t know,” Steve repeats, like it’s the only words he has in his vocabulary. He breathes in deeply and finally adds, “But now I do.”
“Now you do?” Eddie asks, voice barely louder than a whisper.
Steve nods, their foreheads rubbing together. It takes a few seconds, but Eddie’s hand tentatively touches his where he’s still cupping Eddie’s cheek. He doesn’t fight the way the metalhead curls their fingers, instead, he squeezes them.
He opens his eyes and pulls back just enough to better see his friend. Eddie looks shocked and his gaze is darting over his face. Steve still feels like his world’s been upended and he’s still working out where all the pieces go, but Eddie has loved him for months, and he’s maybe been growing his own feelings too.
So, rather than twist himself in things he’s still not sure he understands, he does the one thing that feels right, that feels easy. He ducks forward and presses his mouth to Eddie’s in a simple chaste kiss. Eddie gasps and squeezes his hand so tight it hurts—but Steve doesn’t complain.
Instead, he thinks about Eddie’s earlier words; if they’re the right one, they’re worth a little bit of pain.
Steve thinks Eddie might be worth this, and a whole lot more, so he stays where he is; kissing Eddie Munson and hopefully proving that not all love in Hawkins has to be unrequited.