Chapter Text
Eddie had ended up at girls night.
He didn’t know how, but there he was painting Robin's nails black on Nancy Wheeler's floor. They had made Eddie paint their nails because they had said, ‘You have such steady hands when you do your own,’ and well, who had he been to argue?
“I just feel like now that we’re finally done with all the horrors and apocalyptic scenarios, we deserve a break, you know?” Were the most unexpected words out of Nancy’s mouth but Eddie couldn’t help but agree.
“I don’t know how you’ve done this for, like, five years straight, god two were enough for me” Eddie was honestly in disbelief at how Nancy had been through so much and still functioned extremely well.
Nancy sighed, “As bad as it sounds, I really just got used to it. Part of me is still expecting it to happen again next year.” Nancy scrunched her nose as she continued, “I know it won’t, I know it’s finally done once and for all, but it felt like that when El closed the gate, and it felt like that when we killed the demogorgon… I just can’t let my guard down anymore.” Robin quietly nodded her head in solemn agreement.
Eddie looked between the two ladies, Nancy sitting on the edge of her bed and Robin in front of him, both having seen way too much for anyone alive let alone for their age. He suddenly got both the best and worst idea he’s ever had, which was saying something.
“Oh, no, I do not like that look,” Robin started incredulously as Eddie’s eyes widened in excitement even further, “whatever it is you’re about to say, my answer is no.”
“Well, at least hear me out! C’mon guys give me a chance here!” Eddie stood up from his place on the floor to stand on the bay window as he announced, “We all need to relax a little bit, which has already been established by Wheeler, and I propose we, drum roll please,” Robin and Nancy glanced at each other before reluctantly drumming with their hands, “Play D&D!”
Robin groaned at the exact moment Nancy’s face lit up,
“I haven’t played in years!” Again, another incredibly unexpected sentence to come out of Nancy’s mouth. Robin gaped at her.
“No!” Robin’s eyes moved between Nancy and Eddie with disbelief on her face, “No, you’re both conspiring against me, I swear!”
Nancy laughed as she spoke, “You sound like my brother!”
“Oh, but dear Robin, I swear I knew nothing of this,” Eddie said also with slight disbelief, his hands innocently up in front of him, “You’ve played, Wheeler?”
“Oh yeah, I used to dress up and everything,” Robin gaped further at this information, “Oh come on, I live with Mike of course I’ve played at least one session!” Nancy explained exasperatedly.
“Shit, sometimes I forget you and Mike, like, grew up together, you’re so different from each other,” Eddie said as he got down from the window seat to sit on it.
“Yeah, sometimes I forget myself,” Nancy muttered as she pushed herself further to the edge of her bed, taking a deep breath before continuing, “It’s just, I feel like I haven’t been there for him in a long time. You know, his best friend was missing and all I cared about was partying with Steve, and then when Barb died I just…” Nancy trailed off, getting a far away look in her eyes, “I feel like I’ve been so focused on myself that I forgot that he’s also gone through so much.”
Eddie’s bangs blew out of his face from the breath he let out, before sitting next to Nancy on the bed. Robin got up from the floor to do the same on her other side.
“Shit, Wheeler, that’s a lot of weight on your shoulders,” Eddie put his arm around Nancy’s shoulder.
“Sorry, I shouldn’t have just dumped that all on you.” Nancy started, but before she could continue Eddie jumped in.
“No, no, none of that, we’re here for each other, Wheeler, whether you like it or not and if that means we listen to your, frankly, totally fair concerns then by god we’ll fucking listen to you. And if it helps to hear it, I think Mike’s doing okay… As okay as any of us could be doing.” Nancy let a small smile appear on her face.
Eddie got up from the edge of the bed as theatrically as he could muster, really hamming it up to lighten the mood.
“This calls for a D&D game, I’m telling you!” As Robin groaned, Eddie started pacing the floor, Holmes-esque, “I mean imagine it, you’d get to show Mike you’re still the same person that used to play with him all those years ago, and we’d all get to chill out a bit. Sounds like a win-win to me.”
“Way to be subtle, dipshit,” Robin’s voice was flat, “but you’d catch me making out with Vecna before I’d ever play your nerd games,” Everyone scrunched their faces at the mental image.
“Oh, come on, Buckley, think about it, me DMing, as good as I always do,” Robin rolled her eyes with ferocity, “playing with Nance, Mike, maybe even… Steve?” At this Robin burst out laughing.
“Like you’re ever going to get Steve to play D&D,” Robin caught her breath while speaking, “I promise you, I’ll worship the ground where you walk if you can pull that off.”
Eddie was always one to enjoy a challenge, “You won’t have to do that, all I’d ask of you would be to join the fun.” He shrugged nonchalantly.
Robin was quiet for a moment, Nancy glancing between the two, before she spoke, “Fine, Munson, but when he says no, you owe me.”
“Wouldn’t have it any other way, Buckley,” He relaxed back to an arrogant degree.
Sure it might be a little difficult, but if Eddie could pull some strings, use a little bit of his charms, he’d have a full party ready in no time.
—
Nancy shouldn’t’ve been as nervous about this as she was. Facing Vecna? No problem. Having a conversation with Mike… Well, that was a different story. Conversing with Mike without bickering? Now that was just asking for the impossible.
It’s just Nancy knew she hadn’t been all that much of a big sister to Mike; she knew that he was probably more likely to go to Will about his problems, and that was great, but she wanted him to know she was there.
She wanted to be there.
As she walked out of her room into the hallway, she steeled herself; covered herself in false confidence and a cool demeanor and strided to the door at the end of the hall with the ‘Do Not Enter’ sign. She knocked.
“What is it? We’re kinda busy right now!” Came the annoyed voice of her brother on the other side of the door.
“There’s something I wanted to talk to you about, Mike.”
The house was quiet for a moment except for their mother’s voice, slowly floating up the stairs, chatting on the phone. The door opened to reveal a scowling Mike, and behind him an apologetic look on Will’s face as he sat on Mike’s bed with a binder on his lap.
“Since when did you ever want to talk to me?” Mike snided.
Nancy’s resolve faltered a little at the comment, but she pressed on anyway, “It’s funny you say that,” She awkwardly chuckled as she looked between Mike and Will, “Well, I was talking to Eddie earlier-”
Now look, Nancy was not blind, some might even say she was quite perceptive, so she one hundred percent noticed three things in quick succession.
1. Mike’s eyes went wide, as he put himself between Nancy and Will, like he was trying to block her line of sight.
2. Will’s face fell, ever so slightly.
3. Mike looked apologetically over at Will, as he pushed both himself and Nancy out of his room and closed the door.
Mike stood in front of his door, with his arms crossed and an even more pissed off look on his face. It was the one he’d picked up from her when they were younger, where his eyebrows pinched in disbelief, but his mouth was set in a hard line. However, the slightly frantic look in his eye was a new addition.
He raised his eyebrows to signal for her to continue, “Well, he was just saying,” she started again but paused for a moment, “No, wait, what was that?”
Mike shifted uncomfortably, his arms still crossed at his chest, “What was what?” he tried to say with some bite, but just ended up sounding guilty. Nancy only had to look at him for a second longer than normal before he crumbled, “Well, you know it’s just, Eddie and Will, don’t really… Know… Well, no, Eddie knows about Will, and I guess Will kind of knows about Eddie…” Mike flailed his arms in every direction as he tried to explain, “and about Hellfire. Whatever! It’s a sensitive subject at the moment, okay? I don’t want to talk about it.”
Nancy stood for a second in confused shock, then slowly smiled as she spoke, “Alright then, you don’t have to talk about it. What I wanted to say was that, Eddie,” She quieted her voice down as she said his name, “wanted to play D&D with us and Robin,” She paused and then continued quickly, “and maybe Steve but don’t focus on that,” she felt the lightbulb go off in her head as she saw Mike slouch into himself at the mention of D&D, “and I’m guessing he wouldn’t mind Will joining us either.” She raised her voice just enough to hope Will could hear, to which Mike caught on and immediately looked horrified.
“Don’t say that so- Ugh,” Mike tried pushing Nancy towards her room to which she let him, “Why would you even want to play anyway?” Mike muttered to himself and Nancy’s sure he meant it as a rhetorical question, but she was also sure he needed to hear her answer.
“Do you remember when I used to play with your party?” She started, which made Mike stop in his tracks, “You guys loved it when I’d surprise you dressed up as my druid. What was I called? Nance the…”
“Nance the Clever.” Mike supplied quietly.
Nancy’s face lit up as she spoke, “Right! Nance the Clever! You called me that ‘cause I always figured out your puzzles super quickly,” She smiled at the memory of Mike’s baffled expressions, “You want to know my secret?”
Mike looked at Nancy with such genuine curiosity that she was reminded of the kid he used to be, “I used to read your notes before the sessions.” When that curiosity morphed into an amused shock, she couldn't help but laugh.
“No!” Mike looked absolutely flabbergasted which did not help with Nancy’s laughing, “No! Nancy, that's horrible!” He kept gaping at her, “I can’t believe all those years you were cheating?”
“Hey, at least you’re smiling now!” Mike just scoffed at her, while trying to turn his grin into a scowl, and she softened slightly, “Look, I know I haven’t been Nance the Clever to you in a long time, but I miss it,” She wanted to say so much more, she wanted him to know that that’s not the only thing she missed, but for now this was good enough, “Just, give it some thought, all right? I promise there’ll be no note reading this time.”
“I think Eddie would kill you if you did,” They chuckled slightly as Nancy nodded in agreement, “I-,” Mike kept his eyes trained on the door of his room, as a crease in his brow formed, “I’ll think about it.”
Nancy decided that was as good an answer as she could’ve hoped for.
—
Will was a little bit confused. One moment he and Mike were going through his old art binder, (which don’t get him started on how he felt when he’d realized Mike had kept a binder of all of his art since they were five), and the next Mike was dragging Nancy out of his room by force.
So yeah, solidly confused.
And, maybe he didn’t have the right to also be just a tad upset about the mention of Eddie Munson, but Mike’s reaction to it just made it a thousand times worse. He constantly had to remind himself that even though he’d said he wouldn’t join another party, (and Mike seemed to be very on board with the idea), didn’t mean that Mike had agreed to do the same.
So, he was upset, no big deal, he could just pretend not to be and it would go away on its own. Perfectly easy, and lovely, and good. Great, even! If he just focused on something else he’d get over this dumb jealousy in no time. (Just like he’d said he’d get over these dumb feelings two years ago and well… that hadn’t panned out so well). He turned his attention back to the binder as a new crimson blush spread over his face. Yeah, he’d just think about that instead.
“and I’m guessing he wouldn’t mind Will joining us either.” He heard in the voice of one Nancy Wheeler
Look, he swore he wasn’t normally nosy, and he was not proud of doing it, but as he got up from the bed and quietly padded over to the door, pressing his ear and bracing himself against it with his hand, he couldn’t help but think it was quite justified when his name had just been tossed out out of the blue.
He caught a quiet “Why would you even want to play,” from Mike, that sounded like it was moving farther away from the door. Oh, it dawned on Will, with the pieces he’d collected, that they were talking about D&D. The pieces in question being: Eddie, Will joining them, and Nancy wanting to play.
Their voices were too quiet to hear anything else until, “Right! Nance the Clever!” and that’s when Will decided he shouldn’t eavesdrop anymore.
He made his way back to the forgotten binder, and serendipitously flipped open to a yellowed sheet of paper with a wood-elf druid drawn in pencil and bright green crayon. He smiled to himself a little bit, thinking back to the very uncomplicated days of his childhood, where all he worried about was which green he should use for Nancy’s cloak. The years between his dad leaving and the Upside Down were the most bittersweet memories he had.
“No!” He heard loud and clear from Mike, and within milliseconds he pushed the binder off his lap and was racing to the door, almost as fast as his heart rate had picked up. Blood rushed through his ears, a thousand scenarios flooding his mind. And then he heard Nancy laughing, and Mike's smile in his voice. He stopped in his tracks. He caught his breath. He felt the rush of adrenaline fading away.
They’re safe, they’re fine. They’re happy, even. He didn’t have enough time to move back to sit on the bed before Mike opened the door to the room, and saw Will clutching at his chest. Huh, when did he do that? Mike didn’t even bother closing the door before rushing towards Will.
“Will, what’s wrong?” Mike put both hands on Will’s shoulders and was trying to look at his downturned face.
“Nothing, I’m okay, it was nothing,” Will looked at Mike’s face and could tell he didn’t believe him, so he smiled and continued softly, “Seriously, it’s not a big deal.”
Mike’s eyes searched Wills for what seemed like forever, before he reluctantly dropped his tensed shoulders, “Okay, but you’d tell me if it was, right?”
Will involuntarily smiled a little bigger at this. ‘This’ being the fact that recently Mike had been kind of sweet? With him. Ever since they got back from California, Will noticed a shift in Mike’s attitude, where he’d do these little kind things that honestly reminded him of when they were kids. Like how he stepped in front of Will whenever there was a perceived danger, or he’d bring an extra sweater with him for if Will got cold.
Or like he was doing now, looking Will in the eye to make sure he wasn't lying and the grounding comfort of his hands on his shoulders. It filled Will with a syrupy sweetness that he both loved and dreaded reveling in.
“Of course, Mike,” Will slowly pulled himself out of Mike’s space, immediately missing the closeness; he didn’t notice Mike gravitating back to him, “You know I can’t lie to you,” the words felt heavy on his tongue.
“Yeah,” Mike said, as he kept staring at Will intently, the word coming out low, almost whispered, and something twisted in Will’s stomach. A little crease between his eyebrows formed once again, but without its usual accompanying scowl, it just made him look like a confused puppy. His eyes tracked over Will’s face, before he snapped out of whatever he was thinking, shooting him an awkward smile before moving back to his bed.
Will absently noticed Mike’s face turning a little red, but whatever, it was hot in here.
“Oh,” Mike’s voice rang quietly as Will turned to see the drawing of Nance the Clever still open in the binder, “did you…?” Mike nodded his head over to the door before slowly settling down on his bed.
Will followed Mike’s lead and sat next to him. He didn’t purposefully sit close enough for their shoulders to touch, but he noticed it all the same, “Uh, just a little bit, yeah. Sorry,” He didn’t say he didn’t mean to because he’d already lied enough to Mike.
“No, no, don’t be sorry, it’s cool…” Mike’s hand lightly skimmed over the page, like it was something valuable and Will’s breath caught in his throat, “I’m guessing you heard about the campaign then?” Mike’s eyes stayed trained on the page in front of them.
“I did,” Will shifted uncomfortably, “what do you think about it?”
Mike huffed a laugh, as his eyes met Will’s, “That’s what I should be asking you.”
“I wouldn’t know what to think, I’ve never played with Eddie before,” Will tried not to sound bitter, like, he really tried, but judging by Mike’s lightly pained expression, it didn’t work well enough.
“Yeah, no that’s- that’s fair,” Mike looked back down to the binder, “I deserve that.”
Will should’ve kept his mouth shut, but he was still- “What are his campaigns like? Do you sacrifice yourselves at the end of them, too?” He was still a little angry.
Mike’s head all but whipped up to look at Will, he looked exactly the same as he did in the Surfer Boy Pizza kitchen when Will had called him the heart. When Will had told him to give his heart to someone else.
Will’s all but expecting Mike to call him on his shit, say something like, ‘it’s been two years, Will, get over it.’ But all he got from Mike was a guilty look and a soft, “Will…” and Will’s body flooded with regret.
“No, I’m sorry, that was too much, I’m not-” mad anymore, “I’m sure Eddie’s great. I’m just-” jealous, “I’m just glad you’re enjoying D&D again, I mean it.” He tried for his best smile, because it was true, he was happy for Mike. He was. A beat passed between them, Mike’s lips parted slightly and Will swore he saw his eyes move dow-
“I miss you-” Mike blurted out and Will’s eyes widened, “I- I miss playing D&D with you.” he corrected himself.
Oh. Alright, then.
Will felt his heart start to pick up speed.
“I,” he started slowly, “miss playing D&D with you, too…”
“Then, would you?” Mike asked carefully, like he knew he was about to cross a line, if he hadn’t already.
Will heard the rest of the question that he wasn’t saying, ‘would you play with me, Nancy, and Eddie’ and the thought frightened him immensely. His eyes shifted around the room, before involuntarily settling on Mike and his puppy dog stare, and his pout, and Will knew he was fucked. He was so incredibly and utterly fucked.
His face must’ve looked exceptionally hesitant because Mike shifted closer to him and bumped their knees together before asking again, softer this time, “Would you?”
If he wasn’t fucked before, Will Byers was the definition of fucked now.
“Yeah,” Will breathed out before his mind could even catch up to him, “I would.” do anything if you asked, I think. He had enough of a filter not to say that part, though.
As soon as he agreed, Mike’s face lit up like a Christmas tree, and Will couldn't help but melt at the sight, just a little bit.
Will’s brain made the comparison to the smile he’d received when he’d told Mike, ‘Not possible,’ and the moment became bittersweet, but he knew this was Mike’s way of making it up to him.
Will knew this was him rejoining the party.
—
Mike, despite common misconception, was aware he could be a bit of a shitbag. He was also aware that his shitbag-ery was one of the only things that consistently made Will laugh. So, what was the big deal if, as a random example, Steve Harrington had to put up with a little extra of Mike’s shit. He liked to think of it as a little bit of collateral damage.
Steve, however…
“I swear to god, Wheeler, call me that one more time, and I wi-” Mike took a large inhale, “Don’t think I don’t see that grimy little shiteating grin of yours.”
He glanced between Steve in the rearview mirror, and Will sitting next to him in the backseat of Steve’s BMW. Will was grinning back at Mike, finally one of his genuine smiles that reached his eyes. The one that Mike thought he’d do anything to see. He started gearing up to say a string of words that should never leave anyone’s mouth in quick succession.
“Nope! Nope! Not happening!” Came Steve from the front seat, as he pulled over to the shoulder of the road so he could twist around to look at the boys, “I spend my free time driving you around, picking you up, dropping you off and this is how I get repaid??”
Mike could see Will trying to hold back his smile, and he knew if he could just poke the bear a little bit more, he’d be golden, “Oh, come on Steve, it’s not like you have anything better to do with your night,” He started looking around for something, anything- Wait. Was that Eddie’s battle vest? Whatever, good enough. He made sure his face conveyed his utter disdain for Steve as he continued, “Unless you have a hot date with Eddie tonight?”
Look, Mike knew that was not his finest work, not even in his top ten, and it would’ve fallen extremely flat had it not been for Steve’s reaction. Steve immediately grabbed for the vest and tried to open the glove box, which flew open so quickly it threw the contents all over the floor of the passengers side, and then Steve couldn’t even fit the jacket in it so he let it fall to the ground as well. Will started laughing, but it didn’t satisfy Mike, it just didn’t sound quite right, there was something… hesitant about it. Still, this made Steve turn around in shock with his mouth agape directly at Will.
“Out!” Steve yelled as he pointed out the window, “Both of you, get the hell out of my car. Wheeler, I expect this from you, but you too Byers? What the hell?” Will immediately stopped laughing or smiling and Mike realized how bad he fucked up.
He noticed a long time ago that Will and yelling do not mix. Ever. His blood started to boil as he shot Steve the most heinous look he could manage. He put a protective hand on Will’s shoulder.
“Steve, I was just making a joke, it's not a bi-” Mike got cut off before he could finish the sentence.
“Mike just get out of the car, let’s go,”
“Will-”
“It’s not that long a walk to my house from here,” Will opened his door and started walking without looking to see if Mike was following. He was, of course he was. They watched the brown Bimmer drive past them, as Mike barely saw Steve white knuckling the steering wheel. They walked next to each other in silence for a little while.
“Wonder who pissed in his cereal today,” Mike smiled as he tried to lighten the mood.
“You,” Will barely glanced at him as he said flatly. Shit, he’s pissed pissed.
They walked for a little longer in silence, and one would think that Mike’s longer legs would make it easy to keep up with Will, but it seemed like it was Will’s mission to stay at least four feet ahead of him.
“Will, hold on,” Mike jogged a little to catch up to him and lightly grabbed his arm, “Look, he really shouldn’t have yelled at you like that, and if you want me to, I’ll go sock him in the face, I promise. I can’t promise it’ll, like, leave a mark or anythi-”
“Yeah, whatever, Mike.”
“No, I’m serious that was shitty of him and if you want me t-”
“This isn’t about Steve, Mike!” Will whirled around to look at him and shrugged Mike’s hand off, “I don’t,” He pinched the bridge of his nose, “god, I don’t give a shit about Steve!”
“Then what’s this about?” What was he not getting?
Will’s eyes widened slightly as he shifted uncomfortably before turning back around to keep walking.
“It doesn’t matter, okay? Let’s just… keep going.” Mike made sure to keep up with Will, falling into step with him as they walked down the pavement lined with trees.
“Hey, do you remember when we used to walk home from school, and we’d make sure our steps were the same?” Mike tried to sync up his steps with Will’s before looking back up to his best friend, who had a single tear running down his face, “Will?”
Will stopped in his tracks, face turned toward the ground as he spoke quietly, “Do you really think it would be weird if Steve and Eddie were together?” Mike was surprised by the question, but took it seriously.
“I mean, yeah, I guess,” he scrunched up his nose at the thought, “I don’t think they’d fit with each other, why?”
“No, no, I mean-” Will took a deep breath, “I mean, do you think it would be weird for… two guys… to be together,” A deep scarlet bloomed over Will’s face as he finished his thought and- oh.
Oh.
Oh.
Mike, for some reason, also flushed a dark red before he stammered out, “Oh, um, I think,” he choked a little on his own spit for a second but tried to speak through it, “I think, that’s fine! That’s cool, that’s totally a-okay, I-” He stopped shifting his eyes between trees to look at Will on the verge of laughing, “I’m being too much aren’t I?” and then it happened.
Will laughed.
He really truly laughed at Mike’s stupidity, but Mike couldn’t bring himself to care that he was being laughed at because it was Will who was laughing. He was smiling like an idiot when he got this feeling in his gut that felt like he was missing something. Like there was something right in front of him that he couldn’t reach out and grab. Like he was writing a poem and there was a word he needed right on the tip of his tongue but he just couldn’t remember.
“Wait, is that what you were mad about?” Mike remembered, and it placated the feeling but it didn’t totally go away. There was still that gnawing in the back of his mind. Had that always been there?
“Well, yeah, Mike! You were being a little shit,” Mike could tell by the hint of a smile in his voice he was exasperated, but he wasn't mad, “and I know your dad’s thoughts on the matter so…”
“Wow, comparing me to my dad,” He mocked offence, “nice to know you think well of me, Byers.”
Will huffed out a laugh and said, almost sighing to himself, “you have no idea.” And that feeling from moments ago came back tenfold.
They kept walking in a mutual comfortable silence while Mike tried to sneak glances at Will without him noticing. He didn’t know why, but it felt like there was something there, like if he could just look at Will’s face long enough, this weird feeling would resolve itself.
“I’m gay,” Will said after a good few minutes of silence; they didn’t stop walking as the words floated into the air. Mike would’ve thought this was from confidence if he hadn’t noticed the way Will’s hand fidgeted with the hem of his shirt, and the way he chewed on his lower lip.
“Cool,” Mike said, but for some reason he felt anything but. And, like, he knew he wasn’t homophobic or anything and it wasn’t really news to him either, so the sudden frantic energy that he got taken up with was fucking confusing, “that’s cool.”
“Yeah?” And suddenly, Mike felt transported to the back of that van in California, and that feeling was clanging around in his brain, and there was something there, and all of the pieces of the puzzle were right in front of him, and internally, he was freaking the fuck out.
“Yeah,” Mike tried to reply as softly as he could, but his brain was a mess of voices and memories that just wouldn’t come into focus. ‘Feels like slides caught in a Viewmaster.’ That’s what Will had said he’d felt like, and Mike knew it was different, he knew this had nothing to do with the Upside-Down but, if asked, that’s exactly how he would say he felt.
It felt like Mike’s whole brain was on fire and all he could do was keep walking with Will beside him.
—
Steve felt like a piece of shit, and you know what? He probably was one. It was just that Mike was so hard to deal with, he made his eyes see red and his blood boil over. Logically, he knew that he was an adult so he should be able to take low-blow insults from a literal seventeen year old, but that little shit somehow always knew exactly how to get under his skin. Not even Dustin could get him as mad as Mike! Dustin! It was unbelievable!
He said as much when he got to Eddie’s trailer.
He wasn’t exactly planning to be sitting on Eddie’s shitty couch, but Steve just needed someone to vent to and who better than the person Mike looked up to the most. And he was also one of Steve’s only friends who wasn’t literally best friends with Wheeler.
Steve had let himself into the trailer as soon as he’d arrived; Eddie, being used to this, didn't even flinch when Steve groaned and flung himself onto the couch.
Eddie continued rummaging through his fridge as he spoke, “Rough day?”
“How the hell do you put up with Michael Wheeler?” Steve asked with his face still mostly pressed into the couch cushions.
Eddie laughed as he made his way over to the couch with a tupperware full of leftover chicken and two forks in hand. Steve let his legs get pushed off Eddie’s designated side of the sofa to sit down beside him. He repositioned himself to sit normally, and was thankful when Eddie handed over a fork for him to dig in.
“I mean, I know you probably don’t want to hear this,” Eddie started, before sticking a fork in the chicken, “but he’s never really been a problem for me,” He ate a piece before continuing, “What’d he do this time?”
“He- god he just-” Steve started getting angry again at the memory, stabbing a piece of a chicken a little forcefully, “Well, at first he was just calling me names, which like, normal and fine, whatever. He was at around Dustin levels of assholery, right? But, if I have to give the kid anything, he is persistent.” Steve spoke between bites of chicken as Eddie hummed in agreement.
“So I could tell by this little fuckers face he was about to say something that god might’ve smited him on the spot for,” Steve made a small face at his own words, realizing he’d been spending too much time with Eddie, but continued, “so I pulled over and started giving him a little talking to, right?”
“Ooh, big mistake…” Eddie commented lightly; Steve just side-eyed him as he continued.
“I tell him that I’m taking my own precious time to drive his ungrateful ass around for literally no reason and that’s how he treats me? No way, I am not putting up with that anymore,”
“You tell him, sister,” Steve glared at Eddie for a quiet second, “Sorry, sorry, please continue,” he finished placatingly, making a ‘floors all yours’ gesture with his hands.
Steve rolled his eyes, “The final straw though,” he made sure Eddie was looking at him with a look in his eyes that conveyed this was serious, “The final straw was when the shitbag made a joke about us! He saw your vest in my car and he made a really shitty joke saying we were dating!” Eddie choked a little on his chicken, grabbing for the glass of water he’d had set on the coffee table, “I know! And you know what? I maybe could’ve overlooked it, maybe! Had Byers, little Will Byers, not fucking laughed at it!” Steve looked a little manic as he finished recounting the tale.
“I’m sorry, Steve, you said Mike, Michael Wheeler, made a homophobic joke? With Will Byers present?” Eddie looked like he was re-evaluating his entire life.
“Well, he didn’t say anything particularly homophobic. He just implied we were dating as a joke.” Steve stopped to think over the events that had taken place in the car, “Shit, he probably would’ve implied I was dating Robin if it had been her jacket, now that I think about it.” Eddie took a sigh of relief, just as realization dawned on Steve.
“Wait- Did you- You think Mike is…?” Eddie laughed a big, hearty laugh at Steve’s confusion.
“Dude, I didn’t even know he had a girlfriend in California until she showed up back in Hawkins. I did, however, literally know Will Byers' favourite colour among other things,” He started back to eating his chicken, “It’s yellow, by the way.”
“Oh,” Steve decided in that moment that he really was truly a supreme piece of shit. He put his head in his hands in embarrassment, “I might’ve overreacted a bit.”
“Harrington,” Eddie started incredulously, “What did you do?”
“You have to understand, I was running under the assumption they were being homophobic, alright?” Steve said between his hands, still unwilling to look up from them.
“Okay, Steve, I’m very aware this is because of your allyship,” Eddie said unenthusiastically and yet somehow also amused, “Now, what did you do?”
“I might’ve kicked them out of my car and made them walk like an hour?” Steve looked up to Eddie’s devilish grin, “They’re probably still walking to Will's house right now.” There was a silence that lasted only a few moments until-
Eddie started to well and truly laugh at Steve.
Something sunk in Steve’s stomach that he assumed must’ve been a slither of guilt, as he stared at Eddie. It wasn’t rare to get a dry laugh out of the guy, he had plenty of those to go around, but getting a truly heartened laugh was incredibly uncommon. Steve absently thought he should laugh like that more often.
“Shit, wait,” Steve turned to face Eddie, “Do I look like the homophobic one now?” Eddie stopped laughing for a moment taking in Steve’s genuine concern and then started right back up again.
“Wait, Eddie, this isn’t funny,” Steve started hitting Eddie in the arm, just a little bit, “I’m serious, are they gonna hate me?”
“Harrington,” Eddie started, finally coming down from the laughing fit, “wasn’t your problem that they already do?”
“They don-” Eddie swooped into Steve’s space, taking his hand and directing his fork with the last piece of chicken on it into his mouth. Eddie just grinned up at him as he ate it. Steve had to take a second to get his bearings, that guilt (?) in his stomach returning for a short moment, until he realized, “Hey! Dude, I was gonna eat that.”
Eddie snorted, “Yeah, no shit,” He sighed moving away from Steve, as he completely relaxed into the back of the couch, “Look, in all seriousness I don’t think they hate you.”
“Not Wheeler?”
Eddie exasperatedly huffed a breath, “No, Steve, not even Wheeler.”
“I just don’t get it though,” Steve put his newly empty fork inside the tupperware, “I don’t need the kid to like me, I just want a little respect, you know? I get I wasn’t a great guy before, but I’m not that anymore. It’s like he doesn’t see that I’ve changed…” Steve grabbed the tupperware and forks and brought them over to the sink, “God, I don’t even know why I care so much, it’s stupid.”
“Steve, it’s not stupid,” Eddie, still sitting on the couch, looked over to Steve with his chin resting in his hand, “You’ve known this kid since he was, what? Twelve? And he still barely tolerates you-”
“But-” Steve started, looking guilty.
Eddie held up a hand to stop Steve, “While he’s using you for drives and then doesn’t even say thanks, let alone spot you gas money?” Eddie looked at him incredulously, “Yeah, I’d be pissed too.”
“But, it’s not that. I don’t care about the drives and the gas money, I just don’t get why he’s such an asshole to me specifically?” Steve grabbed the dish soap from under the sink, and the sponge and started cleaning off the dishes. That’s what he’d been doing lately when he’s got too much to stew on: cleaning. He thought Eddie probably started to catch on to it too.
“Maybe,” Eddie started as he got up from the couch and grabbed a clean dish towel to dry the newly cleaned dishes, “it’s less about you than you think it is.”
“I don’t know…” Steve handed a fork to Eddie; their fingers lightly brushed, “it feels pretty much about me.”
Eddie distractedly hummed in agreement, but Steve could tell by the look on his face there was a lot going on in his brain. It was how he looked whenever Steve stopped by while he was planning one of those stories for that game the kids play.
Not that he’d particularly noticed.
Steve stopped washing dishes as he looked at Eddie repeatedly drying the same spot on the same cup like a bored bartender. He leaned the side of his hip up against the sink counter, and placed a finger on one of Eddie’s temples.
“What is going on in that brain of yours?” Eddie’s eyes met Steve’s as he grinned something devilish, and that feeling that Steve had assumed was guilt (seriously what was that?) came rushing back to his stomach once more.
“You want Wheeler to respect you?”
Steve blinked out of whatever state that was, “What?” is all he could say before Eddie was grabbing him by the hand and dragging him into his room.
“If you want Wheeler to respect you, I have exactly the thing for you…” Eddie started rummaging around on his desk and bed, “Aha!” he said as he presumably found what he was looking for, holding up a printed out piece of paper next to his face like he was showing off a good report card.
“I’m sorry, Munson, you’re gonna have to explain this to me… what is that?”
“This, my ignorant confidant, is your one way ticket to Mike Wheeler’s respect!” Steve squinted at the small printed words and boxes riddled across the paper, as he slowly took the page from Eddie.
“And this is…?”
“A character sheet!”
Then and there, Steve decided the feeling was dread.