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If someone had told teenage Eddie that, someday, he’d be freaking out about having dinner with Steve Harrington, teen Eddie would have laughed at the person’s face and called them an idiot.
But since life’s a bitch and loves fucking with people like Eddie Munson, that’s exactly what’s happening; he’s having dinner with Steve Harrington tonight and he’s freaking the fuck out.
That’s all Wayne’s fault.
“Wayne, come on, you can’t leave me alone here,” Eddie whines, following his uncle around the apartment they share as the man gets his coat and wallet before heading out. “You’re the one who asked Steve to come over tonight.”
“Just because you wouldn’t and I was not going to spend another three months listening to you two flirting in my garage.” Wayne takes his time putting on his coat and checking if he’s got everything he needs with him. When he’s done, he finally turns to face his nephew. “Eddie, stop panicking. It’s just dinner.”
“How can I not panic? It’s Steve Harrington!”
“So what?”
Eddie throws his hands up in frustration; his uncle doesn’t get it. “The guy is loaded, Wayne. He’s so fucking pretty girls used to follow him around like ducklings when we were in High School, and he just got hotter since we finished school. He could have anyone he wanted. Anyone.”
“And, yet, he accepted to come have dinner with you.”
“Maybe he was just being polite.”
“Or maybe he just really likes you, Eddie.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Yes, I do. Harrington told me he likes you, so stop freaking out. You’re gonna be fine.”
Caught by surprise, Eddie can only stare at his uncle; mouth open, but incapable of forming any kind of coherent sentence. What is Wayne even talking about?
“He did what?” he asks, his voice coming out more like a squeak than Eddie would have liked.
Wayne lets out a deep breath, then rests a hand on his nephew’s shoulder. “Look, Eddie, I get it. You like Harrington a lot, and, yes, he’s a great guy, but stop selling yourself short. Harrington is not coming here tonight out of pity, or whatever, he’s coming here tonight because he likes you and wants to spend time with you. So stop second guessing yourself and start thinking about what you’re gonna do with this chance Steve’s giving you.”
The rational side of Eddie’s brain knows his uncle is right. It doesn’t matter why Steve accepted Wayne’s invitation, what matters is what Eddie is going to do with the opportunity life is throwing his way. The other side of his brain, though, is still trying to catch up with the fact that not only did his uncle get him a dinner date with Steve Harrington, but he’s also here giving him a pep talk and trying to boost Eddie’s confidence.
How is this even his life?
“I can’t believe I’m getting relationship advice from my unmarried uncle,” Eddie groans, hiding his face in his hands.
Wayne laughs. “It’s your own fault, kid. You’re the one who kept dancing around this thing for too long, I had to do something about it. I just want to be able to work without you and Harrington exchanging looks and giggling like lovesick fools.”
“Oh my God.”
Eddie doesn’t try to follow his uncle when the man makes his way to the entryway. He watches quietly as Wayne puts on his shoes and grabs his keys from the bowl beside the door.
“Have fun on your date, Eddie,” his uncle says before leaving, and Eddie waves him goodbye, not trusting himself enough to say anything else.
He waits a few moments, paying close attention to the sound of his uncle’s car. When he’s sure he can’t hear it anymore, Eddie opens his mouth and screams as loud as he can.
He’s still a little nervous when he’s done, but he feels much better than before.
-
-
Almost an hour later, the doorbell rings and Eddie totally doesn’t dash across the apartment to get it. He doesn’t almost choke on his own spit when he sees Steve standing there either, Eddie is not that much of a loser, come on.
(Who is he trying to fool? He does both things.)
“Harrington! You came!” Eddie says and cringes a little when his voice comes out too loud. He clears his throat. “I mean, I’m glad you came.”
“Yeah, thanks for having me,” Steve smiles all warm and sweet. “Can I come in?”
“Oh, sorry, of course.” Eddie steps back to make way and uses the opportunity to ogle the other man a little because he’s just human after all. “Make yourself at home, Harrington, but also remember that you’re not.”
It’s Steve’s lack of response that tips Eddie that he might have overdone it. His confused expression just confirms it.
“It’s a joke! I’m joking!” Eddie exclaims awkwardly, basically slamming the door shut. Dear Lord, why is he like that? “Make yourself comfortable. Mi casa, su casa, all that shit.”
“Eddie, calm down. It’s fine.”
Eddie does not deserve this angel of a man.
“Here, your uncle didn’t say if I should bring something, but I thought some dessert couldn’t hurt.” Steve, bless his kind soul, hands him a Tupperware Eddie just then notices he’s been holding the entire time. “You said you like blueberry muffins, right?”
“Come on, you shouldn’t have spent your money. You’re a guest.”
To Eddie’s surprise, Steve’s cheeks turn a little pink.
“Oh, I didn’t spend any money.” He says and seeming not to know what to do with his own hands, shoves them into his pockets before continuing. “I baked them this afternoon, they’re still fresh.”
He baked them. Steve Harrington baked blueberry muffins for him. Because it is for him, right? Steve knew Wayne wouldn’t be there, so the treats are for Eddie, and Eddie alone. Because they are his favorite and, apparently, Steve had been paying attention to Eddie’s ramblings the other day when they were talking in the garage.
And now Eddie is picturing Steve in his kitchen, wearing a cute apron while he bakes those muffins, and this image is making Eddie feel things. He needs to get a grip and stop thinking about that.
“Oookay, cool. I mean, thank you? I love it.”
“You didn’t even taste them yet.”
“Yeah, but you baked them for me, so I don’t have to taste them to love them.”
“Suuure.” Steve’s blush deepens and Eddie wants to scream again. Why, why must Harrington be so fucking cute? It’s not fair, it’s not fair, it’s not fair.
Before he can say anything embarrassing like I love you, Eddie leads Steve inside the apartment and changes subject. He helps Steve out of his jacket, shows him around the living/dining room, rambles about their weird neighbor who keeps stealing their newspaper almost every morning. But Eddie feels as if he’s missing something here. What else is he supposed to say in this kind of scenario? Oh! Right.
“Do you wanna drink something? I have beer, OJ, water,” Eddie asks as he makes his way towards the kitchen, Steve close behind. “Wayne also has a bottle of whiskey hidden somewhere in his room; we could take a look and see if we can find it.”
“I’m not gonna snoop around your uncle’s room, are you crazy?”
“Your loss, he usually buys some pretty good stuff.” Eddie shrugs, looking way more nonchalant than he actually feels. He places the Tupperware –and its precious cargo— carefully on the counter, to save it for later, then turns to face the other man. “So, beer, water or OJ?”
“Beer is fine.”
See? Eddie can be normal about this. He can be a good host and not be weird about having Harrington over. They have been hanging out in the garage for months; this is not that different. Sure, usually there’s lots of other people with them in the garage and now it’s just the two of them. With no one around. Alone. Which means that Steve’s attention is completely focused on Eddie and on what Eddie does. Which means that Steve’s bound to notice Eddie’s weird behavior even more than usual, and what if he gets annoyed? Oh my God, is he spiraling again right now? Seriously??
Eddie grabs two beers from the fridge and kicks it shut before that chain of thought makes him even more anxious than he already feels. He gives Steve one, then rests against the counter beside the man and wastes no time to open his own beer and take a large gulp. Maybe the alcohol can help with the nerves; worth trying at least.
“Hm, is everything alright?”
Harrington’s voice sounds so unsure that Eddie’s eyes lock on him immediately. “What?”
“I don’t know. It’s just that you seem a little on edge? Like you’re anxious or something?”
“Me? Pfft, not at all.” Eddie waves his free hand, dismissing the other man’s worries. “I’m great. Don’t know why you’d think that.”
“You sure?”
“Of course.”
Steve doesn’t buy it. He stays silent for a moment, his fingers fiddling with the can tab and not opening it as he watches Eddie with a troubled look in his eyes.
“You know, if you didn’t want me to come here tonight you could have told me,” Steve finally mumbles after a while.
And Eddie? Eddie does the worst thing possible in that situation; he laughs. Because the idea of not wanting Steve to be there with him is so absurd and so far from the truth that he can’t help it. The problem is that Steve doesn’t know that; doesn’t know how Eddie feels and how Eddie’s been a little in love with him since they were in school, so of course he takes it the wrong way.
It's like watching a car wreck in slow-motion the way Eddie sees Steve’s face fall and the hurt show in those hazel eyes of his.
“Fuck, I knew this was a bad idea,” Steve curses. Tense and without looking at Eddie at all, he puts his unopened beer can on the counter and Eddie realizes he’s just fucked up royally. “I think I should go.”
And Harrington indeed just goes. Like, stands up and walks away and out of Eddie’s tiny kitchen without a glance back. His reaction is so unexpected that for a few seconds Eddie just stands there and watches as the other man leaves. Then his brain catches up with the program and he panics, sprinting after Steve and almost stumbling on his own feet in his hurry.
“Harrington, wait!” Eddie yells as he exits the kitchen and sees Steve almost by the front door. “Just let me explain. Don’t leave, please.”
To his relief, Steve does wait. He stops by the coat rack, his jacket in his hands as he looks at Eddie warily. Eddie hates himself a little for putting that expression on Steve’s face.
“Explain what?”
“That I’m an idiot!” Eddie blurts. “I’m a fucking idiot, okay? I’m sorry I laughed back there, but you gotta understand, man, I’m freaking out here.”
“What? Why?” Steve looks so genuinely confused that Eddie wants to laugh again, but he doesn’t. He’s not gonna screw up again.
“Why? Seriously, Steve, you’re asking me why I’m freaking out? Okay, let’s see. Maybe because I’ve had a crush on you since we were teenagers and thought I’d never have a chance with you? But then my fucking uncle asked you out on my behalf and god knows why you said yes, and I had like six hours to mentally prepare myself for this date and I clearly failed because I think I’m almost having a heart-attack right now. I’ve never been so nervous in my whole life, I don’t know how to deal with this.”
“You didn’t have a crush on me in school. You hated my guts back then.”
“Because you were a snob and a dick, but you were also hot as hell, so don’t judge me. The fact that I used to hate you doesn’t change the fact that I also had an embarrassingly stupid crush on you. One thing is one thing; the other thing is the other thing. They are not mutually exclusive.”
Eddie’s rambling there, he’s well aware, but he honestly doesn’t care; he just wants to make Steve understand.
“But…” Steve starts, then stops. The confusion from before morphs into something more contemplative as he tries to make sense of Eddie’s sudden info dump. “If you had a crush on me, why didn’t you say anything?”
“Because you were basically royalty, man, and way out of my league. All your friends hated me and thought I was a freak and leader of a satanic cult just because I liked a fantasy game. I wasn’t gonna risk it.”
“My friends were a bunch of assholes, that’s why we’re not friends anymore.”
“Yeah, they were. And that’s exactly my point here.”
Steve is still conflicted. His hands hold the jacket tighter as he considers what has been said between them. Eddie really wishes he’d stay but he’s not gonna force him to if Harrington isn’t comfortable with it. If Steve wants to leave Eddie’s gonna let him, even if just the thought of it breaks his heart a little.
“Look,” he says, taking a step forward and joining Steve at the entryway. “If you feel like you have to go, I’m not gonna stop you, but I really want you to stay. Like really, really want you to stay.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. What? Did you miss the part where I said I had a crush on you?”
“You said you had a crush on me back in school, you never said if you still have it.”
“Are you kidding? I’m almost begging you to stay and have dinner with me, Harrington, what do you think?”
Steve shakes his head. “I don’t know, you tell me.”
Eddie almost falls for it, almost, but then he sees Steve’s lips curl up the slightest bit and it dawns on him; that fucking asshole is teasing him.
“You’re fucking with me,” he accuses, but there’s no real venom in his words, especially when Steve’s face breaks into a glorious smile.
“Am I?” he grins, raising his brows.
Yep, Eddie totally loves that man.
He tries to slap Steve’s arm playfully, but Steve catches his hand and holds it instead. His whole face softens as he pulls Eddie a little closer until they are face to face; Eddie can feel the man’s warm breath, and his chest flutters once he finds himself into Steve’s personal space. That’s a new development, although not an unwelcome one. Eddie rather likes Steve’s personal space, he readily decides.
“Just to be clear here,” Steve says and, damn that Harrington charm, Eddie can’t look away. “You’re not the only one with a crush here. I’ve been trying to ask you out for months but chickened out every single time. Remind me to buy your uncle a thank you gift.”
“Okay,” Eddie croaks out, because that’s the only coherent thing he’s capable of articulating at the moment.
“Okay.” Steve agrees. He lets go of Eddie’s hand just long enough for him to put his jacket back on the coat rack, then takes it once more and interlaces their fingers. “So, about that dinner, what are we having?”
-
-
Mac and cheese. That’s what they’re having, and it’s Steve’s idea.
“I can’t believe you talked me into making you mac and cheese instead of ordering something,” Eddie grimaces as he plates their meal. That’s not how he imagined the night going.
“I like mac and cheese,” Steve shrugs. He hops off the counter he’s been sitting on to watch Eddie work and takes the plate the man offers him. “And you said yours is really good, so why not?”
They bring their food and drinks to the living room and sit on the floor, using the couch as a backrest as they settle down to watch the movie Steve’s chosen.
It’s nice having Steve there with him. Even if they’re doing something so ordinary as eating mac and cheese and watching The Addams Family, it feels special. It’s not exactly what Eddie had in mind when Wayne told him Steve was coming over, but it feels even better somehow because it’s more real than any elaborate plan Eddie could come up with. Eddie’s not ashamed to admit he spends more time watching Steve by the corner of his eye than whatever is happening on the TV.
Halfway into the movie, their empty plates are stacked between them, and Eddie is nursing his fourth beer of the night. He’s still far from drunk, but he feels way more relaxed than he did; his muscles are loose and there’s the beginning of a pleasant buzzing on his head that makes most things seem unimportant.
Eddie laughs at Uncle Fester’s latest shenanigan, then takes a sip from his beer. He turns to talk to Steve, a funny comment about the movie already on the tip of his tongue, but stops when he notices Steve watching him with a thoughtful expression.
“What?” Eddie asks. “Do I have something on my face?”
“Nah, you’re good. I was just thinking.”
“Don’t hurt yourself.”
“HAHA! Very funny,” Steve scoffs, pushing Eddie a little harder than he expected; he almost ends up sprawled on the carpet. “I was thinking about something you said earlier, actually.”
Okay, now that’s interesting.
“What is it, Harrington?” he questions. “Care to share with the class?”
“Hm, I was thinking about how you said you never told me you had feelings for me in school because I was way out of your league,” Steve says sitting up a little straighter and putting his own beer down on the floor beside him. “But that’s bullshit. Fine, I was popular, I’ll give you that, but you were cool too, you know. Most people were intimidated by how you never took shit from anyone. You public humiliated and threatened Jason Carver when you found out he was being abusive towards Chrissy. Even Billy and Tommy used to stay away and ignore you because they knew if they tried anything you’d fight back. I’d say you were pretty badass back then.”
That’s not what Eddie expected Steve to say at all; not even close. He clears his throat, feeling it suddenly too dry. What is he even supposed to say to that?
“Thank you? I guess. But why are you saying all this right now?”
“Because you keep selling yourself short and acting as if the idea of someone like me being interested in you is something absurd or whatever, when in reality you’re one of the coolest, most interesting persons I’ve ever met and I really wish you could see that. I wish you could see yourself the way I see you.”
Steve says all this with such conviction, his eyes burning with so much determination, that Eddie is powerless. He’s been in love with this man for how long? Since Senior Year, when they were lab partners and Eddie found out Steve Harrington was actually a nice guy, and not a complete asshole like Eddie always thought he was? Or maybe a little earlier, on Junior Year when Harrington helped him out when Billy tried to beat the shit out of Eddie on Halloween. Eddie honestly doesn’t know; he can’t exactly pinpoint the moment his attraction to Steve became more than that, but he knows it’s been a long time since this change happened.
And now here’s Steve, once again being a sweetheart and making Eddie’s heartbeat skyrocket with only a bunch of words and that kindness that made Eddie fall in love with him all those years ago. As much as Eddie thinks Steve’s opinion of him might be a little misguided by the man’s crush on him, there’s no way he can just stay there and do nothing about it.
“For fuck’s sake, why are you like this?” It’s the only thing Eddie says before pulling Steve by the back of the neck and kissing the hell out of him.
They are both too eager for the kiss to be what people call a perfect first kiss. There’s too much spit and too much tongue; their noses bump painfully when Steve tries to move his head to deepen the kiss and there’s a moment Eddie almost headbutts Steve when he tries to pull the man closer and onto his lap. Eddie wouldn’t change a single thing about it.
“Wait, wait,” Steve pants once they break apart for air. His hands are resting on Eddie’s chest, and Eddie has both of his gripping tightly at Steve’s waist. “What brand of whiskey does your uncle like?”
“Uhn?” Eddie very eloquently asks as he tries his best to catch his breath.
“Your uncle, Eddie. What brand of whiskey does he like? I’m gonna buy him like ten bottles to thank him for this.”
“Can you please stop talking about my uncle when you’re basically sitting on my boner?”
The laugh Steve lets out is one of the most beautiful sounds Eddie’s ever had the pleasure of hearing.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m hilarious. Now can we go back to kissing? We have, like, years to make up for.”
Steve doesn’t answer; he just dips down and joins their lips again, now in a languid, exploratory kiss that makes Eddie’s insides melt and his toes curl. Eddie is more than okay with that.
-
-
When Wayne comes back from the bar, late at night, the lights in the living room are off but the TV is on. He takes off his shoes, hangs his coat on the rack and puts his keys on the bowl, then takes the first steps towards the TV to turn it off. He stops in his tracks when he sees Eddie and Steve cuddled up together on the couch, both fast asleep.
Wayne smiles at the scene, a sense of accomplishment blooming in his chest. Fucking finally!
With the knowledge his work there is done, Wayne turns off the TV and quietly makes his way to his room. There’s a bottle of bourbon Joe gave him for his birthday that Wayne’s been saving for a special occasion. Maybe it’s time for him to finally open it.