Chapter Text
Steve woke up with a grumble. The bright sun, seemingly the cause of his awakening, peeked through between the gaps of the curtain and shone happily in his face. Steve let out an exhausted groan and slowly sat up.
After a few moments of staring at something in the far distance, thinking about nothing in particular, Steve glanced at the alarm clock on his nightstand.
He immediately jumped out of bed with a string of colorful curses. It was 12:15 already.
He had completely forgotten about the pool party, which he was supposed to host. Schools were out early today due to the hot weather, and it was likely that within the next 30 minutes or so, he’d have a bunch of kids (and adults) standing on his doorstep, ready to hoard his pool all day, so he had to hurry if he didn’t want to look like some roadkill animal by the time his friends arrived.
He hastily grabbed some fresh clothes and made his way over to the bathroom. Just as he was about to enter, a sudden thought struck his mind and an odd feeling of excitement bubbled up inside of him.
Steve would be lying if he said he didn’t know why, because he knew the exact reason for why he was feeling so giddy so suddenly.
Today he finally got to see Eddie again.
It has only been a week since Steve last saw Eddie, but Steve didn’t go on a single day without thinking of the other. He tried to keep it casual and kept reminding himself that they were just friends, that his feelings were probably not mutual, but with each and every day that passed, his stupid crush only seemed to grow, and there was nothing he could do about it. Every smile directed towards him made his heart flutter, and Steve felt a warm and fuzzy feeling spreading through his chest every time he thought of those beautiful brown eyes. He knew damn well what it meant.
Eddie had somehow managed to take his heart, and Steve knew he was a complete goner, because apparently he could barely survive a week without seeing the man.
And that’s also why he agreed to the pool party in the first place. When Dustin first suggested the party, Steve had been skeptical, but when he realized that he could use this opportunity to ask Eddie to come over while masking it as a group gathering, he immediately agreed to the plan.
It took Steve all of his strength to call Eddie and propose the idea to him as casually as possible, and when Eddie gladly accepted his invitation with a huff of laughter, saying something like, “You really think you can beat me in a water fight, Harrington?”, Steve felt like he was on cloud nine. He was so thankful that Eddie couldn’t see his face over the phone, because it had turned all red at the flirty tone of Eddie’s voice.
It was almost like they had a date, except only one of them was aware of that. And only one of them was romantically interested in the other. And a bunch of others would also be joining them on their ‘date’.
So here he was now, sitting at his empty dinner table with his third cup of coffee, while his leg nervously jumped underneath the table. He had rushed his usual routine in the hope that Eddie would miraculously appear at his front door by the time he was done, but the minutes only seemed to pass slower now that he didn’t have anything left to do. He kept glancing around anxiously, and while he tried to will himself to chill out, he couldn’t stop. There was nothing to distract him, either. Not like there was anything that could possibly distract him from those dark eyes that kept him trapped in his mind.
In a nutshell, this was absolute torture for him.
Steve groaned and let his head fall into his hands. If only he had the guts to confess. This was ridiculously getting out of hand.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the doorbell rang and Steve jumped out of his chair and bolted towards the door in record time.
He opened it, revealing the kids standing there. Steve was slightly taken aback with the awful state he found them in. Apparently, it was hotter than he originally anticipated. They looked like they could use a glass of water, or maybe a pool if that wasn’t enough. It wouldn’t surprise Steve if they had run several marathons through the Sahara, given their flushed faces and worn expressions.
“Hey guys-” Steve started, but was abruptly cut off when Dustin shoved him aside and quickly made his way to the toilet, yelling something unintelligible as he did. Steve was pretty damn sure that it wasn’t a greeting or an apology. Someone seriously had to teach this kid some manners.
“Sure. Make yourself at home,” He muttered, raising his eyebrows in a disconcerted manner.
“Hey Steve, you wouldn’t mind if I used one of your pillows from the couch for outside, right? Thanks.” Max smiled sweetly and wheeled past him with Lucas right behind her, carrying a bunch of stuff. Mike, Will and Eleven trailed after them, mumbling greetings and sighing in relief once the cool air of Steve’s well-ventilated house hit them. Steve idly stood by, not even bothering to welcome them. It seemed like they could welcome themselves well enough.
Robin and Nancy were the next to enter his house, but Steve was quick to dismiss them. His gaze scanned for those familiar chocolate eyes instead, but much to Steve’s surprise and disappointment, they were nowhere to be found. Nancy and Robin were the last ones, not a trace of Steve’s favorite metalhead in sight.
“Where’s Eddie? Is he coming later?” He blurted, unable to refrain himself from not asking, and Nancy’s eyebrows shot up.
“He’s not here?” She asked as she glanced past Steve.
“Could you close the door? All the heat’s getting in. I’d rather not spend the rest of the day in a giant sauna, you know,” Robin quipped, but Steve ignored her.
“Why would he be here?” He scoffed, but he felt his heart skip a beat just at the simple thought of Eddie being here. “I think I’d know if he was here.”
Robin rolled her eyes as she slammed the door shut. “We didn’t see him at school today. We thought that he might’ve gone to you, which I thought was crazy because only a lovesick dummy would skip school to spend time with Steve Harrington.” Steve’s jaw dropped at that, and Robin grinned. “But apparently, we were wrong. Maybe he’s not nearly as lovesick as we thought. Unlike you, obviously.”
Steve nearly choked on his own spit as he tried to come up with a remark to defend himself, but his mind was completely caught off guard and seemingly incapable to comprehend something clever, so he was left spluttering and stuttering while the two girls stared him down, an amused glint dancing in their eyes. Robin opened her mouth, probably to poke some more fun at Steve, but was stopped by Nancy, ever the mature and sympathetic woman.
“That’s enough,” Nancy scolded, prodding Robin in her side with her elbow, though Steve could see the smile she was failing to hide. He blinked. Apparently, his misery was amusing to people. People who were supposed to help and support him, thank you very much.
Steve crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. He didn’t understand. Was Eddie just being late? No, that couldn’t be the case. He hadn’t been to school, either. Was he sick? He would’ve called if something happened, right? Steve’s mind was racing with every possibility. What if Eddie suddenly lost interest in Steve? What if he somehow found out about Steve’s feelings and was now actively avoiding him? What if-
“Steve!”
Startled, Steve was snapped out of his thoughts by a hand waving in his face. He glanced up and was met with the concerned gazes of Nancy and Robin.
“Phew, he’s back.” Robin huffed a sigh of relief. “Thought we lost you for a second.”
Steve bit his lip. He honestly didn’t know what he was supposed to do. A deep sense of unease planted itself right in Steve’s gut, fuelling his already growing anxiety. He didn’t know if it was fear, worry, hurt or some sort of fucked up cocktail from all of the above, but he knew he couldn’t just stand by and let time pass until Eddie showed up. If he was going to show up.
“When did you last see him?” Steve grabbed his shoes and quickly put them on.
“Wednesday,” Nancy frowned. “But he didn’t look all too well. Said he didn’t sleep much that night.”
Wednesday. Today it was Friday. Whatever was going on with Eddie, it had been going on for a few days. Eddie wouldn’t disappear without another word for days on end. Something was wrong.
“Did no one check up on him?”
“I called him once to ask him if he needed help studying. He didn’t answer the phone, though,” Nancy said.
Eddie’s been ignoring Steve’s calls as well. He didn’t call too often- he strategically planned his calls in order to prevent himself coming across as clingy- but every time he did call, the phone either rang out or was answered by his uncle. Steve figured that Eddie was just busy studying, but it seems like that wasn’t really the case.
“He’s probably fine, Steve. You know Eddie. Sometimes he’s a little late. You don’t need to worry yourself sick. For all we know, his car broke down on his way here,” Robin attempted to reassure him, but even she sounded doubtful. And Steve wasn’t listening anyway; all he could think about was him.
“I’m gonna make a call,” He said curtly, without further explanation. He just needed to know if Eddie was okay and not currently being hunted down by a bunch of assholes who still held him accountable for all those murders a few months ago.
Steve made his way over to the nearest phone and dialed the number he secretly knew by heart. He held his breath as he waited for the other end to be picked up, desperately hoping that it would be Eddie answering the phone-
“Munson residence,” A gruff voice called out. It was certainly not Eddie’s.
“Mr. Munson! Hey- uh hello, good afternoon. Uhm, this is Steve Harrington.” That did not go as smoothly as intended, and Steve internally cursed himself for his stammering. Mr. Munson already seemed a bit wary of Steve, and this conservation was undoubtedly not doing him any favors.
Pull yourself together, Steve thought to himself. He cleared his throat before speaking again. “I was wondering if Eddie is home? Sick, maybe? Because he said he’d be here at 12:45, but he isn’t here yet.”
There was a long pause. With each second that passed, Steve’s hope died down a little. Each tick of the clock on the wall made his skin crawl.
“He’s not here,” Mr. Munson said eventually, and Steve felt his heart drop. “I saw him leave around 8 this morning.”
Where could Eddie possibly be heading to at 8 in the morning? Steve knew that he wasn’t a morning person. Eddie would literally commit several major felonies if it meant he could stay in bed a little longer. Maybe he went to band practice? Steve could try to find Gareth, maybe see if he knows something about his whereabouts, though he did not have the slightest clue on where the guy lived. Perhaps he could ask Dustin and Mike-
“Did you check the school?” Steve jumped at the sudden question. For a moment, he’d forgotten that Mr. Munson was still on the line.
“Well, uh, some friends of ours said that he didn’t show up to school today, so I don’t think he’s there.”
“Sure,” Mr. Munson sounded unsurprisingly unfazed at the mention of his nephew skipping school, Steve noted. “But have you really checked?”
Steve fell quiet. What was that supposed to mean?
“What?”
“Knowing Ed, he’s probably hidin’ somewhere in that area. He hates school- it’s the last place you’d expect him to be.”
Steve hated how much sense Mr. Munson was making. God, he could’ve come up with that himself.
“Thank you, Mr. Munson. I really appreciate your help. Goodbye.” Steve was about to hang up, but apparently, the older man was not done speaking.
“Hold up, kid.” Steve froze. He’d much rather hang up and go search for Eddie, but believe it or not, Steve was kind of scared of Mr. Munson. That man was probably the most intimidating guy Steve knew. He could hear Mr. Munson sigh, and he braced himself for whatever he was about to say.
“Look, I know you like Eddie. You’ve proven that enough. Not many people would do the things you did for him. I’ve seen the way you look at him and I’ve seen the way he looks at you. You’re a good kid, Harrington.
“But I want you to know, whatever you do, Harrington, do not hurt him. Believe me when I say I will hunt you down and skin you like a damn animal. Understood?”
To say Steve was terrified would be an understatement. His Adam’s apple bopped as he gulped in fright and his eyes were opened so wide that he feared they might pop out. Steve knew he had to answer the man, but he was completely speechless, lost in a helpless state of shock, relief and fear.
“Yes sir,” Steve eventually managed to croak out as he rapidly nodded his head, despite Mr. Munson not even being able to see it.
“Good. Now go find Eds. Say what you need to say. Call me when it’s done, alright?”
“I will, Mr. Munson.”
“Call me Wayne, kid.” And with that, the line went dead.
For a few seconds, Steve did not dare to breathe. What the fuck. The last thing he expected from Mr. Muns- Wayne, was a confrontation about his crush on Eddie. That was already the second one today, except this one came with a threat. Steve was unsure whether to piss his pants or to jump an eight feet hole in the air. He had honestly expected Wayne to shoot him down, tell him to fuck off to Antartica and to date a penguin instead, but to both Steve’s surprise and delight, he had actually approved. In the scary ass way that he did, needless to say.
“Steve? Are you okay? You look a bit feverish.” Steve turned to find Nancy and Robin standing close next to him, their expressions full of worry. Of course they’d been listening in.
“Yeah, I- I’m fine,” He retorted, still a little breathless. As a matter of fact, he was not fine. His whole face felt like it was on fire, as if he’d just stuck it inside a barbeque.
“You look like a tomato,” Robin deadpanned, confirming Steve’s notion.
He shook his head and ran a hand down his face. He pushed the whole conservation with Wayne to the back of his mind. If he wanted to find Eddie, he’d have to focus, and he couldn’t do that with that conservation playing in his mind on repeat.
Concentrate, you idiot, Steve thought to himself.
Eddie was hiding, but why? Eddie was the most easygoing person Steve knew. If something bothered him enough to make him go into hiding, even from his friends, something must be very wrong, and Steve was determined to help him with whatever he was going through.
“I’m leaving. I think I’ve got a location on Eddie.”
He patted down his pants, checking for his car keys, and basically flew out of the front door. He had a metalhead to find.