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Lunch at Hawkins High was always a hoot. Everyone divides into their little cliques, and the cafeteria becomes a fucking war zone. The jocks were the worst for it, they had no shame in throwing food at other tables, yelling super loud for no reason, or just being plain annoyances. Now, there was a difference between Jock annoying and Freak annoying.
Unlike the jocks, Eddie “The Freak” Munson wasn’t annoying in an arrogant way, he was annoying in a “I refuse to conform, fuck the patriarchy, fuck society” way. Every Wednesday was another speech about society or about how conformity leads to our destruction through politics. For someone who repeated senior year three or more times, the guy wasn’t stupid.
Steve remembered sitting in the cafeteria, listening to Eddie rant as he walked across the table, trying to distract himself by eating his lunch. Listening to Eddie was better than listening to Tommy H slag off every nerd that ever looked his way. Towards the end of Steve’s high school career, he wished he could ditch the jocks and have a proper discussion with Eddie, something he actually cared about.
Steve wasn’t the smartest student either, but he enjoyed discussions, he liked learning new things that actually interested him. He wanted Eddie to enlighten him; to teach him new things so he could become a better person. Because that’s what Steve wants for himself, he wants to be better, and Eddie is probably his best bet.
--
Now Steve was aware of his social standing. He was a jock, or formerly a jock, he wasn’t well-liked by people outside of that circle, whether they knew him or not. He was certain that if he were to ask Eddie for a discussion, the metalhead would shut him down almost immediately. He had to build up that trust and thankfully, he knew a kid that could help him.
“You, Steve Harrington, want to learn DnD?”
“Yes, Henderson, for the last time, I want to learn your little dungeon game.”
Dustin blinks, momentarily disarmed by Steve’s sudden admission. He stares at his friend, eyeing him suspiciously. “You have an ulterior motive here, what is it?”
“Ulterior- what? Henderson, seriously, I just want to be involved, is that so hard to believe?” Steve asks, his hands gravitating to his hips in that familiar mom-like stance.
“Uh, yeah, Steve, it is hard to believe. You’re a jock, you’re ‘King Steve’, you don’t play DnD with us nerds.” Dustin says. “What brought this on, anyway?”
“I just, I want to shed that persona, you know? I don’t want to be King Steve anymore, I want to be Steve, just Steve. The best version of myself I can be.”
“To attract the ladies?”
“Shut up, idiot.”
“You didn’t deny it!”
--
So, Dustin was no help. But he did tell Steve that Hellfire met up every Friday after school to play a campaign or a one-off game. Steve also knew that Eddie was the ringleader of these campaigns, but from what he heard, Mike had a hand in some of the smaller games. That was something he appreciated, the kids meant a lot to Steve and knowing Eddie includes them like that reassured him that they were in good hands.
And that’s how he found himself parked outside Hawkins High after school, nervously looking through his character sheets that Dustin had given him. He had gone with Dustin’s suggestion of a Paladin but designed it to look more like him than his jock persona. Similarly, his stats weren’t great, but he was fine with that, he wanted a fresh start, and this is what he got. He flipped the page and found his scratchy notes about terminology and rules, Dustin had been so kind as to give him the basics about each dice and when to use them, what certain words meant and so on. So, Steve wasn’t a complete idiot about DnD but he was definitely the least knowledgeable. Hopefully Eddie wouldn’t kick him out the moment he stepped inside.
Speaking of, Steve glanced up as Dustin, Mike and Lucas approached the building. The three were laughing and shoving each other, backpacks heavy on their shoulders. Admittedly, Steve was a little jealous, he wanted friends his own age that could be close with like that. It seemed stupid for a senior to be jealous of freshmen, but Steve decided against overthinking it.
Steve hadn’t told Dustin he was joining their session this week, only that he was interested in their campaigns. He waited until they had disappeared inside before climbing out of his car, folder in hand, and slowly made his way into the school.
With it being after school hours, Steve was under the assumption that everyone had mostly gone home by now or were out partying in the jocks’ case. Unfortunately, it seemed luck wasn’t on his side. As he turned the corner, he ran straight into Tommy H and his group of assholes.
“Shit, is that you, Harrington?”
“Yeah, it’s me, don’t cream your pants.” Steve replies with a grumble, in the altercation he had dropped his folder, the character sheets spread out across the floor in a wild mess.
Before he could reach down to grab them, Tommy beats him to it. “What’s this, Harrington? You part of the nerd squad now? Oh, how the mighty fall, huh?” he chuckles cruelly, waving the sheets for the others to see. “I guess King Steve has finally dropped his crown.”
Instead of looking embarrassed or humiliated, Steve was pissed. He knew the freaks were treated like shit by jocks, Steve never had a hand in it personally, but he saw it and that was bad enough. He’s patience finally snapped at Tommy’s arrogance.
“You know what, Tommy? I’m glad my crown fell, because I finally get to see how much of an asshole you truly are without the rose-tinted perspective. You act all high and mighty, but you can’t even finish one algebra question without getting a nerd to do it for you. You brag about having so much money but go out of your way to beat kids up in the bathrooms for theirs knowing it’s only enough for their lunch that day. You bullied a girl yesterday because her dad died but we both know your parents aren’t in the picture either, they send you daddy’s money every month and never bother checking in because of how much you disgust them. The only reason you made the basketball team in freshman year was because I put in a good word for you, because I did your fucking homework for you. You’re a piece of shit, Tommy and everyone knows it. At least the freaks don’t have to take steroids and neurotics to find where they fit in.” Steve snaps back, arms crossed over his chest as he glares up at the jock. He had more to say, so much more, but Hellfire was starting soon and he needed to be there. “So whatever shit you have left to spew, save it. I can’t stomach hearing your whiny ass any longer. Stay the fuck away from me, from Eddie, from Hellfire and stay in your little corner of athletes that will peak in high school and go nowhere because life isn’t throwing balls into laundry baskets, Tommy. It’s real work and effort. But you wouldn’t know what that is, would you?”
He gathers his sheets as Tommy tries and fails to pick his jaw off the floor. Sending one last cold look, Steve shoulder barges him and storms off down the hall to find Hellfire.
--
It took an embarrassingly long time before Steve found the room where Hellfire was meeting. It was one of the old art rooms that had been blacked out for low light appreciation or something. Steve wasn’t quite sure, either way, they had decorated it with props from the drama studio to make it immersive and Munson had clearly gone all out for this campaign. Maybe this wasn’t a great time for Steve to join in.
He stood outside for a moment, sneaking glances through the glass of the door before working up the courage to step inside. The door creaked as he pushed it open, grabbing everyone’s attention in an instant. It felt like freshman year all over again, when Steve arrived a few minutes late and had to grin and bear the eyes on him. He felt smaller than he had in years, his palms already sweating and his nervous habit of picking his lower lip returned as if it had never left.
Eddie was the first to speak up. “Well, well, well, look what we have here.” He didn’t sound patronising, or annoyed, he sounded curious. Not what Steve was expecting at all, it threw him for a loop.
“Ah, hi…” Steve pipes up, immediately kicking himself for that awkward response. “Sorry… to barge in, I just… I was…”
Eddie waves him off. “No need to be awkward, Stevie, it’s just us freaks.”
Steve flinched at the word, hating how he said it, as if Steve were still the asshole he was a few years ago. “Yeah, well—”
“You were serious?!” Dustin cries from the other side of the table, he stood so fast, his chair tipped over and smacked against the floor. Steve winced at the sound it made.
“Yeah, I told you I was interested, you wrote me off.” Steve replies, he could feel all the eyes on him, but Eddie’s were the most prominent. As I he was analysing him from head to toe.
“I thought you were kidding!” Dustin argues. “You’ve never shown interest before, I thought…”
“Silence,” Eddie waves his hand over the table, and the room delves into quiet nothing. “Whether he’s been interested for a year or five seconds, he’s here now. Let’s show some manners, boys.” He was leaning over the table, hands resting on the edge for support as he glancing around the table, stopping at Steve. “You got a character, Stevie?”
Steve grapples with his voice before nodding, he fumbles with the folder he brought before handing it to Eddie. “Yeah, yeah, here it is.”
Eddie reads over the character sheet for a moment, it wasn’t the worst he’d ever seen but if Steve was serious about joining, he had a long way to go before he’d be with the others. “Not bad, Harrington, always pegged you as the Paladin type.”
Steve rubs the back of his neck shyly, taking the folder back when offered. Eddie gestures to an empty chair and he plops himself down awkwardly.
Dustin, knowing Steve has problems with auditory processing, picks up his folder and moves around to Steve’s left. If Steve had a question or didn’t understand something, he knew Dustin was there to help, and the latter didn’t mind in the slightest.
Eddie, watching everyone get settled again, nods and sits back down behind his divider. It was obvious that Garreth, Jeff, Freak (Frank), and Doug were struggling to adapt to the newest member of their campaign being Steve ‘The Hair’ Harrington but Eddie would step in if they got angsty.
--
DnD proved difficult for Steve after several head injuries and many concussions. He was grateful for Dustin helping him when he couldn’t process something Eddie said but he felt guilty for taking so much of Dustin’s time just reiterating.
He also noticed the other players (minus Mike and Lucas who knew of his condition and were sympathetic) getting restless whenever he asked a clarifying question or took too long to decide what he should do next. Jeff seemed more patient, but Garreth was at his wits end and Steve just knew it.
He couldn’t blame the guy; he didn’t ask for Steve to insert himself into their campaign and then prove to be a nuisance. He would be impatient too if someone incapable of processing basic instructions joined the basketball team; he just wished this guilty feeling would disappear.
He had to refrain from standing up and leaving mid campaign out of embarrassment. But everytime he glanced over at Eddie, the metalhead would give him a reassuring smile and mouth “You’re doing great,” which ultimately motivated him to stay and finish the session. He wasn’t expecting such a warm welcome and hoped he wasn’t ruining their night.
“Oh my God, will you just roll the fucking dice already?” Garreth finally snaps, throwing his hands up in annoyance.
“Garreth!” Eddie scolds, expression hardening in an instant.
“No, Eddie! He’s a fucking liability and we both know it! He can’t even make a basic fucking call!” Garreth argues, slamming his hands on the table.
Steve says nothing, choosing to look down at the table in shame. He bites his lip, fighting the burning sensation that wraps around his throat and behind his eyes. His old habit of picking the skin off his fingers returns in a flash, only stopped by Dustin’s grounding hand on his own. He flashes Dustin a forced smile, blinking back the hurt before gathering up his character sheets and notes.
Eddie and Garreth are still arguing as he makes his way out the door. He could hear Dustin and Lucas calling out to him, begging him to stay and work things out but he ignores them. He’ll make it up to them later, he knows when he isn’t wanted.
Ignoring the stray tears rolling down his cheeks, Steve shoves through the double doors and out to the parking lot where his beamer sits alone in the dark. He managed a few steps towards it before his name was called again.
“Steve!” it was Eddie, standing by the doors he just burst through, looking concerned as all hell. But why? “Wait, please!”
Steve heard his own breathing, heavy and fast, his pulse rushing in his ears. He sniffles quietly but does as told.
Eddie speeds over, standing in front of him, unsure of what to do in this situation. “I’m sorry about Garreth, he was being an asshole, and it was totally uncouth.” He crosses his arms over his chest. “I promise it won’t happen again; I’ll kill his character or something until he understands.”
Steve snorts, wiping his eyes with his sleeves. He felt silly crying in front of Eddie, especially over something so small. “No… no, it’s okay. I’m sorry, I don’t think I’m cut out for Hellfire after all.”
Eddie’s eyebrows furrow and he shakes his head. “No, no, Stevie, you were doing great. Sure, you needed a little more time but that’s normal. It’s not easy to join a fully fledged campaign as a new player. That’s my fault, I should have made a one off so you could practice at least.” He lifts his hand and gives Steve’s arm a reassuring pat. “You’re better than you think, Steve, come back and I’ll help you out.”
“I don’t want to impose,” Steve admits. “I’ve already ruined your night enough as is, I think I should just go home.”
He felt a lump in his throat at Eddie’s crushed expression. The last thing he wanted was to upset Eddie, he was trying to better himself, not disappoint people. He sucks in a breath and nods. “Okay, I’ll come back, but… you’ll have to help me out, man, I suck.”
“Shut up, you don’t suck.” Eddie chuckles, draping an arm over Steve’s shoulder and guiding him back inside. “I have some ideas for your character too, I think you’ll like them, Harrington.”
--
Needless to say, Steve is so glad he went back that day. It had been months since his first campaign and suddenly he was invested. With help from Eddie and the kids, Steve had levelled up his character a lot and now his stats were somewhat on par with Dustin’s own. He’d never expected his interest in DnD to develop into this, he had new friends – Jeff was the first to warm up to him, then Frank and Doug and finally Garreth. It took a lot to get on Garreth’s good side but somehow, he managed it and now they go out for drinks every other week.
They had also welcomed Erica to their group and she fit in perfectly. Steve must be the designated older brother figure because Erica stuck with him from the beginning and now their characters are a duo in every campaign.
It was the most fun Steve had had in a while, and it was a shame that he was graduating in a weeks’ time and wouldn’t have as much time to play. He had mentioned this to Eddie a while ago and his only response was “You know where we meet, Harrington, you’re always welcome.” It tugged at his heart strings to know that Eddie thought of him as a fully-fledged member of Hellfire.
It was the last campaign for Steve before graduation and Eddie said it was special but wouldn’t elaborate on how.
The whole group gathered in the art studio from Steve’s first campaign, folders on the table, characters waiting on the board in position, waiting for Eddie. Since joining Hellfire, Steve had taken to dressing more comfortably. He kept his light washed jeans but wore a black t-shirt with Iron Maiden’s The Trooper album cover on it – courtesy of Eddie’s wardrobe of course. Eddie had mentioned it going missing the last time they hung out and Steve had brushed it off saying he must have lost it in his piles of laundry.
When Eddie finally arrived, clutching his DM folder and looking wind-swept, his eyes lock onto the t-shirt instantly. They narrow playfully at Steve. “I knew it, you little thief, how long have you been holding onto that?”
“A week,” Steve admits, cheeky grin on his face. “You said I needed new clothes.” He shrugs casually.
“Yeah, new clothes for yourself, not from my wardrobe, Stevie.” Eddie teases, taking his seat at the head of the table. He sets up his divider and sheets and so the campaign begins.
--
“And as the dust settles, the debris clears, leaving the party standing tall, injured but alive. Their foe was destroyed, and the dark cloud over the land dissipates, welcoming the warm blues of the sky back. They had done it, their quest was completed, there was only one thing left – their reward.” Eddie narrates, waving his arms across the table.
The group cheer, exchanging high fives and hugs. Steve picks Erica up and spins her around as she laughs. This was the biggest campaign they had done, and it was the best ending they could have hoped for.
“As the party emerges from the ruins of the castle, the sun beams down on them, warming them instantly. You walk down the stairs, only pausing when a golden shimmering light surrounds Sir Stephen.” Eddie continues, moving Steve’s little figure to the middle of the board.
“Huh?”
“What’s going on?”
“Steve?”
But Steve was just as clueless as them, staring at his little figure on the table in confusion. Is this what Eddie had planned? Glancing up, Steve locks eyes with Eddie and feels his face flush. Eddie’s eyes were filled with a fondness Steve had never seen before, directed only at him, no mistake about it. Steve had never been on the receiving end of this much affection, never in the girls he dated or the kids he babysat – this was new territory and Steve wanted nothing more than to explore it.
“The quest was over, and so was Sir Stephen’s duties in the party. Finally, it was time for him to take everything he had learnt and all his experience and forge his own path, one that would challenge him, keep him guessing and solidify his spot… as a legend amongst men.” Eddie finishes, leaning on the table with a soft smile. “Not to worry, his memory lives on within the party, a scroll emerges from the gold shimmering light, revealing an artistic rendition of Sir Stephen, painted as though he were a mythological figure. And so, our campaign comes to an end and we must saw adieu, we wish Sir Stephen the best on his adventures and hope that one day – one day - he returns to Hellfire to rub it in our faces that he’s a higher level.”
Steve snorts but it’s wet with unshed tears. This is the second time he’s cried in front of Eddie, how embarrassing. “I shall try my best, good sir.” He teases, taking a playful bow as the party laughs around him.
The group each take their turns to hug Steve, wishing him well on his future after graduation and telling him he better say hello as often as possible. When it gets to Eddie, the metalhead cups Steve’s cheeks instead and smiles at him, the one that could disarm Steve at any moment.
“You better not forget about us, Stevie, being the ladies’ man that you are.” Eddie teases.
“As if, Munson, you guys are like my family, I couldn’t get rid of you if I tried – like shit on the bottom of my shoe.” Steve jokes back, earning an undignified snort of laughter from Eddie.
“Dickhead,” Eddie responds affectionately, pulling him into a tight hug. “I’m gonna miss your dumbass at my table every week. Whatever you end up doing, make sure you come say hi, yeah? Or I’ll hunt you down for sport,”
“For sport he says, as if he did any kind of sport in his high school career thus far.” Steve chuckles, arms wrapped tightly around Eddie’s waist. His curly hair was tickling Steve’s face, but he couldn’t find the heart to pull back. “I’ll stop by, I promise, whatever I end up doing with my… very disorientated life… I’ll make room for you, always.”
Eddie pulls away and his hands gravitate back to Steve’s cheeks, holding them gently. “Good boy,”
They stare at each other for a long minute before Steve cuts in, “fuck it.” He leans in and smashes their lips together in a messy, uncoordinated kiss. It was rough, it was unplanned, and it was so them.
Eddie giggled, literally giggled, into the kiss and Steve was far gone for him. The kiss broke a few seconds later and Eddie looked at Steve like he hung the moon and stars. “Wasn’t expecting that, not that it was unwanted. What do you say we take this… elsewhere?”
Who was Steve to argue?
--
A week later, Steve walked across the stage to Principal Higgins and accepted the diploma with a polite smile before looking out at the audience. His eyes landed on the Hellfire group cheering louder than anyone else for him. Sure, they got a few strange looks but…
Stranger Things have happened, right?