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Eddie Munson feels like he’s losing his mind.
That’s not particularly surprising, since he feels like he loses his mind every damn day. But! This time is special, it really is.
Because he just won an Oscar.
Yes! He, Eddie Munson, frontman and guitarist of Corroded Coffin, three-time high school senior, (alleged) former drug dealer, and gayest fucker from Nowhere, Indiana, just won an Oscar.
No, not for acting, although his uncle Wayne says he’s so dramatic that he might as well get paid for it. He won an Oscar for Music! Specifically, for an original song!
Jesus H. Christ, Eddie thinks, What is life.
When his longtime friend, Chrissy Cunningham, sweetheart of Hollywood, approached him over a year ago and asked if he’d like to write a song for a new movie she’d be starring in, he never could have expected this.
At the time, he was only delighted that he could be involved with a queer movie where Chrissy kisses girls (as she loves to do) and he can shit out all the gay yearning feelings he has (in which there are plenty).
And Eddie is awarded for that.
Now he’s attending the Academy after-party at Governors Ball to get his Oscar engraved, still in complete shock from the moment his song’s name was called. You’d think he’d be used to it by now, after two Grammys, but nope! Going from living in a trailer and (allegedly) dealing drugs for money to this is one hell of an adjustment.
Wait, holy fuck, I am halfway to EGOT.
Eddie grips his Oscar tighter, feeling the urge to do something rash, like maybe slap himself? Maybe take a lap around the building and pull his hair out and scream to the Gods above? But PR training has unfortunately dug itself in his brain enough to know he’d get weird looks — not that he cares, but it would impact Corroded Coffin, so…
“Steve!” A woman rushes past Eddie towards… oh man.
Remember the aforementioned gay yearning feelings he has, that he dumped into the song he got an Oscar for? Yeah… so, those were dedicated toward only one man.
Steve Harrington, A-list actor and Oscar winner, also known as the most beautiful man in the world. At least, that’s what Eddie thinks.
Steve’s been acting since he was a child — which Eddie never really paid attention to since he didn’t exactly have the best childhood environment to do much but cry — but he started modelling as a teenager, and fuck.
Seventeen year old Eddie’s world was rocked.
Since then, he has watched all of Steve’s filmography, many interviews, and kinda stalked his socials. Jeff says it’s the most embarrassing crush he’s ever seen, and Eddie can’t even deny it, because he wrote a whole song about it. And even that’s not enough, he thinks.
Steve won his Oscar for Best Supporting Actor last year, so he presented the award today, and Eddie will be completely honest because he is definitely a very honest man (not a lie), but he was staring at Steve for, like, 90% of the show? Especially when he went up there, looking illegally good in his suit and highlighted hair? If Eddie’s fans point out how distracted he was later on Twitter, hopefully they’ll blame the ADHD and not notice the heart eyes.
Goddammit, is he getting distracted right now?
Eddie watches as the woman, Robin Buckley, throws herself at Steve into a hug, and the jealousy that burns through him is insane, considering the lesbian that Robin is. But god, he wishes that were him.
A finger pokes his shoulder.
Eddie turns to see, “Chrissy!”
Chrissy looks like a princess in her dress and makeup, with the biggest smile he’s ever seen on her face. She’s holding her Oscar in her arms like a proud mother would a baby.
“I can’t believe we’re both Oscar winners now!” She says, pure joy radiating from her.
That’s right, Chrissy won Best Supporting Actress for the film too! She is absolutely perfect and heartwrenching in her role, yearning so much for a woman she can’t have. Sounds really familiar to Eddie. Um, anyways.
He takes one of her hands and twirls her around. Chrissy giggles.
“Right?! This is crazy!” He says, letting go, “Are you gonna go get it engraved now?”
Chrissy hums, “Maybe soon, but we should also probably mingle a bit first…” She trails off. This is Chrissy’s first Oscars too, so they’re in this together.
Before Eddie can say more, an approaching voice says, “Congrats guys!”
A very, very familiar voice.
Oh no, Eddie thinks, Fuck me.
Lo and behold, Steve and Robin have come over to talk to them, both with smiles and drinks in hand.
Chrissy, the social butterfly and PR queen she is, immediately exclaims, “Gosh, thank you so much! It’s so surreal.”
Robin nods, “I bet. When I won mine, I started shaking from anxiety so bad that I, like, couldn’t even hold it. I swear I almost dropped it! Wouldn’t that have been embarrassing, me dropping the Oscar? I think I would’ve died from shame on the spot!” She speaks so fast that Eddie almost can’t keep up.
Steve smiles fondly at her and nudges her with his arm, “Robin, you’re rambling again.”
“Right, oops! Sorry, guys.”
“No worries man, I felt the exact same!” Eddie says, because yes, he did almost drop his Oscar.
He also immediately regrets speaking, because Steve looks at him. Oh fuck, Steve Harrington is looking at him! Eddie hopes his face isn’t doing anything weird. From the way Chrissy tries to hide a laugh, it probably is.
Robin then says, “I just wanted to say. Your movie is just… it means so much to me. And your song, Eddie, like, sheesh. The emotion in it, and the lyrics are so beautiful!” Her hands wave around in her enthusiasm, “I relate so, so much. And I’m sure other queer people, especially queer kids, feel the same.”
Chrissy is clearly flattered, and Eddie feels the same. This is why he loves making music. Creating from his heart, and knowing so many people will connect to it. It’s the absolute best.
While Chrissy says her thanks, Eddie is too aware of Steve’s eyes on him. Surprisingly, it’s not affecting Eddie much other than the pounding of his heart.
Okay, maybe he can survive this interaction. He won’t explode from having his crush of seven years talk directly to him, no sir! Steve Harrington and his princely face and golden heart won’t distract him now! As long as Chrissy is with him, Eddie won’t be the sole focus of his attention. This’ll work for sure.
That goes out the window when Chrissy suddenly says, “Robin, wanna come with me to the engraving stage? We can let the boys get to know each other!”
Chrissy, you evil, evil woman. What happened to mingling a bit?!
Turns out Robin is evil too, because she immediately agrees, so off those two go, leaving Eddie with nothing but panic. Steve watches them go with an amused look, which implies he knows what they’re doing too, but… yeah, let’s not think of what that means.
Okay, Eddie, you’ve got this. You are literally known for your charisma, through both D&D and being a frontman. You can talk to one man, even if he’s been the subject of your dreams and many, many songs hidden in your notebook to never see the light of day.
“Soooo,” Eddie starts, “How are you enjoying the party?”
Oh my god that is the most boring question you could’ve asked.
Steve shrugs, “It’s nothing special to be honest, I’m just making the rounds. How about you?”
“Oh, well, it’s gaudy, as these types of parties usually are, but thankfully I’m here to add some style!” Eddie adds a wink, for some abysmal reason.
Steve laughs, and Eddie almost drops to his knees right then and there.
“You definitely add something, man. It’s really nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard about you so much from Dustin and the other kids,” Steve sighs, but has a smile on his face.
“Dustin Henderson? The youtuber?” Eddie asks, surprised he and Steve know each other. Turns out there are still some things about Steve he doesn’t know.
“Yep. He showed me a clip of one of your concerts, and you guys were killing it.” He finishes his glass of wine and gives it to a passing server, “I didn’t think I’d enjoy it, but I really, really did. Hopefully we can go in-person next time.”
Prayers to Eddie, his heart almost can’t take this anymore. Steve Harrington saw a clip of him performing?! He enjoyed it?!?! He wants to be there for real next time?!?!?!
“I’m glad you enjoyed it, sweetheart. That means I could make a metalhead out of you,” Eddie says, and oh, he just flirted with Steve Harrington.
Steve looks at him, then says, “I look forward to that.”
Eddie gasps loudly and stumbles back with a hand on his heart, his other still holding tight to his Oscar. Steve reaches out with a confused face, and Eddie exclaims, “God! Hit with the Harrington charm!”
Steve laughs again, then slyly says, “This is nothing yet.”
“Oh really?” Eddie leans forward, his shoulder brushing Steve’s, “Give me all you’ve got, big boy.”
Chrissy, please come back. Eddie’s brain can’t control his mouth, and it’s getting disastrous.
Steve’s gaze darkens, “We’d have to be somewhere more private for that.” Then he blinks, and says, “Maybe you could give me your number to find a time and place later?”
WHAT!
Did Steve Harrington just… ask for Eddie’s number?
“You…want my number?” He almost stutters, all of his charisma suddenly evaporating into thin air.
Steve pauses, “Oh…was I not reading this right?” He looks nervous.
Eddie practically rushes to say, “No, no! I mean, if you mean that I think you’re hot as fuck and–” His eyes widen, “Oh, fuck.”
Steve looks shocked, then smiles shyly, “I think you’re hot too, dude. I mean, I’ve basically had a crush on you since Dustin showed me…” He looks down and squeezes his hands together.
9-1-1, we have an emergency. Eddie Munson has passed away at the Oscars’ after-party. Cause of death? Steve Harrington has a crush on him. Steve Harrington has a crush on him.
Eddie must look truly flabbergasted, because Steve bites his lip in a mix of nervousness and amusement, and asks, “Eddie? You good?”
Fuck PR training, because Eddie slaps himself in the face right then and there. Now people are really looking their way, and Steve grabs Eddie’s perpetrating hand with a concerned look. Eddie blinks a bit, reflects on the past few seconds of his life, then drags Steve to a more secluded area. There’s an empty dining table except for empty plates and food crumbs, so they sit and Eddie puts down his Oscar. He lets go of Steve, realizes he was one degree away from holding Steve’s hand, and almost slaps himself again.
“Eddie, what was that? Why’d you hurt yourself?” Steve questions.
Eddie clears his throat and says, “Sorry, I think I teleported to an alternate universe where you said you have a crush on me.”
“...That is this universe.”
“WHAT!” Eddie yells and Steve flinches before laughing disbelievingly.
“Is it that hard to believe I like you like that?” He asks, an uncertainty in his voice.
Eddie panics again and waves his hands around, “No– I mean, yes, but not because of you! It’s just–” He pauses, then admits, “I’ve liked you like that for literally years! So this is like in my wiiiildest dreams, man.”
Now Steve is the one who seems flabbergasted, and now that’s something Eddie cannot accept.
You’ve got this, Eddie. Charm his clean, luxurious pants off.
He clears his throat and says, “Well, obviously you’re pretty as hell, Stevie. Like holy fuck your face and hair and–” He gestures to Steve’s everything, “and from what I can tell from your interviews, you’re so kind. Obviously, I don’t really know you, but I want to, and I just like you so much from what I do know, to the point where I even wrote a song about my feelings–”
Eddie’s voice gives out and his mind comes to a screeching halt. What the fuck did he just say?
“You–” Steve’s voice is full of astonishment, “You wrote a song for me?”
Eddie tugs a piece of hair in front of his mouth, hiding from how much he just revealed to the man of his dreams. Then, in a sheepish voice, says, “Yeaaaah so, that song I won an Oscar for today? Toootally and completely dedicated to you, sweetheart.” He winces, ready for any possible reaction.
Steve grabs Eddie’s hand and intertwines their fingers. Intertwines their fingers. No, he was not ready for any reaction! Eddie glances at their joined hands, memorizing the image. When he looks back up at Steve’s face, he notices the fond look in his eyes. For Eddie Munson! That is somehow the craziest part of tonight. Including the part where he won an Oscar.
“That’s– wow,” Steve sounds out of breath, “That’s so romantic.”
Eddie smirks, “Am I wooing your pants off?”
“Harder than… the guy from… um…”
A pause. “Are you trying to reference something?” Eddie asks.
Steve flushes, “Yeah… the kids make fun of me a lot for my lack of movie knowledge, which is ironic, I know.” Then he brightens, “Oh! There’s the movie where Heath Ledger woos Julia Stiles, right? You’ve wooed me harder than whatever he did!”
Oh, Eddie thinks fondly, This man is a dork.
“No wonder I wrote a song about you,” He says, “You’re just the cutest thing.” Eddie squeezes their still intertwined hands together, enjoying the feeling of Steve’s calluses against his.
“That’s still so unbelievable to me though,” Steve says, “A song? Especially that song! It’s so full of–”
“Of yearning?” Eddie says knowingly, “Yeah, baby. That’s how I feel. Actually, I feel more than that. Anything I say or sing for you, just know that I like you a thousand times more than that.” Clearly when Eddie gets comfortable, the words coming out of his mouth get even more ridiculous.
Steve reddens and evidently doesn’t know what to say in response, so he brings up Eddie’s knuckles to his mouth and lightly kisses them. Jesus H. Christ. Lord, take me now. I have wooed Steven Harrington and been wooed in return.
“Please give me your number. I really want to get to know you too,” Steve says, “And…I’d love it if you sang your song to me.”
There’s an immediate extended scream of excitement running through Eddie’s mind. But first–
“I’d love to serenade you!” Eddie says, scrambling to take his phone out. He regrettably has to release Steve’s hand, but it’s worth it to create a new contact in his phone and watch Steve type out his number. He texts him immediately so Steve has his, too.
hey handsome 😉
Steve laughs as beautifully as he always does. He texts back.
You talking to a mirror?
That’s how Chrissy and Robin find them, giggling to each other as they text, despite being right in front of each other. Yep, that’s how smitten Eddie is. Steve, too, if Eddie dares to hope. Chrissy and Robin have knowing looks on their faces. Chrissy’s engraved Oscar is in her hand, which reminds Eddie to head to the stage and engrave his before leaving too.
Much, much later, the two new Oscar winners leave the party, both practically floating on air.
“So,” Chrissy says, “I assume things went well?”
Eddie grins and says, “I have a date to plan.”