14. Promises to Keep and Plunges to Procrastinate

“Eddie what the hell happened to you?” Mike asked as he slid into the backseat next to Lucas, Max in the front. The silence hung heavy in the car like the humidity of a summer’s day. Max and Lucas had tried to pry over his battered appearance, but Eddie shut them down as reassuringly as he could. However, he was already losing patience at hearing the question.

“Don’t stress yourself out, Wheeler. I’m fine,” Eddie said as he began to back out of Mike’s driveway, heading for Steve’s.

“He won’t tell us,” Lucas informed pointedly.

“Why not? If something’s happening we need to kno–”

Eddie cut him off. “And if there was something you guys needed to know, we’d tell you. So just try to let it go and enjoy movie night, alright? Besides, like I said, I’m fine.”

“Bullshit,” Mike stated defiantly. “Your face is like, seventy percent yellow and green and you’re trying to tell me you’re fine?”

“Shit happens, Mike. It doesn’t concern you,” Eddie doubled down.

“You're our friend, Eddie, how doesn’t it concern us?” Lucas argued, both he and Mike on the edge of their seats as they bore holes into the back of Eddie’s head.

“Because it doesn’t,” Eddie shot back, sighing to calm himself down. He knew they were just worried and trying to help, but the thought of burdening the kids with all the Carver bullshit was something that left him barren. Not to mention thinking about the ordeal had consternation gnawing away at him. “And when we get to Steve’s I don’t want any of you bombarding him with questions, either.”

“Steve’s hurt too?” Mike asked, a glance in the rearview mirror showing his eyes were wide.

“It looks worse than it is,” maybe it was partially a lie, but Steve and Eddie both agreed they didn’t want to get the kids involved with this unless it was absolutely necessary. And ‘necessary’ to them meant only if they had to explain why one of them was suddenly in jail, likely Eddie out of the two.

“Do you have anything to say about this?” Mike whirled on Max in the passenger seat, who had been silent since before he’d gotten in the car.

Max looked perturbed, and it had taken a lot of convincing on Eddie’s part to get her to drop it, considering they were alone first on the ride to Lucas’. “If he doesn’t wanna talk about it, we shouldn’t make him.” Luckily, she understood how Eddie felt more than anyone when it came to constantly being asked if they were okay.

“What?” Mike questioned, incredulous.

“Seriously, let’s just drop it. At least for tonight,” Eddie cut in again, knowing it wouldn’t just be for tonight. “If you really wanna help, you’ll let me distract myself with movies and Steve’s expensive beer.”

It was clear that none of them wanted to let it go, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last he’d hear about it– especially from Dustin– but thankfully they did, riding in silence to Steve’s.

When Steve led them into his living room, the atmosphere was just as thick as the van. Will and El were sitting in silence on the couch, Will looking fearful as his leg bounced rapidly. Meanwhile Dustin was standing in front of them, visibly outraged.

“Are you hearing this shit?” Was Dustin’s greeting as he looked at Lucas, Max, and Mike.

“I told you not to bring it up when he got here, Henderson,” Steve scolded, hands going to his hips.

“Like hell I’m gonna do that!” Dustin exclaimed. “You can’t leave us in the dark like this! After everything we’ve been through you think we can’t handle whatever it is you’re not telling us?”

“Now isn’t time to play detective–” Steve rounded, but Dustin cut him off.

“I’m not playing anything, Steve! I let it go the first time I saw Eddie, looking like he’d had the life squeezed out of him– all because you asked me to. But you can’t keep treating us like kids!” He gesticulated wildly, eyes fierce and brow furrowed in determination. This was partially news to Eddie, as he’d always wondered why Dustin never said anything after the time Jason strangled him. It wasn’t in the kid’s nature to let that go– as the current situation was proving– and amidst the argument a brief spark of appreciation for Steve spread through Eddie.

“You are kids,” Eddie retaliated.

“Not normal kids!” Mike yelled from behind him, walking further in the room to look between Steve and Eddie, their agreement to drop it lasting not even a minute after walking through the door. “Don’t act like we’re some… fragile little ten year olds.”

“It’s not that we don’t think you can handle it, it’s that you shouldn’t have to,” Eddie emphasized.

“And we shouldn’t have had to handle any of the shit we went through!” Lucas was the one to interject now, gesturing passionately to Will on the couch. “Will was in the Upside Down for a fucking week, and got Mindflayed. We thought we saw his body get dragged out of a lake. We’ve saved Hawkins– what–” he looked around at the rest of the younger kids. “Four times? Don’t even get me started on the shit El has been through– or the people we’ve lost!” His voice squeaked as emotion flooded him, looking back at Eddie with a desperation that hollowed out his chest. His words quaked as he said, much softer, “Don’t fucking tell me we don’t deserve to know what’s going on. Not after everything.”

Eddie’s heart shriveled inside of him, jaw clenching as he looked back at Lucas, the silence filling the room almost electric. He swallowed thickly, sharing a look with Steve. Steve’s brows were set, eyes flicking between Eddie’s. He didn’t know what Steve was thinking, but Eddie knew Lucas was right. It wasn’t fair to treat them like brittle children, when frankly every one of them was stronger than Eddie could ever hope to be.

Eddie ran his hands roughly over his face with a sigh, all the kids’ eyes glued to him. “We got into a fight with Jason and Andy,” Eddie made the decision for him and Steve, a sideways glance to check if that bothered him. Steve gave a small, reassuring nod to continue. “It got pretty bad, but we handled it.”

“Jason and Andy did this?” Will’s voice came out small, eyes watery and rounded in horror.

“Not exactly,” Steve took over, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall behind him. “Some of it, yeah. But we… did some real damage to them. We knew it looked bad, so we went to Hopper for help.”

“When?” Will asked, shaking his head lightly in confusion.

“You and El were at Mike’s and Max’s,” Eddie supplied calmly, the worked up nerves finally slipping out of him.

“And you didn’t tell me?” The hurt was clear in Dustin’s voice as he stared wide eyed at Eddie. He looked… betrayed. Eddie wanted to disappear.

“It’s not your battle to fight, Henderson,” Eddie said softly, throat tight as remorse curled around it.

“If Jason did not do this to you,” El started slowly, speaking in that ever gentle tone of hers. “Then who did?”

Steve sighed. “Hopper knew it would look worse, our injuries compared to theirs. So he…” he gave a weak shrug, waving vaguely to the air with one hand before letting it fall to his side.

“Hopper did this?” Mike asked, bewildered.

“He had to,” Eddie instantly defended. “It was the only thing we could think of. We got our shit together on a story to tell the doctor after, that way we could at least plead self defense.”

“Well, it was self defense,” Max stated, raising her eyebrows at them. “Right?”

“Obviously. The fight would’ve happened either way,” Steve confirmed. “But… I did swing first.” The kids all let out various sighs of disappointment, Lucas running a hand over his face.

“Oh my god,” Dustin grumbled to himself, rolling his eyes. “That’s like the number one rule of fighting, Steve. Even I know that. Never throw the first punch.”

“Yeah, well I’m pretty sure you would’ve thrown it yourself if you heard the shit Carver was saying,” Steve retorted.

“What was he saying?” Will asked.

Steve and Eddie shared a brief look. “Nothing. It’s not important,” Steve brushed off. “So far we haven’t heard of Carver taking legal action, but it was only a week ago.”

“Now you know everything,” Eddie said, more than ready to wrap up this conversation. “So can we please move on?”

“Only if you promise to keep us in the loop,” Lucas said firmly.

“Well, I’m guessing if we don’t I’ll have six obnoxious teenagers banging on my door until you drag it out of us, so,” Eddie sighed. “If anything changes, we’ll tell you.”

“Promise?” Dustin didn’t take his eyes off Eddie, the remnants of his hurt still clear.

Eddie held the gaze in earnest, nodding smally. “I promise.” Dustin’s lips pressed into a tight line as he nodded back.

“Right, if we’re all done with this little intervention, I’m gonna go grab the movies,” Steve clapped his hands together, pushing off the wall before turning to Eddie. “There’s popcorn in the pantry. Mind starting it?”

A small but genuine smile stretched Eddie’s face. “Count on me, Stevie.” Steve just smiled back, the two of them looking at each other as if they’d made some sort of inside joke before Steve clapped a hand on his shoulder, moving past him.

Eddie made his way into the kitchen and began raiding Steve’s pantry, marveling at how well stocked it was. Rich people, he snorted to himself light heartedly.

He brought two bags of microwavable popcorn out, debating if he could put them both in at once. Deciding he didn’t wanna risk blowing up Steve’s microwave (which he definitely couldn’t afford to fix,) he decided to practice patience and only pop one in.

Eddie could hear the kids and Steve arguing over watching a horror movie in the living room, Steve sounding like he was losing the battle, when Will entered the kitchen. “How’s it hangin’, Byers?” Eddie asked, leaning back against the counter and crossing his arms.

He didn’t miss the uneasiness about Will, his hands fidgeting in front of him and eyes unable to hold Eddie’s gaze for more than a second at a time. “You okay, man?” Eddie asked, more seriously.

“Does…” Will trailed off, staring somewhere at the floor between them. “Does Carver do this to you… only because of Chrissy?” When his eyes met Eddie’s, one would think Will was looking at a demogorgon instead of Eddie. His heart sank into his stomach.

Eddie pressed his lips together as he debated on how to approach this, but his hesitance seemed to spur on Will’s nerves more. “It’s just…” Will looked over his shoulder before stepping closer, lowering his voice. “I saw you and Steve holding hands when we saw Evil Dead and… I guess I’m just wondering if… that’s part of it.”

He didn’t know how much more he could take of seeing these kids in pain. The way Will’s voice trembled and he couldn’t seem to keep himself still made Eddie want to wrap himself around the boy and shield him from the world. From people like Carver. “I could lie to you, and say no. That it’s not part of it, but…” Eddie shook his head. “I’d rather you know what you’re up against,” he looked at Will pointedly when he said this, a small shock crossing the young boy’s face as his eyes rounded slightly at Eddie, before softening into a sort of relaxed acceptance. Will stayed silent, now able to look Eddie in the eyes as he waited for him to continue.

“Yes. That’s part of it. Though I’m not sure he’d bother with me if it weren’t for… what he thinks I did,” Eddie swallowed as he tried to keep a grip on his composure. “But that’s what sucks. When you’re like us, and people don’t like you for one reason, they’ll always lump that in with it. Use it against you. Try to shame you for it.”

He could see water welling in Will’s eyes, jaw clenched as he stood completely still. Eddie took a few steps forward, placing both his hands on his shoulders firmly and not letting his gaze waver from Will’s. “But you never let them make you feel ashamed. Ever, you understand me?” His throat closed once more, own voice becoming shaky as he watched a few silent tears spill over Will’s cheeks. “Promise me.”

Truthfully, he wanted to be brutally honest with the boy. Tell him that it was so much more than just Chrissy, or Eddie being gay. It was the fact that Eddie lived in a trailer, and Carver probably lived in a two story with a lawn and a backyard. It was the fact that if one of Carver’s friends smoked weed, it wasn’t the end of the world, but Eddie would be considered skeevy for selling it to them. But that was too much to put on the kid, especially as he saw the clear terror in his eyes. Today he found out how brutal the world could be to people like him. People that he loved. Eddie couldn’t bear to shatter any more of his spirit.

Will’s tears were flowing freely, the boy shaking under his hands, lip quivering as he restrained himself from making his cry audible. “I promise,” he whispered out, so quiet Eddie could barely hear it.

Eddie grit his teeth as he pulled Will into a crushing hug, the latter clutching his back as his shoulders began to shake, the softest sobs muffled by Eddie’s chest. “It’s not all bad. I swear,” Eddie rasped out, tears now rolling down his own face. Maybe it was from all the emotions flying around earlier, or maybe his heart just ached that much for the sensitive, compassionate boy he’d come to know fairly well over the past year or so. “There is so much that makes it worth it, okay? You just gotta be brave enough to stick around for it.”

The microwave beeping snapped them back to reality, Eddie and Will laughing with sniffles into the hug before pulling apart. They smiled at each other, the warmth returning to Eddie as he saw a glimmer of something akin to hope in Will’s eyes. “Alright, go help them pick out a movie, since you’re one of the only ones with taste. I’ll finish up this,” he gestured to the other bag of popcorn.

Will nodded, wiping his face with his shirt sleeves before heading back into the living room. Eddie rummaged through Steve’s kitchen for bowls, dumping the finished bag into one and starting the other. When he reemerged into the living room, bowls in hand, it seemed the group had decided on a movie, everyone settling into their spots. Eddie set the bowls on the coffee table before taking a seat on the couch next to Max, Lucas on her other side with an arm around her. Mike and Will were on the floor in front of him, El in a chair and Dustin leaning against it while also sitting on the floor. Steve had brought out blankets for everyone, and pillows for those on the floor.

“What did we decide?” Eddie asked, Steve coming over to take a seat beside him after putting in the movie.

“Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” Dustin informed, Eddie smiling in approval. Steve dragged a blanket over both of their laps, relaxing back with a content sigh. Eddie slung his arm across the back of the couch behind Steve. He smiled to himself as Steve pressed closer into his side, leaning against him as the movie started up.

It only took about five minutes for Steve’s arm to snake behind Eddie’s waist, his hand resting on the latter’s hip as they watched. His thumb rubbed gentle, calming strokes just above Eddie’s hip, the latter relaxing his arm over Steve’s shoulders fully. Turns out, in practice, neither of them cared too much about keeping the subtlety around the kids.

About half way through the movie, Eddie noticed Dustin in his peripheral vision looking over, his brows knotting together as he stared at them in confusion. Eddie bit back an amused smile, trying to keep his expression blank as Dustin’s brain clearly chugged to put pieces together.

He tapped El’s leg next to him, nodding for her to look over at Eddie and Steve. She simply shrugged with a pleasant smile as she turned her attention back on the movie. It was around this time as Eddie’s brain and eyes wandered, that he took note of Mike and Will in front of him on the floor. They were holding hands between them, keeping them mostly hidden from the others with their legs. Except for Eddie and Steve of course, as they were directly behind them.

A gooeyness spread within Eddie, like his chest was being filled with warm honey. He knocked his knee lightly against Steve’s, nodding to the boys in front of them discreetly. He watched a small smile spread Steve’s face before he shook his head, directing the radiance of his cheerfulness at Eddie. That syrupy comfort seeped lazily through Eddie, weighing down his limbs and forcing him to melt into the couch, into Steve.

Eddie hardly paid attention to the rest of the movie, especially since he’d seen it before, instead deciding to indulge in the tranquility overflowing him.

The movie finished, and the kids decided they wanted to watch another. Eddie took this opportunity to grab him and Steve beers, but when he turned around to walk back out, Dustin was standing in front of him. The dejected look on his face stopped Eddie in his tracks. He was pretty sure he knew what Dustin was upset about before the boy even spoke.

“Do you… not trust me anymore?” He didn’t expect his words to be so crushing, however. There was hurt straining his voice, but also anger, his brows drawn tight and eyes wounded as he stared at Eddie. “Why did you stop telling me things?”

“Dustin, it’s not about you. I didn’t want any of you to worry about Carver–”

“I’m not just talking about Jason, Eddie,” Dustin closed his eyes briefly and shook his head, sounding almost exhausted. “Did you really think you couldn’t tell me?”

He pressed his lips together, setting the beers down on the counter beside him. Guilt was Eddie’s shadow, always attached and leeching, bringing darkness to even his brightest moments. In moments like this, Eddie was sure he was more shadow than person. “You couldn’t lose my trust if you tried, Henderson,” he placed a hand on Dustin’s shoulder, swallowing his culpability in order to fix what his carelessness had caused. “We didn’t want to make it a big thing, but I at least should’ve told you.”

“Yeah, you should’ve,” Dustin agreed solemnly, but the main heat of his anger had died out. Now all that remained was hurt, and somehow that ripped Eddie apart more. He’d rather the kid be enraged with him than feel an ounce of neglect. “How serious even are you guys? Neither of you seem like relationship material.”

Eddie scoffed out a laugh, a smile tugging his cheeks. “I’d be more offended, but I didn’t think we were either. Especially not me,” Eddie shrugged. “Just didn’t seem like something that could be in my cards, but… guess we’re both trying it out and seeing what happens.” And he forgot how well this damn kid knew him, Dustin’s eyes narrowing instantly.

“Bullshit ‘just trying it out,’” Dustin cocked his head, unconvinced. “Your smile right now looks more idiotic than Will’s.”

Eddie raised his eyebrows. “So you know about that now?” Last time the topic of Mike and Will was brought up in Steve’s pool, the other boys seemed pretty oblivious.

“Uh, yeah, it’s pretty fuckin’ obvious, Eddie,” Dustin said flatly. “Consider yourself lucky. You guys don’t even see the worst of it.”

Eddie laughed, Dustin joining in, his spirits slowly seeming to pick up. “So… we good?”

“Yeah, we’re good,” Dustin nodded simply. “But if you and Steve break up I’m not choosing between you two. You guys can suck it up.”

Eddie chuckled with a roll of his eyes, plopping a hand on Dustin’s hair and tussling it, much to the boy’s annoyance. “Hey, hey!” He ducked out of Eddie’s hold, tentatively brushing the sides of his hair back into place. “Watch the luscious locks.”

“God, your hair is crunchy, dude,” Eddie wiped the residue on his jeans before picking up the beers. “You’re gonna fuck up the curls, ya know? Don’t listen to everything Steve tells you about hair.”

“Why not? The ladies love it,” he retorted.

“The ladies?” Eddie raised his eyebrows once more. “What happened with Suzie?”

“Nothing,” Dustin shrugged as he and Eddie walked back to the living room, Max and Mike arguing emphatically over two movies while Lucas, Will, and El looked on in amusement. “She knows I just like a little harmless attention.”

Eddie laughed boisterously at this, sitting beside Steve and passing him his beer. He quirked an eyebrow at Eddie, who’s smile deepened. “Think you had a concerning amount of impact on that kid’s development,” he nodded over at Dustin, who began to join the argument between Mike and Max.

“Concerning?” Steve feigned offense, a small smirk betraying him. “He should only be so lucky to get some of the Harrington charm.”

This earned a hearty eye roll from Eddie. “You’re ridiculous.”

“Yeah, but it worked on you, didn’t it?” Steve held out the neck of his bottle to Eddie. “Cheers.”

Eddie smiled, a deep sigh carrying out all the stresses of the night as he clinked their bottles together. “Cheers, m’dear.”

Will, Max, and El eventually strong-armed Dustin, Mike, and Lucas into watching Footloose. Eddie didn’t really care what they watched, honestly. With Steve tucked back into his side, the children’s laughter and bickering filling the room, the bubbling in Eddie’s core was enough to float him high above the ground. Eddie never would’ve guessed there were people like this out there for him. The movie started, but Eddie was walking on the moon.

+++

“I really don’t get what you’re so stressed about, Eddie,” Robin said, slowly working through the pile of tapes she had to rewind. “He’s obviously crazy about you.”

“Being crazy about someone isn’t the same as being in love with them,” Eddie retorted.

“Since when?” She looked over at him. “There are two things that drive humans more insane than anything; grief, and love.”

“What if I tell him and he gets weirded out by how quick it is?” Eddie sprawled his arms over the counter, looking up at Robin with a grimace.

“He’s not gonna get weirded out,” Robin said simply.

“You don’t know that.”

“You two are my best friends, doofus,” Robin looked at him flatly. “How many times I gotta tell you I’m pretty sure I know Steve better than he knows himself. In fact, I’m so confident he’ll say it back I’ll eat my own hand if he doesn’t.”

Eddie groaned dramatically as he slumped off the counter and slid his back down it, sitting on the store floor. “I hate this,” he complained as his head thumped against the counter behind him.

“So why even make this whole elaborate plan, anyway?” Robin questioned, out of view. “Just tell him when it feels right.”

“Because,” Eddie sighed in exasperation. “I’m going fucking crazy. Every time I look at him I just wanna…” he shook his head, holding his hands out in front of him and clutching the air. “Scream it at his stupid, gorgeous face. And when I’m not with him, he’s all I think about. I mean this can’t be healthy, Rob.”

“So tell him. You don’t need to be… Charles Dickens.”

“I’ve never told anyone I’ve loved them before, not in this way,” Eddie admitted softly, eyes glazed over as he looked at the movie racks in front of him. “I just… don’t wanna fuck it up.”

“You’re not gonna fuck it up,” Robin assured, and suddenly her upside down face was hanging in front of him, hair dangling. “What’s that bullshit the kids are always saying? ‘Friends don’t lie’?” Her face was quickly turning into a tomato, so she pushed herself back up, disappearing from Eddie’s view.

“But it’s like… I picture myself saying it to him– saying the words ‘I love you,’ and,” Eddie cringed, shaking his head uncomfortably. “It just feels… wrong. Like… I’m not meant to say things like that. The thought of telling anyone I love them makes me wanna never look another human in the eye.”

“You tell me you love me all the time,” Robin contradicted. “And Dustin.”

“That’s different,” Eddie sighed again. “It’s not romantic.”

“So? Why does that matter?”

Eddie bit his lip. Why does it matter? He wondered to himself. “I don’t know, romance just feels like… something meant for other people, ya know? Like I wasn’t… made right for it.” For a long time Eddie was able to convince himself that he was fine not having those sweet, innocent ‘young love’ experiences. And it worked for a while. But ever since Steve… he needed it more than he needed air to breathe.

“That’s ridiculous, Eddie,” Robin’s voice was softer, more genuine. “You can’t be made wrong for love.”

“But what if I am?” He asked quietly, his question more directed to the universe than Robin. “Anyway, how am I supposed to tell him if I can’t even think about saying it?”

“You just gotta rip the bandaid off. Next time you see him, blurt it out. You’re charismatic enough to pull off a tumbled out love confession.”

Eddie scoffed. “What happened to ‘friends don’t lie?’” Eddie exhaled in defeat. “I am farrr from charismatic.”

“Eddie, you’re probably the most charismatic person I know, next to Steve,” he heard something slide across the counter, and suddenly Robin was dropping to her feet in front of him. She looked down at him and crossed her arms. “And let’s face it, most of his charisma is just because he’s dumb and hot.”

The faintest smile tugged Eddie’s lips as he thought of Steve’s stupid, perfect face. The pleasant feeling was quickly overwhelmed by his nerves once more. “As if. Name one time I’ve been charismatic and not generally off-putting,” he challenged. Robin opened her mouth to answer, but Eddie cut her off, closing his eyes to summon his patience. “And if you fucking say Chip Hudson’s birthday party I’ll actually commit a murder.” He opened his eyes to see Robin’s mouth closed. “Exactly,” he concluded.

“That’s not fair because there isn’t any one instance!” She argued. “You’re not occasionally charismatic, you’re always charismatic. It’s just not in the same way that Steve is. There are different ways to be charming. So… stop getting caught up in whether you were ‘made for love,’” Robin bobbled her head as she made air quotes. “And just tell your equally stupid boyfriend you love him.”

He rolled his eyes, because it didn’t matter how charismatic Eddie was, in reality he was still scared shitless. But maybe Robin had a point, and maybe he started thinking a bit more seriously about how he would actually tell Steve. Not just this far away notion, a fantasy that he liked to speculate both in fear and wonder. What he could honestly, tangibly see himself doing.

“Fine,” Eddie sighed, long and dramatic as he slumped a little further onto the floor. “I’ll tell my…” Eddie gestured noncommittally to the air, “stupid boyfriend I love him. Or whatever.”

“Laying on the ex-theater kid a little too thick, don’tcha think?” Robin teased, but there was a pleased look on her face as she walked back behind the counter.

The bell over the door jingled, and a look to the side revealed none other than the boyfriend in question. “Hey,” Steve greeted them, brow knitting together slightly as his eyes landed on Eddie. “Why are you on the floor?”

“Because he’s a misogynist who likes to make his female coworkers do all the work,” Robin supplied smoothly, Eddie scoffing as he pushed himself to his feet.

“Ouch,” he draped his fingers over his chest in mock offense. “Demoted to coworker?”

“Not if you actually do the returns cart,” she raised her eyebrows in amusement, nodding to the cart.

“Why are you here?” Eddie asked as he pulled the returns cart over to him. He’d brought it out a while ago, but the store had been empty nearly all day and he decided wallowing was more entertaining.

“Jeez,” Steve snorted. “I thought I was visiting people who enjoyed my company,” Steve shook his head, crossing the store to lean against the checkout counter, near Eddie and across from Robin.

Eddie rolled his eyes, but a wide smile stretched his face as he took a few steps closer to Steve, crowding his space. He ran his hand roughly through his Steve’s hair, messing it up. “Hey– man, c’mon!” Steve protested, jerking his head away and trying to do damage control from Eddie. “This takes time, ya know? Not all of us can roll out of bed with perfect hair.”

Eddie batted away Steve’s hands and began to fix the mess he’d caused, an amused smile on his face as he brushed Steve’s hair back into place. “Quit fishing for compliments, pretty boy,” Eddie lightly tapped his cheek twice before moving to start on the returns, not missing Steve’s flustered, pink face.

“Eugh,” Robin made a disgusted face. “You two are hard to watch. Go make babies somewhere else.”

“Shut up,” Steve muttered. “I came here because– once again– you would assume no one works here. How did I call five times and neither of you hear it?”

“Oh… those were you?” Eddie pulled an only mildly regretful wince.

“Told you it was the same asshole calling back to back,” Robin directed this towards Eddie, who snorted.

Steve made a gesture to say ‘what gives?’ but moved on regardless. “Anyway,” he pushed off the counter to stride closer to Eddie. “I came here to say you can tell Wayne we’re on for Sunday.”

“Oooo,” Robin cooed scandalously from behind the counter. “Meeting the family, Steve?”

“I’ve already met him,” Steve said with a childishly defiant face. “It wasn’t… the best.”

“I keep telling you that he doesn’t dislike you that much,” Eddie tried to assure for the millionth time.

“That much,” Steve muttered mockingly. “But it doesn’t matter. Because come this Sunday I’ll be his favorite person.”

“Okay, well, that’s a little ambitious,” Eddie stated realistically, smirking at Steve’s unamused face.

“Glad you have so much yet so little confidence in me,” Steve drawled sarcastically. Eddie shot him a wink with a click of his tongue. “Also, are we all still on for tonight?”

“Yeah, Vickie and Gareth got the tents and stuff for the bonfire,” Robin informed. “I’m bringing the food so that leaves drinks and… various substances to you two.”

“I call ‘various substances,’” Eddie raised a hand.

“Guess that leaves drinks to me,” Steve glanced over at Eddie, an almost mischievous smile creeping onto his face. “Pick me up at 8?”

Eddie’s own smile lit up as he nodded, but it quickly dampened. “Should I… park down the street. Ya know, ‘cause of your parents.”

“Nah, they’re out of town right now anyway,” Steve shrugged. “And even if they weren’t, they can get over it.” Eddie’s smile returned in the form of a full-face grin.

“Ooo,” Eddie teased. “King Steve likes pissing off his parents. Naughty boy.”

Robin gave a theatrical gag. “Get a room. One that I’m not currently in.”

Steve hung around for quite a while longer, doing his best to distract Eddie from actually working, and Robin frequently chiming in to scold him for leaving her with more work.

The bonfire had been Steve’s idea, suggesting they invite some of the others to ball log for a night under the stars. As long as no one brought anything crazy, like fireworks, they should be able to keep it pretty under wraps considering how secluded it was.

It wasn’t for no reason, either, intended to be a celebration of sorts. At least to those who knew there was something to celebrate. Not long ago, Hopper called them down to the station to update them on anything with Carver, and for once it felt like the stars were aligning for Eddie. Apparently, Jason’s parents were getting fed up with his long lasting fixation on Eddie. Hopper had been expecting them to press charges, but instead they stated the whole rivalry was bringing a bad name to their family.

Supposedly, it wasn’t very good for the son of an influential, rich family to be getting in constant street fights, even if they were against Eddie. Essentially, what was said went along the lines of ‘keep Eddie away from our son and we’ll do the same.’

Regardless of the good news, the feeling that it was too good to be true kept picking at Eddie. Even now, as he took his break in the back room, listening to Steve ramble out one of Dustin’s recent bullyings of the group-appointed babysitter.

“And it’s like, dude,” Steve shook his head. “I’m the one who showed you how to do your stupid hair in the first place. Ungrateful little shit.” Eddie heard what he said, but his brain was lagging to garner a response. He must have been staring off for a while, as Steve tapped his shin with his shoe, moving to sit on the uncomfortable metal bench next to Eddie. “You got that look again. What’s up?”

“What look?” The fog in Eddie’s brain cleared enough for him to ask, dragging himself back to the back room.

“Like you’re trying to do long division in your head,” Steve said plainly, earning a dry snort from Eddie.

“Sorry, it’s just,” Eddie shook his head, biting his lip for a moment as his leg began to bounce. “Don’t you think it’s a little convenient? Carver’s family suddenly wanting nothing to do with us? I mean,” Eddie lowered his voice, despite no one being around. “We beat the shit out of him. The big and powerful Carvers don’t want some kind of payback? To have the last word?”

Steve sighed, his hand sliding up Eddie’s back and into his hair, massaging slowly. Eddie relaxed into the touch, shifting closer into Steve’s side. “Didn’t you say you ran into Carver at the diner a few days ago and he didn’t do anything?” It was true. Eddie was getting a coffee at the diner down the street before his shift, and Jason had been eating alone. The man had glared daggers into the back of Eddie’s skull for every second he was in the restaurant, but that was it. No confrontation. Didn’t follow Eddie out. Nothing.

Eddie nodded, looking over at Steve, who continued to tangle his fingers lazily in the hair at the back of Eddie’s head. “So… for now, it seems the Carvers were serious about wanting to cut Jason’s bullshit off. Trust me, if there’s one thing rich parents hate, it’s having a kid with a… less than perfect reputation. It’s all about looks.” Steve’s words drove a stake right through Eddie’s sternum. The distant look in Steve’s eyes as he used this to affirm Eddie made him want to lock Steve away from the rest of the world forever. Keep him to himself, where nothing and no one could make him feel like a mistake. Especially his wretched parents.

“And even if they want to do something down the line, we’ve done all we can for now. Went to pretty fucking extreme lengths, too,” Steve smirked halfheartedly at Eddie, who’s eyebrows quirked in recognition. Steve’s fingers splayed deeper into his hair, his other hand coming to rest on Eddie’s bouncing knee, slowing it to a stop. “There’s no point in worrying, because whether we’re stressing the whole time or living our lives like normal, what’s gonna happen is gonna happen. Just… try and enjoy the wins while we have them.”

Eddie’s eyes searched Steve’s skeptically, teetering on the edge of giving in and clutching to his overworked instincts. Steve’s hand moved from his leg to hold Eddie’s jaw, thumb brushing over his cheek as his eyes flicked from Eddie’s to his lips, then back. “You deserve to be happy, Eddie,” his voice was soft, almost a whisper as he spoke now. “I wish you’d start seeing that.”

Steve’s heady eyes blinked slowly back at him, appearing utterly enamored with Eddie’s face. And just like that, Eddie watched his worry shrink away from him as he fell into Steve’s comfort. When Steve held him so gently, looked at him so amorously, he felt like he was facing the world with the strongest armor known to man.

Eddie sighed longly, bringing his hand up to cover the one cradling his face. “I’ll never know how you do that, ya know.”

Steve’s brows creased in the slightest. “Do what?”

Eddie shook his head lightly, trying to find the words. “Make the world… move slower. Even if it feels like I’m being shot out of a fuckin’ canon,” Eddie punctuated his sentence with a soft chuckle, which Steve returned.

“I’m more than just a pretty face, remember,” Steve said haughtily, but had a goofy smile on his face. Eddie laughed, eyes falling closed as he let his forehead rest against Steve’s.

He could do it now. It was the perfect time. Just say it, he tried to encourage himself. I love you.

“We’re gonna be okay, Eddie,” Steve said softly, thumb starting up its languid strokes over Eddie’s cheek once more.

I love you.

Steve laughed into his words as he said, “And honestly, I’m ready to pack you up in a Winnebago and take you across the country if things start turning south.”

I fucking love you.

“Uh… assuming you’d let me, obviously,” Steve added timidly. An almost painful smile quivered Eddie’s lip as he had to fight back the tears prickling behind his closed eyes. He’d found that happening more recently; being so full he couldn’t help but spill out. The words were clawing their way up his throat, scratching at the back of his teeth. Eddie silenced them by crashing a desperate, devouring kiss to Steve’s lips. That was a plunge for another day. Right now, he was taking his wins while he had them.

The hand covering Steve’s slid to his shoulder, down his side, while his other came to cup Steve’s face. Steve pressed into the kiss, which was slow and hungry, like both of them were savoring every morsel the other had to offer.

The sound of the backroom door opening had them jumping apart, but it only revealed Robin. Her face fell into one of disgust. “Gross, guys. When I said ‘get a room’ I didn’t mean this one,” she walked past them to sit in the spinny chair, which was usually claimed by Steve. “And your break is over, Eddie. You two will have plenty of time to suck each other's faces later.”

“Thought we were supposed to be wingmen,” Steve said to Robin as Eddie stood up. She simply stuck her tongue out at him. Eddie chuckled to himself as he reentered the front of the store, leaving the two of them in the back room, excitement for the night teeming in his stomach.