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So, making Malatov cocktails was decidedly way too easy. Like, no wonder every scrappy half baked rebellion in the last thirty years had been seen throwing the suckers on the national news. Steve’s pretty sure you could consider their plan half-baked. Not a single person had batted an eye when three teenagers had purchased two full carts of explosives, combat gear, and a gun with the intention of sawing off the barrel and blowing shit up in the next several hours. Shouldn’t someone have at least done a double take?
Steve stuffed another rag into the final kerosene filled whiskey bottle as his gaze drifted to the Party spread out before him.
The Sinclairs were sat constructing make-shift spears, Erica adequately taunting Lucas enough to set his shoulders visibly on edge even from Steve’s vantage point. Nancy was sat with Max, aggressively sawing off the barrel of her beloved new shotgun. And Eddie, well Eddie was as endearing as ever. Steve watched with a strange curling sensation under his ribs, something akin to fondness or intrigue, he still wasn’t sure.
Steve must have been staring because as he bit back a laugh at the play tackle Eddie had just thrown at Dustin at the bottom edge of the hill, he felt a judging glare in his periphery.
“What?” he groaned, elongating the word in a whiny tone of a annoyance, head lulling to the left to meet Robins judging glare. Robin lifted her hands, feigning nonchalance.
“Nothing.” She quickly replied, sending another odd look between Steve and then back in the direction of Eddie’s play fighting which had now evolved into full on wrestling. Dustin was barking out “I yield, I yield.” So loudly as he smacked the grass beneath where Eddie had him pinned, Steve could hear him from where he sat against the campervan.
“Robin, you know I can’t stand it when you do that anti-psychic shit.” Steve supplied, glaring back at Robin.
“It’s reverse psychology you moron, and I wasn’t doing anything. I am simply… observing.”
“Yeah, right.” Steve huffed, turning back to the task at hand.
He stacked the remaining bottles in a crate carefully, loading them into the passenger seat of the RV. He considered for a second, before pulling the seat belt around and securing the crate to the seat. That works, he thought, sure.
He trailed back out of the RV. Dustin and Eddie had moved to near Erica and Lucas and were discussing something quietly as Robin had moved to sit with Nancy and Max to the left.
Steve twisted around a minute, looking confused, considering if there was anything useful he could be doing with his idle time. When he turned back around Eddie was drifting toward him through the tall grass, traipsing up the hill casually.
Steve raised his brow in an acknowledging, hey.
“Hey, you busy?” Eddie asked, knowing the answer. Steve just shrugged, hands slapping his sides. “Walk with me?”
Steve glanced back the group once more, satisfied Nance and Rob had a hold of the situation and nodded at Eddie.
“Yeah, sure man.”
Steve quickly fell into step beside Eddie’s careful meandering stride and began walking aimlessly to the tree line. They remained in silence a while as Eddie played mindlessly with the cuff of his jacket. Steve’s gaze flicked up to stare at the side of Eddie’s face every few moments and it did nothing to ease Eddie’s edgy demeanour.
“Can I ask you something?” Eddie’s voice broke the silence, he continued to avoid Steve’s gaze, his eyes instead drifting about the trees sparsely surrounding them.
“‘Course.”
“Did you remember me? The other day at the boat house, I mean.” Eddie asked, chewing his bottom lip and testing a glance at Steve’s face.
“I-No. Why?” Steve felt a sinking feeling at the answer, but he couldn’t find it in him to lie.
“You don’t remember?” Eddie’s eyes flickered with something fond, gaze fixed on Steve now. “Ninth grade, you uh- you caught me smoking with James Andrews behind the water tanks one afternoon. He had a joint in his hand and you caught him about to light it. I remember because both of you had these eyes as wide as saucers once you clocked each other. James musta had something on you though, said something like, ‘Don’t forget about last summer, Harrington’ and you bolted.” Steve stopped in his tracks, a faint smile played his lips as he met Eddie’s biting gaze.
“I actually do remember that, wait- that kid was you?” Steve gawked.
“Yeah uh- I looked a little different back then.” Eddie looked at his hands, something coy and shy settling in his features.
“Who would’ve thought that lanky kid with a buzzcut would turn into Metal
-head pariah Eddie Munson.” Steve marvelled, shoving lightly at Eddie’s shoulder and continuing meandering forward.
“Shut up, dude.” Eddie mumbled. “You don’t even want to how much I taunted James for solid proof you wouldn’t go and narc on us, but he was so sure you wouldn’t.”
“I’m finding it hard to believe you’d be so worried about kids knowing you were selling, considering your booming business now.” Steve supplied. Every few steps their shoulders bumped, throwing Eddie off for a second each time they made contact.
“Yeah uh, that’s cause I wasn’t really worried about you catching the smoking part of that rendezvous, Harrington.” Steve frowned, gaze jumping from Eddie and back to the ground ahead. Eddie considered him carefully, waiting for him to catch up.
“What do you mean?”
“Come on Steve, think about it.” Eddie prodded. Steve was practically scrunching his face in confusion.
“I am. I don’t- what?” Steve is so incredibly lost. Eddie laughed lightly, halting and placing a hand on Steve’s shoulder to stop him in his tracks.
“Steve.” Eddie searched Steve’s face, amused. “I thought you had caught James and I locking lips, that’s why I was so paranoid. Thought you were going to spill to the whole school if you had.”
Steve’s eyes widened with recognition.
“Oh.” He breathed, dumbly.
Eddie quickly resumed their pace. Steve lagged a moment before jogging to catch up with him and match Eddie’s pace.
“Sorry I didn’t remember you.” Eddie looked at him, his turn now to be brimming with fond confusion.
“Huh?“ Eddie huffed. “So, you don’t care that James Andrews and I- That doesn’t bother you?”
“No. Why would it?” Steve stuffed his hands in his pockets. When he looked up and Eddie was smiling fondly back at him, he returned the gesture easily.
“‘Cause most guys. Nay- most Prom King, Hawkins High School jocks would.”
“Well, that’s dumb.” Steve dismissed easily, shrugging again. Steve just kept surprising Eddie more and more. It did nothing for the unplaceable feelings growing in Eddie’s gut. Because it’s much easier to ignore unreciprocated feelings if the guy in question was an asshole, at least in Eddie’s experience that is. But Steve seemed determined to subvert every idea Eddie had had of him, it was kind of infuriating.
“You are whole bag of contradictions Steve Harrington. You’ve gotta stop surprising me with how much of a good dude you are.” Steve regarded him carefully at that, the mirthful grin spreading Eddie’s face was off putting and endearing at the same time as Steve considered how to respond to such an oddly worded compliment.
“Thank you?”
Eddie took to awkwardly tapping Steve on the shoulder, immediately regretting it when he flinched at the contact. Eddie dropped his hand and instead knitted them both together avoiding Steve’s presence all together to change their direction of walking, turning right slightly to following a break in the tree line. Steve continued to follow him wordlessly a few steps behind. A beat passes, and then another, and Eddie wants the ground to open up and swallow him whole, which wouldn’t be an infeasible possibly at this point.
“Sorry.” Steve all but whispers. Catching Eddie off guard when he looks back and Steve had stopped in his tracks again.
“What for?” It was Eddie’s turn to be confused.
“It’s just- you’re kind of surprising too you know. I um- am surprised at how much I’m growing to like you, dude.” Steve rested his hands on his hips, in that way he always does, head dipped and staring at the ground. Eddie carefully stepped a foot closer to Steve.
“Is that okay with you?” Eddie’s voice was soft and sweet and careful and Steve just wanted him to do something predictable for once because he’d never experienced someone so charmingly off-putting in his life. It was becoming hard to measure his own response against him.
“Is that okay with-“ Steve all but whispered “What? -God you gotta stop that.”
“Stop what?”
Steve dropped his hands and shot an exasperated look at Eddie. Eddie only then realised how close they had gotten, as Steve’s sigh coasted over his face and a shiver settled on Eddie’s neck.
“Stop being so God damn nice.” Steve said softly, not at all reflecting the tone of his words. Eddie cocked his head to side, finally recognising the moment.
Oh. Oh.
Okay, Alright.
Eddie knew this part well.
“You could always do something about it, Harrington.” A smirk spread Eddie’s face as he watched Steve squirm a little, flustered and a little irritated by the comment.
“I-don’t. I-“ He stuttered. Eddie stepped the remaining distance closer. If either of them moved an inch, their noses would bump. Eddie’s gaze darted between Steve’s stunned eyes. Eddie leaned back a little and raised an eyebrow daringly, egging Steve to catch on.
“Eddie-“
“Hey! Assholes, we gotta go.” Steve and Eddie’s heads snapped in the direction of the distance voice. “Helloooooo?” Robin yelled from somewhere off to the left, Eddie could just make out the light of the clearing breaking up the tree line in the same direction.
“Yeah yeah, we’re coming.” Steve shot back after a beat. He shot a look at Eddie he couldn’t place, before he set off back in the direction of the RV.
-
Going back into the upside down had now taken the lead on the list of the stupidest things Eddie has ever done. Sure, inviting the head cheerleader over to sell her E, entering the upside on purpose for the first time, and holding a bottle to Steve Harringtons neck were all probably on that list too.
Eddie landed with a thump on the mattress as he fell from the gate. A signature shit-eating grin spread his face as he cocked his head to side at Steve Harrington. Steve was biting back a smile, trying to mask it with irritated indifference at how Eddie was enjoying the chaos of the moment and stuck a hand out to Eddie.
Eddie swiftly clasped it and hauled himself up. The strength of Steve’s assist and Eddie’s eagerness to be off the ground sent them stuttering backward a few steps as Steve stumbled to stabilise them, pressing his hands to Eddie’s shoulders.
“You okay?” He said holding Eddie in place now. Steve’s hands may as well have been brands, burning through the layers of Eddie’s jacket. Eddie couldn’t breath. Eddie was staring, but Steve was staring back and before Eddie could utter a response or nod dumbly the others had thrown more gear through the portal with a resounding crash. They both snapped out of their stupor, returning to the task at hand.
As Robin and then Dustin climbed through the gate the crew silently collected their things and armoured up. Nancy wasted no time in exiting the trailer, everyone swiftly following behind. Steve stopped a few feet behind Nancy and Robin, looking nervously back at Eddie and Dustin.
“Hey, guys, listen.” He rushed out, stepping closer to the two. “If things here start to go south. I mean, at all, you abort.” Eddie nodded softly, a little disbelieving at the situation at hand. Steve’s gaze flicked between Dustin and Eddie, wired and breathless. “Okay, draw the attention of the bats. Keep ‘em busy for a minute or two. We’ll take care of Vecna.” Eddie felt himself staring, stagnant and utterly drawn to Steve’s monologuing. Because they all knew the plan. Like, we know this Steve. So, Eddies pretty sure he’s stalling and he’s not sure if it’s cause this whole plan is utterly utterly insane and terrifying or that it’s Eddie. “Don’t try to be cute or be a hero or something. Okay? You guys are just-“
“Decoys. Don’t worry. You can be the hero, Steve.” Dustin cuts in, and Eddie clocks that from a mile away. Now Dustin is brushing the terror and nerves away with his prodding teasing at Steve and Eddie feels compelled to match it, try and ease the suffocating air building around them.
“Absolutely, I mean. Look at us.” He turns to Dustin, a knowing glance passing between them. “We’re nooot heroes.” He drawls out. Steve nods tensely, face easing a little but not nearly enough to reassure Eddie.
There’s so much more Eddie wants to say, and every unspoken glance or pregnant pause that had passed between them over the last week hits Eddie at full force. The finality of the moment isn’t lost on him, and he suddenly gets why Steve wants to stall. Eddie wants to stall too. He wants to tell them all this is so stupid, this is so utterly stupid. He wants to dust of Steve’s shoulders and round them all up back into the trailer, force them all to go home, pretend it isn’t happening.
The look Steve is giving him makes him want to say everything he’s thinking. But it’s wrong, it’s all wrong. None of it should be said when they’re all facing their possible ends, not while the world is ending, not in an alternate dimension where everything is the same and somehow not at all, not with the equivalent of his little brother and his new found trauma bonded friends standing around them, watching. He can feel there’s something on the edge of Steve’s tongue too as he turns to walk away and Eddie is speaking again before he can stop himself.
“Hey, Steve?” He steps forward quickly.
Steve turns, meeting Eddie’s gaze. Eddie want to vomit, because now what. He hasn’t thought this through at all. But he can’t just let him leave. Steve was about to walk away, to an uncertain ending. A million blinding and suffocating questions are thrown at Eddie and all he can will himself to do is step forward again. Something passes through Steve’s face, a door opens and closes and he settles on something. Eddie steps again, hesitates, doesn’t let his foot land and considers stepping back again. Eddie is about to back track and say something, his mouth opens at the same time Steve shakes his head lightly.
In one rushing, breathless, swift motion Steve strides the remaining distance between them and pulls Eddie against him. The wind is nocked out of Eddie’s chest as Steve pulls Eddie’s lips against his, his hands crushing Eddie’s jacket into his fists. Before Eddie can recognise whats happening, Steve pulls back from the crushing kiss. His lips shining and eyes glassy, he looks shocked by his own actions. Dark eyes meet, both in awe at their own courage. Someone clears their throat behind Steve and they both break apart awkwardly. Eddie immediately misses the contact. Eddie wants to hug Steve. As Steve looks at the faces around them wordlessly, avoiding Eddie’s gaze his voices betrays him when he shakily blurts,
“Steve.” Steve’s eyes snap up to meet Eddie’s again and Eddie surges forward to crush Steve into a tight hug. Steve is now the one in shock as he lags a moment before wrapping his arms around Eddie’s waist. Eddie moves to tuck his head into Steve’s neck, lips brushing his collar bone.
“Make him pay.” Eddie utters against the skin of Steve’s neck, fluttering and breathy. Steve takes in one all too final breath, taking in the lingering smoke, grime, sweat and something faintly like coconut before pulling away reluctantly.
Steve should probably say something, wants to say something. Can’t. Nothing he could say would settle this moment, or reassure him of anything. So he lets out another shaky breath and gives Eddie a pained nod, biting back the tears rimming his eyes and clogging his throat.
Eddie gives a flicker of a smile back, sad and tainted. Later, it says. And Steve finally turns on his heal and walks away.
Eddie turns back to Dustin and wipes at his face, finding a stray tear dusting his cheek. Dustin looks at him like a zoo animal and he wants to say something teasing, Eddie can tell.
Eddie rolls his eyes and claps a hand on his shoulder pushing him back toward the trailer.
“Shut up, shrimp.”