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madaboutmunson · 2 years ago

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Again - Part 17 (Not to be confused with 17 Again ;) )

Part 1 | Part 16 | Part 18 | Full list of Again series links inc AO3 Link

Steddie fic where Steve and Eddie are in their mid 30's and everyone has sort of drifted apart

Notes: As per the winning option on the poll I posted here is your 10K+ part of the story :)

Taglist: @adaed5 @grtwdsmwhr @swimmingbirdrunningrock @mightbeasleep, @jewellthebooknerd, @fentiibratzz @rvllybllply2014

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Well…Al-riiiighty then!

That is the only response Steve's brain seems to have to what just happened. Well, what just happened several times over. Well…actually.… not just now, just before he drifted into a euphoric slumber, for however long it's been. He doesn’t know what time it is, and for once, he doesn't care what time it is either.

Steve is very much in a battle in his mind, one part celebrating being the luckiest guy in the world, the other pure fear because Steve knew it was over for him. He was gone, so very gone. Not just hook, line, sinker but also rod, fisherman, his waders, the bait box, his chair and the car he'd driven to the lake in the parking lot, all currently drowning in Eddie Munson.

How was he going to be able to resist Eddie at all now? It's not like he had much in the way of resistance anyway, but now, he basically had none. If he looked at him a certain way from now on, it would send Steve's brain back to this, and he'd be a mess. Who is he kidding? He didn't care how badly he'd got it. Steve snuggles into Eddie's chest more and resigns himself to a happy future of being Eddie's pushover. Eddie's arm is already around him, and he sees his abdomen crease slightly as he gives Steve a kiss on top of his head, and Steve happily accepts his fate.

"Welcome back, honey," Eddie says, his voice a little groggy.

"Hi," Steve answers meekly and looks up at him, causing Eddie to scoff out a laugh.

"Oh, he's quiet now, is he?" Eddie smiles a little smugly, and Steve is mortified and taps him on the side in a vain attempt at annoyance.

"I was…how dare…I mean…ok, I wasn't that loud!" Steve defends, "Besides, you were no church mouse either."

"Hey, man, I don't care. They aren't my neighbours. They don't know my voice, but they'll get used to it quite quickly, I imagine," Eddie chuckles evilly.

"What are you talking about, neighbours? I don't share walls with anyone," Steve laughs.

"No, you're absolutely right, you don't. How silly of me," Eddie says, and Steve feels satisfied he's won this one for a second, "Except you do share a street, right?"

He frowns hard at Eddie but with a confused smile, "Well, of course, I do…." Steve starts with a very condescending tone until it hits him. His face drops, and he looks to the window. It's wide open, and now so is Steve's mouth. "The window!" Steve whimpers in horror. "Why didn't you say something before, Eddie? Jesus Christ!!" Steve exclaims.

Steve gets up to close the window, and he's immediately tackled back into bed. "Steve! You can't give them the audiobook and now the movie," Eddie laughs gesturing at Steve's naked body, "First of all, it was hotter than the firey pits of hell in here! I know you have AC, dude. Turn it on! And then I was busy! So forgive me for not making the window my priority!"

Cursing under his breath, Steve grabs a sheet off the bed in one firm pull, almost flinging Eddie straight off the other side because he pulls it with so much force and wraps it around his waist before going to the window. Unfortunately, once there, despite being one floor up, he makes eye contact with one of his older neighbours gardening, Ms Montarello's best gal pal Mrs Kensington. He tries to give one of his big neighbourly smile and wave combos, but it soon becomes awkward. In return, she sends him a thumbs up. He just knows this will be on the agenda at their next afternoon tea. Steve wishes the ground would swallow him entirely. Maybe it wasn't too late for the Russians to take him away for real this time or for him to go live in his own alternate dimension of his own construction. Steve feels a weight on his shoulder. It's Eddie's arm leaning on him. "Sorry, my sweet, I didn't mean to leave it open. I swear. I was just trying to make light of it." Eddie genuinely apologises. Steve rolls his eyes and shakes his head.

"It's ok, it's done now. Can't have been that bad. She sent back a good review" Steve imitates her thumbs up, turning to Eddie with a big goofy smile, which suddenly falls from his face when he realises that Eddie has not even attempted to cover himself up, so Steve frantically tries to share the sheet with him, as Eddie spots Mrs Kensington and blows her a kiss, "Jesus Christ, Eddie! Cover up! She can see right in here."

"First of all, how good can her eyes be? Secondly, it's our window. She shouldn't be looking in here…" Eddie continues to reason the many ways this is not their fault, and instead, it's Steve's neighbours that are little perverts, but his brain has picked up part of what Eddie said and put it in a protective glass case in Steve's mind museum.

"Our window?" Steve interrupts gently.

"Yeah, our window, that's what I said. They shouldn't be looking in here," Eddie tries to continue before sighing and looking at him. "You haven't been listening to me, have you?"

"Not much after you said, our window, to be honest," Steve says softly, wrapping Eddie tighter in their shared sheet, pulling him towards him. He can see Eddie, whilst not unappreciative, is also confused for a few seconds, and he's trying to figure it out, and then he realises, and the faintest pink blush hits his jaw.

"Oh, sorry. It just kinda fell out of my mouth. I mean your window," Eddie corrects, but Steve shakes his head.

'Nope, No way. I will not sign off on that retcon. It's our window now. If you want, that could be our bed, and back there our closet. Our bathroom, our mirror, our TV, our love seat." Steve looks deeply into Eddie's eyes, "If you wanted that, that is?" Eddie scans Steve's face, and no reply comes, "but obviously no pressure at all." Steve quickly backs off as he tries to hide the excitement inside of him that is bubbling over.

"I mean, there would be a lot to figure out, but, shit, I'd really like that. I-I'd love that, babe," Eddie finally replies.

"You would?!" Steve checks with too much excitement and receives a dewy-eyed nod in confirmation. "Oh, well, in that case." Steve wrenches open the window again, "These are your neighbours too, now. It's only fair they get to hear how loud you can be, right?" Eddie's eyes widen, and Steve scoops him up in the sheet and pretty much body-slams him back into bed.

"Who are you? And what have you done with friendly neighbourhood Steve Harrington?!" Eddie laughs.

"Last I heard, some charismatic cult leader got their dragon claws into him, and he hasn't been the same since," Steve smiles hugely, caging Eddie in his arms. "Took out more than double his hit points, an insta-kill!" Steve adds, hovering over Eddie in their sheet tangle, diving down for a kiss before pushing up with his arms to pull away to look down at this beautiful creature, satanic or otherwise. It didn't really matter.

Eddie lets out an excitable growl and grabs hold of the sheet behind Steve to pull him in closer, "Gods be damned, Steve, this brisket is gonna be a shadow of itself, but you know I can't resist when you talk nerdy to me" Eddie adds before he's cut off with another kiss from Steve.

“Have I found the weakness of stone-cold heavy metal legend Eddie Munson? Nerdy talk? How did you get through your days surrounded by geeks, huh? Must have been a boner minefield,” Steve whispers, brushing his nose against Eddies, still in total disbelief that any of this was his life now, or at least had the potential to be. They had to work out a few other things with Jenny and the kids, but he pushes that to the side for now, focusing on the angel beneath him.

“Ok, first of all, ew! Images of the geeks I hung out with at school, or the games store have no place in my brain right now. Bad, Steve!” He attempts to reprimand Steve, but his voice is far too gentle, and his eyelids droop as he gazes into his eyes. Soon he is wiggling his arms free of the sheet and caressing Steve’s back tenderly, “And, well, it only works when a jock does it. A specific jock. ‘Bout time you caught up, though.” Eddie laughs softly, pulling Steve in tighter with the sheet, and leaning up for another kiss, but Steve pulls away playfully.

“Caught up? I’m in the lead,” Steve mutters, pouting his lips out so they almost brush Eddie’s, and his hooded eyes trail over his beautiful face. Fuck, you’re the luckiest and, at the same time, the most sorry-whipped guy in the universe, Steve Harrington. He finally makes eye contact with Eddie again, only to see his eyes roll.

“You are not in the lead, no matter how cute you are trying to be about it,” Eddie replies, unable to stop his eyes dropping to stare at Steve's mouth. Steve moves his arms further up the mattress so his hands dip into Eddie’s hair earning him an appreciative moan from his beau.

“I think you’re wrong about that,” he says quietly, “I’m in the lead. Nerdy shit, Metal, your hair, when I jump to your defence and when hold you just right. I’m miles ahead of you, Eddie. You’re still in the starting blocks,” Steve laughs gently as Eddie raises an eyebrow.

“Is that so? Hmmm,” Eddie teases. “Believe me when I say. I have many of your weaknesses tucked away, Sweetheart. I just don't use them all because it's not fair.”

“Not fair, how?” Steve says, confused, frowning and pouting a little at this revelation. Eddie leans up and kisses between his furrowed brows to relax them again.

“Holy hell, you’re cute. You know that?” Eddie sighs against Steve’s chest and blinks himself back into the subject at hand, “It's not fair because you don’t remember, and at the time, I really shouldn't have been logging these things. I should have just been being your friend. Can you forgive me for wanting to be your everything?” Eddie presses his soft lips to the side of Steve’s neck, making him see stars. “Can you forgive me for building a toolkit of what I imagined were all the things I needed to make you fall in love with me, even though I knew it was impossible?” Eddie mutters against his throat, and all Steve can do is close his eyes in bliss and attempt to concentrate on remaining propped up on his arms so that he doesn't fall entirely onto Eddie. Finally, Steve clears his throat and opens his eyes slowly with a quick breath.

“Now, that doesn't count. You said you had a whole bunch from before,” Steve tries to protest as Eddie stops mid-nuzzle against his neck.

“Oh, you want the big guns, do you?” Eddie grins, grabs hold of Steve, and turns them to the side. Steve can’t help his smile, and a trickle of giggles escapes his mouth. Eddie goes to speak, and Steve quickly puts a finger to his lips.

“With the backstory? Please?” Steve asks in an overly soft tone of pleading. Eddie crosses his eyes and bites his bottom lip, making Steve laugh.

“Can I get my turn? Backstory? Seriously!” Eddie shakes his head. “Jesus Christ, I’m beginning to feel glad this didn’t happen sooner. Limited-experience Eddie would definitely have struggled to survive a newly converted King Steve.”

“Get on with it!” Steve playfully pokes at him.

“Oh! Stefano! Never rush the storyteller! Rule numero uno!” Eddie says wide-eyed before narrowing his eyes and biting his lip, “How about a re-enactment?” Steve nods excitedly in agreement, hoping that he’ll gain another memory. “Ok, but it does mean you're gonna have to turn away from me” Eddie points over Steve’s shoulder to the wall behind him, making Steve’s eyebrows raise in disappointed surprise, “Trust me, it's only for a moment” Eddie reassures him, and Steve rolls to face the wall. He half expects Eddie to snuggle up behind him, but it doesn't happen. Eddie hasn't moved from lying face up on the bed.

“So backstory. You had come over to ours as usual, but it was clear to me you had been really upset about something, but, well, I wasn't sure if I should pry, considering you’d just been at home and I knew you're parents were back. I figured they’d upset you somehow. Anyway, I got you a beer, and we shared a few joints on my bed, nothing out of the ordinary until you rolled away. Then you opened up like a little clam, ever such a tiny amount. You said when you got home, your Dad had been drinking and was arguing with your Mom. Being who you are, I knew you’d stepped in to defend her and caught the sharp end of your Dad’s temper. You didn't tell me what he said. You just said he’d smashed one of your favourite records. I knew that a smashed record wouldn't have been enough for someone like you to get upset, and it wasn't the first time your Dad had been a drunk asshole, but it's all I had to go on. So I asked you what record it was. You told me it was Bryan Adams” Steve tries to remember what it might be but can't capture it. He twists his fingers in the sheet pooled in front of him. He definitely remembers his Dad being an asshole, but it was such the norm that Steve had trouble separating one occurrence from another. He expects Eddie probably did something sweet, like got him a replacement or offered him his own copy. Then, Steve hears Eddie clear his throat.

Oh, once in your life you find someone

Who will turn your world around

Bring you up when you're feelin' down

Eddie sings out quietly, the raspiness in his voice imitating the singer like it was an impression, and suddenly the wall in front of Steve changes, and it's dark now. The pillow he is on isn't as fluffy, and he’s curled up on Eddie’s old bed. He can see the guitar hanging there and the hazy smoke drifting lazily through the moonlight.

Yeah, nothin' could change what you mean to me

Oh, there's lots that I could say

But just hold me now

'Cause our love will light the way

Steve smiles as Eddie’s singing gets more enthusiastic and louder, and he hears himself laugh, and he expects that might have shut Eddie down back then, but as soon as he thinks that. 1986 Eddie has vaulted off the bed over him, stumbling to the floor. Steve gets up to help him, but Eddie is already dusting off his Batman Pajama bottoms. He picks up his hairbrush from the mirror and yells out the chorus, complete with eyes screwed up tight and air grabs.

And, baby, you're all that I want

When you're lyin' here in my arms

I'm findin' it hard to believe

We're in heaven

Then Steve hears something else, “BOY! IF YOU DON'T PIPE DOWN THIS GODDAMN INSTANT,” Its Wayne yelling from the bedroom across the hall of the new trailer. Eddie throws open his bedroom door and sings even louder and more dramatically.

Yeah, love is all that I need

And I found it there in your heart

It isn't too hard to see

We're in heaven.

Eddie's face quickly changes from imitating an 80’s rockstar to one of a kid about to get in serious trouble, but he has a massive grin on his face as he dives over Steve to hide behind him. Steve looks to his side, and he can see Eddie’s ringed hand holding onto his arm and his mischievous eyes peering over him, using Steve as a wall of defence against the incoming storm Wayne. And it does arrive, but as he steps into the room, he looks at them both, nods “Steve.” and then points a finger at Eddie. “Keep it down, you hear me?” he says seriously but much more gently. Steve feels Eddie nod against his side, and Wayne leaves, closing the door gently behind him. Then he reaches for Eddie’s hand.

“Thanks, man. That was pretty funny,” Steve says quietly with a laugh. Eddie shrugs.

“It was the only one I knew by him, if you’re, er, wondering about the weird choice. I don’t even know all the words” Eddie scratches at the back of his neck and then disappears behind him again, leaving his hand under Steve’s. He rolls onto his back to join Eddie, looking up at the ceiling, carefully placing their hands between them.

“I can, uh, help you with the rest if you wanna sing some more? Just you know quietly so we don't disturb Wayne,” Steve offers nervously. He can feel his heart thundering in his chest but can hear his thoughts too. Eddie’s just being kind, don't make this weird. He was just trying to cheer you up. You’d do the same for Robin.

“Sure” He can hear the smile in Eddie’s younger voice, “What's the next line?”

He feels a pinch on his side, and suddenly the ceiling is his own.

“Hey, mister, you can’t go for that long. Even if I do look super cute in there.” Eddie says, almost sounding a little jealous of his past self.

“Sorry about that. It's just exciting to get all this new stuff. Well, old stuff back.” Steve defends bashfully, turning to Eddie.

“It was a lie, by the way,” Eddie utters delicately.

“What was?” Steve worries that somehow Eddie had made this all up, and maybe what he recalled didn't happen at all.

“You think with my sense of humour and love for playing guitar, I didn’t know Summer of ‘69? Pu-lease! Not that past-Eddie hadn't noticed him in your collection and studied that album at length. I knew all the lyrics too. I’d been practising them when you weren't around” He rolls his eyes, “In fantasy land, I was gonna serenade you with my guitar when you finally realised that out of everyone in the world, mansion-dwelling Steve Harrington was gonna settle for little trailer-trash Eddie Munson.” He laughs, “God, I was a piece of work back then.”

“Well, he wasn't wrong, was he?” Steve turns on his side to face Eddie and reaches out to guide his eyes to his own. “You’re not wrong either, though.”

“What do you mean?” Eddie smiles as he moves onto his side and shuffles against the bedding to be closer to Steve.

“Mansion-dwelling Steve Harrington did very much want little trailer….dwelling Eddie Munson” Steve corrects, holding Eddie's face in his hands, “And you were right, because you singing to me like that is definitely working for me, baby” Eddies eyebrows flash, and an excitable smile appears on his face. “Also, I lied too,” Steve barely says, leaning in for a kiss.

“Whaddyamean?” Eddie's words are muffled against Steve’s lips, and Steve returns a tiny whisper of a laugh to Eddie’s before moving back the smallest amount.

“My Dad didn't break that record. He was probably being an asshole, though. I just wanted to hear your voice sing something sweet for me, and I didn't know how to ask for that without it being weird. I knew how kind a heart you had, and I thought the chances were slim, but I must have been so low I went for it, and you came through like you always do,” Steve says fondly, searching Eddie’s blinking bambi eyes. “With that said…Wanna make some noise?” Steve asks, trying to hold back his own laugh at his corny line. Eddie nods enthusiastically.

“Bur-a-rum”, Steve mutters next to Eddie’s ear, only to find himself clasped firmly by the shoulders and Eddie looking at him wide-eyed.

“Steve, did you just try and speak Entish to me?” Eddie asks interrogatively.

“See, I do listen”, Steve smiles mischievously.

“Ok, well, just so you know, that is a noise of disgust.” Eddie informs, but before Steve can pout about getting it wrong, his chin is scooped up between Eddie’s thumb and forefinger, “But that does not negate the effort, of the nerdiness of what you just did. I. Very. Much. Appreciate. It” he punctuates his words with kisses around Steve’s face, as he tangles him back up in the covers with him.

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Much to their surprise, the brisket survived, and Eddie was absolutely correct. They were both starving, and it was a taste sensation. They didn't even carve the thing, just tore it apart in front of the TV. Both of them in actual shorts this time, in case Steve forgot another appointment, are sitting on seat cushions pulled to the floor. Eddie sat between Steve's legs whenever he tore off a piece splitting it in two and offering the other part over his shoulder to Steve. And whenever Steve stretched forward, Eddie would kiss his cheek quickly. Then once he leaned back and finished chewing, Steve would put a kiss on the back of Eddie's neck, where he'd already parted the hair, just for that purpose.

"You know, I was thinking about what you said earlier, and I just want to make sure I understand. You were asking me to stay longer than this week, right?" Eddie asks, and Steve can hear the cautiousness in his voice. Steve squeezes him reassuringly with his thighs.

"Yeah, Uh-huh, that is precisely what I meant," Steve answers confidently with no hesitation.

"But what about when the kids are here? I’m still kinda new to them, and will Jenny be ok with some stranger living with her kids?" Eddie asks again with that hint of worry.

"Hey, don’t worry. Here are my thoughts, ok?” Steve squeezes Eddie’s sides gently with his legs again. “How about this? You live in our home with me when the kids aren't here. When the kids are here, you can stay in a guest room or your RV if you want, ok? For however long you want. Until you and the kids are cool with you living here. Meanwhile, you can come with me to meet Jenny and Val. You can get to know them, and I just know they'll love you, babe. Jenny might be a bit prickly initially, but that isn't personal. She's just a mama and cares about me because we’re family." Steve leans forward, puts his arms around Eddie and rests on his shoulder, "It would be wonderful if, when everyone was comfortable with it, we added you to that concept too. Family." Steve knows maybe he's saying too much, thinking too far ahead, but this wasn't some stranger he'd met a few weeks ago. It was Eddie. His Eddie, and if there was anything he'd learned the past few days, it was this. No matter the layers that the last fifteen years had tried to bury him under, Steve's Eddie is still there, and what he knows about the Eddie he has now is also amazing. Sure, there were some bad spots for him over the last fifteen years, but that isn't who he is now, and the reason for him being that way is gone too.

There is a pause, and Steve feels Eddie's chest rise and fall quickly. It's not until a little droplet hits his arm Steve realises that Eddie is crying because he's doing it entirely silently. Steve closes his eyes almost to hide from the pain of realisation of why anyone would have developed a silent cry in the first place. So someone at some point couldn't hear them. He squeezes Eddie as tightly as he can with his whole body, "I got you," Steve whispers, "Like I said, not until you want it, ok, not until you're ready, even if that's never. Even if you only wanna be with me when the kids aren't here, and you wanna still have your slice of freedom. No matter the arrangements or weird convoluted plans, I'm not going to give us up unless you tell me it's over. So you're safe to be yourself. I adore you." Steve tries to comfort Eddie with his words too.

They sit like that in silence for a little while longer until Steve feels Eddie's body calm in his arms. Then through sniffles and sharp intakes of breath, Eddie manages, "A-and-and W-Wayne?" Steve doesn't remember hearing Eddie stutter this badly before. Then, in a repetitive, soothing motion, he gently rubs Eddie’s arms to try and help calm him down a little more.

"Of course, and Wayne, Jack and Morgan, Gareth and Annie, and all those huge lumberjack siblings of hers. A small frog you befriend on your way home. Whatever you come with, Eddie. As long as it doesn't endanger my kids, I don't care, and I know you would never do that" Steve smiles against Eddie's hair as he envelops him back in his arms again.

"N-never," Eddie repeats, taking a deep breath and quickly wrapping his own arms over Steve's, holding on tightly. "I-I-I," Eddie grunts in frustration, and Steve guesses it must be because of the stuttering. Eddie loves words, and Steve imagines maybe this was why. A little boy with a stutter, overcoming it and using that power to talk about anything and everything. All the way until storytelling and performance become an integral part of who he is as a person.

He hears Eddie take another deep breath, "I'd like to stay." he manages and takes yet another deep breath, "When the k-kids are here, I-I-I," another frustrated sound before another round of deep breaths, "ssssstay in the RV. Un-until they're ok with it" another pause, and Steve can hear Eddie trying to form some words, but they aren't coming out. Finally, he huffs, breaks free of Steve, pushing his arms away, gets up suddenly and storms out of the living room, and Steve hears the front door slam open.

"Eddie!!" Steve yells after him. His heart is pounding. He said he wasn't going to run, but now Steve has pushed him too far too quickly, and he's just bolted. Steve's legs feel like they've filled with the weighted lead of absolute fear as he gets up to chase after him, but before he even gets to his feet, the front door slams again, and a furious-looking Eddie is back storming towards the Hi-Fi clutching a CD in his hands.

"Eddie, what the hell is going on?! Jesus Christ! I thought you'd gone," Steve exclaims with a sigh of relief, sinking back to the cushion on the floor, looking at a hunched-over Eddie who is hitting the buttons so hard Steve can hear him doing it. A song starts playing, and Eddie stomps over to a bewildered Steve. His nose is still scrunched up in frustration as he sits on Steve's thighs, his eyes ringed red from crying, and he captures Steve's face in his hands, clutching at it a little too hard, but Steve doesn't care about that, he's still relieved that Eddie didn't run away. Steve opens his mouth to apologise, but Eddie puts his finger against Steve's lips and forces him to look at the Hi-Fi. Steve doesn't know what's going on, so he just takes it as Eddie wants him to listen to the song, so he does.

I got to tell you what I'm feeling inside,

I could lie to myself, but it's true.

There's no denying when I look in your eyes,

Girl, I'm out of my head over you.

I lived so long believin' all love is blind

But everything about you is tellin' me this time

It's forever,

this time I know, and there's no doubt in my mind

Forever,

until my life is through,

Girl, I'll be loving you forever

Steve feels Eddie's grip finally loose on his face, and he takes the opportunity to turn to look at him. Eddie is frantically looking at Steve for understanding. Steve's mind is a whirl, he doesn't know quite what to say, and he sees Eddie's shoulders sink in defeat as he hangs his head to start to turn away. Steve grabs Eddie's shoulder and lets the words fall out, without a quality control check, "I hear you. I mean, I heard you. What the guy is singing, right?" Steve sputters and hopes to God he's right that this wasn't a set of lyrics he's misinterpreted, but when Eddie's eyes meet his again, he's sure it's what they're saying, "You love me? Forever, right? Like he was singi-" Steve tries again, he probably should be more embarrassed about the desperation in his voice, but he isn't going to let this just pass him by. He wanted to be right so badly. However, the only answer he gets is Eddie diving in for a kiss, his tattooed arms thrown entirely around Steve's neck, and once the initial surprise is over, Steve wraps him up in his arms again, dipping him back into a deeper one. Steve takes the action as a yes, and his heart beats fiercely in his chest, afraid and eager simultaneously. His head swims with possibilities again. He loved this man so much, maybe too much and never enough all at once. He raises his knees and squeezes his arms to pull Eddie in as close as he possibly can. Physically wanting him to know that Steve would always keep him safe from harm of any kind. Forever. "I love you," Steve whispers against his mouth before kissing him again.

He hoists Eddie to his feet with him, leading him in a slow dance around the living room to the remainder of the song, with huge smiles on their faces. Steve holds him close, then twirls him around some until Eddie lets out a small laugh.

"I thought when you said you needed time, it would be longer than a couple of hours," Steve playfully teases Eddie, "But I suppose maybe something completely mind-blowing might have happened in those few hours to change that, maybe?" Steve mischievously tries to coax Eddie back out of his non-verbal state.

Eddie hits him on the upper arm with a light tap, "Again with this Ego", Eddie laughs, and Steve is relieved to hear him talk again. He’d never seen that happen to Eddie before, or at least he can’t ever recall that happening, but rather than dwell on it, Steve opts to continue easing Eddie back to normal.

"You love it," Steve says with a wink as he gently sways him to the music.

Eddie pulls a face that looks like he wants to be annoyed but is too amused, "How I wish you were wrong about that, babe. I feel like I've roused up a monster from hibernation."

"A monster, huh? No one's called it that before," Steve says with a smirk.

Another arm tap, "That is not what I meant! And you know it!" Eddie laughs that light dusting of pink across his cheeks appears.

"Oh, how's it feel to have the tables turned on you, sweetheart?" Steve says in his best Eddie impersonation.

"Ok, now that's weird. Stop that immediately!" Eddie laughs and takes a deep breath looking into Steve's eyes, "I guess….I was confused because I didn't feel worthy. You said what you said, and I absolutely wanted to say it right back, but then I thought, Christ, maybe he's just all caught up in this, and he's not thinking about what I've done, you know? So I guess I didn't need time. I just needed courage, and then when I finally got the courage, I was so overwhelmed I couldn't even speak. Overwhelmed with good things, I mean. You're just so good to me." He says, leaning against him as Steve gently sways them around the room.

"Worthy? No, honey. If anything, you're the prize here. Smart, funny, beautiful, kind, and smoking fucking hot, by the way. Just ask our neighbours. Two of them would agree and might be plotting my assassination as we speak! Maybe more now?" Steve pouts out his bottom lip and shrugs.

"Ok, ok. We could fight this out all day. So let's call it even, shall we, Mr Most Eligible Divorcée? '' Eddie laughs.

"No way. Consider me Mr Most Ineligible, absolutely obsessed with his future husband," Steve smiles at his own joke. Half-joke. Not a joke at all.

"You know people are gonna think we're insane, right?" Eddie says against his chest, "We went on our first date Sunday night, it's now Wednesday, and we're moving in together."

"Let them!" Steve frowns as he protectively holds Eddie closer. "Let them think what they want. My whole existence has been doing things to fit into boxes, so I can get by in life. The few times I went off track, life was tough, but I made it. My little family made it in our own unusual way." He thinks for a second, "And, you know, maybe I'm tired of exhausting myself over what other people think when I'm often wrong about it. It's just that old mentality from my parents and their circles. I've been wrong about it twice today already. Monty loved ogling you in your underwear, and the one person I know who heard us earlier gave me a thumbs up. Maybe the only opinions that should matter are those of the people I love and those who actually make an effort to be in my life because they are the people I need. They keep me going every day." He presses his hand against Eddie's cheek and he looks at him. "Like that book said. The people that mind don't matter, and the people that matter don't mind. Even if they are right, and we are crazy," Steve smiles with a sigh. "So…just so I'm not running away with my own thoughts here, could you tell me what you wanna do regarding this," Steve gestures around them and then between them, "about us. Even if it's just like a brainstorming stage. I'm just very conscious I've been blabbing on for a while now" He laughs a little and guides Eddie back to the floor cushions, but this time they face one another cross-legged and hold hands.

Eddie beams at him, "Ok, well, I'm gonna try my best."

"Hey listen, you need to take a break or anything l, just say ok, or if you can't say, we'll get a signal like….um….I don't know….um… tap your bats. I'll always be able to see that, right? Or whatever you think is easiest."

"That sounds ok, sure" Eddie takes one pair of their held hands and taps them on his arm to check, "Yeah, that'll do for now" He smiles and takes a huge deep breath as if preparing himself to speak quickly "So, in case it wasn't abundantly clear. I am absolutely, totally, stupidly in love with you. I never want to leave you for longer than I have to. I wanna stay here with you. I want you to tour the country with me. I wanna be part of your family. I want all of you as part of mine." He smiles at Steve and laughs, "I want a lot of things…sorry…I must sound crazy. I feel crazy. This is crazy right?" His vast smile erupts with the most heavenly laugh Steve has ever heard as Eddie shakes them from side to side in excitement.

Steve squeezes Eddie's hands tightly in his own, "Maybe? I don't know. One person's crazy could be our normal, though, right? We could do all those things." Steve's eyes shoot down to Eddie's arm to see if he reaches for it, but he does not move their hands.

"Yeah, we could," Eddie says softly, with a sweet happy smile on his face, "We could definitely try" Steve's eyes move cautiously back up to Eddie's, and Steve nods in agreement. This. Is. Happening. He still can't quite believe it, and his brain quickly flicks back to that thought from earlier. Eddie pacing this living room, a babe in his arms, and he's singing, cooing, and then he looks up at Steve with that huge grin. Then it flicks to watching Eddie being walked down an aisle by Wayne. Then it's rolling over in his bed to a mass of curls, and he feels the tears prick his eyes but tries to blink them away quickly. He reaches forward, touches Eddie's bat tattoo with their joined hands, making Eddie laugh, and pulls him in for a hug. "Holy shit, Steve. This is wild." Eddie mutters into his hair as he holds Steve against his chest. "I think we should call someone. Make a royal proclamation," Eddie says grandly, flourishing his hand in the air. Clearly, overcoming an emotional blockage injects Eddie with pure fuel. What did the kids used to say? Something like he was revved up. Eddie gets to his feet, yanks Steve to the kitchen table, and starts looking at his cell phone.

He taps the number into the conference telephone and puts his finger to his lips at Steve as the phone rings and a familiar voice rings out.

"STEVE?!! HOW THE DEVIL ARE YOU?" Dustin yells down the phone.

"No, it's not Steve," Eddie says seriously, hiding his silent laughter behind his hand.

"Whaaaaaat the fuuuuuck?" there is a little rustle over the line, which must be Dustin rechecking the caller's name on his phone, "Eddie?"

"Yes, it's me, you little shit," Eddie scolds, desperately trying not to laugh. "I notice you haven't even bothered asking how I am, not like your precious Harrington, huh?" Eddie pretends to be insulted.

"But wait…what the hell…hang on! Hang on! How are you calling me but my phone says Steve."

"Oh my god, it's like I don't even fucking exist. Steve, Steve, Steve. I don't know why your phone is being a dick. You know what, man. Forget it. I'll call you back when you've stopped daydreaming about Harrington. Urgh" Eddie ends the call and bursts out laughing. Steve looks wide-eyed at him. "Look, that kid cannot resist a mystery. He'll call back shortly, guaranteed!" And as the words leave his mouth, the conference phone rings. Eddie gestures for Steve to answer.

"Yello, Harrington residence!"

"Steve?"

"Henderson!! How are you?" Steve says enthusiastically, shrugging at Eddie, who is indicating with his hands for Steve to continue.

"Fine now, I think. The weirdest shit just happened," Dustin says, taking a breath.

"Can I go back to planning my campaign now? Or do I have to babysit your phone calls some more?" A familiar voice chides Dustin.

Steve and Eddie turn to one another with wide eyes and open mouths.

"Erica?!" Steve blurts out in surprise.

"I told you to keep your voice down! Now Steve knows everyone will know," Dustin complains.

"Oh, thanks a lot!" Steve huffs.

"What do you mean? Everyone already knows! Because my brother can't keep his stupid mouth shut, and you stupidly told him at Christmas after too much of Joyce's eggnog," Erica states

"I'm not gonna keep us a secret from my best friend, your brother. That's just deceitful. I would never do that. It's family." Dustin raises his voice, and Steve can almost hear the hand gestures.

"You keep talking to me like that. You're gonna have something else to tell everyone when I leave you all alone by your nerdy ass self!" Erica snaps back

"Erica, no, come on. I didn't mean it like that." Steve hears Dustin's voice trail away from the phone. Eddie is leaning over the conference phone, staring at it, and desperately waiting for the next part of his real-life soap opera. "You know, I just get passionate about stuff sometimes, and I was freaking out because of the whole Eddie thing. I haven't heard from him in years. Come on, Sprinkles, I'm sorry, please!"

"Fine, but you're on thin ice, Dustin, thin goddamn ice! And you're taking me out for dinner in….twenty minutes as an apology, so finish up with Captain Hairspray" Eddie looks at a gobsmacked Steve and slaps his hands over his mouth to contain his giggles.

There is a scramble for the phone, "Ok, so you know that now" and a little awkward laugh from Dustin. "Hope you didn't mind, just something weird happened earlier. Anyway, how are things with you? How are the kids?"

"Oh, the kids are great, and I'm doing really great, too, actually," Steve says, flashing Eddie a knowing smile.

"Haha! No way!! I hear it in your voice, buddy! Seems like we're both doing great in that department, huh?" Dustin enthuses with a sweet laugh.

"Yeah, really great, they're around here somewhere if you wanna meet, well speak to them?"

"Oh my god, is it serious, Steve? Is it like big-time serious relationship stuff? Oh my god! Oh my fucking god!! Yes, I gotta meet them."

"Why are you cursing so loud? You want the neighbours to complain again, hmm?" Erica complains.

"No honey suckle, no. Steve's found someone. It's serious, isn't that great?"

"Ohhh, now it makes sense…wait, you don't get it do you? Seriously?! Oh my god, why am I even dating you? I know they call you a genius at work, but as far as I can see, you're still at least fifty per cent dumbass. But, Steve, I'm happy for you both, and you still owe me ice cream!"

"What do you mean? Wait, come back here. What do you mean I don't get it?!" Dustin calls after her.

"Eighteen minutes, Dustin." She reminds him.

"Wow. Erica, huh? What happened to Suzie?"

"Yeah, that ran its course. We branched out into different scientific fields. And Erica…phew…well, she keeps me on my toes…let's say that. However, Steve, as you can hear, I've dug myself into the dog house here. I'll call you back later. It's great to speak to you. Love you, man."

"Um, love you too," and the line clicks off.

"Well, so much for that one. How about we call Wayne, huh?" Eddie asks.

"Yeah, let's see what the old timer is up to" Steve smiles, but something is swirling in his stomach. A nervousness.

Eddie taps in the number.

"Yep?" A gruff voice answers.

Eddie widens his eyes at Steve and nods towards the speaker.

"Uh…hi…hello Mr Munson it's…"

"Sunshine?!" Wayne enthusiastically asks, and that's when Steve nearly falls apart entirely. He always had that rough texture to his voice, but the way his age has crept around it, adding wear and tear, makes him sound a little more frail than tough but still that tender Wayne Munson from 1986. Steve's hand reaches out and grabs onto Eddie’s shoulder.

"Yeah, it's me, Steve," He manages to reply with a massive smile, a rogue tear spilling from his eye because Wayne remembered him, and Eddie gives his hand a squeeze and a big reassuring smile.

"Everythin' ok, Sunny? It's not the boy is it?" He says, and Steve can hear him groan, getting out of his chair and reaching for his keys.

"No, I'm good, Uncle Wayne. We're good. Everything's ok" Eddie takes over, and Steve hears the keys hit a surface and a soft thud, which must be Wayne flopping back into his chair.

"Better than ok I'd wager if you're callin' me together?" There is another voice in the background, and then he hears Wayne yell back, "It's Eddie…yeah, he's fine…I'll ask him about those Broadway tickets, sugar, but I think they'll be all sold out."

"He thinks it's years ago. He thinks I'm still in New York," Eddie whispers to Steve.

"Sorry 'bout that. Jack doesn't like feelin' left out. Anyhoo, were you callin' just to say Hi?"

"Well yeah, kinda, but er, I guess, this is as good a time as any…I've got intentions for your nephew, sir." Steve says, flashing a charming smile at Eddie, who shies away a little like he's blushing.

"Oh?" Wayne says in surprise.

"Yeah, I thought, as Eddie wanted to call, I may as well ask you now. Do I have your blessing?" A genuine nervousness descends onto Steve. Wayne was a nice guy, but Eddie was basically his son, and if he said no, that could be a huge problem.

Wayne cackles loudly down the phone, "Hoooo boy, you're gonna try an' make an honest man outta Eddie?" Wayne erupts with laughter again, "You have my blessing, sure, but also my deepest sympathy."

"Oooh, you old goat, I swear you're lucky I'm in such a good mood!" Eddie tries to be annoyed but ends up laughing anyway.

"How long do I have to get a new suit?" Wayne chuckles

"Oh, the actual event won't be for some time, I imagine," Steve says with a laugh of pure relief.

"Just consider that and the paperwork formalities we'll address much later," Eddie adds.

"Well, sounds like you got it all covered. You boys are always welcome here, and your little 'uns Sunshine. Eddie said they're just like ya. Bet that makes you mighty proud," Steve chews on his bottom lip to stop bursting into tears. Eddie shifts his chair around, drapes an arm around him, and Steve’s hand smooths along his back and grips onto the back of Eddie’s neck, "Do they know?" Wayne asks.

Steve sniffs, "Oh yeah, they knew before us, I think. They've definitely had their say on the matter, very smart and maybe a little on the sassy side too."

"Just like their old man," Wayne chuckles, and that pushes Steve over the edge, and he can't hold the tears back anymore, and Eddie cradles him into his chest and strokes his hair.

"Ok, well, we're gonna go, but I'll call you tomorrow, maybe sort out a visit?" Eddie covers quickly.

"Really?! Well, that'd be great. I'd need to get the guest room sorted, so give me a few days' warnin'." Wayne says excitedly.

"Hey, don't get doing yourself a mischief over chores. I'll help you when I get there, and anything else, call the cleaner and send me the bill. Otherwise, I will arrange a regular carer for you too!" Eddie threatens, and Steve would probably laugh if he wasn’t crying so hard. The only thing Eddie could threaten Wayne with was someone employed to take care of him.

"Well, alright then", Wayne reluctantly grumbles. "It was great to hear from you, Steve, don't be a stranger, ya hear? I'll speak to you tomorrow, Eddie. Love ya both" Steve tightens his grip on Eddie like he can't hold him hard enough.

"Love you too," they reply in unison. Steve mostly speaks his goodbye into Eddie's shoulder. Eddie ensures the phone call has ended properly and then turns his attention to Steve. Rocking him gently and rubbing circles on his upper back.

"Hey now, shh, shh, it's ok. You're ok, babe. Everything's ok" Eddie soothes until Steve releases his grip leaving little pink finger marks on Eddie's skin.

"Ah, shit. Sorry. I tried to keep it together," Steve says, turning away from Eddie, wiping his eyes and tries to get out of his chair, but Eddie gently pushes him back down into it and stands up.

"Tell me what you need. I wanna do it. What were you gonna do?" He says with a sigh, his face in a slight frown.

"It's ok, I can do it. I'm just being over dramatic" Steve tries to laugh it off and tries to stand up again. Eddie repeats the same motion.

"I didn't say you couldn't do it. I said I wanted to do it for you. So water?" Eddie gestures at the sink, and Steve nods. "You want ice in it?" Eddie asks, moving towards the refrigerator, but Steve shakes his head in a no. Eddie brings him the glass and puts a coaster underneath it before placing it in front of Steve, his eyes moving over Steve quickly, looking for clues, "You wanna talk about it?"

"It's not a big deal. I'm just not used to people, well, older people being proud of me" He shrugs a little, and Eddie softly closes his eyes in understanding for a second."I know that's dumb. I'm my own man, a parent myself. It's just when I'd visit, and sure, I don't remember a lot, but I do remember he showed me love, and I didn't even have to do anything to get it. I didn't need to be a star athlete, or-or earn a stupid jacket, or get straight A's or know what college I wanted to go to, or be a Wall Street success. And that's not because Wayne didn't care about what I was gonna do. It's because he would care about me the same whether I got those things or not."

"You listen to me. Anyone who can't see what a great man and Dad you are is just plain fucking stupid, ok? You don't need them. You've got the rest of us." He shuffles closer to Steve, "It took me a long time to realise that myself, but I got lucky. I got Wayne. That doesn't mean it doesn't still hurt sometimes. Like, why wasn't I enough for them? But the truth is nothing would ever be good enough for them because they just projected their failings and insecurities onto us. We can't marionette-fix problems that aren't ours. We have no context or instructions for them. Deep down, they don't like themselves very much, and when they couldn't stand to see what they'd done, they left us to rot, but we didn't, babe. We thrived. Call us weeds or flowers. We bloomed in those harsh conditions. We made it. We're happy. They're still miserable somewhere" Steve nods in agreement.

"You're right. I know you are. It just still stings sometimes when someone who knew me for a blip makes me feel better about myself than he ever did, but he's still my Dad, you know. My Mom is just, I dunno, she tries, but ultimately they're a package deal." Steve wipes the tears from his eyes again.

"I know, honey. I know that. I just don't want you to think for a second that it's your fault. It's not. It never was. It was all him." Eddie reassures him. "Besides, I mean, now you're basically my husband. I have to officially share the old goat with you, right? But not just all the nice bits. You can have his tantrums at technology, too," Eddie says, reeling back in his chair, making Steve laugh and giving him a small genuine smile. Eddie leans forward again and looks straight into Steve's eyes. "Look, anytime you wanna talk about something, or like you just did, show me you need me, do it. I'm not great at always picking up on things. You, Morgan and Wayne, are the people I'm best at, but sometimes I still get it wrong. Sometimes I might miss things, but regardless, I'm gonna be right here. You don't need to apologise for getting upset. You're a human being, and you aren't on your own anymore, babe. Let me help. Tap my bats" He pulls Steve's hand to his arm.

Eddie kisses the back of each of his hands. He takes a deep breath. "I love you. You are mine, and I don't know if you remember how precious I can be about my stuff, man, but Wayne will tell ya, I don't play nice with people that mess with my prized possessions. Also, I've been watching violent movies since I was about five, and all the bullying makes me quite resilient to taking a punch, and I could probably talk a person into a coma. So I got all that covered, sweetheart. Not saying anyone else didn't do a good job at looking after you. I'm sure they did. But the fact remains they aren't gonna do as good a job as me."

Steve looks at the man opposite him, and maybe for the first time in his adult life, he trusts someone can take care of him. Perhaps he could let go sometimes, and Eddie could catch him. Hand trembling, he reaches over and taps Eddie's bat tattoo, and he feels a breath shudder out of him as he releases control, and Eddie gives a small smile. "Drink your water, sweetheart. I'll be right back."

Eddie leaves him for a few minutes, but Steve notices he's humming, and the further away he gets, the louder he hums or sings. Steve can hear things moving around, the front door opening and closing, and usually, he'd jump to see what was happening, but he just leans back on the kitchen chair and lets it happen.

Eddie returns and rubs his shoulders gently, "Alright, sweetheart. You ready?" He asks softly, and once Steve nods, Eddie takes his hand and walks him into the living room. Steve looks around and gasps.

The living room is in darkness, the blinds and curtains are all closed, and occasional slivers of light try to break through the gaps, but it is minimal and probably wouldn't be around for long. Steve can see the DVD menu for The Breakfast Club on the TV. Near the coffee table is a cooler of beers and sodas, a selection of snacks in bowls around the table, and some interesting-looking rolled cigarettes, which probably were not cigarettes at all, Steve guesses. Out of the sofa cushions, Eddie has constructed a high-walled nest over where they sat earlier. It's full of blankets and pillows from Eddie's RV.

"Everything, ok? If you don't like anything, just say ok. Priority is making you feel better, not worse, by stressing you out, alright?" Eddie asks, placing his hand on Steve's lower back and guiding him around.

"Yeah," Steve says quietly, looking into Eddie's soft sparkling eyes, "Perfect", he adds with a half-smile.

Steve goes to sit as they were earlier, and Eddie tuts, "No, nope. Scooch yourself forward there, honey." Steve does as asked and immediately finds himself draped in a soft, technicolour crochet blanket, and Eddie sits behind him, his legs on either side of him. He presses play on the movie. With the cushions stacked around them like sandbag walls, Steve feels like he sheds something, and though he feels vulnerable, he feels protected. He lets his whole weight fall back against Eddie, who immediately wraps his arms around him and kisses his temple.

Steve smiles to himself. He knows this place won’t last long. It was entirely too warm, but it felt so good.

"That's it, Sweetheart." Eddie runs one hand through Steve's hair and the other he keeps around his chest, pulling him close, keeping Steve completely enveloped. He should feel more on edge without his usual defences. His armour. The armour that is ready at a moment's notice because he's never without it. The set that helps keep everyone safe, but Steve has to shoulder the weight of it, and he's been wearing it for so long parts are so tough and rigid it can be uncomfortable. Causing unseen scars to wear their way into his very being. But Steve feels safe in this entirely different set of armour. It is soft and pliable, yet solid and sure. It has no weight and comes with no burden, and it fits him perfectly like it was made just for him.

Because it was.

Because it's Eddie's love.

And sooner than he would like, he drifts off to sleep.

❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖

Sometime later, he's woken by the answering machine's loud click and whirling. Sitting up and rubbing his eyes, he turns to find a completely flaked-out Eddie against the sofa. Head slumped back and mouth wide open. He decides not to move too much in case he wakes him.

"Please leave your message after the tone."

BEEEEEEEP

Then Steve hears the most high-pitched scream, and Eddie jolts awake, bumping into the back of him but instinctively wrapping Steve in his arms.

"Wh- who the…wha was that?" He mutters as Steve is about to stand up when the scream stops, and a familiar voice is heard.

"Oh. My. God! I can't fucking believe it. Are you guys serious? Like for real, for real? We have to meet up, we have to now!! We should… yeah, we should throw a party…right? Oh my god. Oh my god. Incredible news." Dustin yells excitably.

Eddie checks his watch, "It's fucking 2 in the fucking AM!!" He says through gritted teeth, "Stay here, babe. I'll be right back," he says as softly as he can, gets up, stalks to the phone and picks up the handset this time. "Listen here, you little shrimp!" He starts angrily, then silence. Steve, groggy and with eyes barely open, can’t help but peek around the cushion fort. "Well….thank you," Eddie says with a sweet bashful modesty, "Alright….yes! I'm aware," he says defensively, "Yeah, actually," he lets out a giggle and twirls the handset cord around his fingers, a big grin on his face, "Of course, I do....No, Dustin….Yes, of course, we were….Wow, didn't need that mental image….Yeah, I will….Uh-huh sure, tell ‘em, oh wait, little Wheeler is connected to Big Boss Wheeler, hold on….BABE? CAN DUSTIN TELL THE OTHER LITTLE SHRIMPS, OR DO YOU WANNA TELL ANYONE YOURSELF” Eddie yells, poking his head out of the kitchen. Steve waves him to continue. “No, you’re good….Yeah, man, love you too," he says sweetly. Then he clicks his fingers, "Oh, hold up, dude, I forgot something. DON'T CALL THIS HOUSE AT TWO FUCKING AM OR ANY SINGLE-DIGIT AM EVER AGAIN UNLESS IT IS A GODDAMN EMERGENCY!! GOODNIGHT!" he yells in his gremlin voice, slamming down the phone, jogs back to Steve, and just stands there looking at him for a while.

Steve rubs his eyes with a yawn, "He was just excited, honey. That's all" Steve raises his arms towards Eddie and waves him back towards the enclosure of soft furnishings.

"You know, sweetheart, you being so soft on those kids is precisely why he thought he could call you at 2am to explain he finally figured out we were together," Eddie says fondly, stepping slowly towards Steve.

"You love him too. I heard you." Steve smiles sleepily.

"Oh, so if you love him, he can just get away with whatever. Is that what you're saying, sweetheart?" Eddie asks with a smile.

"No, he was just excited, you know." Steve sleepily waves him over again, but Eddie raises a finger.

"Be right there, babe," he says before disappearing. Steve snuggles back up in his blanket and decides to fully lie down.

A few moments later, he hears rapidly quickening footsteps, and the cushion wall to one side of him explodes with a manically smiling Eddie. Thankfully the layer of cushions that fell on Steve first softened the landing of Eddie on top of him.

"Eddie! What the hell, man?" Steve says, looking up at the enormous crazy smile on Eddie's face as he fidgets until his legs pin down Steve’s arms, “What are you doing?” Steve laughs.

“Writing my memoirs, of course!” Eddie’s eyes flash with that crazy look. He cracks his knuckles and wiggles his fingers in the air before focusing intensely on Steve’s chest and starts tapping on it lightly with his fingers. “Dearest Reader,” Eddie begins wistfully before raising a hand to the side of Steve’s face. He gently strokes his cheek before administering a slight sharp tap to it. “DING!” He says daintily.

Steve laughs, rolling his eyes, “Ok, ok, I get it.”

“You are my typewriter. You don’t talk.” Another light tap to his face “DING!” Eddie grins. “Double line spacing, babe,” Eddie's fingers start tapping away again, “Today has been quite the rollercoaster, I must say, but never the less a pleasurable ride, for today my escort was non-other than The Hair!” Eddie taps Steve’s face again. “DING! Oh, you know what? I might make a little space here for an illustration….DING! DING! DING! DING! DING!” A rapid succession of light, playful taps to Steve’s face.

“I know what you're trying to do. I’m not going to get annoyed” Steve is suddenly a lot more awake and deliberately defiant, “This isn’t my first rodeo. I am a father of two, Eddie.”

Eddie puffs up his cheeks and scrunches his nose in annoyance. His eyes narrow as he looks at Steve. He licks his thumb and wipes it across Steve’s forehead, “Simbaaaaaaaa,” he says. The wet saliva in the cool night air that Steve cannot wipe from his face is kind of annoying, but he’s been through worse. He blinks confidently up at Eddie with a slight smile.

Eddie leans back a little, taps his chin thoughtfully, and seems to have a Eureka moment, “Ok, this is your last chance. Just admit that there are things that people you love can do that are simply unforgivable, Steve, and this doesn't have to happen” Sure of himself and a little mischievous to best Eddie, Steve shakes his head in a no. Eddie lets out a dramatic sigh, “Ok, I guess you’re right, and it is like two in the morning. You win, Steve,” and Eddie lies down flat on the cushions on Steve, releasing his arms. He rests his chin on the pillow on Steve’s chest, “Party pooper,” he pouts, and as Steve motions to console his sore loser boyfriend, quick as a flash, Eddie's hand goes to the side of Steve’s head. Suddenly Steve feels a slight pain, and Eddie cackles loudly, pulling his fingers into Steve’s eye line. In between his fingers is one grey hair. Steve loses all composure.

“Eddie! If you pluck those things out, two grow in their place!” Steve clutches at the side of his head, and Eddie springs to his feet quickly to get out of reach of Steve. “After what you just did, you think you can outrun me?” Steve huffs as he struggles out from underneath a pile of soft furnishings, but all it does is make Eddies smile wider, and his nostrils flare.

“I know I can outrun you!” he boasts.

“We’ll see about that, you little shit!” Steve says as he tears after Eddie at full speed. Eddie yelps and runs into the other reception room, creating a standoff around a small coffee table. Eddie laughs wildly and makes a beeline for a door to the garden, and Steve chases after him in the darkness, hot on his heels, but he’s always just out of arm's reach. Suddenly Eddie stumbles down the other side of the hill by the basketball court, and Steve’s heart is in his mouth with worry, but as the garden security light flashes on, he can see he’s back on his feet, and then suddenly something occurs to Steve. He stops a little way back from Eddie, “You won. I got annoyed. Why are we running?” Steve asks, catching his breath, almost laughing himself. Eddie shrugs, looking at the floor and then looks back up at Steve through his lashes and sways from side to side a little. “You wanted me to chase you, didn't you?” Steve realises and folds his arms whilst Eddie tries to put on his most innocent face.

“A jock got mad near me, so I ran. Sue me. Then I remembered he’s my angry jock.” Eddie says with his hands at the small of his back as he kicks at the floor, a small smile reappearing on his face. “And he’s pretty handsome, you know? Even if he will end up with two grey hairs tomorrow. I’ll still find him handsome. Well, probably,” Eddie adds mischievously, and Steve is already running at him. Another hilarious noise of panic leaves Eddie as he tries to make it back to the house, but Steve cuts him off, and he has to double back and go further around. Then, with an audible plink, the security light goes out, and the area is plunged into darkness again. Eddie rounds the corner, and Steve can see him illuminated by the pool lights but keeps to the shadows. Eddie stops and looks uncertainly around, “Steve?” He whispers, a little worried. Steve waits a few seconds, “Ok, very funny, Steve! You can come out now,” he says. Steve pauses for another second for Eddie to face him, then charges to tackle him, sending them both flying into the pool with an almighty splash.

Steve pulls Eddie to the surface, and he gasps for air, “There’s my little drowned rat, nerdy guy,” Steve laughs, “Gotcha!” he says, pulling Eddie close to him.

“Oh no!” Eddie puts the back of his hand to his head dramatically, “Whatever shall I do? I’ve been captured by a handsome man in his heated pool.”

“Well, you could start with an apology, maybe?” Steve suggests.

“Oh, that’s a shame. But, you know, I’m not very good at those.” Eddie smirks, looking into Steve’s eyes.

“No?” Steve says quietly, caught in the tractor beams of Eddie's obsidian-looking eyes in the darkness, only highlighted by the reflection of the pool lights.

Eddie shakes his head in a no, and his hands come up from the water to capture Steve’s face. “I am, however, very good at kissing things better,” Eddie says, his gaze dropping to Steve’s mouth.

Steve chuckles lightly, “I don’t think that’s where you did the damage, babe.”

“You don’t think so? Maybe we could start there? A process of elimination, maybe?” Eddie raises an eyebrow.

“Whatever you say, Doc,” Steve mutters, wholly lost in his love, as Eddie drags him back under the water surface with a kiss.

#steddie #steddie fan fiction #eddie munson x steve harrington #steddie fan fic #steddiefanfiction #steddiefanfic #madaboutmunson #madaboutmunsonagain #eddie munson #steve harrington

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