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puppy-stevee · 2 years ago

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maybe if i keep talking about the pre s1 au i'll actually write it

Robin has spent plenty of time watching Steve Harrington from the shadows. The way he continuously stayed on the sidelines of the rest of his friends' bullying was interesting. He never said too much of anything when it happened, didn't look all that interested in it, either. Just leaned against a locker and looked bored out of his mind.

Until a week before Thanksgiving break a couple years ago, when Tommy Hagan started bragging to anyone who'd listen about how Steve got his shit rocked by Jonathan Byers and promptly dumped him and Carol to the curb after. Sure, Tommy made sure to mention that Steve was the one to push until Jonathan finally snapped and punched him, but he didn't say how Steve had gone limp after. Letting Byers rearrange his face until a teacher ran over to break them up.

She remembers how lost he'd looked in the aftermath. Like he was a shell of himself.

So yeah. Steve Harrington isn't the same person he was in high school. Or at least he's trying not to be, that much Robin has noticed since he started working at Scoops at the beginning of the summer. But she didn't think he'd changed so much to be openly flirting with the Freak of Hawkins.

Well. Not exactly flirting, but there's something there Robin can't quite put her finger on.

Steve's manning the counter, right where she'd left him twenty minutes ago, but instead of looking like the picture of boredom slinging ice cream to annoying kids, he's leaned his elbows on the counter where Eddie Munson is doing the same on the other side. They're too quiet for Robin to hear what they're talking about but Steve's fingers are hooked on Eddie's watch, not pulling or tugging. Just resting.

Eddie's hands are clasped in front of him but his pointer finger keeps reaching out to lightly stroke Steve's arm, and that's when it hits Robin like a slap in the face.

They're domestic.

The lobby is empty, save for Eddie's friends that now occupy one of the booths, loudly arguing over something but Robin could care less because at that moment, Steve says something that has Eddie letting out a cackle laugh, his nose scrunched up and his shoulders shaking as he laughs. Her eyes slide over to Steve and he's.

Huh.

Gone is the usual smug smirk that graces his face when a girl laughs at one of his (awful) jokes, and is replaced by something... fond. His face is relaxed into a small smile and his round Bambi eyes are shining with mirth. Like he'd expected this reaction. Sometime during this, their fingers have tangled together in a subtle hand-hold across the counter and holy shit.

Steve Harrington is dating Eddie Munson.

One of Eddie's friends (Jeff, she thinks. They had pre-calc together.) says something and Steve only rolls his eyes as he replies. Eddie's grinning at them over his shoulder. Neither of their postures have changed. Robin feels like the room's spinning.

She knows about Eddie. Eddie knows about her. It's never been verbally said, but birds of a feather and all that. It doesn't have to be. She must accidentally bump into something in her attempt to rebalance the world because Steve's head is snapping toward her and panic flashes in his eyes as he tries to rip his hands away from Eddie's.

Eddie only holds them tighter as he locks eyes with her.

"It's alright, sweetheart," he tells Steve in a hushed tone. In front of him, Steve's visibly shaking like a leaf, mouth opening and closing but not making a sound. Robin's heart breaks a little. He looks downright terrified. Eddie's eyes haven't left her. "She's safe. Aren't you, Birdie?"

The question is directed at her. She swallows and nods quickly. "Y-yeah!" She winces at the volume of it. Clearing her throat, she tries again, taking a step forward like she's approaching a frightened animal. "You can trust me, Steve." Uses his first name instead of the 'dingus' that's grown affectionate. "I'm—" She glances over at the booth that's gone quiet. She doesn't want to out herself to the entire freak population of Hawkins High.

"I'm family," she settles on.

It takes Steve a moment for it to sink in, and when it does, his eyes somehow grow bigger in understanding. "Oh," he breathes out, like a sigh of relief. Eddie's rubbing his thumb over Steve's knuckles.

"Yeah, dingus." Robin's close enough now to nudge his shoulder with hers. "Oh. Why don't you go on break? I've got this."

Steve gives her a grateful look and tugs Eddie to the booth to join Eddie's —their— friends.

"It's about damn time you guys joined us," the curly haired one complains as they both slide in on the same side. Eddie throws a straw wrapper at him and Robin stops paying attention after that.

#yes this takes place during the s3 portion of the fic but it had to be written. robin demanded it.#gseb #steddie #i liked being your schmuck #platonic stobin #steddie ficlet #c.txt #c.doc

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sp0o0kylights · 2 years ago

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armed your words with explosive devices and put the trigger on your tongue.

I never know if a kiss will kill me.

It's a joke.

Or at least, Eddie meant it as one.

He was flicking his hand out with the intention of pretending to "push" the weight off Steve's shoulders, following a joke about how he looks like he's carrying the whole world on his back.

Beyond the general air of a frazzled single mother, Harrington had been down to clown. He'd laughed at Eddie's first few jokes, even made a poor attempt at making one back.

So it surprised both of them when Steve flinches back, hard, sucking in a noisy breath.

For a moment he holds it in and Eddie mimics him, hand frozen midair.

They breathe out almost together as Eddie slowly lowers his hand.

"Steve." Eddie starts off, voice soft.

Steve jams his hand in his hair, face flushing red. "Sorry man, jock reflexes."

He catches the second Steve forces a smile back on his face, the way his desperate attempt at tugging on his own hair changes into a move designed to fluff it up. A laugh makes its way out of Steve’s mouth and to his credit, it sounds natural.

This, Eddie realizes with an abrupt clarity, is Steve caught wrong-footed in public. This is Steve being off and fixing it before he breaks down.

It’s a good cover, excellent even, and if Eddie hadn’t been watching for the signs, if he hadn’t started looking closer and closer at Harrington after finding him drunk and bloody in Tina’s bathtub, he might have brushed it off.

Thought of it as Steve being a jerk, a jock, a guy who didn’t want to touch the filth that was Eddie Munson and was now trying to hide it.The same way so many others did, because they’d learned the hard way that a pissed off dealer won’t sell you any drugs.

Eddie could even see him spinning this as having an off day. Maybe Steve was sore, maybe he was annoyed, maybe he was six other million things that he’d lead you to believe.

Worse than knowing that he’d have bought Steve’s cover though, is that Eddie recognizes this.

Has seen it before.

Or micro versions of it.

In class, when Steve’s asked a question he doesn’t know. In the hallways when someone tells a joke about his parents. In the parking lot when those kids snap at him, rolling their eyes and throwing their hands around.

Even the one basketball game Eddie attended, during his ill-fated attempt at joining the yearbook club before he finally started Hellfire.

There had been a moment where Tommy had briefly turned on Steve, got some of the other boys to snap and snarl at the King in the face of a bad score.

Called him stupid.

Spineless and gutless.

(Steve hadn’t even been the captain, back then.

They held him responsible anyway.)

Eddie had thought it well deserved--even funny at the time-- considering what made up a man like Steve Harrington.

Get big movie star hair, combine with no parents, and add tons of money. Shaken and stirred with little bits of never-ending popularity and girls swooning left and right over him, and you got Hawkin High’s most popular guy.

Good to buy you whatever you needed, with a famously sharp tongue that he used in place of his fists.

Grant still had nightmares over some of the names Steve had nailed him with.

He was the school’s most desired bachelor until Nancy Wheeler took him down, proved even kings could be cheated out of their kingdoms.

(One of the teenagers at the famed Starcourt fire, a hero in the papers for saving half a dozen kids. The pictures the news still occasionally shows often pin up those pictures of Steve, wearing this exact smile.

It’s the same one he’s wearing now, as Starcourt burns in the background of each and every photo..)

The realization comes with a flood of knowledge--that Steve knows how to hide his issues, that he’s had issues for far longer than whatever--or whoever--is beating him up.

Longer than Eddie himself had caught onto too--and Eddie had prided himself on seeing through people’s bullshit.

If he does what Steve wants, let’s this drop, Steve will go on acting like everything’s fine.

Just like everyone else does.

Eddie can’t do that. Has never been able to do that.

"We both know that's bullshit." Eddie says, and he knew calling it out would get a reaction, but he’s not expecting the sheer strength of it.

How Steve looks like he’s taken a punch, mask breaking fast on his face to reveal the hurt underneath.

"Don't--" He tries to start, tries to breathe again and Eddie's not sure what caused it, but he knows the beginning of a panic attack when he sees one. “Don’t, please--”

It’s the please that gets Eddie, the word sounding bruised. Like it hurts Steve to say it, that he only uses it as a hail mary that it may somehow help ward off whatever is coming.

Eddie fights not to put his arms around Steve.

Protect him from whatever the hell is happening.

"Hey." Eddie says, softly but clearly. "I’m sorry. Tell me what I did and I won’t do it again.”

They’re in the middle of the school parking lot and neither of them can afford to misstep here. Not in a town like Hawkins. Eddie has a choice to make--to sweep Steve to somewhere safer, or to give space, back off so the younger man can regain control of himself and pick this up later.

Steve takes a shuddering breath, hugs himself and bows his head.

Eddie wants to go to him, to touch and comfort, but instead just hovers ever so slightly closer. “I’m here.” He whispers, just loud enough for Steve to hear.

Steve takes the moment he needs, and Eddie knows he can at least give him that. Shield him from any onlookers with his own body. Use himself as a distraction if anyone comes up.

His cheeks are wet when Steve raises his head. He wipes his face, bites his lip.

It takes far less time for him to return to normal than Eddie would have ever thought, but then Steve Harrington keeps surprising him.

“Shit.” He says, voice in a sort of croak. He clears his throat once, harshly. “Sorry.”

“I set you off, this ones on me.” Eddie says, keeping his voice smooth and calm. “I don’t want to push you, but I need to know what I said to upset you, so I can prevent it from happening again as best I can.”

Steve looks up for a moment, away from him. Eddie allows it, acknowledges the move as Steve gathers the strength to face whatever hurt him enough to send him spiraling. This isn’t an easy thing he’s asking, and they’re in the worst place to do it--a potential audience can appear at any time.

Eddie doesn’t want to lose this thread, though. Knows instinctively, how important it is.

“It’s stupid.” Steve’s struggling to sound more normal, but the real surprise is that he’s starting to manage it. “It’s so stupid, but it’s--the word.”

Short-term memory recall isn’t exactly a talent of his, but Eddie’s had plenty of practice with D&D. He runs the conversation back, and there’s really only one option that makes any sense. He almost says it again, but catches himself.

Thinks quickly on his feet.

“Adult male cow crap?” He says, and tries to make his tone a little light. This is a calculated risk, Steve may very well believe he’s being mocked or teased.

The younger man snorts a laugh and thankfully doesn’t appear to take offense. “Yeah.” He drawls out, a tinge of embarrassment flushing across his nose.

It’s fucking adorable, and Eddie has to bite his lip to keep interrupting, inappropriate thoughts at bay.

“Nance--when we--” Steve huffs an annoyed sigh, arms having shifted long ago to more of a defensive cross, nails digging into his sleeves while he taps his foot, aggravated. “It’s fucking stupid man, but that word got tossed around.”

“Got it.” Eddie nods his head. “It’s gone.”

“You shouldn’t have to do that.” Steve says, and it's got an angry undertone to it. “I need to get over it anyway. It’s been long enough.”

The anger, Eddie decides, is self directed.

He cocks his head. “Do people tell you to do that a lot? To just get over it?”

Steve finally looks at him and to his credit the guy’s managed to go from actively falling apart to merely appearing cold and annoyed, as if the redness in his face itself is trying to help hide his emotions.

That hurt thing flickers in and out of his eyes though, covered by an edge of something else, something stubborn.

Yet again, Eddie finds himself wondering if he’s found Steve’s limit. If this is when he finally gets pushed away and threatened over all the things that have been revealed to him. Steve hasn’t made that move yet, but Eddie thinks that's mostly because Eddie keeps catching him off guard.

To be fair, his own reactions are, at times, catching him off guard. This defensiveness of Steve, the way he wants to go slam whoever has hurt the younger man into a wall, to try and make everything better for a guy he previously hated…

Eddie knows what’s gotten into him. It’s his own personality, combined with his own inner sense of someone lost and hurting. Someone who needs to be rescued.

He just never expected to have it pointed at Harrington.

“Maybe.” Steve admits finally. “Doesn’t mean they’re wrong though.”

Eddie can’t help himself. It’s a puzzle in front of him, dangled in the form of Steve and his weird injuries. Steve and his odd reactions.

Beautiful, gorgeous, straight Steve Harrington, who once pressed his cheek into Eddie’s hands and closed his eyes like he’d found a slice of heaven.

“Why?” Eddie challenges. He’s still close. Close enough that they’re going to have to pretend to be fighting if anyone else starts making noise. Eddie’s lost track of time entirely, can’t recall what period this is. Where he’s even supposed to be.

Hell, he never even asked why Steve was here.

Steve’s mouth opens and closes, like he had an answer but suddenly thought better of it.

He’s still tapping his foot.

“Why would they be wrong? ” And at first Eddie thinks Steve is turning the challenge back on him, until he clocks the confused crinkle in his forehead, right between his eyebrows.

Like a dog who just wants to be a good boy, and doesn’t understand why he’s being shouted at.

‘Eddie, for once in your fucking life, focus!’ He thinks furiously at himself.

“Because it hurts you. Because all of us “get over” things in different ways, at different paces.” He makes the quotes with his fingers, putting on a fun voice just to try and make even a small smile appear on Steve’s face.

It works, and Eddie grins despite himself and the seriousness of the moment.

“Doesn’t matter how stupid it is, Steve-O. Our brains don’t care.” He knocks on his own to make his point.

“I guess.” Steve says, and it’s not an agreement but Eddie will take it.

Will take anything Steve will give him, which just shows how badly he’s screwing himself.

Straight boys, even ones wrapped up in some kind of mystery and sprinkled with dozens of other things that catch Eddie’s attention like Steve’s his own personal brand of crack, typically don’t mean anything good for him.

This time, he just hopes it can mean something good for Steve.

Eddie might not know much, but he knows Steve deserves something good.

#steddie #hurt/comfort #angst #steve harrington #steve needs a hug #eddie munson #this is pre relationship #whumpverse #steve x eddie #pre S4 #or Alt s4 #this takes place like riiiight after s3 lol #0o0 fanfics #stranger things fanfiction

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