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desiccatedwithering · 2 years ago

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WIP: bat!Eddie

Happy International Bat Appreciation Day! Figured I might as well use @batboysxprompts's Bat to the Bone event as an excuse to post a 1k snippet of my post-s4 bat!Eddie WIP (unbeta'd so ignore any mistakes) 🦇

“Ok,” Steve says, dragging the word out, hands raised to show that he’s unarmed. “How did you get into my house? And where did you come from? Did you, like, escape from a zoo? Should I be calling animal control?”

Eddie lets out an annoyed screech, and Steve jumps.

“...You don’t have rabies, do you?” he asks, eyeing him suspiciously.

Eddie grumbles and shakes his head, giving Steve a look that hopefully comes across as offended.

Steve drags his hand through his hair and mutters, “I’m going insane. There’s no way a bat just shook its head in response to my question. Maybe this is a hallucination. Weird fucking Vecna vision, though…”

Ok. Steve clearly isn’t going to guess the truth on his own. (Which is fair, honestly, because even after getting a crash course in the craziness of the past few years, Eddie doubts that he’d believe that a bat that randomly showed up in his house could actually be a person. It’s still extremely inconvenient, though.)

He wracks his brain, trying to think of some way to communicate with Steve when he can’t actually talk to him, and— Oh. He’s kind of an idiot, isn’t he?

He starts squeaking. Short short shot, long long long, short short short. Pause. Repeat.

Steve squints up at him. “Am I actually going insane, or are you squeaking at me in morse code?”

Eddie nods so furiously his whole body bobs up and down with it, letting out a high, fast chitter. Yes yes yes yes yes!

“Do SOS again,” Steve orders, still staring.

Eddie does.

Steve literally falls to the floor. He doesn’t seem to even notice, just sits sprawled on the carpet, eyes fixed unblinking on Eddie. “Holy shit. Ok. Uh, I don’t know any other morse code, so uh, gonna have to stick with yes or no questions for now.”

Thank fuck, since Eddie hadn’t really considered what might’ve happened if Steve had learned morse code or picked up a guide in… however long Eddie was out of commission for.

“Starting off with a stupid question: You can understand everything I say, right?”

There’s a brief pause where they both stare at each other expectantly.

Hey, big boy, you gonna tell me what I should do for yes and no? He gives Steve a pointed look then squeaks another SOS.

Steve blushes and smiles sheepishly. “Shit, yeah, sorry about that. Um. One squeak for ‘yes,’ two for ‘no,’ three for ‘I don’t know,’ and four for ‘Too complicated for a yes or no.’ Sound good?”

Eddie squeaks once. Honestly, that’s surprisingly thorough.

Steve lets out a sudden, hysterical burst of laughter, running his hand through his hair. “Fuck, I can’t believe this is my life. This is crazy,” he breathes. Then he looks up at Eddie again and says, louder, “I have it on good authority that I always ask dumb questions, so don’t judge me too much. Are you a normal bat that somehow gained the ability to understand English?”

No.

“Are you… from around here?”

Yes, Eddie squeaks. Then, corrects, No. Then, shaking his head in frustration, It’s too complicated for a yes or no.

“Huh,” Steve says, squinting again. “So that sounded like yes and no?”

Yes.

“Alright… Were you born around here?”

Yes.

“But you’re not from here.”

That’s not a question, but Eddie still squeaks that it’s too complicated.

Steve adjusts so he’s sitting criss-cross applesauce, drumming his fingers against his knees. “Fuck, do we have to switch to charades or something? I don’t—”

Yes! Eddie squeaks because oh Steve is a genius. Eddie’s literally a bat right now. He was made for this.

He leaps off the chandelier—falls, really, since he’d just been awkwardly holding on with his thumbs, wings wrapped around it—and takes to the air. Sure, he’s never done this before, but hopefully it’s as instinctual as flying was. He makes a wide arc, aiming for the chandelier again. At the last second, he tucks in one wing. The shift in his center of gravity makes his stomach swoop for a moment, before his feet hit the metal and latch on. Then he’s staring at Steve’s baffled face upside down. He spreads his wings wide, shaking them a little in a sort of Ta da! gesture.

Yes, he squeaks again, for good measure, wrapping his wings around himself in a very bizarre self-hug.

He’s got bat ears now, so he doesn’t have any trouble picking up Steve’s mumbled, “Yes to charades…” His head snaps up, eyes wide. He points at Eddie. “You flipped upside down after agreeing to charades.”

Yes.

“You know about the Upside Down?”

Yes!

“Just to make sure we’re on the same page: like, the Upside Down, which is what we call an alternate dimension filled with monsters.”

Eddie’s not sure if his eye roll gets across or if it’s the exasperated tone of his answering Yes, but Steve also rolls his eyes in response.

“Jeez, sorry for trying to get clarification from the enormous bat that appeared in my house and started communicating with me in morse code.”

Eddie’s ears droop in a hopefully apologetic looking expression, and he lets out a low chitter.

“Don’t worry about it. I get it’s probably frustrating that you’re talking to me rather than someone smarter.” Before Eddie can even think of a way to push back on that, Steve’s moving on: “Ok, so you were born here, but you’re from the Upside Down? Is that what you were trying to say before?”

Yes! Eddie squeaks, hoping that if it seems enthusiastic enough, Steve will realize that he’s doing an incredible job with this. Someone else probably would have called animal control, or wouldn’t be able to figure out Eddie’s mixed messages and ask the right follow up questions.

“Now, when you say you were born here, is that, like, here as in Hawkins or this planet or—? Shit, sorry. Were you born around Hawkins?”

Yes.

“Did you… live in Hawkins before being in the Upside Down?”

Yes.

“Have you always been a bat?”

No.

“Were you a person?”

Oh, Eddie could kiss him. He barely stops himself from dropping from the chandelier to curl up in Steve’s lap, and that’s only because he thinks Steve might have some trauma-based unpleasant reactions to a bat shaped creature suddenly diving at him.

Yes.

Steve takes a deep breath, voice wavering just a bit as he asks, “Did I know you when you were a person?”

Yes!

This whole time, Steve’s been curling into himself more and more, knees tucked to his chest, arm wrapped around his shins, hands clutching his sleeves with white knuckles. He’s balled up smaller than Eddie’s ever seen him. Looking terrified in a way he didn’t when facing down actual monsters and the literal end of the world. He looks like Eddie’s next answer has the potential to shatter him completely.

“…Eddie?” he whispers.

Yes! Eddie squeaks, loud enough that Steve jumps. He wants to repeat it, wants to say it over and over because honestly he never really imagined that someone would figure it out, let alone with a single conversation—but that’d be confusing, so he settles for a high pitched trill to convey his excitement.

#Bat2theBonesteddie #BatBoysPrompts #steddie #steddie wip #stranger things #bat!eddie #wip: bat!eddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #my wips #my writing #my fic #my post

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magnoliabutters · 2 years ago

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• HOW'S THIS GONNA PLAY OUT? •

pairing: modern-au!steddie, eddie munson x steve harrington

summary: truth, dare, or drink with the fruity four? it’s all fun and games until someone gets dared to kiss the other…

warnings: 18+ content, adult language; best friends to lovers, angst, slow burn, mutual pining, hot and heavy make out sesh, drinking, discussing of past trauma, canon divergence, season 4 mini-spoilers, etc.

word count: ~5.8k

inspired by: @batboysxprompts steddie flash event, theme of bats

reblogs, comments, & thoughts are greatly appreciated! 🧡🦇

note: i had so much fun writing this up, thank you thank you for the prompt! happy to be a part of it! and i hope you enjoy reading! i have also linked some music below, i encourage you to listen while you read at a specific part (you'll know when).

“Eddie, you seriously can’t expect us to believe you ran into Cate Blanchett at some grocery store,” Robin grumbles through a laugh. Eddie sits up from the couch. His back straight as his brows pull forward. His legs fully man-spread as he turns towards his friend to his right. His face serious, stern. “Uh, yeah, I can. ‘Cause it’s the truth,” he says sarcastically, blowing out a sigh of disbelief. His feelings slightly hurt upon hearing his friends’ reactions.

Steve laughs, staring at the boy. Nancy giggles in the corner, hiding behind her hand anytime a chuckle was louder than intended. “It was a grocery store when we went on tour with the Coffin in Chicago,” Eddie continues. His voice gradually becoming more stressed as he looks around a room of distrustful faces.

“I don’t know, Munson,” Steve says, taking a sharp breath through gritted teeth. “Do you even know who Cate is? I didn’t pin you as an Ocean’s 8 kind of guy.” Eddie scoffs, before shaking his head and taking a swig of his beer. His opened hands swaying back and forth as his lips tighten into an even thinner line. “You mean Lady Galadriel? Yeah, I’ve heard of her,” he states flatly.

Nancy and Robin chuckle as they exchange taunting looks. “Har har,” Eddie says with a melancholy attitude. “Let’s all laugh at the freak, huh?” Steve lands a flat hand against his shoulder, shaking Eddie’s pitiful shrug. Nancy tightens her lip, pinning her chin to her chest. Robin is slow to notice the social cues flying through the air, but she bit off her smile watching Nancy.

“Relax, Munson,” Steve soothes, putting his other hand on Eddie’s shoulders. He shakes him side to side, pulling a smirk across his face. Eddie often feels comfort in Steve’s embrace. “I mean, you did win two truths and a lie,” Steve adds with an impressed expression. The girls quickly nod and agree with him, making red run through Eddie’s cheeks.

“Yeah, I guess that’s true,” Eddie mumbles under his breath. Steve pulls his hands from his shoulders with a smile. A nice, firm pat against his upper back before returning to his elbows against his knees as he leans forward. “Maybe we should change it up,” Nancy suggests with a shrug. “Yeah,” Robin agrees as she pulls her apple watch to her face. “It’s already midnight and I’m barely past tipsy.”

Steve peers around his living room. Nancy is dressed like a crazy scientist. Robin’s living her Indiana Jones dream. Eddie wears a wizard hat, but other than that is wearing his usual attire. While Steve rests back in his ironic bat costume. He is the happiest he could be in this moment.

Almost like clock work, the Halloween party started to die down and make its way over to its next location, Alex’s basement. The Harrington’s was always the first spot in the party brigade, and he prefers it that way. He loves that special moment when all those random, careless people disappear and the truest stay behind. Luckily for him, that meant Robin, Nancy, and Eddie. Now, he could really have fun.

“Thanks for hosting, Harrington,” a random person from college mumbles before slamming the front door behind him. Steve throws his hand up, two fingers waving as he gestures goodbye without turning his head. He settles into the love seat across from the couch. His heels landing against the coffee table. “Ah, just us girls,” he sighs with relief.

“Okay, okay,” Steve starts, pushing his hand through his hair. “What about a good old game of truth, dare, or drink?” Nancy’s lips immediately pull to their sides. A hesitant face surely to follow. “What in the hell is truth, dare, or drink?” she asks quietly. Eddie laughs, finally falling back onto the couch cushions again. “I thought you were the smart one,” he starts. “Wanna take a guess, Wheeler?” he asks, leaning closer to the girls. His teeth slightly biting the tip of his tongue.

Nancy rolls her eyes, all in good fun, as she leans back with arms crossed against her chest. Eddie pulls back with a smirk, acknowledging that she didn’t bite back like usual. “It’s basically truth or dare but if you don’t want to answer the question OR you don’t want to do the dare,” Robin trails off. She makes a click with the side of her tongue as she looks down towards the bottle of scotch between the four.

“Okay,” Nancy starts before bringing a red solo cup to her smiling lips. “So who’s going first?” Her big blue eyes peering over the white lip of the plastic. Eddie excitedly rubs his palms together with a huge maniacal laugh. Steve smiles, doting his eyes towards Robin, who meets him halfway. He always enjoyed the small glimpses into the childish Eddie he knows and loves, and sometimes envies. Robin immediately recognizes this, as the two have some weird psychic twin connection. A large amount of words can be communicated between them with only a look.

Robin’s brows perk as her tongue slides across before a bite upon her lip. Steve huffs before solemnly placing his hand up to volunteer. “Alright, and who’s doing the asking?” he inquires through a chuckle. “Hm, I can go first,” Nancy whispers coyly. A curl of his lips shows his acceptance of her challenge. He nods for her to proceed.

“Steve, truth or dare?” Nancy asks, sucking her tongue against her cheek. Steve pretends to consider it, humming as his index finger taps against his chin lightly. “You’re not going to be too mean to me, are you, Nance?” he asks with a flirtatious grin. Nancy shrugs, her mouth tight as she enjoys the anticipation.

Steve cocks his head to the right. His shoulders hugging his ears. “Let’s do truth,” he whispers. Elation floods through Nancy’s pupils as a growing smirk appears between her cheeks. “What is your favorite position?” Robin lets out a scoff of disbelief. Her shoulder bumping playfully against Eddie’s. His ringed hand immediately cups his mouth. A clear smack heard throughout the Harrington house.

Abruptly, Eddie’s shock drops. His brows furrow as he looks between his two friends. “Wait, shouldn’t you already know that, Wheeler?” he asks, pursing his lips and squinting his eyes. Both Nancy and Robin give him a death stare that immediately forces his hands straight into the air. Steve smirks slyly. “No, she wouldn’t know,” he says, providing a reassuring nod towards his ex-girlfriend. “We’ve both grown since we were last with each other.”

The group finds itself silent. Eddie resting back against the couch, still on edge and with eyes that travel between each of his friends. Nancy and Steve are holding some sweet nostalgic moment, staring at each other. Robin’s lip rises on one side as disgust becomes apparent on her face.

“So, you drinking or truthin’,” Robin says impatiently. Her hands waving before her as her wide eyes bare holes into Steve’s face. “Truth,” he says as he finally pulls away from Nancy’s gaze. “Big fan of reverse cowgirl,” he starts, as he leans back into the loveseat. He relaxes, putting his hands behind his head. “I’m an ass man after all.” Eddie laughs, making hoots and hollers to encourage his “ass man” status.

“That was a good one, Nance,” Robin shared with a nod. “Okay, Steve. Pick someone.” Steve’s chin lifts. His eyes to the ceiling as he exaggerates his thinking, despite absolutely knowing who he was going to ask. “Edward Munson,” he says, annunciating each syllable. Eddie jumps in his seat, pressing his hand against his chest in surprise. “Truth or dare?” Steve asks lightly, leaning in to grab his cup from the table. He takes a sip while staring down at the man before him.

“Well, I sure as shit know you're going to be an ass,” Eddie starts, shaking his head. “Dare.” Steve nods slowly. The edges of his mouth pull down as he is impressed with Munson’s sixth sense. He ponders over a dare. How do you dare someone who practically does anything and everything he wants? Who has no problem breaking social norms and laughs while sharing the tale?

Steve had to come up with something to make him want to drink. “Hm,” he starts. “I dare you to give Robin a lap dance.” Robin’s entire body language perks up as a big old smile fills her face. She sits up and scoots the edge of the couch. Her hands lightly patting against the tops of her thighs. Nancy giggles, “Oh, that’s dirty, Steve.”

Eddie bites his lip upon hearing the dare. He nods his head slowly while he mauls over the idea. “How long?” he asks with his eyes glued to the scotch between them. “For a song,” Steve responds with a smirk. “You choose.” Eddie nods again, more feverishly this time as he considers the dare. He speeds up as though he’s egging himself on. “If I take another shot, I’m gonna die,” he mutters under his breath.

Suddenly, he stands up and smacks his hand out in front of Robin. “Your phone, madam,” he demands. “Oui, monsieur,” she says all giddy. She plops her smart phone into his hand. He pulls up Spotify and quickly chooses his song. He is strategic as he decides on a song that is both danceable, makes him feel sexy, and is rather short. He connects Robin’s phone to Harrington’s Bluetooth surround sound.

As the drum and guitar start a rather recognizable beat, Eddie shakes out his hands. He takes his curly hair out from his messy bun and taps his feet to the beat. Song 2 by Blur blasts through the speakers. Steve originally intended for the dare to be a laughable joke, but now he is mesmerized by the scene before him. He enjoys the way his curls bounce against his shoulders.

At the first “Woohoo,” Eddie harshly bangs his curls before Robin. She giggles in surprise, not expecting his sudden fit of head banging. Her shocked and smiling face turns to both Steve and Nancy. Eddie continues to sing along with the chorus, hyping himself up.

Without any warning, he jumps and lands his knees on the sides of Robin’s thighs. She screams in excitement and shock as he lands harshly against her thighs. Soon, her screams turn into encouraging yes’s as she watches him loosen up before her very eyes.

Along with each strong beat of the song, Eddie grinds against Robin’s thighs. His hands tuck at ends of his shirt, ripping it over his torso. Steve sinks into his seat. His palm covering his mouth, which undeniably hides a smile. His pupils innately expanding at the sight.

Eddie’s closed hands dance near his head as he digs his hip bones into Robin’s. Her laughter encourages him. He couldn’t imagine doing this with anyone else. Robin is the one he could let loose with the most, knowing she’ll always be there the next day no matter what he shares about himself. He hopes to get to that level of trust with Steve one day.

The guitar finally drops and the song is over. Eddie hops up from Robin’s lap. His chest slightly glossed from sweat. Robin starts a rather enthused round of applause as Eddie instinctually begins to bow. “Honestly, I thought the song was a bit short but I loved it,” she chuckles out. “Ten out of ten,” she says with all ten of her digits up in the sky, before they turn into a pair of solid thumbs up.

Eddie flips his curled hair, gathering it up and quickly placing it into the messy bun he’s known for. Steve can’t stop his eyes from raking over Eddie’s body. He was jealous of how his body moved, how it was shaped. He also caught himself wishing he could touch it. That bare skin. Down to the lines that lead to his hips.

But his face drops as he involuntarily touches two fingers to Eddie’s side. Eddie jumps at the unexpected sensation. “Dude, did you get another tattoo?” Steve asks as he looks up to Eddie. “Oh yeah,” he laughs. “Pretty sick, huh?” He curls his torso to look at the tattoo just below the left side of his rib cage. A gnarly demented tattoo of a rose who’s stem eventually turns into barbed wire rests upon his skin.

Steve pulls back, laying against the back of the loveseat once more. His mouth squished to the side of his cheek. His arms crossed over his chest. “So you went through with it, huh,” he expresses carelessly. Eddie shrugs, letting out a breathy sigh. “I just kept looking at ‘em,” he starts as he raises his hands before slapping them against his thighs. Robin’s brows pull perplexed, until the light bulb turns on in her head reminding her of Eddie’s newly covered scars.

“I mean, you know,” Eddie adds, gesturing towards Steve. “It’s not easy getting a daily reminder of the day you almost died.” Steve nods, keeping his eyes down. He knows exactly what he means, but unsteadiness resides in his chest. He isn’t sure why, but the thought of Eddie erasing his scars was hurtful. Those scars were the very reason he and Eddie stayed connected after everything happened. That is what they built their strong, yet co-dependent friendship on. What does it mean if those scars are gone? Will they be able to find anything else in common between them?

Nancy adds to the silence. She notices the sudden shift in Steve’s demeanor. “So, Eddie, who’re you picking?” His head picks up from analyzing his new tattoo. Another childish and boasting smile upon his mouth. “Hm? Well, it’s between the two of you, right?” he says as he crashes back onto the couch, landing against Robin’s shoulder. He curls his head back, looking at her upside down. “Buckley,” he says in a sing songy voice. “Truth or dare?”

Robin smiles, shrugging him off. Eddie falls against the other side of the cushion with all the exaggeration he could muster. “Truth,” she states, mimicking his singing tone. His eyes widen and a large smile spreads across his face. “Oh no,” she whispers under her breath. She most definitely chose wrong. “Why haven’t you put the moves on Vicki yet?” Eddie says with a raise of his brow. He turns to look at the others, nodding and gesturing for their encouragement. Steve nods and shrugs, acknowledging that it was, in fact, a good question. Nancy sinks into her cushion, sipping against her cup and hiding behind its rim.

With a deep sigh, Robin sits up and shoots Eddie an annoyed look. “I’m taking it slow,” she mutters half-heartedly. A brisk tsk, tsk, tsk falls from his lips. “You remember the rules, don’t you, Buckley?” he starts, as he leans back and holds his arm atop the couch’s cushions. “The truth,” he starts, “or the bottle.” His hands raise as he shrugs. “I don’t make the rules.” Robin shoots him a quick, sharp look for calling her out on her shit. She rolls her eyes and scoffs. “Fuck it,” she smiles as she reaches for the neck of the bottle.

Eddie and Steve laugh as they clap excitedly. Robin’s brows pull together as she places the mouth of the bottle against her lips. A disgusted expression fills her face as she pulls away from the scotch. “Shit, god,” she spits before dropping it harshly against the coffee table. Steve quickly puts his hands out to catch the liquor if it were to fall over. “That’s it, Robs,” Eddie laughs. “Fuck the truth.” Robin slowly turns towards him. Her ‘oh, no you didn’t’ face on full display. “Alright Munson,” she says with a nod. “Payback.”

Robin takes a slow breath as she adjusts her hair out of her face. Her cheeks flustering with crimson as the alcohol hits her system. “Nance,” she starts. “Truth or dare?” Nancy smiles at the sight of the tipsy friend before her. “Dare,” she says courageously, knowing that Robin wouldn’t set her up to fail. Robin peers around the room. “Hm, I dare you to,” she trails off. Her eyes sinking into the coffee table as she drowns in thought. “Ah! I dare you to kiss someone here,” she says as she points between the two boys.

Steve and Eddie instantly jump up to the idea. Their relaxed bodies now straight, stiff, and narrow. Steve runs fingers through his hair as Eddie bounces his brows at the girl. Nancy’s mouth pulls down as she looks over her options. Steve or Eddie or … Nancy stands, directing all eyes on her. Steve licks his lips as he watches the beautiful girl adjust her nervous stance. But all he can do is just watch as she walks towards Robin.

Robin’s big blue eyes staring right into Nancy’s. Not at all considering the possibility of Nancy choosing to kiss her. She lands upon her knees between Robin’s legs. Those innocent eyes peering up at her. Nancy’s hand slowly floats to Robin’s cheek. She pulls her in, closing her eyes, and lands her lips against hers gently. Eddie is biting against his rings and knuckles as he watches in absolute infatuation of the scene unfolding before him. He crosses his legs instinctually. Steve’s mouth, the exact opposite, as it hangs open and loose.

Nancy is the first to pull away. Her eyes slowly opening as Robin’s lashes remain fluttering. Her lips still pursed. A blush raises to Nancy’s cheeks as she rests back onto her seat. “Robin,” she asks softly. Robin hums dizzily, slowly opening her eyes. A smile beaming on her face. “Truth or dare?” Robin, drunkenly replies, “Hm? Oh, yes - erm - truth.”

Nancy giggles, before placing a gentle hand to Robin’s knee, attempting to ground her. Fortunately, it seems to have worked. “What did you think of us all when we first met?” she asks innocently. Robin lets out a clear lip trill. “Oh shit,” she bursts into a fit of nervous laughter. She sinks back into the couch’s cushions. Eddie smirks, scoffing. “Oh I gotta hear this,” he says, jumping closer to Robin’s side.

“Okay, okay,” Robin announces, effortlessly bouncing back from the shock of the question. “I’m gonna answer but I’m going to make it short.” Nancy pouts, while Steve throws his hands up in frustration. “Hey! At least I’m answering,” she yells.

Robin adjusts her sit so she can stare into those chocolate eyes of Eddie’s. “A weirdo,” she starts, but immediately explains herself in a hasty fashion. “But-but you know that being a ‘wierdo’ is a term of endearment for me.” Eddie laughs, nodding as he sucks his tongue to the inside of his cheek. “Okay, Buckley, noted,” he taunts. “Just as long as you know you’re a weirdo too.” He shoots her a smile which is quickly returned. She always enjoyed Eddie’s company, knowing that she had another atypical beside her.

Robin turns to Steve. The words quickly fall from her mouth without hesitation. “Dingus.” Steve gasps, exaggerating as all hell, as he watches Robin switch over to Nancy. “Nancy,” she says with affection. “I was worried about you. I thought you’d hated me.” Nancy’s face becomes sad as she lets out a soft “aw.” “But when I finally got to know you, I could see what Steve saw in you and now you’re one of my closest friends.” Nancy’s frown immediately turns upside down as she reaches towards her gal pal with open arms. “Ugh, you’re one of my closest friends too!” she whines as the two sway side to side in their hug.

Eddie coughs heavily to evoke his classic cop deep voice. “Break it up, love birds,” he says under the guise of his hand. Steve laughs, throwing his head back. He always could count on Eddie to say the things he only thought about. He loved that about the man. Nancy pulls away, looking at Eddie with a goofy grin. “You’re so funny, Eds,” Nancy mumbles sarcastically.

Robin sharply turns to Eddie. Her middle finger up with a snarky grin. “You know what, you just reminded me. Payback’s a bitch,” she starts. A smirk pulling at the side of her lips. “Truth or dare, Munson,” she says in an eery tone. Eddie leans back from her ghostly fingers with a chuckle. “Do your worst Buckley,” he taunts. “Dare.” The smirk continues to pull on Robin’s face. She gets exactly what she wanted.

“Seven minutes in heaven,” Robin announces. She looks around the room and notes a two paneled door by the entryway. “There,” she points. “With,” she trails off. She keeps her eyes set on Eddie’s. His taunting smile pursing his lips. “Dingus,” she lets slip out of her mouth. Nancy’s jaw drops as she slowly turns to Steve’s bright red face. Robin enjoys watching the blood drain from Eddie’s cheeks. She is shocked that he didn’t see this coming, but she doesn’t let it show. “And you know the rules, you don’t get to leave until you hook up.” Robin immediately turns her pointer finger to both of her boys. Her eyes narrowing as she makes a stern face. “Honor system.”

Eddie’s eyes fall upon his rings. His fingers twist them as he considers the path ahead. He would be lying if he said he never thought about Steve’s lips. How they looked so soft. How they plump up every time he’s excited. He would be lying if he said he never thought about why they call him “Hair-ington.” Those brunette waves that bring an abundance of joy to his heart. An ambiguous line of desperately wanting the hair for himself and wanting to run his fingers through its strands. He wants to make Steve feel good, but he only considered the idea of blurring the lines of friendship in the dark of his room.

Steve, on the other hand, was trying to decipher whether or not he was having a heart attack. His heart most definitely fell to the pit of his stomach upon hearing the dare. His eyes fall before him, widening as the seconds pass by. He couldn’t help but think if Robin did this on purpose. There had been a few times the two were smoking and the idea of feeling different things for Eddie came up. He could never say exactly what things or what feelings. He told her in confidence, absolute confidence. Steve knew if this was her plan that she did it with good intent, but that didn’t change the pain emanating from his chest.

Eddie raises his eyes to Robin. Her smile falls as she recognizes the genuine worry in his eyes, as opposed to the amusing stress she was expecting. “Steve,” he whispers before slowly turning towards the boy. Steve raises his head. His lips form into a straight line. “Your call, dude,” Steve says, struggling to come off as casual. “The scotch isn’t that bad,” Robin adds. Her eyes now encouraging, trying to give him the out that his body language craved for.

With the slightest side smile and a sigh, Eddie nods and accepts his fate. “I said I wouldn’t drink anymore tonight,” he shares. It’s the truth. He did have work early in the morning after all. He was already pushing it with exhaustion. He did not need to add a hangover and a migraine to the 8-hour shift. “Let’s go Harrington,” he says as he stands and makes his way towards the closet.

Steve notices that Eddie has yet to make eye contact with him. The red flushing his cheeks as watches his bare back walk toward the front closet. One stray curl falling between his shoulder blades. His heart no longer rests in his stomach. His heart beats, harshly, against his rib cage. He struggles to swallow the sudden amount of saliva resting on his tongue. A rough clearing of his throat and he stands. He throws a furious look at Robin, who’s already sinking in her seat with regret.

Eddie opens one of the closet doors. His ringed hand tight against the knob. He finally turns back and looks at Steve. Comfort rushes his system as he watches his friend nervously crack his knuckles. His chin pinned to his chest as he walks towards him. “You ready for this,” he says softly. Steve looks up, taking a deep breath. He catches a glimpse of Eddie’s bicep. Why is it so flexed holding the door? Why did it excite him? He nods, pulls the overhead light’s string, and walks into the roomy space, terrified of the next seven minutes.

Robin slowly approaches. She sucks in her lips in an awkward fashion. “Seven minutes,” she says softly. Regret filled in her face. Eddie smirks, solemnly, as he looks down at his watch. 12:57 am. “Gotcha,” he nods as he closes the door behind him.

Steve takes a sharp breath as an disingenuous smile sprawls across his face. “Alright, Munson,” he starts. A peculiar excitement clear within his voice. “How’s this gonna play out?” Eddie turns around from closing the door. He immediately notes the fake energy floating above Steve’s head. “We can just lie,” he suggests, despite the words paining his heart.

Steve was surprised by the sudden drop of his stomach. His chest spreading tightness like wildfire. He didn’t want that, not at all. In this moment, he realizes he wanted Eddie. He wanted to kiss him. To know him as more than a friend. Immediately, he is struck with the thought of them holding hands. His arms around him. His head upon his chest, snuggling in the late of night. All it took was the possibility of a kiss being ripped from his hands to acknowledge the reality that has been screaming at him since he first saw the boy.

But he also cannot escape the associated fear. Steve has never once felt this way about any guy. A boy labeled the “freak of Hawkins.” Someone Steve thought he would never connect with. Never be friends with. And yet, one simple introduction from his unexpected best friend and he is set for life. Another unexpected best friend and heart eyes for all of eternity.

On the other hand, the words fell out of Eddie’s mouth and he wished he could quickly pick them all up. Regret filled his body. He wanted nothing more than to kiss Steve. He has been thinking about it for weeks on end. Anytime the gang got together, he struggled to pull his eyes from his lips. He struggled not to ogle at his hair, at those sweet honey eyes.

As much as he wanted all of him, Eddie wanted Steve to be comfortable more than anything. It is upsetting to see Steve place a strong facade between them, but Eddie understands. He thought they were closer than that, but then again they’ve never been put in a situation like this before.

Steve is quick to drop his overwhelming feelings. He does what he does best. He starts a fight, breaking all ties to the sensitive strings of his heart. “Why did you really cover up your scars?” Eddie is thrown off by the sudden shift in energy. His brows push together as he looks at the boy before him in astonishment. “I told you, because I couldn’t help looking at them every day,” he answers with a bit of a snarky attitude.

“Those scars meant something,” Steve says with his eyes to his feet. He instantly regrets picking a fight in such a small space. Where can he escape now? He still has at least 5 minutes. “All they meant were painful memories that I’d like to forget,” Eddie whispers. He looks at Steve in confusion. “Those bats brought us together and you just erased them, like that,” Steve mutters with a snap of his fingers. His head springs up as disappointment rings true upon his face.

“They didn’t bring us together,” Eddie says slowly. “Henderson did.” Steve shakes his head, blowing out a raspberry in response to Eddie’s recollection. “We could have easily dropped each other after Vecna,” he states matter of factly. Eddie winces at the name. His body being rushed by a sudden and short lasting wave of shock. “We only stayed together because we were both healing from bites.”

Eddie scoffs, his mind reeling. “Are you seriously telling me that you think we bonded over our fucking demobat wounds?” He throws his hands in the air. “How about the fact that we almost died together? How about the fact that we make a great team? That despite our first impressions, we have some common ground on favorite movies.” Now it was Steve’s turn to wince. He has never seen Eddie so upset.

“You fucking showed up dressed like a bat,” Eddie continues. “And I get it, you deal with your trauma through humor but guess what, Harrington? I don’t!” His body becomes more energized. His emotions, reactions, movements are more fulfilled and loud. He rips his shirt up, exposing the freshly covered scar. “This is how I deal with it. I get rid of it,” he says, poking harshly at his skin. “When I looked at my scar, all I saw was that sky lighting up red. I see that tornado of bats raining around me. I see my entire life flash before my eyes because I was convinced that that was it for me.” He adds softly under his breath, "Until you saved me."

Eddie throws his shirt down. He points a firm finger to Steve’s face. His poor, horrified, regretful face. “No, I don’t see you when I look at my scars. I don’t see this shit as the only thing that brought us together,” he continues. “You know what I think about? I think about us laughing our asses off at the stupidities of Ridgemont High. I think about us throwing popcorn everywhere ‘cause of all those Critters jump scares.”

Steve’s brow lifts as confidence fills his chest. At the very least, Eddie acknowledges the strong friendship between them. It is NOT one sided. There is so much more than just these scars that connect them. How could he be so stupid? So dumb-witted? He gets so lost in thought that he almost misses the next words out of Eddie’s mouth. “You are my best friend. I love you, man,” he mutters under his breath. “I think I did from the moment I saw you.”

Steve is pulled from his thoughts. His eyes widen as his puffy lower lip slightly separates from his top. Eddie loves his classic dumbfounded look. “You love me?” he whispers. “Yeah, I do. Take that however you want, but it’s the truth and I’m tired of pretending that it isn’t,” he says, chewing on his lip. His strong boisterous confidence almost had Steve fooled, but he knew Eddie too much to know that he was just a ball of nerves across from him.

As the silence fills, Eddie’s energy starts to fall. His smile dwindling to nothing. He pulls his lips into a straight line as he shakes his head. His eyes to the ground. “I-I just meant as friends-,” he attempts to backtrack but Steve crashes against his perfect lips. Eddie stumbles back into hanged coats that soften his fall against the closet’s wall. Steve’s hand presses against his cheek. His fingers entangling with the curly locks of hair. It is softer than he imagined.

Eddie immediately returns the favor. Without pulling from the kiss, he pushes off the wall and pins Steve against the opposite. His hand traveling around his hip, digging underneath his shirt. His warm hand against the soft tingly skin of Steve. He moans ever so slightly into the kiss, opening his lips slightly. Steve takes the opportunity and slowly swishes his tongue against his lips. Eddie bites into the kiss, welcoming his advances, and pulls his closer into his chest.

The passion between them was unimaginable. It was reckless and beautiful. It was water taking absolutely forever to finally boil. But now that it’s boiled, it will never stop. The two knew it, almost immediately. Just like when they saw each other for the first time. This is forever. This is meant to be. This is destined, written in their stars.

Steve entangles his fingers within the back of Eddie’s hair. His other hand pressing firmly against the small of his back. Eddie’s fingernails dig into his hip bones, leaving little half moon indents that he plans to kiss later. Involuntarily, he presses deeply against Steve’s thighs. His hips slowly rutting against him as the kisses become more hot and heavy. Both of their minds bursting with dopamine.

BEEP BEEP BEEP.

Eddie pulls away only to stop the beating. However, Steve puts his thumb to his lips. He wipes away salvia with a smile on his face. The moment has passed. Nonchalantly, Eddie twists his wrist to show Steve the time. “1:04 am, right on the dot,” Steve confirms. “We did it,” Eddie adds breathlessly. Steve runs a hand through his hair, shooting glances at the closet’s door. “Guess you don’t have to drink after all,” he says while grabbing the knob.

Quickly, Eddie places his palm gently upon the back of Steve’s hand. Their eyes slowly trail up towards each other. “What’s the plan, Harrington? We talking about this or pretending it never happened?” Eddie asks, pulling away. The side of Steve’s smile raises as he slowly shakes his head. “Oh, we’re talking about this,” he shares. “Just not with Buckley around.” Eddie lets out a small, but loud laugh. “I agree,” he murmurs.

With both boys smiling, Steve slowly turns the knob to open the door. He whispers, “Hello?” as his eyes desperately look for Robin. She is prone to hiding and popping out for a scare so Steve is always on edge. As he carefully walks down the hall and to the living room, he stops sharply. Eddie’s analyzing eyes don’t realize and he bumps heavily against Steve’s back. Steve shushes him, while raising his arms up to keep him from moving forward.

Just before the two of them is a hot and heavy hook up between Nancy and Robin.

Eddie cups his face with widening eyes as Steve turns to him with a finger pressed against his lips. “Go back to the closet,” he whispers. The two boys quietly rush back in, slowly closing the door behind them. “What’s the plan, Munson?” Steve asks with a smile. “I say, Buckley can come find us,” he answers with a bounce to his brow. With a smile, Steve crashes his lips against Eddie. His arms wrapped around his waist as Eddie’s arms loosely circle his neck. The two are happily in love and happily aware of each other’s love. Best friends turned lovers. Meant to be.

note: thank you for reading! what did you think? does anyone want to see from robin and nancy's pov?

thank you thank you! reblogs, comments, & thoughts are greatly appreciated! 🦇

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