#but also a fashionable peacoat cause he a rich bitch modern boy

[skepsiss]

Modern problems, Modern solutions pt7 *final*

This is the last part of this mini-series! This is very soft and romantic. I promised everything would turn out okay, and it turned out more than okay. Hope you guys like it! The story takes place a little over a month since pt6; Holiday vibes, so if you're in the mood for soft winter vibes, this is great as a stand-alone too.

cw: none. It's all soft.

Pt1 Pt2 Pt3 Pt4 Pt5 Pt6 Pt7

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November hadn’t been smooth sailing; everything after the events of Halloween 2015 had been anything but smooth sailing. Eddie had struggled with apologizing and explaining the situation to everyone he had complained to and he had worked hard to prove to Robin that he was sorry for how he had acted. She in turn had apologized and they both seemed to understand why the other had reacted the way that they had.

You were just protecting him, I get in.

You were protecting yourself, I get it. 

They had both been pushed into a corner and while Eddie didn’t really think it was fair that his reaction had been to call Robin a dyke, it had happened and he needed to take responsibility for that. He’d learned over the years–and was still perfecting the art–that apologizing and just doing better mattered more than anything else. Admitting you were wrong was tough though, and Eddie knew himself… he knew that he held grudges and was stubborn but he had been more than compelled to put a swift end to any perceived fight with Steve and Robin. 

It had been awkward, that was for sure, and Eddie had taken a long time to sort out his own feelings. To Steve’s credit… he had been patient, very patient. But it had been disconcerning because everyone knew what had happened between them and that ultimately, in the end, Steve had confessed. 

What a concept. 

It had taken Eddie a long time to accept that Steve really meant it and this wasn’t some rich man’s fancy; it had taken twice as long for Eddie to admit his own feelings to himself. It was embarrassing and it had been a rocky start, but every time Steve dropped Dustin off at Hellfire he lingered and Eddie would quietly chat with him until he had wasted too much time and people began to complain. He had shown up to Steve’s basketball games too and stood awkwardly by the bleachers only to flush red when Steve spotted him and came over between plays. 

He felt spoiled and shy about it all at once, never having been faced with the prospect of a real person liking him back, let alone their generation’s teen-heartthrob. But that hadn’t stopped Eddie from calling Steve late in the evening and talking to him on the phone quietly until Wayne told him to be quiet. Even after that Eddie would whisper into his phone until he couldn’t anymore, just talking for hours. 

Eventually, it became ridiculous for them to be acting the way they were and to not be dating. 

They’d gone on their first date the weekend after Thanksgiving; it had been impromptu and amateurish but Eddie had felt giddy when Steve picked him up and hadn’t said anything for the first thirty minutes of their drive. He had been happy though… ridiculously happy. Happier than he could ever remember. He was practically beaming the whole time even if he was too nervous to say anything. 

The date hadn’t been anything spectacular, but it was novel; they’d gone to see a movie at the local theatre that did special features of old films. They watched a re-release of The Princess Bride and Eddie had only felt a bit self-conscious about whispering movie facts to Steve during the screening. Did you know the actor who played Fezzik was able to fit his whole hand over Robin Wright’s head? He did it between takes because she always got so cold on set. Apparently, he used to do it for his mother when he was a teen.

Did you know the ROUSs were operated by Dwarves and one of them got arrested the night before shooting and the production had to spring him?

And so on.

Steve had hummed and smiled every time Eddie had leaned in to tell him something, and thankfully there weren’t enough people in the theatre to complain about their constant whispering. 

Eddie had still flushed brightly and clammed up when Steve held his hand as they left the theatre. It had been surreal and Eddie had hunched in order to hide despite the fact that Steve and him were practically the same height. But it felt amazing to be walking in public holding Steve Harrington’s hand. Not just because he was popular or whatever, but because he wasn’t ashamed to be holding Eddie’s hand, that… and because it was Steve. Steve… the sweetest guy Eddie had ever met and the guy he had somehow convinced to fall for the local, punk-dork. Steve, who unapologetically brothered kids who had no right being as close to him as they were. Steve, who had broken down and been heartsore over the prospect of not dating Eddie. Eddie. Not dating him….

That had been the first date of many. 

It was snowing in Hawkins today as Eddie breathed hot air onto his hands to warm them. December was here and the town was decorated with Christmas lights as people bustled around the city center: children free from school for winter break and parents stress-shopping for last-minute gifts.

It was only a few days until Christmas and this was going to be the first proper Christmas Eddie was going to experience. 

Wayne had always said they were Jewish, but Eddie had never gone to temple in his life and he didn’t know anything about Hanukkah, really. Eddie wasn’t sure if he hadn’t celebrated Christmas as a kid with his mother or his father for the same reason, or if they just didn’t have the money. 

Either way, Steve celebrated Christmas and Eddie was keen to spend that time with him. It was romantic, and picturesque in a way Eddie would never admit to wanting. 

Steve’s family wasn’t religious, not really, and Eddie hadn’t properly met Steve’s parents yet so Christmas was going to be a bit of a gong-show, but surprisingly Eddie found himself looking forward to it. That and Will had vehemently suggested that Hellfire should do Secret Santa this year. Eddie had drawn Lucas and he had just roped Steve into shopping with him. A good excuse to see him… a good excuse to spend time with his boyfriend. 

Boyfriend. 

Eddie’s stomach flipped as he thought of the word, smiling privately to himself and letting the heat from his own love-sick heart warm him. He was so lame. So ridiculously lame, but Eddie couldn’t think of a time he had been happier. Steve made him so happy. “You planning to freeze?” Eddie glanced up, shaken from his reverence, and somehow managed to smile wider when he saw Steve walking down the sidewalk toward him. Steve was dressed much warmer than he was, smiling with his cheeks stained red from the cold. “Not if you have anything to say about it,” Eddie replied, shuffling toward Steve and sticking his hands out in a claw motion. It was as if they had rehearsed it, because without missing a beat Steve had opened his arms and his coat for Eddie, letting him snuggle in to warm up. “Jesus Christ,” Steve cursed, shivering as he wrapped Eddie up. “Your hands are freezing.” “I couldn’t find my gloves,” Eddie sighed, running his hands up and down Steve’s sweater, already feeling warmer. “Should we buy some?” Steve asked, leaning back just far enough so he could look at Eddie. “No, I’m fine,” Eddie insisted, breaking the hug so they could get moving. “Baby…” Steve insisted. The pet name made Eddie smile and look off to hide his joy a bit. It never got old to hear Steve call him baby. 

Babe. Baby. Angel. Eds. 

“Here,” Steve was saying as Eddie refocused and watched him take off his gloves and try to put them on Eddie’s hands. “Woah, no,” Eddie complained, wriggling his fingers to make it difficult for Steve to put the gloves on. “What about you?” “It’s fine, I’ll just put my hands in my pockets,” Steve insisted, his breath fogging up the air around them. “And I can’t just put my hands in my pockets? How am I supposed to hold your hand with your hands in your pockets?” Eddie asked, not breaking contact with Steve (under no circumstances did he want that), but not making it easy at all for him to put the gloves on. 

“How am I supposed to with you putting your hands in your pockets?” Steve countered, raising a brow at Eddie. Eddie huffed dramatically, before snatching one of the gloves and putting it on. “Keep that one,” he insisted, waiting impatiently for Steve to put his glove on before grabbing his hand as if it was an inconvenience. He over-exaggerated putting his other hand in his pocket before grinning at Steve, absolutely smitten. “We’ll share, come on, Harrington,” Eddie teased, beginning to drag Steve by the hand down the sidewalk. It made Steve laugh slightly; the sound dreamy and affectionate. 

Eddie slowed eventually and tucked into Steve’s side, still holding his hand with the other warmly stuff in his pocket. It was easy to fall into step with Steve, especially as they chatted and window-shopped for Lucas. It felt comfortable and calm in a way Eddie couldn’t describe. It felt perfect, really. It felt perfect to be walking through Hawkins with the first snowfall, debating casually over what gift to buy a friend as he held his boyfriend’s hand.

His boyfriend.

Eddie’s stomach swooped again and he tipped his head onto Steve’s shoulder, soaking in the warmth and the affection and wondering if he had ever been happier in his whole life.