Eddie’s guitar turns into a human and Steve is seething in jealousy; established relationship
It began as a day like any other. Eddie got up, made himself some pop tarts, left the trailer for some business, picked up his boyfriend, and drove the two of them back for some alone time. Today alone time meant playing Uno with the tv in the background and realizing the rules in Steve’s home were very different from his.
“You can’t double drop, baby”, Eddie said.
“We’re playing colors and I have two blues. It’s fair play.”
“Lovely, I’m calling bullshit.”
Steve grinned. “Different game, Eddie.”
“You ass, you know what I meant-”
Both of their heads turned when they heard something knocking around in Eddie’s room. Steve got to his feet first, Eddie just a second after, but Eddie was the one to move to his room first. Eddie patted himself for his switchblade, finding it in his back pocket. He kept his hand there as he slowly opened the door. And he was face to face with a man. A complete and total stranger.
"Um, hi, who are you and what're you doing in my room?"
Steve was right behind him and his eyes narrowed. They didn’t look involved with the goverment, standing around in red plaid. But they could be undercover. Or a random person who still had it out for Eddie after the accusations were cleared.
"Eddie I think you mean 'Hi, who the hell are you and you better have a warrant", Steve said while sneakily reaching for an umbrella propped up by the door.
“I’m, oh wow, I can talk, haha”, he smiled, as if surprised by himself.
“Yeah, mind usin’ that voice to tell us who you are? Before things get ugly?” Eddie took out the blade, hoping this person understood they were serious.
“You don’t recognize me? I guess I got a different look now. I was just minding my own business, sittin’ up here”, he put a hand to Eddie’s wall where normally his guitar was. “Then all of a sudden, I’m like this.”
Eddie looked to the empty space on the wall, then to the man, then to his wall, then to his red shirt. He tilted his head. This was insane.
“Sweetheart?”
“That’s what you call me”, the stranger said at the same time as Steve whipping his head towards Eddie.
“Eddie, what the hell?”
“Not like that!”, Eddie quickly amended, realizing how it looked. “Steve...I think this might be my guitar.”
“Now I’m calling bullshit.”
“Tell me something only my instrument would know”, Eddie demanded of the stranger.
“When you first bought me, you were so excited, you begged the owner to let you plug me in and started shredding right there in the store. And then you dropped the pick in me and started to cry.”
Eddie’s red face was the only confirmation that Steve needed to know it was true. But that didn’t explain why this was happening.
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Eddie was pacing back and forth while Steve was dialing the number for the Byers. This being Upside Down related was farfetched but they had to start with what they knew. It started to ring and with a sigh, Eddie sat down on the couch, waiting for Steve to explain to El and hopefully get some answers.
The moment he got comfortable on the couch Sweetheart plopped right down onto his lap like he belonged there.
“What the shit?!”, Steve demanded just as Jonathan answered the phone. He hung up without an explanation and glared at the two men on the couch.
“I am JUST as confused as you are”, Eddie said, holding his hands up so they were clearly visible.
“This is where I always sit”, Sweetheart shrugged, not seeing the issue.
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About two hours later, Eddie was dialing Dustin with the intensity of a man scared for his life. He honestly hadn’t felt this afraid since he was the target of a manhunt.
“What’s up?”, Dustin answered.
“What do you call a catfight between two dudes?”
“Uh, pretty sure that’s just a fight.”
“Okaaay, how do you stop a fight between two dudes?”
“What are they fighting about?”, Dustin asked.
“Me.”
“Is this like when some guy called you a murderer and Steve got in a fight at the movie theater?”
“Uh, not...quite...the same?”
“Either way, whenever testosterone levels are high, you need to diffuse the situation. Typically by removing whatever the fight is about.”
“Diffuse, right. Okay. Thanks.”
Eddie hung up and looked to the two men in his living room. Steve looked like he was trying to kill Sweetheart with his eyes and Sweetheart looked like he was laying down a challenge. Eddie did the opposite of what his instincts were telling him to do and got between them, facing Steve.
He reached out and cradled his face. “Baby, angel, dollface-”
“Don’t sweet-talk me now”, Steve pouted.
Eddie leaned right in to kiss those pouty lips. “You know you’re my favorite, right?”
Steve rolled his eyes. “You can say that with your Sweetheart right there?”, he challenged, giving the other man a look.
Eddie released a breath and then moved away from Steve. He went over to Sweetheart and whispered something in his ear which was not helping the rolling thunder of jealousy right now. But then Sweetheart sauntered over to Steve and began whispering to him.
All the things he saw while being a fly on the wall in Eddie’s room. All the things he had heard. Half finished songs, long running rants, attempts at poetry, even the mornings when Eddie had awakened from a very R-rated dream.
Eddie was watching, hand up to his mouth, not quite biting his nails but getting dangerously close. Steve’s expression was neutral as he moved towards his boyfriend and grabbed his hand.
“I really am your favorite?”
“I love you both”, Eddie said. “But Sweetheart is one of the vessels through which my loves for you flows.”
The evening went much more smoothly after that and by morning, Sweetheart was back to being a guitar by no involvement of their own. Eddie was propped against the headboard of his bed, Steve in his lap and Sweetheart spread across him as Eddie positioned his hands.
“Like this, baby”, he said as he coached him through some simple strumming, kissing Steve’s shoulder when he got it.
“You know what I just realized?”
“What?”, Eddie asked.
“When you really love something, like put so much of yourself into it, it can feel it. Even if it’s not human.” Steve’s fingers brushed across the strings as he spoke.
Eddie smiled against his neck. “And can you feel it?”
“Yeah.”
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