#hiii merry christmas this little blurb is my gift to y’all

[patheticgirlsteve]

There’s something going on between Steve and Eddie.

Dustin knows this, but he hasn’t said anything. Can’t say anything, because when Robin came out to the party a few months ago she had told them that it was private and that outing someone could be very very dangerous for them.

So Dustin hasn’t said anything. But he wants to.

It’s just that they’re not being subtle, like, at all. Dustin sees the affection between them like there’s a bright neon sign above their heads, and he wishes they would just tell everyone already so that Dustin doesn’t have to keep waiting on them to tease them about it.

But it’s not his place to say anything, he doesn’t want to put his friends in danger.

So Dustin waits and he sees everything, but he stays quiet.

He sees the way Eddie wraps a hand around the back of Steve’s neck when they think no one is watching, sees the way Steve melts into it without hesitation. He sees the way the simple touch grounds Steve in the present moment in a way that nothing else seems to do.

He sees the way Steve will pull Eddie back with a finger hooked in his belt loop whenever Eddie starts walking too fast and gets ahead of the group. He sees the way Eddie falls back immediately, lets himself be dragged backwards without protest. And he definitely sees the way Steve’s hand lingers above Eddie’s back pocket just a little too long for someone who claims that they’re “just friends”.

He sees the way the two of them are practically in each other’s laps on the couch during movie night. Watches in the dim light of the TV screen as Steve falls asleep with his head resting on Eddie’s shoulder, Eddie’s hand running through Steve’s hair gently and absently, like it’s instinctual for him to put his hands in Steve’s hair. He notices when Eddie gently nudges Steve awake right before the movie ends so that the rest of the party won’t see that they were cuddling.

So, yeah, Dustin sees. He’s not stupid and he knows what relationships look like. Just because his girlfriend lives in a different state doesn’t mean he doesn’t know. He’s impatient, he wants his friends to trust them, or at the very least trust Dustin to keep their secret safe. Everyone was cool about Robin, they’d definitely be cool about Steve and Eddie.

And then one day he sees something else, something that goes beyond simple affection.

During a break in the Hellfire session that Steve has allowed them to host at his house, Eddie goes to find Steve in the kitchen while no one else is paying attention. No one else but Dustin, that is. And Dustin follows.

He watches silently from the door as Eddie walks up behind Steve where he’s washing the dishes in the sink and wraps his arms around Steve’s chest. Steve doesn’t even startle, doesn’t jerk in surprise or chastise Eddie for sneaking up on him. No, Steve just puts the sponge and bowl down and turns the faucet off. He takes off his rubber gloves (because of course Steve would wear gloves to wash the two dishes that were in the sink) and sets them aside on the counter.

Dustin watches Steve turn in Eddie’s arms so that they’re standing nose to nose and being his hands up to cradle Eddie’s face, like Eddie is the most precious thing he’s ever held. Dustin feels like he shouldn’t be watching this, but he can’t tear his eyes away from the sight of the two of them in the kitchen together.

They’re not doing anything weird or disgusting, they’re just standing there, wrapped up in each other, faces close. They’re smiling softly and speaking too low for Dustin to make out what they’re saying, but one thing is abundantly clear.

They’re in love.

Dustin has seen love before, has seen it between Hopper and Mrs. Byers, between Jonathan and Nancy, hell, he’s even seen it between Max and Lucas. So he knows what he’s seeing and he knows that it’s serious, that it’s deeper than he thought it was.

And he feels any and all desire he’d felt to tease the two of them evaporate like mist. Feels all of his impatience and indignation melt away in an instant. Because what Steve and Eddie have looks real. Looks like what Dustin imagines true love to look like.

He slinks away from the doorway slowly, not wanting to draw attention with any sudden movements, but it’s not really a risk anyway because there’s no way either Eddie or Steve are going to look away from each other anytime soon.

And Dustin decides then that he can wait, that they’ll tell him when they’re ready. He thinks he’s pretty lucky that his two favorite people have found something so special in each other. He thinks it’s worth waiting for.