#platonic edancy

[lavenderstobins]

stranger tweets part 5

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all previous parts: [part 1] [part 2] [part 3]

[steddiealltheway]

By some twist in fate, Eddie and Nancy become friends.

It starts when Eddie sees her at The Hideout standing out very much in the sea of dark clothes wearing a lavender sweater and jeans. Eddie tells his band mates he’ll be right back when he rushes off to Nancy, noticing how people are starting to stare at her a bit.

“Nance?” Eddie asks, hands in the pockets of his black jeans trying not to make it obvious that he’s fidgety. He knows that she can defend herself, but it looks like some of the guys in the bar are going to test it, and he hopes his presence will make them back off a bit.

Nancy turns and her eyebrows furrow before she gives him a tight smile. “Eddie? What are you doing here?”

“Just finished up a gig. What are you doing here?” Eddie asks.

Nancy looks around and loudly says, “I was just here to see you play. I can’t believe I missed it.” She throws her arms around Eddie and whispers in his ear, “I’m looking into something.”

As she pulls away, Eddie smiles and puts his arm around her. “How about we talk outside?”

Nancy nods and walks toward the exit. Eddie turns and waves Gareth off as he stares at him with his jaw dropped.

As soon as they’re outside, Nancy lets out a deep breath and Eddie rushes off to his van, not trusting the few people outside staring. He opens the passenger door for Nancy and goes quickly to the driver side. When the door closes, Nancy immediately says, “I know this probably sounds crazy, but I think there’s a dog fighting ring below The Hideout.”

Eddie sits back and takes in the information. He shrugs. “Okay. I can believe that.”

Nancy rambles on, “And I know there’s not great evidence and it’s a shot in the dark but-” She stops and looks at Eddie. “You believe me?”

“Yeah. You’re one of the smartest people I know, and the Creel stuff checked out, so why wouldn’t I believe you?”

“I gave you no evidence,” Nancy says as if she’s trying to talk herself out of her own theory.

Eddie shrugs again. “Then, give it to me.”

And she does. Telling him about a dog she saw chained in the backyard of someone’s house with marks consistent with an attack. How the only time the owner brings the dog inside is when he leaves his garage to drive to The Hideout, although he usually parks in the driveway which means he probably doesn't want people to see him putting the dog in his car. How he parks at the back of the bar in a fenced-off section that only a few other cars can go in. How she’s seen dogs in the other cars and even barking in the back that fades almost as if the noise starts traveling down. But this is the first time she’s gone inside.

“Well, that all sounds pretty damning, but you’re going to have to stop your investigation style.”

Nancy crosses her arms. “What does that mean?”

“I mean, you stick out like a reporter, and your notebook was sticking out of your pocket in there. No one is going to talk to you, and if they think something is up, then you risk them relocating. So, I suggest we give you a metal makeover and you let me drive you here in my van because your shiny little car is just as suspicious.”

Nancy looks a bit pissed as she states, “I don’t need your help or protection.”

Eddie smiles. “I know you don’t, but I would be a great undercover buddy and excuse for your presence at The Hideout.”

Nancy narrows her eyes at him. “Why are you helping me?”

“One, you saved my life. Two, this sounds like an adventure,” Eddie says throwing his arms out with glee.

Nancy tries to suppress a smile before she sighs, “Fine, but if you blow the case…”

“I’m dead, and I never go on anymore adventures with you. Got it.” Eddie holds out his hand with a wide smile, and Nancy takes it, shaking it one time.

It feels like the start of a wonderful friendship.

-:-:-:-:-:-

“Wow,” Eddie says staring in awe at his work.

“I feel ridiculous, Eddie,” Nancy says, dark eyeliner smudged around her eyes, chains dangling over her tight black pants, and one of Eddie’s band t-shirts tucked into them.

“Well, you look absolutely metal,” Eddie says with a bright smile.

Nancy rolls her eyes but smiles.

Eddie thinks for a second before announcing, “We should stop by Family Video to show off your new look.”

Nancy scoffs.

“I always stop by on Wednesday! Please,” Eddie practically begs. He can’t wait to see the look on Steve’s face when he sees her. He wonders if Robin will be there too.

Nancy gets a little investigative twinkle in her eye. “You stop by every Wednesday, huh?”

Eddie eyes her. There’s no way she knows about his crush or the fact that he stops by every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and sometimes Saturday and Sunday depending on if Steve's working the weekend shift. He tries to brush it off. “Yes, so I must stop by today. Right now actually, so you’re coming with, Wheeler. We can do this the easy way or the hard way.”

Nancy narrows her eyes at him.

“Alright, we’re doing this the easy way. Got it,” Eddie says, voice cracking a bit with fear that only Nancy can evoke. Luckily, she follows him to his van and gets in willingly.

A quick trip over and a surprisingly pleasant conversation later, and Eddie is dramatically entering Family Video. His heart skips a beat when he spots Steve at the counter looking at him, and he nearly forgets the reason for his dramatics. Then, Nancy clears her throat, still hiding behind him, and Eddie makes eye contact with Robin who is raising her eyebrows expectantly.

Luckily, the store is empty when he dramatically announces, “Lady and gentleman, I present to you-”

“Ruth,” Nancy whispers behind him.

Eddie moves to the side and dramatically presents, “Ruth!”

Robin looks like she’s about to die on the spot, and Steve well… he looks a bit shocked.

Eddie hooks his arm around Nancy and walks her up to the counter. “What do you think Steve?" His heart tugs a bit as he notices the way Steve doesn't look at Nancy but instead focuses in on Eddie's arm draped around her shoulders. His jaw flexes and his nostrils flare as he looks at Eddie and nods. "She looks great like a female version of you." He tries to smile at him, but it comes off forced and almost scary.

Eddie's arm guiltily slides off Nancy and a blush settles over his cheeks. He feels weirdly embarrassed as he passes Nancy off to Robin who stutters while complimenting her.

Eddie takes the break to look at Steve who stares at a stack of tapes, fiddling with them as if to make it perfectly stacked. "Didn't realize you two were so close."

"We're working undercover on a case," Eddie says with a big smile, feeling almost giddy with excitement.

Nancy laughs, overhearing him. "We're investigating something," she corrects, but adds on, "An adventure." Her eyes light up and her eyebrows raise, and Eddie feels an intense platonic love for the woman.

He glances back at Steve who continues staring at his tapes. "Sounds fun," he says flatly.

Eddie feels another shoot of pain in his heart, almost stricken by guilt. He and Steve have been talking and relatively close for the past few weeks, but suddenly he gets weird when he becomes friends with Nancy?

It strikes Eddie suddenly. He's jealous.

Of course Steve would be jealous of Eddie parading around with his ex-girlfriend! It makes so much sense. He probably thinks he's corrupting her or something.

When Robin asks Nancy more about her investigation, Eddie can't help but lean over the counter and mumble, "You know that there's nothing happening between me and Nancy, right? She doesn't like me like that at all. Trust me. Don't have to worry about her being taken or whatever especially by me," Eddie rambles out, laughing at the end to add to how ridiculous the thought even is.

Steve looks at him confused. "That's not- that isn't..." He shakes his head and goes back to his stack. "I don't have feelings for Nance."

Eddie almost scoffs at that because hello. All signs point to jealousy. "So, you're not jealous?"

"No of you," Steve mutters still fidgeting with the tapes.

Eddie nods. Maybe he's just having a bad day or something. "Great, glad we cleared that up. But uh- are you okay?"

Steve nods and gives him that same tight smile. "Yup."

Yeah, he's definitely not fine, but he's not gonna push it. He glances over at Nancy to ask if she's ready to go, but then he sees the way she's leaning over the counter toward Robin, chatting animatedly about her evidence while Robin listens with heart eyes, practically drooling as she asks Nancy more questions. And what's even more interesting is the way Nancy gets flustered as Robin asks questions she hadn't thought of before and a blush slowly appears on Nancy's cheeks.

Eddie watches in awe as the two form more theories with their ideas bouncing off of each other as they slowly lean closer and closer until Nancy's arms are pressing against Robin's. Eddie softly smiles. If Nancy can tease him about his crush, he's going to certainly tease her about hers.

"Watch it there. You might start drooling if you stare too hard," Steve mutters to Eddie, hurt evident in his tone.

"Why would I be drooling?"

Steve rolls his eyes and loudly announces, "I'm going on my break." The two girls jump apart as he storms off to the back and slams the door behind him. Christ. What has him in such a bad mood?

"Damn, what did you say to him?" Robin asks with her arms crossed.

Eddie raises his hands. "I have no idea."

Nancy raises her eyebrows. "Oh, I have an idea, but come on. I think that was our cue to leave." She turns back to Robin and very regretfully says goodbye before Eddie follows her outside.

"Really, I have no idea-"

"He's jealous, Eddie," Nancy states with a small smile.

Eddie fidgets and says, "Well, he told me he wasn't after I explained you don't have feelings for me."

Nancy laughs, and Eddie stares at her. "What am I missing?"

"He's not jealous of you! He's jealous of me. He likes you, Eddie, and don't tell me I'm wrong because I know what he's like when he likes someone."

Eddie stops to think about the way Steve had hardly paid attention to Nancy and gave all his attitude to Eddie. But that can't be true, and he knows he can't say that to Nancy, so instead he stirs the pot. "And you like Robin, and she likes you back!"

Nancy's jaw drops and she splutters, "She doesn't- I don't- She... That is not what we're discussing right now!"

"Here's what I think," Eddie says, ignoring Nancy's attempt at changing the topic, "I think that you should go to The Hideout with Robin because you two clearly work well together, and she's a better investigator than I am. Plus, you two have the experience after the whole library and asylum thing."

Nancy takes a second to consider it and asks, "But what about you? I know you wanted the adventure."

Eddie's stomach flips a bit at how caring Nancy Wheeler is. "I think I've had enough adventure in the Upside Down to last a lifetime. Plus, I have a weak stomach, and I might throw up if I saw a dog fighting ring."

Nancy smiles and huffs a laugh. She looks down at her feet a moment before looking at Eddie with a determined look that scares him. "If I go with Robin, you'll take her work vest and cover the rest of her shift. Plus, I get your van so we have a ride."

"Deal," Eddie says handing her his keys without thinking.

"Have fun with Steve," Nancy says with a big smile running back into Family Video.

Shit, he had forgotten about that part.

Eddie races inside, but it's too late, Nancy is already talking to Robin about the plan. She hands over her vest to Eddie and squeals, "Tell Steve I'm not sorry at all."

The bell on the door rings as they both race out. Eddie sighs and makes his way to the back, hoping that Steve won't entirely lose his shit at the news.

He knocks on the door and gets a, "Leave me alone, Robin," in response.

"It's Eddie. Robin left with Nancy," Eddie says loudly through the door.

It quickly opens with Steve looking a bit frantic and confused. "She what?"

"She left to investigate with Nancy. I'm covering the rest of the shift."

Steve stares at him for a few seconds and sighs running a hand over his face. "I didn't mean to make you lose your chances with Nance. That was a dick move, man. I can cover the rest of the shift on my own, and you can go with them."

Eddie crosses his arms. "I told you she doesn't have feelings for me."

"Yeah, but you have feelings for her clearly. You couldn't take your eyes off of her after that whole makeover of yours. Turned her into your perfect girl or whatever," Steve says angrily, and Eddie sees that same jealousy returning.

"Why are you getting so jealous?" Eddie asks outright, refusing to fully rely on Nancy's explanation.

Steve runs a hand through his hair and rests it on his hip. He looks at Eddie for a few seconds, eyes wandering all over his face before blurting out, "Because I like you! Okay! And I thought maybe you did too because of how often you come in and talk to me, but clearly, I was wrong." He brushes past Eddie and goes back to that damn stack of tapes, fidgeting with them again.

Eddie takes a deep breath and says, "Steve?"

Steve tenses up, and Eddie continues, "You realize that I don't have feelings for Nancy because I have this huge overwhelming crush on you that I never thought would go anywhere, right?"

Steve turns around quickly. "Huh?"

Eddie slowly walks up to him. "Nancy tried to tell me that you were jealous of her, and I thought it wasn't possible. That there was no way that you could like me like that. In fact, I'm pretty sure I'm dreaming right now."

"Me too," Steve says with his eyes wide.

Eddie stops in front of him and cautiously smiles. "So, what now?"

Steve smiles back. "You know, I once heard that if you want to wake up from a dream, you just grab someone in the dream and kiss them."

"Really?"

"No," Steve says stepping closer. "But I think it's worth a try."

"Me too," Eddie replies as he leans in and does what he's been dreaming of doing for weeks now. Steve's lips are soft and warm and Eddie feels like he could get lost in the way they move against his.

Sadly, Steve breaks the kiss and says, "Huh, not dreaming, which also means that I need to temporarily put the closed sign on the door."

Eddie's eyebrows furrow, still confused as to why the kiss ended early. "Why?"

Steve jumps over the counter and flips the sign. "So we can properly kiss in the back without the fear of people coming in. I'm still on my break, you know, and I know exactly how I want to spend every minute of it," Steve says all matter-of-fact as he makes his way back to Eddie and tugs him into the breakroom.

God bless, Nancy Wheeler.

(Oh, and Nancy's investigation pans out exactly as she expected. She busts the ring pretty fast, and in her article, she thanks ((her, now, girlfriend)) Robin and even Eddie for their help. And trust me, the fruity four go on plenty of adventures together. Plus, Eddie and Nancy are very willing to give their partners their platonic soulmate time, so they can also hang out.)

[shares-a-vest]

all the recent pictures of joseph quinn have me thinking about eddie cutting his hair and steve having FEELINGS about the cute little curls.

Steve is jiggling his keys in the sticky front door when it opens from the inside where Nancy is standing. The move unknowingly yanks him forward, sending him stumbling inside.

Why is Nancy in the apartment mid-afternoon on a Friday?

"Nance!" he chokes and promptly frowns, "What happened?"

"Umm," she hums and closes her mouth in a half smile, half grimace.

He shucks his bag off and dumps it at his feet, completely panicked, mind racing as he insists, "What happened!"

"Well…"

And that's when he catches the scissors in her left hand, light bouncing off them from the bright lighting in the building's hallway.

"What did you do!" he screeches.

"Eddie might have called me yesterday telling me he had officially decided he wanted me to cut his hair," the words tumble out of her mouth, almost entirely as a single word that she punctuates with a toothy grin and worried brows.

Steve charges inside, eyes darting around the apartment as his heart pounds.

Robin is sitting on the lounge reading a magazine and barely looking up as she gives a nonchalant, "Hey, Dingus."

He places his hands on his hips, "Hey! Hey? Rob, how could you have let this happen!"

Robin flaps a page of the magazine and stands, "Wow, sounds totally normal for you to be controlling your boyfriend's body, Steve."

She tosses the magazine (a fucking men's hair magazine) on the coffee table and walks to him, giving a condescending pat on the shoulder as she smirks.

"But his hair!" he argues, as if his hair hysteria makes total sense.

"He looks good," Nancy chimes and Robin nods in agreement.

"Hey, Steve."

He spins around to find Eddie standing in the kitchen, hair short and impossibly curled up. He taps his fingers on the counter where off-cuts sit in a fluffy pile that could easily be mistaken for their cat.

"H-Hey," Steve splutters, giving a wiggly-fingered wave.

He stares as Eddie runs his fingers through his new haircut.

"Your mousse made it curlier than we were expecting," Nancy explains, sounding almost apologetic. But she doesn't have to be, like, at all.

Eddie raises his hands above his head, balling them into fists in frustration, "He doesn't like it!"

He looks between the girls, eyes wide as saucers and beginning to glisten.

Oh shit - Steve is still staring. Gawking. All slack-jawed even.

"No, no, no! Eds, I-I do!" he promptly rushes to Eddie and cups his reddening cheeks, "It's just… different s'all."

Robin gives a hearty scoff and Steve ignores her, refusing to listen to whatever quip she mutters to a giggling Nancy. He doesn't care that the pair find him and Eddie to be sickly lovebirds who never left the honeymoon stage of their relationship. He looks Eddie over, trying to read his mind to get a sense of anything else that might have influenced his decision.

"You sure nothing else is worrying you?" he continues, chewing at his bottom lip, for once wishing he had El's powers, "Remember when you were going to tell Wayne we wanted to move out and instead of telling him you dyed your hair blue? Or at least, tried to," he chuckles, "And Henderson and Claudia had to come over with their toxic concoction of cleaning supplies to get the stains off every surface in the kitchen?"

Eddie buries his face in the crook of his neck, snickering, "Nothing else. Promise, Stevie. I just wanted a change."

Steve soothes his hands over his back, his fingers gathering up loose strands of hair. He reaches up to his neck, massaging there too and feeling the hair at the nape of Eddie's now-exposed neck, the fresh ends slipping easily through his fingers.

Eddie detaches himself, keeping him at arm's length as he adds, "I was starting to feel like a bit of a has-been, anyway."

"Well, I don't like that part of it at all," Steve frowns, petting the curls at the front that were once Eddie's brow-hitting bangs.

He grimaces as that nagging part of his brain he has never been able to shirk (some combination of his mother's vanity and a built-in bitchiness) zeroes in on Eddie's possibly receding hairline. Steve shakes his head, willing away such a shallow thought as he cups his hands over Eddie's exposed ears, shifting to worrying about the upcoming winter and how his ears will most certainly get cold.

But Nancy did a good job. Great, in fact. She even applied the mousse properly so it isn't making Eddie's hair all tacky and clumped together. It is cut evenly too. Although Steve might need to use the electric razor to clean up around Eddie's sideburns a little.

Eddie looks impossibly cute like this, perhaps more than he ever did when he tied his hair up (the very first time sending Steve into cardiac arrest). His cheeks look rounder, more cherubic. And when those dimples inevitably come out, it will be an unholy combination...

God help Steve.

"Should we get going?" Robin wonders aloud.

It makes Steve jump - he had forgotten they weren't alone. Eddie barks a laugh and manhandles him into turning around to face the girls. Nancy points to herself, her other hand defiantly propped on her hip.

"I need to get paid."

Eddie hushes up demands of payment as quickly as possible, grumbling away as he gives Nancy some cash he had apparently retrieved from the bank and hidden in their sock drawer two weeks ago. He had promised to buy her a dress at a swanky boutique she had been eyeing, even though Nancy complained that he wasn't going with her to buy it. Even years later, the pair were inseparable shopping partners, a duo that could easily give Steve and Robin a run for their (in this case literal) money.

Steve can't help it, as soon as Eddie shuts the front door, he pounces, knocking them both into the coat stand as he peppers kisses onto the back of his neck.

"So you do like it?" Eddie laughs, stumbling around to steady them while Steve wraps his arms around his middle.

"Absolutely!"

Eddie manages to turn around despite the tight hold on him, smiling in that lethal way that showcases his dimples.

And yeah, Steve is most definitely a goner.

[metalhoops]

Remember this post? 

They were in the belly of the beast. 

The Creel House stood resolute, tinged the colour of a freshly heal wound, reopened. The same sickly red stain of The Upside Down sky, brown boards blue-hued from strange smokes and cinder. Part of Eddie felt like he’d seen the house before, in some half-remembered nightmare. Deep in the back of his brain, where all strange primal fears were housed, there was a spot saved for the decaying manner. 

By all rights, Eddie shouldn’t have been in the house. If they’d followed the original plan, he’d have been on the roof of the trailer. It’d been Wheeler, of all people who’d changed things. She was a smart girl, too damn smart for her own good in Eddie’s opinion. She’d pointed out all the ways their plan could go wrong and as much as Eddie wanted to redeem the Munson name, he didn’t want to walk into a death trap if he could help it. 

Nancy was right. That didn’t change the creeping sense of dread he felt whenever he looked her way. It was like one of Vecna’s vines had made a home in his stomach and was creeping up towards his mouth each time the girl did something impressive. Eddie had the sneaking suspicion something was swaying his feelings towards her. Something with light brown hair, who had entered the Creel house brandishing a baseball bat like a medieval sword. 

Jesus H. Christ. Seeing Steve Harrington wield the tetanus trap of a baseball bat, full of splintering wood and rusted nails wasn’t a sight he’d ever pictured living to see. 

Drifting in from the wasteland beyond the open door, Eddie could hear his amps playing ‘Master of Puppets’ on the boom box they’d borrowed from the Harringtons’. The poor little player had never gotten the taste for good music. Eddie had to admit it was a good idea. 

He, Steve and Dustin set up the trap. Once the bats began to swarm the trailer the two older boys boosted Dustin up and out of the portal, much to the kid’s protest. They then snuck around the back of the trailer, while the girls waited in the woods ahead. Nancy had her sawn-off trained on the swarm. Robin had her Molotovs. Range weapons, waiting in the wings. He and Steve were the best at evasion. If this were a campaign, he’d say they made a pretty balanced party, all things considered. 

The interior of the house was worse than Eddie expected. It was filled with rotted vines and ash, making the air smell of must and mildew. Eddie’s brain kept telling him to turn tail and run, but he wouldn’t. He couldn’t. 

He shifted his shield from one hand to the next as they moved deeper into the house, channelling his nervous energy away from his feet. One misstep and their distraction would be for nothing. Their plan was a house of cards. One gust of wind and the whole damn thing would blow over. If Eddie screwed up Red, along with everyone else in the Creel house, would be dead before the world had time to end. 

Steve took the lead up the stairs like Eddie knew he would. He had a hero complex Eddie couldn’t unpick. Once everything was over, he had questions about what the party had seen the last three times they’d decided to dance with the devil in the pale moonlight. There was something about Steve Harrington he couldn’t put his finger on. Sure, trauma could change a person, Eddie was learning that lesson the hard way, but the man charging up the stairs towards their inevitable death in too-tight pants and an army jacket had some explaining to do. 

He wasn’t sure who’d done it in the end. Whose foot made first contact with the blackened tendrils, the dominos fell too fast to pinpoint an epicentre. Nancy's body jerked one way, while Steve was sent skyward. His back hit the walls of the house with a sickly wet thud, a mass of undulating vines threatening to swallow him whole. Robin was on the floor at the foot of the steps, hacking away at the vines with an axe. Eddie was pushed against the bannister, all the air fleeing his lungs. This was how he would die. 

The sound of distant wings grew ever louder as Eddie’s vision began to blacken around the edges. 

In Eddie’s fading vision, he watched as a sliver of light glinted off something overhead. The axe fell like a guillotine, too close to Eddie’s head for comfort. He was free. He took greedy gulps of air, his eyes making contact with Buckley’s. She looked as shocked as he did, like a nocturnal animal caught in floodlights.

They didn’t have time. Robin was off, desperately hacking skywards at the vines still ensnaring Steve. He’d managed to wedge the bat between the vine and his throat. Rusted nails dug deeper into the black mass as it attempted to constrict, but it also buried the nails deeper into Steve’s flesh. 

Eddie ran to help Nancy, her lips blue as her fingers blindly grasped for the shotgun that’d landed just out of reach. Nancy was smart, but like all people, the fear of death made her dumb. A bullet to the jugular wasn’t going to fix this. 

Eddie tried to slide his fingers between the vine and her throat, to relieve some of the pressure. His fingers kept slipping, sticky with sap or blood. He didn’t know. He wished he had a knife as he tried to untangle the vines from ensnaring her body. There was nothing more he could do. He had to sit and wait as he felt the fight begin to fade from her convulsing body. He listened distantly to Robin’s slew of curses as she hacked at drywall. For each vine cut from Steve’s body, there was another waiting to ensnare him. 

Life-or-death situations had a strange way of bringing one's true feelings to the surface. Eddie crouched beside Nancy, his hand clawing at the vine encircling her throat, watching as her panic-ridden eyes flickered across his face. He noticed her hand twitching up trying to pry the vine from its hold on her throat and Eddie’s arm. She was so weak he hadn’t noticed her attempt. He ran a thumb absentmindedly back and forth across her knuckles, trying to soothe her. 

“Hey, no. Hey. You’re fine, Wheeler. You’re okay. Slow breaths, alright? You’ve got this,” he muttered hating how uncertain he sounded, how strained his voice was. 

He didn’t hate Nancy. He’d hate himself if he let Steve’s chance of a storybook ending die in his arms but Christ that was a lot of pressure. 

He crouched there until his fingers turned white and an axe descended upon the vines, cutting them both free. Wheeler gasped, taking deep shaky breaths as she squeezed Eddie’s hand, locking eyes with Buckley over his shoulder. She schooled her features when Steve came into view. His throat wept blood but he was upright, which was more than Eddie could’ve hoped for. 

The vines began to retreat for a reason they couldn’t discern. The group rushed to the second-floor landing, as the swarm of bats descended upon the house, rushing in through the open door. Eddie watched as something shifted in Steve’s stance. He twisted the baseball bat in his hands, familiarising himself with the weapon before taking a few practice swings. 

“Keep going. I’ll hold ‘em off,” Steve spoke. 

Eddie knew it wasn’t a good plan. He knew what happened to the people who stayed behind. Steve had warned him about playing the hero. Eddie wasn’t going to let him have all the fun. 

He held his shield aloft in front of himself, trying to see how much of his body he could brace behind it. If this were a campaign, Eddie knew fighting something that nasty on your own would be akin to a death sentence. 

“I’m staying. Even the odds,” Eddie spoke, as though two boys fresh off the heels of adolescence taking on a swarm of hundreds of unearthly horrors was in any way shape or form, even.  They just had to hold them off until Vecna was dead. The hellscape couldn’t survive without him. Cut off the head and the rest would follow. 

If they had more time, maybe things would’ve gone differently. Maybe they would’ve come up with a better plan, but there was no time. Robin looked poised for an argument or a thought-out speech but Nancy cocked the shotgun and dragged her forward. She knew the silent promise that came with goodbyes. 

The boys were faced with a black mass of writhing wings. They found a rhythm with ease. Steve swung his bat in a perfect arch, sending any unfortunate hell spawn in its wake flying into Eddie’s waiting shield, empaled on the jagged nails. 

Eddie was surprised at how easy it was to find something akin to peace at that moment. He and Steve knew how to move around each other, and how to anticipate each other. They watched the other’s back and oftentimes found themselves back-to-back. Steve’s broad shoulders were grounding where they pressed into Eddie’s. It was the world's strangest game of baseball. With Steve at his side, the horror of the moment seemed to fall away. 

They worked better together than Eddie could’ve imagined and lasted longer than he’d thought. Yet, they couldn’t hold out much longer. The room smelled of rotted iron and Eddie’s sides throbbed. He was too hopped up on adrenaline for the seriousness of the situation to take hold, but one look at Steve in his periphery let him know they were both in bad shape. 

The boy was covered in blood. The wound in his side was torn open once more. Someone could trace their movement by the bloody footprints littering the floor. 

They were dying. 

Eddie tried not to let the enormity of the situation swallow him whole. 

“Hey? How’s it going in there? You killin’ the son of a bitch or just admiring the view?” Eddie screamed above the beating of wings. When a response didn’t come, Steve and Eddie exchanged worried looks. 

“Rob?” Steve yelled, casting a glance through the doorway. 

The moment of distraction left him wide open for a bat to swoop, wrapping its twisted tail around Steve’s arm and tugging him upwards. Eddie acted fast, grabbing Steve’s ankle, and pulling him back to the relative safety of the rotting boards, bloated and warping from the mingling blood and black, bat ooze. 

“I can’t find the lighter,” Robin’s voice called at last. It must have fallen from her pocket when the vines attacked. Shit. 

Eddie plunged his hands into the depths of his jacket pocket and thanked the god he didn’t believe in for his habit of chain smoking in times of crisis. He’d brought another lighter. 

“Watch my six Stevie, I’ve got one,” Eddie called, rushing into the room leaving no space to argue. 

Nancy had slung the rifle over her shoulder and had taken Robin’s axe, making short work of the few bats that’d managed to sneak past his and Steve’s defences. 

Eddie ran to Robin’s side, noticing how the girl’s eyes swelled at seeing him. He was definitely in bad shape then. Her hands trembled as she held out the bottle. Time and time again, Eddie tried to light the cloth. It wasn’t working.

Nothing was working. Panic finally took hold of Eddie. They were going to die. He wished he could say he made peace with that knowledge, but he couldn’t. 

“Shit, shit, shit,” Eddie mumbled as the lighter continued to dull and spark. 

“What’s going on? I’m coming in,” Steve yelled as he appeared in the doorway barring the opening as best he could, trying to hold the flimsy wood as it buckled beneath the bats' weights. 

Steve’s eyes shifted over the scene, assessing the situation within seconds. 

He charged forward, taking the bottle from Robin’s hands, and letting the rag fall to the floor. 

“Nancy, get ready to shoot,” Steve called as he stalked closer to Vecna’s dangling body. A look passed between the two. The glance told Nancy everything she needed to know.

“Eds, lighter,” Steve called over his shoulder extending his hand. Eddie blinked, tossing it to Steve. 

Eddie would remember what happened next for the rest of his life. Whether that life lasted for minutes or decades, it didn’t matter. There was no such thing as a perfect moment, but what followed was as close as they could come. 

Steve took a deep swig of vodka, filling his cheeks with the bitter liquid and held Eddie’s lighter aloft, the small flame illuminating Steve’s features, a final spark of warmth amongst the blue-grey walls and ash of the house. His hands dripped blood, what was left of his skin was pale from the loss of it. 

Steve spat the alcohol in a perfect arc, through the flame, breathing fire over Vecna’s body, catching the dark wizard alight. Steve was a fallen king turned dragon. A higher kind of nobility. Breathtaking, unearthly, and dangerous. 

As Nancy littered Vecna’s body with bullets, Eddie kept his eyes trained on Steve, his heart in his throat. Eddie wasn’t one for sudden affections. His heart was an alley cat, wary and distrustful by nature. Yet, despite everything, Eddie fell in love with Steve at that moment. His heart soared straight past ‘crush’ and on through to adoration. Maybe it was the blood loss but with Vecna’s dead body on the floor at their feet, he knew at that moment, his life would be inextricably connected to Steve’s. 

The boy shot him a smile over his shoulder, his lip bloody, vodka smattering his chin. The room smelled of kindling. 

The girls rushed to Steve, taking turns embracing him. The sound of bats at the door had finally stopped. It was over. They’d won. 

Eddie watched on helplessly as Steve rested his forehead against Robin’s, holding the girl close, his face contorting in pain. Robin muttered a string of incoherent words just loud enough for Steve to hear before pulling back. 

Nancy was next. Their hug was less feverish, more familiar. Nancy’s chin rested on Steve’s shoulder and Steve’s hands gripped the back of her shirt as they had a hundred times before. They looked good together. It made Eddie ache. He looked away. 

When he looked back, to his surprise Robin had scooped Nancy into a too-tight hug, blathering about how petrified she’d been and how amazing Nancy was. Much to his surprise, Steve was looking at him, his arms open in offering. 

The others were close. They had gone through hell together. Eddie was the outsider. It felt strange being offered a place amongst them, but he didn’t know when he’d get another opportunity, so he strode forward letting Steve’s arms encircle his body. 

It wasn’t the kind of hug he’d expected. It wasn’t feverish, like Robin’s or as solid and steadfast as Nancy’s. Steve clung to him, his hands gripped at Eddie’s forearms, as though trying to map out the uncharted territory before pulling him closer. His hands snaked around Eddie’s body, finally finding a home, clutching at the shirt fabric around his shoulder blades.

Eddie didn’t know what to do with his hands, finding them slipping beneath Steve’s jacket, just above his waist. His head found its way to Steve’s shoulder and Steve’s did the same. He could feel the boy’s heart pounding. He smelled of sweat, blood, and alcohol. 

“You’re a total badass, Steve Harrington.” Eddie gasped. His breath was hot against Steve’s ear. The boy chuckled, causing a shiver to run up his spine.

“I don’t know, Munson. That’s high praise comin’ from a hero,” Steve spoke.

“I’m not-,” Eddie began, but Steve wasn’t having it. 

“Take a compliment dude. You went to Mordor,” Steve spoke in the tone of a man who still didn’t know exactly what ‘Mordor’ was. 

Hawkins’ golden boy, trying to ‘speak nerd’ to him wasn’t quelling any of Eddie’s feelings. 

“Yeah well, next time we go somewhere let’s make it nice. Check out The Rockies, The Grand Canyon, maybe California.” 

Later Eddie would blame the blood loss for being so bold. 

Steve pulled back, just far enough to look at Eddie’s face. To his surprise, Steve shot him a goofy grin. 

“I like the sound of that.” 

[vesselforsatin]

Eddie thinks that Nancy and Steve are getting back together. He sees their heads pressed together and laughing while smiling at each other. Wayne comes home to find Eddie laying on the floor and blasting “Jolene” on repeat. He goes about his business while his nephew sings the lyrics into the rug in between mumbled curses at the concept of love.

Turns out Steve and Nancy are not getting back together. They were actually bonding how hot they think Sigourney Weaver is and giggling about how she reminds them of their respective crushes. Eddie finds this out after Wayne calls Nancy to come talk some sense into him after the fourteenth repeat of “I Will Always Love You.”

[dwobbitfromtheshire]

Nancy: He's been hurt before.

Eddie: *visible confusion* Wasn't that by you?

When Steve said Nancy likes to play cops and robbers, this wasn't what Eddie was expecting.

[sarcasticassian]

I feel like there’s definitely a universe where Steve heard Eddie singing Nancy’s praises and somehow got the idea in his head that Eddie has a crush on Nancy, so after the hospital he watches them because yeah Jonathan is back but things seem a little weird with him and Nancy and is it because Nancy has a crush on Eddie as well? 

her and Eddie start hanging out more just the two of them as well as with Steve and Robin (a trek through the Upside Down and then later pulling one of them who is nearly dead out of there can really bond a group) and Steve thinks the pieces are slotting together

Eddie and Nancy have study sessions together, they talk about D&D, Eddie shows Nancy some metal bands and she seems to like them and they talk about random books and movies together for hours, tucked away on a couch when the Party hangs out they gossip like old ladies and have their own inside jokes, it makes Steve itch because it looks like Nancy and Jonathan aren’t breaking up and he feels bad for Eddie so he tries to be his friend and hang out with him when Nancy is off on dates and ignores the way his stomach constantly clenches when he’s around Eddie

Robin is watching this slow motion car crash of Steve realising he likes Eddie and panicking that he can’t talk to Eddie about his interests like Nancy can and having a downward spiral about it all, she’s also watching Eddie’s eyes follow Steve around at every hang out whilst Nancy scoffs in the background and gently bullies their friend about his obvious crush on her ex

one night the girls get bored enough that they lock Steve and Eddie in a closet (ha) and go and watch a movie and gossip whilst the boys sort themselves out, unlocking the door but not opening it after their movie is over and their nails are dry

Steve rants to Robin for an hour the next day about how he and Eddie had to stay in that closet all night and that was really mean Robin, Nancy pops up from somewhere within Family Video to tell Steve the door was open and does it really matter when he got to curl up with Eddie all night? no so calm down and also she’s going to watch Eddie’s band play at the Hideout on Tuesday, does he want to tag along and glare at Eddie’s other friends too or did she just get special treatment because Steve thought Eddie liked her

Steve gapes at her but eventually Robin agrees that they’ll go because she has a shovel talk she needs to give actually

[apomaro-mellow]

Eddie steals the Hope Diamond; spicy six heist au

"I thought the centerpiece of this museum was a t-rex skeleton. What’s an elephant doing here?”, Eddie asked.

“That’s Night at the Museum, man. You’re thinking of the movie”, Jonathan said from next to him.

“Kinda disappointed to be honest. I go right you go left?”

Jonathan went to the left of the entrance while Eddie went right. Nancy was speaking to them both through earpieces. Getting a map of the museum was a fine way to get a general layout. But nothing beat getting actual feet on the ground.

Eddie moved around, letting the traffic of the museum move him. He knew he was moving in a non-linear fashion, but it was hard not to double back when he saw an interesting diorama or model.

“Eddie, don’t get distracted”, Nancy warned.

“Who me? Perish the thought”, he said, fully intending to do recon in the fossil exhibit, only to pass by the hall of gems and minerals. He let out a low whistle.

“I know who you would be perfect for”, he murmured to himself. But Nancy could hear him loud and clear through the earpiece.

“Eddie…we are not stealing the Hope Diamond.”

Eddie liked jewelry. And he liked Steve. Scratch that, he loved Steve. And he loved putting him in pretty things. That diamond necklace was a very pretty thing.

“It can be our little secret Nancy. I wanna surprise Steve with something nice.”

“Then buy him a legit diamond with your cut. We have a client that we need to keep happy.”

“I can multitask.” There was quite the crowd around the diamond, watching as it rotated in its case. Obviously he knew it wouldn’t be easy to lift it, even with their team. But they were already going to be in the museum to steal something from the Ancient Egypt exhibit. Why not get something else on the way out?

He and Jonathan finished cruising the museum and returned to the apartment space they were currently using to plan this job.

As expected, Nancy had a map of the whole place, all floors included spread out on a large table in the living room.

“We start at 1200 hours”, Nancy said. “By the end of this, we should have some T-rex teeth and have enough to pad our accounts for quite some time. Eddie, did you get a good look at the teeth.”

“I did. Between me and Bucks, we should have some decent replicas in time.”

Nancy nodded. “Don’t forget to reference Jonathan’s pics too. We need them to be flawless.”

“Alright, so everybody know their parts?”, Robin asked.

“I’m one part of the distraction with a pizza delivery”, Argyle said. “Once the guy’s out there, I keep him occupied for as long as I can.”

“Jonathan and I will handle the security cameras. We go in, knock ‘em out, and make sure it switches to our pre-made loop”, Steve said while twirling a pen in his hand.

“Steve keeps guard by the door and I keep an eye on the cameras. If we need any interception, he’ll run point”, Jonathan added.

“Once everything’s set, Big Wheel and I will do the switcheroo”, Eddie illustrated by juggling some of the stones he’d bought at the gift shop. None of with were as eye-catching as the diamond.

“Once we bag the teeth, we meet up with Robin in the van and then we’re out”, Nancy said.

Argyle raised his hand up for a high five which Jonathan answered. “And another one in the books.”

Steve pulled Eddie away from the others into the kitchen and gently pressed him against the fridge. Eddie initiated a kiss, ready for some lovin’. Going over a plan always got Steve hot for some reason. Not that he was complaining.

But then Steve pulled away and looked him in the eyes. “Nancy said you’re planning on doing something stupid.”

Ah, this was an interrogation.

“Is it stupid to act on my desires and do what I please?”

“Is this like the art museum where you just had to touch that Pollock painting?”, Steve asked.

Eddie avoided his eyes. “Something like that.” If Steve kept at it, he would end up telling him everything. And he wanted it to be a surprise. He just knew the look on his love’s face when he presented the necklace would be worth more than all the gems in the world.

He cradled Steve’s face and kissed him and then kissed him again. “Just trust me, baby.”

He’d never do anything to put Steve in danger. And he wouldn’t do this if he didn’t think he could swing it.

As Nancy had planned, the op began at midnight. The pizza gambit, which Nancy had only been 40% sure would work, actually did. When Steve and Jonathan successfully made it to the surveillance room and took over, she breathed a sigh of relief. Now she only had to worry about the wild card in the group. Eddie pretty much always deferred to her leadership. But anything regarding Steve was like invoking impulse.

Nancy was working on removing the first tooth when she saw Eddie looking up at the cameras. He bit his lip and then turned to her.

“I gotta do it.”

“You realize it’s stupid and reckless, right?”, she said in a whisper but kept her eyes on the fossil.

“Love makes you crazy. But I don’t need to remind you. Madrid ring any bells?”

Nancy paused in her work. Madrid, right. “Just don’t get caught or it really will be like Madrid.”

Eddie was already making his way from the fossils to the gems. He turned his earpiece on.

“Robin, Jonathan, mind giving me a little help?”

“Holy shit”, Jonathan hissed, pulling Steve’s attention from the door.

“Nancy was right, you are stupid”, Robin said with a shake of her head as she watched the feed from the van.

“What is it? What’s Eddie doing?”, Steve asked, coming over to look at the monitors.

Jonathan changed the one Eddie was on just in time. “He’s uh, taking a little detour.”

“I’m going. Where is he?”

“Steve, stay focused”, Nancy said. “Eddie will be fine.”

They heard footsteps and Steve’s head whipped towards the door. Thankfully, he was already changed into a guard’s outfit. He stuck his head out and saw a guard headed their way. If he looked in the room, he’d see two unconscious dudes on the floor and two guys who didn’t belong there.

Steve came out and closed the door.

“Hey!”

“Hey”, Steve replied.

“What’re you doing here?”

“What am I-? What am I doing here? Why are you speaking to me like that? Like you don’t know me?”

“Because I don’t”, the guard said.

Steve let his shoulders sag a little and made his eyes a little bigger. “I know what he made was kind of a fling but I thought...I don’t know maybe it could be something more.” The guard looked taken aback but not indignant. Good. “You really don’t remember me?”

“I think I’d remember a face like yours.”

Eddie listened while Steve flirted and it both made him proud and made him burn with jealousy. He’d have just the thing to show him who he belonged to later.

He knew Nancy was done when he heard two clicks. Eddie had closed the necklace up in a box prepared just for the occasion. When he rendezvoused up with Nancy, her eyes narrowed at the box.

“So you were going to do it anyway.”

“You know me, I’m like a dog with a bone.”

They got to the van and were shortly joined by Argyle.

“How was having the easiest job today?”, Robin asked.

“Easy, my ass.”

“Yeah, your ass. All you had to do was smoke with a security guard”, Eddie said.

“It was so goddamn tedious. He just went on and on about Robocop.”

Jonathan and Steve returned just about a minute after and Eddie immediately pulled Steve into his lap.

“There’s my baby.”

“And that’s officially another one in the books”, Argyle said, high fiving with Robin. “Celebration dinner?”

“I’m in the mood for French”, Robin said.

“If you guys are going out, you can drop me and Steve off at the apartment”, Eddie said while stroking his thigh.

The other groaned but Robin made her way there anyway. If going over the plan made Steve hot, a successful one with no hitches made him hornier than anything. He was already kissing at Eddie’s neck so he wasn’t sure what they were surprised by.

The others took off for dinner, leaving them alone with the fossil teeth to deliver in exchange for cash in the morning. Steve had Eddie pressed against a wall, kissing him but this time Eddie pulled away.

“I got a gift for you, gorgeous.”

“Hm?”

“But I need you to strip first.” All he needed was Steve. Anything else would get in the way of his beauty.

Steve smirked and turned away from Eddie. Just to be cheeky, he took off his shoes and socks first. Then he turned away and took off his shirt while heading to their room. He left a trail of clothes behind him, which Eddie dutifully picked up so he wouldn’t be chewed out by Nancy later.

When he got to the room, Steve was perched on the edge of the bed, one knee up to his chest.

Eddie almost forgot his actual intention and took him right there.

“Well? My gift?”, Steve reminded him.

“Right, right. The gift.” Eddie dropped the clothes and got the box. He got down on his knees and opened up the case, presenting the necklace.

“Eddie..”, Steve’s voice was breathless and he sat a little straighter. “You didn’t...”

“I did, baby. I saw it and I thought of you.”

Eddie got up and sat behind Steve to put it on him. He kissed his nape once he was done and Steve turned so he could get the full visual.

“How do I look?”

It was as Eddie had suspected. The hope diamond was a nice piece of finery on its own. But on the neck of the most handsome man in the world, it truly shined. Eddie could understand why a blue rock had been coveted for so long.

“You make it look so good”, Eddie said before leaning in for a kiss. Honestly it was like the necklace had been made for Steve specifically. As Steve laid out under him, Eddie got to observe the work of art he was. God, he deserved to be immortalized.

“If this was just a regular gift, I wonder how you’re gonna top it when you propose”, Steve teased as he lifted Eddie’s shirt over his head.

“Sweet thing for your engagement ring, I’m giving you the moon.”

Steve’s peal of laughter turned into sighs as Eddie nipped at his chest around the necklace. He didn’t doubt that Eddie would at least try a moon heist. He just wondered how much grief the others would give them for it.

[withacapitalp]

I won’t wish to be yours (or for you to be mine)

Read it on ao3

Second Part

Eddie was never going to be able to stay. 

Logically, Steve understood that. He understood it, and he agreed. No matter what the government tried to spin, no matter what Hopper told them, the people of Hawkins thought Eddie was a murderer. A boy like Eddie had been guilty since the first day he arrived, and this was the inevitable conclusion. 

Still, there was knowing he was eventually going to leave, and then there was watching Eddie put the last boxes in his van and cling on tight to his uncle.

July 14th. Eddie had stayed ten days past 4th of July. Just long enough to make sure they were all going to be okay on the first anniversary. It was kind. It was thoughtful. 

It made Steve wish he knew how to hate him. 

“Okay, so as long as you stick to your timetable, you should get to Chicago by tonight. You have a reservation at this hotel already, so try to get there around check in time, okay? They even have parking in the back,” Nancy rattled off, handing Eddie a thick folder of papers. 

When Eddie had told the five of them he was leaving, she had launched into research mode. It was the way she coped, and it was productive. In just one month she had managed to put together a full dossier of the exact route Eddie had to take to get to New York, even found him a few garages outside of the city in towns where no one would have ever heard his name. 

“Thanks, Drew,” Eddie said with a grin, patting Wayne twice on the shoulder and dragging Nancy into a hug, “Actually, thanks to all of you. You guys have been super helpful.” 

They had been. Nancy planned, Jonathan had started putting together an album of all the pictures he had taken, Argyle began cultivating the perfect stash for Eddie to bring with him, and Robin made about a dozen mixtapes of ‘real music’ for him to listen to. 

Steve had grieved. 

He hadn’t done a damn thing to help or make this process easier. Robin had done her best to try and make things better, she always did, but it didn't help that she was also leaving in less than a month. All of them were. Off to colleges all across the country, while Steve stayed here all by himself. 

He was supposed to at least be able to keep Eddie. But Steve never really got to keep good things, so he should have expected this. 

He turned away from the rest so they wouldn’t see the scowl on his face, kicking at some of the weeds stubbornly poking out from the gravel outside of Wayne’s trailer. The kids had already come by to say their goodbyes, leaving before they had to watch Eddie go. They had offered for Steve to come with them, and he should have taken it. It had felt wrong at the moment to be the only teen to not be there to wish Eddie farewell, but now Steve felt like his world was collapsing, and he just wanted to go home. 

Never mind that his home was standing about 20 feet away from him, laughing with the rest of his friends. Never mind that his home was leaving for good, never to return, and Steve was probably never going to see him again. 

“Hey, easy on the flowers,” Eddie said with a laugh, pulling away from the rest. He squatted low, picking the dandelion and examining it, “Still looks good,” 

Steve hummed, unable to make words come. 

“Make a wish,” Eddie whispered, holding the fuzzy flower up to Steve’s lips. He took a sharp breath in, hating the way his chest felt like it was about to cave in. 

I wish the people in this town would fuck off so you didn’t have to go. 

I wish everything would just stay exactly as it is. 

I wish you would stay. 

I wish I wasn’t so selfish. 

I wish I knew how to tell you I love you. 

Because he did. Steve loved Eddie in a way he thought he was never going to be able to love again. He loved Eddie so much it hurt, and he had started to think that Eddie might even love him right back, but then it had all broken down. 

Now Eddie was going, and Steve had missed his chance. 

Steve banished all of those stupid greedy thoughts, pulling away just enough to blow out a heavy short gust, watching the seeds dance away, merrily floating across the trailer park, unaware they carried no wishes with them. 

“What’d you wish for?” Eddie asked. 

Steve let himself look at Eddie. Really, honestly, look. He memorized the wave of Eddie’s curls, and the long slow slope of his nose. Steve mentally sketched out the sharp jawline, and the way his eyes sparkled. He committed it all to a place in his brain where Eddie could stay young and beautiful forever. 

That was the Eddie Steve could love forever, that was the Eddie that would stay. 

He could let this one go. 

“That you’d be happy, wherever you’re going,” He whispered, pulling Eddie into a far too tight hug. He rested his chin on Eddie’s shoulder and closed his eyes, dragging in a long breath and savoring the smell of Eddie’s cheap, terrible, 2-in-1 shampoo conditioner. 

Eddie held him back just as tight, his forehead nestled in Steve’s neck. 

“I’m gonna call. Every day,” He promised, and Steve forced down the scoff that wanted to come up. 

That’s what everyone always said. I’ll call, I’ll write, we won’t lose touch. It never happened. His own parents hadn’t even managed to keep calling, why would Eddie be any different? 

No, Steve knew the truth. They would call every day for a while, maybe even multiple times a day. Then they would slowly go to every other day, then once a week, once a month, just on birthdays and special occasions. And, eventually, Eddie would forget his name, or Steve would only be fond memories that lived in high school yearbooks and yellowed old photo albums. 

Eddie would forget that he had maybe started to love Steve. 

It was going to happen with Eddie, then Robin, then Jonathan, then Argyle, and finally Nancy. It would happen with the kids when they finally went off on their own, and Joyce and Hopper when there were no more people tying them down to Hawkins. Everyone would leave, because that’s what people did. 

They would leave, and Steve would stay, and he needed to learn how to be okay with that. He needed to figure out how to get over losing people. 

And he needed to be alone to learn how to do that. 

“Does that sound good, Stevie?” 

Oh. Right. Eddie was expecting a response. 

“Yeah. You better. I’ll be waiting by the phone,” Steve said, hating how much that was going to be true. Eddie laughed like it was a joke, but it was the god honest truth. Steve would wait by the phone every single day, and one day the phone wouldn’t ring again. 

He swallowed down the bitterness that was rising, untangling himself from Eddie’s arms and interlocking their fingers. This was the last time he was going to hold this hand, the last time he was going to feel those rings. He needed to savor it. 

They walked back to the others as one single unit. There was another round of hugs, a few well hidden tears, and then Eddie was getting into his van. For the first time there was an air of nervousness, and he glanced around the group, his eyes landing on Steve and staying there. 

Eddie wanted reassurance. He needed a patented Steve Pep Talk, a few words to tell him that he was making the right decision. 

Well, he was making the right decision for him, but Steve couldn’t do it. He couldn’t tell Eddie it was okay to go. His heart was already breaking in two as it was, giving Eddie the last push he needed would shatter it completely. 

Then Robin’s hand was sneaking into his, and she was giving him a look, and Steve couldn’t be selfish anymore. 

“Don’t forget us when you get big and famous,” Steve said with a wave, all of them pretending his voice hadn’t cracked even a bit. Eddie gave him a beaming smile and a two fingered salute, starting up the van with the usual roar. He carefully backed out of the drive, leaving the trailer park with an obnoxiously long beep of his horn and a waving hand. 

And he was gone. 

He was actually gone. 

Steve didn’t bother to stick around and chat with the rest. He had given the last bit of his care away to Eddie, and now he just wanted to curl up in his bed. Steve had to learn to live with this pain, and the sooner he started, the better. 

Robin followed him without words, and he loved her for it. They had already discussed their plans. They were going to get rip roaring drunk, and Steve was going to have a good long cry, and then they would eat ice cream. It wasn’t enough, but it was better than being by himself before he had to be. 

“I’m sorry,” Robin said softly as they got into his Beemer. 

“Don’t be. He’ll be okay.” Steve replied automatically, starting the car and pulling out, going the same way as Eddie. A wild crazy part of him almost wanted to speed to catch up, cut Eddie off, tell him not to go. 

Steve kept the car below 30, barely crawling on a street he normally flew down. 

“He will be,” Robin said carefully. The unspoken ‘I’m worried you won’t be’ sat between them, heavy and oh so painful. 

“I will be,” Steve said stubbornly, ignoring the look Robin gave him. He put the radio on so they didn’t have to talk anymore, hating himself for wishing that he had wished for Eddie to stay. 

[lavenderstobins]

stranger tweets part 7

[previous] [next]

all previous parts: [part 1] [part 2] [part 3] [part 4] [part 5] [part 5.5]

[farfaras]

Steddie week. Day 5: Established relationship. 1.3k words. Ao3 link.

@steddie-week

~

“Oh no! There’s no seats left! What will I ever do?” Eddie exclaims, like this was an actual problem. Going so far as to put his hand over his forehead, pretending to almost faint.

Steve is sitting on one end of the couch, Robin on the other side with Nancy in the middle. Argyle and Jonathan are sharing the loveseat next to them. They’re having a movie night at Steve’s. Surprisingly, over the course of the summer this group’s becoming closer than ever.

“Oh well, I guess there’s no other option.” Eddie shrugs.

Eddie approaches the couch, Steve opens his arms expecting Eddie to fall on his lap. That’s the only course of action that Steve sees possible. Then again, Steve doesn’t actually know what goes on Eddie’s mind all the time. He can imagine, guess or predict but at the end of the day Eddie keeps surprising him.

Instead of plopping himself on his boyfriend’s lap, Eddie goes and sits atop Nancy. What? Steve knows his face is full of confusion, he hears Robin snort. Well, excuse him for thinking his boyfriend would use this opportunity to cuddle him. That was the most logical explanation!

Eddie sits sideways and puts his arms around Nancy’s neck. Nancy doesn’t even look taken aback, she rests one hand on his leg while the other surrounds his waist. Steve sends them an incredulous look.

“Hey, Wheeler.” Eddie smiles at her. “How are you?”

“Hey yourself. I’m very good. How about you?” Nancy asks, nonchalantly.

“Better now, thanks for asking.” Is Eddie trying to bat his eyelashes?

Steve feels ignored, they’re doing this on purpose. When did they agree to this? “What the fuck?” Steve asks.

“What’s wrong, Steve?” Nancy shoots him an innocent look.

“What are you doing?”

“Well there were no other seats, so this seemed like the logical thing to do.” Eddie explains while knocking his and Nancy’s heads together.

Nancy nods. Her hand starts to move up, almost reaching Eddie’s thigh. Steve follows the movement with his eyes, frowning. “I don’t care how much progress we’ve made in our friendship, Nance. You move that hand any further and it all goes out the window.” Steve warns. They all know he’s joking, but Steve has to find a way for this to stop. He wants Eddie with him, and he doesn’t care how clingy that sounds.

Nancy makes a tsk sound, she turns to Eddie. “Are you sure you want him as your boyfriend? He seems kinda possessive.”

“Wha-! I’m right here!” Steve protests. He even crosses his arms in annoyance.

Eddie sighs. What the fuck is going on. “Is one of the things I have to live with.” He even shakes his head.

Nancy pouts. “Hmm. I wouldn’t be like that.” She nudges Eddie’s jaw with her nose. Steve doesn’t know how much longer he can put up with this. He swears he’s patient. This little game they’re playing should be over soon.

“Aw, if I could pick a lady, you know it’d be you.” Eddie uses his pointer finger to boop her nose. Nancy scrunches it and giggles. For fuck’s sake, Nancy Wheeler doesn’t giggle!

“That’s it, give him back!” Steve demands.

“Dingus, let them have their moment. You’re interrupting a precious thing.” Robin betrays him. Whatever, he’s used to that.

“He’s not your property, you know, Steve.” Nancy calmly says, as if she needs to explain it to him.

“Yeah. Dude’s his own person.” Argyle adds. Damn, Steve kinda forgot he was here.

Everyone is acting as if this was a normal occurrence. Steve wonders when they had the time to decide to mess with him.

“Why is this happening?” Steve asks, almost defeated. If this is how the night’s gonna go, he might as well know why he isn’t getting affection from his boyfriend.

“Well, Steve. Have you considered the possibility that we’re in love?” Nancy almost, almost breaks character right there. Her lips twitch but she manages to keep her face from smiling.

Steve gives them a blank stare. “You’re a lesbian.”

Eddie gasps and puts his hand on his chest.

“And you’re gay.” He directs to Eddie. It’s Nancy’s turn to gasp.

“I guess this isn’t gonna work.” Eddie simply shrugs. Nancy lets him go.

He stands up and settles on Steve’s lap, immediately kissing his cheek. Steve moves his hands to Eddie’s waist subconsciously.

“Hey, babe.” Eddie rests his head on the crook of Steve’s neck.

“You guys are ridiculous.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t have introduced them to each other, Stevie.” Robin tells him and gives him a disapproving head shake.

“I didn’t!”

“I knew they would be a handful together.” Robin continues, ignoring him.

“Yeah, you should’ve thought about that.” Jonathan speaks for the first time in minutes, just to pile on to Steve’s distress.

“So today is gaslighting Steve day, huh.” His friends want him to suffer.

“Just play the movie.” Eddie suggests while playing with Steve’s hair. Damn it, Eddie knows it’s hard for him to stay mad when he does that.

So they watch the movie.

~

After everyone goes home, it’s just Eddie and Steve cleaning up. Steve is washing the dishes when Eddie hugs him from behind. He gives him a kiss on his cheek, then he tries to go for a kiss on the lips but Steve avoids it.

“What?” Eddie questions. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong.” Steve disregards the question.

“Then why won’t you kiss me?” Eddie pouts, he searches for his gaze to give him his best puppy dog eyes.

“I’m washing the dishes.” Steve is aware that he’s acting like he’s angry or upset with Eddie right now. He’s not, he just figured he would get back at Eddie for earlier. He can be a little petty, sue him.

“Are you mad at me?” Eddie lets him go to rest against the counter, looking to catch Steve’s gaze.

“I don’t know. Did you do something to make me mad?” Steve’s used that phrase before, maybe it elicits a Pavlovian response in Eddie because he suddenly straightens.

Eddie seems to think it over, then he sags with what looks like relief. “Is this about the Nancy thing?”

“You tell me.”

“Baby.” Eddie drags the word, almost whining. “We were just messing around.”

Steve just nods, not giving anything away. “Sure.” He starts drying the dishes.

“You weren’t actually jealous, were you.” Eddie grabs his arm, starts shaking it. Complaining like a little kid.

“Careful, I still have to dry these.”

“Ugh. Do I have to make it up to you?” Eddie lets him go, stomps with his feet.

“Do you?” Steve finally looks at him. “I don’t know, maybe I’ll just get even.”

Eddie gulps. “Huh?”

“You heard me.”

“Please forgive me, I need attention to survive, just like Tinker Bell.” Eddie pleads.

“I don’t know…” Steve plays it up.

“What do I have to do?” They’re being dramatic, Steve knows Eddie doesn’t think this is serious. But Eddie’s known to like the theatrics.

“Maybe you need to come up with that yourself.” Steve offers. He finishes drying the dishes. He leaves them there, he’ll put them away later.

Eddie humms. He crowds Steve against the counter. “I have something in mind.” He smiles, mischievous.

Steve arches an eyebrow. “Do you?”

“Follow me.” Eddie takes his hand and leads them to the bedroom.

~

They’re cuddled up, on the bed. Satisfied and content. Sleep is almost taking over.

Before they fall asleep, Steve asks something that has him genuinely curious.

“Would you really pick Nancy, if you weren’t gay?”

Eddie groans and rolls his eyes. “Oh my god, don’t make this a thing.”

“I’m not! It’s just a question!” Steve isn’t sure what he expected, but it wasn’t any pushback.

“Go to sleep, Steve.” Eddie closes his eyes, ready to fall asleep.

“I’m just curious.” Steve tries again. Really! It’s just curiosity. Pff it’s not like he was actually jealous. That’s ridiculous.

“You’re gay too, you can answer your own question.”

“That’s different. We already tried dating once, and being repressed homosexuals wasn’t the only reason we wouldn’t work.” Steve explains.

Eddie places a kiss on his forehead. “Goodnight, baby.”

“Eddie!” He whisper-yells. Doesn’t get him an answer. He narrows his eyes at his boyfriend. “I’m watching you two.”

[shares-a-vest]

No one knows why Eddie and Nancy call each other "my dear" and "honey" respectively. Not even Steve and Robin, who only give a brief pause (and sometimes a confused, "huh?") before going back to whatever nonsense. Even though it is absolutely, one hundred percent, their fault.

It’s all because Eddie and Nancy are dating two people permanently attached at the hip. "Platonic soulmates" they say, repeated ad nauseam. Two people who should be siblings. A pair of bickering sisters who are also sometimes gross brothers. A brother and sister duo so chaotic they give the Sinclairs a run for their money.

Platonic soulmates who act like two silly drunk girls when they are out at a bar. Two losers who cackle with laughter and sing along far too loudly to the radio on the way home.

A pair of idiots stumbling up the stairs in Steve’s house, gradually discarding jackets, bags and accessories.

Eddie is relatively sober, having played with the band and Nancy is tipsy, never one to entirely shake her sensible and put-together self. So Eddie follows behind, closing the front door, locking it and turning the lights off, while Nancy scurries along picking up the tossed attire.

"You're my best friend!" Robin shouts, squishing Steve's cheeks together as they hang off each other, wobbly at the top of the stairs.

"Love you, Robbie!" Steve says, voice cracking as he sniffles and kisses her on the cheek.

He takes her hand and they disappear up the hall.

By the time Eddie reaches Steve’s bedroom, Steve and Robin are passed out on that plaid bedspread, all curled up together like two creatures huddled together for warmth and companionship.

Nancy grumbles as she straightens up the shoes scattered at the foot of the bed.

"I swear they forget we exist sometimes," she says, huffing as she tugs off Robin’s left boot that she’d only managed to unzip.

"Oh absolutely," Eddie agrees.

He can’t help but walk over to Steve’s bedside and brush his fringe from his face. Steve produces a gross snorting nose at the movement, cuddling in closer to his best friend.

"Stop… snoring… di…" Robin mumbles, not getting out her favourite nickname before drifting back off to sleep.

Eddie steps back and folds his arms, resigning himself to spending his Sunday tolerating two hungover platonic soulmates in their worst and most annoying form.

Nancy rolls her eyes. "Get your bag and come into the spare room."

They make quick work of changing, Eddie in an oversized band tee and a pair of Steve’s checked pyjama pants he had taken ownership of. He looks in the mirror as he stands side-by-side Nancy in the upstairs bathroom, both brushing their teeth in silence. He looks over her pale pink nightdress, embellished with embroidered flowers and can’t help the huffed laugh that escapes him.

"What?" Nancy smiles and spits out her toothpaste in the sink.

"We look like an old married couple who have run out of things to talk about."

Nancy giggles, quickly moving to a washcloth to wipe her mouth before she bursts out laughing. She zips up her cosmetics bag and makes a sharp turn to face Eddie, her brow quirked.

"Honey, did you enjoy the soiree this evening?" she says in an uptight, snooty voice, cocking her chin and giving a sly smile.

"Splendid, my dear!" he replies, toothbrush dangling from his mouth as he bows with a flourish. "Although the band was an absolute bore."

"Don't say that!" Nancy chides, breaking character as she playfully slaps his shoulder.

He snorts a laugh as he finishes up and rinses his mouth out, dripping water everywhere.

"Wheeler, there were like seven people there, including you, Steve and Rob," he laughs, dropping the facade too.

"Shall we retire for the night?" she says, changing the subject and slipping back into character. She offers her hand.

"To the bedroom!" he declares, pointing to the door.

The spare bedroom is, unsurprisingly, similar to the rest of the house. Sparse and low-lit with heavy dark curtains that make Steve’s plaid drapes look light and airy in comparison.

"I hope you don’t snore as much as Steve, Nancy," Eddie warns without any heat behind his words as he punches his pillow into a shape that isn't flat and solid.

"He does snore, doesn’t he?" she wonders aloud as she slips under the covers, huffing a laugh. "Robin talks in her sleep. Nothing serious or anything. Total nonsense."

Eddie rolls his eyes. "Of course she does."

"Last week she woke me up," she starts as she pokes at his shoulder. "Tapping on my shoulder saying, ‘Nance, tell the fish it’s time to get ready for school’."

"Di-did you have… fish children?" he asks before doubling over, cackling.

"I think so," Nancy ponders, speaking slow before snorting a laugh.

"Goodnight, my dear."

"Night, honey."

At that, they turn away from each other, snuggling under the covers for a restful night’s sleep.

The following morning, Steve and Robin swap out his bed for cocooning themselves in blankets on the Harrington's gigantic couch as Eddie finishes up making their breakfast. They’d stirred fairly early in the morning, moving into the guest room and not-at-all subtly waking Eddie and Nancy to demand breakfast, all the while complaining about their whereabouts the night before.

Nancy enters the kitchen, freshly showered and laughs at the state of their counterparts. But they do not surface. If anything, Eddie swears Steve’s snoring is getting louder with every passing minute.

"Breakfast is all set, my dear," Eddie says, flinging a teatowel over his shoulder and offering her Steve's plate.

She hesitates but he gestures to the others on the couch. Robin is now babbling something incoherently as she taps Steve on the shoulder.

"Thank you, honey," Nancy giggles as she takes the food.

[ronancebyler]

hear me out.

instead of eddie munson knowing he's gay, let's make him completely oblivious. he just acts like that and is obviously gay because it's who he is.

instead of nancy wheeler being oblivious to her queerness, let's have her know she was in love with barb. let's have her try to 'fix' her love by dating steve.

instead of eddie helping nancy through her queer journey, what if nancy helps eddie through his? what if nancy wheeler told him she wanted to kiss barb and jonathan and now wants to kiss robin and jonathan? what if she helps him through coming out? what if she helps him ask out steve?

[unclewaynemunson]

Just to be clear: this post is entirely platonic. It’s about finding understanding through shared feelings of loss and guilt and the depth of platonic connections, so please don’t reblog with any romantic tags.

'Eddie, what's this?' Nancy asked when she walked into the hospital room to find Eddie upright in his bed, with a pile of paper on his nightstand and surrounded by origami boats.

'Hi, Wheeler,' he said with a smile that wasn't quite as broad as the one he would regularly flash at her in the school hallways before their Week From Hell.

He looked better than the last time she'd visited, though: he had more color on his cheeks and his hair had clearly been washed and brushed. Apart from the scratches on his arms and the stitches in his cheek, he almost looked normal.

'You ever heard of ghost ships?' he asked Nancy as she went to sit down in the plastic chair at his bedside.

'Ghost ships?' she repeated. She tried to remember a term like that from Mike's D&D games, but came up empty.

'They're like, versions of yourself that you'll never get to be,' Eddie explained, picking up one of the paper boats around him and holding it loosely in his hands. 'Like the version of me who'd graduate high school.' He picked up another of his creations. 'Or the version of me who could walk without a cane.'

'You might,' Nancy reminded him.

'See, that's the whole point of ghost ships, Nance,' Eddie said with a smile like he was making some kind of grand revelation. The sparkle still didn't quite reach his eyes, though. 'You hold onto them, because you can't let go. Until you finally set them free, send 'em out onto the ocean. Watch them disappear on the horizon.' He shoved one of the boats off his bed in a somewhat cat-like movement; Nancy followed the falling boat with her eyes until it gracefully landed on the linoleum.

She thought about her own ghost ships. There were plenty of them, as if she had unknowingly opened a whole ghost port back in 1983. The version of her that lived in the peaceful bliss of not knowing how to shoot a gun. The version of her that would grow old with Steve, or with Jonathan. The version of her that loved to dance. The version of her that cared about which grade she'd get on her chemistry test.

The version of her that had a best friend called Barb.

'What if you don't want to let them go?'

Eddie looked up from the boats surrounding him, into her eyes.

'Then they'll always keep haunting you.'

Nancy thought about that for a minute.

'Which one's haunting you most, right now?' she finally asked.

Eddie's fingers started roaming over his sheets, until he picked up one of his boats, cradling it in his hands like it was made of glass.

'The version of me that didn't kill Chrissy.' He said it so softly that Nancy almost couldn't hear him. His eyes, wide as always and suddenly glazed with tears, kept staring at the boat in his hands like he was expecting it to start talking back at him.

'The version of me that saw she was hurting and didn't – didn't use that to his advantage. The version of me who didn't sell her fucking drugs but actually tried to help her.' He took a deep, shaky breath. 'The version of me that didn't run away and left her when she started floating.'

This was probably the point where Nancy should remind him that what happened to Chrissy was in no way his fault; but she knew exactly how he felt. She knew exactly how empty those words would be.

'Did I ever tell you about my friend Barb?' she asked him instead.

Her heart ached at the mere mention of Barb's name; she had never talked about her with anyone, ever. Not really. Steve had tried to be there for her, that first year after it happened, by visiting Barb's parents with her and holding her when she woke from a nightmare; but talking about it wasn't something he had been able to give her. And neither had Jonathan, or even Mike, or anyone else who knew about... everything.

But Nancy now realized that Eddie might understand, more than anyone else.

He looked up from his paper boat, a questioning look in his eyes when his gaze found hers.

'I mean, I know what happened to her...' he said, hesitant.

Almost subconsciously, Nancy reached out to one of the boats on Eddie's bed and took it in her own hands.

'She died because of me.'

It was the first time she said those words out loud – or the first time since that one awful party that she couldn't even remember.

'She died because I didn't care enough about how miserable she was feeling. She died because I wasn't there for her.' She tried to swallow the lump in her throat away. 'Vecna, he – he showed me what happened, you know. How she screamed my name, and how I didn't hear her. How I wasn't there.'

She blinked, her eyes focused on the boat in her hands.

'I don't think I can ever let go of that.'

'Do you blame Steve, too?' Eddie asked, his voice uncharacteristically quiet. 'He was there with you, wasn't he?'

Nancy hesitated. 'I used to,' she finally admitted. 'But I don't anymore.'

Eddie nodded.

'So you can also forgive yourself,' he pointed out. 'Sure, it might take a bit longer. You can keep that ship docked in your port for a while. But that doesn't mean it has to stay there forever.'

And somehow, that was a comforting thought. Maybe being the owner of a haunted ship wasn't all bad. Maybe the fact that it would be staying for a while meant nothing less than that she had loved someone deeply.

'So do you have any ghost ships you want to hold onto?' Nancy asked Eddie.

He stayed silent for a while, looking pensive.

'I think I’m not quite ready to give up on Eddie the high school graduate,' he finally said.

'Yeah?'

'Yeah.' He nodded, looking increasingly more certain of his words. '87, baby. 'S gonna be my year.' He paused, the fake smile dropping from his face just as sudden as it had appeared.

'And I wanna hold onto Chrissy. Can't change a thing about that one anymore; but I'm not ready to let go just yet.'

Nancy nodded. 'That makes sense,' she said. 'Maybe you can anchor it next to Barb's one. They might like the company.'

[itswhatyougive]

I'm going to go out on a major limb and suggest that Nancy is a way likelier candidate of clocking what was happening between Eddie and Steve than Robin.

It seems like a lot of people assume that because Robin is a lesbian, she had some automatic gaydar for Eddie, but I don't necessarily think so.

Robin looks perplexed or pulls a face when Eddie flirts in front of Steve

In contrast, there are several moments in S4 where Nancy's reaction to a Steddie interaction is subtly captured. She is an aspiring investigative journalist and she is OBSERVANT.

A lingering hand, the close proximity to one another, the sustained eye contact...she sees it!

And lots of people thought that Nancy's smiley comments to Jonathan about Steve growing up a lot at the end of Vol. 2 suggested that she was back to thinking of Steve as a romantic option and I VEHEMENTLY DISAGREE. Their goals are wildly different and she knows that.

Rather, aside from just acknowledging that Steve was maturing and responsible with the kids, I think that was a very subtle allusion to the fact that she had clocked Steve "expanding his horizons" with Eddie in contrast to how he called Jonathan a queer in S1.

[sarcasticassian]

please Wayne would love Nancy Wheeler, she believed him when he mentioned Creel and didn’t call him or Eddie crazy, she clearly didn’t think his nephewson had murdered an innocent cheerleader and he later finds out she was part of the group that saved Eddie’s life and she’s ready to burn Hawkins to the ground if they don’t believe Eddie is innocent, so yeah he likes her

Eddie and Nancy (along with Robin and Steve) are a little inseparable after Spring Break and Wayne finds Nancy hanging out at their new apartment a lot, Robin and Steve and the kids are around a lot too, as well as the Corroded boys, especially at the start when Eddie is still bedridden but Nancy comes around the most, she brings Eddie’s schoolwork and Wayne once watched them work on it together and she never got frustrated with Ed, she’d huff at him when he tried to distract her and he’s succeeded more than once but she whips his nephewson into shape and Eddie passes with flying colours

the two of them gossip as well, bringing Wayne up to speed with all the drama, Nancy delightedly tells him about the love affair between the not so dead police chief and Joyce Byers and she and Wayne fall into that weird friendship you have with your friends parents, you chat and get along and Wayne is protective of her even though they both know Nancy is very capable of looking after herself and you keep each other up on the gossip you both know and your friend complains that their parents like you more than them (Eddie dramatically announced this when they were having breakfast one day because Wayne had told Eddie to take the couch and let Nancy have his bed when she stayed over the night before and despite Eddie trying to pull the ‘I nearly died’ card Wayne sides with Nancy who smirks and trots off to her bed as she flips him off)

so it stands to reason that Wayne is immediately suspicious when Nancy starts bringing Steve Harrington up in conversation more, she’ll praise him and mention how much of a good boyfriend he was and she just didn’t really see it at the time and now after he’s got his head screwed on right he’ll be even better but she’s definitely happy with Jonathan so Steve will have to be someone else’s boyfriend, Wayne’s suspicion increases tenfold when Nancy mentions Steve at the dinner table once during summer when she’s around (Wayne will always invite her to stay because he knows Ted Wheeler and he’s here to rescue Nancy from suffering at her own dinner table) and Eddie will not make eye contact with either of them so when Eddie is distracted on the phone talking Dustin down from burning his new character sheet Wayne rounds on Nancy

she whispers that Eddie has a crush and don’t worry Steve absolutely likes him back but they both have rocks for brains and Eddie would also never seriously date someone Wayne didn’t like and so far Wayne has been affectionate with the whole party but never specifically mentions anyone by name other than Nancy, maybe that’s because the older teens hang out in Steve’s empty house when they’re all together, who knows, but Wayne wants his son to be happy so once Eddie flops back onto the couch Wayne casually suggests that he invite his other older friends round some time, he never sees them outside of a gathering full of children and Dustin and Erica like to talk to and around Wayne so he never really gets to chat with anybody else

Eddie is now also suspicious but he slowly agrees (once Steve and Robin get invited Steve spirals because this is it Robin I must impress Uncle Wayne or I’ll die) and Wayne welcomes Nancy’s car full of older teens with a smile and to make sure Eddie isn’t too aware Wayne plucks Robin out of the group first and let’s Eddie and Steve circle each other, Robin rambles and babbles and Wayne listens politely until she naturally brings up Steve, which took about 5 minutes and Wayne will later learn that that is surprisingly long, and he straight up asks her if Steve has a crush on Eddie, Robin dithers for a second or two before she nods and Nancy slides into the conversation and the three of them roll their eyes at how useless those two are, they all agree that Wayne making it known that he likes Steve might push one of them into make a proper move, Steve is tucking his hair behind his ear as he laughs at something Eddie has said and Eddie has the world’s biggest heart eyes 

Jonathan and Argyle are just vibing on the couch totally oblivious and entranced by a film playing on the TV

eventually Wayne finds himself seated next to Steve, who is very obviously nervous around him, and they strike up a conversation, Wayne starts easy, asks about the kids, then slowly moves towards talking about Steve, who is not used to an adult being interested in what he has to say and gets entirely too personal but Wayne doesn’t make him feel bad about it and they find out they both like to watch sports on the TV and Steve lights up because for once there’s someone around that actually likes what he likes and gets it when Steve is talking about team rankings and players and isn’t just indulging him to be polite, everyone is a little taken aback by how Steve has blossomed in the middle of the Munson’s living room but it’s sweet and they all say to themselves that they’ll try harder to understand what Steve is saying next time he tentatively mentions the game he caught on the TV last night

Eddie is so enamoured that it just takes Nancy hissing ‘now’ in his ear and he’s politely interrupting Wayne and Steve and pulling Steve away to his bedroom to talk to him in private, Nancy settles next to Wayne and they decide they shouldn’t go and press their ears to the door and Nancy catches Robin’s wrist who was already making her way to the corridor and instead they just chat, Robin manages to slot herself just below Nancy in his ‘Eddie’s friends’ rankings, which puts her equal to Jeff and later that night when he mentions this to Eddie he shyly asks where Steve is and Wayne smirks and says ‘I can’t rank a boyfriend alongside friends Ed, that’s just not fair’ and laughs when Eddie turns red and mumbles something about Steve not being his boyfriend yet, they’ve not even gone out on a date properly, then watches him splutter and start to complain when Wayne adds ‘nobody outranks Wheeler though, she’s still my favourite’