Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Giggles and yelling filled Mrs. Penny’s fourth-grade classroom. The young students were enjoying their free time at the end of the day and to put it simply, the room was trashed. Crayons were thrown everywhere and poor Mrs. Penny was trying to wrangle a small boy who decided to give his classmate a surprise haircut with safety scissors.

Parker looked back down at his coloring sheet, his table tucked away in a corner where people forgot of his existence completely. He tried his best to make friends in kindergarten but no one seemed to like his presence, leaving him alone for a long four years that he spent trying to figure out what was wrong with him. He thought he looked normal, his face was smooth, he wasn’t particularly short, and his fashion sense matched that of the average boy his age. The boy dreaded group seating charts, his classmates having no filter when expressing their annoyance at being assigned next to him and he pretended to not feel utterly crushed every time.

Directly across from him, Parker saw a, previously empty, chair becoming occupied; the motion caused him to turn his head upwards to find the source. A man, presumably in his early twenties, plopped down in the uncomfortable plastic seat made for elementary schoolers like it was just any other normal day. The man rested his arms on the cold table and looked at Parker with one of the warmest smiles he’d ever seen. His eyes were brown and so was his somewhat long hair, matching his large sweater. Parker recognized the brunette as a new teacher’s aide after their old one got sick of the whining.

“Hey kid, just wanted to see how everything was going over in the corner of gloom.” His smile didn’t falter when the boy kept his frowning face, clearly not amused by the intrusion.

Said boy simply continued coloring, holding a bright yellow colored pencil like his life depended on it. He didn’t like interacting with adults, they always just pitied him for being alone and attempted to make small talk as if it would cheer him up.

“I’ve been looking around at other people’s work in this class and,” he paused, leaning in like he was sharing a grievous crime, “don’t tell anyone I said this but yours is my favorite.” The man let out a hearty chuckle when Parker looked at him like he was an idiot, deciding for some reason that laughing at the boy would make him feel better. “Seriously kid, you've got crazy talent. Your name is Parker right?” Said boy slowly nodded his head, wanting the conversation to end.

A shrill yell pulled both boy’s attention away, their eyes landing on one of the more popular kids in his class, Liam, letting out embarrassingly high-pitched screams and pointing to the floor to indicate the presence of a spider. Mrs. Penny quickly jumped into action, scooping up the boy before rushing to cover the small arachnid with a plastic cup.

Seeing the situation being solved, Parker simply rolled his eyes and directed his attention back to where it was before. Seeing that the man across from him had also turned back and was still sporting a large smile, “I’m Mr. Steve by the way.” His friendly voice didn’t distract at all from the strange title, “That’s your last name?” The young boy asked in disbelief, causing Steve to laugh once more.

Parker knew of a lot of weird last names, so far he’d had four different teachers and their names varied from Smith to Shellaberger but he’d never heard something like Steve. He couldn’t imagine what Mr. Steve’s parents were like if they had chosen such a peculiar last name for their son.

“No, I promise my first name is Steve.” The man was still chuckling, wiping at his eyes dramatically as if the boy’s confusion was funny enough to bring tears to his eyes. “I don’t even really mind what people call me, just not a huge fan of my last name.” He continued.

Taking his last sentence to heart, Parker contemplated before saying, “What if I call you stupid Steve?” He wanted to try and make the adult leave him alone, if something were more embarrassing than sitting alone, it was having to make friends with a stupid teacher’s aide because no one else wanted to.

Steve didn’t seem very taken aback, only laughing slightly. “Well, only if I can call you prickly Parker.” The childish nickname was easy to come by, the sharp looks that the boy gave being similar to that of a cactus’ thorns. The slight jab made Parker want to add ‘stinky’ to Steve’s nickname but he resisted, realizing that it would be more disrespectful than he supposed it should be.

The young boy reluctantly held out his arm in a straight line, offering a handshake.

“Deal?”

“Deal”

Chapter Text

A booming headache rocketed through Steve’s head. He sat up and glanced over at his alarm clock sitting on his bedside table, realizing he was awake an hour before he had to be. Groaning, he held his head and suddenly regretted signing up to work at an elementary school; the headache was purely caused by the cacophony of noise he was subject to.

Soft scratching noises sounded from the other side of Steve’s bedroom door. Said man sighed while pushing his tired body out of his comfortable, warm sheets to pad across the wood flooring. He cracked open his door and made eye contact with an old gray fur ball with green eyes, still pawing at his door to show it wanted something; Steve being the pushover that he is, dragged his feet to the kitchen, dumping square cat food into the creature’s bowl labeled ‘Driscoll’.

The cat wasn’t his, belonging to one of his roommates named Jonathan. The two men had a sort of unspoken minor rivalry even though Steve had only lived there for a couple of months. Jonathan often complained about the strange rats that Driscoll would find and Steve simply rolled his eyes at him, saying he should watch the poor senior cat more and maybe the conflict would be resolved. 

He enjoyed his other roommate, Robin, more. Their bedrooms were close together, Jonathans being a little farther down the hallway (which Steve secretly was very happy with). The girl did have moments where she talked excessively even though they barely knew each other but Steve didn’t really mind. Robin helped him with groceries and Steve drove her to work, both greatly appreciating not having to unload food laboriously or riding the bus every day. Steve also had his suspicions every once in a while when she would accidentally say ‘she’ when talking about attractive celebrities but didn’t mention it.

The house that they lived in was smaller, having just enough bedrooms for the three of them and each getting their own bathroom. The showers were small and the water pressure wasn’t the greatest but Steve would much rather prefer his own bathroom rather than sharing one with two other people, especially with the amount of counter space his hair products take up.

Driscoll meowed happily at Steve, going to town on the food given to her as the brunette walked away. Figuring he wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep with his piercing headache, he walked back to his room to take a very long shower. Thankfully, he didn’t have to worry about his roommates being upset at him for using all the hot water because they take their showers at night.

Steve’s appearance in the mirror was rough to put it lightly, his hair sticking out in every direction and he had slight bags under his eyes. The stubble around his jaw and under his nose could probably use some trimming but other than that, the rest of his face had the same features he’d seen for years. Rosy lips and straight teeth, brown eyebrows that were currently downturned. The only recent developments in his reflection were the two black studs in his ears while his new piercings healed. (An impulsive choice that Steve had made after coming back to Hawkins.)

The steaming water of his shower warmed Steve down to the bone, his muscles going lax and his migraine becoming more of a dull hum. Part of him would’ve been ok with staying in the warm stream forever but he resisted the urge to sit down just in case he did decide that this was his new home.

Eventually, he stepped out of the shower and lazily threw open his dresser drawers to look for clothes. His outfit of choice consisted of a navy blue sweater with two white stripes across the middle and loose, light blue jeans that he secured to his waist with a belt; it wasn’t exactly extravagant but he was working at an elementary school after all.

-

Parker was sitting at the same table that he was yesterday. He was situated in a chair farthest into the corner and there was a small window that he stared out of constantly, even though there weren’t many things to look at outside.

In his time in Chicago, Steve had been working at a small daycare part-time to get more money, something that taught him more than he thought it would. The second he saw Parker he knew what to expect because of the kind of behavior that he had seen, something he thought he had experienced. Being left out was something he was vaguely familiar with but he underestimated just how distanced kids like Parker are, different from his struggles with wanting to be himself while having popularity. Steve’s comprehension of the situation caused him to start minimizing his own experience, shocked that he had even once complained about it when other people were clearly going through much worse at even younger ages. 

The brunette wanted to see Parker smile, he knew the young boy deserved it and part of him almost wanted to make up for his ignorance of those who were struggling. He knew it would be a slow climb but when was anything he ever did easy? If it meant he would have to break his own arm to make the fourth-grader happy, so be it.

“Do you need help there?” Steve gestured to the math worksheet that Parker was currently scowling at.

“No, leave me alone.” He replied.

“It’s my hair isn’t it?” The older man sighed dramatically and continued, “I know it’s intimidating with how fantastic it is but trust me, kid it won’t steal your girlfriend.” The sarcasm was topped off with a hand over his heart and an apologetic expression.

Parker looked up at him like he was an idiot, completely in disbelief. “No, your hair is fine weirdo, I don’t get how that would be a problem-.” 

The boy was caught off by a theatrical gasp. “People normally hate me for that, prickly Parker, you are the first to not insult my hair. Maybe you’re not so prickly after all huh?” 

“It’s not exactly an eyesore.” Parker was red in the face, slightly embarrassed by the crack in his apathetic shell and he gestured to the small seat across from him. It seemed a switch had wavered in his brain that allowed an adult to be in his presence only slightly, although Steve wasn’t sure if he was the source of the difference in opinion.

At the offering, Steve smiled brightly and said, “So now Mr. Prickle wants my help?” Said boy rolled his eyes again. “It’s not you helping me! You’re just lame and don’t have any friends and I’m doing you a favor.” He retorted, his features still pinched and almost like he had bit into something sour but there was something softer and mushy in his eyes.

-

The weekend had snuck up on him completely. Not only did he almost forget that he had signed up to help out with the Hawkins high school clubs, but he also forgot to feed poor Driscoll in the morning due to his rushing around. Thankfully Jonathan decided to actually feed his cat that day.

Steve had decided over a week ago to start working at the high school on the weekends, but he neglected to remind himself what day the job would start, which he now cursed at himself for.

Robin was awake when he slunk down to the kitchen, watching him throw a quick lunch together in amusement. “Y’know, you could’ve asked me to wake you up earlier just in case.” 

Steve wasn’t normally the type to ask for help, but for some reason, he trusted the girl. He probably wouldn’t be in this situation right now if he talked to her more but he filed that thought away for now, choosing to simply nod at her and make his way to the front door of their shared house.

They both obviously wanted to be friends, not sure where their boundaries were, especially with how Steve didn’t want her to think that he had a crush on her. They’ve talked and joked before but haven’t really had the time to establish anything of true friendship with Robin having time-consuming hobbies and Steve having time-consuming jobs. 

-

It was like the high school hadn't changed one bit, it had some renovations here and there but the red-ish brick walls and dirty white roof were just as he remembered.

Steve felt like if he were a little shorter and didn’t have any facial hair, he could’ve fit in with the few kids walking around him in the halls. Although his dark pants also matched that of the students, his white button-up and brown messenger bag at his side said otherwise. 

The school staff was small, mostly having the kids themselves host clubs or try to convince the teachers that it wouldn’t be a waste of their time; the kids didn’t really have much to choose from because of this, having to either be annoying enough to host their own club or find what they want outside of school.

Luckily, Steve had changed from who he was in high school and was now a team player outside of basketball, he knew that helping with a club or two would be greatly appreciated even if he didn’t get paid for it. It wasn’t exactly to make up for his bullying behavior back in high school, no one currently going there would know him, but he still felt like he had unfinished business in the building, wanting his lasting impressions to be teacher Steve rather than “king” Steve. 

The science club was as populated as the brunette expected, with around seven or eight students rummaging around the school’s science lab when he walked in. None of them looked up at the door except for one, a boy with wild curly hair and a soft face that was mostly covered by protective goggles. The boy looked at him questioningly as Steve made his way over to a teacher’s desk towards the front of the room and set his bag down.

When choosing what club to volunteer for, he knew that things like coaching for the basketball team would be the most obvious but he wanted to do something more unexpected. At least to other people, no one really saw him as focused on his academics but because of his parent’s strict policies, he had no wiggle room when it came to grades. He truly had to study his ass off if he wanted to appease his dad specifically, ever focused on everything but his son's wellbeing. 

Surprisingly, the subject Steve did the best in was science. He wasn’t a genius by any standards but he found it pretty easy to keep a high grade in the class which surprised his teachers. He did learn quite a bit over the years on the subject so choosing to volunteer in a science club was pretty easy.

Clearing his throat loud enough to catch the attention of everyone in the room, he leaned on the desk in front of him slightly and said, “I’m sure you guys are used to taking care of this club by yourselves but from now on, I’m gonna be here every Saturday and Sunday to make sure that nothing wrong happens and help organize some special events.” He paused, smiling at the kids, “I’m here to help show Hawkins what we’re made of in terms of science. I bet the majority of you are probably smarter than me from the looks of it but I have the power as an adult to help you guys out.” 

“We’ve done just fine so far, why do we need some twenty-something-year-old’s help?” One of the kids argued, pulling his pair of goggles to sit on his forehead. The boy was tall and skinny with dark hair and had an annoyed expression.

Steve shrugged slightly, “Well I happen to know that without a teacher of some sort, it’s quite difficult to get into bigger competitions overall. Your club hasn’t gone to any state contests in a long time because it’s hard to get a supervisor for this subject.” 

Some of the students nodded at that, clearly wanting to do more with their little club. The kid who spoke up in particular seemed to be weighing his options so Steve continued, “You guys are probably all set when it comes to your projects and I don’t want to intervene on any of that but I can organize things for you guys, I’m sure you would all appreciate a couple field trips yes?” 

“I think it’s a good idea.” The boy with curly hair spoke up, looking around the room. It wasn’t like they really had a choice but they did get to choose whether or not they would like it. “He says he won’t get in our way and he’ll help us with competitions like we’ve wanted for years, I don’t see an issue in that.” Steve nodded at that, smiling at the boy who smiled back and the other kids were reassured by that.

“Well, in that case, my name’s Steve.”

“I’m Dustin.”

“Mike.”

“Name’s Lucas.”

“Hi, I’m Will.”

There were other names but Steve recognized the first four the most when he saw them again later that day.

-

The man had stayed in the science lab hours after the students had left, managing to at least try to catch up on what they had been working on so far in the year. It was only September but the kids had really made a hell of a lot of progress. The only form of solid planning document he could find had the name “Will” in the top right corner and it gave Steve a pretty good semblance of what they were working on, which he researched until he noticed the sun starting to go down.

The hallways were silent and Steve made his way to the front of the school where his car was parked, stopping only when he heard faint cheering. It caught him off guard, laughing and chattering of several different voices sounding through the hallway. He hadn’t gone to the school in years but he didn’t exactly remember there being flash mobs on Saturday nights.

The noises got louder as the brunette made his way through the halls, diverging from his earlier path and trying to find the source of the yelling. As he got closer, words started becoming more coherent.

“WHERE DID IT EVEN COME FROM?!”

“I don’t know man, I thought I cast detect magic!”

“You're a barbarian! Of course you’re not gonna be able to detect an invisible stalker!”

“WE’RE DOOMED!” 

Steve identified the door to his left being the source to the shouting, not sure what the people were talking about until a deeper voice cackled loudly.

“Alright guys, I think that’s where we're gonna end off.”

There were loud noises of protest, “C’mon man, I don’t wanna start it next week with a fight!”

“Well you’re gonna have to deal with it, I have a job to get to tomorrow you little shits. I’m not in high school anymore so it’s either you find another DM or you listen to me.” The voice was almost smug, casting a silence over the group.

Steve heard chairs being pushed back and footsteps so he quickly and carefully made his way as far away from the door as possible. He hadn't found out what the yelling was about but he figured it was another club.

He almost made his way around the corner before he heard, “Steve?” 

Chapter Text

“Steve?” His name rang through the halls.

Ah shit, make something up, act natural. He thought, trying to keep a calm composure as he turned around and he was even more surprised to see a familiar mop of messy curls. 

“Oh hey, Dustin right?” The boy nodded so the man continued, “I just got done with some research, must’ve lost track of time. What are you still doing here?”

Suddenly, three other boys joined Dustin and Steve realized that it was the same group of boys from the science club. They were all wearing white shirts with black framing the words “Hellfire Club” right on the chest. “We were just staying for our DnD club.” The curly-haired boy responded, pointing behind him.

Steve didn’t know much about DnD, only that it was a spoken role-play game with characters that go on quests or something. It was normally associated with nerdier groups, making it a little less surprising that Dustin and his friends were part of it considering their intricate science knowledge. 

“We were just finishing up on a certain task when this guy decided to use his age card on us, something about work or whatever.” Lucas gestured to a man as he walked through the door and out into the hallway.

The man looked close to Steve’s age, with a pretty square jaw and dark eyes with long and curly dark brown hair (it was a little frizzy from what he could see) that cascaded down his shoulders. Steve couldn’t tell if he was taller or shorter than the man because of their distance but he seemed to be around 5’11. The man wore black jeans with a lot of pockets and chains hanging from his left belt loops along with the same white and black shirt that the kids were wearing. 

The main thing that caught Steve's attention though,  was his piercings. He had a bar in his right eyebrow, a pointy stud on his right nostril, and a black hoop on the left side of his bottom lip. 

“When you get a job you’ll understand my friend.” He held a hand over his chest, not making eye contact with Steve yet.

“You mean playing songs at bars? I wouldn’t exactly consider that a job, Eddie.” Mike retorts.

“Shhhhh children I know you’re jealous of my wisdom.” The man, Eddie, responded.

Steve cleared his throat, smiling awkwardly and Eddie finally looked at him and god, the man had dimples. “Well I’m gonna go, nice to see you guys again.” He watched the other adult’s eyes, noticing the way they traveled before coming back up, but it might’ve just been Steve’s imagination.

The boys yelled their goodbyes and Steve waved at the group before resuming his walk back to his car. Steve was getting farther from the school at this point but his mind still lingered on the downright entrancing man that he sort of met. He didn’t exactly know where his standing was with his sexuality, he’s been attracted to both genders, one being quite a bit more suppressed up until now. All the brunette knew was that this Eddie guy was attractive, at least to him. 

-

“Well, I just don’t know what Mark wants from me y’know, just because he’s my boss doesn’t mean he can just ask anything and it gets done.” Robin ranted endlessly, clearly stressed.

The car ride was familiar, a ten-minute drive to Robin’s work where she sold records and old CDs. It was decent pay but her boss, Mark, was a total dick. 

“Like, I love doing what I enjoy but he just needs to hop off my ass if he expects me to keep working there, especially with only having two people to work for him!” She talked while flinging her hands around, almost hitting herself a couple of times.

Steve nodded, invested in the conversation but not really knowing what to say. He had never really been a big talker and Robin thankfully understood that, seemingly comfortable with his pretty long silences. He understood what she was saying and would sometimes surprise her by knowing information about her that she wasn’t expecting him to remember.

“But hey, how’s the kids doing? I’m sure your grading is really hard with all the coloring pages and ABCs.” She smiled mischievously, turning to him.

“We don’t really focus on ABCs but yeah it’s pretty smooth.” He rolled his eyes at her slight jab. Although it was pretty simple work that was easy to grade so she wasn’t wrong.

“I don’t get how you do it man, kids are adorable but being around them every day? Nah.” Her comment pulled at his curiosity; he didn’t know why it was so easy for him but he had never had issues being around kids. “I never had any siblings so I didn’t have to deal with that torture,” he chuckled, “it just doesn’t really bother me because I haven’t been around it a lot.” Robin nodded at this.

Seeing that they were pulling up to their destination, the two parted ways and Steve started driving to where he needed to be. 

-

Beakers clinked, windows were fogged up and quiet chattering was heard through the classroom. The Hawkins High School science club was all hard at work and Steve kept his eye on the nerds carefully. 

He had gotten to the class earlier than everybody else so he spent about an hour making himself familiar with the cabinets, supplies, and safety measures that needed to be taken. The man didn’t really expect the kids to fully trust him with such a complex topic yet but he wanted to be able to answer any questions that the kids had.

As he watched Will and Dustin working on their separate part of the project, he couldn’t help but let his mind wander to the mysterious dark-haired man from last night. Does their club only start late? Is that Eddie guy at the school right now?

“So you guys are in a DnD club?” The two boys looked up from their work, making eye contact with Steve. Dustin spoke, “Yeah, we normally head right over after science club ends. It’s called Hellfire.” 

The man could tell Will was more shy, letting his friend speak for him mostly while he continued working.

“That guy, is he also a volunteer for the clubs?” Dustin obviously understood who he was talking about, shaking his head. “No, he just used to DM for us and he’s really good at it but he graduated last year and it’s hard to find another DM so we asked him to use his precious free time at our school club.” 

Steve's eyes widened slightly, “he’s that young?” At this, Dustin let out a loud laugh. “No, no he’s just dumb and got held back like three times. I think he’s twenty or so.” The boy wiped at small tears around his eyes, remembering Eddie’s childlike glee when he got his diploma at his old age.

“At Least we had him as a full-time DM for longer,” Will muttered, a small smile on his face. Steve nodded, not wanting to sound desperate by asking more questions. 

The club started wrapping up around two, everyone starting to pack stuff into their bags. Steve considered going with the students to their club but he wasn’t sure how to make it as casual as possible. Surely it wasn’t overstepping any sort of boundaries, right? Steve was bold but he wasn’t that bold.

“Do you guys think I can hang around at Hellfire? I’ve been wanting to see how the clubs are going and it sounds interesting.” He said, only interested in seeing the other clubs, totally not something else with gorgeous dark eyes. 

“You interested in DnD?” Mike looked at him incredulously, obviously taking note of the man’s blue jeans and light pink sweater.

“I’ve heard about it, I didn’t know it was illegal to be curious.” Steve chuckled, hoping to persuade that his curiosity was about the game and not a guy.

Unexpectedly, someone with bright orange hair hit Mike over the head and walked into Steve’s field of vision. “Just let the guy go with you, aren’t you guys always begging for members and whatnot?” 

Steve recognized her as Max, a more reserved girl who stuck around Lucas. He had heard Mike complaining about her, that she would only join the science club and not Hellfire because “one nerdy club was enough”.

“She makes a good point, you’re welcome to join us, Steve. Would you wanna join the campaign?” Will offered kindly, the only kid who was packed up and ready to go.

“Nah sorry kid, I mostly just wanna check it out, see what it’s like.” Steve smiled at the boy and he smiled back softly before he walked back over to Mike. 

Steve sat on a plush couch in the corner of the room, preparing for the chaos that he would endure. Lucas, Will, Mike, Dustin, and three or so other boys that he didn’t recognize surrounded a long table. They laughed and made jokes with one another, making small talk while waiting for something, someone.

The lighting in the room was dark and moody, almost making Steve want to take a nap. The table and chairs were made of simple, dark wood except for a grander seat at the end of the table farthest from him; it had red velvet cushions and a tall back with long armrests.

The door slammed open, a familiar man confidently strode into the room with a rather large bag as the high schoolers cheered him on, getting incredibly loud. Eddie bowed dramatically in front of them before plopping his stuff down by his seat at the head of the table. He smiled wickedly and pulled a bunch of items out of his bag like a screen of sorts and several books.

The cheering died down as everything got set up and the kids glanced at each other in anticipation. Steve had basically forgotten he was there until Eddie made confused eye contact with him. “I see we have a visitor.” He commented, his smile coming back in a matter of seconds.

“Oh yeah, Steve just wanted to see what the club’s like, he’s gonna listen in on the campaign,” Dustin informed the group, a noise of agreement being heard from the boys.

“Well alright then, I hope we can impress our new observer.” Eddie broke their eye contact, focusing back on the game with a small glint in his eye.

Steve got comfortable quite easily, the couch was pretty nice and he sat against one of the arms, his knees pulled up to his chest. He had a large water bottle and he packed snacks in his messenger bag this morning so he was more than set to stay for quite a while.

Steve had tried to focus entirely on the game, he really had. The boy's elaborate schemes and their strange decisions; but one thing pulled away his attention, Eddie. His voice grew deeper in some serious moments, his eyebrows pinching and it strummed something inside of Steve’s belly. His sleeves were rolled up and he stared at the tattoos there, black ink trailing around white skin and every dip and curve along with his slender hands and-

“OH COME ON!” Dustin yelled, having rolled a one when faced by a monster. Laughter could be heard around the table, impressed by his terrible roll.

“Dustin, Dustin, Dustin,” Eddie started, a mischievous smile slapped on his face, “you miss and fall flat on your face, scraping it up. Two points of damage.” 

The boy groaned, scribbling on his character sheet and Steve couldn’t help but chuckle along with everyone else. The poor boy hadn’t rolled over a ten the entire game and it was almost sad to watch his face contort into that of misery.

Steve checked his phone, realizing he’d been there for over three hours. He didn’t want to leave but knowing Robin and her forgetfulness, he should probably head home with dinner so she had something to eat. 

“I’m gonna head out guys.” He called out while standing. All of the boys turned their heads towards him, including Eddie. “Have we gotten too boring for your liking?” He joked.

“How could we be boring? Dustin’s been rolling so low I think anyone would be entertained by his sorrow.” Lucas laughed and poked at the curly-haired boy, causing him to roll his eyes.

“No it’s not that,” Steve found himself smiling again, “I just should get back home and make sure my roommate’s doing well.” He finished, grabbing his bag and moving towards the door. 

“Are you gonna be at our next meeting?” Will looked at him slightly expectantly, and how could Steve say no to the kind boy? 

“I don’t see why not, this was a good pass time.” The boys cheered and Steve’s smile widened as he made a last glance at Eddie, lingering slightly before leaving. He wasn’t sure if the dark-haired man felt the same way when they made eye contact but he was far too unsure to ask him.

-

Steve couldn’t help but lay awake in his bed. He already mourned the plush couch at Hellfire, having to wait an entire week before going back. It was pretty fun to actually do something outside of his room for once, his time in the afternoon was normally spent taking naps, looking at the fourth-graders work, or watching TV. At Least now he can spend two out of the seven days each week doing something nice. 

And Eddie. Steve really couldn’t ever pull his thoughts away from the man and his dark clothing. He wanted to know what he wears outside of his Hellfire shirt, maybe just an old band T-shirt? Or something higher cut? 

He groaned, forcing unwanted thoughts out of his head. He barely even knew Eddie, they haven’t formally interacted and Steve has no reason to be acting the way he is. Sure, he saw the metalhead in high school but they were on worse terms then. Oh god, what if he hates me? Steve thought, covering his face dramatically. He had never bullied Eddie directly but his friends and the people he associated himself with sure did, and he never tried to stop them. Unfortunately, there was nothing more he could do than hope and pray that Eddie doesn’t remember him or see that he has changed.

Chapter Text

“Stinky Steve? You in there?” A small hand waved around at Steve’s face, bringing him back to reality.

Yet again, the man found his way over to a familiar corner during free time. He wouldn’t admit it but his favorite student would be Parker, even though a kind girl named Sophie was a close second. The girl had joined Parker in helping clean up at the end of the day and their teacher's assistant couldn’t help but smile at the developing friendship.

Parker was as prickly as ever but Steve could tell his presence helped the boy; he didn’t look around as much and even started talking more. He wasn’t sure what exactly did the trick but Steve figured that one of his pep talks about not having to fit in made a sizable dent in the kid’s brainwaves.

“Sorry kid, must’ve spaced out.” He recovered quickly, slapping a dopey smile on his face.

The boy opposite of him raised his eyebrow, “spaced out? If watching me color is boring you can just say that.” He looked back down at his table, his attitude dropping slightly.

“No! I promise there’s just something else that’s been on my mind.” Steve flung his hands around, not wanting to backtrack with Parker at all. 

“What’s distracting you?”

Well, he dug himself into that one. He didn’t really expect the kid to ask and he didn’t have an excuse ready. He thought for a second before saying, “My roommate, he doesn’t take care of his cat very well and I couldn’t remember if I fed it this morning.” 

Thankfully, the kid’s investigation skills hadn’t developed very well and he seemed to just nod at the statement and continue back on with his work. 

Steve had to mentally shove himself when his mind wandered back to the dimples in Eddie’s cheeks when he smiled. The man was motivated to focus his entire attention on the boy in front of him and unfortunately, the rest of the class in case Mrs. Penny couldn’t handle all the chaos; he couldn’t let anything else distract him, especially a certain someone’s dimples.

His fight for focus was immediately cut when he heard a soft rumble across from him. Parker paused, embarrassment written on his face and the mood quickly fell from pleasant to gut-wrenching. 

“Did you not have anything for lunch, kid?” Steve was suddenly worried for the boy, reaching for his messenger bag.

“My mom doesn’t like paying for school lunch.” He attempted to hide his face in his hands, breaking Steve's heart.

 The brunette dug through his brown bag and pulled out a handful of granola bars, plus an orange that he forgot to eat at lunch. “Here, take these.” He said, passing the sad excuse of a lunch across the table. 

Steve’s heart effectively imploded on itself when Parker’s eyes became slightly glossed over and his bottom lip quivered, refusing to let any tears fall. His small hands had already reached for one of the granola bars.

“Take as many as you want.”

-

“Steve?” Robin’s voice carried through their house. Normally when she gets home, she asks about dinner plans but her roommate isn’t in the living room like he usually is. 

The man panicked, furiously wiping at his eyes and fixing his hair in the mirror. He tried his best to not look absolutely wrecked before unlocking his bathroom door and rushing out into their shared kitchen. 

“Hey, what’s up?” Steve asked, his voice cracking ever so slightly which he inwardly cringed at. 

“Just um,” she paused slightly, inspecting his face, “What were you thinking for dinner?” A look of understanding crossed her eyes and Steve wanted to crumple in her arms, but he held back.

“Oh right, we could force Jonathan to cook.” He smiled, attempting to lighten the mood.

“I can go talk to him in a second.” She responded, nodding at the idea.

They both stopped awkwardly and Robin sighed before opening her arms. Steve had to hold back a sob as he leaned down into the girl’s embrace; his body warmed and this was exactly what he needed.

“What’s going on man?” She asked, her voice whispering and slightly unsure. 

“There’s a kid at the elementary school, I want to help him.” There were more cracks in his voice as his mind replayed the sad moment. Steve had a new mortal enemy and it was Parker’s mom. “I wish I could do more.”

“As long as you’re trying your best. I’m sure you’re helping him more than you imagine.” They held tighter around each other and even though she had never been confident in her reassurance skills, it helped the man compose himself ever so slightly. 

“Robin?” The boy said after a long period of silence. 

“Yeah?” She replied

“Thank you.”

“Anytime.” 

Their barrier of friendship was vague but the moment felt comfortable, it felt right. Steve surprisingly isn’t very embarrassed about his breakdown and silently appreciates the way Robin cracked jokes afterward to lighten the mood. He’s never liked crying in front of people but the girl simply made it easier.

-

Steve plopped down on his designated plastic chair after a long day. He’d been looking forward to the student’s free time at the end of the day so he could hang out with his favorite prickly person. After yesterday, he’d packed a special lunch for the boy and he was practically buzzing with anticipation to see if he’d like it. 

“Stinky Steve is extra stinky today.” The boy said, making a show of covering his nose. He clearly was feeling a little better after what happened the previous day. 

The brunette feigned offense as he reached for his messenger bag, waving around the plastic container that he spent an extra ten minutes assembling this morning. 

“And to think I was gonna give you a brownie with your sandwich.” Seeing the kid’s jaw drop slightly, Steve caved and passed the small lunch across. 

Lunchtime had been a couple of hours before but Steve wasn’t entirely sure what days the boy was able to bring lunch so he wanted to wait just in case he wasn’t hungry. Because the fourth-graders go to the cafeteria for lunch, they can’t really monitor the kid’s food intake so Steve would have to try his best. 

Parker cracked open the seal on the plastic container and his eyes pooled with awe, reaching happily into it like he had just been given a million dollars. He pulled the sandwich out along with his brownie, napkin, and juice box. (Thankfully, Robin had the taste of a fourth-grader so they had plenty of juice boxes in the fridge.)

The boy’s coloring page was long forgotten while he joyfully munched on his ham and cheese sandwich. Seeing the boy at peace, Steve couldn’t help but want to cry again.

-

The week went by and Steve brought Parker a lunch every day without fail; it became a normal part of his morning routine as he moved about the kitchen and cut fruit into little shapes. 

Robin teased him about it endlessly but it lacked any heat. The mornings that Jonathan was in the kitchen, he mostly ignored what the others were doing but Steve caught his amused glances thrown their way as Robin made comments on his food creations.

Before he knew it, the weekend approached and he couldn’t help but feel giddy on his drive to Hawkins High School; he had resisted thinking of Eddie the entire week with everything going on and now his leg bounced in anticipation. It wasn’t like he had spent extra time picking out an outfit this morning for any sort of occasion. The Radiohead T-shirt truly just slipped out of his dresser along with his favorite white jacket, no planning involved or anything. 

Steve got to the science club early as usual, setting his bag down and cracking open his laptop, an old white Apple MacBook with a sticker or two fading into the lid. The poor thing had gone through the start of his sophomore year of high school up until now, taking quite the beating over the years. 

The brunette had a folder in his bookmarks bar for the kid’s current project, documents on magnetic fields and baking soda volcanoes all compiled together for his own education. From what he understood, the students mostly had two tasks that didn’t exactly align but he trusted the kid’s judgement. Half of them worked on the supposed volcano that they were creating and the other half busied themself with building their own compasses and messing with magnetic fields. Steve figured that the stereotypical baking soda volcanoes were something that the kids had already done in younger grades but from the looks of it, this volcano was insanely elaborate so it would make sense for it to be so time-consuming. 

Unfortunately, some of the smaller science fairs had already passed so the only thing that the club could really focus on was official competitions with quite the amount of added pressure, lacking the previous experience that other science clubs have. It wasn’t exactly easing the group into the competitive nature but Steve figured they could handle it. After all, they still had a couple of months until they competed.

-

The day slipped away quickly, the next Hellfire meeting fast approaching as Steve twiddled his thumbs while watching the clock and chatting with a very energetic Dustin. Once Mike started packing up his bag, Steve announced that they should start wrapping up and the classroom agreed. 

The brunette followed behind the high schoolers, making their way through the halls and he held the strap of his beloved messenger bag tightly at his hip. The brown cloth felt lighter today, not holding an extra lunch like it normally does and Steve's heart ached slightly for some reason at the thought. Did Parker eat anything today? He thought.

The couch was just as comfortable as it was last week, allowing Steve to sink into the cushions as he removed his bag and set it next to him. The boys around him were talking to each other as usual, interrupted only when a familiar man slammed the door open. 

“Well, if it isn’t my favorite group of weirdos.” Eddie grinned, prancing into the room confidently. Hearing the booming voice, the teenagers took their seats and prepared for the journey ahead of them. 

He was wearing his Hellfire shirt with the sleeves folded up to his elbows and his wrists were covered in a vast selection of bracelets, some colorful beads and others having silver spikes. He wore ripped skinny jeans and his signature black boots that made his walking incredibly loud.

Steve only realized he was staring when he glanced up at Eddie’s eyes, only to realize the man was already looking at him. His expression was curious and there was a smirk tugging at his lips that the brunette wanted to slap off of him.

“Are we finally gonna finish that stupid ass fight?” Mike crossed his arms and pulled Eddie’s attention away, Steve mentally cursing the boy out.

“First of all, language Wheeler! Second, this is my campaign and if you think it’s stupid then I can leave.” The man clearly wasn’t serious but the teenagers were practically shaking in their boots at the threat, settling back in their chairs. Seeing that there wasn’t going to be an argument, Eddie continued on with where he left off the previous week.

It wasn’t long before Steve got hungry and he retrieved his pre-made sandwich. He figured he’d be able to eat in the room because Dustin had munched on a candy bar during the last meeting so Steve peacefully nibbled at his food.

“Is there any more where that came from?” Lucas grabbed Steve’s attention, causing him to look up from his sandwich. He stood in front of the man on the couch, his arms crossed over his chest. The group had briefly paused, seemingly for a small break and the kid had taken notice of his eating.

“I could look but I think so.” The man dug through his bag once again and some of the other teenagers also surrounded him, probably also wanting food. Well shit, with Parker and these kids, my grocery bill is going to be through the roof this year. 

The best that he could find consisted of some broken cookies, more granola bars, and a pack of fruit snacks. He offered it to the boys and they were like animals finding prey, snatching the food away. “Thank you!” They said, immediately chowing down after going back to their seats. 

Steve looked back over at the head of the table and was surprised to see a familiar dark-haired man staring at him. His eyebrows were raised and he looked amused, nodding to the teenagers who had just robbed him. The brunette shrugged and smiled at him, suddenly feeling giddy when the other man smiled back. My god his dimples.

“Let’s wrap this session up, right fellas?” Eddie said, back to addressing the group and they all nodded. 

Chapter Text

Steve was quickly becoming aware of the difference between normal time and DnD time. “One more quest” to Steve meant ten more minutes but apparently it meant ten more hours.

His sandwich was long gone and the kids seemed like they could keep going forever, something Steve found amazing and laugh-worthy at the same time. Even Eddie, the oldest of the group, was as energetic as ever and it made sense why the group clicked so well. 

Tapping his phone screen, Steve checked the time and realized that the gang had been engrossed in the game for at least five hours. Even though it was only seven o’clock, they had started around two and hadn't slowed down the entire time. 

Luckily, he and Robin had already discussed that he’d stay longer for the clubs today and they made a game plan for dinner. While he would normally spend his extra time in the morning making Parker food, this morning he prepared a small meal for the girl so she didn’t have to spend money ordering out.

Sure, Robin could probably cook but early on she had expressed her anxiety when it came to being in the kitchen after burning ramen once. After some laughing and jokes, Steve agreed to take the reins mostly when it came to cooking and the girl was clearly very appreciative. He secretly was happy with the development later on when he realized that the girl forgot about eating when she became focused on something, Steve having to remind her more times than not.

His own diet wasn’t as healthy as it probably should be but he was blessed with a better-than-average metabolism and he tended to eat consistently; although his mom would probably disapprove of his frequent ice-cream nights. His parents never really liked him eating anything that wasn’t blander than a solid piece of cement. (He’s pretty sure he cried the first time he had McDonalds.)

His mind babbled on and he sunk deeper into the cushions against his back. The teenagers were yelling about something and Eddie was clearly cheering them on but Steve couldn’t pay attention for his life. His eyes were droopy and his lack of caffeine this morning was catching up to him. The last thing he remembered was Eddie’s low laugh as he talked animatedly. 

A sharp poke in his side startled the man awake, sitting up immediately. “Huh?” He sighed tiredly.

“Hey Steve, we're leaving.”

“Wuh-” 

“You fell asleep.”

Blinking away his sleepiness, Steve made eye contact with Mike. The boy’s face was stony and his voice was monotone. Real warm atmosphere this kid has , the man thought sarcastically. 

The other kids were chatting amongst themselves and heading towards the door, Will sticking behind to wait for Mike. Steve couldn’t see Eddie but his stuff was still at the head of the table and Steve wanted to kick himself for falling asleep. This was literally his only time to drool over an attractive man secretly and he wasted it. Oh god, what if I was snoring, I was probably snoring.

The man quickly scooped up his bag and Mike, followed by Will, headed towards the door. He stood and watched as the teenagers filed out of the classroom while a dark-haired man pushed past Lucas, who rolled his eyes at him. 

“Oh, I see sleeping beauty is awake,” Eddie smirked at the flush surrounding Steve’s face, only looking away to gather his belongings. 

“Hey man you can’t blame me, that couch is like a godsend.” Steve replied, holding his hands up.

Eddie laughed in reply and the brunette screamed internally, his conscious melting like Jell-O at the buttery smooth sound. 

“I haven’t personally spent much time on it but if you say it’s good, I’m sure it’s the best couch out there.”

Steve’s phone dinged and he fished it out of his back pocket, tapping at the slightly cracked screen. There was one notification from Jonathan and he couldn’t hold back an annoyed groan. 

(9:02) Driscoll’s Dad-Do you know where the cat went?

(9:03) Me-I haven’t been home all day, she ok?

Steve’s brows furrowed, losing focus on Eddie and watching the three dots on his screen as Jonathan types.

(9:04) Driscoll’s Dad-I can’t find her.

(9:04) Me-I’ll be home in ten

He sighed heavily and he could hear his own heartbeat, rushing towards the door. Can’t he take care of that damn cat for one day, the poor thing. 

“Everything ok?” Steve turned to look at Eddie once more and the man looked concerned.

“My roommate, he can’t find his cat. I should get home.” He ran a hand over his face, his recently awake body swiftly becoming grumpy. 

“Oh shit,” Eddie said, his eyes widening. “It the troublemaker type?” 

“Nah my roommate just sucks at watching ‘er.” Steve paused and realized his sudden departure was probably impolite and he turned to fully face the curly-haired man. “It was nice being here again, see you tomorrow?” He said, a smile creeping back onto his face.

Eddie nodded, smiling back at him, “Good luck finding the furball.” He gave a sort of salute Steve’s way and the brunette almost passed out when he saw a silver gleam from the man’s tongue. FOCUS, he thought, it’s just a tongue piercing, you have more important things to deal with. 

And deal with them he did. After waving goodbye to some of the Hellfire kids, he drove home (trying to stay the speed limit) so he could solve the case of a missing Driscoll. 

This wasn’t exactly a rare occurrence, the cat would silently squeeze her way into things and stay there for long periods of time before someone found her. Even though she was prone to it, it still stressed Steve the hell out. He cared about the cat more than he’d like to admit and because of how old she was, anxiety thrummed through his veins every time something happened with her. 

“Oh thank god!” Robin dramatically flung herself towards Steve once he stepped out of his car. “The cat whisperer is back! That little shit is hiding real good this time and you’re like the only one that can ever find her.” 

Steve rolled his eyes at her, smiling ever so slightly but his nerves held him back from following with a joke of his own. They made their way inside of the shared home and Steve practically threw down his messenger bag before searching for Driscoll. 

It took nearly an hour but the cat was eventually found. Steve had searched every area of the house before digging through his own room and wouldn’t you know, the gray puffball was snuggled under Steve’s bed in the very back corner. He didn’t even remember keeping his door open but he sighed in relief at the sight, immediately scooping the creature into his arms. Steve was sure he was going to have a heart attack one day because of her.

After his roommates slunk back to their rooms, Steve followed suit and changed into an old pair of gym shorts and possibly the most beat-up gray shirt ever worn. The house was warm and Steve couldn’t really get away with sleeping in pants, something that he wasn’t exactly fond of. He didn’t mind his legs, it was the jagged scar across the side of his left thigh that caused his distaste for shorts. It had been from a broken mirror at home. He was supposed to be cleaning it up, trying to distract himself from the quite physical argument that his parents were having. It not only ended up slicing the boy pretty badly but also was left untreated due to his embarrassment. He tried to clean it himself, scared to face his father for something so stupid.

“Where would you go then? HUH? What woman?! WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITHOUT ME!?” His father was yelling louder than anything Steve had ever heard. From the bathroom, he could hear small crashes and he cringed slightly, knowing he’d have to be the one to clean the house afterward. He knew his mom would leave after they were done fighting and his dad would drink himself into a coma, leaving him to shuffle around and pick things up as best as he could. It was a school night and he knew that he’d probably have to do most of the cleaning after he got back from middle school but he’d have to try his best before he went to sleep. His mom never liked it when the house stayed dirty after their fights.

Steve thumbed over the bit of raised skin, his mind clouding slightly. He didn’t exactly see it as ugly but it reminded him of something that hurt him, something that could’ve been solved easily if he wasn’t so afraid of his parents. 

He thought distantly of Parker, if he was facing something hard. Steve didn’t tend to think of his own childhood as traumatic and he didn’t want attention from people because of it, but maybe it gave Parker something to relate with. He vowed to himself forever ago that he’d try to be patient with people and hopefully that showed in his time with Parker. He was hopeful with the boy, he knew how frustrating adults could be for kids like him and he wanted to prove he was different.

-

“Will! We need your artistic abilities!” Lucas called through the classroom. Today, as Dustin had informed Steve, the science club was focusing mostly on the outside design of their volcano. As of right now, it looked like a sad dirt tower that could use some serious work. Will clearly thought the same, his face contorting at the rough structure. 

Steve quickly learned that Will was the designated artist, apparently he not only drew the plans for their science projects but also each of their DnD characters. This was very valuable information for the man, a set of Prismacolor colored pencils sitting secretly in his Amazon cart for Will’s birthday. So what if it was several months away? He’s said he needs new pencils goddammit. 

“We need cardboard and clay, a lot of clay.” The shy boy said, other kids nodding their heads and jotting the information down. 

“I have some boxes that you guys can rip apart and use.” Steve offers, inwardly high-fiving himself when Will smiles at him enthusiastically. 

-

Eddie was early today. Normally, the teenage boys would wait around for the man but when they walked in, the dark-haired man was already setting up his screen.

“Eddie Munson shows up to Hellfire early? Guys, I think we’re in trouble.” Dustin held a hand over his chest dramatically and faced his fellow club members.

The boy in question rolled his eyes, “Gareth packed up faster today, something ‘bout his mom.” 

Steve gave the man a once-over (or a four-over but who’s counting?)He was wearing his Hellfire shirt with a dark leather jacket, a chunky stack of silver necklaces sitting on his collarbones, and oh god. Oh no this is bad Steve thought, his heart picking up. The man had his hair tied back into a lazy bun and Steve’s brain almost imploded. 

Walking over to the familiar plush couch, Steve kept his eyes on where his left hand gripped the strap of his messenger bag. If he doesn’t die from a Driscoll-induced heart attack, Eddie will for sure be what kills him. 

“Did ya find the cat?” 

Steve looks back over at the man, regretting it immediately when he catches sight of the silver stud in Eddie’s mouth again.

“Huh?”

“The cat? You said your roommate lost it.” 

“Right, yeah we found it.” The brunette cleared his throat, slightly avoiding eye contact with him. “She likes to hide from us every once in a while, not sure why.”

Eddie nods at that, looking ever so slightly smug. He knows , Steve’s brain screams. Thankfully, the kids were all distracted by each other and not focusing on the adult’s interaction because Steve had to look so obvious right now. 

Taking his seat, the brunette fiddles with his bag to try and calm his nerves and he can feel eyes on him. He didn’t ever actually consider the man would be catching on to him and now he didn’t know what to do. Either he thinks I’m the biggest loser to ever exist or he feels the same about me.

Wait.

Steve paused. When he first saw the man he knew that he was fascinated by him but now that there’s a possibility of something more that could happen, he didn’t know what to do. Sure, he’s had girlfriends and maybe some experimentation with his own body but it’s been years. He’s never been with a man in that way, even though his search history may say otherwise, he doesn’t know what the hell he was doing. Did he want to have something serious? Let alone his first experience being with a man, he liked Eddie, What if he messed something up?

His spiraling was cut short by Dustin plopping himself right next to the man. “You got any more food today?” He asked.

Steve looked at him incredulously, “didn’t you guys have lunch in the science room not that long ago?” 

“Oh c’mon man, I’m a growing boy!” He gestured to himself.

“Don’t you have a game to get to?”

“Eddie is totally distracted with Mike’s turn, he fucked up his HP numbers and I’m bored with the stupidity.” Dustin sassed. 

“Language Henderson, and fine.” Rolling his eyes, the man reached into his bag and flung a candy bar right at the boy’s forehead. 

“Ow!”

“Oh hush, you deserved it.”

Chapter Text

Before he knew it, Steve’s eyes started drooping again and his body leaned more heavily into the couch. He knew he shouldn’t keep using Hellfire campaigns as his nap times but with how early he’s been waking up to make food lately, sleep has pulled at him more and more. It wasn’t like he was mad about the extra lunches that he spent time on in the morning, but it really had more of an effect than Steve expected.

After balancing his sports with school, his sleeping was fairly trashed but he had learned to get better at managing it. He went a good couple of years without having to take naps throughout the day but it seems he’ll have to get used to a more constant state of fatigue again.

The brunette’s attention was brought back to Eddie as it normally was. With his small lack of fear in his tired state, he stared shamelessly at him without worrying about getting caught. The man’s face was serious and the scene he set had tension wound through each of his sentences. Steve noticed that he didn’t really talk with his hands, contrasting his own wild hand gestures trying to string words together. His eyes were dark and wild pools that flicked around to each of the teenagers, staring each of them down. 

It was moments like these that made the couch that Steve laid on feel like warm velvet. The man was sideways with his head resting against the pillow next to him and his legs splayed out on the plush fabric. His entire body felt like sweet honey as he watched Eddie, lulling him even more into sleep. Fleeting thoughts soared through his head of grabbing the man’s face and holding it, tracing over his dimples and piercings in comfortable silence. Everything felt right in the world when he smiled, when he laughed, when his voice dropped at the complicated twists and turns of his intricate story. 

I’m so fucked .

-

His hair was smooth but his lips were rough. Steve knew he shouldn’t be doing this, his dad would be furious. He could hear lockers being opened and closed not so far from where he stood pressed against Billy Hargrove. It was all so sudden, the way their eyes met and the dance of hands against skin. They barely even knew each other but what Steve knew was that he hated this man, he was crude and loud and he didn’t know how to be soft. 

“I knew you were the designated man-whore but look at you, you’d take it from anyone.” Billy’s voice was low and condescending and Steve hated it, he hated how small it made him feel. The blonde was everything he didn’t want, but it was too intoxicating to pull away. 

Tommy Hagan was just on the other side of the door and Steve knew that if he walked in, his life would break into little pieces of misery. The golden boy of Hawkins with Billy Hargrove’s tongue shoved down his throat would be quite the sight to behold and if it got out, his carefully crafted tower of masculinity and popularity would come crashing down. 

His hands weren’t soft, they were careless and pushed at Steve like he wanted to break him. It only really hurt when Billy’s hand closed around his forearm. He immediately flinched and the kiss was broken. The brunette followed his eyes to where his sleeve was pulled up high enough to showcase the dark bruise there. Billy’s gaze didn’t soften but there was a look of understanding, of knowing. 

Then they were kissing, no conversation or hushed reassurances. It wasn’t any sort of comfort but for some reason, he wasn’t so worried about the blonde possibly revealing his sexuality. Maybe the man would use it as blackmail or maybe, just maybe, he’d keep their little situation a secret for the sake of Steve’s wellbeing.

“Hey, Stevie.” A gentle hand on his shoulder, nothing like Billy. “C’mon sweetheart it’s time to get up.” His voice was buttery smooth, Eddie .

“Sorry did I fall asleep again?” Steve sat up, the man’s hand never leaving his shoulder. It was warm and everything he wanted just from a single touch. 

Eddie chuckled, “Sure did, but no worries the kids already left so they won’t rob you of your snacks.” Looking around, the brunette confirmed that the room was entirely empty and panic dripped down his throat as he realized that he hadn’t been awake to say goodbye to any of the teenagers. “Woah don’t worry, I sent them home so you could get a little more sleep. I was gonna stay here for a little while anyways to brainstorm a little.” The curly-haired man kept talking, something about his lame band not having time to practice today. 

Steve’s mind was elsewhere though, to Billy Hargrove. The scene had been a sort of recurring dream that came about in his more conflicted times. They never actually had any form of making out but in high school, he dreamt of it all the time. He wanted so badly to be with the man, to experiment and be with someone so wildly different than his usual type. He knew it would hurt bad but that didn’t stop his crush, no matter how horrible Billy was; Steve was so insanely distracted by the man’s long curly hair and loud music taste and his smug attitude and- oh. Maybe I have a type , he thought. 

The man in front of him was everything that Billy was but softer . His hands traced where Billy’s would’ve shoved, his smile was warm where the blonde’s was sinister. Steve had wanted someone like the Hargrove boy, someone who could force him away from the hurt that he knew and think of it as something comforting. He could see now that it would’ve just ruined him, that he didn’t need to be forced into a new pain when it could be resolved entirely by someone, someone like Eddie. 

“What time is it?” He asked, his voice scratchy and laced with sleep.

The man’s brows furrowed and he glanced down at his phone, “Oh, like 10:45.” 

“WHAT!?” Steve couldn’t believe this, he needed to wake up early tomorrow to make food for Parker and NOT fall asleep on the drive to the elementary school. “Why were you even staying here for that long!?” 

Eddie’s hand traveled down from his shoulder to his hand, squeezing slightly. “Well campaign planning takes a while and you looked so peaceful sleeping over here.” His eyes softened, “I’m sorry I didn’t wake you up earlier but trust me, everything’s perfectly fine.”

Steve let out a long breath, glancing down at where their hands met. “Sorry, I just like to get as much sleep as possible with my job y’know.” He reached for his bag and swung his legs over the side of the couch to stand.

“Well, I could drive you home.”

“What?”

“So you could sleep on the way there.”

Steve’s body felt unbearably hot and he wanted to go home and scream into his pillow. Was he like this with everybody? The man was so nice and considerate and everything he’s ever wanted in a metalhead’s body. He thought the best he could ever want was the rough Billy Hargrove but boy was he wrong.

“Sure, if that’d be ok.” He said it more as a question, wanting so badly to stay close to the man. Maybe I should lower my standards , he thought, just one offer to drive me home and my hands are shaking more than a Chihuahua. 

“Yeah of course, c’mon man.” Eddie strode confidently to the exit door, his bag slung over his shoulders and he seemed impossibly casual. Trying to keep up with him, Steve scrambled over to walk next to him.

He knew that he was falling for the man and not into a puddle of wanting, more like a one million-foot drop off a cliff into desire and need. He’d always been easy to fall off his feet for someone but that didn’t stop the fear that pierced into his bones. He hadn’t known Eddie very well, for all he knew, the man might not be interested in him at all and could just be toying with his feelings. Considering it was quite clear that he already knew about Steve’s crush, he couldn’t help but feel a little humiliated for how obvious he was and he had no idea what the other man thought of him. For all he knew, Eddie could stomp on his heart and leave it bleeding from where he stood without even trying, he knew he was already falling headfirst off of a cliff and his feelings could be demolished so easily; one of his most fatal flaws since high school. 

Eddie’s van was as Steve expected, it was dingy but comfortable and smelled faintly of cigarettes. Plopping himself into the passenger seat, the brunette didn’t mind the food wrapper or two where his feet were.

“Excuse the mess, I mostly have like a thousand people in here for band shit so she’s never the cleanest.” The metalhead pat the steering wheel affectionately, almost as an apology for the torture the vehicle was subject to. 

“No worries man, I know how easy these things get dirty.” The men lock eyes and suddenly Eddie’s infectious smile is back. It takes great effort to look away from the man but seeing as it was becoming a little too intimate, Steve eventually redirected his line of sight. 

“I can pull up my address, hold on.” The man fishes his phone out of his pocket and swipes around before propping up the device in the center console. Eddie nodded at him and as he was pulling back out of his parking space, he reached his hand behind Steve’s headrest. They didn’t necessarily need to be that careful, considering they were in an empty parking lot, but the curb in front and to the side of them required a little more skill to pull back from.

Something flipped in the brunette’s stomach at the other man’s position. From here, he could see the curly-haired man’s focused expression and pinched jawline, along with the extended arm that came close to his face. He silently cursed every god that made Eddie wear a jacket today because he would’ve killed to see the man’s bare arm this close; although the universe was slightly balanced by his hair being put up.

As the car slowed into the right area, Eddie went to turn back around before their eyes caught onto each other again. There was something burning behind the man’s but Steve couldn’t look for very long because he wanted to retain his dignity and keep his eyes where they belonged.

The drive was slightly tense at first for Steve, considering how silent it was, but it smoothed over quickly as they continued down the road. Before he knew it, he was leaning into the door next to him and his eyes were shutting like how they were on the Hellfire couch. He thought somewhere distantly about Eddie’s hands on his steering wheel but ceased when his brain shut off for sleep. 

The walk inside his house felt like a fever dream. The brunette was half asleep and he stumbled out of the van before he was caught and helped by familiar hands, leading him to his front door. Steve fumbled for his keys and he tiredly walked toward his room, realizing later that the dark-haired man followed him to help him kick off his shoes and lay down. His eyes shut almost immediately and he didn’t remember anything else that happened after that.

-

His alarm was blaring but the only thing it warranted was a groan and tired slaps as attempts to shut it up.

“STEVE TURN THAT OFF!”

“Mm shut shh,” Steve muttered. After minutes of flailing, he eventually stopped the noise and yawned obnoxiously. Now suddenly regretting his choices from last night, he rubbed at his eyes and stumbled towards his bathroom to take a shower. He knew he looked absolutely wrecked with his lack of sleep from last night but he couldn’t call in sick just a couple weeks after starting this job. 

After feeding Driscoll, Steve threw down ingredients for his favorite kid’s lunch. He should probably go shopping soon with their limited food but he was sure he could make do with the situation and Parker wouldn’t care. He wanted to cut up some cucumber but before he could make any slices, the knife in his hands was snatched away.

“You look exhausted, man,” a voice said, Robin. She held the knife with one of her eyebrows angled upwards. She didn’t have much room to speak with the unfinished eyeliner smudged around her face and her half-assed outfit choice thrown on but the brunette figured he should pick his battles.

-

“Sorry kid, your lunch is a little basic today.” The man plopped down his signature container on the flimsy elementary school table. “My roommate said she didn’t trust me with sharp objects after having a subpar night’s rest.” 

Parker didn’t seem all that affected, shrugging his shoulders before tugging at the object and popping open the lid. “Food is food.” The kid clearly hadn’t eaten much today with how he eagerly munched into his peanut butter and jelly sandwich and seeing his small smile was enough for Steve to be happy forever.

“Uh, Mr?” A soft voice snapped the man’s attention away, turning to see who was talking to him. It was Sophie, the kind girl who helped him clean up the classroom. “Noah put gum in Lola’s hair.” 

Well shit , Steve thought. He was experienced with care surrounding hair but dread sank deep in his gut at the idea of tugging gum out of a poor girl’s hair. Before checking that Parker was content he reluctantly said, “Show me, I’ll take care of it.” 

The process was even longer than expected but Lola’s hair was saved by the hair genius named Steve. The man even received one of the girl’s prized erasers (which he accepted gratefully and planned on framing in his room). He didn’t have to deal with a lot of gum in his hair with how little he was bullied in school, but his expertise and Ms. Penny’s comb worked wonders.

By the time he made it back to Parker, the kids were starting to pack up and he couldn’t help but feel bad for leaving his prickly person alone for so long until he saw the amused look on said child’s face. From where his legs were propped up, he had clearly been watching the whole endeavor with a perfect view and snacks like he was in a movie theater. What shocked him more though, was little Sophie propped up right across from the boy where Steve normally sat. He knew the two were growing closer but he was exhilarated at the progress that the two had made.

“Please tell me her hair is ok!” Sophie pressed her hands together and she was clearly worried. 

“Don’t worry kid, you’re dealing with a hair god.” He made a show of flipping his hair around and he felt triumphant when the little girl giggled at his antics. “A little gum won’t stop this guy.”

Chapter Text

Wednesday rolled around in the blink of an eye. Steve remembered seeing school as a never-ending story but now that he was on the teacher’s side with little kids, it felt like the quickest eight hours ever. The only brain-numbing part of the day was silent reading time for the kids where Steve couldn’t do anything but waltz around and pick at his nails. Especially with how he’s only a teacher’s assistant, his days go by easily alongside Mrs. Penny.

“Hey! Mr. Steve.” The brunette flipped around to see one of the other teachers, Ms. Garcia. “I was wondering if you could run over to the printer and pick up some copies of my worksheets for the kids, I would but Sammy’s having issues with his crayons.” 

Most of the ladies down the fourth-grade hallway were fond of Steve and his helpfulness, often chatting with him during recess. He had learned all about the ladies’ divorces and personal lives and he’d be lying if he said it wasn’t extremely entertaining. It was like watching a stupid dating show where the candidates had no idea what they were doing and you just can’t stop watching because it’s so terrible that it’s kind of good.

Ms. Garcia was very kind to him, she was an older teacher who always saved a donut for him during her class’ donut parties. Funnily enough, she was one of the people with a long history of husbands and drama even though she didn’t look the part.

“Yeah of course! I was just helping Sophia to the water fountain so I’ll make sure to take a stop over there once she’s back in the classroom.” He smiled at the woman and she nodded before taking a step back into her room. He didn’t exactly want to be outside of the classroom much longer because Parker didn’t particularly like spending free time alone but Steve could just quickly slip by the copy room without any issue once he brought Sophia back.

The copy room was quiet, save for the buzz of printers, and the lighting was dim. The teacher’s assistant slipped through the line of machines and immediately spotted a stack of papers labeled with Ms. Garcia’s name. He wanted to be as quick as possible with how slow Sophia had been walking. Seriously, he would die for the kid but she really needs to pick up her feet more. 

He rushed a little too fast through the halls and it seemed to take forever before he reached A12, Mrs. Penny’s room. Ms. Garcia was gracious for his kind act but he had left before the woman had really even said anything, too focused on the task at hand. He wasn’t exactly sure why he was so worried for Parker but the kid had wormed his way into his heart effectively enough for Steve to speed walk however far it took. Right now his speed walking into the classroom was stopped short by a shout.

“Liam, STOP!” Mrs. Penny sounded angry and like she was over by the corner tables where Parker normally-

Steve’s heart sank.

All he could see as he rushed over was a clump of small arms and legs on the floor with their teacher pulling at the students. One of the kids on the floor was clearly crying while the other was practically screeching. Mrs. Penny finally got a solid grip on one of the boy’s elbows and hauled him up, revealing the two boy’s faces. 

It was Parker and Liam.

“LET GO!” Liam clawed at his teacher, thankfully not reaching any purchase on each swipe.

Steve gathered his thoughts and rushed over to Parker, diving onto his knees to assess the boy. His dark hair didn’t have any blood on it so that ruled out any severe head trauma but his nose and bottom lip were gushing blood. The only thing Steve could focus on though, was the tears streaming out of his eyes that were currently squeezed shut. 

“Shh, it’s alright kid.” The man carefully reached for the back of Parker’s head, cradling it with his arm. Thankfully, this seemed to help a little with his hunched shoulders but each shout from Liam increased the tears flowing from the boy.

Glancing up at the little shit-head, he didn’t have a scratch on him,  it was clear that he was the one to start the fight. Mrs. Penny was trying her hardest to wrangle Liam and pull him away, made harder by his short jabs at the woman in an attempt to escape.

“I’m sorry,” Parker whispered, trying to rub at his eyes.

“There’s nothing to be sorry for.” Steve wanted to punch the daylights out of Liam and his annoying blonde hair but he didn’t want to go to prison today and the kid in his arms needed him. 

“The food,” he inhaled slowly, “He threw it, it’s ruined.” His voice cracked and bobbled at his attempts to stop crying.

When picking his head up, Steve could see a spatter of the pasta salad he made this morning on the floor next to him. He could also see several children gathered around the two, some with concerned expressions and others out of pure intrigue. Sophia was near the front holding Parker’s coloring page protectively. Considering everything else on the table was covered in food, the pristine piece of paper must’ve been saved early on.

Turning back to the boy, Steve’s heart shattered at the look on his face. “Hey, it’s alright. I don’t care about some spilled food, especially when you weren’t the one to spill it.” Forcing a small smile onto his face, he tried his best to handle the situation with care. “We need to get you to the nurse ok?” The brunette internally cringed at the mess that was already drying down but the boy in front of him was more important. 

“Ok.” Parker’s voice was impossibly small but Steve still heard it, standing so he could walk the boy out of the classroom. He pushed through the crowd of fourth-graders to get to the door and he probably should’ve reassured the rest of the class but there was too much worry coursing through his veins for him to even think straight.

By the time he brought the kid over to the nurse’s office and got back to the classroom, Mrs. Penny seemed to have assigned Liam a seat in the time-out corner and was talking to the boy. She made eye contact with Steve when he walked in and motioned for him to talk with her. As he walked over, the teacher threw on a Bill Nye science video for the kids to watch.

“Is Parker ok?”

“Yeah, do you know how it started?”

The woman looked hesitant, almost like she was worried about how Steve would react. “Liam said that he thought Parker was being treated unfairly.”

“Unfairly?”

“Well, with all due respect, bringing lunches from home does create a little bit of an unfair balance between the kids.”

Shit, he thought, why didn’t I think of that!? I should’ve checked beforehand and been more discrete.

“I was willing to let it go under the radar, what with Parker’s home condition, but I can’t let there be jealousy in my classroom.” 

Mrs. Penny didn’t have any anger in her eyes, she looked kind but stern. Steve knew that what she was saying made sense and he had some work to do when it came to favoritism. Even if Parker deserved it, it’s a hard balance with kids as young as these.

“I’m very sorry.” His tone was as sincere as he could possibly manage, hoping to god that he sounded as genuine as he felt.

“It’s ok, I only ask that you halt the lunches. I will try my best to schedule a meal plan for him with the school, it may not be as personal as your own but it is the best I can do."

“Promise me?”

“You have my word.”

-

Watching Parker eat a prepped meal that wasn’t made by his own hands was more painful than Steve expected. The school gave him a designated lunch without any fee under a schedule with a decent helping of food. On Thursday there was an assorted fruit cup with a sandwich, and on friday he got a flimsy pizza slice with some carrots and ranch.

The brunette was still learning how to accept someone helping the child who wasn’t him, but it was necessary for him as a teacher. He knew he needed to learn how to find the good in kids like Liam, and he was trying. Steve and Parker still had coloring time at the corner table and they still called each other names, but he’s taken care being around the other students as well. 

The development was something Robin was supporting the man through, what with their two nights spent sitting on the kitchen counter eating pints of ice cream and shedding some tears in the process. 

It was Friday night that the two stayed up as late as possible. Steve knew he didn’t mind being a little more tired at the science club and Robin had no work so they sat on their kitchen floor, shoveling ice cream into their mouths as they talked about everything and nothing at the same time. 

“D’you think you can start driving me over to Old Oak on Wednesdays?” Robin pointed her spoon at the man across from her.

“Old Oak?” He stuck his own spoon into his tub of butterscotch ice cream, directing his attention entirely on her.

“Yeah, some old bar that has bands play for it around like eight or something,” she paused, devouring another scoop of her desert. “I heard they have this sick-ass band that performs on Wednesdays, I wanna check it out.” 

“They only perform on Wednesdays?” Steve raised an eyebrow at the girl. 

“Well I dunno, I heard somethin’ about the weekends but I’d probably have to ask around.” 

“How long would you be staying? Wednesday’s a school night y’know so I need to get home as early as possible.” He could probably make it work if he got at least seven hours of sleep but he would never let Robin see the light of day again if the band didn’t sound at least decent.

“It’ll depend on how much I enjoy it but I probably won’t stay for over an hour anyway.” The girl dramatically dug into her tub of ice cream and shrugged before saying, “Their band name sounded dumb anyways so we’ll see.” Seeing Steve’s confused reaction she continued, “Something coffin. That’s dumb, right? Who uses the word coffin in their band name?” 

“Alright, just make sure to remind me.” He chuckled at the girl and focused his attention back on his food.

-

“You gonna take another nap at Hellfire today?” Dustin took his seat near Steve’s desk and threw down his backpack, clearly noticing the man’s tired expression.

Sighing dramatically, he turned his head over to the boy. “I’m not even gonna argue with you about that because it probably will happen.”

Both of them quietly laughed together, Steve’s cat naps were becoming a sort of inside joke with how common they were. The boys didn’t seem at all offended by his lack of attention halfway in and he hadn’t been kicked out from his viewing area so far so he counted that as a win. He did give the kids food pretty often in exchange for sitting on a lovely couch and watching a beautiful face for hours, so it was a fair trade if you asked him.

Steve distantly thought of last week when Eddie drove him home and wanted to jump off of a cliff when he remembered that it was a chance situation because his bandmate had something happen. He wanted to be driven home by the mysterious man all the time, sitting peacefully while he memorized the shape of Eddie’s hand against the steering wheel.

He knew he was drowning already for the man and it scared him, how easily he needed him. They’ve had weak conversations and yet the brunette still let his eyes wander and painted a picture that he didn’t deserve. He feared that he was too different from the man, that he wouldn’t be his type and he had misread everything between them to the point of delusion. 

There’s so much shit going on I swear to god. I should invest in a journal to write everything down at this point because I might bust at the seams pretty soon here and I can’t add explosions to my long list of problems. Although, it would probably fit in well with boy problems and Parker problems.

Chapter Text

Eddie Munson is absolutely breathtaking . Steve probably wouldn’t admit it anytime soon, but he could die happy if the metalhead was the last thing he saw before kicking the bucket. He waltzes, confident as ever, into the room. If Steve’s brain wasn’t so sleep-addled, he’d probably be more ashamed about the way he thought of the man, or maybe his gaze would linger on his silver rings all the same. His vision was a little hazy and his memory wasn’t very reliable at the moment, but it was almost like Eddie was looking right back at him with a smoldering flame behind his dark eyes. 

He’d have to dedicate his success in focus for the first twenty minutes of the game to his food. Having something to focus on like eating and finishing his granola bar held his attention just enough for him to not sink into the couch cushions beneath him; though he knew he’d fall victim to the impending slumber once he finished his fruit cup and there was nothing else in his bag to eat (unless keys are considered consumables). 

Realizing he would have to succumb to sleep soon, Steve hyperfocused on the campaign in front of him to at least say he had a reason to be there other than napping. 

“The sky is dark, the day has been long and your stomachs are as empty as the night sky.” Eddie leans forward in his chair, addressing the group, “Do you venture into one of the homes for a possibly warm and rejuvenating night?”

The teenage boys all gave each other looks, some suspicious and others hopeful. “I think it’s an alright idea,” Lucas suggested. “Are you dumb? It’s clearly a trap!” Mike was far less convinced and he waved his arms around wildly like the idea was so blasphemous that it killed his own mother. 

Eddie had an excellent poker face. The boys tried to inspect any ounce of smugness or honesty behind his eyes but his expression left no clues. The man was perfect as a dungeon master, no one could predict where his stories were going to go and it made the party have to use their brains more times than not. Even when they concluded to stay for the night, he only gave them comfort when he didn’t throw a monster at them immediately after walking through the door and the characters got time to recover.

As Steve realized he was tuning out the conversations more and more, he took a drink of his water and leaned back into the couch. There wasn’t any action in the story at the moment and he had to admit the exposition was a little more forgettable than the fighting. Of course, he still listened to the long description of forests and creatures but he’s a man of high-stakes situations and battle weapons, they just drew his attention more. If there was conflict that the boys were experiencing, Steve’s ability to stay awake would probably be better, but Eddie’s soothing voice being the only sound in the room ensured he wouldn’t be able to focus anytime soon.

-

The wind is sharp and whipping through the air like an angry cat’s tail. Every inhale was shaky and his skin felt entirely exposed; he could vaguely recognize the feeling of clothes on his body but they might as well be gone with the chill thrumming through his bones. Sounds of honking and shouting were distant but still there, meshing horribly with the wind to make a cacophony of noise. 

Steve opened his eyes, but all he saw was the water beneath him. 

He was on a bridge.

The water was shallow, he could see the rocks and sand through the liquid. If he fell from where he stood, he would probably be seriously injured and could possibly die, maybe crack his head open on a sharp boulder. 

He didn’t step back, he couldn’t force his body to move if he tried. 

The feeling in his chest was bittersweet. The water was beautiful and terrifying, the place where creatures gained life and he could possibly lose his. Though, there was something more beautiful sitting at his feet. 

A bouquet of flowers, still gorgeous even from where they were pushed into the ground. They were roses, his mother’s favorite.

Steve froze. He knew this bridge, this place.

Chicago.

He could hear shrill voices clanging through his head from hours before, from his mother’s disapproving stare and his father’s white-hot rage. 

The roses were meant to be a peace offering, a symbol of his love for them. He meant to tell them after presenting the flowers, on his own terms. Nothing could’ve prepared him for the fact that they already knew, that they had found out while he was out retrieving the gift. 

He could take a step, end this once and for all. He didn’t know anything outside of his parents, outside of his family. He couldn’t live knowing that they hated everything that he was, he might as well be physically dead if he was dead to them. 

“HEY!” 

Steve flinched, taking a step back out of instinct.

“YOU COULD FALL FROM THERE! PLEASE COME DOWN!” 

He turned, immediately trying to identify the voice. 

It was a girl, presumably a teenager, with short brown hair and a concerned expression. 

Well shit, Steve can’t stay in a life-threatening position when a kid is watching. He glanced back at the water beneath him and ripped himself away, walking towards the girl.

“Thank you very much, Mister.” She smiled at him warmly, kinder than his mother’s.

“My name’s Steve, you don’t have to call me Mister.”

“Well Mister Steve, Hopper would be very mad at you for standing so close to ledges.”

He had no idea who Hopper was, and if he should be afraid of him, but one thing that he did know was that the girl in front of him had just saved his life. 

-

This time when he cracked his eyes open, Hellfire wasn’t packing up. In fact, they were all still seated and engaged in the story unfolding in front of them. He quickly checked his phone and realized that he had only been asleep for about an hour, meaning he woke up earlier and yet he felt well-rested. 

Steve glanced around the room and after a second, made eye contact with Eddie. The man was clearly also momentarily surprised by his awakening and his eye flicked around the brunette’s face as if assessing for any form of discomfort. 

“Eddie! Yoo hoo!” Dustin’s annoyed tone broke the men’s eye contact and the dungeon master focused back on his lengthy monologue. 

He noticed Will’s curious eyes also on him. The boy had clearly been the most observant of the bunch, nodding questioningly at him when they shared a look. Steve answered with a smile and a nod, seemingly enough to assure Will.

He slowly sat up and took a big gulp of water from his bottle and tried to collect his thoughts. He didn’t normally think about the memory that he had witnessed and the fact that it found him in his dreams was absurd. The night he spent on the bridge was the lowest time in his life and his mind was clearly disturbed enough to shake him from the nightmare and find himself back in Hellfire, which Steve was appreciative of because he didn’t particularly enjoy reliving that part of his past. At the very least, he still got some sleep from it so he could put his full attention back onto the DnD game that was still very much going. 

He watched as Will landed the finishing move on a strong hydra, describing the slicing and cauterizing of its last head with animated language. The group all cheered as Eddie held his hand over his chest and dramatically fell back in his chair, his eyes closing. What really sold his theatrics, though, was his tongue poking out of his mouth in a cartoony way of signifying death, which caused Dustin to start wheezing. 

From where he sat, Steve found himself laughing along with the group, he was confident that no one would acknowledge it but he very clearly saw the metalhead crack open one eye to peer over at him. His curly hair had fallen onto his face but Steve could easily see the smile tugging at his lips and the twitch in his open eye upon realizing that his drama had made the man laugh. The brunette simply rolled his own eyes and motioned back at the table of kids who were starting to look at their dungeon master expectantly. 

“Right then!” Eddie popped back up and continued on with his campaign as if he didn’t just perform one of the most stupid scenes known to mankind, easily falling back into his serious persona. 

-

For once, the session ended without a cliffhanger. The teenagers started packing up their things with content expressions after a long time of talking, their story ending off for now with the characters all getting a good night’s rest. Eddie did seem to have a pattern of leaving the more devastating endings for Sundays when the kids would have to wait an entire week to find closure, the evil bastard.

Steve found himself walking with the group out to the parking lot where most of them broke off, leaving him to fish for his keys and step toward his car. It took him a second to notice that one of the members stayed, a familiar mop of curly hair facing just slightly away from him.

“You woke up earlier than normal.” The man reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out a small box and lighter.

The brunette watched as he slipped a cigarette into his mouth and flicked open his lighter. “Weird dream,” he said in response.

“Care to share with the class?” Eddie lit the paper and inhaled slowly, turning to the other man.

“Bold of you to assume I’d tell you, for all I know you could be a secret Russian spy trying to get information out of me.” He joked, his eyes briefly dipping to the other man’s lips where they held around the cancer stick. 

“Ha ha,” the man replied sarcastically. “If you don’t wanna tell me you could just say it.” 

Steve rolled his eyes but there wasn’t any heat to it, returning back to where the cigarette was held between Eddie’s fingers. The man took a long drag of it before blowing outwards, throwing a suspicious glance his way.

“Want a hit?” He held out the object as an offering.

Steve shook his head, “Nah I’m good, I’d probably cough my lungs out.”

“You’ve never smoked before?” 

“My parents would murder me.”

“You could always try shotgunning, ‘s a little less hard on the lungs.” 

Oh. Well, that definitely got the man’s attention. Steve knew what shotgunning was, he was friends with Tommy H for crying out loud, but the idea of doing it with Eddie sent him for a loop. 

“Woah princess, you look like you’ve seen a ghost,” the man chuckled, “Not gonna force ya or anything.” 

Steve nodded, hoping to god that his face didn’t give away how flustered he felt. “Yeah maybe sometime.” His voice was quiet but Eddie clearly heard it with how his smile widened. “But it can’t be at my place, my roommate would murder me if she even smelt it, she purged our other roommate of literally every joint he had because she hates the smell.” 

The metalhead was laughing again, louder than before. “I’ll keep that in mind then,” he said after finally recovering.

There was a short silence between them and Steve knew he should really be getting in his car but his feet stayed glued to the ground, Eddie was more important than getting home at the moment. 

“So which one is the cat owner?”

“Huh?” Steve faced the man again, curious.

“That time that you left to find the cat, you said it was your roommate’s.” 

“Oh right, yeah he’s the smoker. Jonathan’s his name.” 

“Jonathan huh?” There was something in his eyes that the brunette couldn’t quite place, something burning. 

“Yeah, a real dick-head. If I had to choose between him and my other roommate I’d pick her so fast.” Steve rolled his eyes at even the idea of the man, smiling when he heard another laugh.

“Well, that’s good.” They met eyes and Eddie held the contact as he exhaled another round of smoke. “I’d hate to have competition,” he said. 

The younger man’s mind flipped over itself and he lost control of his hands, his keys falling to the floor. He quickly dropped to his knees to pick them back up and stood with embarrassment written all over his face, there was no way he could dig himself out of this one. “Right uh..” He turned his head away from the growing smirk on the other’s face, “I should head home.” 

“Whatever you say, Stevie, see ya tomorrow.” He stepped back with a wink and the same grin plastered across his face.

Steve nodded and pulled open his car door, trying to keep his remaining dignity and not embarrass himself further. As he drove away from the lot, he exhaled slowly and tried his best to focus on the road ahead of him.

-

The house was silent as he pulled off his shoes by the front doorway and made his way over to the kitchen. He checked the fridge and there was a container with his name on a sticky note attached to it, his leftovers from dinner a couple of nights ago. He peeled the lid off and stuck it in the microwave to let it heat up and once the timer went off, he started digging into it with his fork as he padded to his bedroom. 

Steve kicked off his pants and threw a bland T-shirt on before sitting on his bed to eat the rest of his food. To his surprise, he heard a faint sound from under his blanket and he carefully lifted the material to see the gray furball right in the middle of his bed. The man sighed in disbelief and the creature’s eyes blinked open to look at him, narrowing in a way that Steve knew he couldn’t get away with simply moving the cat. He sat next to it, finishing his food before curling his body to accommodate the unmoving rock that is Driscoll.

Chapter Text

“HEY!” Steve jumped awake, rubbing his eyes before making eye contact with his least favorite roommate. 

“I’ve been trying to wake you for like five minutes, why are you such a deep sleeper?” Jonathan must’ve been in a particularly pissy mood today with the glare slapped on his face.

Robin had told him before that he was a deep sleeper but so far, it hasn’t been an issue for him. Leave it to Jonathan to find a flaw in something that was perfectly fine in the first place. 

“Well sorry Mr. Perfect, what do you want?” The taller man stood and rolled his eyes, looking over at his alarm clock and realized he was awoken an hour before he even needed to get up.

“I added eggs to your grocery list, you didn’t grab eggs.” Jonathan furrowed his brows at the other man.

 “Sorry dude, I forgot my list last trip so I didn’t know that you needed eggs,” under his breath, “Maybe if you weren’t so lazy and did your own shopping, you wouldn’t be waking me up at five in the morning.” Luckily, the man didn’t hear it and he walked out of the room with the same mad look on his face.

Steve, having experience with Jonathan’s moods, decided it would be best if he just went to the store now so he didn’t forget it later. Considering he was awake earlier than he needed to be, the quick trip for just one thing shouldn’t set him back.

 He threw on a pair of distressed blue jeans and dug through the rest of his drawers for a shirt; it proved pretty difficult when he could only find more formal tops. After a couple minutes of searching, he found an extremely old black T-shirt with cuts in the back. Steve barely even remembered slicing the tee but holding it up, he recognized the shape of a spine and ribs cut through the fabric spanning the entire backside. The shirt hadn’t seen sunlight ever, being shoved in the bottom of his clothes forever ago when he cut it up in the first place because he was feeling rebellious but not rebellious enough to wear it. If he tried to walk out of his house with it on while living with his parents, it would probably be snatched right off his back and he’d never hear the end of it.

-

Hawkins had a couple of grocery stores, one in particular being a large market with a wide variety and more items to pick from. Steve normally just went to a large supermarket for all of his groceries but because he only needed one item, he stopped by a smaller and more local store. He didn’t remember ever going to this specific building but surely it was built the same with the eggs all the way in the back and as expensive as ever.

The brunette couldn’t help but feel a little insecure about his back being almost entirely out, cursing his younger self for making the slits so wide. He knew that there was barely anyone in the store, no one staring at him at all,  but the panic was still there in the bottom of his heart. 

The familiar blue egg carton made a squeaking noise when he picked it up and Steve cringed at it before pulling at the lid and inspecting the eggs within the package; with how expensive the little things were, he didn’t want to waste money on any broken eggs.

“Scared of egg worms?” A familiar voice teased from next to the man, causing him to snap his head to the side. It was Eddie, Eddie Munson, the Hellfire dungeon master, that Eddie. 

“No, actually I’m looking for egg spiders.” Steve composed himself as best as possible, trying not to look as surprised by the coincidence.

“Found many black widows in your omelets?” The metalhead stood leaning against the cooler to his side, his arms crossed in a casual manner. He wore a pair of dark sweatpants and a Metallica band shirt with the sleeves cut off. Eddie’s hair was once again pulled up into a bun at the back of his head and his jawline was as exposed as his pale arms, a wonderful display for a certain Steve Harrington.

“Oh hundreds, maybe even thousands.” He nodded and they both smiled at the dramatic joke. 

The brunette closed the carton lid, deeming the eggs adequate and turned his back on Eddie to find a register. Before he could find one, though, he heard a noise from surprise behind him and he spun back around. The curly-haired man had his eyebrows raised and suddenly Steve remembered the specific article of clothing that he picked out this morning. 

“Wicked shirt Stevie, didn’t know you were into that kind of thing.” He looked genuinely surprised for a moment but his features softened to be more casual within a couple of seconds. 

Steve smiled at him and said, “It’s not normally my style, thought I could break out this old thing from when I was an edgy teen.”

“That faze doesn’t really end for some people,” Eddie said, gesturing at his outfit and throwing an amused glance at the other man. They both laughed but it was clear that the metalhead was genuine when he said, “But seriously it does look good on ya.”

“Aw thank you, I’m flattered.” Steve overplayed his flustered reaction by fanning at his face with a smile that was all teeth. Deep down (more like quite surface level) the man did feel a voice of excitement soar through his heart and mind at the compliment.

“Anytime,” the man replied, his smile growing as he pulled away from the freezer he was leaning on. “Anyways, do you need anything else or is it just the eggs?” 

“It’s just these, you?”

“I was gonna pick up some snacks for the band ‘fore I saw a familiar face.”

“I could go find some with you?” Steve offered, feeling brave enough to join the man in the hunt for food.

“Sounds good, I could use the company.” The metalhead nodded once before beckoning to the man, which Steve followed immediately.

The duo ended up grabbing several bags of chips and sweets; Steve expressed his concerns about the amount of food being too much but Eddie insisted that his bandmates' stomachs were like black holes. They checked out at a register where the woman behind the counter couldn’t look more unamused, a scowl spread across her face and a moody tone asking about their receipts.

“Guess I’ll see you later?” The brunette reached for his keys and turned to find his car in the small parking lot.

“Yeah,” the men faced each other and Eddie smiled, “Drive safe with your spider-less eggs, princess.”

 Steve threw a half-assed wave in the other’s direction, who returned it and they parted ways. He had to hold back the urge to skip to his car in excitement after the interaction.

-

The science classroom was quite rowdy today for some reason. Once the kids started filing into the room, they were already chatting loudly about nothing and everything at once while the adult sitting across from them wanted to buy earplugs at that very moment. From what he could pick up, he heard about some sort of fight that had happened during the school day, nothing crazy enough to warrant their loud voices.

Once he had gotten home, Steve put the eggs away and slipped on his trusty sage green jacket that was big enough to slip past his hands, a decision he was incredibly happy he made. He didn’t mind the shirt he was wearing but he didn’t particularly like the idea of a bunch of kids getting an eyeful of his back, especially with how energetic they were today.

Max was the only student who acted as her normal self, muttering something about stupid hyper teenage boys. She was an interesting person, keeping a stony face constantly with bitter comments or jokes every once and a while. To Steve, she’s the most similar to Mike, even though they seem to have quite the rivalry, they both often have a moody demeanor except being around certain people like Will or Lucas.

The projects continued on slower today, something Will commented on and suggested that they do with more haste. They were making good progress, the volcano had a lot of structure to it already, but it wasn’t enough for one day if they wanted to get it done faster. The boy was clearly peeved about this, sighing and biting at his lip when he realized that no one was really listening to him.

“Hey, pea-brains!” Steve called out, silencing any conversations. “If you would take some advice from your fellow student here, maybe you’d be farther in this project. I know I said I wouldn’t interfere with your work but I’d suggest that you pay attention to what your friend here is saying before I have to call you out on it.” He slapped on his serious teacher's face for any kind of added effect and it seemed to work, pulling some apologies and nods out of the students and a soft smile from Will himself. The group took his words to heart as it seemed, immediately getting to work as they should be, giving Steve time to eat his well-deserved lunch.

-

His favorite part of Hellfire would have to be the couch he perched himself on every weekend. The brunette looked forward to seeing the warm fabric almost as much as seeing Eddie, which was an impressive feat at this point. It simply was the most comfortable piece of furniture that Steve had the pleasure of laying on and at the moment, it was an extremely welcome sight to see after a day of teenagers arguing. 

“Find any spiders in your french toast?” For the second time that day, the brunette turned to see a familiar man with dark, curly hair. 

“Ew, spiders?” One of the club members said, making a disgusted face at the man.

“Don’t worry about it kid,” Eddie replied, grinning before facing Steve again, “So?”

“Oh, I didn’t eat any of them so I don’t know.” He laughed at the older man’s betrayed expression like he broke a law by not trying one of them.

The conversation ended swiftly when Eddie had to start his duties as a Dungeon Master, pulling up his screen and an unnecessary amount of books. For once, Steve was actually very excited to hear about the story that was laid out for today due to the uninteresting ending to the previous session, sitting back for the show. He’s picked up on a lot of the story so far even with his numerous naps, especially with how their storyteller enjoyed dragging out small details. He was even tempted to write the story out on his phone to keep track of the campaign, his memory not always being the best at hanging onto some elements, but he decided he’d do that at a later time.

Before he knew it, the boys were complaining about Eddie’s annoying cliffhanger and packing up their materials, making Steve realize that he hadn't slept at all the entire time. Considering he got pretty good sleep last night and he was pretty engrossed in the quest, there wasn’t really a time when he felt the need to close his eyes. A content feeling settled in his gut and he realized that oh, this is nice.

“I can’t believe you didn’t save any snacks for us today!” Lucas whined from beside the man, over-exaggerating a pout. 

“Sorry man, I forgot that I had to feed gremlins again today.” He rolled his eyes as the kid, slung his bag over his shoulder and moved to leave the room. 

“Oh come on, I play basketball, I need as much food as I can get.” 

The excuse was weak at best but Steve decided he’d play along, “And how do I know you’re not a bench rider who isn’t in the action? You wouldn’t need any extra food if you don’t even play.” 

“Come to my game on Friday, I’ll prove it to you!” The boy sounded confident but his face gave away his nerves, clearly trying to bullshit himself into getting some dumb snacks.

“Alright, whatever you say kid.” The brunette raised an eyebrow at him and Lucas nodded, scrambling off to join his friends. 

It seems like his week is going to be quite busy.

Chapter Text

Will was the only one still waiting to be picked up for the night. Steve willingly stayed with the boy because of how dark it was outside and he wanted to make sure a kid of his age was safe, especially with the shitty surveillance system around the area. He was clearly uncomfortable being alone, even with how much he tried to hide it, so Steve was more than willing to sacrifice some extra sleep to see his relieved smile when the adult sat next to him instead of heading to his car.

Surprisingly, Eddie also plopped himself down on the concrete beside them, saying something about his bandmates canceling practice earlier. He wasn’t smoking his usual cigarette and Steve wondered if he pulled back around the kids, trying to be a sort of role model for them even though the little weirdos were probably already aware of the man’s habits. The brunette almost missed the white and orange paper between his ringed fingers. Even though he’d never been a smoker or enjoyed watching the act, it felt more natural to watch the metalhead smoke than attempt at small talk with a shy teenage boy.

“Seriously? No other bands?” 

“Well, I dunno, The Clash maybe?”

“Alright, The Clash isn’t bad.” Eddie nodded at the kid approvingly, finally getting somewhere with his musical interrogation.

“My brother got me into it, he’s cool.” 

“Brother? I didn’t know you had a brother, kid.”

“Yeah um, his name is Jonathan.”

Steve cocked his head at that, suddenly curious. 

“Man, I didn’t know there were more Buyers’ around.” 

Oh.

“Wait, Jonathan Buyers is your brother?” Steve asked, shocked to the core.

“Yes.” The boy looked at him curiously, clearly having no idea where the conversation was heading.

“I live with your brother.”

“Wait, what?”

They both looked at each other with similar incredulous expressions at the coincidence. Steve had never made the connection between the two because of how different they seemed to be and the fact that they were related was absolutely insane to him.

“Well if that’s the case, I’ve heard two very different opinions about this Jonathan character.” Eddie’s voice caused Steve to snap his head back around and stare at the man whose eyebrows were raised; he was amused. “Seems Stevie didn’t have the best first impression with this apparently cool guy,” he said casually.

“Are you guys like um, enemies?” Will asked curiously.

“No, trust me I don’t necessarily hate the guy we just have our differences y’know” He awkwardly smiled at the boy, hoping to not convey any distaste.

“He totally hates ‘em” Eddie poked unhelpfully. 

“Don’t worry it’s normal, he doesn’t like most people.” The teenager laughed quietly, easing Steve’s nerves. He understood why they didn’t get along so that hurdle was officially crossed without too much awkwardness.

A car pulled up beside the group and they all stood immediately, Eddie coming up a little slower without any rush. Will waved at them and Steve responded with a smile while the man next to him gave a mock salute and then the car was pulling away.

“His mom wasn’t dying to stay for long.” The metalhead starts reaching into his pockets for a familiar white box while attempting to break any ice in the air.

“I don’t blame ‘er, being a mother is hard.”

“And you know this how?”

“I work with kids every day, you learn things pretty quickly.”

Eddie chuckles at him and looks like he’s about to say something before shoving a smoke between his lips and flipping open his lighter. After the paper caught, he pulled it out of his mouth and blew outwards. “Every day? I thought it was only the weekends,” he responded eventually.

“I work at an elementary school on the weekdays.” Steve was a little embarrassed to admit the fact, suddenly very interested in the gray concrete at their feet.

“Oh sweetheart, that’s adorable.” There was a clear smile in the man’s voice as he continued, “I should’ve guessed with your snacks and soft colors.”

The brunette felt his cheeks flush embarrassingly and he hoped that it wasn’t a turn off for the other man. “Is that bad?”

“Oh of course not! Don’t worry princess, I don’t scare easily.” They made eye contact and Eddie took a long drag of his cigarette before turning his head away so as to not blow the smoke right into Steve’s face. The action was considerate but now instead of dying of lung cancer from the smoke, he could die from seeing such a stunning side profile.

“I don’t either.”

“Hm?” The man hummed, a curious smile on his lips.

“Scare easily, I don’t scare easily,” Steve specified, shifting around nervously.

“I’m not sure I believe that.”

“Why not?”

There was a mysterious glint in the metalhead’s eyes, almost like he was a predator trying to catch his prey, and it made something spin in Steve’s gut.

“I’m sure I could scare you off.”

“I don’t think you could.” 

“And if I asked you to kiss me right now?”

They both paused, a silence brewing for only a couple of seconds. The brunette thought about it, what he would say. He’d always thought of himself as brave but he felt so utterly weak for the man next to him.

“Then I might just take you up on that offer.”

“Yeah?”

Eddie held his cigarette in front of him, not bringing it back up to his lips anymore and seemingly forgetting about it entirely. Even with the smoke angled away from him, the same flaming intensity reflected in his expression.

“Yeah.”

They weren’t sure if either of them leaned in first or if they had been moving closer throughout the entire conversation but now they were just inches apart, feeling each other's breathing from how close they were. Their eyes still held that same contact but every once in a while one of them would glance down at the other’s lips, making it clear just what they both wanted. 

Suddenly, a car honked loudly a couple of streets away and Steve pulled back as far as he had leaned in. It wasn’t like he didn’t want the kiss to happen but the reality of the situation became apparent then, where they were and what could happen if they did give in to the tension.

“Sorry, I should uh, leave.” The brunette rushed to grip his bag and stand but a hand grabbed hold of his wrist gently.

“Look, I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.” He was genuine, Eddie was always genuine and Steve wanted to curse him for it because he couldn’t just leave him like this.

“I’m not, I’m really not. I kinda just have a bed that I should be sleeping in and I’m not sure I’ll-” he paused, pulling in a shuddering breath. “I’m not sure I’ll be able to stop if I start.”

The other man’s eyes softened and his frown was replaced with a smirk before saying, “I get it, see ya later Stevie.”

“Bye.” Steve smiled at him nervously and reached up to plant a kiss on the metalhead’s cheek before skittering off to his car without seeing how he’d reacted.

-

The situation between Parker and Liam had thankfully fizzled out entirely by now, some of the students still whispered about it every once and a while but it had become less of an elephant in the room. Parker seemed to be doing well and he expressed that he was ok with settling for his current food plan even if it felt less special. Liam is still difficult to be around but with some reassuring looks from Steve, the two kids have officially made up with little to no bad blood. 

“Um, sir?” A small voice called out from behind him, quiet but familiar.

“Oh hey Sophie, everything alright?” He was standing by the front doors to the elementary school, making sure every student got to their cars or buses safely.

“I have Parker’s drawing from when he got hit by Liam, can you give it to him tomorrow? I keep forgetting to bring it to him.” She presented the small piece of paper to Steve, the one she saved from the fight.

“Oh! Of course I will.” He grinned at her, grabbing the drawing and patting her on the head lightly. The girl smiled back at him before running off to find her parent’s car in the school pick-up area. Parker’s gonna be thrilled, he thought.

Thrilled was an understatement.

It was returned to Parker the next day and the second the young boy heard who saved the drawing, he was practically jumping out of his seat and Steve’s heart felt warmer than the sun. It was refreshing to see him so excited instead of gloomy like he normally was and he even kept the same bright smile for the entire day.

-

Wednesday snuck up on him completely, Steve had been so focused on the elementary kids that he forgot about the promise that he made to Robin. It only hit him once he got back home from work and he only had about two hours to get ready and drive both of them over to Old Oak to see some band. The second he finished unpacking his lunch for the day, he slipped into his room and dug through his clothes for something more party-like.

“You totally forgot didn’t you?” Robin’s voice spooked him and he spun around to see her at his door.

“I’ve got time, don’t worry we’ll make it.” He waved the girl off and she left with a playful roll of her eyes. 

Once he was sure he was ready, Steve stood in front of his full-length mirror to make sure he didn’t look like a hot mess. He was wearing a pair of loose, black silk pants (that felt amazing on his legs) and a dark blue button-up with stars on it that he tucked into his pants. He stood for a second before unbuttoning the top two buttons, revealing some of the hair on his chest. He’d worn practically the same outfit to clubs before in Chicago so it was easy to put together quickly and he even had some time to spare so he replaced the studs in his ears with crescent moon earrings and put on some gold rings. It’s been a long time since he’s gone out and he was committed to making an effort on how he looks for once.

Robin slid into the passenger seat beside him, dressed in high-waisted black jeans with a striped tie around one of the belt loops, a loose band T-shirt, and a bunch of stacked jewelry. If Steve didn’t know any better, he’d think she was trying to impress someone with how much she cleaned up.

“Well you look nice ,” he said.

“And you look nicer ,” she replied with a grin.

The bar was cleaner than Steve expected, a little loud but not as dingy as he thought. There were smiling bartenders, a swarm of people dancing to the music that was playing through large speakers, and many tables that were somewhat occupied. At the opposite  end of the room, there was an empty stage where it seemed that live music was played and a hallway that led to several rooms. 

Robin took a seat on one of the barstools in front of a bartender who took her order. Steve followed her lead and called out his own drink of choice, an Aperol spritz; normally he would order something stronger but because of how low his alcohol tolerance has become, he decided to stick to something lighter.

“If I could get everyone’s attention!”

The duo turned to see a man at the opposite end of the bar holding a microphone and waving his hand around at the crowd of people. Once most of them had focused their attention on the man he smiled wickedly and gestured to the stage beside him. “It’s time for everyone’s favorite part of the night, Corroded Coffin!” Cheers broke out and he leaped down from the speaker that he was standing on, disappearing out of sight quickly.

“Finally! I’m basically done with my drink al-” 

Robin was cut off by the piercing noise of an electric guitar followed by drums. A group of darkly-dressed individuals had made their way onto the stage, some with chains and others with skulls that sold the look of their band. One, in particular, had a dark red electric guitar strapped to him that he ignored to grab the microphone stand in front of him.

It was Eddie. Fucking Eddie.

Chapter Text

It was like a god stood in front of him – a god dressed in dark clothing with more silver accessories than a jewelry store – that Steve couldn’t take his eyes off of. He wore black jeans that hung low on his hips and chains hanging off of his belt loops, his shirt was mesh and ever so slightly see-through, showing off most of his upper half without a jacket obscuring it. The only way to describe the lights shining down on his face and body was truly ethereal.

“You should really close your mouth before a couple of flies get in there.” Robin’s voice abruptly brought him back to reality. “Y’know, I didn’t see you as the type to go after lead singers,” she said, laughing.

“I just recognized him.” He cleared his throat and tried to focus his attention back on the girl, but his eyes stayed locked onto the singer.

“Recognized him?”

“Yeah, he’s part of one of the clubs at Hawkins High.” It was Robin’s turn to drop her jaw, and she clearly tried to say something before the instruments intensified and her voice was entirely drowned out. Steve mouthed “later” at her, and she rolled her eyes before reaching for her drink again. 

Eddie probably didn’t even know that he was torturing a certain brunette in the crowd for the entire set. He strutted across the stage like he owned it, and he let out quips between songs that made the crowd laugh and Steve’s heart soar. There was something simply hypnotic about his voice, and those old childish stories of sirens luring sailors to their doom seemed to be making more and more sense. 

By the last song, Eddie had sweat sticking to his skin, but it didn’t stop him from throwing himself around like a madman. He swung his hair around before tipping his head back and staring into the crowd, right at Steve. The metalhead’s eyebrows shot up into his hairline, and his smile widened just a little more, recognition written all over his face. 

Robin elbowed her friend right in the side, causing him to gasp and reluctantly turn away from the display in front of him. She moved her head around sassily, and he shrugged in response, earning an even more annoyed expression from the girl that indicated she was getting less and less patient. Something else was more distracting, though, even if Steve wasn’t looking at him, he could feel the same dark eyes burning into the side of his face and warming his entire body. 

The song ended and the band walked off stage, some leaning into the dramatics as they waltzed around and caused the crowd to cheer and scream for longer than was necessary. Eddie, in particular, made direct eye contact with Steve and smiled smugly before leaving his sight. 

“WHAT was that about!?” Robin jabbed at the man’s stomach, much easier to hear without the drums and guitar drowning out any possible sound. 

“I honestly don’t really know, I’m as surprised as you are that I know him!” Steve replied, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. “I knew he was in a band because the kids I watch over know him, so y’know, connected in a way, but I certainly didn’t expect this!” 

“Alright, but what about the whole eye contact thing?”

“I don’t really know about that either.” He most certainly knew what it was about, but there was no way he could possibly put it into words without embarrassing himself and Robin asking more questions.

“Well then, go figure. it. out.” She shoved him away towards the stage, emphasizing her words dramatically.

How do you expect me to find the damn guy if I don’t know this place, he thought with rolled eyes but walked away nonetheless. He pushed past some people and made his way through the room, having no idea where he was going or what his goal even was by the end of his trip. Loud music had started playing through speakers, and sweaty bodies shoving themselves against Steve made him lose his focus very quickly and he could feel a headache already forming in his skull, making him want to abandon the task entirely. He drifted towards the wall framing the room and easily found a heavy door, seemingly leading to the outside, and he pushed on the handle without thinking twice. 

The outside of the bar was much quieter; crickets chirped and pigeons cooed in the distance. Music still emanated from the building, but Steve felt like he could breathe for the first time in the last hour, letting out a long exhale and kicking at a pebble on the concrete. He could hear laughing to the right of him, and after turning his head, he realized that his search did end up leading him to the right place because the members of Corroded Coffin were sitting in a circle around a van and smoking cigarettes.

“Then just simply fucking ignore him I dunno what you want from me.”

“Just because you’re a slut and ghost people left and right doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do, Gareth.”

“Damn, tell me how ya really feel.”

“You don’t wanna know how I really feel.”

Eddie sat with a leg pulled up to his chest, and he laughed at the conversation, joining in every once and a while between taking drags of his smoke. In this lighting, his hair was as dark as midnight, and Steve would do anything to run his hands through it, though it would be extremely creepy after he was literally staring at him from afar while he smoked with his friends. 

“You act like you didn’t beg to be my friend all through middle school!” 

“Says who? You’re just so full of yourself that you think I followed you around for years.”

“Because you did!”

“Ladies, ladies, we can settle this! Both of you go to the bar and order a bunch of drinks, then make out in a bathroom or something.”

“First of all, I’m not a lady! Second of all, I’d rather live in apple cider vinegar than kiss Gareth of all people.”

“Ouch, I thought you loved my lips.”

“I’d love to seal them shut.”

“Ah, kinky.”

Clearly, Steve was getting nowhere by just standing there watching the group, so he made his way over to the light where he’d be in Eddie’s line of sight, hopefully not catching too much attention from the rest of the band. 

A couple of seconds after he stepped into a brighter section, he made eye contact with Eddie, and the man tipped his head up ever so slightly and put out his cigarette on the asphalt below him. The brunette realized he didn’t really know how to get them somewhere more private, and he hoped to god that the man knew sign language, making the symbol for “my” and “car”. Steve turned away after seeing a chuckle and nod from the other man, assuming he would talk to his friends and head over. 

Thankfully, his car was cleaner than it normally was and he only had to throw out an empty drink cup away to be fully confident. He nervously tapped on his steering wheel, wishing on every star that he didn’t read the situation wrong at all.

A knock alerted him from his passenger window, gentle but loud enough to be heard. Inspecting the glass, he realized that it was the exact man he wanted to see and rolled down the window.

“Fancy seeing you here, Stevie.” Eddie leaned on the open window and winked at the man with the confidence of a lion.

“Wasn’t expecting to be graced with your presence either,” he responded with a similar cadence.

“Well, now that I’m here, can I come in?” 

“Be my guest.”

“Your guest? In that case, would you be the beauty to my beast?”

“That’s quite forward of you.” Steve leaned on his steering wheel, raising an eyebrow at the man at his window. “Plus, I didn’t see you as the Disney type.” 

“What can I say? Those Hellfire kids infected me forever ago.”

Steve rolled his eyes at him and unlocked his car, allowing him to then swing open the door and make his dramatic entrance for the second time tonight. The car light highlighted every little detail about Eddie and his clothes, reminding the brunette exactly why he felt like he was dying the entire set; now it was just for his own eyes. 

“What brings you to Old Oak on this fine night?”

“My roommate Robin heard about you guys, said she wanted to see if you guys were legit.”

“Well, what does she think?” 

“I’m not entirely sure; she was mostly focused on the fact that I knew you the entire time.”

Eddie raised his eyebrows, clearly fascinated by that specific comment. “And how did she find out about that?”

“She saw us make eye contact or something I dunno.”

“Alright, sweetheart, if you say so.” 

Silence stretched between them and Steve tried to get more comfortable in his seat, shifting around before simply pulling his legs into his lap. 

“What did you think of us?” The singer’s voice was quieter this time, less performative.

“I think you guys are pretty talented, it’s not totally my style, but I could tell you guys are skilled.” 

“Anyone in particular?” Eddie looked like a little kid, blatantly asking for a compliment.

“I mean, the lead singer was pretty impressive because he also played the guitar.”

The metalhead held his fist in the air in front of him and muttered “yes” without a care in the world about how stupid it made him look. To his credit, Steve did chuckle at the silly display for a solid minute.

“So are you like driving your roomie home or?”

“Yeah, she was pretty pushy about me talking to you, though, so she’ll probably give us space for some time.”

“Wow, she really notices everything.”

“You bet your ass she does, I can’t get anything past her.”

After some laughter, the conversation died down again and Steve looked over at the man to realize he was already looking back at him. There was a questioning look in his eye, and he rested an arm on the center console to lean forward slightly, effectively hypnotising Steve in the process. He couldn’t help but slip forward and plant his own arm on the center console to fully face Eddie in his glory.

“May I?” The singer glanced down at his lips with a raised eyebrow, waiting for any confirmation.

“Go ahead.” 

Their faces were inches apart, so close they could feel each other's breathing and their lips just barely brushing together. Butterflies erupted in Steve’s stomach, trying his absolute hardest to keep his eyes open and live in the moment. 

After what felt like an eternity, Eddie finally surged forward and captured the other’s lips in a slow kiss. There wasn’t any tongue or teeth involved, neither of them necessarily controlled it, but their lips moved in sync together with perfect rhythm. Steve finally let his eyes close and he could fully lean into the man.

Steve felt the other’s hand travel to his face to cup his jaw and he followed along, pushing a hand into his long hair like he’d wanted to for weeks, and the contact triggered something in  both of them, suddenly pushing harder into each other with the force of a truck. The brunette could feel a small poke of Eddie’s tongue and he welcomed it willingly, parting his lips slightly for the man.

Only a couple of minutes had passed, but it felt like hours, both of them slowly losing their breath but not leaving each other for long and only pulling back just a couple of inches before crashing back together as if they were magnets. 

Before Steve could make any attempt at furthering it anymore, he heard his ringtone suddenly go off in the small vehicle, and they broke apart. The man across from him groaned in disapproval, and the brunette gave him an apologetic look, reaching for his phone and seeing that it was Robin calling him.

“What’s up?”

“Hey, I’m gonna leave the bar, so make sure you have clothes on.”

“You think so little of me.”

“Can you blame me?”

Steve rolled his eyes and pulled the phone away to hang up.

“Do I need to leave?” Eddie sounded disappointed but still smug from their previous situation.

“Yeah, sorry, my roommate needs to go home.”

“I don’t blame ya, I’ll head out.” Eddie turned to open the car door before the other man pulled on his arm and planted a kiss on his cheek.

“I’ll see you next weekend?”

“I wouldn’t leave you hanging,” the singer replied with a wicked smile before actually leaving the car this time. 

Chapter Text

Spending his time at a high school basketball game was something Steve thought he’d given up ages ago, but the uncomfortable bleachers under his ass proves that maybe it never truly left him. He honestly thought Lucas was joking when he offered a spot in the stands next to his friends, but he was sorely mistaken, taking his seat between Max and Dustin on the right side of the Hawkins High gymnasium. The night would either end in Steve bringing more snacks to Hellfire or the little deal between him and Lucas would be buried, like how it should’ve been the night it was even brought into existence.

The teenagers were chatting about something nerdy when the basketball players jogged in as a team, and the crowd cheered at each of their entrances. A muscular blonde, presumably a senior, pushed his way through and snatched a mic from one of the teachers off to the side. He nodded enthusiastically to the cheerleaders standing in front of the bleachers, and the girls responded by shaking their orange and green pompoms just as passionately.

“Are you people ready for a real game?” He shouted into the mic, grinning with more teeth than a shark as the crowd shouted their responses of excitement.

“Annoying bastard,” Max muttered from next to him. Steve didn’t really have any idea who this guy was, but the redhead’s strong opinion did sway him for sure.

“My team and I have put in more work than ever before,” he took a long pause and wiped his mouth before bringing the mic back up to his lips, “Because basketball isn’t just basketball, it means more than that.” The blonde droned on and on, something that sounded like it was meant to be metaphorical, but truly got nowhere. 

The brunette leaned over to the girl beside him and said, “Is he always like this?”

“Yup, he doesn’t know shit about what he’s saying.”

They shared annoyed glances and by the time they looked back, the team was getting into their positions. Surprisingly, Lucas was actually in the starting lineup along with the blonde guy and three other unremarkable people. The other team made their way onto the opposite side of the court and made taunting gestures to their opponents, earning them a glare from the Hawkins head coach.

The game mostly went as Steve expected, the blonde was cocky but unmistakably good, and earned them most of their points with his team’s help. Lucas seemed to be used as a support, only tossed the ball when it was necessary and wasn’t put in the position to make any points.

“At least he’s not on the bench anymore.” Dustin sighed, grabbing the man’s attention.

“Huh?”

“Jason only got Lucas off the bench recently, took him long enough, honestly, but he won’t help ‘em other than that.”

I thought you didn’t know anything about basketball?” Steve raised an eyebrow at him questioningly.

“The guy rants about it constantly, ever since he’s got into the starting lineup, he hasn’t shut up about it.” He stared back at the court, his face slightly flushed in embarrassment, like he was caught with his hand in a cookie jar. “Plus, he invites us to every game, so, y’know, I see the game a lot.”

“Alright, kid, whatever you say.” 

Unsurprisingly, the Hawkins Tigers won the game by a long shot and deafening cheers of celebration rang throughout the gym. Lucas had a grin stretching across his entire face, and after some talking with his team, he made his way over to his friends. 

“Hey, you guys didn’t lose!” Mike tried to be cheerful, a smile on his face that looked painful.

“C’mon man, just ‘cause you don’t like basketball doesn’t mean you can’t be happy,” Lucas said, jabbing an elbow into the bitter boy’s side.

“You’re right, ya did great,” responded Dustin with a more gleeful expression.

The kids chatted and bickered for a while before making their way out of the gym, heading for the parking lot as Steve followed behind while occasionally giving his input.

“You guys have rides home?” Steve gestured to the group, hoping he wouldn’t have to do more driving than he needed to.

“Yeah, Eddie’s parked over there, he’s got most of us,” Lucas replied.

Oh my god.

At this point, either Eddie was everywhere or the brunette simply just kept running into him somehow. Just as Lucas said, the man’s van was in a parking spot pretty far away in all of its glory.

“My brother should be here soon,” Will said, Max nodding along and saying, “Yeah same, my brother’s on his way.”

“Guess I’ll wait over here with you two then.” The adult nodded at the duo waiting for a ride, and the remaining teenagers said their goodbyes before making their way over to Eddie’s car.

Part of Steve wanted to follow the group and talk to the metalhead, but he knew that he’d see him the next day anyway, and although Will and Max were probably the most trustworthy, they still needed supervision. Even though his brain did rationalize the situation, a loud voice in the back of his head reminded him of the kiss the two men shared and that they needed to talk, but he resisted.

Will’s mom ended up picking him up first, leaving the redhead to kick around a rock on the concrete. She didn’t seem to enjoy small talk, so Steve didn’t attempt any awkward conversation, so both just stood there quietly. In most situations, the man was more comfortable with listening to people speak anyway, so if the girl didn’t want to talk, he was more than fine with keeping his mouth shut.

A loud engine made itself known in the distance, coming closer before speeding into the school parking lot. It was a pristine, dark Camaro that looked like a diamond surrounded by pebbles in a high school parking lot. 

Max rolled her eyes and stepped forward as the car pulled up next to the curb, reaching for the passenger side door. Steve was a little surprised because the girl didn’t seem exceptionally flashy, but apparently her brother was the complete opposite with music blaring from large speakers.

“Hurry up, shithead, I don’t have all day.” The man’s voice was gruff, clearly annoyed and strangely familiar. 

The brunette took a step over and peered through the car conspicuously, expecting a new face, but instead saw Billy Hargrove, his old high school crush. His hair was just as long and he looked just as sharp, his eyes set in a constant glare. 

“Calm your tits, you’re lucky he,” the girl said, jabbing her thumb in the direction of Steve, “Was here or I probably would’ve started walking home.” 

Billy’s face contorted into one of surprise, realizing exactly who he was looking at. “Am I dreaming, or is that you, Harrington?”

Sighing, the man replied, “Yeah it’s me. Don’t cream your pants.”

“Wait, you guys know each other?”

“We went to high school together,” Steve supplied with a monotone voice.

“Seriously?” Max raised an eyebrow and Steve nodded, making a swift exit before he really had to think about the man in the car.

His own vehicle was a welcome environment, allowing the brunette to let out a long breath and close his eyes for a second. He knew that Billy wasn’t someone he really cared about anymore, but it was still a shock to see someone he was obsessed with for so long. He hadn’t changed at all; he was definitely still a self-absorbed asshole and Steve had never felt more reassured. Part of him used to be afraid that maybe Billy was a good person now, that he had lost his true love, but that was definitely not the case.

-

“You brought the good stuff today, right?” 

Steve glanced up from his laptop to see Lucas rubbing his hands together in a goofy manner. The Science club members had recently started filing into the classroom, and the boy was one of the last, going straight for the brunette’s desk.

“You realize how incriminating that wording is, right?” 

“I didn’t think you knew what the word incriminating meant,” Mike called from his workstation, obviously proud of his insult.

“Whatever, you know what I mean,” Lucas said with a more serious tone than needed for the peculiar situation.

The adult rolled his eyes and held up a small container that he had brought along with his usual messenger bag. “It was a dumb deal, but I’m a man of my word.” 

“It wasn’t dumb! Hand it over.”

Before the kid could snatch it away, Steve pulled the food back and threw it right into his desk drawer.

“You can have it at Hellfire, you're wasting enough time away from your project as we speak.” 

“Oh come on, you said you wouldn’t meddle in our work!”

It took the brunette a second to think of an adequate comeback, narrowing his eyes before saying, “It’s not meddling if you aren’t doing anything in the first place.”

Lucas huffed before slinking back to his own desk, earning a smug glance and “I told you so” from Max.

It would be a lie if Steve said that seeing the girl didn’t remind him of her brother, Billy. There was a time in his life when the blonde man was extremely important to him, a time that needed more closure than he expected. So far, he’d approached his years in high school with an apathetic mindset and pushed most of it far away and tried to pretend like it never happened in the first place because it felt so unlike what he wanted it to be. He didn’t want the time to be defined as pinching himself so as to not look at the other men in the locker room or picking on openly gay kids, but the reality was simply too much to just ignore. He so desperately wanted a do-over, to try and fix what he broke and not be influenced so heavily by his parents’ watchful eyes. There was no denying what happened, and it filled him with shame, but he knew that giving in to the guilt would bring him right back onto that bridge in Chicago. Billy was a symbol of the distress, of the panic, and he needed to take a metaphorical step away from the man if he wanted to feel any sort of relief. 

-

After his busy week, the brunette couldn’t be happier to see his favorite couch. He’s found himself missing the piece of furniture in his own house, whether it was the comfort of the cushions or Hellfire itself, it had weaseled its way into his life just like the Science kids and Fourth-graders.

“Can I have my food now?” An impatient Lucas stood right in Steve’s way, holding his hand out expectantly.

“Someone’s antsy, you barely made it through the door before asking.” 

“I held up my end of the bargain.” 

“Alright, fine.” He passed the container to Lucas, earning a satisfied hum from the kid before he walked to his seat with his head held high. These kids are annoyingly serious about food.

“Good evening, ladies!” Eddie’s booming voice announced to the room with his arms held out like he was performing for an audience.

“Dude, none of us are chicks,” someone responded.

“Could’ve fooled me,” the man replied with a cocky grin.

“C’mon man, just get to the game.”

Eddie dropped his hands and gave the table of boys an annoyed expression. “Maybe one day I’ll find someone to enjoy my presence,” he said before glancing over at Steve, less discreet than he probably intended it to be.

The campaign went as usual, dice rolling and yelling with more disappointment than a Harrington family dinner. It was a little more entertaining, though, because Eddie had a large advantage over the boys thanks to some lucky rolls and an unforgiving slew of monsters. The man would occasionally flash a proud grin over at Steve from where he sat, clearly paying less attention to the game than he should in favor of eye contact with the brunette.

Lucas did seem to enjoy his food throughout the game; it was put together similarly to Parker’s old lunches with less childish shapes, but thankfully his cooking was still a hit. Part of him did dread the idea of the other teenagers asking for their own food, but he supposed he’d have to go along with it like a mother of five who refuses to show any favoritism for her kids.

“Hey, Stevie.” 

He felt a soft poke in his side, pulling him back into reality. A familiar metalhead was looking down at him expectantly, a bag slung over his shoulder and the same smug expression that Steve was starting to get used to.

“Sorry, watching you guys pack up is a little snooze-worthy.”

“Snooze-worthy? You looked like you were in a different dimension,” Eddie responded with a laugh.

“Trust me, if I could travel to a different dimension, you would know.”

The duo made their way through the hallways and to the parking lot. Thankfully, the kids had been picked up in one big group, so the two men had space to talk and maybe do something more.

“No cigarette tonight?” Steve inspected the man quizzically, expecting him to be pulling out a familiar white box at this point.

“I didn’t know you loved watching me smoke s’much,” the man said with a smile.

“Just what I’m used to.” The brunette glanced away from him, suddenly feeling a swarm of butterflies fluttering in his stomach.

In high school, the man was a lot smoother with his words; he always knew just what to say and how to act to make someone swoon. It had always been easy for him but now, he felt more nervous than he’d ever been in his life, and he didn’t know if it was because he was talking to a guy or if it was because he was talking to Eddie.

“Y’know, the shotgunning offer is still on the table. It’s totally cool if you don’t want to, but I’m here if you do.” He leaned on his van, talking like it was the easiest thing in the world.

“I’ll be honest, the only thing holding me back is the whole getting high thing.” 

“You’d be in good hands, princess, I have quite the expertise on before and after care.” It was unclear if he was still talking about smoking, but nonetheless, he was quite persuasive. 

Steve knew that they should talk about the situation between them before he engaged in anything more intimate. He knew that getting high with the man and going against several of his morals was a bad idea, but how could he say no?

Chapter Text

Steve was trying to contain himself, sitting in Eddie’s van for the second time was possibly more thrilling than anything he’d ever done in his life, especially considering what they had planned for later. They discussed their plan in hushed whispers, like they were sharing devastating secrets instead of a shotgunning sleepover. The brunette decided he’d move his car to a more hidden area of the school parking lot, Eddie would drive him back to his place where he would sleep over, and after band practice the next day, would drive them both back over to the school for the clubs.

Eddie drove with one hand, the other lazily picking at one of the rips in his jeans. Maybe he’s nervous, Steve thought . The man always seemed confident, a wall covering the emotion behind his eyes, but it seemed slightly obvious right now.

“I should probably warn you, my apartment isn’t really fit for a princess at the moment.”

“Huh?”

The metalhead glanced his way before saying, “I normally clean the place sorta regularly, but I’ve been pretty distracted lately, being a DM and band member is tough for little ol’ me.” He sounded slightly awkward, but it was more cute than weird.

“I work with fourth-graders, man,” he replied with a laugh, “I've cleaned up more dried boogers than you would believe, I doubt I’ll mind.”

“That’s fair, kids are the messiest creatures on the planet.”

There was a pause, enough tension in the air to cut. They glanced at each other, waiting for the other to say anything like they were in a game of chess and neither of them knew which piece to move. Steve was used to being at a loss for words, but for once, the other was also clearly hesitant. Maybe he’s used to smooth-talking without any response.

“Ah, we’ve arrived.” Eddie’s voice slapped the other man out of his own mind, slipping out of the car before opening the passenger side door for him. “Now’s the time to turn back if you really want to.” He eyed the brunette up and down, inspecting him like he was preparing for Steve to scoff in his face and run off.

“Lead the way,” the younger responded with as much confidence as he could muster, to which Eddie smiled at.

The man’s house was messy but not uncomfortable, there were collections of DVDs stacked in corners, a couple of beer bottles strewn about, and posters covering almost every inch of wall space. Personality shone clearly on every surface and material, the complete opposite of familiar white walls and spotless floors that Steve was used to.

“It’s nice, homey,” he said with an honest smile.

“Well, I’m glad it hasn’t scared ya off yet.” 

“I told you, I don’t scare easily, remember?” Eddie raised an eyebrow at him but he held strong, not breaking eye contact.

“Well alright, I’ll go get the goods,” the other responded with a rejuvenated grin before walking down a nearby hallway. 

The metalhead didn’t take long to get back, a thin, metal box clutched in his hands that he plopped down on his coffee table. Steve felt a little awkward standing there, watching him retrieve some items from the container and slip a lighter out of his pocket. He paused and looked at the brunette expectantly, “Well, where do you wanna do this, pretty boy? I want you to be comfortable.”

Steve thought for a second, weighing his options. Going to his bedroom might be too intimate, so he offered, “Maybe just on the couch?” Thankfully, Eddie smiled at him warmly and took a seat right on the sofa before patting the space next to him.

Sitting side by side, the two men got comfortable while Eddie lit a pre-rolled joint and took an experimental inhale. He must’ve deemed the object suitable, turning over to Steve before saying, “Do ya need a general run-down or something before we start?”

“Get close, inhale, try not to die, sound close enough?” He said, earning a chuckle from the other man. “You aren’t too far off. Make sure you let me know if you need a break, yeah? I don’t want your first smoking experience to be a shit-show.” The metalhead was serious, not breaking eye contact until he was answered with a nod.

Eddie fully turned to face the other, pulling the joint back up to his lips before inhaling and motioning for Steve to come closer. Like a fish on a hook, the brunette leaned forward and his eyes widened when he felt a hand on his jaw, pulling his mouth open gently but with purpose. Eddie closed the small gap between them, their noses touching, and he finally released the smoke into the other’s parted lips. It was a small hit, making Steve’s eyes water, but not enough to trigger the coughing and sputtering that he expected he’d be doing.

After pulling back, there was a muttered “more” falling from the brunette's lips, cascading out before he could stop himself. The other chuckled again and took another hit of the joint, taking hold of the man’s jaw again to pull him in and slowly exhale the smoke in the small space between them.

It didn’t take long for Steve’s thoughts to start melting and drip into a puddle of goop, an incoherent mess swimming around in his head like waves crashing over each other at the beach. The hits all melded into one and every minute felt like seconds, a blurred mess of smoke and Eddie.

“Stevie? You still here with me?” The man gently held his face with both hands, the cold metal of his rings feeling refreshing against how warm his face had become.

“Mhm, ‘m here.”

“D’you need anything? Water? Food?” He stroked the brunette’s cheek gently, still close enough to press their foreheads together.

“Kiss me?” Steve couldn’t see the man very well with his eyelids weighing down, but he could practically feel the smile radiating off of him as he traced his fingertips over his lips.

“Only if you say the magic word.”

“Please?”

Then they were kissing, slow and clumsy. Eddie was clearly more sober, but he was still less controlled than usual, letting their teeth clack every once in a while as they practically shoved their tongues in each other's mouths. Steve pushed forward on his chest and he allowed it to happen, sliding down into a lying position while the brunette was basically on top of him.

It wasn’t long before they got tired and Steve redirected his head to lay against the man’s shoulder, closing his eyes and letting his limbs fall into the comfort that is Eddie Munson. A hand slipped into his hair, lazily scratching at the back of his skull in a comforting manner.

“D’you think you're gonna regret this?” Eddie whispered into his ear, causing goosebumps to rise all over the man’s skin.

“Hell no,” the younger responded, his voice muffled.

“You sure?”

Steve raised his head to make blurry eye contact with the metalhead before saying, “I’ve wanted this for weeks.”

The other raised his eyebrows, blush dusting his pale cheeks. “Yeah?”

“Mhm.”

“Well I want you, sweetheart.”

Steve slumped his head back down into his neck, sighing dramatically. “Y’don’t really even know me.”

“So? Tell me ‘bout yourself then.” 

“I like the colors yellow ‘nd blue,”  he responded, slurring ever so slightly.

Eddie let out a laugh, “Not really what I meant, but I like black.”

“Noo, really?” 

“Alright, smartass, what music d’you like?”

“Yours,” he said longingly.

“Seriously?”

“Mhm.”

They sat in the comfortable silence for a while, Eddie’s hand still in his hair and their legs intertwined on the other end of the couch. If Steve were higher, he’d probably be asleep by now.

“Y’know, before Old Oak I’d play at the Hideout on Tuesdays.” 

“The Hideout?” The brunette responded, angling his head to hear better.

“When the band was less popular.” He sighed in a reminiscent way, “I lived with my uncle at the time.”

“Woah, so you’re like super cool now?”

“Hell yeah, I am.”

Steve smiled into his neck, “I like learning ‘bout you.”

“What d’you wanna know?”

It was a bold assumption to think the brunette had any sort of thoughts swimming around in his brain so he took a second to think up anything. “How’d you meet your band?” 

“Good question, met ‘em in high school.

“Really? Remember me from then?”

The man stopped talking for a second, his hand in Steve’s hair being the only sign that he was still awake.

“Yeah, I remember.”

“I really sucked, huh? Y’know, I thought you’d hate me ‘cause of the way I acted.”

“You were a kid, naive.”

“I’m still realllly really sorry,” he said while practically pouting.

“I forgave you the second I heard ya volunteered for a damn science club.”

“You’re too kind.”

“Would you rather I be mean?” 

“Sometimes.”

They lay there, hushed whispers passed between the two of them as they got to know each other better. Eventually, Eddie convinced the brunette to sit up so they could order some food and drink water, leaning on each other even if they were more sober than before.

When the food did get there, they sat on the sofa and turned on the TV so they could listen to a cartoon in the background. After they expressed shared enjoyment for childhood shows, they got back to their mission of eating right next to each other, their knees touching the entire time.

“Where d’you want me to sleep, by the way?” Steve picked at his food as he waited for a response, keeping his eyes on his plate.

“Wherever you’re most comfy, I’ve got the couch and a pull-out bed if ya want.”

“What about your bed?” He wasn’t sure where the newfound confidence came from, but it probably had something to do with the numbness of his high.

“That’s presumptuous of you, Stevie.” 

“Ya called me a princess earlier, right? Doesn’t royalty need their throne?”

They weren’t looking at each other, but Steve could basically hear the smirk in the man’s tone when he said, “I suppose so, if that’s what y’want then my bed’s wide open.”

That’s how the brunette found himself standing in the middle of Eddie Munson’s bedroom, clutching some borrowed clothes. The metalhead stepped out to let him change, but he couldn’t help but get lost in the moment, picking up on every little object that covered the room and the overwhelming but comforting scent of cigarettes and a smoky cologne. He also couldn’t help but notice the pair of handcuffs hanging on his wall like a trophy.

“You decent yet?” Eddie’s low voice called from the other side of the door.

“Sorry, give me a sec.” The man quickly slipped out of his old clothes and pulled on the new material, a Metallica shirt that went past his thighs and black sweatpants; it practically swallowed his entire body but it was undeniably comfortable. “You can come in now,” he yelled.

Eddie pushed through the door in his own new outfit, a white T-shirt and black pajama pants with small skulls all over them. He reached out for Steve’s hand, holding it up to his face and kissing the back of it.

“For being mostly sober, you’re acting pretty out of your mind,” the brunette muttered while his face flushed a light shade of red.

“Sweetheart, I’m always out of my mind, that’s just part of the flair.” He gripped the other’s hand, leading him over to the bed pushed up against the back corner of his room.

“We should probably really talk about this ,” Steve said, motioning between them.

“Can’t that wait for the morning when all the weed is out of our heads?”

“Alright, fair enough.”

They smiled at each other and Eddie continued to drag the man over to his bed, sitting on top of it and patting the space next to him like earlier on the couch. Steve sighed and plopped down, following the other when he lay down on his back. They eventually both turned to face each other, a wistful look in their eyes and a smile on their lips.

“If we got married, would you legally adopt the Hellfire kids with me?”

“Goodnight, Eddie.”

“Night, Princess.”

Chapter Text

Waking up early was something Steve was used to, his internal clock forcing him awake in the earlier hours. Ever since he went to school, he’s set alarms to wake up much earlier than he needed to – mostly to avoid his parents – and his early-bird mindset had settled into his bones by now.

Eddie was clearly the opposite.

From where he laid currently, Steve could hear soft snores from the man, possibly deep into an action-packed dream. The brunette peeled open his eyes and saw Eddie in his full glory, dark, frizzy hair that stuck up in multiple directions, and an impossibly relaxed expression on his face. It was truly unfair how beautiful he was at all times.

As he glanced up, Steve realized that it was still dark out and he had plenty of time to think in peace; there was no way he could sift through his thoughts with Eddie awake because he tended to melt the brunette’s brain into mush.

The night had been sort of a blur but there were bits and pieces that stuck out, like their long conversation about favorite colors and past experiences, along with the kissing and blushing. He was almost shocked with how little he over-thought the entire night, shamelessly asking to sleep in the same bed like nothing else mattered in the world. 

Although, part of him felt a little guilty about the whole ordeal, how his father would scoff at him, or the way Tommy would look at him if he found out; he knew there was nothing to be ashamed of but a chunk of toxicity buzzed around in his head like a pissed bee. 

There was also a nagging feeling to understand his relationship with Eddie. They had kissed and flirted but what did Steve want? He certainly didn’t just want it to seem like they were just friends with benefits , the metalhead felt far too special for something so one-note. 

He’d always had difficulty understanding his feelings, he listened to what people told him he should like and when he needed to actually broaden his horizons and see something out of his comfort zone, there was always a gray area that he couldn’t decipher. Even before now, he only had to see children equally, like with Parker and Liam, but when he became attracted to a man that he never even paid attention to before, it was like there was an impossible wall in front of him. A relationship with him would be new, different, not because he was a man but because he was Eddie. What if he turned out like his Dad and flew off the handle at a moment's notice? A relationship with someone like Eddie wasn't exactly his forte and he didn’t know what he’d be like in something so new, and if his performance would be anything more than mediocre.

Before he knew it, the man opposite him was stirring and rubbing at his eyes with the grace of a six-year old. When his eyes landed on Steve, he smiled and said, “Y’know it isn’t nice to stare.”

“And to think I expected your one-liners to go away in the morning.”

“My personality spans all hours of the day, thank you very much,” the man replied with a huff.

“Guess that’s what I signed up for.”

“Till death do us part and all that shit.”

It was clearly meant to be a joke but it caused them both to pause, staring into each other’s eyes while the gravity of Eddie’s statement sunk in the air like an anchor thrown into water. The younger thought back to his one-sided discussion earlier, about his concerns but also his ability to feel confident in someone else’s presence for once.

Steve finally muttered, “I think I’d like that.” It left his mouth unceremoniously, shot out like there wasn’t much thought behind it.

“Yeah?” The metalhead’s eyes were wide and inspecting, dragging over the other’s face as he waited for a response.

“But I’m warning you now, I’m pretty emotionally constipated,” he said with more hesitance than before.

“We all have our flaws, for example I live pretty messily.” As always, Eddie was impossibly genuine and his tone left zero room for bullshit.

“I’m a pretty damn good cleaner, I’ll tell you that.”

Eddie smiled at him and said, “Perfect, I’m great at talking about emotions and you're great at cleaning, we can balance each other out.”

“How should I know you’re good at talking about emotions? ” Steve asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I’ve written countless character plots in DnD and I, myself, have experienced quite a few things in my time. Trust me, you’d be in good hands.”

“And if I did trust you, what then?”

The metalhead paused for a moment, reaching up to cup Steve’s cheek, light enough to allow the man to reject his touch. “Well then, Stevie, I’d ask you if you’d like to go on a date with me.”

“In that case, I think I trust you and I think that date sounds pretty damn good.”

-

Eddie’s dining table was small with two chairs on either side, allowing Steve to glance up at him pretty often while they ate. When the man offered to scramble some eggs for the both of them, he accepted gratefully and watched him move about the small kitchen. It was like he needed to double-check that he was even real, that the moment they shared wasn’t part of his wildest fantasies.

“-nd they’re gonna have to deal with it ‘cause Dustin would probably wring my neck if ya don’t show up to the Science club.”

“Huh?” Steve quickly zoned back into the conversation, realizing how distracted he was.

“Just talking about how band practice is gonna have to end early so I can drive you to yer club, but they’re gonna have to deal with it.” He simply shrugged like he wasn’t giving up part of his day for Steve’s sake. 

“ The Eddie Munson would end band practice early to drive little ol’ me to a high school?” He fanned at himself dramatically, which earned him a hearty chuckle.

“I said I’d drive you and as a real night in shining armor, I keep my word.” Eddie said while bowing as best as he could in his chair.

“That has to be the dorkiest thing I’ve ever heard.”

The metalhead feigned offense, “Surely not, you said yourself, you work with children daily!”

“And you’re still dorkier than them,” Steve replied with a smile as the other held both hands over his heart like he was hearing the worst news in his entire life. Maybe new things aren’t too bad, he thought with another glance to the curly-haired weirdo.

-

Being in Eddie’s space while he wasn’t there felt slightly illegal. He was only a couple minutes away at band practice but the fact that he wasn’t there to stop Steve from snooping was off-putting.

But that didn’t stop him from looking around.

It wasn’t exactly snooping but he did catch sight of an interesting baby picture or two, face-down like he hurriedly flipped them before Steve came. He also skimmed over some rock band paraphernalia and a couple comic books before he found a plain box plopped right next to his dresser. It was strangely basic for such a chaotic room and it piqued Steve’s interest. Sure, sue me I guess, he thought as he opened it carefully. Although he didn’t really know what to expect, leather being the first thing he saw wasn’t exactly on his list of possibilities, especially when there was something extremely rope-shaped sitting right next to it. Right, that’s enough looking around.

He spent the rest of his time watching movies and looking at his phone but it would be a lie if he said the box in Eddie’s room didn’t distract him for most of it. It was something he couldn’t shake, the idea that he seemed pretty experienced and how disappointed he might be that Steve was essentially a virgin in that world. He wasn’t sure if he was ready for that but how could he tell the man that he just agreed to be in a relationship with? The brunette was used to a very vanilla experience when it came to the bedroom, Eddie was new and very clearly not vanilla. In his experience, sex was important to show any form of interest and he began to second-guess his decision. 

-

The drive to school was slightly awkward, the metalhead clearly picked up on Steve’s discomfort and asked about it but stepped back when he was brushed off. He must not have hid it well at all because even the science club also noticed his change in attitude and seemed cautious around him, except for Mike.

“And how do you expect me to do that?” He asked Lucas with an incredulous expression.

“I dunno man, go ask Steve or something, he’s supposed to help us with this stuff, remember?”

The taller rolled his eyes and said, “Yeah right, the guy can barely get his eyes off of Eddie during the easiest campaign layout ever, how could he help me with this shit?”

Lucas clearly knew that the man heard their conversation because he widened his eyes at Mike but the little shit didn’t seem to get the memo so he went along with his business, still having no idea what he was doing and being too stubborn to ask Steve even if he knew the answer.

The brunette took that as his sign that it would probably be best if he skipped out on Hellfire tonight, learning the kids had caught on to his staring slapped him across the face with shame more than his own father ever could.

It was when the kids started leaving, though, that Dustin looked at him questioningly and asked, “You’re not coming with?”

The man grimaced internally at the disappointment in his voice and replied with, “Sorry kid, I have some work I have to get done at home.”

The curly-haired boy stepped out with a sad expression and Steve was wracked with guilt as he slid into the driver seat of his car earlier than he had in a while. He realized that getting so close with Eddie was a mistake, the brunette was nothing if not a quitter and he were to break up with the man, tension would start to build with the kids like two divorced parents fighting over custody. He wished he didn’t get so attached and  always ended up so avoidant, fleeing in the face of change like a pussy. 

-

He made dinner for Robin and she thankfully didn’t question his early arrival, offering him an understanding glance as they ate silently. It was an easy meal but he hadn’t eaten anything since the scrambled eggs that morning and at the reminder of Eddie cooking for him, his heart hurt just as much as his stomach.

When he went back to his room, he found Driscoll proudly stretched out on his bed and he plopped himself down next to her, causing her to notice him and slink over to his leg where she then laid her head. The man sighed and stroked the fur on her head, a repetitive and soothing act that calmed his nerves ever so slightly. 

“I wish my life was as simple as yours,” he muttered. The cat chirped at him in response and he chuckled before letting his head hit the wall with a soft thump.

Maybe I should’ve talked to Eddie. After a moment of consideration, he disagreed with his previous thought, reminding himself that he couldn’t fulfill the man’s needs as much as he truly wanted to. They hadn’t discussed a serious date, it wasn’t like Steve would have to break up with him – even then he’d probably drag it out anyways because he’s too anxious to actually say anything – so maybe he could just try to avoid the man for the time being.

Even though he definitely underestimated how difficult of a task that would be.