Chapter Text
Steve stabbed the tarp-covered boat as the others searched the boathouse. He really hoped no one was in here, Eddie would probably kill him if Steve was actually just hitting him with an oar over and over again. Christ, Dustin was making his way towards him while sending Robin some snarky response about his oar. Did this kid ever shut up?
“I know you think you’re being funny, Henderson, but considering the fact that everyone in this room has nearly died about a hundred times, personally, I don’t find it funny in the slight–”
Steve didn’t have time to react when he was pushed backward, something sharp digging into his throat the second his head collided with the wall. The man whose face was an inch away from his was breathtaking, literally. The breath had been knocked out of him when he hit the wall.
Eddie Munson was glowering at him, square jaw tensed and deep eyes narrowed. Steve faintly heard Dustin screeching while Robin and Max shouted to Eddie.
Steve began placating quietly, afraid to speak loudly with a knife pressed firmly against his throat, “Woah, woah, woah, Eddie! It’s me!”
Eddie looked at Dustin before turning back to him. Steve exhaled and focused back on Dustin when the immediate sense of danger left his body. Wait, was he being introduced?
“This is Steve. He’s not going to hurt you, right, Steve?”
“Right, yeah! I wouldn’t hurt you, Eddie!”
“Steve, why don’t you drop the oar?”
“I don’t know. I like being on equal footing, his gigantic size makes that a little difficult.” His sarcasm was kind of counteracted by how fast he was panting, and Eddie didn’t smile, but he did drop the knife as he slumped against Steve. He pointedly ignored the others as he brought his arms up around him, hugging Eddie. They were cheek to cheek and stayed that way until he heard Eddie’s breathing slow. “You good, Munson?”
He pulled back, gruffly clearing his throat. “What are you doing here?”
“Looking for you!”
“We’re here to help!”
“We’re on your side!”
Eddie’s eyes met Steve’s, silently asking for confirmation. He nodded and the other slid down the wall, crouching on the floor. Steve didn’t protest when he was pulled down with him.
He was massaging his neck when Eddie’s weapon caught his eye. “Seriously, Munson? A broken bottle? I’m not even good enough for a knife?”
He still didn’t get a smile, but a corner of Eddie’s lips twitched. “At least it didn’t go through your throat, Harrington.”
Dustin cautiously approached and began wheedling the truth out of Eddie. Steve’s eyes stayed glued to the man while he spun his gruesome tale, barely noticing Robin’s glances his way. Eddie didn’t look much worse for wear. Sure, he was a little grimey, a little sweaty, and his hair was in disarray. But what really wrenched at Steve’s heart was the way Eddie’s handsome features were still twisted with fear. The emptiness in his eyes reminded Steve of the nights after the Byers’ house, the hours spent awake with the burning monster’s screams seared into his mind.
Christ, he had promised himself that Eddie would never get involved with the Upside Down, never feel the way he had felt! The guy’s life had been hard enough as it was. Yeah, he had Wade, who was amazing! But with his parents kicking him out and his dad just being plain brutal before that, Steve had promised himself that he would be a safe place.
Now Eddie was involved and Steve couldn’t help but blame himself. Pain seemed to follow him everywhere and Eddie was just the most recent victim. Christ, he was sleeping in some random boathouse after seeing a girl brutally murdered!
“Steve! Earth to Steve!” Dustin waved a hand in front of his face, interrupting Steve while he formulated a plan. “We’re leaving!”
Max rolled her eyes. “Stop looking at Eddie like you want to eat him.”
“What! Now that you’ve said that I’m going to look weird.” He was sputtering indignantly, face probably going red. And he finally, finally, got the smallest of smiles out of Eddie.
“You always look weird. There’s a reason you haven’t been getting any babes,” Robin chimed in.
“Hey, that isn’t why I haven’t been getting any babes!” He darted a glance at Eddie, who was suddenly finding his shoes very interesting. “Anyways, Eddie should stay at my house.”
“Don’t be stupid!”
“That’s way too risky!”
“No! Think about it! No one would suspect him to be at my house and my mom is on a business trip for the next two weeks.”
“And your dad?” Steve felt the others collectively inhale at Max’s question.
“He’s been dead for three years.”
“Shit, I’m sorry–”
He waved her off. “It’s fine, you wouldn’t know. We should get going soon though, it’s getting late.”
They trooped out to his car and thankfully, Eddie followed along. It wasn’t a long drive back into town, but he was the only one awake by the time they were at the Hendersons’. Even Eddie was passed out in the passenger seat with his forehead pressed against the window. It was good that he was getting some rest, he needed it.
Dustin and Max clambered out first. Thank god, Steve wasn’t sure where she was staying. The little shithead stuck his head back through the door at the last second. “Keep the walkie on, Steve!”
“We know you haven’t gotten any babes in, like, three years, so you have no excuse!” Max had shouted over her shoulder, a slight grin on her face. It was good to see her smile, despite her pestering.
“Oh my god, just go inside!”
Robin woke up slightly. “Good night, children!” They had barely pulled away when she stuck her face beside Steve’s, just staring at him.
“Uh, hello?”
“You’re having your first boy crush!”
He glanced over at Eddie, praying that he was still asleep. “No, I’m not.”
“You were looking at Munson like you wanted to eat him,” Robin deadpanned.
“I was checking that he was okay!”
“For a solid five minutes.” He didn’t respond and she took that as agreement. “I knew it!”
“Okay, whether it is or isn’t, and it isn’t, my first boy crush was Tommy H. in sixth grade. I thought he had pretty hair. So, ha!” He turned triumphantly, only to see a wounded look on her face.
“And you didn’t tell me?”
“You can’t relate!” She raised a brow so he clarified. “I talk about girls with you, I’m not going to talk about boys with you. I do that with Nance.”
“You told Nancy before me!”
“First of all, I thought you knew! Second of all, I’ve known Nancy longer!”
Robin threw her arms up, narrowly missing his face. “How would I know?”
“I thought you could tell! I told you that I thought Han Solo was hot!”
“Mike thinks Han Solo is hot too!”
“Mike has been in love with Will his entire life! Whether he knows it or not doesn’t change anything!”
He stopped in front of her house as Robin shook her head slowly, disbelief still showing on her face. “G’Night, doofus.”
“Night, Rob, love you!”
“Fuck you, love you too!”
He sighed as he shifted back into drive and began on the road to his house. It took him a minute to notice that Eddie was awake and staring at him.
“Hey, how’re you feeling?”
“Tommy Hagan?” He groaned and Eddie took that as a sign to continue. “I’m pretty offended, Harrington. I mean, the most asshole-ish asshole to exist?”
“He was nicer in middle school! And I really did like his hair, it was longer. I just have a thing for brunettes with curls, I think.”
He could feel the other squinting at him. “Successful pandering, Stevie.”
Steve drove up his driveway and had barely shifted into park when Eddie was climbing into his lap. He surged against Steve, their lips meeting with the ferocity that the other man put into everything he did. His hands slipped into Eddie’s curls and he tugged gently, pulling a groan out of his boyfriend’s throat. Steve sighed into the kiss and Eddie took it as the invitation that it was, just not well enough. The first slip of tongue into his mouth was teasing and quickly drawn back, much to his dismay. He quickly retaliated, biting Eddie’s bottom lip. Steve was rewarded with the hot slide of their tongues. It set his nerves on fire, somehow still feeling like that first time.
Steve pulled back, fighting the urge to reconnect when Eddie moaned at the loss of contact. “Fuck, Harrington, why’d you stop?”
“Eds, don’t call me Harrington when your tongue was just in my mouth.”
“Fine, why’d you stop, Stevie?” Eddie’s sarcasm lacked its usual punch, less effective when he was flushed and hard in Steve’s lap.
“Are you sure that you’re actually up to this? I don’t want you to feel like you have to do anything just because we’re together and you’re staying with me.”
Eddie frowned and cupped Steve’s face, his voice going low and sweet. “Steve, in the two years that we’ve been dating I have never once felt pressured to do anything with you. I initiated this. I just want to forget everything for a little while, I want to forget everything with you, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Okay.” Eddie leaned back in and reconnected their lips for a split second when Steve pulled back again. “For fuck’s sake!”
“We should go in.” Steve frowned at him and remembered the pile of trash in the boathouse, it was mostly beer bottles. “And you should get some food.”
“Fine, then it’s straight to bed.” His eyes flashed and he slyly continued, “Or we could make it a two for one in the kitchen.”
It would be a long while before they made their way up to Steve’s bedroom.