Chapter Text
Steve called Eddie one afternoon and asked if he wanted to smoke. Eddie agreed, obviously, how could he ever pass up smoking, and especially smoking with Steve Harrington. However, he also had to explain that he couldn’t smoke in his new trailer, Wayne wanted the new one to smell clean, and they both had been doing so well at only smoking outside up until that point. But Steve said that was fine and invited him out to skull rock instead. As if skull rock hadn’t been, and wasn’t still, a make out spot and reminder of the upside down. But Eddie agreed and they met up by the woods where they parked their cars.
Eddie immediately knew something was up, based on the pained look on Steve’s face, but if he’d learned anything about the guy it's that he shouldn’t pry. Steve was good at burying his emotions, the others didn’t even seem to notice sometimes, because Eddie had tried asking them what was up and they all said he looked fine, except Robin who told him she was worried but didn’t know. And on the few occasions he had directly asked Steve he got defensive. So he kept his mouth shut.
Silence with Steve was never awkward or annoying. They walked through the woods with small smiles, even if Steve’s was faked, and they sat on the ground under skull rock and smoked Eddie’s weed. Which maybe wasn’t the best thing, as Eddie probably shouldn’t encourage Steve to solve his problems through smoking, but it could be worse. It was peaceful, until Steve apologized out of nowhere. Which honestly, shouldn’t have shocked Eddie as much as it had. Something was clearly wrong, Eddie just had no idea it was something Steve felt the need to apologize to him for.
“For what?” Eddie asked.
“This.” He tensely leaned over and placed his head on Eddie’s shoulder. His heart skipped a beat but it returned to normal fast enough and Eddie wrapped his arm around Steve.
“It’s okay, I really don’t mind. I kinda thought you knew that already.” Eddie rubbed Steve’s shoulder and Steve started to relax, curling up more into Eddie’s side. Even though he was the one who started this, he still seemed like the one who was more uncomfortable. Nevertheless he wrapped his arms around Eddie’s waist. He knew that was going to do wonders for the crush he was developing on Steve, but Eddie shoved that to the back of his mind. Steve was clearly suffering, and that would only make things worse. But Steve tensed up like he could read Eddie’s mind and then shot back into his previous sitting position.
Eddie didn’t know if he should pull him back because Steve so clearly needed a hug, or if he should just walk off because he was the last person on earth who should have been hugging Steve. Eddie took his arm off of Steve’s shoulders, but left it hovering in the air. Steve wasn’t a mind reader, and he couldn’t possibly be aware of Eddie's crush, which would go away with time, they could be friends, and friends hug each other when they need it. Eddie put his arm back and pulled Steve into his side. Eddie only had to wonder briefly if he was overstepping boundaries since Steve curled back up into his side like he was comfortable there. Eddie smiled to himself, hoping that not only was Steve comfortable, but that this was starting to help him feel better too.
“Are we friends?” Steve asked. “Sorry! Sorry. That was a dumb question, and I don’t want the answer.” Shit. Was Eddie being an asshole? What had their last few conversations been like?
“You- Steve I- As long as you don’t secretly hate me then yeah, we’re friends. I’m sorry if I didn’t make it seem that way-”
“No, no, you’ve been pretty friendly I just- you have the right to hate me, so- I don’t know, sorry.” Eddie felt his heart drop at the fact that Steve truly thought he deserved to be hated. Eddie tightened his grip around Steve.
“I don’t hate you.” He stated. “In fact, I like you quite a bit. You’re good with kids, brave, and you care about others a lot, which also tends to be a bit self sacrificing, but we’ll get you into therapy for that someday-”
“Wow.”
“No, you need therapy, drop the sarcasm.”
“I do not.”
“You do too.”
“Not. But thanks. I’m really glad you don’t hate me.” Steve pressed his forehead into Eddie’s neck. Eddie bit his cheek.
“Yeah. I’m not so sure you’d be quite so glad if you knew me a bit better.”
“I doubt that. So how about you tell me whatever it is you’re so afraid of me knowing, I tell you it’s okay, and then we both get to relax in knowing we’re not hated?”
“Right.” Eddie scoffed. “Okay.” He took a deep breath. Why not tell him? He might as well ruin their friendship before he gets completely overly attached. It would hurt less not than it would in a couple years. “For starters, I’m gay.”
“And that’s okay, it even rhymes!” Steve happily replied. Eddie’s jaw dropped. Robin had told him that this would be okay, that Steve was accepting of her and he would be of him, but Eddie didn’t believe it. He couldn’t believe it. Yet there he was, cuddling with Steve as he came out to him, and Steve didn’t even move away.
“Um, really?”
“Yeah, of course it is.” Steve replied. “No I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that, that wasn’t fair, I completely understand why you’d think I’d be a jerk about it, I’m sorry. But it really is okay.”
“I- I guess I kinda knew you weren’t homophobic, Robin told me you were accepting of her, I just thought it’d be different, with me being a guy and all?” Eddie tried not to shrug, so he wouldn’t bother Steve enough for him to sit up or leave.
“What does you being a guy have to do with anything?” Steve asked. Eddie blinked. He wasn’t expecting a question like that.
“A lesbian isn’t like, a threat to your masculinity, or whatever?” He tried to answer. “But, a gay guy, you know, could have a crush on you,” He was gonna regret that, “Or spread the gayness disease.”
“The what? Being gay isn’t a disease.”
“Yeah, I know that, it’s just, most straight guys don’t.”
“Oh. Right, yeah, I’m sorry. But I do know.”
“Gathered as much.” Eddie shrugged. Steve’s head went up with his shoulder and bounced back down. Shit. He was totally going to hate him for that. So much for not being a homophone, Eddie still found a way to ruin their friendship. “Shit sorry.”
“For what?” Steve asked, sounding completely unbothered.
“For- I just- for shrugging?”
“You’re allowed to shrug, Eddie.”
“Okay.” Eddie nodded.
“And uh… you said for starters? Something else you want to tell me?”
“No.” Eddie laughed. “But, I’m going to anyway because I might as well ruin this now rather than in like, two years. You know, stop growing more and more attached?”
“You aren’t going to ruin this.”
“Yes I am.”
“Eddie, seriously,” Steve pulled out of the hug to look at Eddie’s face, “You’re not.”
“Yeah okay.” Eddie nodded.
“I mean it.”
“I know you do, you just have no idea what I’m about to tell you.” Eddie laughed. “Uh, so, you know how I just said I could have a crush on you?” Hopefully Steve would just reject him and move on, possibly not talk to him ever again, and not go spreading it all over Hawkins or punch him. Steve wasn’t homophobic, so logically, he shouldn’t want to go out Eddie to the whole town, right?
“Yeah you don’t have to tell me you don’t, I know.” Steve chuckled.
“Yeah, actually, I do.” Eddue replied, staring down at Steve’s hands. He could still punch him. That was a possibility.
“What?”
“I have a crush on you, and I mean, honestly, does that really shock you? Basically the whole town had a crush on you.”
“The entire town does not have a crush on me.” Steve laughed. An actual laugh. He wasn’t angry. Eddie glanced up at his face, Steve was smiling at him. “And yeah, it does shock me.”
“You're not… mad?”
“Mad? Why would I be mad?” Steve asked, eyebrows knit together in concern. He really wasn’t. He just didn’t mind at all.
“I have a crush on you.” Eddie repeated, because he had to have just heard him wrong or something.
“I know.” Steve shrugged. Holy shit.
“I kinda wanna kiss you, right now.” Eddie added. Which was true, but he really was just saying it so Steve could get a sense this was real, he wasn’t joking. Steve’s eyes widened but he didn’t look angry, at all. Maybe he really didn’t care if Eddie found him attractive or not. Damn.
“Oh?”
“Yeah.”
“You sure?” Steve asked. That was where the anger was going to start. Shit. He got his hopes up too much.
“Definitely.” Eddie scoffed. Eddie prepared himself to punch in the face, or yelled at, but instead Steve leaned in and kissed him. Holy shit. It was just a little peck but he still kissed him. “Jesus Christ.” Eddie muttered. “What the hell Steve?” He forced a laugh out.
“I asked if you were sure.” Steve replied, bending his fingers in his lap. He was nervous?
“I- I was. I just didn’t expect you to- You kissed me, Steve, that’s not very straight of you.”
“Yeah. I know.”
“Are you… not straight?” Eddie asked, hesitantly.
“I have no idea.” Steve groaned, leaning back on the rock behind him. “I do like girls, I know I like girls, but…” He glanced back at Eddie, “I think I like you, and uh, you’re clearly not a girl.”
“Yeah.” Eddie laughed. “I’m not.”
“Is that… allowed?”
“There is no ‘allowed’ if that’s how you feel then that’s how it is. Congratulations Steve, you like both.”
“Oh.” Steve nodded. “So…” He smirked, “Do you want to be my boyfriend?”
“No fucking shit.” Eddie scoffed and they both burst into laughter.