Where: The Hospital

elevcnhops·:

xx

Steps faltering, within approach the other obviously easily startled. So… this was ‘ Eddie ‘. Returning back to Hawkins to hear her friends regale her with stories of the one whom considers appearing at the scene of their crime so terrifying. El did have to accept his accusation of creeping. Years of living in mostly seclusion and the constant fear of being tortured by the government is good practice for slinking around. Poor guy, that twinge of guilt tickling her stomach. Increasingly aware of a clear trauma response from the other.

He was spoken so highly of by her friends, he helped them. Therefore El must be trust him - even if he was on edge ever since they first met. She did promise someone special that she would… and she wasn’t about to break that promise. Shuffling under his gaze. Unable to gauge him, or at least feel a sense for him. “ I was not creeping. “ scoffing to hide the embarrassment that she was in fact creeping. Turning the accusations around on him, “ And you are out here alone too. What are you doing? “

Before he could answer she realized his question, Hopper Junior? Unconsciously grimacing before looking away. Tapping her chest with her index finger, symbolism of her identification over the years. The better alternative than pulling up her sleeve to show ‘ 011 ‘. Though, she had noticed the tattoos inking his skin. Eddie’s were more extensive and El wondered if those hurt just as bad as her. Was he strapped down to the chair like she was? “ My friends call me El. And they say I should give you a chance. “ 

+++

he nodded, feelin a little caught. “fair. i was just ... i don’t know, man. looking for those things, i guess? i don’t even - i don’t even know what they were, i don’t think i wanna know, to be honest...”, eddie trailed off, one hand on his hip, the other dragging down his face. he made a mental note not to agree to hang out with nancy anymore, at least not before she told him what she had in mind, in detail.

and there he was, standing in front of the burnt out shell of beloved family owned diner ‘benny’s’, hoping and praying to god that whatever they’d stumbled upon had burned down with it. the image of the cracks in the shell burned into his mind, he squeezed his eyes shot for a moment, shook his head, as if to shake the thought out of him. 

and to think this wasn’t even the weirdest thing that happened to him in hawkins. fucking unbelievable. quirking a brow, eddie turned back to her. “el - oh, shit. you’re the el. like, the superpower girl.”, he blurted out, a wide smile tugging at his lips.”sorry, i’m, like, out of it today. ‘course i know you. i probably know, like, a little too much about you, actually - mike wouldn’t shut up about you, always going on and on about how cool you are and how he has a girlfriend. gotta say i thought he’d made it up for a hot minute.”

mmuscles·:

WHO: thad bradshaw & you!  WHERE: downtown hawkins

this hick town in the center of nowheresville, usa! gave a new definition to the meaning of shithole. thad felt the soles of his shoes get significantly filthier as he stepped through this indiana idea of a downtown. all for nancy, he supposed. the thought made him roll his eyes, but at the end of the day, he definitely couldn’t afford to start senior year without a babe on his arm. 

desperately convinced she was on the brink of breaking up with him because she hadn’t written, thad did the only rational thing and drove to her hometown to make sure they wouldn’t happen. he hadn’t announced his arrival to her yet, of course. if she was prepared to split it off, he’d have to woo her back into his arms, and that started with buying her flowers. thad was kicking himself for not stopping sooner, or calling the florist back home for an order, because no matter where he stopped in, he couldn’t find anything suitable. entirely irritable, he firmly grasped the shoulder of the nearest passerby, effectively stopping them in their tracks, “excuse me,” he cleared his throat, belated. “could you happen to point me in the direction of this town’s most bangin’ florist?”

+++

he didn’t usually do this. strolling through downtown hawkins, hands in his pockets, lazily nodding along to the music coming out of his walkman. it had been two years, but some of the local hicks still thought he was the epitome of evil, a drug-dealing sadistic satanic murderer who’d corrupt their precious youth. who had so viciously killed poor chrissy cunningham in his trailer. the memory made him clench his jaw, he quickly pressed his headphones tighter to his ears, trying to drown out the sounds of that night he recalled - his own desperate screaming, the squelching, the cracking. eddie blinked. dug his nails painfully into his palms until he could fully concentrate of ratt’s ‘round and round’ again.

it wasn’t what he usually did but it felt...nice, in an odd way, and considerably safe, seeing as how he hadn’t been attacked by any of the late jason carver’s angry goons yet. no, he was simply enjoying a lazy walk to melvald’s unbothered -

- well, not completely. “woah, what the hell, man.” a string of curses fell from his lips as he suddenly felt a hand of his shoulder, forcefully jerking him around. eddie pulled his headphones down, stared at the other with confusion, outrage, maybe a hint of disgust. the man in front of him looked eerily like an exact carbon copy of jason, he noted, had the same aura to him, too. “the fuck is your deal, man?”

his mouth dropped open slightly, an amused grin curling at his lip, oh, he really had to hol it in, trying his best not to bark out a laugh. “i’m sorry, what was that? did you - you just asked me about hawkin’s most ‘banging’ florist ?” eddie snorted, trying to hold back his laughter. “listen, i don’t know where you think you are but... this is hawkins, man. try melvald’s, i guess, they got like a bouqet or something sometimes. “

stevehharringtcns​:

.

steve let out a small laugh at what eddie said about his ego, shaking his head slowly at the other. “my ego is just the right size, thank you very much… but you could have just been honest that you wanted to see me instead of creeping around the store. i’ve noticed you’ve been coming here a lot lately, i didn’t know you were such a fan of movies.” he said with a smirk, as he looked at eddie for a couple of moments.

shaking his head slowly, steve sighed. “i know it’s called dungeons and dragons, but i really don’t know what it is about. i usually shut off when henderson talks about that shit, unless, you know, it’s important to save our lives and the town.” he said - unfortunately, that had happened way too many times for steve’s liking. he still thought it was weird that every once in a while, creatures would emerge from the ground and put everyone at risk. but after two years of quiet, steve had to admit that it was too quiet for his liking. he just had to admit that they could all finally have some peace. “you’re still playing that shit or what?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at the other.

seeing eddie’s reaction to his compliment made steve smirk slightly, nodding his head slowly as the other talked. “i think it looks good now, so don’t worry about that.” he said, his eyes now moving to see the other’s tattoos, especially the one that eddie made sure he showed once he pulled down his shirt collar. maybe steve looked for longer than he liked, but could anyone blame him? there was something about eddie and steve couldn’t just wrap his head around on what it was. did he find him attractive? he definitely did… but he wasn’t sure how eddie would feel about that if he knew, so he just smiled at him. “those look pretty sick, munson, i have to say i’m impressed.” he said with a small laugh escaping from his lips as he placed his hands on the counter, watching as the other leaned forward.

eddie’s reactions were making steve laugh like no other, but then he realized. had he just asked the other on a date? it couldn’t possibly be a date, they were just two friends hanging out. nothing special was going to happen, right? it was just two friends hanging out, he kept repeating in his head as he looked down at eddie. he was a bit at a loss for words. “uh… i think, we could just uh… watch a movie. that sounds like a plan.” he said with a small nod, before clearing his throat as he looked at eddie with a smile on his face. “just a movie it’s fine i think… and don’t worry, i don’t kiss on the first date. sorry to disappoint.” he said, regaining some of the confidence he usually had, as he looked at eddie. they were just friends. just friends.

+++

eddie bit his lip, felt his cheeks heat up. he quickly averted his gaze, shit. so he hadn’t been as inconspicuous as he thought he’d been. great fucking job, munson. he looked down, finger starting to play with his rings, twisting them around, moving them from one finger to another. fidgeting. “see, i’m not a big movie guy but i am a fan of looking at that pretty face of yours. withotu having to hear you talk.”, he teased with a chuckle, though he still felt a little nervous and that ‘witty reply’ of his had taken entirely too long.

he shifted his weight from one foot to another. as steve mentioned dungeons and dragons he, again, let himself fall against the counter, actually slid down, pretending to claw his way up as he got back upright. “dost thine insolence never stop?”, he said with a shake of his head, a deep sigh. “ and see, that’s exactly why i took the spot of the ‘designated a ltitle weirdly older best friend’ and replaced you, stevie. henderson worships you but the dissing dnd part? not cool, man.” eddie proudly rose his chin, give steve a stern nod, curls flying about as he did so. “’course i do, i’m doing a little hellfire reunion campaign this summer, too. it’s fun, harrington, wouldn’t kill ya to have some every once in a while, hm?”

‘i think it looks good now’. damn his body for releasing that swarm of butterflies in his stomach, eddie thought and swallowed. well, if somebody had told eddie like, five years ago that he’d one day be a squirming, blushing mess because steve harrington complimented his hair? he would’ve thought them clinically insane. and the butterflies were apparently dead set on staying, viciously swarming as he caught steve’s eye slingering on his exposed chest for just - a - tad - too - long. he felt dizzy, adjusted his collar again. he grinned, a stupid little lovey grin. “thanks, man. you know you should get some of your own. it would make you, like, ten times hotter.” still grinning, though wavering a little as his mind caught up with what he’d said. eddie’s eyes widened. “i mean, like you know. the chicks would dig it.”

great fucking save, munson. he had to fight the urge to squeeze his eyes shut in embarrassment. god, what was it that steve did to him that turned him into this mess of a person. he mirrored steve’s nod. “just a movie, then. very sensible. i’m in, harrington.” as if that wasn’t fucking clear enough. 

okay, but at this point, it was steve’s fault as much as eddie’s that eddie couldn’t seem to form a coherent thought. because the minute he’d said the word ‘kiss’ that’s all he could think about - kissing steve. his tonge darted out to wet his lips and he had to physically tear his eyes away from where they’d dropped to steve’s lips. god fucking dammit. he blinked. “aw, shucks, stevie. and i was hoping to get to second base with you during the especially scary parts. man. you’re such a tease.”

Hey

Favourite stranger things scenes??

hey!

just off the top of my head, i'd say the running up that hill scene (sadie sink my beloved!) in s4; then when they found will's fake body in s1 - heroes playing in the background, the joyce and jonathan scene, poetic cinema ; the sauna scene in s3 because dacre montgomery's acting is insane and, of course, how could i ever forget 'don't ya, big boy?'

honorable mention is the ted wheeler slander here:

stevehharringtcns​:

.

“don’t worry about it… she was old anyway.” steve shrugged it off, he didn’t really care for his family that much. not his real family either way, he liked to think that everyone he knew in hawkins and was close with were his actual family, rather than his blood. but that didn’t matter now, steve was too focused on eddie to think about that right now.

steve stared at eddie for a couple of moments as he talked, nodding his head slowly once the other mentioned that he was tough. “i know you are, but tough guys need some ice sometimes. it’s okay.” he said with a small smile, before shaking his head once he mentioned that he was a hero. “you know, i’m not really a hero if i get beat up every time i try to get into a fight. but thank you. it’s good to know that you think i’m hot, munson.” he said with a smirk, as he looked at eddie with a smile on his face. steve didn’t expect to spend this much time with eddie, especially not alone, but he liked it. the other was good company and it was easy to talk to him. sure, they wouldn’t have been friends in high school, but that was the thing. they weren’t exactly in high school anymore. steve was glad for that.

looking around his room once eddie started commenting on it, he couldn’t help but to blush slightly. he had never really gotten around to change his room to his style, his mom didn’t seem to like it, but why did she care? it wasn’t like she was around to see it anyway. the only thing that made that room steve’s room was the bat with nails under his bed, but he didn’t want to tell eddie that. he didn’t need to know he kept it there. “it’s not me, it’s my… mom. i just never really bothered to change it” he said with a small shrug of his shoulders as he looked at eddie again.

without even having time to process it, eddie was changing right in front of him. he didn’t know why he stopped breathing for some moments there, after all, he was used to seeing guys changing in the locker rooms when he was in the swimming team, but this… it was different. it was eddie. his eyes lingered on the other’s body, checking the tattoos for a few moments until he finally put on steve’s shirt. it was weird how he looked good on it, or maybe steve just liked the sight of eddie wearing his clothes. whatever it was, steve couldn’t help himself to turn red. “that’s a secret i’ll never tell.” he said with a chuckle.

steve stood by the door for a few moments as he looked at eddie, deciding if he should stay or not, but when he heard eddie say that the bed was big enough, steve nodded his head. “sure, i… i can stay with you. that’s fine.” he said, before closing the door behind him. he was about to spend the night with eddie munson on his bed and he wasn’t sure how to feel about that. it wasn’t the first time he had brought someone up to his room, but this was eddie.

steve didn’t waste any time as he climbed onto his own bed, sitting up on it as he looked over at eddie. “come on.” he said with a nod, as he cleared his throat and patted the spot next to him. what was he doing? what if eddie took it the wrong way? he wouldn’t, right? he was the one who had asked him to stay, and steve wanted to stay more than anything. “i’ll even let you choose the side you want to sleep on.” he smiled.

+++

‘it’s good to know that you think i’m hot, munson’. eddie’s lips parted, a nervous chuckle and amused scoff drawn from them.  as good as it felt that steve was so receptive to his teasing, it felt bittersweet all the same. because eddie had spent the better part of, what, two years now flirting with him. in vain, of course, for steve had never picked up on any of his advances. or if he had, he’d certainly given eddie the impression that they weren’t welcome or worth to be acknwoledged.

“but, you know, the fact that you get into fights in the first place - sure, you get your ass kicked but you’re doing it for a righteous cause. that screams hero to me, harrington.” not to mention that steve looked bonkers hot when he got a little roughed up.

he could feel steve’s eyes on him, his stare burning into his back and he squirmed under his gaze. eddie hoped the dim lighting of the room wuld hide the deep, deep blush that had risen to his cheeks. who could blame him, that felt like a perfectly reasonable reaction to having steve harrington watch you change. and before he could stop himself, before he even knew it the words had already fallen from his lips, causing his brain to short-circuit somewhat. “see  something you like, stevie?”

a sigh of relief drawn from his lungs, eddie relaxed slightly when steve agreed to stay and closed the door behind him. still, he wtached in...nervous excitement when as steve made his way to his bed,. sat down and invited him in. no, it was too much - it was more than he’d even dared to imagine in his wildest fantasies.

cautiously, he climbed into the bed, body brushing past steve’s as he settled. a small smile playing on his lips, edie wasted no time scotting under the covers. “i’m more of a wall side guy myself.”, he said, shifting around until he’d made himself comfortable.steve’s bed was so incredibly soft it took all he had for him not to fall asleep right then and there. eddie turned to the side to face steve.

“uh, listen, man, i...i get like, these, night terrors ? i guess?” chewing on his bottom lip nervously, he averted his gaze. “so, uh. don’t get freaked out when i, like, move around. and if i get too close or something feel free top, just, push me away. don’t worry,”, he said, gave him an amused scoff, “you don’t have to cuddle with the freak or anything.”

4.06 || 4.09

stevehharringtcns·:

.

steve chuckled at eddie’s explanation on why he had thrown him the vest in the first place. at first he thought he was sort of jealous of the things between him and nancy, but he would have never figured it out that he was jealous of nancy. it didn’t matter, the past was in the past. he let out a small chuckle at the other, shaking his head slowly. “i’m sorry if my injuries bothered you so much, next time i’ll just bleed out in the upside down and then you won’t have to look at me.” he said in a teasing tone, tilting his head to the side as he stared at eddie’s lips for a couple of moments. “what was it that you said again? for your modesty?” he teased the other, biting his lower lip for an instant.

bringing eddie closer made steve take a deep breath, feeling a shiver down his spine once he felt eddie’s hands on his arms. he wished the two had been alone on this trip, at least they would have some more privacy and the chances of someone walking in while they were… well, like this, were way few less than right now. but still, he wanted to take his chances as he held eddie close to him.

looking as eddie took the vest, steve smiled as he mockingly wiped the other’s shoulders as he put it on, smiling as he looked at him up and down. “you know what, you definitely look good in it. but maybe next time you can wear it without a shirt on. like i did.” he said with a smile, as he kept looking at the other with the vest on. he did look good in that vest and there was no denying that. “oh, don’t sniff it like that, you… dingus.” he said, stealing robin’s nickname yet again. he did that too often. “if you’re good, then i’ll give you one of my shirts.” he said with another wink. 

the two really needed to talk, but being this close to him, it made it almost impossible to just talk. that’s why he didn’t waste any time in kissing the other back and pulling him even closer, the closest possible to him, as he held on to the other’s vest. he kept kissing the other for a few moments until he finally pulled away and sighed.

“are you sure…?” he asked, taking a moment to lick his lips and then looking at eddie. “it’s better if we talk… about… you know.” he said. he had never been good with words, not even when he was together with nancy and everything seemed to be easy. he was at a loss for words. “i just don’t know what to say.” he said, as he leaned forward slightly to kiss eddie’s forehead.

+++

he winced, groaned, sqeeuezed his eyes shut for a moment. "for your modesty", eddie echoed with a nod, digging his fingers further into the material of steve's shirt. "and to think you didn't know i was flirting with you, pretty boy. come on, that was like, shameless." really, in eddie's head the words 'for your modesty' had sounded more like 'stop flirting with your ex and kiss me already'.

feeling his cheeks flush and become hot, eddie quickly averted his gaze, cursing steve for that damn lip bite and pulled the vest back on. it still fit snugly, of course, though it didn't feel.... right anymore, in a way. like it was his anymore, at least not full, truly. "you know, steve, if you want to see me without my clothes on you could always just ask. slim to none chance i'll say no.", he grinned teasingly, mirroring steve's lip bite for a moment.

though his teasing, cocky demeanor quickly faded as he caught steve's wink and for a second eddie nearly let his eyes roll back in his head. "yeah?" sounding a little more breathless now, his gaze dropped to the other's lips for a split second. "so if im like, super good, you'll let me have that little yellow sweater of yours?" not that yellow was his colour, or any colour he'd ever seriously consider wearing, but the sweater was something so uniquely steve's that eddie truly wouldn't mind.

he sighed into the kiss, arms wrapped around steves neck as he felt him draw him closer by his vest. hands tangled into steve's hair, not caring whether or not he messed it up or if they got caught. let them, he thought as one hand came down to softly cup steve's face.

he chased after his lips when he felt the other pull away, pouted at the sudden loss of contact. sighing, he dropped his head a little, leaning into steve further. "what.... d'you want to talk about?", eddie muttered, lids fluttering shut as steve pressed a soft kiss to his forehead.

it was too nice, almost. being with steve, it felt too comfortable, too familiar. too nice. and nice things didn't just happen to eddie munson. he softly swiped his thumb across his cheek, basically clawing at steve's shirt with his other hand.

"you don't have to say anything, steve. i feel like I know what you're gonna say, anyway...", he muttered, pressed his lips together, as if that would hide the way his face fell. voice lower now, weaker. eddie sighed. "... so can I, like,... kiss you again before you push me away and decide that you're bored with and, I don't know, disgusted by me? listen i get it, im the freak and all, and im a guy, too, it's... a lot. but... one last kiss? please? and then i promise I'll get out of your hair, never bother you again."

+++

eddie scoffed, amused. "yeah cause i chucked it at you, since you were like half-naked and bleeding.",he said with a playful roll of his eyes. "not that I was worried about the injuries or anything. nah, one more minute of you and your fucking chest hair, looking all sexy and hero-like after slaying that bat, may the lord have mercy, i would've jumped your bones, stevie." back then eddie had used the word 'metal' to describe steve's bat-slaying. come to think of it now, 'ridiculously hot' fit the situation better.

his grip on the bottom of steve's shirt loosened slightly before it instantly tightened when he felt the other wrap his arms around his waist. he quickly took the chance to get closer, even closer than steve was pulling him in, hands tentatively roaming up his biceps. jesus, eddie thought, steve's arms should come with a warning - caution : can cause resident gay metalheads to become extremely hot and bothered.

eddie pouted at the sudden loss of contact as steve pulled back and gave him his vest, the wink didn't go unnoticed, bringing a blush to eddie's cheeks. grinning, he rolled his eyes and, as if to prove a point, brought the vest to his face, inhaling over exaggeratedly, before he pulled it on. "aw, shucks, steve you caught me."

though he quickly dropped the teasing, leaned into steve's touch, palms flat on his chest, he tilted his head to the side, a fond yet uncertain look in his eyes. it all felt so awfully familiar and comfortable, he wondered again if this was all some cruel joke.

eddie gave a slight weak nod, steve was right, they needed to talk about what had happened. about what.... this was. they definitely needed to talk - at some point, though, not now. now, eddie grabbed a fistful of steve's shirt and pulled him close.

"yeah, let's talk.",he breathed, gaze darting down to his lips before he connected their lips, sighing into the kiss.

eddiemcnson​:

+++

he couldn’t help but bite his lip, grinning, hands clasped behind his back as he leaned against the wall next to steve, eyes raking over his frame. nope, definitely couldn’t deny that the vest looked good on him - had looked even better when he’d worn nothing under it but that was a thought for another time.

a spark ran through him as steve got closer, remembering the last time they’d hung out. when eddie had shown up on his doorstep, terrified, and it had ended up with them sharing a bed, making out, waking up cuddling. they hadn’t talked much since, the events of the day had pretty much prevented eddie from forming a single coherent thought aside from frantic, panicked over thinking.

he nodded, eyes darting down to the floor. “yeah. everytime i look at that like I think of -”, he stopped himself, gave steve a sheepish smile, shrugged. steve knew what he thought of, he’d been through it too, after all, and eddie really didn’t want to make any hurtful memories resurface.

aside from watergate, lovers lake also strongly reminded eddie of his time spent in hiding. the fear that had gripped him when he’d looked over his shoulder and seen jason carver, eddie thought he’d seen his life flash before his eyes. he shrugged again. “weird doesn’t even begin to cover it, man.”

steves hand on his arm made eddie shiver and he smiled again, leaned into the touch, his fingers idly toying with the hem of steve’s shirt. fidgeting - nervous habit. “yeah, yeah, we all know you’re crazy handsome and everything looks good on you, yada yada. you done now?” a teasing chuckle fell from his lips as he looked back up at steve. “doesn’t mean you get to keep it. besides, I’m starting to get cold, man.”

eddie’s mood sobered a little at steves question and he gave another shrug. “i don’t know if I’ve ever been, like, fully okay after… what happened. but being here…. it’s weird. and not a good kinda weird. bad weird.” a couple of beats passed before eddie broke the silence with a soft “I’m glad your here, steve.”

.

ever since eddie had spent the night at his house, in his bed, that things had been different between them. not a bad different, steve definitely liked that he was now intimate with eddie. he just wasn’t sure what other people would act like if they were to find out. not that he minded people finding out, but he wasn’t exactly sure how they would react to it. how would nancy take it? steve didn’t want to think about it in that exact moment. eddie was standing in front of him right now and that’s what mattered.

“we don’t need to talk about it… we both know what went on in that lake. oddly enough, i wore this vest not long after.” he chuckled slightly at the thought, remembering the time where eddie had tossed his vest in steve’s direction so he would have some clothes on. now that he thought back on it, it probably meant something, but steve hadn’t given that much attention to it.

just by touching eddie, steve could almost feel electricity. and it was only his arm. steve smiled as the other got closer to him. it didn’t take long until steve wrapped his arm around his wait and brought him closer, his face just a couple of inches from the other’s face. he wanted to kiss him. but if they were caught, what would people think? “i know, i know, i’m glad that you remember that… because it’s the truth.” he chuckled, pouting slightly when the other asked for the vest back. “alright, alright.” he said.

steve quickly pulled off the vest off and handed it back to eddie with a smile, winking at him. “now it smells like me, just admit that’s why you gave it to me.” he teased the other as he pulled him close by the waist again, now wrapping both of his arms around him. this felt awfully intimate and steve didn’t mind it one minute. he could stay like this forever, but part of him hoped that the cabin had locks, something that it seemed like it was missing.

“i’m glad you’re here too, eddie…” he said with a smile, blushing slightly as he looked over at eddie. “we should… uh… talk about what happened in my room the other day, yeah? i mean, i just need… to figure out what’s going on.” he said, not sure what else to say. he needed to talk with eddie about it or else he feared he would go crazy about this whole thing.

stevehharringtcns·:

.

steve couldn’t quite wrap his head around on whether eddie was flirting with him or not. he couldn’t be, right? after all, eddie had never mentioned anything about being… you know. or given him any sighs, so he didn’t want to risk it. what if he ended up insulting him in some sort? either way, steve shook his head as in a way to shake those thoughts away, letting out a small chuckle. “you know, you’re not actually the first person to tell me that! apparently the girls love looking at my face, but that’s it, they actually give up after the first date… i wonder why that is.” he said, as he thought to himself and thought back on the failure that was his love life. and even know, it didn’t seem like it was going to get better.

rolling his eyes slightly as eddie brought up the conversation about dungeons and dragons, steve sighed as he stared at the other. “you know what, you’re starting to sound exactly like henderson. maybe i should call him so you can… annoy him about that game instead of me. full offense.” he said with a small smirk forming on his lips, before shaking his head and leaning forward on the counter as he looked over at eddie. at the invitation to join the game, steve immediately shook his head. “first of all, i do have fun, i just don’t have fun playing games that make no sense and that take up most of the time. and second, no, i’m not going to join your little club. but you guys have fun, i’m sure it’ll be fun.” he said with a small chuckle, before running a hand through his hair - it wasn’t going to get any messier than that either way.

okay, now eddie was definitely acting weird. steve could have sworn that he was blushing, but then again, he was too. he wondered if eddie had noticed that and what he thought about it. maybe he hadn’t thought that much about it as steve was, but seeing him blush meant that he still had the old harrington touch in him, capable of making anyone swoon over him. he liked that, in a way. “tattoos? nah, i don’t think i’m the type of guy who can get tattoos and rock them. you definitely are though, really.” he said with a smirk, nodding his head slowly. this didn’t count like flirting right? at the comment about girls liking it, he shrugged his shoulders slightly. “i mean, i wouldn’t know, i don’t think girls… pay that much attention to me anymore. it’s really not the same as before.” he said, deciding to let that stay there, not sure if he should continue talking or not.

letting out a laugh at eddie’s comments, steve just shook his head. he really liked the other’s company, so much that he grabbed the keys from the video store from his back pocket and looked around for keith before calling out for him, tossing him the keys. “you’re closing today, an emergency came up.” he said, before turning around the counter and grabbing eddie by the shoulders and leading him out of the store. just touching him felt like electricity, but he wouldn’t say anything. “see, you should feel even more special now, i got off work sooner because of you.” he said as he almost started running still grabbing eddie by the shoulders as they got out of the store. he probably would get in trouble the next day with keith, but he didn’t care about that right now. “c’mon, get in the car, munson.” he said with a smile as he unlocked the car and got in quickly.

+++

see, eddie didn’t know whether to be incredibly frustrated that steve kept pushing his advances into a platonic light or if he should be grateful that he was talking to him in the first place. maybe it was for the best. not that steve would be the kind of person to bash his brains in if he found out about his ‘preferences’, but that didn’t mean that steve wouldn’t be weirded out or feel alienated by him. and with the whole summer left to spend in hawkins eddie couldn’t afford to lose another friend.

however much steve kept discarding his advances as platonic, he didn’t seem particularly uncomforable by them either. which gave eddie a sudden boost of confidence. “don’t let it get to you, player.”, he said and reached out to give steve a comforting pat on the back. “girls are stupid. they don’t know what they’re missing here.”

steve leaned forward and eddie blinked nervously. “ hold up - this was definitely not an invitation, harrington. you’d bring down the whole vibe and - well, quite frankly- “, it was his turn to lean a little closer now, he looked steve up and down skeptically “ you’d suck at dnd. full offense.”

without realising, eddie had mirrored steve’s movements, running his hand through his own hair, fingers getting tangled in the frizzy mess of curls. and he foolishly allowed his mind to wander, imagined what it would be like to run his hands through steve’s hair, always shiny and soft and big. god fucking dammit. their dynamic was off, he suddenly realised. in the past it had always been eddie who showered steve in compliments, watching his face light up as he accepted them graciously. now it was the other way roun, all twisted and upside down. and quite frankly, eddie was way out of his comfort zone here, reduced to a blushing squirming mess. he just wasn’t used to being on the receiving end of a compliment.

“well, i’d hope so. almost got a full sleeve going on, would be a shame if i only now figured out i wasn’t the type to rock tattoos.”, he said and, with something that resembled a bow, added: “compliment accepted, harrington.”

steve’s next comment made his eyebrows raise, he straightened up, his interest piqued. feeling bolder now, which was perhaps foolish for him but hey, if it turned sour he could always say it had been a joke all along. “well, as i said, girls are stupid if they don’t see you for what you are, stevie - a fine, fine piece of local man.”, eddie said with a chuckle, he bit his lip. “and well, i wouldn’t know either, ya know. girls have never payed me much attention but i guess that’s...reasonable.” he was toeing a very fine line here, eddie knew. looked up at steve with that deer caught in the headlights look.

and next thing he knew there was that laugh again - fuck, he could listen to that sounds for ages - and suddenly his shoulders felt all hot because steve was touching them, ushering him out of the store. it was over as soon as it had begun but eddie had leaned into the touch and when steve’s hands were gone there was still static and a fait buzzing where they’d been. eddie grinned, climbed into the passenger seat eagerly. “oh, you sure know how to make a gal feel special, stevie.”, he laughed, fingers drumming nervously on the dashboard, waiting for him to start the car and drive away. “if this is only the beginning then shit, i can’t fucking wait to see where this date’s going.”

colemontgomeryx·:

xx. 

Cole didn’t waver under Eddie’s gaze. If he was correct, Eddie’s behavior made sense. Cole felt it too, the fear of being found out by someone who wasn’t safe. It was the reason Cole and Adam snuck around for the three years they were together– to avoid the football jocks and the band geeks and the teachers berating them and calling them names. Only it never stopped there; it often got physical, violent. Of course Eddie was afraid.

It was like they were playing chicken, like they were standing in front of a train for as long as possible and pulling back at the last second– exhilarating, maybe, but not satisfying. Something about being in the mall, all his thoughts about Adam… it was the perfect concoction for a confession. “I like guys,” he said, meeting Eddie’s eyes again. “Adam was my boyfriend.”

And then: relief. Cole felt like he’d recovered part of himself, like he’d regained a phantom limb. He hadn’t been able to talk about his feelings this openly since, well, Adam. It was refreshing, rejuvenating even. “If you want, I’ll prove it,” he teased, giving Eddie a once-over. Maybe he shouldn’t have been so open about it, but what’s the worst that could happen?

+++

see, cole could’ve hit eddie flat in the face with a giant metal sign that said ‘i’m into guys’ and he still wouldn’t have taken the hint. just...the thought of someone else in hawkins that was like him. surely not - or well, they just wouldn’t come right out the gate and say it. no, being...different, whatever kind of different, and living in that godforsaken town - for some people that was comparable to a death sentence.

still, his eyes widened, blinking at cole with that ‘deer caught in the headlights’ look as he hastily in- and exhaled the smoke. not that that did anything in terms of calming him down. on the contrary, eddie just started to fidget more. “as in....you like them or...like, like like them....” he felt like a fucking middle-schooler. but he just continued. “your boyfriend. you mean like when ... wheeler and buckley or like, i dunno, girls call each other ‘girl-friends’ or like....like if...like, when wheeler called harrington her ‘boyfriend’ when they were still a thing?”

as confused as eddie was about the whole situation he apparently still had it in him to blush and get insanely flustered at cole’s....suggestion? if that’s what it was? lips parted, mouth dropped open slightly, he took another drag. his eyes never left cole’s, only once to go look around them, see if anyone was in earshot. negative. “h-how....”, his lips formed around words he didn’t say, a thousand scenarios flashes in his head. eddie blinked.”...how would - you, uh, prove....it?”