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Steve's waiting for him outside the bar, chewing at his lip the way he has since Vecna. Eddie shouts his name, catches his attention, and his expression brightens, relief and affection spilling from his smile.

He still makes Eddie buy the first round as punishment for being late, but it's the first round of many, and the night sprawls out around them, like so many since they came to college. They drink, they share baskets of appetizers, they shoot the shit, and because they're both popular with vastly different groups, there's always people coming by to say hi.

And when they're alone, it's Steve and Eddie doing what they do best... talking and laughing until the room falls away around them, until it's only them, until nothing else in the world could intrude.

Eddie gets up after a while, takes the empty pitchers to the bar, orders another. He's on his way back to the table when he sees the girl. Dark blonde hair, tight curls, elfin and cute, Nancy Wheeler 2.0. She's talking to Steve, flirting, and he's smiling and laughing.

Something hot and ugly rises in Eddie's stomach before he can stomp it down, but this is a truth he's always known, and anyway, he's near enough that he catches Steve's eye, who immediately stands to help with the beer.

He expects the girl to stay, but he and Steve get carried away horsing around filling their glasses, and after they mop up the spilled beer, she's gone.

Steve doesn't seem to mind; honestly, doesn't even seem to realize she left, but Eddie feels guilty. It's not like he doesn't know that Steve sleeps with girls, a lot of them; not even like he hasn't seen the magic happen live and up-close. And if Steve wants to get some--

"Earth to Eddie, you in there?" Steve's fist knocks on the side of his head, and he pushes it away with a laugh. "Where'd you go?"

The words fall out of his mouth before he's sure he wants to say them, tumbling into the space between them like hail, could cause irreparable damage. "You could hook up with her, if you wanted."

"What?" Steve's mouth curls into a confused pout.

"That girl. You--if you wanted to go with her--" His tongue is too big for his mouth suddenly.

"C'mon, you know I never hook up when we're hanging out."

"Yeah, yeah. I know. But you seemed into her, and I don't want to stand in the way, so if you--"

He shakes his head, smiles in this soft, sweet way. "I'm not looking tonight."

Eddie wants to protest, but he's said too much already, feels exposed, so he shrugs and grins, says, "your loss," and pours another beer.

---

He's feeling good, happy and buzzed, and he knows Steve is too by the way he grins and leans towards Eddie from across the table. Even more so when he says, "I'm dying for some pizza. Split one?"

And Eddie laughs and says yes, like he'd ever say anything else, before excusing himself to the restroom.

It's on his way back that he sees that girl again, at the bar, and pressed up close to her is none other than Steve Harrington. He's smiling, looking down at her, and Eddie's whole body shrivels up and turns to dust. Maybe he is drunk, after all, what with the fury spitting through him and the way the room is suddenly spinning.

He decides to slip out while Steve is distracted, no need for another awkward conversation. But Steve looks up, and their eyes meet, and Eddie watches as Steve leans in to say something to the girl, as he steps away from her to join him. Eddie, for once in his life, can't find anything to say, and he walks into the chill night air without a word.

"God, I'm starving," Steve says once they're free of the noise of the bar.

"You can hook up with her," Eddie says. He doesn't want to say it again, hates himself for the words spilling out. "I don't mind."

Steve laughs. "I told you I wasn't interested in that tonight."

"But she was your type."

"My type? I don't really have--what's gotten into you?"

"C'mon, Steve, even I could see how much she looked like Nancy."

"Nancy?" Steve stops in the middle of the street. "What does she have to do with anything?"

Eddie rolls his eyes. " Forget I said anything. It doesn't--whatever."

"I don't get--" Eddie starts walking away, but Steve reaches out, fast, loosely wraps fingers around his wrist. "Hey, don't--what's with you tonight, man? You're all--I don't even know."

And he is drunk, too drunk for this, for his crush, for his jealousy, for the way Steve's eyes are dark and serious, his forehead scrunched with concern.

"It's nothing, promise." He says. "Beer wasn't as watered down as normal, or something."

"Sure, yeah, but--" Steve chews at his lip. "I don't know why--was it cause she reminded you of Nancy?"

"Like she didn't remind you of Nancy?" He snorts.

"Not really." Steve shrugs. "But I wasn't paying attention to her."

"That's not what it looked like to me," trips out of his mouth before he can swallow it back.

"This is exactly what I mean," Steve says. He hasn't stopped chewing on his lip. "You've never cared about the girls around before--what gives?"

His mouth hangs open, useless, responses he won't give pinging at his nervous system. "I can't do this tonight," is what he settles on. He turns to go, but Steve, has quick hold of his elbow.

"I don't understand."

"It's--just a bad night. Nothing to worry about."

"I feel like we're fighting and I don't know what I did." Steve chews his lip some more, and Eddie hates it; hates that he's the one making Steve anxious like this.

Eddie laughs, humorless. "You didn't do anything, Steve. Of course not. It's all me. I'll go home and sleep it off and be right as rain in the morning."

"You'd tell me if--"

"Of course." He swallows. "I'm going to go, okay?"

"Are you sure? Maybe getting some food would help." His eyes are so big in the streetlight, glossy and hazel and sad, and Eddie can't stand it. Steve is so good and kind and worried, and Eddie can't--

"I'm in love with you."

Steve's face drops, goes neutral, drops again. "Eddie, I--"

"Stop," he says. Mercy of mercies, he sounds normal. "I don't need you to let me down easy, Steve. But I'm gonna leave, and hopefully forget all about this by the morning."

He walks away then, and Steve lets him, doesn't call him back, and that's what gets the hurt to finally set in.

He doesn't go home, walks around downtown, anonymous in the usual student bustle, heartbroken tears threatening to fall.

---

Eddie has no idea what time it is when he finally makes his way home but--

Steve Harrington waits on the front steps, knees curled to his chest, a pizza box next to him.

Tears choke his throat closed, and he can't speak for a few long seconds. "What are you doing here?"

"Was worried about you," Steve says. Under the porch light, his eyes look red.

"I'm fine, promise."

"Eddie, I--"

"Please don't." He squeezes his eyes shut, swallows hard. "We don't need to do this. Ever, but not tonight, okay? I can't--I can't handle it tonight."

Steve looks at his sneakers, then nods. "Will you sit here with me?"

It's Eddie's turn to nod. To take a seat with a healthy amount of room between them.

"Thought you might be hungry." Steve offers him the pizza. "Your favorite."

They eat in silence, comfortable enough, despite everything, then talk quietly of nothing, as the very oldest and closest of friends do.

At some point, they must fall asleep because he wakes up to dawn peaking over the horizon and Steve's head pillowed on his chest. His heart aches, and tears slip free, but he thinks, at least he has this. At least Steve loves him this way.

Next to Wayne, two cans of coke in hand and a love struck smile on his face, Eddie nods, his cheeks darkening as his smile ever so slightly fades. "Is that okay?" He asks, looking all the bit nervous as his eyes roam Wayne's face.

"More than okay Son."

Eddie's smile brightens once again and if Wayne notices the small amount of tears welling in his eyes, he says nothing about.

"You ever going to tell him?" Wayne continues, nodding in Steve's direction, the boy still oblivious to the conversation being whispered behind his back.

"I don't know if I can."

Wayne says nothing to Eddie's reply as he watches the boy return to the living room where he sits down next to his best friend. Steve smiling bright as the sun upon Eddie's return.

Months go by and Wayne gets to watch as Steve falls too. It's there and so obvious to anyone but Eddie.

His eyes linger and his smile never fades. Soon Wayne sees as he sits a little closer and his cheeks grow a little darker.

There's moments when Wayne catches what he can only describe as a love struck expression across Steve's face. Eddie's talking, because when is he not, and Steve's there, eyes wide and locked onto Eddie's ever changing expression.

He looks fond. Fond in a way Wayne's never seen anyone look at his nephew.

There's moments when he sees Steve hesitant. Moments when he and Eddie are so close and Steve's hand twitches like it wants to reach out. Moments when Steve looks like he wants to lean in but bites his lip and turns away with rosy cheeks.

It's nearly a year into their friendship when Steve's standing at Wayne's side and whispers, "I think I love him."

"Tell him," Wayne answers easily, leaving out the 'please' he so desperately wants to tack onto the end of that sentence.

Please, he thinks again as he watches Eddie turn to face them from across the yard, a smile so beautiful Wayne thinks it's the first time he's seen it on Eddie's face. The boy's elbow deep in his van as his cheeks grow a little pinker as he says with a smile, "Stevie come here for a sec."

Steve leaves, but not before whispering back to Wayne, "I think I will."

No more than a week later Wayne comes home to find the boys on the couch, Steve sleeping and curled into Eddie's side, snoring with his nose pressed to Eddie's neck.

Wayne offers his boy a smile as he stirs from the sound of the door closing. He looks tired, arms tightening around Steve's waist as he smiles back and burrows closer, kissing the top of Steve's head before drifting back off.

"He loves me," Eddie says one evening, weeks down the road, a rare occasion when Steve isn't over and Eddie's actually home.

Wayne smiles, his heart so warm and full as he says, "I know."

Steve's been over for a few weeks now. Part of Wayne's convinced he's moved in, what with the new additions to their fridge and bathroom vanity. The idea doesn't upset him in the least.

He's gotten to witness their love grow during that time anyway.

He's gotten to witness the way Steve kisses a grumpy Eddie good morning until he finally smiles.

Or the way Eddie lights up when Steve's arms wrap around his waist and he whispers an "I love you Eds," that Wayne isn't sure if he's supposed to hear.

Or the way they giggle and kiss and love one another in such a beautiful and uninhibited way.

Granted too, sometimes that means Wayne's hears a bit too much. Eddie would be mortified to know there's been far too many occasions in which Wayne's had to leave the trailer to escape the gasping breaths that occasionally pour out from under his bedroom door.

Though this time, Wayne's inside as the boys are on the roof smoking and he thanks the lord above that all he can hear are the faintest of whispers.

There's only parts of the conversation that he catches, but his heart swells when he hears Eddie's voice so clearly say, "I'm gonna marry you someday Steve Harrington."

Wayne cries the day Eddie shows him the ring.

And cries even harder when Steve shows him his.

Steve's hand is shaking where the single golden band lies on his ring finger, Eddie standing directly behind him, arm around his waist with a smile that matches Steve's in the way it resembles Sunshine.

They can't marry, not legally anyways. But that doesn't stop Jim Hopper from officiating a ceremony or Joyce Byers from walking Steve down the aisle.

The backyard to Hoppers cabin is filled with faces Wayne has grown familiar with over the years. Young and old, smiling and crying all the same.

Dustin and Robin both write speeches, both as rambling and as funny as they are beautifully heart wrenching.

There's not a dry eye in the house.

The boys move into an apartment where they build a life together.

Wayne visits often for meals or a cup of coffee in the mornings, still delighting in the way his Eddie seems so wonderfully overcome with love and affection.

He'd thought he'd shed enough tears for his lifetime at the wedding, but one evening, sat at the table with Robin Buckley and his boys, Wayne finds out he's gonna be a grandpa.

Elaine Birdie Munson is her name.