Steddie with a side of Byler

Breakfast with Eddie and the Forest Hills strays

Steve: I have to remember this whole thing?

-Three Days later-

Steve: *Walks into Eddie's room*

Eddie: *Reading* You're late, Harrington

Steve: Uhh, a wizard is never late, nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to.

Eddie:....*Slowly closes magazine and sets it down*

Steve:....

Eddie:...*Gets up. Closes and locks door*

Steve:....did I say the wrong thing?

Eddie: *Pulls hair back* Absolutely not

Steve: Wh- AH!

-The Next Day-

and the first time they played it post will coming out was also the first time will picked truth because now there was nothing to hide

textless version

Expecting to see maybe Steve back there swimming or smoking or something…Not spray painting roses black.

When interrogated, Steve explains that Eddie had self-deprecatingly joked about how no one he’s been with has ever gotten him flowers…and Steve took that personally.

Some closeups further in the post 🩷

Eddie: Steve Harrington? At Scoops??

Jeff: Uh huh!

Eddie: Oh this I GOTTA see

The boys and Eddie devise a plan, for Eddie to go into scoops ahoy and somehow try to really embarrass Steve as a way of getting back at him on behalf of all the freaks, calling out all that Steve and his stupid posse stood for.

They spent hours while they were hanging out laughing and throwing around different ideas of what he could do to make Harrington make a fool of himself, maybe Eddie would leave a massive spill for him to have to clean up, or keep getting him to give Eddie a taste of flavour after flavour just to see how long it would take for him to break.

He was so ready. This was going to be so good! He couldn’t wait to rub it in Steve Harringtons face that - outside of high school? He was just another dude. Welcome to the real world, asshole.

The next day…

Gareth: So Ed’s how did the plan go? Was he as gloriously embarrassing as he sounded? Did he lose his shit at you for being a prick??

Eddie: Oh, well um… about that.

Gareth: ??

Jeff:

Gareth: What man?? What happened?

Eddie: …

Jeff: Eddie.

Eddie: Well I um- I did go! I really did, but I also just… left. Like right after.

Gareth: The fuck??

Freak: I thought we had a Plan??

Jeff: Did he do something to you?

Eddie: I know, I know. And No! No definitely- he didn’t do anything. I just couldn’t do it! Sorry guys…

Jeff:

Jeff: You thought he looked hot, didn’t you.

Eddie: I-???

Freak: Goddamnit Eddie.

Gareth: No, that makes sense.

where his mother didn’t comfort him when he cried or scraped his knee, where his dad told him to man up.

he carried that shitty mindset into adulthood, he was strong, he didn’t talk about that uncomfortable weight on his chest, he didn’t cry about the ache in his throat or the pounding in his skull. Steve was a man after all.

at first he doesn’t like Eddie, the guy talks about everything, every thought in his head, even the unpleasant ones. What kind of guy tells people about those things? Why did Steve feel a tug in his gut when he heard Eddie complain? Why did a part of him want to fix it all?

and why did he start crying on that late night in eddies van when he turned to him, stopping his constant talking for once, to ask if Steve was alright?

Steve: :( I guess I did :(