S.O.W.I.S.A. Babyluv

oH you thought we were done with the wedding???

Their dates either (1) end abruptly, (2) end badly, (3) end in a conversation about threesomes (what?), or (4) ends because their date is way too into the idea of cheating.

Hindsight is 20/20.

These two have not made it to four because they don't seem to realize that they're doing this to themselves.

Honestly, it's Nancy's favorite topic of conversation when they do their monthly meet up. She could listen to these two bitch about their abysmal dating lives all day.

Eddie is gathering up any supplies he can find, watching him out of the corner of his eyes, "We doing okay, buddy?"

Steve breaks his staring contest with the middle distance, "Hey."

"Hey," Eddie echoes back.

"I know you like. You look up to me an' ev'thing," Steve slurs. "But don't. You're like - you're great."

Eddie just.

Eddie...

"What?"

"You're great," Steve repeats, insists, almost turns towards him but his ribs are broken. "You're great jusssssss' like you. Jus' the way you are."

"Um..." Eddie says. "Thanks? You wanna get cleaned up now?"

"Yes."

So.

Eddie walks over. He uses what supplies they have to clean, disinfect, and bandage this fallen...sailor. He's about done when Steve breaks his suddenly gains awareness and pulls back. He looks at Eddie and frowns, "Wait."

"What?"

"You're not Dustin," Steve says. "You're Eddie Munson. I waz talking to Dus'in. Where-"

"Just me, Harrington. It's just been me."

"Oh."

"Dus'in shouldn't change," Steve reiterated. "You should change."

"Okay?"

"You're loud."

"Okay."

"And y'should use conditioner."

Eddie is ready to run but Hopper grabs him by the shoulder and...gives him money? He says, "You're not slick, kid. I know what you're doing out here. I'm buying."

"Buying what?"

Hopper raises an eyebrow and Eddie makes the smartest decision of his life to not reveal what else is in his lunchbox. He opens it a sliver and hands Hopper a baggie of weed.

Hopper hands him cash instead of arresting him and then just...leaves. Weird.

Eddie continues his day in the twilight zone because he later sees Hopper. With the weed. Handing it to Steve Harrington.

Steve is just, "...sure."

Eddie wiggled his arm until his pet crawls out of his shirt and Steve is just like, "Oh. Thank god. I thought you were gonna get your cock out. Let me hold your hamster."

Robin 'just trying to get a drink from the water fountain' Buckley: ???????

Eddie: *conjures a ferret out of thin air*

Robin: Oh, thank god. I thought he was talking about your penis.

Eddie:

He's been sleeping on the Henderson's couch because Claudia refused to let a concussed kid go home to an empty house. And he's sick.

It's kinda a problem.

He's sneezing a lot (broken nose) and coughing all the time (broken ribs). His eyes are watery (bruised) and he wheezes when he breathes (annoying).

It wouldn't be a big deal - Steve looks like he has a weak immune system - but they were in the tunnels. In the Upside Down. And now Steve is sick with who knows what.

Dustin can't tell his mom about his worries because she'll take Steve to the hospital and the hospital will call the CDC, and then Steve will be disappeared by the government forever.

So he goes where all sick people go when they can't go to the hospital.

He goes to the vet.

Veterinarian Carmen isn't picking up when Dustin is putting down and keeps asking about Mews so...

Dustin goes where sick people go when they can't go to the hospital or a vet's office and - "Uh, no. I don't sell to six year olds."

"I’m thirteen."

"Still no."

Eddie Munson is a drug dealer, according to what Max heard from her asshole step-brother, and a drug dealer is just an...unconventional pharmacist. Dustin needs medication for an unconventional problem so.

"If you don't come with me, I'll tell Chief Hopper that you tried to give me drugs. I’m friends with him so, you better listen."

That works!

(The threat does nothing. Eddie is just curious about whatever this is and has poor judgment)

Dustin makes Eddie drive him home - They talk about D&D. Eddie is actually a kinda cool guy - and then he brings him inside to the living room where - "Holy hell, is that Steve Harrington?"

"Yes," Dustin answers. "Cure - Hey, Steve. Buddy, you're at my house. Do you remember this time? I'm your best friend, Dustin. Remember?"

Steve blinks. He sees Eddie, "What the hell?"

"I got a - guy," Dustin says. "He's going to cure your infection."

"My what?"

"Your - oh my god, he's been like this since he got knocked out," Dustin informs Eddie. Steve frowns. "You can take over."

"Hm," Eddie says, looking around at the framed photos in the room. "Yeah, I can cure this."

Steve sputters questions but he's ignored as Eddie opens his lunchbox and pulls out a bottle of pills. He holds them up with a shake and grins.

Dustin doesn't, "Benadryl?"

"Yeah," Eddie grins even wider as he points to a photo of Mews. "Your buddy is allergic to cats. I assume you got one around here."

"N'anymore," Steve mutters. "D'art ate 'em."

"Wh-"

"Keith's unreasonable demands," Robin answers, writing restock candy shelf on a legal pad. "So I don't forget them."

"He told us to do three things before end of shift," Steve points out. "How are you going to forget three things?"

She's not.

It's for Steve.

Robin noticed - and was annoyed by - Steve's forgetfulness at Scoops Ahoy but it's gotten worse since the bunker and the Russians.

He's forgetting conversations mid-sentence. He's abandoning tasks halfway through. She knows him well enough to know that he will only get defensive if she points this out, and she knows that he wouldn't accept her help if offered so.

She's not offering any help.

She's making a list.

She is just writing down their responsibilities for the day because, "I get to mark them off the list after we do them."

Silence.

She looks up to see Steve looking down at the legal pad. He presses his lips together before saying, "I love marking off a to-do list."

"Do you want..."

"Let me mark the stuff off," He says. "Your lines are never straight anyways."

Robin never acts on a crush and it drives Steve crazy because like. Yeah. Sometimes it's a straight girl so it's a crush that'll go nowhere and maybe don't tell them but sometimes she's crushing on a(n obviously) queer woman and -

"You don't know that," Robin insists. "You're just assuming and what if you're wrong? I go talk to her and implode my life?"

"I'm not wrong though," Steve shrugs. "Go ask her out."

"You can't know for sure."

So, Steve figured it out. For sure.

By coming out and seeing how these (could not be any more) queer women take handle it and you know what?

They're always supportive.

They're always queer.

part twenty-seven previous / next

Jonathan is the son of a working single mother and often stepped in to help take care of his little brother. Between Lonnie's abuse and being parentified at a young age, he never really got to be a child. So when one of the kids asks him for help with something, he will do it for them.

Steve is the only son of absentee parents and was expected to take care of himself from a young age. He was left to figure everything out on his own or deal with the consequences if he couldn't. So when one of the kids asks him for help, he teaches them how to do it themselves.

Will, who sometimes feels smothered and babied by his family, likes asking Steve for help. Dustin, who has no interest learning skills he thinks are unimportant, loves asking Jonathan.

@precioussteveharrington love your tags and completely agree. I always HC Steve as dyslexic so I think when he does read, it's with intention. There's something he needs to know and he knows books have answers because he's watched his dad read case law to win court cases.

I am now picturing a librarian watch a small child sneak out the door (like a ninja - ie darting behind the return cart and doing random kicks) with a book shoved up his shirt.

Technically, that's stealing but Steve always brings the book back around the time it would be due so she lets it slide...for now.

"Have you ever used curl cream?"

"Your hair looks like shit. Fix it."

"STOP BRUSHING YOUR CURLS OUT."

Eventually, Eddie responds to him like, "Fix it yourself, coward."

Steve doesn't have a profile pic so Eddie's fans are accusing him of being bald and jealous.

Steve is just like, "Puh-lease. Jealous of what? Spilt ends? I have great hair. That's why I know Munson's hair looks like shit. I don't have any pics of me on here because I’m hot and you guys are weird horny freaks."

They call him a liar. Steve starts pointing out what's wrong with their hair in their profile pics and how they can fix it.

"Have you ever used curl cream?"

"Your hair looks like shit. Fix it."

"STOP BRUSHING YOUR CURLS OUT."

Eventually, Eddie responds to him like, "Fix it yourself, coward."

Jonathan is the son of a working single mother and often stepped in to help take care of his little brother. Between Lonnie's abuse and being parentified at a young age, he never really got to be a child. So when one of the kids asks him for help with something, he will do it for them.

Steve is the only son of absentee parents and was expected to take care of himself from a young age. He was left to figure everything out on his own or deal with the consequences if he couldn't. So when one of the kids asks him for help, he teaches them how to do it themselves.

Will, who sometimes feels smothered and babied by his family, likes asking Steve for help. Dustin, who has no interest learning skills he thinks are unimportant, loves asking Jonathan.