From October 1st-31st!

“You ready, kid?” Wayne asked, appearing at the door of his room in the pack house. His uncle had a saddened expression, his mouth pulling into a frown as he stood there, patiently waiting for Eddie to take one last look around.

It felt like his entire life had been packed away and put into the back of a moving truck, no trace of him remaining to ever tell anyone that a ten year old boy had lived here. The walls were bare and repainted, back to the white they had been when Eddie was first allowed to decorate his own room.

Eddie shrugged in response to his uncle's question; he wasn't ready, they were going to be in a car for hours, moving two states over, because his dad had sent them away.

Al Munson had explained it many times at this point, but all Eddie got from it was that he'd lost his mom and his dad was leaving.

At least, he was pretty sure Wayne had tried convincing his dad not to go anywhere.

“Come on, then,” Wayne urged him, not unkindly; the room probably looked depressing for everyone that was still around. With a warm hand on his shoulder and the other ruffling his hair, he led Eddie back to the room they were going to share on this last night before they left Tennessee altogether. “We gotta wake early tomorrow.”

—

Hawkins was… weird. There was something about the town that unsettled Wayne as well, so his uncle got in touch with a couple of local witches, to try and figure out what was so different about the town they moved into.

One of them lived in the trailer park, in the trailer closest to the woods; they were pretty much next door. Granny Ecker insisted on feeding them both, but at least Eddie made his first friend in town, Granny’s granddaughter Ronnie.

(Eddie didn't get to meet the Buckleys for a few years, but Wayne had said they were the ones to go to if he ever needed anything for silver wounds, so Eddie had made sure to know where he could find Melissa Buckley.)

—

Hawkins had a considerable amount of nature surrounding its borders, and Eddie assumed that had been why Wayne chose this tiny little town as their destination.

No one else from the pack had followed, though, so the runs he sometimes spent among cousins, and uncles, and aunts, and even his grandparents? It would become a run of two. Not a pack, not even close, but it was enough to settle the part of the young wolf that demanded family.

Wayne wasn't unaffected either. Wolves and werewolves, they were all social creatures. They lived with families, by blood and by choice, they led loud and happy lives, provided they could stick to their own and let their wolves loose for a bit.

But they'd lost that when the Beaumont-Flynn pack disbanded and everyone scattered. Eddie sometimes wondered what happened to the big house they all lived in on the edge of the Appalachian mountains, but most of the time, he tried not to think about everything they left behind.

Sometimes, trying to ignore it all worked. Other times, not so much. People would ask him about his parents, and Eddie would freeze, leaving Wayne to answer their questions and deal with the resulting awkwardness. It was a small town, though, and it didn't take long until no one else needed to ask them about Lauren and Alan Munson.

—

Eddie knew this would have counted as abnormal behavior for him. He didn’t really sulk or stomp around, no matter what his uncle said, but it was like every little thing was pressing in all around him. Too loud, too bright, with scents too strong. His skin felt too tight on his body, but somehow he felt stretched thin at the same time.

He was overwhelmed.

Eddie hadn't noticed September passing by, hadn't felt the need to shift, not with all he and Wayne'd had to do before they could move. But, well, he was feeling it now, after school on October 26. The day of the full moon, and three days before his birthday. The Harvest Moon passed by unnoticed, and his body was letting him know just how much skipping a full moon sucked.

And with that itch had come the realization that a month had already passed since their old house was attacked mid September.

He spotted Wayne's truck on the school parking lot almost as soon as he walked out, waving at Ronnie as she moved to the bike rack; she'd have gotten a ride with him and Wayne, but she had some club or another before going home.

"You okay, kid?" Wayne asked, frowning at the way Eddie was frowning at everything. "Something happen today?"

Eddie shook his head. "Jus' loud," he mumbled, throwing his head back against the cushion and closing his eyes. "Full moon."

Wayne hummed. He probably felt just as shitty as Eddie did, but he'd managed to call off work today, getting everything sorted for tonight. Eddie distantly wondered what went into "getting everything sorted out", since he usually just had to show up. Food, maybe, but Wayne had never been much of a cook, so he probably got their blankets out. Or whatever they managed to bring from the old house.

He ended up dozing on their way back to the trailer, and Wayne gently shook him by the shoulder to rouse him. The routine of it all helped a little; get home, have a snack, change out of school clothes, homework — or the portion of it the two could figure out and was more urgent tonight — help his uncle set up their bags for being outside until late at night.

But the electric whirring was still buzzing in the back of his head, seeming louder now that night was falling, and even Wayne's breathing was getting on his nerves today. Eddie hated it.

"At least you ain't a vampire," Wayne joked. "They get to hear people's heartbeats all the time."

That, Eddie thought, would drive him crazy really fast.

—

The run had been a short one. They didn't know Hawkins enough to really let go yet, to really run all they could, so they kept to the area they were sure surrounded the trailer park. Branching out and adventuring could come later, once the town didn't feel so unsettling and different to them.

On their way to the trailer, Eddie looked back into those woods, cataloging the ways it differed from the one back home; the plains in place of the old mountains, the animals... Hawkins wasn't that much smaller than his old town, but being the new kid sucked anyway.

It wasn't home. Not yet, and Eddie wasn't sure it would ever feel like home, but it was where he would be for the foreseeable future. He had Wayne, and he loved his uncle, but the joy of running with a full pack was incomparable, and two wolves didn't make a pack. But that was where they were, and they could only have each other, and the only thing Eddie could do was map these woods to the best of his ability. He could learn trails, how to keep away from people.

So he turned back around, ignoring his uncle’s calls as he circled the trailer park and its section of woods once more. It would take a long time to actually memorize how far the woods stretched, where the woods thinned to make way to roads and to the houses in the fancier part of town.

On the other hand, he knew he could learn scents, wouldn't have trouble memorizing those, or the shape of the trees they would run among for most of the time. He would be able to tell when something was wrong this time.

Eddie didn't know how long he took on this second lap of their corner of the woods, but Wayne was waiting for him just where they had separated. His uncle stood out against the trees, his coat of fur a lot lighter than his dad's — a mix of gray and white, aged when compared to his dad only beginning to gray last month.

Wayne made a questioning noise, poking at Eddie with his nose to ensure he was okay, unhurt, only stopping with the whine Eddie let out at his fussing. His uncle watched him carefully for a moment, time Eddie spent with his eyes closed, breathing fast because of more than just another lap of a run.

Eddie felt himself being lifted off of the ground and hugged. Wayne was warm, shielding him against the cold breeze as he ran a hand up and down his fur to try and calm his breathing down, but there was more in Eddie's mind than his breathing.

Wayne started walking, though Eddie wasn't sure where to. His uncle didn't demand Eddie shift back to human nor did he shift back himself, so he was comfortable simply resting against him and trying to mimic his much calmer breathing.

His uncle's meaningless grumbles, low in his throat, were the same Wayne would hum and sing while human; soothing. It was familiar. And Eddie thought they needed familiar right now, in some small town two states over from home.

He wanted to go back but he knew he couldn't. Even if they were to return, who would be there?

The whine escaped unbidden from Eddie's throat, one he knew he'd used to call for this mom however many moons ago it was that he'd fallen down a ravine.

He hadn't been hurt then, not really; scrapes healed overnight, for the most part.

But it did hurt now, with yet another realization that she was gone, dead, that his dad hadn't come with them, that he and his uncle were two strangers in a small town that seemed closely knit in everything.

Eddie only realized he'd been put down on the ground when Wayne, back on all fours, circled him before lying down, effectively blocking him in and forcing him to lie on top of his body.

It was like a drop of tar on top of a mound of snow, the way Eddie's own fur contrasted against Wayne's.

Time passed, uncounted, before Eddie eventually shifted back and started crying. For his mom, his dad. For Uncle Wayne. For changes he didn't know how to handle. For knowing that, most likely, he wouldn't see anyone from home in a long time, if ever again; when werewolves scattered, they spread far.

But Wayne was wrapping himself around him, keeping him warn. They had each other.

Between joint recoveries and sharing almost the same group of people (and eventually truly having all the same friends), they had spent a lot of time together. They had become friends, good friends, not necessarily by choice, but the truth was that Eddie wouldn't change it for the world.

But sometimes, it was nice to just… exist. To be able to not think about the feelings he’d realized that were growing not too long ago. About how, even though he’d only noticed them recently, the feelings hadn’t been really new. About how it looked reciprocated, sometimes.

Eddie expected to hear about Steve’s plans to get out of town any day now, maybe tag along with Robin, so why do anything about the something that was brewing, right?

Deep down, Eddie knew Steve wouldn’t leave before the kids’ senior year started. At the earliest. Eddie felt pretty much the same already, after knowing them for only a little over a year. According to Robin, they did have that effect somehow.

(Something about how young they all were to have been at the whole supernatural thing for years.)

After dropping El and Will back home, he’d driven himself to a secluded little clearing, having to go the long way around so he’d actually be able to drive his van into it. But it was worth it, it’d always been worth it.

Eddie grabbed a few of the blankets stashed at the back of his van and threw them on top of it before climbing up himself. Setting up his little makeshift bed up there was a quick process; a couple of blankets to make the roof a little more comfortable, and the rest bunched together into a pillow.

It wasn’t particularly good, but it was part of his summer routine at this point, so he settled down, lying on the roof of his van. He watched the clear, evening summer sky fade into night, watching the stars come out slowly and then all at once as the animal sounds faded and changed to accompany the sky.

Some birds — owls, if he had to guess — and bats were flying overheard, occasionally cutting his vision of the stars and changing the tracks of his thoughts; the song he’d been working on, the campaign Will wanted to run for Hellfire next, Robin’s entirely too chaotic packing process, and how that girl might have surpassed him in terms of organizational chaos. At least Eddie could find his shit in half the time it had taken her to find the shoes she was taking with her.

The crunch of steps on fallen branches drew him out of his thoughts, making him turn in its direction.

“Jesus, how far is this place,” Eddie heard in a very familiar grumble. Steve was closer than he probably expected to be, and it didn’t take long before Eddie could see him on the treeline. “Uh… Hi.”

“Hi,” Eddie returned, waving at him from where he lay with a grin. “Funny seeing you here.”

Steve rolled his eyes and walked closer. He was wearing some ridiculous yellow shorts and what looked like an old NASCAR shirt, color and design faded with time. It was a little different from what Eddie was used to; more relaxed, like he didn’t have anyone to impress. Which was good, Eddie didn’t need to be impressed by style.

(Eddie knew, objectively, that Steve genuinely enjoyed the polos and all that, but it was still nice to see him in something else. Something softer.)

“What are you doing out here?” Steve asked once he was close to the van, just enough to still be able to see Eddie.

“Looking for Scorpius,” he stated simply, gesturing for Steve to come up. While Steve climbed to the roof of the van, Eddie adjusted the pillow of blankets so they could lie side by side. “What are you doing here?”

“Well, I was expecting to find you in the trailer,” Steve started, leaning back on top of the blankets on his elbows with a frown on his face. “Wayne directed me over here.” Steve looked around, frowning even harder when he glanced at the ground. “You said you’re looking for scorpions?”

“Scorpius, not scorpions,” Eddie corrected softly, turning back to the stars. “The constellation.”

Steve let out a soft “Oh,” turning to glance at the sky before lying down and making himself comfortable.

Eddie had the vague knowledge that Scorpius was closer to the horizon line, but he’d have to drive up to Hop’s old cabin and the nearby hill to actually look for it, and he just… didn’t want to go that far.

(Didn't really want to be looking over all of Hawkins.)

“What’s the story?” Steve asked after a couple of minutes spent in silence. When Eddie turned to look, Steve was already watching him, his little smile illuminated by the moon. After a beat, he added, “Constellations have those, don’t they?”

Eddie nodded, struggling a little to find his words with the way Steve was looking at him. “It’s uh…” He cleared his throat and turned back to the sky. “It’s the scorpion that killed Orion.”

He could still feel Steve’s eyes on him, waiting for more.

“Orion was a hunter, the best one humanity had to offer,” Eddie started, gesturing to their surroundings as if it could encompass every person in the world. “But he was just a human, you know? And if even the gods of ancient Greece were flawed, imagine how bad a human could be.”

He glanced at Steve, finding all of his attention still focused on him.

“His flaws are not really the point, though.” He shook his head, continuing the story. “At some point in his life, Orion was hunting with Artemis, the goddess of the hunt and wild animals, and… Well,” he grimaced, “He claimed to be able to hunt every animal on Earth.”

“To the goddess of the hunt?” Steve questioned with that particular tone he had when he thought something was stupid. “Rather arrogant of him.”

“Yeah, but Artemis was fond of him.” Steve raised an eyebrow at that, but it took Eddie a moment to realize how his words could be taken. “Not like that,” he added, chuckling. “Artemis was a virgin goddess, none of that.”

Steve hummed, his expression betraying his surprise. “Good for her.”

Eddie blinked at Steve, at this tone of awe that he had.

“Where does the scorpion come in?” Steve asked, a little furrow appearing between his brow that Eddie wanted smooth out, though he had a story to finish.

“Right,” Eddie sighed out, turning once again to the stars. “Gaia, the personification of the Earth itself, didn’t like Orion’s claim.” He paused, then added, “She’s the mother of all life, so.” He gestured nonsensically upwards, finishing his story with as much a deadpan tone as he could muster. “She sent a giant scorpion to kill him.”

“A giant—” Steve burst out laughing, shaking his head in some kind of attempt to regain his composure. “Sorry, I’m sorry, just—”

“It’s kind of a silly conclusion?” Eddie asked with a smile on his face as well as in his voice. Steve nodded, taking a deep breath to calm himself down. “Greek mythology is kind of… Dramatic, like that,” he explained with a shrug. “Orion’s hubris got him killed by a giant scorpion—” Steve snorted, but reined himself in quickly— “And they were both raised to the sky as constellations as a warning against humanity’s arrogance.”

Steve hummed, gaze unfocused when Eddie looked at him. “Where are they, then?”

“Uh…” Eddie blinked and turned to the sky to blink some more. “Orion is not visible this time of the year, and Scorpius is closer to the horizon,” he said, raising his arm to point in the general direction he remembered the constellation being.

Steve hummed, but didn’t say anything, letting the silence and the warm evening air envelop them. Eddie expected it to grow awkward, for Steve to say something, for himself to end up fidgeting. Instead, it was easy to just exist together like this, lying side by side and watching the night sky.

“Are you okay?” Steve asked, some indeterminate time later. Eddie could feel Steve move about, slowly as to not risk falling off the side, and settle on his side, holding himself up on his elbow. “El was all…” He gestured toward his face. “All frowny, and she only does that when she’s worried. Dustin also said you seemed down.”

Eddie sighed, wishing those kids paid just a little less attention. “I’m good,” he said, keeping his tone light. “Just thinking, you know?”

“About?”

“What happens now, I guess?” He hadn’t meant for it to come out as a question. “We got a couple more practice sessions before Jeff and Arnie are going back to college.”

“Gareth’s not going anywhere out of state, though, right?” Steve asked with a thoughtful little frown that Eddie couldn’t resist smoothing out with a finger this time. It earned him a soft laugh and a smack to his hand. “You guys can keep Corroded Coffin going?”

Eddie shrugged as much as he could while lying down. He tried that once, making it on his own, but it didn’t seem as worth it now.

“Think I’d rather not split the band,” he said, grimacing and knowing that Steve would pick up the story he wasn’t telling.

“So,” Steve drawled, eyes narrowed at Eddie like he’d be able to figure out whatever was going on in his head. “The plan is just to wait?”

Honestly, Eddie hated that idea, but what else could Corroded Coffin do? “Sure.” Steve eyes narrowed further, going unfocused again. “What?”

“The kids will be starting their junior year,” he stated.

Eddie hummed to let Steve know he was listening, but he had no idea where the guy was going with this.

“You should come to Indianapolis with me,” he announced.

Eddie blinked at Steve, processing his words for a moment. The offer seemed to come out of nowhere. He expected Steve to leave Hawkins at some point, he’d been preparing for that news, and now it came with an offer to tag along?

“I don’t really have any plans yet,” Steve continued, probably taking Eddie’s silence as hesitation. “We’d have to look into places, and Indianapolis is just an hour away, but it should be enough for a fresh start, right?”

Eddie nodded, a little numbly. “You, uh…” He shook his head to dislodge his surprise. “I think Gareth’s going to community college in the city, actually.”

“Is he, now?” Steve raised an eyebrow, looking unimpressed and not surprised.

“Right, you two talk a lot now.” It was still rather amusing that the two of them hung out so much, even without Eddie. “Will?”

“Of course it’s about Will,” Steve scoffed, waving a hand in a flourish. “It’s why he picked Indianapolis. But don’t change the subject,” he added with a smack to Eddie’s arm.

“Alright, alright!” Eddie laughed, rubbing his arm. He’d have rolled away from Steve if it didn’t mean rolling off the roof of the van. “I guess Indianapolis is pretty good…”

Steve beamed at him, a smile he’d been seeing more often as the time passed. Usually, Steve was being a little shit when he smiled like that, but sometimes, he just seemed… happy.

“You could, I don’t know, teach kids how to play the guitar.”

That made Eddie laugh, surprised at the suggestion. Not that he necessarily disliked it.

“Who’d even let me?” He asked. “Maybe I’ll find work at a record store, that seems more likely.”

“If you want to, I’m sure you could find something.” Steve shrugged, that grin not fading from his expression. “Who says you can’t do both, anyway?”

And… Well, Steve had a point. Maybe he could find a store that offered lessons?

“Why are you asking me to go to Indianapolis with you?” The question was asked before Eddie even processed that it was something he wanted to know. He grimaced as soon as it was out. “Not that I don’t want to, god knows I wanted to be out of this town three years ago now, but just— I thought you might tag along with Robin?”

Steve’s expression softened, a serene smile replacing the wide grin. “I thought about it. Robin’s going to Indianapolis University anyway, though, and…” He gave a one-shouldered shrug. “I think I’d like you there too.”

“You think?” Eddie questioned with a raised brow. It was easier to tease and joke than really look into that sparkle of mirth in Steve’s eyes and hope it meant what he wanted it to mean.

Steve shook his head, sending his hair all over the place. “I know. Got used to your noise, Munson.”

“Well, I’m making your life interesting, so you’re welcome.”

They were both smiling when Eddie finally let himself look Steve in the eye, finally relaxed enough even though he hadn’t escaped thinking about Steve, or his actual presence. It was fine. There some tentative plans to get out of Hawkins, together, and maybe Corroded Coffin would forever be a high school band that didn’t really go anywhere — Eddie was only starting to be okay with that idea, though — but that didn’t mean he couldn’t do something else with music.

Steve laid back down on the van after a moment of silence, turning his gaze to the sky. Like this, they were touching pretty much from shoulder to knee, and Eddie was trying not to move too much, conscious of the warmth radiating from Steve.

Steve, on the other hand, didn’t seem to have the same hang-ups, nudging Eddie’s hand until he could take it in his own.

“This okay?” He asked softly, not turning his head and not seeing Eddie already looking at him. Eddie squeezed his hand and intertwined their fingers as response. “I wasn’t planning on talking to you about Indianapolis tonight, you know?” His admission was soft, barely above the ambiance of the woods at night. “I was just gonna keep you company.”

“I’m glad you did.” Eddie let himself take in Steve’s face and what freckles he could see in the dark before turning away. “Easier to think I can actually get out of here when I have a tentative plan.”

“You can, Eddie,” Steve said, firmly squeezing his hand. “I meant it, I’d really like if you came to Indianapolis with me.”

He could feel Steve’s eyes boring a hole into the side of his head, and he refused to loosen the hold on his hand. Eddie sighed, turning to face Steve’s small, determined frown.

“Sometimes,” he started, hesitating before pulling their joined hands closer. “I kinda wish you were still some degree of asshole.” Steve frowned, ready to interject, but Eddie continued before he could. “‘Cause it would make getting over this ridiculous crush so much easier.”

Steve pulled their hands closer to himself this time, and Eddie could see him pursing his lips. He’d been paying too much attention, enough to know this was Steve trying to rein in one of those rare, goofy grins that had been one of the things that made Eddie fall in the first place.

“What if,” Steve started, slowly letting the grin take hold, as he started absently playing with the one ring Eddie forgot to take off before climbing up the van. “I don’t want you getting over this ridiculous crush?”

Eddie blinked at him — he felt like he’d done that a lot tonight, almost constantly surprised by Steve despite how close they’d gotten. Maybe that’s why he hadn’t seen this coming, too close to see what, eventually, might become obvious in hindsight.

“You mean that?”

Steve’s grin came out, full force, in the face of Eddie’s soft tone. He slowly brought Eddie’s hand closer and pressed an oh so soft kiss to his knuckles.

“I mean it.”

Eddie didn’t really know what to say to all that, the smooth jerk knew it and could probably see the blush undoubtedly rising on his cheeks. But there was one thing that he needed to double check.

“You know I’m—”

“Asexual?” He filled in after Eddie cut himself short. “Yeah, I do.” Steve was back to messing with the ring on his hand, looking at it with an expression Eddie still hadn’t figured out. “And I think…” He paused, frowning a little. Eddie kind of wanted to bite him. “It might apply to me too?”

Eddie rolled closer to Steve and pressed a kiss to cheek, feeling the heat rising the longer he stayed there.

“Thanks for telling me,” he mumbled against Steve’s cheek. He pressed another quick kiss before settling back down. “Feels good to know, doesn’t it?”

Steve’s laughter was light, giddy. He rolled onto Eddie this time, hugging him as close as possible.

“It really does.”

“We didn't know where else to take him.” That was Robin's voice, coming in a little muffled through the closed door to her room. She sounded nervous. “Steve's parents are coming home tomorrow, if not later today, and everyone else lives with their parents; I know Joyce wouldn't mind but—”

“It's fine, Buckley,” her dad assured, as El finally got out of her bed. She heard some more muttering, then Robin's hurried steps out. El opened her door just in time to see Steve carrying someone — Eddie — inside.

“Is that him?” Another voice questioned, surprising El. Agent Stinson met her eyes and smiled briefly at her, though it looked a little like a grimace.

She didn’t react and turned back to Steve. He’d asked her to check in on Eddie a few days after they all returned from California, and Russia, and the Upside Down. The fact that most people she knew had to go there made her so angry.

El opened her door further, nodding at Steve to bring Eddie to her room.

She wanted to help in any way she could.

(She hadn’t realized then, but that decision left her with another very good friend.)

——

Somehow, Eddie was mostly used to a bunch of rambunctious teenagers just barging into his new house, nearly on the edge of town. The thing was, there was usually a lot of noise heralding their arrival; some car or another, their shouts as they approached the front door.

They made noise, and the noise let him and Wayne know they would be getting company.

Maybe Eddie had been too distracted writing, or the music was too loud this time, but hearing the creak of the front door opening sent ice through his veins. He stood up, grabbing the closest thing he could use as a weapon — his dice bag — and walked slowly to the front door.

But instead of any intruder that still wanted his head on a pike, he saw one of the kids standing there, smiling at him.

“Hey, Eddie,” El greeted him, wiping her feet on the mat before walking in. He saw a flash of red hair right behind her. “We tried knocking, but the music was too loud.”

Eddie sighed, lowering the dice bag. Max walked past him with a smirk, heading straight to the cassette player and replacing his Heaven & Hell tape with one of her own.

“We are here to practice braiding,” Max announced, raising a plastic bag she carried on her free hand.

He knew better than to argue with the two of them; Eddie had been told that El was feeling self conscious over her slow-growing hair — he'd certainly been there — and Max hadn’t really gone out at all since everything happened — he’d also been there, just recently being forced to go out by Wayne and Nancy of all people.

He waved his arms towards his couch. “Have at it, then,” he conceded, watching as El walked over and sat down, eyeing his D&D stuff curiously. “I need to finish that.”

El turned to look at him, and Max glanced between the two of them, putting her hands on her hips in a move so reminiscent of Steve that Eddie had to hold in a laugh.

“We are not practicing on each other,” Max said pointedly, looked straight at him with a raised brow. “The only other person who could help is Mike.”

Eddie made a face at that. He could not see Mike letting his hair be braided, which…

“This is about the curly hair?”

Max looked at him with an expression that screamed “duh”, while El was smiling brightly at him and nodding.

He sighed, silently resenting the fact he’d lost his ability to say no to these shitheads. No matter how nice and sweet some of them were.

“Let me get these out of the way, then.” He gathered the things he’d left in the living room floor and placed them on the nearest chair.

He sat on the floor in front of El on the couch, and Max sat next to him, taking a magazine out of her bag. She flipped through it with a face of concentration, but soon sighed in frustration and tossed it away.

“I don’t know why I thought that would help.” Max propped her elbow up on her knee, resting her head on her fist and staring at Eddie with a frown. “I don’t think you know what to do either.”

“Hey,” Eddie admonished, but he didn’t have much defense; he never bothered figuring it out. “I at least know you don’t brush curly hair dry.” He frowned, trying to remember what he knew. “Or at all, I guess.”

“That's a start,” Max said with a shrug.

“Eddie,” El called softly, leaning forward a little while Eddie leaned back to see her. “Can we try braiding your hair, please?”

Eddie nodded — it probably looked ridiculous upside down — and stood up again. “I’ll deal with this,” he said, gesturing to his hair, “and put on something that won’t bother me when it inevitably gets wet.”

He left the girls to chat, stopping first to change, then to wet his hair. He grabbed a towel and the wide-tooth comb Steve had left weeks ago.

If the idea was practice, they’d all probably be here for a few hours.

(And, shit, it had been fun. The girls bombarded Steve with questions when he showed up, also without warning, and seeing the guy speechless when he finally looked at Eddie was nice.

But, as Steve also pointed out that evening, he should probably start remembering to take care of his hair. Example, and all that.)

——

It took Eddie a few seconds to place what woke him up, but the final notes of Creeping Death faded and a soft click kept the next song from starting.

“Thank you,” El said, keeping her voice down. She’d come over earlier in the afternoon, no real excuse as to why, just a couple of books and worksheets in her bag. They’d been doing their own thing since.

“No problem, kid.” He could picture Wayne as he spoke, standing just a couple of steps away from their cassette player, looking over the mess of papers the two created in the time it took him to get groceries. “Need anything else?”

“Music?”

El and Wayne had interacted a few times since she started showing up at their house, but El was still a little wary of his uncle. It was funny to watch, even though Wayne was increasingly lost on what to do for her to like him.

Not that she disliked him. El had said once that she struggled a little with strangers outside of the Party, but explaining that was pretty complicated.

Eddie opened his eyes to see his uncle glance at the kid briefly, a twitch of his fingers that Eddie was familiar with after years of living with the man; he wanted to reach out and ruffle El’s hair, but it was clear they weren’t at that point yet.

Her hair was just starting to grow out, curling in the heavier parts like Eddie’s when he’d been in that same situation years ago, and no one but Hopper and Joyce were allowed to touch it.

(Well, and Steve, as of late. That guy was meticulous, so of course he’d be allowed.)

By the time Eddie’s attention snapped back into the present, The Call of Ktulu was a couple of minutes in, and Wayne had already gone back to whatever he was doing. He stretched, groaning at the pull on his scars.

“Hi,” El said, smiling once he turned to her. She had their box of tapes in front of her, a few of them set aside; some of Eddie’s metal tapes, some of Wayne’s country ones. “Wayne said you needed some sleep.”

“Wayne says a lot of things,” he retorted, voice raised so his uncle could hear him. He heard a loud, wordless affirmation from the kitchen. Eddie stood up and leaned over to see just what tapes El had set aside to listen to.

“Oh, hey.” He spotted his Rising tape and pointed at it. “This is one of my favorites. Wanna give it a listen?”

El nodded. Eddie thought she might like this one; she’d already listened to a few songs from DIO’s The Last in Line and Black Sabbath’s Heaven & Hell and liked them just fine.

He hoped she’d enjoy Rising; it meant a lot to him.

Once Tarot Woman started playing, he sat back on the couch and picked up the book that had fallen on the floor at some point during his impromptu nap.

Eddie opened On a Pale Horse where he last remembered reading but didn’t try continuing it. Instead, he watched El get back to her worksheets in silence, gently bobbing her head along to the music.

Maybe they could pay a visit to a music store soon.

——

They were well into summer, now, and the kids were starting to get ready for their sophomore year. The entire group had gone to Steve's place to use his pool, probably for the last time this summer, and while Steve seemed to enjoy running around for their friends — for all he complained, the twitch of a smile didn’t go unnoticed by Eddie — Eddie himself needed to get away from the sun, the noise, and, most importantly, the water splashes.

The kitchen was empty, and the only sound came from the back. Eddie took the moment to check the fridge for any other snacks, but came up empty. Of course the little shits got everything, he couldn’t even be surprised.

It also seemed that Steve hid whatever alcohol had been here from the kids, and Eddie wasn’t about to snoop around and potentially cause problems for him.

He turned around and spotted El walking into the kitchen, head down and a frown on her face. She pulled a stool out and sat at the counter before she even realized he was there.

Eddie waved with a bemused smile. El blinked at him a couple of times before returning his greeting, though with a much more sheepish smile.

“Got tired of the noise too?” Eddie questioned, moving to lean across from her. “Because the boys are particularly noisy today.”

“No,” she said, only to immediately frown. “I mean, yes, but that’s not it…”

He raised a brow, waiting for her explanation.

“They are talking about school,” she mumbled, rubbing the tip of the beige towel over her shoulder. “I don't like hearing it.”

Eddie nodded. He hadn't liked school since the end of his sophomore year either. He supposed it was all a little different for her, though.

“Anything specific they’re saying?”

She shrugged, tracing some pattern on the counter. “They seem… excited.”

El didn’t elaborate for a long moment, and Eddie hummed, moving to the other side of the counter to sit next to her. He waited another beat, but she didn’t look up from the patterns she was drawing.

“I’m guessing that excitement is not shared.” It wasn’t a hard guess at all. He didn’t know much because Jonathan didn’t seem to know much, but if he’d had to guess, Eddie would bet the move to the other side of the country was rough on the three of them. “Moving around and changing schools suck.”

El nodded and finally looked up to face him. “School sucks.”

“Hey!” It startled a laugh out of him. “You’re the one saying it, not me.” Eddie shook his head, seeing El smile a little. “But you’re right, especially when you’re somewhere new.”

“I didn’t know anyone!” El exclaimed with a little more energy than Eddie expected. “Will was there, but…”

“He was your brand new sibling, not quite the same,” he hedged. “What was it like?”

Her brows furrowed, and Eddie expected her to shrug and change subjects; most of his friends did that when he inevitably poked into something they didn’t want to talk about.

“It was nice, at first,” she mumbled after a moment. “Going to school, with everyone else.” She placed her arms on the counter, resting her chin against her arms. “It got really hard, and people are stupid.”

Ah.

“Felt worse than everyone just telling me about school,” she added. “School is hard.”

With a sigh, Eddie adjusted himself on the stool, mimicking her position as much as he could. “I can’t really help with the actual school part of this experience,” he started, lightly tapping a song against the counter. “But I agree that people are stupid. And you wanna know something?”

He waited for her questioning hum before continuing. “People out there,” he answered, raising his head enough to gesture toward the front door. “They don’t know us, right? They don’t know what happened. And they’ll say shit to make themselves feel better about something.”

Eddie turned his head to face El. She was looking at him with slightly wide eyes, and god, she was too young. They all were, of course, but El had had even less chance to just be.

“You, young lady, are probably the coolest of us all, y’know?” He added. “I cannot begin to imagine just going on as normal after all I heard you went through.” El narrowed her eyes, staring at him with an expression he didn’t know what to make of. He ignored it. “Makes you pretty cool.”

El kept staring at him until she sighed, looking away. Eddie waited, knowing that whatever she had to say would come out when she was ready. She looked at him again, a confused little frown on her face that Eddie poked without much thought.

It made her laugh as she smacked his hand away, so that was a win.

“There was this girl,” El started slowly and softly, looking back at the doorway to make sure there was no one else listening. “She seemed nice, but… she wasn’t. She said and did things.”

“Ah, some of the worst, I see.”

She nodded and started messing with the tip of her towel again.

“How do you…” She trailed off, looking a little hesitant. But she took a deep breath, and asked, “How do you just ignore what they say?”

Well. Eddie pursed his lips, looking away. “Wayne helped a lot, actually.” He shrugged as best as he could while resting his head on his arms. “There’s nothing wrong with being different, right? He’d say, ‘wrong are the people who have a problem with you’.” He hadn’t really said it like that when he first did, but it was what stuck to Eddie all the same.

“There’s always gonna be something that people won’t like about you, something they’re gonna complain about.” He straightened and nudged El with his shoulder. “Personally, I think you have a lot to be proud of, not everyone can say they are a superhero.”

El nodded slowly, but her smile was growing little by little. “I can’t actually say that either.”

Eddie turned to her slowly, trying to maintain the unamused expression. Thankfully, she broke first and dissolved into giggles.

“This is what I get for trying to be sincere,” he complained halfheartedly.

She leaned against his side, resting there for a moment. “Thanks, Eddie.”

——

“Shit!”

“Well,” Eddie started, trying not to laugh at Dustin's indignant expression over his awful roll. The boy was always particularly fun to torment in D&D. “That’s another one down, I guess.”

They were close to the end of this one-shot, one final puzzle away from reaching the ceremonial sword they needed to deliver to the elven kings to end their feud on who should rule the kingdom, but since they got to this maze, it had been one failed roll after the other; the attacks, the wisdom checks he had not explained the purpose of at all.

Or, he hadn’t explained to any of his players. El was also trying her best not to start laughing next to him, though her smile was far too amused. Eddie had also told her not to mess with the dice, and she hadn’t as far as he could tell, so this was all their damn bad luck.

Dustin sat down with a huff, which meant that Arnie was the last one standing for the end of this adventure.

Will, who had taken being the first to fall gracefully enough, Jeff, Mike, Lucas, Gareth, and now Dustin.

This was not supposed to be that hard, but he supposed it was quite a difference from his usual plans; no one had realized the secret to getting the sword yet, and he wasn't sure anyone would.

What a shame.

“So, Thokas,” Eddie called to Arnie. The dwarven bard was the last one standing, and whether he would make the right call or not remained to be seen. “What are you going to do? There are five doors in front of you.”

Arnie was frowning, looking at his character sheet tensely, doing his best to ignore the divided clamoring of their friends.

With a deep breath, he announced, “I’m going through the fourth door.”

Hm. Solid thinking, no one had tried that one yet.

“You know the drill,” Eddie replied, gesturing to the dice in the middle of the table.

Arnie’s roll was better than most previous rolls, but El’s grimace as she looked between the dice and Eddie’s notes caused him, and everyone around him, to groan.

“Are you kidding me?!”

Eddie shrugged, keeping his face neutral. They really seemed out of luck, but he was hoping someone would finally get it!

“This is ridiculous!” Mike groused. He kept on complaining about the door room while Eddie rolled for damage.

Well, at least it wasn't over just yet.

“Fuck it,” Arnie shouted, folding his arms over the table. “I’m putting my dagger away, I’m not fighting anymore.”

Jesus H. Christ, finally.

Eddie heard El let out a relieved sigh next to him. Granted, Thokas only had 3 hit points left; the way things were going, he wouldn’t have been able to do much even if he’d still been willing to fight.

Everyone else, though, was complaining loudly. Even Will, but he was glancing at him and his sister with suspicion.

“The moment the dagger is back its sheath,” Eddie started, slowly standing up. El stepped away, closer to Will. “You see the room around you shift as if it were all made of smoke.” He waved his arm over the table. “The only doorway left is wide open, and you can see your goal on the other side.”

Thokas did get the sword, finding all his allies alive and well when he stepped back out of the vault room. Most of his players seemed a little lost on just what happened, though, but no one said anything until the actual end of the session.

“Dude,” Mike groaned after putting his notes away. “Why was this entire thing non-combat? You never run a non-combat game!”

“This clearly wasn’t non-combat,” Gareth interjected with a smirk, always willing to antagonize Mike for some reason. “But you have a point,” he added, turning to Eddie with narrowed eyes. “You have not done anything like this in years.”

Eddie shrugged with forced nonchalance without getting up from his chair. “Gotta spice things up, y’know? Besides, illusions are fun.” Gareth’s eyes narrowed further. “If any of you have actual complaints,” he added, voice slightly raised to be heard over the pockets of conversation that had formed around the table, “Take it to the lady over there. It was her idea, not mine.”

El smiled brightly at the hush of conversation when everyone turned to her. Will was glancing between the two of them as if he’d suddenly made sense of something — probably why she was asking about D&D at home.

“Should we be worried you two are hanging out?” Will asked after a moment, trying to sound exasperated but, in reality, sounding far too amused.

“Absolutely,” they both replied in unison and without looking at each other.

——

There were only so many people they could fit inside their new, government-issued house, and Eddie kind of needed a break. Well, there weren’t that many people, it wasn’t a capital-P party.

It was just his 20th birthday.

Eddie was trying not to feel bad for sneaking out of his own birthday party. There was even a cake that he suspected came from Claudia. Or maybe Joyce. Hell, maybe they worked together, he wouldn’t know.

Either way, he needed a break, so he’d snuck out to the front porch, pack of cigarettes and lighter in hands.

He was almost done with the second stick when he heard the front door open.

“Had a feeling you’d be out here,” Hopper declared after he sat down on the steps. Eddie turned to him with a raised brow but still held out the pack in offering. Hopper shook his head. “You doing okay?”

“Yeah,” he replied slowly, frowning a little. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

The expression Hopper turned on him was… unimpressed, he supposed. But it was a valid question.

“Wayne mentioned that Al called.”

Eddie groaned, loudly, as he dropped his head onto his knees and the cigarette into the ashtray between him and Hopper.

The sole reason this party was happening in November was his dad’s admittedly empty promise to visit in the week of his birthday. Eddie wasn’t sure why he bothered not making plans. Some distant hope, he supposed.

The party was only happening at all because Wayne insisted that the company would lift his spirits a little.

“He’s been in and out of my life since I was eight,” he started, his voice probably muffled to Hopper. “And after everything, I’m not sure I even want him around.”

“But he said he’d be here.” Eddie heard Hopper sigh. “Almost dying tends to make people want to give out second chances.” Eddie snorted, raising his head and turning to Hopper with a disbelieving expression. “New chances, fine.”

Eddie nodded slowly.

When Al had called, Eddie had expected some excuse, another scheme, something. Anything but the check-in full of concern he’d gotten. He wanted to be upset it had taken him half a year, but the government people kept a tight leash on what information ever made it out of Hawkins, let alone reached wherever the hell Al Munson was this time; he wouldn’t really have known to call — or where to call, he supposed — for a while.

But given how everything went down in ‘84, Eddie should have known he wouldn’t keep his word.

“Since we’re on the topic,” Eddie started with a grimace. Hopper turned to him with a raised brow, expression pretty much unreadable. “I, uh… wanted to say thanks? For, you know,” he gestured to his surroundings and paused. “Everything.”

Hopper hummed, turning back to stare out at their driveway and the handful of cars parked there.

“Clearing your name is the least they could do, Munson,” Hopper said. “And so is getting you and your uncle a new place. No one ends up tangled in this shit willingly.”

“Most people don’t even know this shit is there to get tangled in,” Eddie immediately said. He shook his head soon after. “It’s just… You know,” he shrugged, “Thanks for doing it twice.”

Objectively, Eddie knew Hopper hadn’t been a very active part of the process, busy trying to come back from the legally dead and making sure El was safe to exist in Hawkins. But still, it was kind of nice to have one more person try to keep his already abysmal reputation from sinking further.

“I still stand by what I said.” Hopper briefly glanced at him. “You’re not your father, Munson.”

Eddie opened his mouth to interrupt, but Hopper continued before he could figure out what to say.

“Running after seeing—” your very nice classmate die— “what you saw this year is perfectly reasonable, if you ask me, but you still decided to help.”

“That wasn't entirely selfless…”

“Sure,” Hopper shrugged. “You still stuck around. After.” Hopper gestured back to the house and turned an assessing glance at him. “Which is good, because I have no idea how you and Harrington keep taking in these kids. They are all far too loud.”

That startled a laugh out of Eddie, which, given the seemingly satisfied smirk on Hopper’s face, had been his intention with the topic change.

“Guess it’s all the trauma bonding,” Eddie said.

“Nah, it's more than that.” He shook his head. He was frowning a little in thought. “I think other than Sinclair, none of them had much in the way of decent male figures in their lives.”

“Will has Jonathan,” Eddie corrected before frowning. “Wait, are you saying I'm a ‘decent male figure’?”

“Yep,” Hopper said, eyebrow raising in an unspoken challenge. “And I know Will has Jonathan, but Joyce says he hasn't been this excited about that game you all play since the summer of last year.”

Eddie nodded. Will had mentioned that he hadn't played any D&D at all since he moved last year. He didn't even take his books, everything going to Erica instead.

He supposed that, sometimes, it helped to have a new group to play with.

“And it also helps he’s moving on from Mike Wheeler.”

Eddie almost choked on his laughter. “Not you too!” He groaned. “Mike’s not that bad!”

“Whatever,” Hopper said, shaking his head. “The point is that those kids are better off for having you around and having a place to be.”

Hopper said it matter-of-factly, not realizing — or ignoring — that his words kind of… brought Eddie up short.

(Eddie knew what he wanted the Hellfire Club to be, what he did by playing it all up. Hearing it acknowledged by anyone else, let alone by Hopper, was just a little surprising.)

“Now, I’m pretty sure you’re to blame for the weekly fight over the stereo,” he said with a raised brow, but the stern expression didn’t hold for long, giving place to a fond smile. “But El’s looking lighter lately, less worried about everything.”

The sound of the front door opening drew their attention from the conversation, saving Eddie from having to figure out a response, and they could see El’s expression brighten once she spotted them.

“Found them!” She shouted back into the house. “Time for cake,” she announced before turning to walk back inside, leaving the door open for them. A lot of voices drifted out.

“See what I mean?” Hopper asked, hooking a thumb in his daughter's direction. “Loud, all of them.”

“She's the quietest,” Eddie argued because it was true, at least in comparison. Her and Will, the two of them tended to let things… happen around them, for the most part, not really intervening until they were asked or had to. Though Will had his moments of being right in the middle of the chaos, especially during D&D.

“She also has psychic powers.”

Fair enough.

Eddie stood up, dusting imaginary dust off of his knees. Hopper did the same, though not without groaning. He would have poked fun, but it didn’t feel right to.

“I’m glad you’re alive, Eddie.”

“You too, Hop.”

(They didn’t really talk for the rest of the night, but Eddie did learn, due to a slip up from Dustin, that El had defended him, loud and clear, in the middle of the school cafeteria. No one really explained what happened, but Eddie did notice how some people stared at them. Weeks ago.

El, local superhero, standing up for his honor? Unexpected. And maybe a tally under the Not Quiet column.

Hopper and Joyce only smiled in his direction, Hopper decidedly more smug than anything. They surely knew.

“— and it just fucking sucks, dude. I’ve loved these movies my whole life! And now I can’t even enjoy them, I just look at these slasher scenes and see like, my actual life? I’ve been the slasher victim now and it’s not fun, and I want it to be because I love horror movies and now that’s just one more thing the Upside Down’s taking from me—” 

“We can change the movie if you want. Seriously, I don’t mind, man,” Steve tries to interrupt, running a soothing hand up and down Eddie’s arm, his eyes concerned as he strokes from wrist to elbow with far more gentility than Eddie’s used to. Or, maybe, feels he deserves. 

Steve’s words fall on deaf ears because Eddie’s on a rampage now, trying his best to breathe but Glen’s bed erupts on the screen, a geyser of blood sprouting from sheets to ceiling and Eddie just can't take it anymore. 

“Like that! God, I’ve lost that much blood! You, you had to carry me out of some bizzaro Freddy Krueger world covered in that much blood, and that’s not fair, right? We should be out at some party, you shotgunning a beer and me slinging wares and instead, we’re,” Eddie gestures vaguely towards the trailer living room. “Here.” 

He takes a breath and winces at the way deep inhales still pull at his side. 

That’s when Eddie realizes Steve’s holding his hand.

Their fingers are intertwined, just like their destinies were maybe always meant to be. He has more things to say, more thoughts, but they die on his tongue as he looks down at the small gesture tethering him to the couch. 

“Listen to me. What happened wasn’t fair, sure, but you did the best you could to keep Dustin safe and I don’t regret carrying you outta there for a fucking second.” Steve squeezes his hand. “Let’s just pick a different movie— maybe one with less like, blood and alternate dimensions— and if it makes you feel any better, I’ll shotgun a beer to make the Harrington Halloween experience authentic.” 

He turns and stares at Steve, into those huge eyes he’s only recently determined are hazel more than brown as he smiles back at Eddie, warily and crooked. 

And in that moment, he believes him. He does.

“Deal.” 

Steve pops in Ferris Bueller and does, indeed, shotgun a beer much to Eddie’s glee. 

The night wears on and Eddie ends up with his head in Steve’s lap, soaking in the feeling of Steve’s hand in his hair, his nails on his scalp. The sensation lulls him further into oblivion. 

“What if I came out like, a vampire or something? Would you still wanna be friends?” Eddie asks, the latest in a string of questions Steve’s handled with finesse and the occasional snark. He’s still Steve, after all. 

“Look, after everything I’ve seen, vampires are the least of my worries. Sure, bring it on.” 

“Even if I tried to drink your blood?” 

He’s teasing, but Steve looks at him with something heavy he can’t name. 

“Yeah, even then.” 

Silence beats on for a moment afterwards, the air shifting around them. 

“Y’know,” Eddie whispers for no reason. There’s nothing but Steve and silence beside him, but he doesn't want to disturb the atmosphere. “I’m actually kinda glad we ended up here instead of some shitty party. Wish I coulda made it with both nipples in tact, don’t get me wrong, but… yeah. I’m glad.” 

Bright teeth and glossy eyes gaze down at him, better than any Halloween decor or party lights could ever hope to be. Steve brushes the hair back from Eddie’s forehead and lets his other hand, large and warm, rest just above Eddie’s beating heart. 

“Me, too.”

Jeff snorts and shakes his head. “No chance, why can’t someone be like, Fiona or something?” 

“We need Donkey! He’s crucial to the story!” Eddie rolls his eyes and walks over to grab the mask. “Okay, circle up. We’re gonna Rock, Paper, Scissors this. On my count.” 

The rest of the band huddles around and Eddie counts to three. Gareth throws rock and celebrates as Frank and Jeff both throw scissors. 

“Redemption!” He celebrates as Eddie counts Frank and Jeff in for three. 

In the end, Frank gets stuck with the Donkey costume, Jeff reprises his Pinocchio costume, and Gareth steals Farquaad out from under Frank in the Rock, Paper, Scissors coup. No one is particularly happy, but Eddie doesn’t care. 

He doesn’t care because Shrek Night is his favorite show of the year. Since its inception a few years earlier, entirely by accident when Eddie was forced to perform as Shrek as a dare, it’s become something of a cult classic among Corroded Coffin fans. The last show they play before Halloween is a costume night, and the fans have taken to the theme like, well, like an ogre to mud. 

There’s something incredibly special about screaming the lyrics to their latest hit while a sea of Shreks and Gingys and Fionas scream along with him. 

And tonight is no different. 

—

“Shreddie! Shreddie! Shreddie!” 

The crowd roars to life as the group takes the stage, waddling in costumes and maybe a little itchy from body paint and latex masks. 

“Give it up for Donkey on the bass!” Eddie shouts, pointing to Frank. He gives his best, saddest wave. 

“Give it up for Pinocchio on the guitar!” He yells again as Jeff hammers a riff in response and grins in his fedora and suspenders. 

“And last but certainly not least, give it up for Lord Farquaad on the drums!” Gareth drums a little rimshot as the hat pokes out over the top of his high hat. How he plans on drumming the whole night crouched on his knees is beyond Eddie, but ultimately not up to him. 

The crowd goes insane, as usual, and Eddie takes a second to soak it all in, to glance over the various costumes before everyone melds into one collective unit of chaos. Fairy Godmothers, and Donkeys, and Fionas as far as the eye can see. He even spots a Puss in Boots in the front of the pit, standing next to a very attractive Gingy. 

He doesn’t have time to assess the life choices that lead him to have that particular thought though, because Gareth starts counting them in. 

—

Their originals are hits, of course, as are the covers. After all, it wouldn’t be a true Shrek Night without at least a couple of songs from the famed movies. 

“And then I saw her face!” He shrieks, his voice barely loud enough to be heard over the crowd. “Now I’m a believer!” 

He runs around the stage, careful not to lose the microphone (again) as Jeff, Gareth, and Frank pound away at the melody. As the song comes to a close, Eddie slides on his knees, hardly protected by the cheap beige pants from Walmart, to the edge of the stage. 

“Not a trace! Of doubt in my mind! I’m a believer!” He sings, drawing out the final note. 

Chants and applause follow him up and he falls to his back, guitar over his chest, pounding his feet and fists on the stage as he catches his breath. Green paint melts from his forehead and when he brushes his hair back, he pulls his fingers away to see shades of ogre paint that’s surely made its way into his hairline. 

Before he can stand, Gareth shouts into his microphone, presumably to give Eddie another second or two. It’s no secret that I’m A Believer is high octane. 

“Do you know…” Gareth pauses for effect before shouting. “The muffin man?” 

Before the crowd yells out together, jumbled and out of sync, a faux high-pitched voice rings out surprisingly close to Eddie’s feet. 

“The muffin man!” 

He sits up and spots him: the hot Gingy he’d noticed earlier, laughing with a scrunched up nose, leaning on his friend’s shoulder. 

Oh, fuck me, Eddie thinks. He’s adorable. 

It’s usually the other way around: Eddie being ogled by a fan in the front row, staring up at him like he’s something to eat, like he’s prey. Ignoring them is easy enough, typically appeased with just a smile or a wink to carry with them forever, but this guy? The one with the fuzzy brown onesie with purple button and white, pretend icing lining the legs and waist? Well, Eddie’s never actually wanted a fan in the front row to look at him until now. 

So he scoots to the end of the stage, legs dangling over the edge, and steals Gareth’s line. Grinning down at the guy pressed to the railing, he screeches. “The muffin man!”

Gingy’s friend, known only to him at this point as Puss in Boots, elbows him hard in the ribs and he looks up to see Eddie staring right at him, crooked grin, and in hindsight, probably a bit more unhinged than planned. 

His friend looks back and forth between them, disbelief in the shape of her mouth and furrowed forehead, but it seems to work because Gingy returns the smile and has the audacity to wink at him. 

Eddie raises his green brows towards his hairline and nods appreciatively. The barricade isn’t far from the edge of the stage, close enough for Eddie to leave the microphone to the side and ask Gingy and his friend to hang back after the show. 

—

After one crowdsurfing escapade from Jeff, one quip into the microphone from Gareth about how he now understands why Farquaad is always so cranky, and few more of the originals peppered with All Star and Bad Reputation covers, Corroded Coffin takes an awkward but well-deserved bow. The crowd cheers for more, even after their encore, but eventually filter out through the venue’s exit doors, flooding the parking lots and nearby streets with Shrek characters. 

Eddie’s sure the local bars are having a blast. 

The only fans left are Gingy and Puss in Boots, who Eddie desperately needs the real names of before his thoughts turn into a troubling Shrek fanfiction. With a quick word to their manager, Chrissy, he makes sure they won’t leave before he comes back with a plan— a very weird, very niche plan that he hopes works on the presumably dorky, albeit confident, man in the fuzzy onesie. 

Her wings bump him in the shoulder and remind him that she truly is his Fairy Godmother. 

“Eddie,” Jeff deadpans as he plops his prop fedora on the backstage table and unfastens the buttons of his suspenders. “Are you really about to go hit on a fan? Dressed as Shrek? With an onion?”

“Do you have a better idea?” He whirls on him, a lone onion from a backstage fridge somewhere in one hand and a sponge trying to at least clean up his face paint in the other. He’s sure he looks insane. And he may as well be at this point. 

“Uh, don’t? That’s the better idea?” Frank offers in the corner, his face red and sweaty from the suffocating Donkey mask. 

“Not an option, so Operation Onion is on. I’ll be back. Or not. Hopefully not, actually.” Eddie shakes his head and sets down the makeup sponge, places the onion in his prop burlap bag. “Wish me luck!” 

Gareth sighs with ice packs on his knees. “Nope.” 

—

Eddie approaches the open backstage area, the spare lounge where Chrissy’s talking with Gingy and Puss in Boots. Maybe talking a little more intently to Puss in Boots, but he can’t begrudge her. After all, Eddie’s doing the same thing, isn’t he? 

He catches a bit of the conversation before opening the door, overhearing Chrissy refer to them as Steve and Robin. 

Thank God, he thinks to himself. Better than the placeholders. 

By no means does Eddie consider himself a rockstar— not yet, anyways. He enjoys the mid-level shows he gets to do with his friends, especially on nights like this, but he’s yet to harness that rockstar swagger. At his core, he’s still the marginally insecure, frantic kid from Bumfuck Nowhere, Indiana who paints D&D miniatures and speaks Elvish. And dresses up as Shrek, apparently. 

All of that to say, his heart pounds in his chest and his tongue feels twisted around itself when he knocks on the door. 

“Oh, hey, Eddie! Come on in! Great show tonight!” Chrissy smiles, wide and bright, as she introduces Steve and Robin. “This is Steve, and this is Robin. Steve, Robin, you all know Eddie. Or, should I say, Shreddie?” 

All three groan and shake their heads in good nature. 

“To be fair, man, you are still in the get-up. I thought you were going backstage to change or something.” Steve teases, eyes full of mirth and challenge. 

Exactly Eddie’s type. 

“And leave the three of you dressed up and feel out of place? Not a fucking chance.” Eddie takes a breath and goes for it, channeling his years of drama and general theatrics. 

He goes to take his seat on the sofa and pretends to trip, his burlap bag tipping over in time for his onion to fall to the floor at Steve’s feet. 

“Shit, sorry, that’s my onion,” Eddie shrugs. “Happens sometimes. Ogre and all, y’know? By the way, you’re gorgeous.” 

“Oh my God,” Chrissy mutters under her breath and ducks her head, leaning an elbow on Robin’s shoulder and covering her eyes. 

Steve’s mouth falls open into a little O and sits quietly for a few beats, nothing but the girls chuckling off to the side and an onion between them. Eddie’s about to swallow his tongue and see himself out when Steve leans forward and picks it up, tossing it up in the air above his head and catching it like a baseball. 

“Looks like you dropped this. And uh, thanks. I could say the same to you.” 

Robin wheezes and doubles over. “Jesus Christ, Steve. I know I’m a lesbian and all but this? This is what works on you?” 

Eddie likes her already, and a quick glance to Chrissy tells him Chrissy does, too. 

“Is this Ogre discrimination? Do I have to explain that we have—”

“Layers!” Steve finishes for him, nudging her in the ribs. “Ogres have layers, Rob. Don’t be so close-minded, God. Besides, he’s half melted and just ransacked backstage for an onion. Don’t judge our mating rituals.” 

Mating rituals? Eddie grins with pursed lips and narrowed eyes. “Yeah, what he said.” 

Robin just shakes her head and gestures with one hand at the air between the two men, speechless. 

“Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna go see if this sweaty, half-melted, babbling Onion Man wants to make out or something.” Steve slaps his hands on his thighs, still covered in fuzzy material, and stands. “What do you say?” 

When he shows up backstage to introduce Steve to the rest of Corroded Coffin, both of their faces are now smeared with green paint and Steve sports painted handprints in some telling places. 

Eddie gives them a bright smile and jazz hands, his friends’ expressions are as impressed as they are confused.

Shrek Night really is his favorite show of the year. 

It's been over a month, is the thing.

He visited them on tour a couple times when they were in nearby cities, but the last stretch was in Europe and he hasn't seen Eddie in person since they left the country.

So when Eddie comes walking through their door, Steve instantly wants his mouth on him.

He kisses Eddie, greeting him, and has to stop himself from getting real personal with Eddie's tonsils. His friends probably wouldn't appreciate them ignoring everyone else to make out before sending everyone home.

He says his hellos and hugs the other members and then the band does the song and dance of going around and talking to everyone as Steve starts getting everyone drinks and food from the kitchen.

Steve's distracted the entire time, looking at Eddie as he talks to their friends, wandering in and out of the kitchen as people he's talking to get up for food. He keeps looking at Steve when he comes in the kitchen, like he can't look away either.

Eddie looks like so fucking good despite having just spent twelve hours on a plane. His shorter hair is tousled and curling down around his ears, his tight sinfully jeans and hugging his thighs, the stupid eyeliner he's been wearing all tour smudged around his eyes.

Steve wants to put his hands on him, wants to drop to his knees and swallow Eddie's dick, feel the piercing on the head of his dick touch the back of his throat.

He's missed him.

And he stupidly planned this party to welcome them all back without taking into account how much he'd want him.

With the way Eddie's looking at him when Steve glances at him again, the feeling appears to be mutual.

Once everyone has food, Steve makes his way into the living room and over to Eddie, where he's talking with Robin on the couch.

He sits down next to Eddie and Eddie's hand comes up to grip the back of Steve's neck on autopilot, barely glancing at him as he continues his story about what really happened with that fan who tried jumping over the barrier to get on stage at a concert.

Immediately, Steve's brain starts to calm down a little.

With Eddie's hand on his neck, it kind of feels like he's coming home too, more comfortable in his skin than he has been since Eddie left for tour. The weight of Eddie's hand on his neck is comforting and familiar.

When Robin gets up to refill her drink, he curls his body around Eddie's, one leg splaying over Eddie's lap. Eddie's hand comes up to rest on Steve's thigh, right under his ass.

Eddie looks at him and he has to kiss him, so he leans in and presses his mouth to Eddie's, their lips brushing softly. The hand on his neck tightens and Steve whimpers into Eddie's mouth.

He hears someone "aww" at them for this outward display of affection, but he doesn't care. He missed his husband and he's allowed to show it.

Eddie pulls back from the kiss and Steve leans closer to follow his lips, not done with him yet.

Eddie turns his head and smiles as he says, "Just a little while longer, okay? Then you can have me."

Steve swallows his protest and nods. He's the one who made the mistake of inviting everyone here - he can handle not having Eddie's dick in his mouth for a little while longer.

So he sucks it up and listens to the tour stories and looks at the pictures he's shown, cuddled up on the couch with Eddie the entire time. Their friends can probably tell he's impatiently waiting for them to leave because they don't drag it out too long- the other members of Corroded Coffin citing their tiredness on why they're leaving after barely being there for an hour.

As people start to trickle out, Steve rests his head on Eddie's shoulder, relieved that in just a few minutes, he'll get him all to himself. They can have a redo of this welcome home party if Eddie wants to have a better night with all of their friends.

Jeff glances over his shoulder and winks at them before shutting the door behind him as he leaves, leaving them alone for the first time in over a month.

"Hi, sweetheart," Eddie says, kissing Steve's forehead.

"Hi, daddy," Steve says, his face suddenly feeling hot because he knows something is coming, finally.

Eddie puts his hands in Steve's hair and pulls him up into a kiss, gentle at first, just their mouth brushing before he tilts his head and licks inside Steve's mouth.

Steve shifts further onto his lap, his hands coming up to rest on Eddie's shoulder as they kiss.

God, he's missed this. The feeling of Eddie's tongue on his, dragging against it as they lick at each other - it's making Steve's dick twitch in his pants.

He grinds down on Eddie, sucking on his tongue as Eddie dips his hands down the back of Steve's pants, grabbing his ass to press them more firmly together.

He moans into Eddie's mouth as the head of his cock catches on the seam of his pants, the friction making him leak precome onto the fabric.

Eddie pulls his mouth away from Steve's and Steve whines and tries to grind down harder, but Eddie puts his hands on his hips to still him.

"Stand up for me, baby," Eddie says in a soft voice and Steve does. He gets up off the couch and stands in front of him. "Take your clothes off."

Steve takes his clothes off for him, pulling his sweater over his head and pushing his jeans off. He stands before him, naked and hard in their living room.

Eddie leans forward to lick the wet tip of Steve's dick. Steve has to close his eyes because the visual is too much, Eddie tongue darting out to play with the head.

He opens his eyes when Eddie snaps his fingers.

"C'mere," Eddie says, patting his lap.

Steve climbs back onto his lap, straddling him, but Eddie rearranges Steve in his lap so his cock is riding right up against the fly of his jeans, pressing against the rough fabric, one of his legs between Eddie's.

"I'm exhausted, sweetheart, so you're gonna have to do all the work. Can you do that?" he asks, carding a hand through Steve's hair.

"I can do it," Steve says, licking his lips, looking at Eddie's mouth again.

"Rub yourself off on me, baby," he says and Steve starts moving.

He grinds his hips down on him, Eddie's hands sliding back around him again, one thrown around his waist, one cupping his ass to drive him down harder against him.

Steve leans in and presses his mouth to Eddie's again, tasting his precome on Eddie tongue as he pushes it into his mouth.

He groans as his cock slides roughly against Eddie's jeans, the edge of pain making him breathe heavier already.

Eddie puts his foot up against the coffee table behind Steve so that he has leverage to grind up against Steve despite saying he'd have to do all the work.

He pulls away again and brings his hand up to Steve's mouth, pressing his first two fingers around his lips. He says, "Get them wet," pushing them into Steve's mouth.

He gathers as much saliva as he can and laps at Eddie's fingers in his mouth, getting between them and coating them with his spit.

After a few moments, Eddie says, "Good boy," and pulls back, returning his hand to Steve's ass, his fingers delving between his cheeks. Steve presses his face into Eddie's neck.

With his arm around Steve's waist, holding him close, and his spit wet fingers prodding at his hole, Steve begins to move faster against him, panting into his neck.

Eddie's hand on his lower back strokes his skin there, making Steve nearly feral with how tender he's touching him. He grinds down against him harder, more precome leaking onto his jeans.

Eddie presses a finger inside him and Steve moans loudly at the feeling. He's only had his own fingers and toys to tide him over since Eddie left and having any part of him inside him again makes Steve's cock drip.

He fucks his cock against Eddie's jeans, humping against the rough, scratchy fabric. His head feels foggy - the pain dragging him under a little.

He shudders when Eddie fucks a second finger into him, fingers glancing his prostate.

He fucks himself back onto Eddie's fingers and against his jeans and feels his orgasm building in his stomach, his muscles clenching and his balls drawing up.

He whines into Eddie's neck, saying, "'m gonna come, daddy."

"It's okay, sweet thing. You can come for me," Eddie says and Steve does.

He comes all over Eddie's lap, his cock spurting come onto his jeans as Eddie presses his fingers down on Steve's prostate. He hiccups and gasps through it, tears at the corner of his eyes as Eddie uses his leverage on the coffee table again to grind up against him, dragging it out.

He comes down in Eddie's arms, shivering as Eddie keeps fucking his fingers inside him like he missed being inside Steve as much as Steve missed having him there.

"You made a mess," Eddie says after a minute, pulling his fingers out. He moves Steve out of his lap and onto his knees in front of him.

His come looks obscene on Eddie's black jeans, white splattered everywhere. He looks up at Eddie for direction.

"Lick up your mess," Eddie says as Steve blinks up at him.

Steve surges forward and drags his tongue over the come staining Eddie's jeans. He laves his tongue over the fabric, sucking his come into his mouth when he gets to the largest white spot. He licks the fabric until Eddie drags him back by his hair.

"Thank you, sweetheart. You're so good for me," Eddie says, stroking his hand over Steve's hair.

He cups Steve's face and Steve nuzzles his face against his hand, pressing a kiss to the center of his palm.

Eddie's other hand pops open the button on his jeans and Steve's attention snaps back to his lap. He pulls his hand away from Steve's face to drag his zipper down and pull his cock out.

Steve's been waiting for this. He opens his mouth reflexively and puts his hands on Eddie's thighs.

Eddie looks down at him and huffs out a laugh. "You want it?" he asks, stroking himself lightly, as if Steve hasn't been salivating over the thought since he set eyes on him.

He nods quickly and Eddie puts his hand in Steve's hair to guide him forward to take his cock into his mouth.

He sucks him down until he's hitting the back of his throat. Steve moans around the mouthful, grateful to have his cock back where it belongs.

Eddie pushes him down further on it and he relaxes his throat, letting his dick push into his throat, his eyes watering at the way it stretches his throat.

Eddie pulls him up and down on his cock, both hands gripping his hair like handles, using his throat to get himself off. Steve's dick twitches where it lays soft on his thigh.

He swallows around him and Eddie groans, tightening his hands in his hair, his hips twitching up into Steve's mouth.

Steve's skin is buzzing as Eddie fucks his cock into his throat, pulling him down until his lips are pressing against the zipper of his jeans over and over.

Eddie's breathing heavy and Steve tastes the salt of his precome on his tongue, so he knows it won't be long before he gets his come.

He tongues the underside of Eddie's dick, tongue catching on the head as Eddie pulls further out and dives right back in.

Eddie thighs tense up under Steve's hands and he comes, his come spurting down Steve's throat and then on his tongue as Eddie keeps fucking his cock in and out of his throat.

He pulls back so that the head of his cock is resting on Steve's tongue and Steve sucks at it, licking his frenulum, playing with his piercing, licking into the slit as the last bit of come trickles out.

Steve gentles his tongue when Eddie's hand comes to rest on the back of his neck again. He takes his cock fully into his mouth as it starts to soften.

He rests his check on Eddie's thigh with his soft cock in his mouth with Eddie's fingers stroking through his hair, his brain still buzzing.

Eddie pulls his cock out of Steve's mouth after a little while, tucking himself away, and returning Steve's cheek to his thigh, stroking through his hair once more.

He isn't sure how much time passes, but his brain gets less fuzzy with every passing minute.

He lifts his head when he comes back to himself, Eddie's hand coming up to stroke the indent the seam of his jeans left against his cheek.

"Welcome home," Steve says, his voice hoarse.