Abyssal Beach

He's going to have to leave town. That's all there is to it. He's going to pack up his shit and go before he has to face Steve with Steve knowing what he must know. That Eddie was watching. That Eddie was turned on by him bent over, ass in the air.

That Eddie clearly wants to fuck him.

Nope. He's not living through that. 

He'll leave town. Change his name. Eddie Munson? Who's that? Never heard of the guy.

Eddie is still looking around his room, deciding what he needs to take with him when he does this fleeing, when he hears the front door open and close.

"Eddie?" Steve calls out, and Eddie wishes he could disappear. 

Steve pushes open Eddie's bedroom door, the one in the new house, the one that isn't quite home. Not yet. Not ever. And Eddie is mortified. He should have just died at the teeth of the bats. That would have been preferable to this. 

He never asked to be friends with Steve Harrington.

He never asked to be attracted to him, or men in general, for that matter.

Eddie never asked for a lot of things he's been saddled with in life.

"Eddie?" Steve asks, voice closer, right behind him now.

"I'm sorry," Eddie says, refusing to turn and look at him.

"What for?" Steve asks, his hand now gripping Eddie's arm, turning him. He's still in his stupid workout gear, and Eddie just stares at his feet. At the scrunched leg warmers around his ankles.

"Why are you dressed like that?" Eddie chokes out, because he's never seen Steve in anything like it. Steve's all man. With the chest hair, and the big hands. He's not neon green and hot pink. It's just not him.

Steve laughs, "Robin thought it'd be fun. I don't know. We just decided to try them out with one of Robin's workout tapes. Jane Fonda. She's a babe," Steve says, and Eddie doesn't think Jane Fonda is a babe. He thinks Steve is a babe.

And there lies the problem.

"Or so Robin says," Steve adds, and Eddie still can't look at him. "Why'd you run away?"

Steve must know. He has to. 

Eddie shakes his head.

And Steve's hand settles on Eddie's hip, tugging him closer. This is just gonna make everything so much worse, but Eddie allows himself to be pulled further into Steve's orbit. 

"Did you like what you saw?" Steve asks, and Eddie can't deny it. Can't say anything with Steve's thumb finding a sliver of bare skin beneath Eddie's sleeveless tee, the arm holes cut far too large. Rubbing. Caressing him.

"Eddie," Steve says, breath ghosting across Eddie's cheek.

He's too close. 

Eddie wants him closer, still.

And Eddie's impulsive side wins. He's moving, suddenly, probably startling Steve. But Steve goes with it. Allowing Eddie to push him onto his back, flopping on the new mattress that Eddie hasn't even gotten broken in yet.

Legs falling open. Hips tilted. The little nylon shorts, slipping up his hairy thighs, pooling at his crotch.

Eddie pushes Steve's legs further upward, fingers gripping his thigh as he bends him backwards, pressing his dick, hard and trapped in his jeans, against Steve's ass.

Steve moans, a hoarse, deep sound, and Eddie thrusts against him.

"Is this what you wanted when you put on this outfit?" Eddie asks, voice ragged, breathless. "Did you want to drive me crazy? Did you want me to fuck you?"

Steve whines, clutching at Eddie's messy sheets.

"Unintended consequences," Steve says, meeting Eddie's eyes, and Eddie rubs against him harder. Then, slides his hand down into the leg hole of those loose shorts, hand curling around Steve's big dick. Hard and trapped by his underwear. Eddie rubs him, thumb grazing the sensitive head of Steve's cock as Steve clenches all his muscles. Eyes dark, pupils blown wide open.

Eddie keeps jerking him off through his briefs as he ruts against his ass, Steve's feet swaying in the air.

It's absurd. 

It's also the hottest thing Eddie's ever experienced, and he's not even naked.

"Gonna fuck you just like this someday," Eddie says, running his mouth, "Gonna keep you bent over and begging."

Steve comes, body tensing, a long whine escaping his throat. 

And Eddie thrusts against his ass a few more times, before making a mess of his own boxers. Breathing heavy as he backs off, and gently lowers Steve's shaking legs to the mattress.

Steve's face is flushed, glistening with a sheen of sweat, and Eddie leans forward and kisses his forehead. Steve doesn't stand for that though. No, he grabs Eddie by the back of the neck, crushing their lips together, his tongue sliding into Eddie's mouth, brushing against Eddie's.

Eddie kisses him until Steve pulls back, still holding Eddie's neck, "You promise?"

And Eddie isn't following.

"Promise what?" Eddie asks.

"That you're gonna keep me bent over and begging," Steve says, and Eddie groans.

Fuck. He's in over his head.

Oh well. 

Guess he'll drown.

He’s shivering and his hair is soaking wet, probably from snow falling on it for who knows how long. What little he can see of his face is pale with red splotches like he’s got a rash or was crying. Steve’s pretty sure if he stays outside for too long, he’ll die.

“Dude, it’s freezing out here and you’re soaked. At least warm up a little in my car,” Steve tries, though it seems to fall on deaf ears. Eddie practically growls at him to go away, but Steve is stubborn. “I’m not gonna be witness to your death, man.”

“Then leave.”

Steve’s shocked into silence for a moment. Does he want to freeze to death? Seems like a pretty terrible way to go. If he actually wanted to die, he’d–

Well, maybe he thinks differently than Steve.

“No.”

Finally, Eddie looks up. Probably more out of frustration than anything else, but it lets Steve take him in better.

He has been crying. His teeth are chattering. His cheeks are bright red, but his lips are almost blue.

“I’m not letting you freeze to death. No one deserves that,” Steve continues. He grabs Eddie’s arm and tugs him up, not surprised when he can’t seem to stand on his own. Who knows if frostbite has already settled somewhere, or if he is dehydrated or starving. “The heat’s on and I’m sure I have something to help warm you up a little in the trunk.”

He’s actually not sure, but he’ll check anyway.

Eddie doesn’t put up much of a fight as he leads him to the passenger seat, but he’s probably not really able to. He seems too weak to waste energy on trying to run away. He’s glad he’s the one who found him and not someone who would hurt him.

Once he’s settled in the front seat, Steve closes the door and goes to open the trunk. He usually has a spare jacket at least hanging around, or a scarf left behind from one of the kids, maybe. Anything that might help warm him up.

He moves the nail bat out of the way, and the bag of clothes he’s supposed to bring to the donation center for Dustin’s mom. None of that will fit Eddie. He sees something in the back that looks like it might be sweater material, but it’s small. Maybe a kid did leave a scarf back here.

He reaches for it.

Leg warmers. How the hell does he have leg warmers and not a jacket?

He doesn’t know who they belong to or why they’re in his trunk, but it’s gotta be better than nothing. He could put them on his arms or something.

Steve closes the trunk and gets in the driver seat, holding out the leg warmers as if it’s a normal thing to provide someone shivering in the passenger seat.

“What are these?” Eddie asks through chattering teeth. That’s probably a good sign. Or maybe it’s not. Steve isn’t familiar with hypothermia signs. Eddie takes them and snorts. “I don’t think leg warmers are gonna help much.”

“It’s all I have. I’m taking you home,” Steve puts the car in drive, ready to pull back onto the road when Eddie’s shaking hand covers his arm. “What?”

“I can’t go home,” Eddie says, eyes wide and lip trembling. He looks scared. “Just take me to…I guess my friend Jeff’s house?”

“Where does Jeff live?”

“Same neighborhood as the Wheelers,” Eddie still looks terrified, like he might try to jump out of the car if Steve doesn’t agree. “I can get in without waking anyone up.”

Steve shakes his head. “No, I’ll just take you to mine.”

Eddie doesn’t argue, but he’s pretty sure the second he takes his eyes off him when they get to his house, he’ll run for it. He might chase him down. He might not.

The leg warmers sit unused on the center console. Steve doesn’t push.

–

Eddie’s snoring on his couch.

He looks warm and peaceful.

Steve nudges his shoulder gently to wake him. “Hey, man. I made some eggs and toast if you’re hungry.”

Eddie turns onto his stomach and lets out a loud snore.

Maybe later, then.

–

It takes a few days of Eddie quietly moving through Steve’s house before he finally seems to realize Steve isn’t gonna push him to talk or leave.

“My uncle found out I’m…uh,” Eddie breathes out. “Gay.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.” Eddie sighs. “He didn’t do anything. Didn’t even say anything to me. I just ran.”

Steve doesn’t really know Wayne Munson well, and he’s pretty sure that’s on purpose. Wayne keeps to himself, always has. But he took Eddie in a while ago when he easily could’ve said no. He donates food every Thanksgiving even though he’s working overtime just to pay his own bills. He helps the elderly people in the park mow their lawns over the summer.

“You worried he’s gonna hit you or something?” Steve asks.

“Not really. Just don’t think he’d want me around anymore.”

Steve hums. “Why don’t you talk to him?”

Eddie frowns. “Are you kicking me out?”

“Yeah, man,” Steve laughs. “Your uncle is probably worried about you. And he loves you. Don’t run from that.”

“No, no don’t do this to me,” Eddie mutters as the radio crackles and fades in and out. He pulls out the aerial, angles it just so, and Robin’s voice resolves out of the static.

“-15 minutes of back to back rock for all you listeners out there who still think it’s the 1970s. To start off, a classic from Lynyrd Skynyrd and some fun facts for those long, lonely, lockdown nights where you’ve exhausted every possible topic of conversation with the same four people. Hey, who knows? Maybe your aunt would like to know that as well as Mississippi Boy which is caressing your ears now, their debut album included the seminal Tuesday’s Gone, considered by many to be Van Sant’s finest hour. But don’t stop there, because if you make it to the last of the eight tracks you’ll find the legendary Free Bird, with a guitar solo that goes all. night. long.”

Eddie scrabbles for the note pad and scribbles as fast as he can, capturing Robin’s code. “Tuesday… …8…damn it Sinclair why is this so complicated?”

Lucas and Erica had been beaming with pride when they presented Eddie with the idea.

“It’s simple, really.” Erica said “Even if they listen in, they’ll never crack it.”

“Simple for you,” Eddie fumes, “Not all of us have have a cryptic crossword champion for a mother.”

Mississippi Boy spins to an end and Robin’s voice fades in.

“15 minutes of rock with no interruptions,” She says. “But don’t miss me too much, I’ll be back before you know it.”

The applause FX cuts in, and Eddie can’t help but smile, imaging Steve cuing it. He really is far gone if a crackly crowd noise has him pining.

The pattern of knocks is the correct one for this week, so Eddie slides the rug aside and unlocks the trap door.

“Speak, friend, and enter,” he says as Steve’s head pops through.

“Oh, just friend, is it?” Steve says, placing the bag of groceries on the floor and pulling himself up with a flex of muscle that makes Eddie’s mouth water.

Eddie just kisses him, urgent, as soon as the trap door’s closed.

“No need to rush,” Steve says like he isn’t being just as urgent. “Didn’t you get the message? We have all night.”

“It’s been weeks,” Eddie says. “And you’re lucky I even got the time right, Robin’s riddles are getting too complex.”

“What you want her to say, ‘hey wanted murderer that’s supposed to be dead, your boyfriend’s coming to your secret hideout to fuck your brains out at 8pm on a Tuesday?’ ”

“Would be simpler,” Eddie says, letting himself be walked back to the bed. God Steve smells good. “You could add a little sound effect.”

But he can't.

The memories of that one time with Steve and that girl he didn't even bother to remember the name of are already enough to make it hard to be in Steve's presence and think. And that was in a dark room, with the girl in-between them all the time. But Steve was naked and making those delicious sounds. And Eddie did see a little but not enough, did hear a lot but would like so much more.

So, no, he can't join Steve and the next girl for another threesome and pretend that he's interested in the girl, not even that he's in it for the sake of having a threesome, not when all he wants is to see and feel and hear more of Steve. Steve alone.

"No," he says again, trying to convince Steve as much as himself. He even looks at Steve with all the sincerity he can.

A fatal mistake.

Steve looks back with those big eyes. He's not begging and doesn't look sad, but determined in a way that's somehow even worse.

There's no way Eddie is going to say no if Steve asks again, not with the way Steve's jaw is set and all his focus is on Eddie. Just how he wished for it to be afterwards, hands on himself and every minuscule detail he got of Steve running through his mind until he had to take another shower.

Steve opens his mouth again–