trc x twitter smau pt 28/???

by drakaina

“I think we’re almost out of time this evening, so thanks to everyone who called in,” Harrington said once My Bologna finished. “It kind of sucks we don’t have anywhere left in town for anyone to play at, but this can’t last forever. You’ll all be back to your trips to the city to see your favorite bands before you know it, and, hey, maybe we’ll even get Corroded Coffin back headlining at the Hideout.”

“Hoooooly shit,” Gareth said, throwing himself towards the front of the car again and stretching his arm out to turn the radio volume up. “Did Steve fucking Harrington just shout out our band?”

Gareth had never believed Henderson when he’d tried to tell them that Harrington wasn’t a bad guy, but maybe listening to him covering for Buckley on The Squawk would be the thing to finally convince him — and let Corroded Coffin in one of Hawkins’ biggest secrets.

Words: 5522, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Stranger Things (TV 2016)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: M/M

Characters: Gareth (Stranger Things), Jeff (Stranger Things), Unnamed Freak (Stranger Things), Steve Harrington, Eddie Munson

Relationships: Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson

The Crawl 🦇 Part 1

“It was Billy, wasn't it,” Max says next to him. The hospital wouldn't allow them all to crowd into Steve's room together, so it's just him and Max here while Lucas and Mike are down in the lobby. Will already got picked up by Jonathon.

“We don't know that,” Dustin argues. “It could've been anyone.”

“Billy hates him,” Max says softly. He looks over, but she's staring at Steve. “He did this.”

She's probably right, but Dustin doesn't want to admit it. There's no proof. They need to gather the facts, look for evidence, and make a logical conclusion.

Steve shifts and mumbles something, eyes still closed. Dustin darts over to his side.

“Steve?”

“Eddie,” Steve mumbles.

Eddie? Who the hell is Eddie? He exchanges a glance with Max, who looks just as confused as he is.

“Is that who hurt you? Steve, c’mon. Talk to me.”

But Steve's out again, sighing in his sleep, face going slack.

“Do you know any Eddies?” he asks Max.

She shakes her head. “Sorry.”

That's okay. They can get the phone book, write down the name of every Eddie in Hawkins, eliminate unlikely suspects and go from there. It's not much, but it's a start.

It makes dating difficult because he'll have to radomly cancel on plans sometimes and there are only so many times someone will understand 'Max fell of her skateboard again I have to take her to the ER' or 'I'm so sorry but I promised Lucas I'd help him practice his shot tonight' or 'Robin went and left her keys in my car again and now she's locked out, do you mind if I'm just a little late?'. It always stops being sweet eventually, but Steve doesn't mind because if someone can't get on board with his family committments then they're not the right person for him.

Robin insists it's because he dates all these really uptight people who see him as a status symbol. And he needs to find someone more laid back chaotic to compliment the chaos in his life. After his latest date falls through because one of his friend decided to 1 v 1 Lucas in basket ball and dislocated his little finger (Mike, goaded into it by Max), he tells Robin he gives up and allows her to set him up with her friend.

He's surprised at first when Eddie "the freak" Munson steps into the diner, mostly because he didn't know Robin knew the guy. Once they settle into it though, Steve realises he's having fun, more fun than he usually has on dates. And it definitely helps that Eddie is just Steve's type with his wavy brown hair and big doe eyes.

The banter between them is flowing well when Steve catches sight of the date in the corner of the screen of a TV on the wall.

"Oh shit," He says, his heart sinking because he actually likes Eddie.

Eddie notices Steve's expression falling and touches his arm gently. "What's wrong?"

Steve lets out a loud sigh. "I just remembered I promised Dustin I'd go to his debate team thing tonight. He's been practicing for ages, I'm going to have to go."

Eddie gives him a small smile. "Ah yes, the single mom duties Buckley warned me about."

"Yeah," Steve sighs. "There's always something, but I love them. They're like family, you know?"

Eddie nods. "Yeah, I know."

Steve prepares for rejection. "I can drive you home on the way?"

"Drive me home?" Eddie questions, confused. "And miss Steve Harrington doing his best impression of a single mom? No chance, I'm coming with you."

While Steve is reeling over that, he adds. "Besides, I gotta meet the future step children and embarrass them publically at some point. It's an important right of passage."

Steve is ready to propose right there, luckily Eddie breaks him out of it by handing him their food to go.

A few hours later they're almost thrown out of the event for yelling things like, "Yeah, tell him Henderson!" Every time he catches his opponent off guard.

Steve has been trying to keep his and Eddie's growing relationship lowkey. He remembers how frustrated Dustin was when Mike was so wrapped up in his relationship with El that he was flaking out on group plans. He doesn't want Dustin to think that's what's going to happen here. As if either of them would forget about Dustin.

So when Dustin says he needs a second and steps out of the room, Steve's heart sinks. He's already been feeling that Dustin is starting to become closer to Eddie than him because they have more hobbies in common, so he's fully expecting Dustin to accuse him of stealing his new friend. However, when Dustin comes back in, his stern look is fixed on Eddie.

"Eddie, I'm only going to say this once. I know Steve can handle himself, but he's family and he's been through a lot. So, I like being your friend, but if you ever hurt him, I'll spend every day making your life a living nightmare until you make it right," Dustin warns him to Steve's absolute shock. "And if I ever see him cry because of something you've said or done and they're not happy tears, I'm throwing your favourite guitar into the quarry. Am I clear?"

Steve is oddly touched because he's never had someone give a shovel talk on his behalf before. Eddie looks half impressed and half horrified as he nods his agreement. Dustin's expression goes right back to normal as soon as he's sure he's got the message across.

“Stop calling me that,” Steve says when it’s just the two of them in the hall. “I’m actually a really good swimmer.”

“…What?”

“I’m going - like, I’m going to try out for the swim team and I’ll probably make it,” He tells him. “My - my timing on my breaststroke is. It’s pretty great.”

“Oh, I’m sure you’ll be a hit in the locker room,” Eddie grins. “I hear they love a guy with a good stroke.”

“Shut up, man,” Steve says, going red at the implication. “I’m just saying, I’m not a guppy.”

“A - you think I’ve been calling you a guppy?”

“I’m like,” Steve thinks. “I’m like a shark, yeah? Or a - barracuda. I’m not a tiny little fish.”

Eddie blinks at him.

“Who’s they???”

“The people with the bone saw.”

The party has realised how much these things seem to be drawn to him and they start using him as bait which works surprisingly well.

But then one day he sits down and says, “Okay we have to figure out how to fix this ‘monsters being in love with me’ thing because I think it’s making me crazy.”

“Elaborate,” Dustin demands.

Steve sighs and runs a hand through his hair. “Last night I had a dream that I was in the locker room changing after a shower and Tommy H came up behind me and slapped my ass like usual. But then I looked over my shoulder and he had Vecna’s face and he just winked at me and said ‘hey cutie, what are you doing tonight?’ and I was like ‘sorry I’m babysitting’ and he said ‘that’s too bad, you looked fantastic when you were flinging one of my bats around by its tail’. Then he kissed me on the mouth and left. His breath smelled so gross guys, it was awful. Worst kiss of my life.”

The room is silent for a few seconds, just staring at him in disbelief. Then Robin speaks up. “Steve, are you sure…” she hesitates because she still can’t get over the implication that Vecna is horny for her best friend. “Are you sure that was just a dream?”

Hopper needs this kid to lose count.

Steve informs him, “I think you should call in the dogs.”

“Call in the dogs,” Hopper repeats, sitting a can of mixed vegetables back on the shelf at Melvald’s so he could give the kid a look. “And have them do what?”

“Find him,” He says. “He’s missing.”

“He’s not missing, Steve. He’s with his father.”

“In Pennsylvania, I know. You already said that,” Steve says it like he doesn’t believe it’s true, which it’s not. Hopper made it up. He has no clue where that kid lives.

“I asked my teacher to show me a map and that’s only this far away,” Steve says, holding two fingers an inch apart. “I can make it.”

“No, you can’t,” Hopper says seriously. “And you’re not going to try. That space is the entire state of Ohio. You can wait until he visits.”

“No, I can’t,” Steve whines. He even stomps his foot. “He’s my weird friend and I miss him a bunch, and that’s - that’s why you should get the dogs.”

“He’s kinda stinky,” He continues, moping behind Hopper as he does his shopping. “They can smell him, find him, and then he can ride on one of their backs all the way here and come to my sleepover.”

“My mama says I can have a sleepover soon,” Steve tells him. “It’s my first one and he has to be there ‘cause me, Tommy, and Carol are three people. That’s an odd number, and you hav’ta have an even number so no one is left out. I don’t have any more friends.”

“Dogs don’t work like that.”

Steve groans loudly.

“Tough break, kid,” Hopper tells him. “You’ll just have to make another friend.”

They’re near the front of the store where Joyce has both her boys with her after Lonnie bailed.

He nudges Steve towards Jonathan, “There you go, a new friend. Say hi.”

“Hi, Jonathan,” Steve says flatly.

Jonathan silently waves back.

The judge doesn’t accept Steve’s request to change Eddie to home arrest, even though Steve has enough proof that Eddie has a clean background, a stable job and checks every single requirement.

The judge explains Eddie’s case got a lot of attention, there was a lot of rage against him and that it’s safer for him if he stays in the detention center.

Bullshit. So much bullshit Steve leaves the courthouse gritting his teeth.

Eddie is not even surprised when he tells him the news.

“I’ve been trailer trash all my life, Steve,” he shrugs. “And Carver has always been Hawkins golden boy. He didn’t even need to make that much effort to convince everyone I’m guilty. They probably think I’ve corrupted Chrissy, or some other bullshit.”

“Well, they’re wrong.”

“Never said they weren’t.”

Once the request for home arrest is denied, Steve takes his files, packs a bag and drives all the way to Hawkins. He has two missions there: he’s gonna talk to the Police himself, in hopes they give him something they might have left out of their final report, then he’s gonna see Eddie’s uncle, Wayne.

Steve starts by going to the Police Station because he just knows this is gonna be his most troublesome task.

He’s not wrong.

The woman at the front desk is agreeable enough. She hands Steve the files he requires, answers his questions, but everything she knows is what Steve already knows too.

The Police Chief, though, is a complete jackass.

He makes Steve wait three hours before he finally agrees to see him, and when he does, he’s dismissive and refuses to discuss the case.

“Whatever you need to know is in the file,” the man says, over and over, no matter what Steve asks him.

When Steve mentions Officer Callahan, the guy who arrested Eddie, the Chief’s face becomes a mask of distaste.

“Officer Callahan doesn’t work here anymore; I won’t discuss anything regarding him.”

Frustration doesn’t even begin to explain what Steve feels when he leaves the Police Station.

Steve feels useless, for one. Eddie’s trusting him, Steve’s promised him he’d get Eddie out of jail, and yet he’s not any closer to that than he was when his father first handed him the case. He also feels like he's being toyed with; by his father, by the Police Chief, by the Judge. And this not only frustrates Steve but also makes him very fucking pissed too.

He drives to Forrest Hills in a sour mood, mind going over his next steps as the scenery changes outside the car window. When Steve gets to the trailer park, the sun is setting, and the sky is deep orange.

The Munson's trailer is located in the far back of park, close to the wired fence. Eddie told him to look for a white trailer, with a red front door and a small tomato garden on its left side, so that's what Steve does. It's not hard to find; it's the only trailer with anything close to a garden.

He's just barely parked his car outside, when the front door opens and a man steps out. He's probably in his fifties, his face is wrinkled and wearied as if he’s used to spending too long outdoors in the sun, skin darkened way past a healthy tan. The baseball cap he's wearing can only cover so much of his graying hair.

Steve takes his time locking his car. He checks his files to make sure he's got everything before making his way to the man.

“Hi, I'm Steve Harrington,” he says, offering a hand. “I'm your nephew's new lawyer. It's Wayne Munson, right? We talked over the phone yesterday.”

The man eyes him for a moment, accessing and serious, before ignoring Steve's extended hand and pulling him into a bear hug.

“Thank you for believing in my boy,” Wayne says, raspy and with so much emotion Steve’s eyes sting a little.

They talk for a good while. Wayne makes them coffee, and they drink it while Steve explains Eddie's situation and the options they have. He tells Wayne about the request the judge denied, about how difficult the Police Chief is being, and how the man seems to be trying to keep Steve away from that Callahan guy.

“Eddie told me that your neighbor, Mrs. Miller, saw how injured Eddie was when he got home and that she also helped him out. The Police report doesn't mention Eddie’s injuries; the doctor signed a document stating that your nephew was in perfect health and physical condition when he was arrested, but we know this is a lie. Cases like Eddie's are tricky because we're dealing with a jury, not a judge, but this can also be a good thing. A jury is just a bunch of normal people with no real legal knowledge, so we don't need to worry about being too technical, we just have to convince them that Eddie is innocent. And I think, if we can get Mrs. Miller to testify, we can make them doubt how trustworthy the Police is being while dealing with this case. I want them to question themselves, ‘if the Police is lying about what happened the day Eddie was arrested, what else are them lying about?’ This might not get Eddie out yet, but it surely can buy me more time so I can make a full background check on Jason Carver.”

Wayne listens to everything in complete silence, nodding here and then just to reassure Steve that he's paying attention. By the time Steve's done, Wayne's finished his coffee, and Steve's cold in his mug.

“You're really invested in this, aren't you? Hopper told me you'd be, but I had my doubts when he told me who your father was. Guess I was wrong.”

“I'm sorry, but who's Hopper? And how do you know my father?”

“Your daddy and I went to school together, once upon a time,” Wayne hums, taking Steve's mug to replace the cold coffee with a fresh one. “And as for Hopper, he's the guy that convinced your father to accept this pro bono case. You should really talk to him, I'm sure he's got some very enlightening information to share with you. He used to be the Police Chief here before he retired last year.”

And just like that, luck starts smiling on Steve. Fucking finally.

-

-

And that’s how Eddie, who’s been trying to stifle the stupid crush he has on his daughter’s teacher (he’s also the baseball coach which makes it even worse ahem better) ends up with a hot ex-jock moving furniture around his living room like it’s nothing at 3am, while he stands there like an idiot in his Garfield pajamas.

Not to mention, Steve also has a daughter that he had to bring along because it’s the middle of the night and she’s not happy about it. Hands on her hips, that same pose that Eddie has memorized Steve doing on the sidelines, interrogating him about why he wasn’t following the rules.

His management hires him a wrangler.

Unfortunately, out of frustration and laziness, they hire the first clean cut guy to come in for an interview and this Steve guy?

He’s insane.

His management clearly looked at the polo shirt and trendy hair, and ignored the clear mental breakdown this guy is having.

He’s jumpy as fuck and responds to everything like it’s a life and death situation. He’s escalating situations that Eddie didn’t know could be escalated.

Eddie is kinda in love.