#background ronance

The signs are subtle, at first, but they're there, and Nancy can see them from a mile away. She's got the added bonus of having been the object of Steve's affections, once upon a time, so she knows what to look for. She knows that with Steve, it always starts with the lingering glances. He's never been able to keep his eyes off the people he wants, and it's this that first clues her in on the whole thing.

She's at Penny's Diner with Steve, Robin, and Eddie, and their waitress is laying it on thick, flirting relentlessly with Steve, batting her eyelashes dramatically and swaying her hips more than is objectively necessary whenever she walks away. And sure, Steve hasn't gone for any of the girls that act this way around him in a long time, but he always, always looks. Hell, even Nancy looks, sometimes, when a girl is objectively pretty. She's big enough to admit (to herself, at least) that boys aren't the only dating pool she's interested in, now that she and Jonathan are done.

But that day at Penny's, Steve doesn't give the poor waitress so much as a second glance, because that day, Steve can't seem to stop looking at Eddie.

At first, Nancy is sure she's imagining it – the way Steve's eyes linger on the dungeon master like he can't bring himself to look away – but it gets harder and harder to deny the longer they sit there sipping their milkshakes. Eddie is debating something silly with Robin, and Steve is just... watching him.

Steve's got this fond little smile on his face, and it's a look Nancy recognizes immediately. It used to be directed at her. And honestly? She's a bit relieved it's not, anymore, because she loves Steve, but not like that. Not the way she was worried Steve still loved her... the way she wonders if Steve might be falling for Eddie.

She sort of keeps an eye out for things, after that day – the little things that give Steve away when he's crushing hard on somebody. The lingering glances. The soft smiles. The brief touches. The flimsy excuses for stepping into Eddie's space, like the day Steve sees Eddie struggling with the lighter, and instead of just lending Eddie his own, he steps forward until their shoes are practically touching and holds up the flame for him.

She sees it all and wonders how in the world nobody else has caught on yet. Even Robin, Steve's best friend in the entire world, seems puzzled by the sudden lack of dates on Steve's calendar. Sometimes Nancy wants to grab her by the shoulders and tell her to just think a little harder.

(Nancy wants to grab Robin by the shoulders for other reasons, too – reasons that involve pulling Robin closer and kissing the living daylights out of her – but that's neither here nor there.)

But no matter how long Steve's pining lasts, no matter how obvious he's getting, nobody else seems to notice. It's mildly infuriating, but Nancy isn't about to talk to anyone else about it. It's dangerous being queer in this part of Indiana, and even though she knows that their little monster-fighting family won't care, it's still not her secret to tell.

It all comes to a head at a bonfire one night, midway through the summer, when the kids are once again grilling Steve on his sudden lack of a dating life. And it's Max who first cottons on to the most plausible explanation.

"Oh my God, wait, you like someone!" Max gasps midway through Dustin's interrogation.

There's a brief silence, and then the kids are all shouting.

"Oh, shit, Max, you're right. He totally does!" Dustin cries.

Steve tries to protest, but it's useless, because ever since Steve shed his royal persona two years ago, he's been a truly terrible liar. He looks like a deer in headlights, eyes wide and vaguely panicky, but Dustin Henderson has never been very good at letting things go.

"You have to tell us who it is!" Dustin presses. "We're your friends, Steve. Friends tell each other things. Unless..." Dustin gasps dramatically. "Unless she's someone we know..."

That shuts everyone up all at once, even Robin and Eddie, who have been having their own little conversation off to the side. Everyone stares at Steve, and then half of their eyes go to Nancy herself, and the other half land on Robin. It might make Nancy laugh, if Steve didn't look so close to throwing up.

"Right, well this is stupid," Steve says, smacking his hands on his knees and pushing up out of the chair. "I'm going to get another drink, and when I get back, we're dropping this."

He turns and hurries into the house, and Nancy glances around their little circle. Robin looks confused, but mostly worried. Eddie looks vaguely sick. And most of the kids just look shocked. They all start to murmur amongst themselves after the door slides shut behind Steve's retreating form. Nancy sees the way his whole body seems to sag, watching through the glass, and decides she's had enough.

She gets up, ignoring the way the murmuring gets louder as she walks, and follows him.

She finds Steve bent over the kitchen counter, palms pressed into the granite and head bent towards his chest. He looks like he's on the verge of panicking, and her heart aches for him. He's been through so much – some of which Nancy knows is her fault – and God, she just wants him to be happy for once.

"Steve?" she says softly.

Steve flinches at the sound of her voice, like he was so lost in thought he didn't even realize she'd followed him.

"There's something I wanted to-"

"Before you say anything, it's not you," he interupts flatly before she can finish. He pushes off the counter to look at her with sad, earnest eyes. "I know things were, like, weird when we were in the Upside Down, and we never really talked about it, but... I don't feel that way about you anymore. So you don't have to worry."

Nancy just blinks at him.

"That... that's what you wanted to talk about, right?" he asks.

"No, actually," Nancy says carefully. "I sort of knew you didn't feel like that about me, and I don't feel that way about you, so that's a non-issue, but..."

Steve looks relieved for a second, then tenses up again. "But...?" he says, raising an eyebrow.

"I, um... I think I might have an idea who it is – if Max is right, that is, and you really do like someone," she says.

Steve sighs. "It's not Robin, if that's what you're thinking."

"No," Nancy says softly, shaking her head. "No, it's not."

Steve frowns and averts his eyes, arms crossing protectively over his chest. He doesn't say anything.

Nancy considers her options. She wonders how she should play this, how to go about bringing this up. In the end, she just goes with her gut.

"Did you know I like girls?" she asks. It's the first time she's said it aloud to anyone, but it feels good. It feels like the right time. Besides, she wants to do this for Steve – to make him feel more comfortable. It's the least she can do.

Steve's eyes snap up to look at her again.

"I still like boys, too, but yeah... I like both, so..." She takes a deep breath. "If there was anything you wanted to tell someone about how you feel about... someone else... I'm not going to judge you."

Steve bites his lip. He looks painfully conflicted, and a little bit like he might cry. "I, uh..." he stammers. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath… clears his throat. "Okay first of all, thank you for trusting me with that, and you know I support you. I just want you to be happy, Nance."

Nancy nods, because she knows. She's always known. "That's what I want for you, too," she says. She takes a step forward and takes one of his hands in hers, because Steve's eyes are getting watery, and she hates seeing people cry. "You don't have to tell me, but if you want-"

"I think I like Eddie," Steve says suddenly, voice whisper-soft. He looks terrified when he meets Nancy's eyes again. "I, um... yeah. I like Eddie."

Nancy offers him what she hopes is an encouraging smile and nods. "Yeah, I kinda figured."

"Shit, am I that obvious?" Steve says weakly, and Nancy can't help but laugh softly.

"God, no," she says. "Well, to me, you are, but to everyone else? God, they're clueless. I promise you that nobody else has any clue, and it's been driving me crazy."

To her relief, Steve huffs out a soft laugh, as well. "Yeah, well, you've always been sort of freakishly observant, haven't you?"

It's true. She's always been like this, and that's precisely why she feels confident enough to make her next statement.

"You should tell him, Steve," she says.

Because Steve isn't the only person she's been watching for the past few months.

She's been watching Eddie, too, so she's seen Eddie's dopey, smitten smile whenever Steve makes a terrible joke. She's watched Eddie pull his hair in front of his mouth bashfully after Steve teases him. She's seen the blush on Eddie's cheeks whenever Steve steps into his personal space.

Steve Harrington isn't the only one who's been busy falling in love.

As usual, nobody else has noticed.

"No, absolutely not," Steve says, pulling his hand away and running both hands through his hair instead. "Are you crazy, Nance? He'll hate me!"

Nancy is pretty sure she deserves an Oscar for keeping her expression neutral, because the urge to roll her eyes is physically painful to resist.

"Steve," she says calmly. "I love you, and I love Eddie, but the two of you are idiots if you can't see how hard you've been pining over each other, and I am not above physically knocking your heads together to get you to realize that."

Steve's eyebrows disappear behind his hairline, and Nancy almost laughs. "Jesus, when did you get so threatening, Wheeler?" he grumbles, but there's a hint of a smile on his face. It's quickly swept away by fear, though, and Nancy's heart breaks a little when Steve looks at her with those puppy-dog eyes of his and asks, "What if you're wrong?"

She's only just opened her mouth to reply when the sliding door opens again, and someone else joins them in the kitchen.

Eddie's eyes dart back and forth between Nancy and Steve assessingly, and Nancy has to bite back a laugh because oh. Eddie was jealous.

"Sorry to interrupt," Eddie says, one eyebrow raised. "Just wanted to make sure everything was okay." He focuses his gaze on Steve, eyes softening. It's disgustingly adorable, how earnestly concerned he looks. "You doin' alright, Stevie? Kinda left in a hurry back there."

Steve glances at Nancy, face becoming redder by the second. Nancy smiles.

"Well I'm going to let you talk," she says casually. Steve's eyes nearly bug out of his head, but she puts both hands on his shoulders and looks him straight in the eyes before he can protest. "But to answer your question from before... I'm not wrong," she murmurs softly, so only Steve can hear. 

She pats him gently on the cheek and turns on her heel before Steve can respond, catching Eddie's eye on the way out. He looks perplexed, and she just smiles.

The kids hardly notice when she rejoins the circle around the fire. They've already moved on to topics that don't involve their babysitter's love life, but Robin still looks worried. It's cute. God, Robin is so cute, Nancy can hardly stand it.

"Is he okay?" Robin asks quietly. "He looked pretty upset when he left, and then you guys were gone for a while, and Eddie thought maybe you were getting back together, but I told him that was ridiculous, and now neither of them are back yet, and-"

"They're fine, I promise," Nancy says with a grin, interrupting Robin’s rambling. "They just... needed a little nudge."

Nancy gets to see the moment it clicks for Robin, and it's only a little bit hilarious. "Wait..." Robin says, mouth dropping open. "Steve...?"

Nancy nods, smile widening.

"And Eddie?"

"Yep," Nancy says. Robin looks on the verge of a massive freakout (a positive one, obviously, but a freakout nonetheless), and Nancy doesn't want her to unwittingly out both of the boys to the kids, so she changes the topic. She figures if she's making Steve deal with his feelings, she might as well do the same. You know, solidarity, and all that.

"By the way," Nancy says coolly, quietly, "did you know I'm bisexual?"

She has to cover Robin's mouth with her hand to stop her shriek of surprise, but it's worth it, because Robin instantly turns into a blushing, stuttering mess, and it's so stupidly endearing. Nancy wants to kiss her until neither of them can remember their own names.

It's even more endearing when Nancy tells her, "Yeah, so I'd really like to talk later, after the kids go to bed, if that's okay?" And Robin looks like she might faint when she blushes and whimpers out a yes.

Nancy just grins and threads their fingers together, hands tucked out of sight from the kids.

They're still sitting like that when Steve and Eddie finally come out of the house after a very long time, both boys looking flushed and a bit disheveled, but happy.

"Thought you were getting another drink?" Erica snarks at Steve when they sit down, and Nancy snorts, because Steve definitely returned empty-handed.

Steve's eyes widen and he looks at Eddie sheepishly. "I, uh... got a little distracted."

Only Max seems to recognize the implications, because her jaw drops, but Robin nudges her with her foot before she can say anything, and Max instantly shuts her mouth. She's still got a knowing look on her face, but Nancy knows she won't go outing anyone to the others. She's a good kid.

"God, you have the attention span of a puppy, Steve, I swear," Dustin grumbles, and the conversation quickly moves on.

Nancy is mostly quiet for the rest of the night, silently observing all of her friends and reveling in the feeling of Robin's hand in hers. She watches as Max tentatively rests her head on Lucas's shoulder. Watches Lucas's eyes widen and sees the internal freakout happening in his mind. She sees the way Eddie and Steve sit closer than before, practically on top of each other, faces flushed with happiness while they all make s'mores. She watches her brother look hopelessly confused sitting between Will and El, because he hasn't yet realized that while he is in love with one of them, it's not the one he thinks it is.

And at the end of the night, after the kids are all settled in the massive living room and she and Robin head for the guest room, Nancy catches Steve's eye. He and Eddie are holding hands now that they're out of sight of the kids, and Eddie can't stop staring at Steve like he's some sort of miracle. But just this once, Steve tears his eyes away from Eddie to meet Nancy's.

He smiles, mouths thank you, and gives an approving nod when his eyes land on her hand, which is still wrapped around Robin's.

Nancy just smiles and nods, and watches as Eddie impatiently tugs Steve into the bedroom and shuts the door. As Robin does the same to her, pulling her eagerly into the guest room, she has a wild thought.

If the investigative journalism thing doesn't work out, there's always the option of matchmaker.

She's apparently pretty damn good at it, after all.

“Fuck, fuck me.” He breathed out.

The weather a disgusting mixture of rain and snow making everything outside covered in slush and mud. Steve whined momentarily and felt sorry for himself. It’d been a few years since he came back through Hawkins. Robin and Nancy had moved back around that time, planting roots to start their own family. Robin worked remote and Nance was making her way to head of the English department back in Hawkins High.

Steve loved being in Chicago.

Had loved being in Chicago.

He was thirty-two, a lot of his friends had dispersed to other cities or back to their hometowns, he managed a cute wine shop—he had a lot of acquaintances.

But they weren’t the kind of connection he had with Robin or Dustin.

He glanced around, the roads seemed to be a ghost town this time on Christmas. He was supposed to be eating a home cooked meal at the Buckley-Wheeler residence. Willow would be turning three in January, he had gifts for her, and a whole damn Buche De Noël he’d lovingly rolled and decorated before heading out to Indiana from his apartment earlier in the day.

He grabbed his cellphone and noticed the text from Robin checking in on him, he grumbled to himself not wanting to worry her on Christmas he waited to reply, he needed to figure out his fate. He typed out,

Tow company near me

In the search engine and waited. He suspected as much, there was only one within a ten mile radius, that paired with the weather and the holiday didn’t exactly bode well for him. He called the number letting it ring more than a few times, each ring having his hope die a little more.

“Munson Motors,”

“Oh thank god.” Steve murmured out.

“Nah, just Wayne, what can I do ya for?” the voice had an amused lilt to it.

“Uh, my car broke down right on the outskirts of Hawkins, she’s a classic, but…has seen better days.” Steve said a death grasp on hope in his chest for someone being available to tow his car.

The man cleared his throat, “Lookin’ for a tow or a jump?”

“I don’t think she’s gonna be receptive to another jump.” Steve sheepishly replied.

“Ah, got it, a finicky lady. Lemme get my nephew dispatched, might be a bit depending where he’s at.”

Steve let out a sigh of relief, “Thank you so much, I know it’s a holiday—”

“No need for that, we run a business that doesn’t stop for nights, weekends, or holidays… hmm Ed should be out your way in about fifteen.”

Steve thanked him again before hanging up and letting himself relax. He texted Robin he’d be running a little later than planned but not to worry.

The name Munson sounded familiar in a way Steve was going over it in his head—did he know a Munson? Had Robin brought them up with her being back home? Maybe Dustin, he and Suzie had just bought his childhood home while Claudia made her retirement in a warmer climate.

The headlights pulling up to him just shy of fifteen minutes later  had him unrolling his window as a tall figure approached. The guy had expressive brown eyes and a rosiness to his cheeks from the blustery weather. Black jeans, work boots, and a tan Carhartt utility coat worn in and covered in more than a few band patches with the hood pulled up over a beanie hat helped block some of the wet mixture still falling from the sky.

The guy was handsome. His eyelashes unfairly dark and pretty.

The thought was fleeting when a smile graced the guys plush lips, “Steve Harrington?”

Steve scanned his features before it all clicked into place, Munson… Ed Munson,

Of course it was Eddie.

He’d used to buy his skunked weed from him in high school.

Steve smiled back, “Eddie? Shit I don’t know why it didn’t click when I was talking to Wayne, must’ve just been too stressed to connect the dots.”

“Looks like I’m saving your ass again.” He replied teasingly.

Eddie had deescalated during what could’ve amounted to a pretty bad fight with Billy Hargrove what felt like a millennia ago in high school. Steve’s popularity was at a precipice and when Eddie had stepped in and become a sort of friend it had made his dissent a little easier, a softer landing pad. Shortly after that he’d gained Robin, made actual friends with Nancy and Jonathan, and kissed his popularity goodbye.

It was all bullshit anyway.

But yeah, Eddie had made that easier.

“Well let’s get your car hooked up and get ya on your way,” the response clouded his features schooling back into something more professional and distant.

Steve didn’t love it.

“Yes, thank you, and you’re right, not sure if I would’ve survived junior and senior year without you.” The honesty was maybe too raw.

Eddie paused and locked eyes with Steve again, “I wouldn’t go that far, King Steve.”

Steve could feel himself blush, had he made it up in his mind all those years ago? That maybe Eddie would’ve wanted to kiss him too?

“Haven’t heard that nickname in awhile.”

“Maybe princess would be more suiting.” Eddie joked as he opened Steve’s car door for him with an unnecessary flourish. Steve chuckled at his antics, somehow he’d grown to be even more good-looking but his dorkiness prevailed in an endearing way.

Steve got out and leaned over to his passenger seat to grab the dessert he’d so lovingly crafted. He heard a choked off noise behind him as he reached further into the car for it before coming out.

Eddie caught sight of it in the saran wrap, “Did you make that?”

Steve felt the heat creep back into his cheeks, “Yup, wanted to contribute to the meal and all.”

Eddie looked skyward and mumbled out something akin to, “and of course he can bake too.”

He cleared his throat, “Your parents still in Hawkins then?”

Steve shook his head, “Nah, Rob and Nance, and actually—”

“Dustin and Suzie, yeah, yeah, how could I forget you’re that little nerds favorite.”

Eddie couldn’t believe Dustin had gushed about Steve visiting during their pre-holiday campaign. The motormouth usually has something to say about Steve in Chicago as if Eddie didn’t know exactly who that Steve was.

Had spent years of his life pining after a ghost.

Pathetic really.

Eddie was just some townie, towing his high school crushes car, Merry fucking Christmas or whatever.

“Yeah, it was meant to be a surprise, theyre going over to Rob’s for dessert and then I’d be here….but now just maybe a bit later.” Steve shrugged his broad shoulders in his navy pea coat, hands still full of yule log.

Eddie’s heart did something silly in his chest, get a grip, Ed.

“Well let’s get you out of the rain, princess.” Eddie winked.

He couldn’t help himself, the way Steve smiled, the color rising in his cheeks, maybe?

He got Steve settled in the truck as he hooked up the familiar BMW. It was funny the way after all these years seeing Steve Harrington still had an effect on him. His strong jaw and amber-hazel eyes somehow seemed more appealing with the way he had aged. Losing the teenage softness of when they’d known each other. Eddie tried to shrug off the feeling. The wanting.

Wanting something you can’t have gets so very old.

He let out a groan as he crouched down to double check that everything was fixed in place before he hopped into the driver side of his tow truck.

“The paint job’s very you.” Steve commented.

Eddie had actually done the painting decal with tattoo shop lettering and some metal as fuck bats. He pushed down his hood and pulled off the hat shaking out his most likely matted hair.

Steve stared.

Eddie could feel his eyes on him.

The weight something he couldn’t measure.

“Oh, really? Should be, because I did it.”

Steve laughed brightly, “I knew it, looks like all the doodles you’d have lining your notebooks.”

Eddie smiled softly.

It was a nice memory, him and Steve more than a little stoned as Steve sifted though his Corroded Coffin lyrics and poor excuse of school notes.

“You still play?”

Eddie nodded, “Yeah on my own, not much with the guys anymore, Gareth actually works with me and Wayne, Jeff’s gotta couple of kids still hangs with us atleast once a week to grab a beer and do trivia night…Gareth got them a drum set this year.” Eddie laughed knowing what an evil plan it had been.

Steve joined him, “Nancy would skin me alive if I pulled that shit with Willow.”

All of this was oddly comfortable they chatted and caught up as they approached the auto shop.

“Lemme unload it, we can give you a quote, if it’s the battery and because of the holiday it might take a few days to get it sorted.”

“Her, she’s a proper lady.” Steve absentmindedly corrected.

Eddie chuckled, “Well she might take some time to be up and running again.”

Steve nodded, “S’okay, I’ll let my boss know, and I can give Rob a call to come get me. That way you can have some semblance of time to relax for the holiday once I’m out of your hair.”

Your really nice long, made for pulling, hair, Steve thought to himself.

Eddie brushed him off, “Nah, you’re not a bother, I work most holidays but Gareth’s actually coming onto shift pretty soon, I could give you a ride.”

Steve was still holding onto the plate, “Really? I already feel like I’m overstepping.”

“I’m offering, I’d be happy to.” Eddie said as he leaned, shooting for casually, against the truck.

“That’d be great, I really do owe you, aside from what all this…amounts to.” Steve said nodding towards his car.

Eddie shooed him off to the waiting room as Wayne walked into the shop, “Well if it isn’t Steve Harrington, back in Hawkins.”

His tone pointed as Eddie rolled his eyes.

“A Christmas miracle, huh, kid?” Wayne chuckled.

“Wayne I’m a grown man, and he’s just in town visiting. Doesn’t mean anything.”

Wayne shook his head, “Get yer head outta yer ass boy. Don’t let opportunity laugh in your face.”

“There’s nothing to laugh at because there’s no opportunity.” Eddie said with a finality to his words.

Wayne put up his hands in a placating gesture, “Whatever you say, Ed.”

He helped with Steve’s car, “I’ll give it the look over and let ya know what I find, why don’t’cha get that boy to his destination.”

Eddie nodded, “Thanks Wayne.”

“Merry Christmas, kid.” Wayne said his face full of suggestion.

Eddie shook his head and let out a strangled laugh, “Later Waynie.”

***

They arrived at Robin and Nancy’s home, the warm glow of white lights outlining the roof and windows, cars in the driveway and people visibly mingling in the living room. Steve had grabbed a small bag of his stuff from the car before he and Eddie had departed.

His impromptu time spent with the other man making him feel about as glowy and warm as the lights outside. The easy conversation, the way Eddie teased effortlessly, Steve was collecting crumbs of what Eddie’s life has been like since he was twenty-one and busting out of Hawkins with his band. Twelve years to catch up on.

And Steve found himself genuinely wanting to know.

“Let me carry your bag for you.” Eddie insisted as Steve still had his hands clutched around his dessert.

They walked up to the door as Robin swung it open, eyes bright as she greeted him, “Dingus! You made it!”

She was delightfully tipsy as Willow ran out from the door and wrapped her arms around Steve’s legs, “Uncle Stevie!” she squealed happily.

Nancy popped out and took the plate from him. “Merry Christmas Steve, Eddie.” She smiled and disappeared back into the house.

Robin pointed above them the same moment Willow giggled, “Misses toes!”

Robin crouched down and hiked her up on her hip, “Mist-le toe.” She repeated to her as Willow repeated it back and pointed again.

“Gotta kiss.” Robin stated smugly.

Steve looked to Eddie, still clutching his bag, their eyes met, the feeling he’d had all evening reconnecting with Eddie pushed him closer, “Gotta kiss,” Steve repeated Robin’s words.

Eddie swallowed visibly. His cheeks Santa’s clothing red as he nodded, speechless for the first time that night.

Steve leaned closer, “This okay? I’m gonna kiss you now.”

Eddie’s own words a whisper between their lips as his eyes started to close, “Please.”

The connection fairly chaste yet electric.

This is what Steve’s been missing—

The electricity, the need, the connection.

It was all Eddie.

Robin cleared her throat, “You better be staying for dessert, mister.” She addressed Eddie.

He looked to Steve who slipped his palm against Eddie’s, “Only if you want to.”

“I want.”

Steve smiled as they made their way into Robin and Nancy’s home to a very surprised Dustin looking between Steve and Eddie.

“Steven!” 

He looks up from his phone with a start, fumbling and just about managing to catch it before it makes a painful landing on his balls. 

“You’re not listening to me,” Robin grumbles, levelling him with a disgruntled stare. 

“I am!”

Robin raises her eyebrows in a challenge. That never ends well for Steve. 

Still, he’s not backing down. That would bruise his pride too much.

“I was totally listening,” he insists. 

Robin snorts. “I just told you that I met Mothman behind a Wendy’s and he told me he wants to eat your ass, and you replied uh-huh, sounds nice.”

Steve can feel the heat rise into his cheeks, can even feel it in the tips of his ears. “Maybe I’m into Mothman. His statue is caked up. A man can dream.”

“I can’t believe you’re doubling down on this!” Robin squawks, throwing her hands into the air. Steve bites back a comment about her looking like an inflatable outside of a car wash; it definitely wouldn’t help the situation. “Were you watching them again?”

Steve sits up a little straighter, clenches his teeth. He’s been caught, but he won’t admit it without a fight. “Watching what?”

Robin rolls her eyes, and then—

She pounces. 

She wrestles Steve’s phone from him before he even knows what’s happening, cackling triumphantly as her eyes set sight on the video that was playing on loop. 

“I knew it!” She scampers around the couch, keeping Steve’s phone just out of reach as he tries to regain control. “Out of curiosity, if I go through your watch history, how many thirst edits of this guy am I going to see?”

Steve reaches for his phone again and Robin dodges it swiftly, contorting her body in ways that shouldn’t be possible for someone with zero hand-eye coordination or sense of balance. 

“I just have a respect for their craft,” Steve shrugs. “Those actors are cool.”

“You hate scare mazes,” Robin reminds him. “There’s absolutely no way you respect their craft.”

“I don’t have to enjoy it to respect it!” Steve knows that the higher his voice climbs, the less chance he has of convincing Robin, but he can’t help as it jumps up another octave. “Maybe it’s more enjoyable watching other people be scared.”

“Oh I’m sure,” Robin smirks, turning the volume up on his phone, George Michael’s voice getting louder in their small apartment. “Father Figure is truly the epitome of scary Halloween music. All of the scare actors are raving about it these days.”

Steve finally manages to snatch the phone out of Robin’s grip. “You don’t know what they’re raving about.”

Robin looks at him for a moment with narrowed eyes but nods. "That's... actually good advice. Thank you."

Steve pauses and considers it. It really is good advice. Great advice even. It's almost as if that's what Eddie wants...

"Surprised?" Eddie asks and Steve glances up at him from across the counter. "You look like you're deep in thought wondering how I thought of something like that," Eddie says as if he's about to let him in on some secret.

But before Steve can think about what it could be he replies, "No, I was just... wondering if you wanted to tell me about your most recent campaign. Dustin told me a little about what you have so far, so...fill me in on the rest?"

Steve hears Robin scoff behind him in disbelief as Eddie's jaw slightly drops and he stares at him. "You're serious?"

Steve nods in response and smiles.

"Okay, Harrington, but strap in and prepare to get your mind blown..." Eddie says and launches into the details. Steve is surprised when he genuinely gets taken by the story and starts asking him questions. But then he gets a bit distracted by the way Eddie keeps leaning into him with wide eyes gleaming with joy and an even wider smile.

Steve sincerely hopes that Robin keeps asking for advice because it's going to come in handy as he tries to win over Eddie.

-:-:-:-:-:-

"Eddie, could you possibly give me more of your wooing wisdom?" Robin asks a few days later.

Steve's almost surprised since the first piece of advice had gone so well it scored Robin a full day of hanging out and even a drop-in visit at Family Video by Nancy herself. But Eddie nonetheless is already leaning over the counter and saying, "She would love it if you complimented her. Just little things like her outfits, her hair, her writing especially though. She seems like a sucker for words of affirmation."

His response is so quick that Steve wonders how much Eddie craves those words of affirmation. "Speaking of hair, have I ever told you how great yours looks?" Steve asks Eddie.

Robin cackles as Eddie's eyes go a bit wide. "Uh, no, but thank you, Stevie."

Throughout the rest of the shift, Steve subtly throws Eddie little compliments such as how he looks in his infamous vest, his taste in movies, and even goes as far as complimenting how great he is with the kids. It makes the tips of his ears and the apples of his cheek a little pink, and that's exactly the reaction Steve was hoping for.

He wonders what else Eddie has up his sleeve.

-:-:-:-:-:-

After a few more days filled with compliments, lots of intentional listening, and quite a few visits from Nancy, Eddie finally hops over the counter and corners Robin. She continues to watch Nancy in the back of the store as she reads over what must be very interesting descriptions of movies because she's been in the store for quite a long time.

Steve keeps teasing Robin about it, but she refuses to listen. Maybe Eddie will make her.

"Final piece of advice," Eddie says to Robin quietly enough that Steve has to scoot closer to them to eavesdrop. "Just ask her out. She's over there waiting for you to make a move. Just... trust me, okay? If it goes wrong you can punch me in the face, chop off my hair, and even go after my guitar."

Steve's eyebrows raise. Eddie must be very confident in his advice.

Robin seems to actually listen as she carefully and very slowly makes her way toward Nancy.

Just ask her out... So, Steve should just... ask Eddie out. Simple.

"Hey, Edd-"

"I've been wa-"

The two glance at each other and smile. "Go ahead," Steve says and looks back toward Robin.

"I've been waiting to tell you this. I've gotten all those tips directly from Nancy. I made Robin her walking kryptonite," Eddie says excitedly.

Nancy's walking kryptonite. Not Eddie's. Shit.

"What were you saying?" Eddie asks.

Steve shakes his head. "Nothing... I just forgot."

Eddie nods and nudges Steve's shoulder as they watch Robin ramble out something to Nancy who stares at her with furrowed brows. There's a pause as Nancy says something that sounds like, "So a date?"

Robin nervously nods back, and there's a moment that makes Steve hold his breath.

"I'd love to," Nancy says back and Eddie nearly jumps for joy as Steve lets out a deep breath.

Eddie turns back to him and asks, "Are you sure there wasn't something you were going to say?"

Steve nods, and Eddie seems disappointed. He hesitates then turns around as if he's going to scale the counter again.

Steve glances around the basically empty store then reaches out and grabs his wrist. "Wait."

Eddie turns around and looks at him.

"This is so stupid, but I thought all the advice you were giving to Robin... Well, I thought it was what you wanted. So, I've been trying to use it to win you over, but turns out... it wasn't what you wanted. And I'm not sure why I'm admitting this to you, but I just wanted to let you know why I guess I've been so weird the past few days," Steve says and runs a hand through his hair.

Eddie gives him an incredulous look. "You wanted to win me over?"

Steve can feel himself begin to flush as he nods.

A wide smile spread over Eddie's face. "Well lucky for you, flattery works on me, but just asking me out works even better."

Steve takes a moment to process what Eddie means.

"Ask him out, dingus!" Robin says and Steve jumps a bit forgetting she was there.

"Do you want to go out sometime?" Steve asks quickly as he takes Robin's advice.

"Yes, my advice is that we go out tonight after your shift."

Steve laughs, "My advice is that instead of giving advice you just tell me what you want."

"Well, I advise you-"

"Oh my gosh, if either of you says advice one more time I'm letting Nancy use you for target practice," Robin says and Nancy laughs.

Eddie leans closer to Steve and stage whispers, "I think we should advise her to watch her temper."

"Eddie!" Robin says as she scales the counter.

Eddie easily gets away and runs out the front door. "I advise you to pick me up at seven!"

"I'll take your advice!" Steve yells back.