#dixon.fic

Part Three | read it on ao3

Part Two:

Eddie knows Steve likes him. It’s obvious, so very obvious. He had some suspicions or hope before, but ever since his birthday party Steve has been nothing but doting and sweet. Bringing him food, candy, little gifts whenever they see each other.

It makes Eddie’s stomach twist up in knots. He doesn’t know if these knots are good or bad- doesn’t even want to think about or acknowledge them too much. But he lets Steve keep being sweet on him, because frankly it’s never happened to him before. It seems innocent enough, right?

Eddie doesn’t do love, doesn’t even date. Hookups are so much easier for the most part. They’re perfect right up until someone wants more than Eddie wants to want or give. 

Maybe he’s a walking cliche, so screw it. Blame it on his old man, but he never exactly had a great example for how a relationship is supposed to go. Wayne has never dated since he took in Eddie, and Eddie mostly remembers his dad cheating on his mom. Memories of his parent's relationship featuring the yelling that would ensue and how their fights ended with stuff thrown around the house. 

So Eddie doesn’t want to date, and he never felt the urge until Harrington fucking came and tied his guts up in this uncomfortable knot anytime he came around. 

Steve asks him out. They’re just hanging out at Eddie’s trailer, movie on, snacks laid out, a typical Friday night. Steve’s comfortable in a dark green sweatshirt and jeans, but Eddie sees him fidgeting just a little bit, biting his nails and keeping his back a bit stiff. Doesn’t poke or prod, figures Steve will spit it out when he’s ready. Right after Steve gets up to leave and call it a night, Eddie behind him to walk him out, Steve spins around to ask if Eddie would maybe want to grab dinner with him tomorrow night.

The question is innocent enough, Steve could play it off like he’s asking him as a friend (Eddie is surprised he doesn't), but the tone and inflection and the way he stands conveys he means it like a date. Like he wants something more. Might as well rip that bandaid off for him now. Eddie tells him sorry, it wouldn’t work out and Eddie doesn’t do the whole dating thing. Steve looks heartbroken, just for a quick moment, before looking to the ground muttering out an apology. A good-bye and see you later is all he leaves Eddie with before walking briskly to his car and driving off.

Eddie may have done the right thing, saved Steve from heartache. He wasn’t even as mean about it as he usually has to be, but he can’t understand why he feel so fucking empty and sad about doing it.

Part Two | Part Three | read it on ao3

Part One:

Steve is a hopeless romantic, he knows this- has always known this. That's why he serial dates women, hoping to find someone that lights that fire within him, makes him feel whole and wanted and alive.

Maybe he's going out with the wrong girls. Maybe he's not asking the right questions. He never really figures out why it doesn't work out with any of them.

Something about Eddie Munson- yes, Eddie Munson- pulls Steve in. He feels like an enigma, like he knows everything about him and nothing at the same time. Wants to know everything about him, wants to spend every minute he can with him. Eddie is witty, he's funny, he's passionate. He's touchy and clingy in the best way, satiating some touch-starved craving that Steve didn't even realize he had until Eddie became a fixture in his friend group and life.

He gets that tight chest, butterfly, kind of anxious feeling around Eddie and now Steve knows, knows with every fiber of his being that he wants Eddie to be his boyfriend. He doesn't want to use the old Harrington charm, he just wants Eddie to want him as himself.

Steve starts first by being doting. It's Eddie’s birthday and they're all hanging out at Steve's place to celebrate. He sits Eddie down in the most comfortable chair in the living room with everyone, doesn't even let him get up, bring him beer and food and cake and his presents. He wants to show Eddie that he loves him and wants to take care of him. He continues it over the next few weeks, buying Eddie's favorite candy to sneak into the theater, bringing by his gas station order before hanging out or when he knows he'll run into him.

Part One | Part Two | read it on ao3

Part Three:

A few weeks later, once Steve has stomached that Eddie won’t ever be his boyfriend or hold his hand or pet his hair, they return to a semblance of normalcy.

They start hanging out again. Not alone together, but with the rest of the group. Steve tries his hardest to act normal, show no remnants of his crush that’s not quite totally gone. But Eddie still acts standoffish, won’t really meet Steve’s eyes anymore. Steve gets it, he does, honestly, it’ll just take time.

But he still wants, and he still pines- both for a relationship and for Eddie to just be his friend and look at him again. It’s confusing, those butterflies in his stomach don’t fully settle. Steve decides that he wants to maybe try dating again, but no more "Harrington charm" or any of that other bullshit. He vows he’s just going to be himself from now on. Take it slow, and just go with the flow- no pressure dating.

When Eddie invites all the adults to The Hide Out, on a night he doesn’t have a gig, Steve actually meets someone that maybe starts to spark that fire again. She’s the opposite of girls he usually goes for, definitely a metal head and music lover (maybe that's not a coincidence). Her name is Paige, she was raised in Hawkins but moved out to New York City a few years ago and is only back for a little while to visit her family. She’s a bit older than Steve, just two years, but he kind of likes that. She seems equally receptive to Steve’s new view on dating, wanting to take it slow and see where things go, but Steve can see himself potentially dating her more seriously if she decides to stick around Hawkins. They just spend the night talking and getting to know each other more.

_____________________________________

He knows he fucked up, he knows he did. Eddie should have given Steve a chance when he offered it. He feels that ugly, icky feeling in his chest creep up into his throat as he watches Steve and Paige talk all night. They’re leaning into each other and laughing, and Steve is starting to smile for the first time in weeks and Eddie has never been so fucking mad- both at himself and at Paige.

He knows he has no right to feel jealous when he could have just gone to dinner with Steve those few weeks ago. Maybe him and Steve would be pressed into a corner of the bar right now, whispering in each other’s ears. He could have had his arm around Steve’s waist and pressed kisses into his neck when no one was looking, making Steve blush before grabbing his hand to hold for the rest of the night. He could have taken him home where they would maybe roll around in the sheets before cuddling into each other’s arms to sleep.

Eddie may have given it a lot of thought the past few weeks- too much thought even. Regret lingers in his rib cage and settles in his stomach like a paperweight. Something else he gave too much thought to was how he would apologize to Steve. He wanted to buy Steve a drink, explain how he has trust issues and is afraid that good things will always be ripped out from under him. How seeing his old man treat his mom like a commodity and not a wife made him not want to ever date. Thought about how after explaining himself and his insecurities he would ask Steve if maybe he would give Eddie another chance, let him take him to breakfast tomorrow morning if he isn’t too hung over. That’s really why he invited him out tonight actually, but now Steve met Paige and he thinks he might be too late. Might have missed the boat.

Eddie has no choice but live with that regret and wait.

________________________

It’s two weeks later and Steve has had a great time with Paige. They actually ended up hanging out a bit after that night at the bar, just meeting up for lunch and walking around town a bit. But Paige had to go back to the city, and as much as she visited her family, she didn’t want to do long distance. Steve understood wholeheartedly and was just glad to have connected with someone. They exchanged phone numbers, just to keep in touch, for Steve to call if he was ever on the East Coast. He may not have gotten a girlfriend, but he certainly found a new friend in Paige.

But with Paige gone, he now has to confront Eddie. Eddie went from standoffish to full on avoidance of him, it’s not hard to connect the dots. Steve just doesn’t get why it bothered Eddie so much. Should he have been happy that Steve was moving on from him? (Even though Steve didn’t really move on at all).

Turns out, Steve didn’t need to come find Eddie. Instead, Eddie came and found him.

_________________________

Eddie finally gets his shit together and decides that he’s going to tell Steve whether he’s dating again or not.

Eddie decides he’s just going to stop by his house, say his piece, and leave the ball in Steve’s court. He decides to dress up a bit for it. Wears a plain black shirt, his least ripped jeans, and ties his hair back in a low bun. He decides to stop by the market and grab some cheap flowers, Steve always brought Eddie gifts, it’s time for him to return to favor.

He’s full of courage the short drive to Steve’s house, sees his car parked in the driveway. He grabs the flowers, marches up, and rings the doorbell full of vigor.

His heartbeat starts ramping up the minute the chiming is done. All the sudden, he’s nervous, he’s shaky, he’s gripping the flower stems way too tight and must be crushing them and-

Steve opens the door, clearly wasn’t expecting anyone if his outfit is anything to go by, but Eddie still thinks he looks gorgeous and holy shit Steve is just staring at him and he should say something.

Eddie thrusts the flowers into Steve’s chest.

“These are for you.”

“Uhm, thanks.”

Steve looks bewildered, and wary. Looks at the flowers and then back at Eddie.

They both just stare at each other for a minute.

“Do you want to come in?” Steve says, already starting to move to make room for Eddie to enter.

All Eddie can do it nod, feels like everything he wanted to say and do is locked in his throat. He enters Steve’s house and follows him over the couch while Steve sets the flowers down on a table before turning to Eddie expectantly.

This is the part where Eddie should start explaining everything, telling Steve everything and apologizing again.

“Can I take you out to breakfast?” is what Eddie says instead.

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A crack of thunder filled the air, with marred, red lightning filling the sky.

Steve is running, running like he never has before. Forcing his legs left, right, left, right, left, right, faster, faster, move. As he looks back, he sees Eddie, or rather what was once Eddie, closing in, flying 10 feet above the ground with grotesque flesh wings protruding from his scarred back.

While he was glancing back, he lost his footing, tripping and rolling over the wet ground. Eddie, or Kas as he was now known, took this opportunity to land right in front of Steve.

Steve scrambled back as Eddie landed and crouched down to stare him in the eyes, cocking his head to the side curiously. Steve took stock of Eddie’s appearance then. He was wearing what they had on when they had traversed to the Upside Down last year. Bandana still atop his head, holding his longer, greasy, wet locks in place. His clothing was tattered, stained with dirt and blood, and his face- all the skin exposed, was simply scarred. His eyes were black, pitch black, boring a hole into Steve’s soul.

This is what had become of their friend.

If only they had known, known the fate they were forcing Eddie to succumb to. They should have known, he should have known, that nothing down here can stay dead.

Not Vecna. Not Eddie Munson.

All Steve could do was try to catch his gasping breath while Eddie scanned over him too.

Did Eddie recognize him? Did Eddie remember?

“I didn’t forget, Harrington. I’m not the Devil.” Eddie said, as if he could hear all of Steve’s inner thoughts. Maybe he can now.

Steve wanted to cry, he already mourned him, but all he could choke out was a meek “I’m sorry” as his voiced crack.

“I’d say it’s okay, Harrington,” Eddie started with a wolfish grin, showing Steve his teeth and fangs, “but it’s not. Maybe you can make it better.”

“How-- what?”

“Join me. I can take away that fear, all that sorrow I know you feel deep within,”

Eddie moved slowly, crawling closer to Steve on his hands and knees. Steve didn’t move or dare to speak. He felt his eyes widen at Eddie’s words, as he pressed closer to him, and let him continue.

“I remember when I first saw your pretty face. I can give you that love that you dream of, that you think about constantly. I will take away your pain, joyfully. I can swap this life of fear and pain and sorrow, all you have to do is nod that pretty head yes.”

Perhaps it was possession, for some reason Steve considered this insidious offer. He still had yet to speak; he didn’t know what he wanted to say.

“Be my companion, Steve,” Eddie said softly, almost a whisper, “be and experience all the beautiful things you are for all eternity with me.”