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A huge thank you to so many people but it's especially @thefreakandthehair for betaing, being the best, and generally encouraging all of my nuttiness. Also a big shout out to Bowie ( don't remember your Tumblr my lovely!!) for doublechecking some sensititvity reading for me. Y'all rock!!!
Jeff had the decency to wait until Frank was safely in his house before he called Eddie out on his shit.Â
âWhat the fuck are you doing, man?â Jeff sighed the second the door closed behind Frank, leaving only the snow, Eddieâs headlights, and two best friends about to have an incredibly awkward conversation.Â
âDriving you dicks home?â Eddie tried, hoping that he could fool Jeff into not having the uncomfortable conversation that was already beginning. He kicked the van into reverse, throwing a hand casually over Jeffâs seat as he turned and began to maneuver his way back to the road.Â
âEddie.â
It wasnât much. It wasnât anything really. Just his name, nothing more, nothing less, but it was Jeffâs tone.Â
That voice, the voice he always used when he was trying to cut through Gareth and Eddieâs bullshit. Corroded Coffin had lasted all these years because of balance. Frank was their rock, steady and sure; Eddie and Gareth were the stream, bouncing and playing and whirling around in a daze; but Jeff was the earth around them. Jeff was everything, and Eddie might be their leader, but Jeff was the one that held everything together.Â
And he was the only one who could get Eddie to drop the act with just one word.Â
âHonestly, dude? I have no fucking idea what Iâm doing,â Eddie sighed, slightly curling in on himself as he focused on the road. The snow was only mildly awful at the moment, but winter in Indiana could turn on a dime and Eddie wasnât looking to run his van off the road just because Jeff was grilling him about his stupid little completely non-existent crush.Â
âWell, what do you want from him?â Jeff asked, dragging the first word slowly out as he thought about what he wanted to say. Sometimes the other members of Hellfire would do things like thatâ talk slow or choose words carefully, just to try and avoid Eddieâs sparky temper.Â
Unfortunately for him, Eddie was already worked up about this particular topic.Â
âGreat question!â Eddie snapped, going to throw his hands up before choosing to be wise and hold the wheel steady. A small squall was beginning to form around them, and his visibility was starting to cut to next to none.
âOkay, okay,â Jeff said, placating to Eddieâs need to be a bit of an asshat, âSo what happened between you and Steve thatâs got Gareth so pressed?â
If it was any other person in the car with him, Eddie might have been able to fake it. Even Frank might have fallen for a lie about Garethâs hatred of jocks and conformity and how Steve was just a representation of that.Â
But it was Jeff. Jeff, who was their Earth, who knew that Garethâs grudge wouldnât have lasted this long if it wasnât motivated by protectiveness. That the only reason Gareth wouldnât have started to warm up even a little bit was his need to make sure his people were safe.Â
Few things in life were assured, but death, taxes, and Gareth Winstonâs need to protect his own were all a given. Â
âSteve probably doesnât even remember, so it doesnât matter,â Eddie muttered, evading the question just as he narrowly evaded a pothole that seemed to appear out of thin air on the road in front of them. The storm was picking back up again, and this was not the conversation to be having right at this moment. Â
âWell, do you want him to fuck you?â Jeff asked bluntly, cutting through the fat and straight to the juicy meat of the problem.Â
âJeff!â Eddie blurted out, a nervous burst of laughter escaping along with his name. He took the risk of looking away from the road for a few seconds to give the other boy a wild-eyed look, but Jeff seemed unphased, cool as a cucumber as a lionâs smile began to curl on his face.Â
âDo you want to fuck him?âÂ
Unbidden, a dozen images flashed through Eddieâs head. Steve in his bed. Steve shirtless. Steve underneath him with his hair splayed out on the pillows, wrists trapped in gleaming silver cuffs as he begged so pretty forâ
No.Â
No no no no no no NO.Â
âDude!â Eddie groaned, turning away from the road again to shout at Jeff.Â
And then it happened.Â
Jeffâs shit-eating grin disappeared, his eyes growing to the size of dinner plates as he shouted a wordless warning cry and Eddie had less than a second to turn back to the road, slamming his foot on the brake and throwing his arm out to protect Jeff from the inevitable crash.Â
There was something on the road in front of them. The snow made it impossible to see beyond the shape, but, whatever it was, it was massive. Huge, and hulking, with a dark shadow that sent a chill down Eddieâs spine, and he was sure his van wouldnât survive the impact.Â
But no impact came.Â
His tires skidded, the van turned half a quarter, but no collision, no smashing glass, no pain. Just twin panting from him and Jeff, and an empty road all around them.Â
âWhat was that?â Jeff whispered when he was able to form words again.Â
âA deer, I guess,â Eddie murmured back, not really feeling all that sure of his answer. He had never seen a deer like that, but he also hadnât really seen anything. His wild imagination wanted to run with it, but there was no point. Whatever it was, it was gone, and thatâs what mattered.Â
He leaned back against his seat, his heart still racing as he patted Jeffâs chest twice, slightly assured when he could feel Jeffâs heart pounding through his shirt as well.
âSorry.âÂ
âShouldnâtâve distracted you,â Jeff mumbled, lacing his fingers together to hide how badly they were shaking.Â
âHey, not your fault,â Eddie said, knowing how Jeffâs anxiety tended to latch to any blame it could when it got tripped like this. Eddie tested the van, carefully pulling back onto the right side of the road. They stayed quiet as Eddie turned them towards Jeffâs house, driving at a turtleâs pace with both hands on the wheel.Â
âI want to help him,â Eddie offered into the silence, eyes firm on the road. âIf I can.â
When Jeff didnât immediately respond, Eddie thought that was the end of the conversation, but as they approached Jeffâs neighborhood, the boy next to him spoke up again.Â
âSteve needs the help. Somethingâs really wrong with him, Eds.â
âYouâre turning over to Garethâs side?â Eddie joked, the words thin and frail and instantly disappearing the second he put them in the air.Â
âNo,â Jeff replied, no veil of humor over his words. âThereâs something wrong with him like thereâs something wrong with me.âÂ
âThereâs nothing wrong with you,â Eddie said on instinct, hating the bitter scoff Jeff gave. He pulled up to a stop sign and put the van all the way in park, turning in his seat and giving Jeff his full attentionÂ
âLook at me.â Eddie ordered, waiting until Jeffâs dark eyes met his own in the dim light of the streetlamp before speaking again.Â
âThereâs nothing wrong with you, Jeff. Nothing.â He said, making sure that there was zero wiggle room in his voice.Â
Because there wasnât, and Eddie hated that his best friend thought there was. There was something wrong with Hawkins, with the country they lived in, with the world. There was something wrong with a species that somehow made color a defining factor in a personâs worth, but there was not, and never would be, anything wrong with who Jeff was.
âFine, then something wrong happened to both of us,â Jeff amended, a ghost of a smile crossing his face at Eddieâs insistence. âEither way, just be careful with him,âÂ
âArenât you supposed to be giving Steve the shovel talk? Not the other way around?â Eddie joked, putting the van back in gear and turning onto Jeffâs street.Â
âWhen you get him, Iâll give him the talk,â Jeff promised, crossing his heart as he did.Â
When, not if. Just one word instead of the other, but a flush of warmth flooded Eddie from the top of his head to the tips of his toes. There wasnât a chance in hell that Jeff was right to use the word âwhenâ, because Eddieâs chances were not even âifâ, but he loved the positivity.Â
âHave a good night, man,â Jeff said as they pulled into his driveway, holding out a hand for a quick shake as he unbuckled his seatbelt. Â
âHey,â Eddie called, grabbing the edge of Jeffâs coat as he stepped out of the van. âUs freaks stick together. Always.â
It was a little reminder, just a hint of a conversation they had over a year ago, but judging by the way Jeffâs eyes softened and his shoulders lowered, he knew exactly what Eddie was reminding him of.Â
âAlways,â Jeff echoed, squeezing Eddieâs wrist once before he hurried towards his darkened house and slipped inside. Eddie waited till the porch light turned off before sighing heavily, resting his head against the steering wheel for a moment before reversing again.Â
Back to the lionâs den.Â
The house was dark as Eddie quietly let himself back in, but the glow of the pool and the embers of the fire crackling in the fireplace gave just enough light to see the aftermath of the party. It wasnât half as bad as some of the messes Eddie had seen from Steveâs previous parties, but it was still pretty messy. There would be a lot of cleanup coming tomorrow, and Eddieâs heart ached when he thought about Steve spending Christmas Eve alone cleaning up his house.Â
Damn this boy. Eddie didnât even celebrate Christmas, and here he was worrying over Steve about being alone for it.Â
Maybe Wayne wouldnât mind having one more person over for dinner. Usually it was just the two of them, but Wayne loved his strays almost as much as Eddie did, and Steve was an easy guy to care about.Â
Eddie would ask him tomorrow morning. Call before anyone woke up and see what Wayne said. Then he would offer to help clean and ask Steve when it was just the two of them. After all, no one should be alone on the holidays.Â
Eddie was so lost in his thoughts, that he almost missed the sound of an angel singing somewhere up above.Â
Are you lonesome tonight?
Do you miss me tonight?
Are you sorry we drifted apart?
But no, there was no missing that voice. Eddie was a connoisseur of music, but he already knew that almost any other song was ruined for him. He was the cat caught by the canary instead of the other way around, lost in the sound of a voice he hadnât heard in years. It was deeper now, fuller, grown almost into a man from the boy he had been the last time Eddie heard him sing. Â
Does your memory stray to a bright summer day
When I kissed you and called you sweetheart?
He climbed the stairs slowly, drawn like a moth to a flame, knowing it would burn, but needing to be close anyway.Â
Do the chairs in your parlor seem empty and bare?
Do you gaze at your doorstep and picture me there?
Outside the room now, Eddie could see it all while still staying hidden. Steve was sitting on the floor, his head leaned back against the bed that was filled to the bursting with his sleeping children.Â
His entire self was on display for Eddie, not just his body, but his soul and his mind, a gift being given without knowing, and Eddie was too selfish not to take it.Â
Is your heart filled with pain?
Shall I come back again?
This was the boy Gareth couldnât see, but the one Eddie couldnât stop looking for. A boy who knew their first memory together. Without a doubt. Who had never forgotten, no matter how much Eddie tried to convince himself he had.Â
There was no other reason to pick this song.Â
Tell me dear, are you lonesome tonight?
And without permission Eddie was thrust into a memory.
Despite it only being his sophomore year, Eddie was more than used to getting detention. In the two years since he had moved to Hawkins, Eddie had earned his âproblem childâ status at least twice over. This particular afternoon, he was stuck sitting at a graffitied desk in the detention room because he dared to argue when his teacher told him that it was valid to not believe in evolution when it went against your religious beliefs.Â
Evolution. The base of all humanity.Â
She was wrong, but she was the one with all the power, so Eddie was the one in trouble.Â
Still it couldâve been worse. Wayne had given him the van for his fifteenth birthday, so he wasnât stuck waiting on the steps for a ride home after missing the bus. It wasnât technically legal, but Hopper tended to look the other way as long as Eddie continued to give him discounts on âmerchandiseâ.Â
All Eddie had to do was wait out the clock. Mr. Whiter had already fallen asleep at the desk up front and at six, Eddie would be free. Maybe he could even stop at Bennyâs. The man always gave him extra fries to bring home to Wayne, and Eddie was making good money now that Rick was in the slammer. He was the last dealer left in town, so things were looking up.Â
Well things would be looking up, except the kid next to him refused to stop sniffling.Â
Eddie muffled an irritated sigh, sliding his eyes over to take stock of the boy sitting across the way. Clearly a freshman, and obviously his first time in detention. He was looking around the room with wide-eyed horror, slightly terrified of every single thing he saw, and obviously trying to brush tears away from his bruised cheek and busted lip.Â
Normally, Eddie would just tell him to shut up. That detention was barely anything to have to deal with in the grand scheme of things, but he had seen the fight that landed the kid in detention, and it had been bad enough to warrant some misery.Â
One second he and another boy (obviously a friend given how upset the kid was) were laughing by his locker, and the next second they were exchanging blows. It had been bad, taking three teachers to separate them, and somehow this kid had gotten in trouble for the whole thing!
But Eddie had seen the start, and it was the other twerp that had thrown the first punch. Yet somehow, he was already on the bus home and this schmuck was stuck in detention with the Freak of Hawkins High
The unjustness gnawed at Eddieâs soul, and the longer the kid sat there doing nothing but brush at his already dry cheeks, the harder it was to ignore him.Â
Fuck it. There were worse ways to spend an afternoon.Â
Eddie grabbed his notebook, slamming it open to a fresh page and dragging his favorite purple pen across the paper, taking a cursory glance at Mr. Whiterâs snoring form before sliding his chair over to the other boy.Â
âHi!â Eddie said, throwing a big smile in the kids direction and hoping that would grease the wheels a little. Eddie knew how intimidating he could look to the rest of the world, and he liked it that way, but it sometimes made it hard to make friends.Â
Sure enough, the kid startled the second Eddie spoke, looking at him the way a deer looks at the hunter right before they hear the death shot. He didnât seem like the type to just outright tell Eddie to fuck off, but he did look massively uncomfortable with Eddie invading his space. Â
Oh well, what was the worst that could happen?
âWanna kill some time?â Eddie offered, holding up his notebook before placing it down on the desk in front of them. A tic tac toe board sat in the middle of the page, and a scorecard was up in the top corner with the word âEddie' on one side and the words âRandom Kid 'on the other.Â
A barely there smile glanced across the kids face as he looked down at the page, and then those big brown eyes were on him. Eddie waited patiently, forcing his body to stay still which was actually a pretty herculean taskâ not that this kid knew. He had the worm on the hook and the line in the water, and now he was just waiting for the curious fish to bite.Â
Whatever the kid was looking for, he mustâve found it because that same soft, shy smile was gifted to Eddie as he leaned down, rooting around in his backpack for his own pen. When he found the one he was looking for, he carefully crossed over Eddieâs purple writing, replacing âRandom Kidâ with just one word instead.Â
âWell, Steve, letâs hope your tic-tac-toe powers are better than your fighting skills,â Eddie joked, pleased when instead of getting mad, Steveâs cheeks darkened in a pretty little blush, and he simply ducked his head with a soft protest and an embarrassed smile.Â
They played a few rounds in relative silence, the occasional quiet groan or cheer when one or the other managed to clinch a victory. It was nice, a little boring, but far preferable to what they had been doing before.Â
And then Steveâs pen died.Â
It was a slow death, long and drawn out with some furious scribbling to try and get one last juice for the squeeze.Â
âHere, man, just take mine. Iâve got a spare somewhere,â Eddie offered, not even thinking twice as he gave away his favorite pen, even though he never let anyone borrow that pen. Wayne had gotten it for him on a day trip to Indianapolis for his birthday, just a tiny trinket to commemorate the day, and Eddie loved it to death.Â
There was no way Steve could have known that, and yet he was looking at the pen like it was a live snake.Â
âWhy are you being so nice to me?â Steve asked, his eyes narrowing as he looked down at the clearly treasured object in front of him.Â
Eddie looked up at the other boy, furrowing his brow.Â
âWhy not?â Eddie said with a shrug, going back to his notebook with a plain black pen. He was scratching out another tic-tac-toe board to add to the dozens that were already on the page, but paused when he saw Steve wasnât picking up his own pen.Â
âPeople arenât just nice,â Steve insisted, giving Eddie an unexpectedly guarded look. âThey always want somethingâŠso what do you want from me?âÂ
âI want to make this afternoon a little less unbearable, I want to fight the system, and I want to make you feel better.â Eddie offered, quirking his head to the side and picking up his favorite purple pen to offer once more to the other boy, âIsnât that enough?âÂ
They stared at each other for a long second, until Steveâs face broke into an incredulous smile and he ducked his head down.Â
âYouâre really weird,â he said with a soft laugh, taking the pen. It was a lovely sound, like birds singing in the morning, or the first soft strum of a guitar as practice began.Â
Eddie needed to hear it again.
From there they were off, talking about everything and anything. Eddie shared about all of the ridiculous reasons he had gotten detention over the years, and Steve explained that the other punk from the fight was Tommy, apparently his best friend for his entire life. They had lived next to each other since Steve had moved to Hawkins as a kid, and had done every single thing together. The reason Tommy had started the fight was Steve had told him he wasnât sure he wanted to go to basketball try-outs tomorrow.Â
âItâs not that I donât like it, I just want to try some other stuff too you know?â Steve said, looking up from their game to catch Eddieâs eye, âWeâre in high school now, so itâs the time to try something new, isnât it?âÂ
âSure it is!â Eddie agreed eagerly, holding himself back from going on a diatribe about the laundry basket devils that ran the school and instead talking about all of the clubs he was in. He couldnât really see Steve enjoying Marching Band or Creative Writing, but Drama might be a good fit, or maybe Art.Â
âYou could even join the new club Iâm trying to start if you wanted,â Eddie offered, trying to stay casual but practically vibrating at the thought of having someone else to show Higgins that Hellfire was worthy of a place at the table.Â
âA new club?â Steve asked.Â
âYea, itâs gonna be great,â Eddie started, taking a deep breath to start his long rant about the joys of dungeons and dragons, âSo itâs calledââ
âAlright boys,â a nasally voice droned from the front of the room. âTime to pack it up.â
Both boys jumped at Mr. Whiterâs interruption, and Eddie rolled his eyes, frustrated at being stopped right as he had started to get to the good stuff. The geometry teacher either didnât notice or didnât care, too eager to get back to his own home to do whatever geometry teachers did when they werenât at school.Â
If Eddie had to guess, it was probably fucking their wives with compasses while reciting geometric formulas as foreplay. That seemed right.Â
âAnd donât let me catch you in here again, Mr. Harrington. I would hope your parents had taught you better,â Mr. Whiter said as they trudged past him. His blank potato looking face was only showing the barest hints of disappointment, but that was still enough to make Steve cringe away.
âYes sir,â he whispered, all joy from the last hour they had spent together vanishing in an instant.
âWhat? No warning for me Mr. Whiter?â Eddie inquired, batting his eyes and trying to take the attention away from Steve.Â
âI donât particularly like wasting my breath on hopeless cases, Mr. Munson,â Whiter droned, half raising one brow, as if shocked that Eddie would even bother to ask for an admonishment. âTry to get your homework done tonight, will you? Iâd hate to add another zero to my gradebook,â
Hot shame rushed down Eddieâs spine, replaced quickly by a lightning fury that made his lips loose and his logic take a quick hike.Â
âWell, I donât particularly like making promises I canât keep, sorry Tighty-Whiteys!â Eddie declared, grabbing Steveâs hand and dragging him away before they could get in any trouble because of Eddieâs big fat mouth.Â
âJesus H Christ, that guys a dick!â Eddie shouted, both boys laughing breathlessly as they burst through the doors of the school.Â
âYou gonna do the homework?â Steve said through his giggles.Â
âNow? Hell no!â Eddie swore, cackling as he did and jumping up onto the low wall next to the school. âGotta fight the system however you can, Stevie. Trust me. Listen to your elders.â
âWhatever you say,â Steve said, continuing to laugh at Eddieâs antics. He idly looked around the parking lot, his mood starting to darken as he looked again, searching the parking lot again, but Eddie wasnât exactly sure what for.Â
Then Steve sighed, plopping down on the curb and wrapping his arms around his knees resting his chin on top of them and rapidly blinking.Â
âWhatâre you doinâ?â Eddie asked with concern, shocked at Steveâs sudden turn and hopping down from his spot on the wall.Â
âMy parents arenât here,â Steve muttered glumly, staring out at the empty lot instead of looking at Eddie as he sat on the curb next to Steve. âThe school called after the fight, and they knew when I was getting out, but my dadâs probably going to make me wait âtill after dinner or something.â
It wasnât exactly the most damning thing to say in the world, Eddie could think of a dozen things that his dad had done to him that were worse, but the thought of making his own son wait for hours in the cold and dark still made something in his stomach squirm. He could never imagine Wayne doing anything like that to him.
Steve curled up even tighter around himself, completely unaware of Eddieâs internal struggle.Â
âGod, I bet theyâre so pissed.â Steve whispered into his knees. âAnd now my dadâs going to have to come get me, and heâs going to be even madder about thatââ
âWhy donât I give you a ride home?â Eddie offered in an instant, shocking even himself with the boldness of the offer. He had just met the kid only an hour ago, but Steveâs genuine nature touched something in him, and there was a magnetic pull to want to help him that Eddie couldnât quite explain just yet. âThen at least they wonât be mad at you about needing a ride, right?â
It would make more sense for Steve to say no, to try and play it off, but instead he was giving Eddie a watery smile and a look of gratitude as he nodded, starting to stand.Â
Eddie had never really worried about what the van looked like, but as they walked towards where it was, Eddie jogged ahead, trying to throw the multitudes of wrappers and junk into the back where Steve wouldnât see. Luckily for him, the younger boy seemed enraptured by the simple fact that Eddie had a car at all.Â
âI want something cool like a Beemer or a truck, but my mom doesnât want me to get a car âtill Iâm 18,â Steve said idly, pausing and furrowing his brow as he did, âSheâs really weird about me driving for some reason.âÂ
Hopefully, she wouldnât feel too weird about a random guy giving her kid a ride home in a kidnapper van.Â
âPick a tape for us to listen to,â Eddie offered as he climbed into the driver's seat, fighting with his seatbelt as Steve perused his choices. Unfortunately, Steve quickly skipped over all of the metal that Eddie had at the front of the pack, but soon familiar notes began to sing, and Eddieâs shoulders relaxed as he recognized the song.Â
âAhhhh, The King. A good choice,â Eddie commented as Elvisâs voice began to croon out into the air between them.Â
âWho could hate this song?â Steve asked rhetorically, a wry grin on his face as the tune began to take shape.
âI always loved that nickname,â Steve said off handedly, staring out the window at the rows of corn, âKing.âÂ
âYou should steal it then,â Eddie said automatically. Sure, Steve was a kid right now, but Eddie could see it in his eyes. A few years, a couple more inches, and that kid would have the world eating out of his palm. That sweet nature, that funny little humor, âKingâ wasnât too hard to imagine when it came to Steve.Â
âMaybe,â Steve replied, drawing out the word with a tone that showed that he wasnât sure about that. He gave Eddie a few more directions, and they got closer and closer to their time being done together. A strange desperation started to make Eddieâs heart race, like he could feel the two of them pulling back into their roles, backing away from whatever they had this afternoon.Â
âItâs got a good ring to it. King Steve,â Eddie pushed, pausing and making the turn into Loch Nora before he put his heart on the line.Â
âWhy donât you blow off basketball try-outs tomorrow? Come to my club Iâm starting instead. You can meet my friends.â
It was a chance, a choice. Steve could make the right one, and be one of them, or he could get sucked into Hawkins and all of itâs hell hole small town bullshit. Eddie was giving him an out.Â
âThat sounds really fun,â Steve said in a small voice, a secret smile shared between them before it was ruined by a shout from the house in front of them.Â
âSteven!â
It was a womanâs voice, and Steveâs entire body stiffened. No more smiles, no more relaxing, Steve was a rod of pure steel, with a blank unaffected face. A man and a woman, Steveâs mother and father presumably, were standing on the porch together, twin faces of disappointed gravity that stole all of the air out of the van.Â
âWell, wish me luck,â Steve laughed without humor, his fingers worrying over the straps of his backpack as he started to unbuckle his seatbelt.Â
âSee you tomorrow?â Eddie asked, already knowing in his stomach that he wouldnât.Â
âTomorrow,â Steve said, the word so thin and frail now.Â
And he was gone. Out of the car, and most definitely out of Eddieâs life. But if he was losing this like he seemed to lose everything, Eddie wanted to at least say a proper goodbye.Â
âSee you later Alligator!â Eddie shouted through the window. Steve turned back, haloed by the setting sun, looking far too angelic for a gangly fourteen year old.Â
âIn a while Crocodile,â Steve called back with a slight laugh, just a shadow of his former self, turning and rushing to his waiting parents who gave Eddie one last glare before slamming the door shut.Â
Eddie waited a second, staring at the locked door and listening to the song on the radio, wishing that the burning in his eyes would just disappear the way Steve had.Â
Do the chairs in your parlor seem empty and care?
Do you gaze at your doorstep and picture me there?
Is your heart filled with pain
Shall I come back again?
Tell me dear, are you lonesome tonight?
Eddie opened his eyes again, back in the present, to find Steve already watching him.Â
In another world, things worked out differently, but not in this one.Â
In reality, Steve didnât come to Hellfire the next day. Tommy was at his locker bright and early, there to laugh the whole thing off and drag Steve to try-outs come hell or high water. Eddie had seen the whole thing, and he had known then and there Steve wasnât one of them. Steveâs cheek was still bruised, but there were finger shapes on his wrist that definitely hadnât been there the day before during detention. He had glanced at Eddie, but quickly glanced away, agreeing loudly that try-outs were going to be awesome.Â
When Steve had caught his eye that day, when he had tried to say he was sorry without words, Eddie hadnât been in a place to listen. He had a thousand chips of his own weighing on his shoulders, and an inability to see anything but his own opinion as right.Â
There was no way to be two things at once, not back then.Â
But that bruised beat up kid was in front of him again, big hazel eyes begging for forgiveness again. And this time, Eddie finally felt ready to give it to him.Â
âHi Alligator,â Eddie whispered, the words barely able to get out past the lump in his throat. A small smile graced Steveâs lips as his eyes began to shine in the dark.Â
âItâs been a while, Crocodile,â Steve whispered back.Â