#hanky code

Obsessed with the idea that the first person Billy saw at Hawkin's High School when he pulled up on his first day was Eddie Munson smoking behind his van. Billy didn't expect to see anyone flagging in the middle of fucking nowhere, Indiana, but there he was - black bandana in his back left pocket for everyone to see. Billy thought he was nice to look at from behind, all tall and wiry with his crazy curls and tattoos. Then the dude turned around and Billy saw he was wearing a Metallica shirt - a true, California's own, bay area thrash metal band. The dude took one look at Billy getting out of his Camaro, all denim wrapped and hard edges while Exodus blared through his speakers, and he smirked. Billy was immediately intrigued. Later that day, he heard that 'Munson' had the best weed in town -- and when he discovered that 'Munson' was, in fact, the same dude as outside that morning he knew he was in trouble. Absolutely fucked.

I just thought of Robin and Steve talking, Robin mentioning hanky code and Steve wondering what that is. Robin explains of course, and Steve remembers that Eddie has a black hanky in his left pocket. Steve, clueless as ever, asks Robin if se knows what it means. Robin, having been around in the queer scene enough to know, suddenly falls silent, because Steve is this straight-identifying (not for long) man who has likely only done very vanilla things with his short-term girlfriends. How is she supposed to explain to him what sadomasochism and being a top means?