#mowrites

You really think that torture, especially in the fiction military, just goes as far as punch and beat someone till they talk? Like what if they don’t talk? Their ribs get flailed, they get hooked, get beaten till they’re broken and bruised everywhere. Not just their back. Not just their arms. Everywhere.

With the background people give him, he’s been through literal hell. Do you really think they didn’t beat him where it hurts most? Giving him practically no chance with leading on his bloodline. Which he’s not too worried about considering his father being a deadbeat.

Which in Price’s eyes makes him perfect for cartel fishing. Going to clubs where he can sit for hours, watching people for suspicious activity, anyone who’d they’d find a lead with. Able to fish out the dancers who know about them with or without a fight.

He hates but loves it. Hates that it makes him practically impossible to sleep with. Some girl from the old bar he used to go to said, “ew what the fuck is wrong with it.” She was a stupid brunette anyways, so when he tried to explain she was instead grossed out and left.

Loves it because then he doesn’t have to worry about him accidentally starting his bloodline with people who’d leave him with the baby, make him pay child support, or make him have worse. A son.

An angel loses its wings whenever it remembers the way his father treated him and Tommy. It was hideous. Something he wishes they took from him instead of this thing that people call him a waste for.

So no, Simon doesn’t care about his battle scars of erectile dysfunction. At least he gets to keep all the hot birds who couldn’t care less about it.

Steve settles in to watch the morning news, it’s all sunshiney good stories, unlike the evening news. When they finish smoking they ditch the news for coffee. Steve makes sentences with the word magnets on the fridge and Eddie sits on the counter next to the coffee maker and tells Steve the order of his next set list, you know, if he ever gets another whole band and a place to play.

He asks if Steve will be a groupie and Steve wrinkles his nose, pretending his heart doesn’t race at the thought. Eddie laughs at him and says he’s not cool enough anyway. Steve throws a magnet at him.

Eddie yelps and flails to shield his face, knocking the magnet out of the air. Steve laughs at him and Eddie whines, sliding off the counter into a puddle on the floor.

“Now what the hell you doin’ on the floor?” A gruff voice asks from the edge of the kitchen. Eddie lifts his head to look at his uncle.

“Steve assaulted me, kill him.”

Steve sputters out a surprised laugh and looks nervously at Wayne. He’s not worried the man is going to kill him or anything, he just makes Steve nervous.

“Ed, get off the floor,” Wayne sighs and with a dramatic huff Eddie uses the cupboard to pull himself to his feet. “Now listen,” Wayne says, walking forward and filling the mug he already had in his hands with coffee. “I just got called into work, which means I won’t be around to keep an eye on you.” He blows on his coffee and takes a slow sip.

“Aw, c’mon Wayne, you’re actin’ like I’m a kid,” Eddie whines. Wayne raises his eyebrows.

“You ain’t a kid, but I got work for you to do around here and I ain’t gonna be around to keep you on track.” Wide eyes meet Steve’s before falling to the ground. Wayne follows Eddie’s look.

“Steve, you got plans today?” Wayne asks. Just waiting around for Robin to call about her big gay disaster.

“Uh, no sir,” Steve answers quickly.

“You mind stickin’ ‘round? Keep an eye on this kid?”

“Wayne!” Eddie exclaims, his face red.

“What? You and I both know you’ll get distracted by this or that and leave things unfinished, ain’t that right?” Wayne says pointedly and Eddie’s face gets impossibly redder. They stare each other down.

“Fine,” Eddie grumbles, crossing his arms and dropping his eyes. Wayne claps him on the shoulder.

“I’ll leave you the list,” He says, dropping his hand and walking to the junk drawer for a notepad.

Steve tries to make eye contact with Eddie but he stares resolutely at the ground. Steve rolls his eyes and leaves his spot by the fridge to get a mug from the counter above the coffee pot. Eddie startles when Steve draws near and Steve frowns down at the top of Eddie’s head. Shaking it off he grabs a mug and pours a cup of coffee. He goes back to the fridge because they always have vanilla almond milk and at this point Steve knows he’s welcome to it.

He pours the milk and takes a sip of his coffee. It could use some sugar, but the milk is already pushing it in this house of black coffee drinkers.

“Be good,” Wayne tells Eddie, handing him the list. Abandoning his coffee on the counter, he leaves the house. They listen to the door click shut and then Eddie is sinking to the ground with a groan. Steve chuckles against the rim of his mug and takes a sip. Eddie rolls onto his back and looks up at Steve.

“Am I a joke to you?” He asks accusatory.

“You’re the whole damn circus, man,” Steve laughs. Eddie cracks a smile and rolls his eyes.

“Whatever,” He bites out. He holds the list up over his head. “You ready to see me fail at physical activity?” He asks, looking over at Steve. Steve raises his eyebrows.

“I’m definitely interested in seeing that, yeah,” Steve nods, a large grin on his face. Eddie blows a raspberry at him.

“A joke,” He mutters, pulling himself to his feet. “That’s all I am. Just a joke.” He reaches standing height and sighs down at the list. Steve snorts and walks over and snatches the list from Eddie’s hand. It doesn’t even look all that bad. Pull weeds in the garden, mow the lawn, powerwash the shed.

“This isn’t so bad,” Steve comments, handing the list back to Eddie. He gives Steve a dead look and Steve shrugs. Eddie sets the paper down on the counter.

“Okay, first breakfast, then child labor,” Eddie says, turning to get a pan from the cupboard.

“You are not a child,” Steve points out.

“Fine then, adult labor that is killing my spirit,” Eddie says, waving his hand in a lackadaisical circle. Steve snorts.

“Alright, sure,” He concedes and Eddie nods firmly once. He makes them omelets with enough cheese to cause cardiac arrest. It’s one of the best things Steve’s ever eaten.

When they’re done, Steve follows Eddie down to the basement. He idly watches tv while Eddie changes. He doesn’t stare when Eddie comes out in an old pair of Hawkins High gym shorts. Like, an old pair, judging by how short and tight they are. Coupled with the white tank top that shows off exactly how muscular and hairy he is… Steve thinks he might be close to a heart attack for the second time that morning.

Following Eddie up the stairs is his next form of torture and he finds himself cursing Eddie for his choices, then Wayne for leaving any chore that may require such an outfit, then himself. Just for being the way he is.

They walk out the sliding back door and Steve follows Eddie to the garden and, well, garden is a nice way of putting it. Mostly it’s a box of weeds which makes this chore suddenly so much more work than Steve was expecting.

“Oh,” He lets out softly as the two of them stare at the mess. Eddie snorts.

“Not so bad, right?” He laughs, but there isn’t much humor in it.

“How much does Wayne like, expect you to do?” Steve asks, eyeing the thick weeds.

“Uhhh,” Eddie answers eloquently, scratching the top of his head.

“Great,” Steve mutters.

The sun shifts over them as the afternoon wears on. Eddie really is bad at physical activity, he manages to hurt himself pulling weeds, an activity little old ladies do, as Steve happily tells him. Steve did worry when it came to the heavy machinery but Eddie handles those like a pro. Apparently Steve need only be worried when Eddie only has to operate his own body. Although there was that bit of time when Steve needed to worry about his own body. Like when all he had to do was sit and watch Eddie mow the lawn. Or when Eddie expertly handled the power washer, his arms bulging as he controlled the stick, droplets of water sliding down the slopes of his arms.

Steve feels like he’s in a bad porno, like, he’s some housewife lusting after the gardener. Oh god, noooot a good thought. That one’s going in the “totally not horny for Eddie” box in his mind. It’s getting a little full in there but if there’s one thing Steve’s good at, it’s ignoring the things he doesn’t want to see.

“I’m fucking starving,” Eddie says after he’s stored the power washer in the shed.

“You cooking?” Steve asks with a smirk.

“Fuck no! After all that work I just did? No way, I need some pancakes,” Eddie answers.

Steve bums around while Eddie takes a shower. When he comes out he looks like a wet dog with his hair hanging around his face. It’s unfairly hot. An image of Eddie’s lithe body under a spray of water with his hair cascading down his back pops unbidden into Steve’s mind. Fuck. The only shocking thing about the thought is how vivid it is. Like, he loses sight of the Eddie in front of him his brain is so focused on conjuring up this incredibly inappropriate image.

He blinks and real life Eddie is giving him a weird look. Steve closes his slack jaw and gulps. Ah shit, he’s totally being a freak right now. Eddie doesn’t say anything though, just grabs his shoes and walks past Steve to the stairs. Steve takes exactly one second to breath before turning and following Eddie.

Steve drives because even on the outskirts of town there’s hateful people that believe Eddie could ever harm an innocent girl. So taking the beemer out is just safer. Even if Eddie gets out of the car with a jangle of chains, long hair swinging, his silver jewelry glinting in the sun. Steve thinks he looks like a rockstar but knows most just see a troublemaker at best.

Which Steve really finds ridiculous because the worst thing he’s seen Eddie do is be obnoxious. Maybe some light shoplifting. But nothing as bad as shit Steve used to get away with just because he was wearing a polo instead of a death metal t-shirt.

Eddie reaches the door of the restaurant first and swings it open for Steve. He walks into an almost empty diner, a few truckers here and there. They don’t look up from their plates and Steve appreciates the privacy.

They seat themselves at a booth and wait for someone to approach them. Eddie’s hair is starting to dry and get frizzy. Steve never understands why he doesn’t use product. Maybe it’s part of being “metal”.

An older lady approaches their table and hands them menus.

“How are you two cuties doing?” She asks with a genuine smile.

“Good,” Steve replies.

“Hungry,” Eddie replies. The waitress laughs and taps their table with her pointer finger.

“Can I start y’all off with something to drink?” They order waters and with a smile their waitress walks off. They look over their menus even though they both know what they’re getting, they’ve been here enough times to know what they like.

When the waitress comes back Eddie orders a stack of pancakes and a chocolate shake and Steve orders a Monte Cristo, because apparently they’re doing breakfast again.

Eddie leans back in his seat and kicks his legs up on the booth next to Steve, who tries not to be aware of their proximity. It’s hard when Eddie starts shaking his foot.

“So,” Eddie starts, drawing a piece of hair in front of his face. “Thanks for hanging out today, I know it wasn’t really a choice, ‘cause Wayne asked, but I appreciate it.”

Steve smiles across the booth at him, a swell of affection rising in his chest. It’s so cute when Eddie gets bashful, especially since it doesn’t happen very often.

“Yeah man, it’s not a problem, I always have a good time with you,” Steve tells him with a smile. Eddie’s cheeks pink and he rolls his eyes.

“Yeah, me too, or whatever,” He says quickly. Steve chuckles. The sound is wrapped in affection and Steve almost wants to take it back, feeling suddenly exposed. Then Eddie drops the hair hiding his face and cracks a smile at Steve and the feeling is washed away.

“I hope Robin isn’t too mad I stole you for all of today, I know y’all were supposed to talk today,” Eddie says. Steve winces, right, big gay disaster.

“I’m sure she’ll be fine, she’s got Nance,” He reassures. And it is reassuring knowing the girls are still friends.

The waitress comes with their food and Eddie draws his feet back under the table. They eat and talk, and Steve only gets distracted by Eddie sucking on his milkshake straw twice, nevermind the flashes of wanting to lick the syrup off of his lips. It’s all going in the Eddie box anyway.

When the waitress drops of their checks they both pull their wallets out.

“No way man,” Eddie says, waving Steve away. “Let me pay you back for babysitting me today.”

“You don’t gotta do that,” Steve insists, his cheeks heating up.

“What? You want me to pay you back in some other way?” Eddie raises his eyebrows and Steve frowns at him in confusion. Then he feels the toe of Eddie’s boot traveling up his calf and catches the smirk on Eddie’s face. He jerks away, his face flaming, and Eddie dissolves into a puddle of laughter.

“You’re such a shithead,” Steve grumbles, his mind racing with unwanted thoughts. Eddie’s laughing starts to taper off.

“Yeah,” He agrees with a chuckle. Steve rolls his eyes and puts his wallet back in his pocket. Eddie pays and they leave the diner.

The girls eyebrows quirk up and her grin spreads. She leans her forearms against the counter bringing them even closer together. It’s a bold move and Steve is immediately intrigued.

“I was hoping you could help me find something,” She says, nodding her head in the direction of the stacks.

“Of course,” Steve answers, drawing back. He goes around the counter and guides the girl to the back corner of the store where there’s the most privacy. It’s all horror and thrillers back here. Perfect date movies.

He watches her peruse for a moment, taking in how good she looks in her dark jeans, before approaching her.

“Anything catch your eye?” He asks from her side. She looks up at him and man, he could get lost in her brown eyes.

“I’m not sure,” She bites her lip. “Any recommendations?” She asks. Steve gives her a charming smile.

“Sure,” He answers easily. They spend the next 30 minutes going over just about every movie in the aisle before Gwen checks her watch and says she has to go. She ends up with Demons 2 and Steve ends up with her number and an invite to watch it with her.

The promise of a date is the only thing that keeps Steve going the next day when Robin calls in, again. He’s been calling her but she never answers and Steve is starting to worry. He’s thought about calling Nancy to get the scoop but decided that would be rude to Robin to not let her explain what happened.

He’s got enough time to stop at Robin’s house after work and he drives straight there. Her mom answers the door and her relief is palpable.

“She’s in the basement,” Mrs. Buckley says, letting him in. He heads down and finds Robin laying on her side on the couch, her eyes staring blindly at the tv. She’s got Edwin, her stuffed sloth, glued to her chest.

“Hey Rob,” Steve announces himself softly.

Her eyes shift in his direction and as soon as they make eye contact her face is crinkling and tears slide down her cheeks. She buries her face into Edwin’s head. Steve makes his way over to her and sits cross legged on the floor by her head.

“Tell me what happened,” He encourages softly. Robin sniffs and turns her face just enough to talk.

“Me and Vickie kissed during a game of spin the bottle and I really thought it meant she liked me, Steve I—“ She chokes up and looks imploringly into Steve’s eyes. She closes her eyes and takes a shuddering breath. “She’s still with her boyfriend, I saw them kissing.”

Steve’s heart breaks for her. He smooths a strand of her hair and tweaks her nose.

“Sorry Robbie,” He says quietly and she sniffs.

“Nance was actually so cool about everything, and then—“ She buries her face into Edwin’s stuffed head and her shoulders shake with sobs. Steve sets a hand on one shaking shoulder.

“I fucked up!” Robin wails. “I fucked up so bad and now Nancy won’t talk to me,” She sobs.

“Aw, c’mon Robin, I’m sure you didn’t do anything that bad. Nancy will forgive you, I know it,” He reassures, rubbing her shoulder. She shakes her head.

“You don’t understand, I made her so mad, Steve,” She cries, her voice muffled. He shushes her and scratches a hand through her hair.

“Nance, she’s got a temper, but she will come back to you, I know she will. Have you tried calling her? Maybe you just need to talk it out.” Robin peaks her eyes out to give him a scathing look.

“Yes, Steve, I’ve tried calling. She won’t talk to me!” And then she’s back to crying and Steve feels at a loss. He was expecting her to be upset about Vickie in which case he had come up with a lot to say. This is something entirely different.

“Maybe you just need to give her some time. Let her stew and then she’ll get over it,” He suggests.

“But what if she doesn’t? What if she never forgives me?” She asks tearfully. Steve runs a hand through her hair.

“It’s Nancy, she’ll forgive you,” He says decisively.

He sits with Robin for as long as he can. She does finally stop crying, although he knows she’s still sad. He tells her about his date and she tries to be cheery about it which he appreciates, even though she misses the mark by a mile.

He leaves at the last possible moment, and only after she promises to stop calling off of work, he can’t stand another day with just Keith.

He rushes home to shower and change. He almost wishes he was going to Eddie’s when he pulls on his form fitting jeans, the denim stiff against his skin, wishing they were sweatpants instead. But he knows how to make a date successful, and showing up in sweatpants isn’t it. He makes sure his hair is falling just the way he wants it before leaving the house.

Gwen greets him with a hug. She’s wearing one of those shirts like Eddie’s, with the design on front that he swears is a band name even though it looks like nothing. In their time apart, Steve had downplayed in his head how much her brown eyes sparkle. The house is already set up and the movie ready in the VHS player, the lights are dimmed, and there’s snacks and drinks on the coffee table.

He’s just sat down when she pulls out a bottle of whiskey. She expertly mixes it with a coke and hands him the drink. She chatters the whole time about her day and how excited she was for this date. It makes Steve feel good. He finds himself making more jokes than he usually would, he just wants to make Gwen laugh, she’s got a great laugh. And she’s confident, none of the shy simpering that so many girls perform on first dates.

She starts the movie before sitting down next to him on the couch, their thighs touching. With a smug smile, Steve stretches his arm out along the back of the couch. Having faced real life monsters, movies aren’t very scary anymore. But it doesn’t take long for Gwen to cuddle into his side, hiding her face from the gore on screen. Steve settles his arm across her shoulders and hugs her into his chest. After awhile, feeling confident from his drink and the way Gwen is latched onto him, he goes in for a kiss.

Before long the movie is forgotten and Gwen is stretched out on the couch underneath Steve as they make out. It’s nice. she makes these hot little breathy noises, almost a whimper, and Steve feels himself getting hard. She locks a leg around his waist and pulls him in so they’re grinding harshly against each other. It’s a bold move, which turns Steve on even more.

Steve kisses her hard and she bucks underneath him. Deftly, he works his hand under her shirt and cups her tit. She arches into him encouragingly and he grabs her roughly. She lets out a moan and Steve smiles into their next kiss.

“Wanna go to my room?” She whispers in his ear.

Her room isn’t like any other girls room he’s been in. There isnt one pink thing in sight for one. The curtains are dark red and the walls are covered in posters of men with long hair and leather pants.

“Oh hey,” Steve point to a poster, “Judas Priest?” He asks about the familar image.

“Yeah, you know them?” Gwen lights up excitedly.

“Kinda, my friend likes them,” He answers. Eddie would totally think Gwen was cool. Same music taste, same style, even down to the hair. And the big brown eyes that you can get lost in. Shit. Steve casts a look around the room and then back at Gwen. That’s who she reminds him of.

The realization has Steve running hot. God, his hand was on her boob and she might as well be the girl version of Eddie. The “totally not horny for Eddie” box in his mind cracks open.

Gwen kisses him and Steve wonders what it would be like to kiss Eddie. Her hands travel up his chest and he imagines them larger, broader, rougher. She presses her body into his and he circles his hands around her waist. Eddie is taller, and Steve wouldn’t have to lean down to kiss him.

The thoughts only get worse when she gets on her knees. Her brown eyes looking up at him from under her bangs makes him feel crazy. His mind keeps supplying him images of Eddie.

Later, when he’s pulling out to come, there’s only one name on his mind.

❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️

“I’m having a crisis,” Robin says, barging past Steve into his house. Steve can relate.

“Oh, okay,” He says, closing the door and following Robin up the stairs to his room. She sits in his desk chair and immedietaly starts spinning herself in circles. Steve sits on the edge of his bed and waits for the avalanche.

“I kissed Nancy!”

“What?!”

“Well, she kissed me first, at the park where we met so I could apologize for being such a huge bitch and then she ran away and I couldn’t figure out why she would do that so I went to her house and told her I didn’t want to be her gay experiment and then she said she has feelings for me! Feelings! How is that even possible? She’s literally straight! How can a straight girl have feelings for me?” Robin stops to suck in air. “And then, I don’t know, I just kissed her!”

“And then what?” Steve asks weakly, trying to wrap his head around all the information he just received.

“And then I came here,” Robin says, stopping her spinning to look at him. “I’m so confused. She’s straight.”

Steve tilts his head to the side in thought. He really didn’t expect this from Nancy, but it makes him warm thinking he’s not alone in his weirdness of liking everybody, boy or girl.

“Okay, except she said she has feelings for you and she kissed you. That’s not straight behavior,” Steve points out.

“But she loved you!” Robin explodes and Steve flinches. He’s not sure she ever did.

“Just because we dated doesn’t mean she can’t like you.”

“But– But you can’t like both!” Robin cries and Steve’s eyes widen. Oh.

“Rob, you can like both,” He tells her slowly. She wrinkles her nose.

“You can?” She asks incredulously. And oh god, he’s going to have to say it, even though he’s never said it out loud before.

“Sure, I do,” He says casually, looking down at his nails. There’s nothing but silence from Robin. Until–

“WHAT!?” She yells. Literally yells. Steve hunches in on himself. “You like both? You like men?” She rapid fires at him and he grimaces. But shit, he’s not going to be a pussy about it now that he’s actually saying it. He looks up at his best friend.

“Yeah,” He answers simply. Robin’s eyes bug out of her head and her mouth drops open.

“And you never thought to tell me this?”

“It never came up,” He mumbles.

“What do you mean it never came up! I came out to you and you didn’t think that was a good time to say something!?” She says, throwing her hands up in exasperation. Steve shrugs and Robin blows out a stream of air, steepling her fingers in front of her face. “Fine,” She says genially. “So. You like both. Cool.”

Steve studies Robin’s face for further signs of upsettness but he just sees her lost in thought.

“Holy mothefucking shit,” Robin breathes out. She starts spinning in the chair again. “Nancy likes me?”

“Wait, just cool, nothing else?” Steve says, a little annoyed now that he didn’t get a reaction.

“Oh no, we’re coming back to that I have a lot of thoughts on that don’t worry,” Robin says, still spinning. “But there’s also a chance an actual girl likes me!” She bugs her eyes out at him when she spins to face him.

“How’s it feel?” Steve asks.

“Fucking insane,” Robin answers. “Like, okay, I’ve been obsessing over Vickie for a year. And literally Nancy was right, now I know I don’t have a chance. But for a while I thought I might and that seemed insane too but it was always such an if that it never really felt real but you know what did feel real? Nancy kissing me.” Robin slows to a stop. “Like, I kissed her and she kissed me back. It’s literally crazy insane I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel,” She says, turning her head to look imploringly at Steve. He shrugs.

“Well, do you think you could like Nance?” He asks.

“Would it be terrible if I said yes?” Robin asks meekly.

“Why would it be terrible?”

“Best friend rules. I can’t date your ex,” Robin says, holding up one finger. “I literally was just, like, in love with Vickie,” She says, holding up a second finger. “It’s Nancy,” She stresses. Steve shakes his head bemusedly.

“Rob, I don’t care. Fuck best friend rules. The new rule is that you do what makes you happy, fuck everyone else. And so what? Vickie isn’t on the table and Nancy is, it’s not wrong for your feelings to change. I mean, you guys are really good friends, it makes sense for feelings to develop,” He finishes. The words kind of ring in his head and he pushes them away. Right now is about Robin, not his own bullshit.

“You really don’t care?” She asks.

“I really don’t,” He answers, shaking his head.

“So, what do I do?” She asks, an edge of panic in her voice.

“You could always ask her on a date,” Steve answers with a shrug. Her eyes widen and her cheeks turn red.

“Me? Ask Nancy Wheeler on a date?” She says incredulously. Steve can relate. Asking Nancy out was a big deal for him, more so than with other girls. There’s just something special about her. He cracks a smile.

“Give yourself some credit Robin, she kissed you first,” He points out. Robin blinks in surprise.

“Holy shit, she did,” She murmurs. Then she shakes her head and her shoulders and focuses an intense stare at Steve. “Now we’re going to talk about how you just came out to me.”

Steve should have been ready for the quick turn of subject, this is Robin, but he still blanches.

“So, what the fuck?” Robin asks. Steve shrugs sheepishly and Robin frowns at him. “Is this a new thing?” She asks.

“No,” Steve admits.

“No,” Robin repeats. She makes a go on motion with her hand and Steve sighs. No point being tightlipped about it now, cat’s out of the bag.

“I’ve sort of always known,” He confesses and her mouth drops open slightly. “Yeah, I mean, this isn’t a town that makes it hard to notice when you’re different.” Robin huffs and nods in agreement. “It’s just always been a secret, which is why I guess I didn’t tell you before, and it was always going to be a secret because I’m going to get married someday. It was never supposed to be important,” Steve concludes.

“Are you mad at me?” Robin asks quietly and Steve frowns at her.

“Why?”

“Because I made you tell.” She up at him from under her bangs, face red and sheepish. He shakes his head, that hadn’t even occurred to him.

“Of course not, Rob,” He says sincerely.

“Okay, good. So. Men. What’s that like?” She asks, an amused twinkle in her eye. Steve snorts.

“It’s uhh, it’s good, you know?”

“No Steve, I really don’t know,” Robin laughs. “God this is so weird, not like weird like your weird even though wow, never heard of concept! But I guess it makes sense like if there’s more than one why wouldn’t there be more than two? I just for real never thought of that. But like, duh! And it’s you! This is so exciting, tell me all of your boy crushes right now.” Robin looks at him expectantly.

Steve stutters out a laugh, his cheeks on fire. He casts around his mind for men he finds attractive, ignoring the glowing sign in his mind singing Eddie Eddie Eddie.

“Rob Lowe?” Robin scoffs.

“That hardly counts even I think Rob Lowe is pretty.”

“Patrick Swayze?”

“Oh really? The muscles? Hm.”

“John Stamos?”

“Ohh yeah he’s pretty too. So that’s your type? Pretty boys?” She smirks at him and his cheeks heat up.

“I guess,” He mumbles.

“I feel like I’m pulling teeth here, what’s the matter?” Robin asks, frowning concernedly at him. Steve runs the back of his neck.

“It’s just, really weird, saying all this out loud,” He confesses. Her face turns understanding.

“I get that, it’s a lot to acknowledge to another person,” She says, a small smile on her face.

“Yeah, I just, never thought it was a secret I would tell,” Steve says, offering his hands up.

“I’m really glad you told me,” Robin says sincerely. Then she narrows her eyes. “Okay, you probably won’t want to say, considering you had such a hard time with celebrity crushes, but what about real world crushes?”

Eddie Eddie Eddie the large glowing sign in his brain sings. He does his best to ignore it.

“I mean, yeah, there’s been some guys…” Steve trails off uncomfortably.

“Okay. I set myself up for that one. You know it’s okay, right? Like, you can tell me, your friend Robin. I’m not going to run screaming for the hills just because you like guys. I actually think it’s really cool.”

Steve ducks his head but he can’t fight the smile that wants to light up his face.

“Thanks,” He says shyly. Robin scoots forward and slugs him in the arm.

“Jesus!” He yelps, holding his throbbing arm. Robin cackles.

Right on time she comes tripping out of the front door and rushes to the passenger side of his car.

“Good morning,” He greets her when she’s inside.

“I told Nancy I like girls,” Robin tells him excitedly.

“Holy shit!”

“I know!”

Steve smiles at Robin as she vibrates excitedly in his passenger seat.

“I’m guessing she took it well?” Steve asks as he backs out of the driveway.

“She was so cool about it,” Robin sighs happily.

“That’s great, Rob,” Steve says, smiling gently at his friend. Robin has been wanting to tell Nancy for a while, not because she felt like she was keeping a secret from her or anything, she just wanted Nancy to know her better.

Robin recounts the entire interaction to him on the drive to work and Steve listens as she gushes about how cool Nancy is and how glad she is that they can stay friends. Steve is relieved too, it would’ve been really shitty and awkward if Nancy hadn’t taken it well.

They arrive at work, quickly clock in, and put on their work vests. It’s always a good day when Steve and Robin get to work together, the days when they don’t always drag by.

Robin recounts the entirety of her sleepover with Nancy which she always does like every time they hang out like it’s a grand adventure that Steve needs to hear about. Even though all they did was watch a movie and paint each other’s nails which sounds like standard girl sleepover things to Steve. But he listens intently, laughs at Robin’s funny anecdotes, and watches the clock as time passes.

It’s almost his lunch break when the door jingles and Vickie walks in. Robin shoots him wide panicked eyes and he gives her an unimpressed look.

“Aren’t you guys friends now?” He murmurs pointedly.

“Yeah, so?” Robin asks defensively. Steve rolls his eyes.

“So go talk to her,” He urges. Robin whines lowly then nods and squares her shoulders. “And be yourself,” He reminds her as she walks away from him. She flips him off for it but it’s solid advice. He leans his elbows on the counter and watches surreptitiously as Robin and Vickie migrate to the start of the Action section, both of them speaking a mile a minute.

Steve keeps one eye on the clock and one eye on the front door as it approaches his break time. He didn’t have any food in his house to bring so he’ll be having a cigarette for lunch, but still, he’s looking forward to getting off the floor. It’s a nice surprise when Nancy comes in. She looks effortlessly beautiful as always and Steve feels proud that at one point he had the most perfect girl in Hawkins. She asks about Robin and he points her in her direction and then Nancy gets weird.

“Who’s that?” She asks sharply. Steve looks over at Robin and Vickie who is talking excitedly with her hands and Robin’s face is getting progressively redder. Steve knows that anybody in the know could see that they’re flirting, Eddie told him so even though he won’t tell Steve how he’s in the know since Robin hasn’t told him.

“Oh, that’s Vickie, Robin is obsessed with her,” Steve says, a smile blooming on his face because holy shit he gets to talk about this now.

“I can see that,” Nancy murmurs. Steve watches as Robin throws her head back in laughter at something Vickie says and his smile grows.

“Yeah, it’s all very cute,” Steve says with a happy laugh that immediately dries up when he turns and sees the look on Nancy’s face. She’s got that look where something is bothering her but she’s trying to pretend it isn’t.

“Right, yeah, cute. Listen, I better get out of here, tell Robin I say hi, well actually never mind, it doesn’t matter, anyway, I’ll see you later.” She rushes out of the store and Steve wonders if Nancy is as cool as Robin said she is.

Finally, it’s time for his break and he takes his pack of cigarettes with the lighter stuffed in the pack out of the backdoor. He’d finally caved and bought his own after having to continuously buy Eddie a new pack after they smoked all of his together. It doesn’t stop him from being hungry but it does curb his appetite enough that he knows he’ll be able to finish his shift without food.

When he goes back in, Vickie is gone and Robin is waiting impatiently at the counter for him.

“Vickie invited me to a party tonight and told me to bring whoever I wanted!” Robin tells him as soon as he’s near. He shakes his head.

“I can’t tonight, I have plans with Eddie, and you know he’ll never agree to go to a party,” He tells her. Eddie’s name was cleared thanks to the creepy branch of the government that deals with covering up how they repeatedly save Hawkins, but the town still hates him and blames him for the murders. It makes going out in public difficult, to say the least.

“Ugh, you always have plans with Eddie, shit, I hope Nancy is free,” Robin complains. Steve cringes.

“Shit, Robin I have to tell you something.” Steve scratches the back of his head. “Nancy came in here to return a tape–”

“Aw fuck, I forgot to grab the tape!” Robin interrupts.

“Yeah well, she came in here when you were talking to Vickie, and Eddie said that anyone in the know could tell you like her–”

“So he does know!” Robin exclaims, pulling Steve closer by his shoulders. Steve shrugs under her hands.

“But neither of us told,” Steve points out.

“God, he’s totally clocked me,” Robin groans, putting her head in her hands. Steve looks down at the top of her head and purses his lips. Fuck, now there are two crises.

“So Rob, about Nancy,” Steve starts hesitantly, tugging lightly on a piece of her hair. She lowers her hands and her eyes flit nervously around his face.

“Shit, yeah?” She asks nervously and he takes a big breath.

“Nancy came in and saw you flirting with Vickie and I was like oh cool I can talk about this now so I kind of confirmed you like her and she got her “I’m pretending everything is fine” look on her face a look I am very familiar with because she used it all the time when we were together.”

Robin pulls her “Do you know what you just said was sad” look, something she uses often when Steve says things like that about his and Nancy’s relationship.

She told Steve one time that their relationship made her sad for both of them. That they both obviously needed the support of someone that had been there but in the end, they needed different things. She needed someone to remember with, and he needed someone to let it go with. He told her that he likes what they have together. That they can acknowledge it by reading each other's eyes when something reminds them of it or even better when it would land well in a joke because objectively “That time I was tortured by Commies” is a funny thing to say. But they don’t have to speak it out loud, they can just know between them and it never has to get bigger than the space between their eyes.

“Wait, wait, wait, what do you mean you “kind of” confirmed I like her?” Robin asks suddenly. Steve cuts his eyes away from her face.

“I may have told her you’re obsessed with her,” Steve confirms in a guilty murmur.

“Steve!” Robin shouts and Steve looks quickly around the store like they’re going to get caught. She wacks his arm and he pulls away, always the hand with the rings, geez.

“Do you think she’s mad I didn’t tell her I had a crush last night?” Steve considers this. Nancy does like to have the whole story and was definitely surprised by Vickie’s existence.

“That could be it, yeah,” Steve agrees. Robin chews her bottom lip anxiously.

“I almost hope that’s it, you know?” She inquires softly, her eyes hooded and sad. Steve grabs her hand and squeezes it in comfort.

“I know,” He says, knowing how scared Robin was to tell anyone while not coming down from fucking truth serum and that it’s a possibility Nancy is now reacting badly to Robin’s sexuality.

Steve sees someone reach for the front door handle behind Robin’s shoulder and drops her hand to step towards the front counter. Robin whirls around when the bell rings.

“Welcome to Family Video,” They parrot, smiles firmly in place.

“Can I help you find anything today?” Steve asks since it’s his turn. The customer declines and Steve rests a hip gratefully against the counter, turning towards Robin at his side.

“What about the party?” She asks sadly, copying his pose.

“You can always still call her and ask her to go with you, you know she won’t go if she doesn’t want to.” Robin nods. They both very well know Nancy Wheeler will get her way out of doing something she doesn’t want to do just as easily as she gets away with doing whatever she wants. “And then if she turns down the invitation we can get together, get wine drunk, and brainstorm about why she wouldn’t want to go for real. How does that sound?” Steve asks.

Robin smiles at him, “Sounds good, boss,” She confirms. She dissolves the sugary atmosphere quickly.

“Can you drive us?”

“Seriously?”

“Please?” Robin asks with a pout and wide eyes. Steve rolls his eyes.

“Fuckin’, fine but I’m not trying to be out all night.”

“Okay, Dad,” Robin snickers.

“Ouch,” Steve winces, placing a hand over his heart.

“You’ll live,” Robin deadpans and Steve gasps.

“This is how you treat your ride to the love of your life’s party?”

“Oh I’m so sorry, however will I repair your fragile male ego?”

“I’ll take a compliment.”

“Oh Steve,” Robin sighs romantically, “Your hair is looking extra shiny under the fluorescents today.” Steve runs a hand through his hair.

“I appreciate your totally genuine compliment.”

Steve picks out a couple of movies for him and Eddie to watch once his shift finally ends. One that Robin recommended to him because the lead actress is hot and one the kids had just returned and said they really liked. He drives Robin home and after finally agreeing that Robin does not need to know what Steve thinks she looks hot in and to help her pick out an outfit for the party, he makes his way home. He’s got a few hours to kill with nothing to do, and Eddie always invites him over super late anyway after his Uncle has left for his night shift. So he does the only thing he can think to do to kill time and he gets into bed for a nap.

He wakes up a couple of hours later with a dry throat and an empty stomach. He weighs just smoking another cigarette against actually making food for himself but the physical pangs of hunger make the decision for him. He rolls out of bed and picks out a pair of sweatpants and an old Hawkins High t-shirt. Once dressed he makes his way down to the kitchen and opens the fridge only to remember that there’s no food in the house and that’s why he didn’t eat lunch today in the first place. With a groan, he closes the fridge and goes to the drawer with the takeout menus. After placing his pizza order he checks the phone messages and sees Robin left him one.

Hey Steve, your robot voice box is still fucking creepy, anyway, Nance is coming tonight I told her we’d be there around 10.

He goes and sits on the front porch to smoke a cigarette and wait for his food to arrive. He wonders what Dustin is doing tonight, they didn’t talk at all today which is weird for them. Although he and Eddie have both been talking about a campaign recently so maybe they’ve been hanging out. Steve ignores the small pang of jealousy that shoots through him at the thought. They’re all friends now and Dustin has assured him that they both play different but important roles in his life. It was pretty condescending when he said it, but it helps Steve to remind himself to not be jealous.

He remembers how Nancy was when she came into his work. That “I’m pretending everything is fine” look etched onto her face. Maybe he shouldn’t have mentioned Robin’s crush on Vickie. He really thinks Nancy is better than being homophobic but he’s only recently started to get to know her again. And to be honest, he wasn’t that interested in her intellectual capabilities when they were together. Sure, it was hot that she was smart, but it didn’t really play that much of a role in Steve’s attraction to her.

Finally, the delivery driver pulls into his driveway and Steve rises from the porch. He pays the guy and takes his pizza into the house. He eats half of the pizza in front of the tv before putting the rest away in the fridge. He’s going to have to go grocery shopping tomorrow. It’s actually one of his favorite things about his parents being out of town is being able to stock the house with food he actually wants. His mom is obsessed with being healthy and buying all the right foods for whatever diet she’s on.

There are actually a lot of things he likes about his parents being out of town. Mainly that they’re not around to be constantly criticizing him. It’s always something from his appearance to who he ’s hanging out with and how he’s spending his time. They have something to say about all of it.

They would flip out if they knew how much time he’d been spending with Eddie “The Freak” Munson. Or even with Robin, his mom would call her “not the right type of girl” whatever that means. Well, Steve knows what it means, because he used to think that way too. He has a lot more fun now that he doesn’t subscribe to that high school hierarchy bullshit. It’s kind of hard to when all his friends are fucking nerds.

Sometimes, though, it’s hard to not isolate himself inside the big house. He gets used to the quiet and the stillness. How there are no loud noises to jump at or flailing body limbs to flinch from. It’s just him in a sea of quiet where outside problems almost fade away. Some days, when the headache won’t go away or the nightmares are too much, or when everyone else’s needs clamber into the small space he holds in himself for his own needs, it’s hard to not want to sink into the quiet and stay there.

That’s why he’s been spending so much time with Eddie. He never needs anything from Steve. Not his opinion, approval, or anything Steve doesn’t offer up. Which was hard for Steve at first who was always offering up his time, space, and money. But Eddie never asks him to. Steve actually had to start leaving money in Eddie’s very badly hidden secret money stash for all the drugs they do together.

That’s another thing Steve likes about Eddie. He makes him feel young and like it’s okay to be young. He doesn’t have to be the adult or responsible or put together. He can get fucked up, be carefree, and go wherever his mind takes him. It helps that Eddie is like, really fucking weird. Steve can never top the weird shit that comes out of Eddie’s mouth. He never worries about being cool around Eddie because Eddie isn’t cool.

Finally, it’s time to go pick Robin up for the party. Steve thinks about changing into something more appropriate for leaving the house but decides against it since he’s just going to get high and watch a movie with Eddie. That’s another thing that’s changed over the years. He never used to leave the house without looking like a respectful member of society. He still puts on his shoes with the green swish that matches the green lettering on his shirt, he has standards.