one thing about eddie is that he always swore to protect the outcasts. the stray little sheepies who needed someone to look out for them.
he just… never expected that steve harrington would be one of them.
he didn’t expect to see the king fall from his throne and end up eating lunch all by his lonesome. or to see him skipping lunch entirely to go hide out in the bathroom.
it took a lot of thought, but eddie finally relented and decided that steve would just be one more stray sheep that needed help. he followed steve out of the cafeteria and to one of the more secluded hallways.
steve was tentative at first. quiet. it shook eddie to his very core because he never imagined harrington to be someone quiet. it took a minute, more than a minute, but he gets steve to crack. gets his to laugh at a few dumb jokes and gets him to speak up.
and, jesus christ, eddie likes it. he likes it so much. it’s saddening when the bell rings, but eddie leaves feeling good about himself and steve feels a little less lonely.
he doesn’t have to leave the cafeteria the next day.
he knows he has somewhere to sit
