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It was nearly four months since they’d defeated Vecna. It was finally starting to feel like they might actually be free of the Upside Down. The Byers had moved back to Hawkins and were settling back in just as if they’d never left. Jonathon, Nancy, Robin, and Eddie had all graduated in June, and the whole group showed up to support them. Everyone cheered as Eddie got his diploma and flipped off Principals Higgins just as he’d promised. Since then, the gang were all enjoying their summer, Steve and Robin were still working at Family Video, and it had become quite the hangout for the group, as everyone would often come to visit them during their shifts.
It was a slow Monday, and Eddie had come in to visit Robin and Steve during their shift. Normally, Robin loved hanging out with the both of them, but lately, things had been a little different. For the past few weeks, the two of them flirting with each other non-stop. She wasn’t even sure they were aware they were doing it. Well, that wasn’t entirely true, she was pretty positive that Eddie knew what he was doing, but Steve had yet to come to her for advice about Eddie or his sexuality, so she was fairly confident he was oblivious despite his active role in the flirting. Currently, she was stocking videos on the shelves, while Steve rewound tapes and Eddie stood next to him.
“Is that right, big boy?” was all Robin heard Eddie say as he leaned back on his hands on the counter.
“Shut up,” Steve said, pushing on his arm playfully.
Robin was surprised at the reaction from Steve in regard to Eddie calling him “big boy,” and had to try not to audibly laugh at the two of them.
Just a moment later, Steve said, “Alright, well, I should go grab that shipment of candy from the back, unless you want to, Rob?”
“No, no, that is quite alright,” Robin said as she moved toward the counter the boys were at, “that is all you.” With that, Steve rolled his eyes, smiled at Eddie, and headed into the back room.
As soon as Steve is gone and out of earshot, Eddie says, “I know what you’re going to say,” looking down as he fiddles with his sleeve.
Robin was visibly confused while she asked, “Well I wasn’t going to say anything, so what did you think I was going to say?”
“Oh, well…that I should stop flirting with Steve before I make it weird between us.”
“I wasn’t going to say that,” Robin said with a slight smirk.
“Well, you should, because he’s going to get uncomfortable soon and-”
Robin interrupted, “I don’t think he’s uncomfortable, and I mean I’m certainly no expert but- it kind of seems like…” she paused, carefully watching Eddie’s face during the next part to gauge his reaction, and as she expected, his eyes lit up and lifted to hers when she said, “he might be flirting with you too…”
“Has he said anything to you?” he asked a little too quickly.
Robin laughed at his eagerness, “No, nothing about you or even a sexuality crisis, which I feel like he would tell me, so I don’t think he really realizes what’s going on, and like I’m certainly no expert in social queues, but he is at least matching your flirting.”
“He probably just thinks I’m like that with everyone and he’s straight, so I doubt- I doubt he is actually flirting.” Eddie’s eye drifted back down to where he had begun to play with his sleeve again.
“Maybe, maybe not…”
“Do you think he’s not str-”
“I don’t know! I just…don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibilities. But what we need is more information. Like you said, maybe he just thinks that’s how you are, so we need to show him that that’s not the case and see how he reacts.”
Eddie gave her an even blank stare, “So what, you want me to make a point of being a dick to everyone but Harrington whenever he’s around?”
“No, dumbass. I was going to suggest we get the whole group together to hang out, everyone all at once. And just act the way you normally do around Steve, and, you know, try not to flirt with Jonathon or anyone else,” he glared at her but laughed a little “and see if he notices and how he reacts, or maybe he’ll even say something to me.”
“Okay, ya, I guess that could work…”
-
The next Saturday, Robin managed to get everyone together in the Wheeler’s basement and was prepared for a night of observing Steve’s interactions with Eddie. Steve was chauffeur as usual, and he was very excited for a night with the whole gang together while he drove to pick up Robin.
“Why are you so excited to eat pizza and sit in a disgusting basement?” Robin asked as she slid into the passenger seat.
“Because I enjoy the company of my friends? Also, Nancy’s been cleaning it so, it’s not as bad as it used to be.”
“I’m pretty sure even sparkling clean that basement would still be gross,” Robin mumbled as Steve pulled out of her house, “Dustin’s is the other way,” she added as she noticed what direction he was headed.
“I know, we’re picking up Eddie and Max first.”
“You know Eddie can drive and has a car, right?” Robin turned to watch Steve, looking for any hints in his facial expressions.
“I’m aware,” he laughed, “but I have room in my car, no point in dragging another car at the Wheeler’s when I have room in mine for them.” Robin couldn’t make out what he was thinking as she studied his face. “What?” he asked noticing her stare.
“Nothing, you just usually complain about picking everyone up all the time.”
“Whatever,” he said, but Robin caught a slight smile on his face as he continued to drive.
-
“Get in the backseat.” Steve said when they pulled into the trailer park.
Robin gaped at him, and then with a teasing tone asked, “Why, you want to sit next to Max and have a heart-to-heart?”
“No, dumbass, you think Eddie won’t complain if he’s not the one controlling the music?”
Robin smiled as she moved to get out of the passenger seat, “Okay, whatever you say…”
As she was moving to get in the back, Eddie walked out his front door and was headed to the car, “What are you doing, Buckley?”
She turned to him with a wide smile, “Steve insisted I sit in the back so that you could sit in the front and be able to control the music.” Eddie’s eyes were wide while she spoke, but as soon as she finished, a massive smile took over his face, and he jumped to get in the front seat.
“I hear you were dyyying to sit next to me, Stevie,” Eddie said leaning a little too close to him.
He laughed and pushed him away, smirking at the boy across from him, “Calm down, Munson, I just don’t want to hear you complain about my music taste, or as you put, ‘my complete and utter lack of taste.’”
“Well, I suppose that’s fair, you do have zero idea what qualifies as quality music,” Eddie said smirking back at him. Robin sat silently watching the pair smile at each other, trying not to laugh at their blatant flirting. She was becoming more and more confident that Steve was very aware that he was in fact flirting with Eddie, but before she could think much more on it, Max was jumping in the back seat, ready to go.
As they drove to pick up Dustin, Eddie and Steve continued to tease each other. Robin and Max both remained relatively quiet, just watching the two in the front seat. Max also seemed to pick up on the dynamic between the duo as she watched their banter, however, that came to an end when Dustin got in the car, as he began to monopolize the conversation, complaining that Steve was late to pick him up, and talking to Eddie about their latest D&D campaign.
When they get to the Wheeler’s, they all immediately headed down into the basement, where the rest of the gang were already diving into the pizza and talking loudly.
As the night progressed, Eddie continued to flirt with Steve, and Steve continued to flirt back. However, now Robin wasn’t the only one who seemed to notice. As the night went on, the two of them slowly pulled further away from the group and began to interact primarily with only each other. This seemed to catch the attention of most members of the group in one way or another.
At one point, Dustin interrupted a conversation between Robin and Nancy to comment on the fact that Steve and Eddie seemed to be getting along really well and how he was right that they would be good friends. When he walked away, the two girls stood in silence for a moment before sharing a look.
Nancy hesitated but ultimately said, “I don’t know if I’m way off base here, but, umm- is it just me, or have Steve and Eddie been kind of flirty lately?”
“Oh my god, yes, thank you!” she whisper-shouted, “That’s what I’ve been thinking but I’m so bad at social queues, so I wasn’t sure if I was imagining things.”
“Definitely not, I mean they’ve barely left each other’s side all night.”
At this point Max walked up, “Are you talking about the fact that Steve and Eddie have been blatantly flirting all night?”
Nancy and Robin laughed, and the three girls spent the rest of the evening watching the boy’s interactions and laughing at their flagrant and oblivious flirting.
-
The next day was unusually quiet as Steve and Robin were opening the Family Video. Quiet, that is, until Steve blurted out, “Do you think I’ve been making Eddie uncomfortable?”
Robin slowly turned toward him, this was not at all how she expected this conversation to start, “I- I umm- I’m not sure I know what you mean.”
“Oh, I thought you’d notice that I’d been umm- kind of flirting with him lately.”
“I did notice! I just didn’t think you had!”
“How would I not notice I was flirting with someone??”
“Okay, can we take a step back, are you not at all panicking about having feelings for a guy? I thought if you knew you were flirting with him, you would have come to me with some sexuality crisis by now!”
“No, I’m actually not, I don’t know, it just- kinda feels…natural…with him.”
“Well, that’s fucking adorable, but you tell me about every girl you’ve ever thought about dating, but you don’t deign to tell me you had feelings for a guy!” Robin hit him on the arm with the nearest movie.
Steve grabbed the tape from her and moved any others out of her grasp, “I’m telling you now! And I’m sorry, I didn’t want to just bring it up all willy-nilly; it felt like a bigger deal than that.”
“Fiiine, I guess that makes sense.”
“Great, now can we get back to my question?”
Robin had clearly forgotten how they’d gotten on their current topic, “What question?”
“God you’re utterly hopeless,” Steve said rolling his eyes and running a hand over his face, “Do. You. Think. I’ve been making him uncomfortable?” Robin’s loud laugh caught him off guard, “What? Why are you laughing?”
Robin did her best to stop laughing and keep a straight face as she said, “No, I don’t think you’re making him uncomfortable.”
“Okay but are you sure bec-”
“Steve, he’s obviously flirting with you too!”
“Okay, maybe, but I thought he was just like that everyone, but then after last night it seemed like maybe it was just me, but I’m just not sure. And I-”
“Steve, shut up. It’s definitely just you. He’s definitely flirting. You should definitely talk to him.”
Steve smiled, and looked down, pondering what she said. Robin decided to leave him with his thoughts and go about returning tapes to their shelves.
-
Steve didn’t see Eddie again until two days later. He was alone at the Family Video, standing behind the counter, rewinding tapes, when he heard the bell on the door and heard, “Hey Stevie” from the doorway.
Steve looked up to see Eddie with a huge smile on his face, and felt his heartbeat speed up, “Hi Eds, whatcha doing here?”
Eddie was jumping over the counter to join Steve, “What, I can’t just come visit my friend at work?”
“Of course, you can.” Steve said smiling, and leaning towards Eddie, “Just making sure you didn’t have some ulterior motive for gracing me with your presence.”
“No, no, just wanted to see you.”
Steve walked over to stand directly in front of him and laughed lightly, “Who would have guessed, Eddie “the freak” Munson likes spending time with Steve “the hair” Harrington.”
“That, and I just wanted to see your pretty face.” Eddie said, looking deeply into Steve’s eyes.
Steve couldn’t help but meet his big brown eyes, then quickly glanced down at his lips. Eddie’s eyes never left his, but he did track as Steve’s eyes traveled down to his lips a second time, and when Steve met his eyes again, Eddie took half a step closer to him. That was all the confidence Steve needed to reach out and grab the edge of his leather jacket and lean in to meet his lips. The kiss was soft and perfect, but short. Eddie pulled back first and studied Steve’s face for any sign of regret but all he saw was the smile and slight blush that was creeping up his face. And that was all Eddie needed to wrap his arms around his waist and pull him back in for another kiss. The second kiss was more passionate but just as perfect. Steve brought both hands into Eddie’s hair, and Eddie deepened the kiss, pulling Steve closer to him. Eventually, they parted but kept their grasp and their eyes on one another. Then, Eddie giggled, and Steve’s eyes widened.
“Did you- Did you just giggle, Munson?”
Eddie laughed and stepped away from Steve, but kept ahold of his hands, “Alright Harrington, give me a break.”
“I don’t know,” he said squeezing his hands “I don’t think I’m ever going to forget that sound.”
Eddie leaned into Steve and whispered, “Well then, I guess I’ll just have to find something to replace that memory,” and then, he left a soft kiss behind his ear.
Steve leaned into Eddie’s touch before pulling away slightly and saying, “So, what do you say Eds, how about a date this Friday?”
He smiled and ran a hand through Steve’s hair, “A date Friday sounds perfect.”
He was about to lean in for another kiss when Steve looked through the window behind him, and exclaimed, “You have got to be kidding me.”
Eddie turned to see what he was looking at and saw the kids pulling into the parking lot on their bikes, so Eddie stepped back and leaned against the counter as Steve turned back to the long-forgotten tapes he’d been rewinding when Eddie had first walked in.
All six kids busted through the door, mid debate about something that Steve didn’t understand and made Eddie laugh. However, Steve did catch as Max glanced between him and Eddie, and he wondered if she’d picked up on whatever was between them.
-
The whole time the kids were there, Steve and Eddie stole glances and shared smiles any chance they got. Eddie and the kids left at the same time, as they had Hellfire that evening, leaving Steve to think about the kiss and his future date with Eddie for the rest of his shift. He was obviously distracted, and even accidentally ignored a few customers.
When his shift was finally over, instead of going home, he drove straight to Robin’s.
“What could you possibly be doing here?” she said as she answered the door, clearly annoyed.
“Wow, it’s so great to see you, I love every minute I get to spend with my best friend. You always make me feel so loved” Steve said flatly, clearly mocking her.
“Ya, ya, you’re fine, what do you want?”
“I have something I need to talk to you about,” she looked at him expectantly, so he added “Privately.”
“Fine, come in,” she said dragging him to her room. She sat down on her bed and looked at him, waiting, “Well…?”
“I kissed Eddie.”
“Holy shit.”
“And then asked him out.”
“Holy shit.” She was now bouncing where she sat, smiling widely at him.
“We’re going out Friday.”
“HOLY SHIT.”
“I know,” he said, matching her smile.
“You aren’t panicking, are you?”
“No, just…excited.” He flopped back on her bed, “I can’t believe this is happening.”
Robin flopped back next to him, “I’m really happy for you.” She laughed before adding, “I can’t believe you are going out with a guy before I get to go out with a girl.” Then they were both laughing.
“What can I say, I’ve just got better game than you,” he said turning to her and smirking.
She turned to meet his eyes, “Oh, shut up, dumbass.”
-
“So, Stevie, where are you taking me Friday?” Eddie asked leaning across the Family Video countertop.
“I guess you’ll just have to wait and see,” Steve responded, leaning across the counter to put a hand on his arm.
“Can you guys stop being gross?” Robin said, peeking her head out from between the rows of movies.
“Well, I do have to go,” Eddie laughed, “So, I guess we can.” He kissed Steve on the cheek and turned to the door before turning to leave and calling, “See you later, Stevie.”
“Bye Eds,” Steve called with a goofy grin stuck on his face.
Robin waited a moment and watched Steve as he stared at the door Eddie had just walked through, smile still plastered on his face. “You’ve got it bad.”
Eventually, he turned to her, but his smile didn’t fade as he said simply, “I know.”
“So, where are you taking him?” This was when his smile finally did fall.
“I have no clue. I am drawing an absolute blank for ideas.”
Robin laughed as she made her way behind the counter, “I am loving hopeless-at-dating Steve.”
“Can you stop mocking me and give me some advice? I mean it’s not like I can take him to a restaurant or a movie, so I’m just a little out of my element.”
“Okay, that’s fair…how about take-out and a picnic somewhere?”
“That- That could work.”
“See sometimes I can be a helpful best friend,” Robin teased as she tussled his hair.
-
Steve hadn’t been this nervous for a date in a long time. He couldn’t stop tapping the steering wheel as he pulled into the trailer park to pick up Eddie.
Eddie opened the door with a grin and said, “Hey, pretty boy.”
Steve blushed and stuttered out a “Hey, Eds,” as he looked him up and down.
Eddie smirked as he noticed Steve checking him out and asked, “So where are you taking me?”
“It’s a surprise,” he said, grabbing his hand and leading him to the car. He opened the passenger door and gestured for him to get in.
“What a gentleman,” Eddie teased leaning in to give him a kiss on the cheek.
Once they were both in the car, Steve leaned over the center console, grabbed his face, and kissed him. After the kiss, they sat and just stared at each other for a moment, before Steve finally turned and put the car in gear to head toward their date.
-
They were sitting, looking out at Lover’s Lake, Eddie’s head on Steve’s shoulder, Steve’s arm around his waist, and Eddie’s hand resting on Steve’s knee. They’d been sitting in comfortable silence for a while when Eddie angled his head up towards him and said, “Steve?”
“Hmm?”
“This has been a- a pretty great first date.”
Steve turned toward the boy on his shoulder, “Ya, it really has.” He waited a minute before leaning down to plant a quick kiss on his lips.
“So,” Eddie said, sitting up and moving to be directly in front of Steve, grabbing both his hands, “What do you think?”
Steve squeezed his hands, “About what?”
“About…us?” he asked, brown eyes wide.
Steve smiled at him before saying, “I think…that you make me ridiculously happy, Eds.”
Eddie put a hand on each side of Steve’s face and pulled him into a kiss. Eventually, he pulled away, only briefly, to whisper, “You make me ridiculously happy too, Stevie.”