Chapter Text

Sweet Child O' Mine

And They were Roommates (OMG THEY WERE ROOMMATES)

Time passed after The Party ™ had defeated Vecna. Eddie had been dragged out of the Upside-Down by Steve and Dustin and seen promptly by Dr. Owens at the hospital. They were given plenty of fluids, rabies shots–the whole nine yards to make sure that they wouldn’t have any ill adverse effects from the demobat bites. Dustin got his leg seen to and Steve refused to leave the boy’s side until he had been discharged and taken home by his mother–despite Dustin’s insistence on staying with Steve to protect Eddie from the police on their way to interrogate him.

Steve somehow had managed to convince the police that he and Dustin had been attacked in the trailer park (on their way to see Max) by a black bear that had been rummaging through some garbage. The thing had been massive and there had OBVIOUSLY been something wrong with it. Steve insisted that he tried to protect Dustin and that’s why the boy had only suffered a broken leg when Eddie Munson had leaped out of the trees and tackled the damn thing so they could have the chance to get away. Nancy–incensed by the responsibility she had felt for Fred Benson after she dragged him out there in the first place–had decided to go searching the woods near the trailer park and brought a gun for protection. She heard their screaming and shot the animal, scaring it away so all of them could escape with their lives.

Steve wasn’t sure how–he suspected his vehemence and his family name had a lot to do with it–but they had bought the story and in a matter of days Eddie’s name had been cleared.

There was much fanfare and celebration when Eddie had gotten out of the hospital. Steve had offered the use of his family’s home to Wayne as well as Eddie until they were able to find another place to live. Wayne had waved him off but insisted that Eddie stay with the boy as it would be much more comfortable than in the motel he was staying at. Eddie took the downstairs room and made it his own; it wasn’t like the elder Harringtons were ever home to notice anyways.

The party the day that Eddie was discharged from the hospital and moved in was a rousing success. By now the Byers and Hopper had moved back to Hawkins with a newcomer; Argyle had made himself attached at the hip to Jonathon and decided he didn’t have much going on in California anymore as his only friend was the older Byers Boy. Even Erica had shown up for the get-together. They had ordered pizza, Steve had provided plenty of soda, beer, snacks, meat for the grill, and even a veggie tray. (“See?! Healthy! Shut up Robin!” ) Robin had provided the movies, Nancy was helping keep the children wrangled while Hop was setting up the grill with Jonathon and Argyle’s “help” by the pool the children were all swimming in. Joyce was helping set up plates and other such supplies on the tables inside and making sure everyone had plenty to snack on and drink when they darted in and out of the large house as well as keeping an eye on the burgers and chicken marinating in the sink in bowls.

“Steven, truly take a breath. You’ve been running around trying to help everyone and make sure everything is ‘perfect.’ Calm down and go sit outside to enjoy the party.” Joyce insisted, swatting the boy with a kitchen towel and practically chasing him out of the house. Steve laughed and stumbled outside to where everyone was hanging out in the outdoor chairs. He couldn’t stop his knee-jerk reaction to count the children quickly to assure himself they were all present and accounted for before making his way to where his Platonic Soulmate (“With a Capital P, Steve!”), his ex-girlfriend, and his current secret obsession sat out of the distance of the splash zone.

“There he is, the hostess with the mostest.” Eddie teased, a wide grin on his lips as Steve had briefly stopped by the cooler to bring over fresh beers for them all. Robin perked up and moved to share one of the lounge chairs with Nancy to give the approaching boy the seat closest to Eddie.

“Ha-ha, laugh it up, Munson.” Steve quipped back, handing out the beers to the other three before taking the previously vacated seat. He cracked his open after angling his chair a little so he was able to keep an eye on the pool and the dipshits playing chicken and splashing one another in the unseasonably hot April sun. Robin snorted a little at his actions but said nothing. “How’s it feel to be a free man?”

“Gotta say, it’s not bad at all, Harrington.” Eddie teased back, “In fact, check out the new digs! I’m living in the lap of luxury! Central AC and a pool?! Name brand beer?! I’m living the dream. Have to live with a roommate though, but it could be worse I guess. At least he’s hot.”

That startled a laugh out of the girls and Steve choked on his beer, coughing and blushing simultaneously. Eddie grinned wildly at them, reaching out and pounding Steve on the back to help him clear his throat with a “you alright there, big boy?” causing Steve to blush harder and make another round of laughter come from the girls.

“Munson, you’re going to kill him with all that flirting!” Robin taunted, sticking her tongue out at Steve who flipped her off as he finally caught his breath. Nancy giggled some and shook her head a little at their antics before wandering off to go speak to Jonathon and Argyle who had given up on helping Hopper and were now laying in the grass and staring up at the clouds and chatting amongst themselves. “I’m going to use the bathroom,” Robin said before getting up and wandering into the house leaving the boys alone.

They sat in companionable silence, both boys watching the kids in the pool for a time and just…taking it all in really.

“Hey…I know I was giving you shit earlier and joking around…but I truly do appreciate you taking me in and letting me live here for a while…” Eddie said after a while of quiet between them. “You’re sure though that your parents aren’t going to come back and flip shit right? ‘Cuz it’s gonna be a while before I’m back to running fit.”

“Hey, it’s the right thing to do…And my parents don’t really come back here. Like, yeah they provide the money for the house and the bills but I pay for it all and actually take care of the house. They haven’t been home since July of ‘85 and I only get calls every three months. Trust me, Eddie, they’re not going to realize or even care.” He assured the other boy, freezing a little when he met the metalhead’s gaze and felt the intense energy and absolute anger pouring off of him in waves. “Eds…?”

“You mean to tell me…that you haven’t seen your parents since the year that Starcourt Mall was built?” Eddie demanded, trying to keep his volume and tone in check. Steve looked up at the sky for a moment, counting back and thinking, and nodded some.

“Yup, that’s right. I remember, I didn’t want to overuse the money in the account so I got the job at Scoops Ahoy slinging ice cream.” He answered and jumped a little when the long-haired man crushed his empty beer can in his hand. “...why?” He was hesitant to ask, seeing a dark and dangerous look in Eddie’s gaze.

“That’s just….that’s so shitty, Steve!” He protested, “You told me how you had been tortured by Russians at that mall for fucks sakes and you mean to tell me that you came back to this big old empty house and just…dealt with it alone?” Eddie looked absolutely horrified at the prospect. Steve felt a chill go down his spine at the frankly alarming amount of anger on his behalf and…well actually it…it felt nice to have someone angry at the shitty way his parents treated him. But, he was used to their callousness and actually preferred it this way. He didn’t have to be their little monkey dancing to an organ grinder. He could be himself without having to look over his shoulder. He felt his cheeks flush a little in pleasure as Eddie kept cussing his parents out while looking at the sky as if they might hear him and feel his righteous fury.

“Well, I’m not alone anymore now am I? So really…I should be thanking you.” Steve emphasized with a little smirk, bumping his shoulder against Eddie’s to break him out of his swear fest. Eddie stopped and sighed a little, letting his posture drain of his angry energy.

“You’re damn right, Harrington, like hell I’m going to let you come back to this empty fucking house ever again on your own.” He said with a snort. Steve chuckled a little and handed the metalhead his still mostly full can of beer for him to have.

An ear-piercing scream interrupted whatever they would have said next.

Erica Sinclair had fallen into the deep end.

Steve was up and running full tilt to the pool before he could even think–his years as the swim captain taking over–as he dove straight into the water fully dressed and swam to Erica’s sinking form in the deep end. He bypassed her flailing limbs and hooked his arms around her middle before kicking his way back to the surface, shoving the youngest girl into the air first. Hopper was by the side of the pool with Eddie and Lucas, kneeling and ready to drag her and Steve out of the water. Lucas was actively panicking on the side. Robin had run to grab Joyce who came running out of the house with a large fluffy towel to engulf the girl when she got out.

“Hey, hey Erica! You’re fine!” Steve told the still panicking girl that was clinging bodily to him with her arms and legs, nearly cutting off his air in her desperate grasp. He swam over to the side, one arm wrapped around her to let her know he was still there and not letting her go adrift. Lucas and Eddie grabbed Erica up under her armpits to lift her out after Steve coaxed her arms off of him with whispered promises that he wasn’t leaving her. Hopper clasped wrists with Steve and hauled the soaked man out of the pool with some minor difficulty as his clothes weighed him down.

Steve pushed his wet hair out of his face and went to Erica’s side who was curled up in a ball while Lucas was trying to calm her down. Joyce wrapped the fluffy towel around the eleven-year-old, petting her hair and speaking softly to her. Nancy, Jonathan, Argyle, and Robin had herded the kids off to the side to keep them out of the way and from making anything more difficult by distracting them.

“Hey…” Steve spoke softly to Erica, his patented ‘mom’ voice as The Party had dubbed it. “You’re okay now, I promise. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about either.” She shook her head some and rubbed angrily at her teary eyes for having a weak moment noticed by anyone.

“Lady Applejack…” Eddie said, catching the girl’s attention with the name of her DND character. “All the greatest warriors in the world weren’t infallible. In DND, you have proficiencies and deficiencies, just like in real life. You just happen to have a -1 in swimming. Now, you can let that stop you…scare you away from learning new skills or new experiences…or you can keep trying. What’ll it be, my lady?” He asked her with a crooked grin, seeing her start to straighten herself up a little and truly think about his words.

“I say…shut the hell up and give me the dice.” She answered after a moment of thought. Steve had zero clue what they were talking about but was grinning along with Eddie who let out a loud cackle at her words.

“A wise choice then, Lady Applejack! BUT—-let’s keep to the shallows for now until your level increases alright?” Eddie teased playfully. Erica scrunched up her nose and elbowed the metalhead DM making him gasp dramatically as if she had mortally wounded him. This startled a laugh out of her.

“You’re such a damn weirdo.” She said but with a fond scrunch of her nose. Eddie grinned and rubbed the top of her hair playfully. Joyce smiled at the girl and took her inside with Lucas following after her so she could go wash her face.

Steve stood up and started wringing his shirt out to limit the amount of dripping that he would do through the house. Hopper gave him a nod of respect for his quick actions then went back to the grill to rescue the food before it could burn. Steve let his tense posture slowly melt away then jolted a little when he felt a towel being pressed into his chest. He looked up and met Eddie’s eyes who gave him a very soft but unreadable look.

“You did good, Stevie,” he praised quietly, “go dry off before those clothes get stiff.” Steve swallowed roughly at the praise and the tone from Eddie. It left no room for arguments or to be brushed off.

“Y-Yeah, you’re right. Keep an eye on the kids?” He found himself asking without meaning to. Eddie cracked a grin at him, his eyes filled with mirth. He took the towel still limp in Steve’s hands and wrapped it around the soaked boy, using an edge to wipe some water from his face.

“I’ll watch the rugrats, Mama Steve,” he promised, “you go change into something dry. I’ll save you some food.” Steve nodded dumbly for a moment, his eyes still locked with Eddie’s. The metalhead laughed some in good nature, breaking the spell he had cast on Steve. “Go on.” He gently shoved him towards the door to get him moving, unable to stop himself from smacking the former-jock’s ass playfully. Steve yelped a little, his face burning bright, as he rushed into the house to get changed.

It didn’t take long for Steve to change clothes. Honestly, what took the longest was convincing his dick to settle down. He took some deep breaths and splashed cold water on his face. By the time he came back out, toweling off the rest of the water from his hair, Erica had braved coming back out and was learning to do simple strokes in the shallow end of the pool.

Max was holding her hands and encouraging her to bicycle kick while Lucas hovered behind his sister–a protective presence to help her feel more comfortable. Dustin was being silly to keep the energy light and easy. Mike was sulking on a pool float and being very obviously shunned by Eleven and Will who were cheering Erica on.

Robin was holding a plate for Hopper to put the finished burgers on–talking a mile a minute about something or other. Hopper, to his credit, didn’t look bothered or bored, just smiling and listening to Robin ramble. Joyce was setting the picnic table with plates and cutlery. Nancy was curled up with Jonathon in one of the lounge chairs, braiding Argyle’s hair as he continued staring at the clouds passing by. Eddie was sitting by the pool watching the kids with an easy-going grin, his feet bare and soaking in the water of the pool. He perked up seeing Steve approach again, patting the spot beside him. Steve laughed some and made his way over, plopping down next to the Dungeon Master and putting his feet into the pool as well.

Fifteen minutes later, Hopper was calling everyone to eat. Steve and Eddie stood to get out of the way of the rambunctious kids bolting out of the pool at lightning speed to get first dibs on food. Steve watched each child and counted them twice to make sure they all had left the pool safely. He flushed a little, feeling Eddie’s gaze on his face again. He gathered his courage and looked at the guitarist’s smirking face.

“Yeah, you are definitely a Mom, Harrington,” he teased. Steve blushed and shoved at Eddie playfully.

“Shut up, that means you’re their Dad then!” he proclaimed, looking proud of himself for the quip. Eddie got a funny look on his face then smirked, pushing himself into Steve’s personal space tauntingly after making sure everyone was preoccupied with the barbecue food. He lifted Steve’s chin to make him look him in the eye, a daring glint in his gaze.

“Are you saying you want to make a baby with me, princess?” Steve went red as a strawberry, Eddie giving a shit-eating grin in response. “You make this far too easy, Stevie.” Steve groaned and shoved at Eddie making the metalhead cackle at his embarrassment.

“Just go get some food, you idiot.” Steve refused to admit he was whining—but he most certainly was.

“Sure thing, sweetheart, but you need to settle down and eat something too. All the kids are safe and out of the pool. You can relax.” Steve huffed at Eddie, but knew he was right. The older boys went over to wait their turn to grab some food. The kids were arguing about some movie they wanted to go and see at the cinema. Robin scooted to make room for Steve and Eddie, though it was a tight squeeze.

The rest of the party went well into the evening. Erica didn’t want to stay the night like the rest of the kids, so Hopper and Joyce took her home on their way to have some quiet time of their own. The kids were all spread out across the living room floor with blankets and pillows; bowls of popcorn littered between them as they all settled in to watch the movies Robin had rented for them. Nancy was curled up in the loveseat with Jonathon, Argyle sitting at their feet and relaxing back while Nancy played with his hair idly. Eddie, Steve, and Robin were piled on the sofa together and sharing their own bowl of popcorn resting on Steve’s lap as he was in the middle.

The kids had argued for a while about which movie to watch until Steve broke it up and told them the order they’d be played in to stop the fighting. They had grumbled some but agreed to his list and they started off watching the Goonies. There was much chatter and cheering throughout the film as well as laughter and comparisons made between the characters and themselves.

They went through two more movies before the kiddos started dropping like flies.

It started with Max, claiming she was just resting her head for a minute on Lucas’s shoulder. She was followed quickly by Lucas himself and then Dustin who had been sitting between Eddie and Steve’s feet. His head was knocked back and he was snoring quietly making the elders chuckle a little. Will and El were the next to fall out on either side of Mike. Whatever disagreement they’d had earlier must’ve been resolved because the young teens were all curled up in a pile together. Mike valiantly tried to keep his eyes open to at least see the end of Gremlins but ultimately lost the fight.

It wasn’t just the kids falling out either though. Jonathan and Nancy were fast asleep and curled up still in the loveseat. Argyle was dead to the world on the floor face down with a spare blanket thrown over him. Robin was fading fast next.

“We should probably go to bed soon.” Steve shared a look with Eddie and gestured to Robin and the rest of the group. Eddie chuckled some and nodded. He stood up carefully and moved Dustin into a lying position with his head on a pillow while Steve shook Robin a little to rouse her. “Go ahead and stretch out on the couch, Robs.” He spoke softly to her, helping her shift so she was curled up on the couch comfortably and tucked in with a blanket.

“M’sorry, Steve…had lotsa fun…m’just so sleepy…” she mumbled and Steve shooshed her gently.

“Nothing to be sorry for. Enjoy the rest of the movie and go to sleep okay?” She grumbled a little but nodded anyway, nestling into the couch cushions and her blanket. Steve carefully picked his way around the sleeping kids and met with Eddie in the kitchen who was drinking a final beer. Steve gave him an easy smile and went to start putting the dishes away quietly.

“So, was this the kind of bangers I was missing in High School, Harrington? The infamous King Steve parties that everyone was talking about?” Eddie teased with a grin that was all teeth. Steve snorted some at that and closed the dishwasher.

“Honestly? This was so much better than all of those parties put together.” He admitted after a little laughter between the two of them. They settled down some and Steve squared his jaw a little as he thought.

“Stevie…? What’s got you thinking so hard over there?” He asked, cocking his head a little and his expression creased with worry in the corners. Steve sighed some and tossed the dish towel from the counter to hang over his shoulder before turning around to face the metalhead.

“I just…I need to apologize, man…truly. I was…a huge asshole back in High School and…I dunno, I need to own up to it and want to try to make it up to you…if I even can.” He said looking down at his hands and fidgeting with the end of the dish towel. Eddie gave him a soft yet exasperated look.

“Harrington…Steve, listen to me alright?” Eddie approached him with a laid-back gait in his step. He waited until the former jock looked up at him and he gave him a gentle smile. “You’ve more than made it up to me. Okay? Like 110%, man, we’re square. You hauled my sorry broken ass out of the Upside-Down, you lied to the police to clear my name, hell you’re letting me live here for Christ’s sake!”

Steve’s eyes widened owlishly at the metalhead as his voice picked up in volume towards the end and his gaze was filled with urgency. Why couldn’t Steve see and understand this? He was just dead set on blaming himself for everything and not forgiving himself. Eddie let his posture go loose, but he smiled all calm and simple; like it was the easiest thing in the world to smile at Steve Harrington.

“So you’ve got to stop beating yourself up over things from the past, Stevie. Yeah, you were a dick back then. So was I! But the important thing about it is that you learned from your mistakes and you’re willing to grow from them. That is what maketh a man, Harrington…your massive heart and your willingness to learn and be better.” Steve felt his eyes burn a bit and he quickly turned his face away to hide the traitorous tears sliding down his cheeks.

“Shit, man, you can’t just say things like that without warning a guy,” he complained half-heartedly, wiping at his face with his wrist. Eddie huffed a soft laugh and grabbed his black handkerchief from his back left pocket. He stepped into Steve’s personal space and wiped his face gently, making him look at him.

“It’s really unfair, Harrington, that you’re hot even when you cry.” Eddie quipped, making Steve startle out a laugh and shove playfully at the metalhead.

“Shut UP, oh my god you’re the worst.” He complained, still laughing lightly. Eddie laughed as well and put his hanky back in his pocket. He poked Steve in the ribs playfully.

“Come on, come help me christen my new room. I finally got Black Sabbath’s album Seventh Star and a dime bag with our name on it.” He enticed in a sing-song voice and a stupid grin on his face. Steve sighed but it was a fond sound.

“Yeah, yeah fine, but we need to keep the volume down so we don’t wake the others in the living room.” Eddie grinned and punched the air in victory before leading the way into his brand new room. Not much had been unpacked yet but a couple boxes sat open, revealing cassettes, clothes, and his DND supplies.

The pair laid on his new-to-him mattress, smoked some weed, and listened to Black Sabbath until they both finally fell asleep themselves.

It had been a very good day.