Steve always falls first, falls fastest.
It happened three years ago with Nancy, it happened with Robin back before the bathroom confession cemented their platonic soulmate status. It happened with Lauren MacNeal in Steve's freshman year, and Cindy Carlile back when he was eight years old.
He knows himself and knows the beginning stages. It's always quick and never painless, and seems to hurt more with every passing year. A dull ache in his chest that throbs and whispers darkly, 'remember Harrington, you'll always be bullshit'.
And when he finds himself falling for one Eddie Munson, he knows exactly when it starts.
Movie nights became a regular thing shortly after Eddie was discharged from the hospital. Robin, Steve, and Eddie all pile into the Harrington living room or the Munson trailer every other week, it's too hard to be apart.
Really, it becomes a way to keep a late night conversation going with Eddie while the credits roll, Robin dozes on the beanbag in the corner and Steve can't help but stare.
Eddie is so animated when he talks about something he loves, his brown eyes light up with his thousand watt smile and the dimples come out in full force, Steve almost has to squint with the amount of natural sunshine this man emanates when he talks about his passions.
He says as much to Robin during their next shift and she can't help but roll her eyes and gag, "Steven Remington Harrington-"
"Not my name," Steve cuts in with a laugh as he stuffs their second copy of the Shining into the machine to rewind.
"Don't interrupt dingus," Robin continues imperiously, "I get it, you have heart-eyes for the guy, but you gotta stop gushing about him to me and tell him".
Steve rolls his eyes and ignores the way his stomach swoops at the thought of telling Eddie how he feels, and the realization that it's happening again.
"I-I mean, it's not like I'm in love with the guy Robin, he stutters out eventually, "it'll go away, or he'll find someone else to talk to, they always do eventually".
He focuses on picking up the stack of freshly rewound tapes and walking them into the shelves, avoiding Robin's silent sad look that bores into the back of his head as he hides in the stacks.
Weeks turn into months and Steve absorbs nearly everything he can about Eddie.
He wears a size 10 shoe, but the 'shit-kicking' steel toes always look a smidge bigger - the inch or two it adds to Eddies height doesn't hurt either as Steve finds he has to tilt his head up to meet Eddie's gaze when he's decked out in his metal gear for a show...
He got his first guitar when he went to live with Wayne, it was a simple acoustic that he learned his chords on and practiced CCR on to his uncles delight.
He hates orange juice and loves coffee.
He loves cats and is scared to death of birds.
Every detail draws Steve in, but that small voice in the back of his mind reminds him again and again, 'they always leave Steve, don't get too comfortable'.
But how could he not?
Eddie is comfortable, he's nice and funny, and seems to enjoy hanging out with Steve almost as much as Steve enjoys being with Eddie. There is a softness to him when they're alone that makes Steve feel safe.
So what if he doesn't feel the same, Steve isn't about to give this up.
Not yet.
Steve takes to dropping by the Corroded Coffin band practice every weekend, a six pack in one hand and a small wary smile on his face - he's still not entirely accepted by Gareth and Jeff but the beer helps and Eddie vouches for him every time.
The atmosphere is still somewhat stilted, but it isnt as icy as it had been. Now Gareth even sits with him after practice while Eddie and Jeff go over their solos just outside the door as they share a joint, blowing smoke rings into the evening air.
"You know," Gareth says one night to Steve as he plops down beside him onto the sunken couch in the garage, "If someone had told me in high school I'd be sitting here with King-Steve and sharing a beer after practice, I'd laugh in their face".
Steve fights down a wince at the mention of the old nickname, and nods once. Who was he kidding, 'King-Steve' was not something he'd ever be able to outrun.
"So," Gareth continues, tapping his hands against the neck of the bottle, "how's the crush going?"
Steve chokes on his beer and swings his hand up to pound his fist into his chest to loosen up the liquid, Gareth claps him on the back with an alarmed expression on his face.
"Jesus Harrington, y'alright?" Gareth says as Steve tries to catch his breath.
Steve nods and breathes deeply through his nose, his eyes flick to the open garage door to see if Eddie or Jeff are on their way back inside, "I-I don't think I heard you right," he manages with a rasp.
Gareth snorts and shakes his head, leaning back against the couch. He's quiet for a moment, eyes trained on Steve's face.
Steve, for his part, stares resolutely at the floor hoping his gaze is strong enough to burn a hole into the concrete he can jump into.
"Look," Gareth says after a beat, "I guess its not really any of my business Harrington," his eyes travel over to the open door before flicking back to Steve, "and I don't mean to sound like a prick when I say this, but you're not really his type man".
Something in Steve's throat pulls tight, bullshit echoes in the hollow cavity of his chest as he nods and swallows the last dreggs of his beer.
"Right," Steve mumbles, he puts his hands on his knees and stands up from the couch, "Right, yeah, I mean, makes sense...".
He crosses to the door and manages to toss the now empty can into an open bin they'd officially commandeered for empties.
"Dude," Gareth says softly standing as well, he makes no move to walk towards Steve though.
Steve waves a hand and drops the other to his back pocket to hide the sudden trembling. Gareth is right, it doesn't make sense. Why would someone like Eddie ever want to be with someone like Steve? How would that even work?
Always fast but never painless, right on time.
"You guys were uh, great as usual, I'll see you around man," Steve says with a smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes, he hasn't had to pull out the 'King Steve' smile in a few years but it still fits, still manages to hide a few things.
He turns away from Gareth and walks out through the open garage door.
The sun is nearly below the horizon and the stars have begun to migrate, the inky blue of night begins to steep into the last vestiges of light, if he's careful he can slip past Eddie and Jeff without either of them noticing.
He makes it to the beemer before Eddie turns towards him.
Eddie's brown eyes widen before narrowing in a questioning stare, he opens his mouth but Steve opens the car door and quickly slides into the driver's seat.
He stares straight ahead as he backs out of the driveway and pulls out onto the road.
Steve can feel those brown eyes follow him as he makes the long drive back to his empty house.
Part Two Now Up!
853 notes
·
View notes
Obsessing over Turnip head from Howl's Moving Castle
DISCLAIMER: I haven't read the book yet so this is purely based off my knowledge of the film :)
Also, SPOILERS I guess
Imagine you're a prince in the middle of a war with another country and one day you get turned into a scarecrow with a turnip for a head, you can't speak and can only really hop about, but you can think and feel as always, and the only way to break this curse is with true loves kiss. Seems like a fairy-tale. Well one day you're hopping around the hills just outside one of the towns your kingdom is attacking against your will, but you get trapped upside down in a bush with no one to help. When suddenly this elderly woman lifts you up out of the bush and insults you, before walking into the mountains which makes you think she must be from the town, and although she insulted you, she still helped you from being stuck so you decide to tag along. Not like you've got anything better to do. She's a little annoyed but asks you to find some shelter from the harsh winds, and wanting to help her, you go to find the one place that could actually come to her instead of making her walk anymore, she's old after all. She's a little nervous of course, who wouldn't be in Howl's house, but she thanks you for finding shelter. Before you part ways she loses her scarf but luckily you quickly get it back. Not long after you end up trapped in one of the joints of Howl's house, but to your luck that same woman helps you up, with the aid of a little boy, although she seems younger than before. Maybe that's when it hits you, this woman is also cursed, and you feel a little curiosity and kindness towards this woman. You decide to help her with her chores that day as a thank you and you watch her, she seems happy and that joy she gets from being mundane is beautiful to see, and for once, after being alone for so long, you feel connected to her, feeling her burden but sensing her hope that fuels you to stay with her. But then one day it's pouring down with rain and you find her once again, and she's crying, and it hurts to see her like this, her tears mixing with the rain, so you grab an umbrella and shield her, you wish you could offer more comfort but there isn't much you can do. The next time you see her she's crashing a plane into Howl's house, so you rush over to see if she's ok, which thankfully she is. But she's moving, and thanks to your own curse, you can't follow. You wish you could say goodbye, you don't know when you'll see her next and by this point you've figured out you love her, all of her, no matter how old or young she looks, because you've seen all the kindness, caring, and love that she seems to shine like a star. Which hurts you even more when the next time you see her she's panicking, she's frightened but she's still trying to do what's right as she takes out the fire demon and the house implodes. You watch as the house crumbles around you as water is thrown on the fire and you're separated once again from her, if only you could have reached out for her hand. But you keep her family safe, because that's what she would have wanted. She comes back thankfully, but as she releases the fire demon to the skies, the platform crumbles over the edge of a cliff and you'll be damned if any of them die now, after everything. So you give yourself, your body, the only part of yourself that could move at all, to save them, and it hurts so much, it's probably the worst pain imaginable. But that doesn't matter because she kisses you, the love of your life, the light in your lonely days, and you feel yourself change, and you're you again! The curse is broken! You're so happy, you finally got your fairy-tale ending, and it really is poetic, two cursed people from opposite ends of a war meeting and falling in love... but then you watch her. You watch how she is with the wizard, how she smiles, how she hugs him, how she clings to him, and you wish it were you. You feel your heart breaking but you can't show that, because it would hurt her to know how much it hurts you that she doesn't love you the way you love her. So you let her go, because you love her, and you only ever want to see her happy, even if that means it's not with you
2 notes
·
View notes