#shakespeare approves | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

self-proclaimed-chaotic-good · 2 years

Text

Somebody to Love | Steddie (5/?)

Chapter Five: Shakespeare's a Freak

Word: 3702

A/N: I have no set schedule for posting this, most likely every other day or once a week. This one's longer than the others and it didn't feel right to break it into two parts, so enjoy. Again, it's not unrequited, they're just idiots. My favorite.

Summary: Steve and Eddie finally have a chance to talk about everything since recovering from Vecna's defeat and the emotional weight of it all crashing down on them. If Steve's busy taking care of people, who takes care of Steve?

[Somebody to Love Masterlist]

Wayne was working tonight, so the driveway was empty. Steve sat in his car after killing the engine, wondering if he should have called first before coming and whether he should come back in the morning or just take a deep breath and knock on the door and wait. After another long exhale, he decided to do the latter, striding up to the front door before he could change his mind.

“Eddie?” Steve called out when he wasn’t answering. “Eddie!”

“Steve?”

Eddie popped his head out from his window, looking down at him with a confused look. For a moment, he looked like a scene from a movie with his pale face illuminated by the faint moonlight and his bedroom light giving him an almost angelic glow. His hair looked ruffled, like he had been lying down when Steve came over. It didn’t sound like he just woke up, so maybe he was listening to music in bed.

Steve waved up at him, relieved that Eddie was fine. “Hold on!”

He scrambled to the side of the house, using the ladder hidden behind a tall bush to climb onto the roof of the garage. He could have waited for Eddie to walk downstairs to open the front door, but this way was more fun. Eddie leaned against the window frame, watching him with amusement.

“What the hell are you doing, Harrington?”

“Listen, I’ve helped Nancy study for a chemistry test this way,” Steve huffed, making his way over to his window while trying not to fall and break a bone or die. What a way to go. Survive running through hell only to die while trying to climb through his crush’s window.

Eddie stepped back, holding a hand out for Steve as he climbed through. He flashed Eddie a smile, staring down at their joined hands before pulling away to fix his hair and kick his shoes off. He assumed that it was okay to be here. Eddie had every opportunity to turn him away or push him out, but he didn’t.

Steve saw Romeo and Juliet on his bed and picked it up. “Damn. I should have reenacted something while I was outside your window,” he said, flipping through it. “‘But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Eddie is the sun’.”

Eddie scoffed, grabbing the book from him. “Okay, easy, Romeo. What exactly are you doing here?”

“Uh.”

It only just registered through Steve’s brain that Eddie was only wearing an old metal band t-shirt and dark boxers, a casual look that he was not used to seeing on him, but he liked it. Now that Steve was standing in front of him, he could see the bags under his eyes and the smell of weed was more prominent. Robin mentioned how he almost fell asleep in class and actually started snoring in the library. He’d jerk up when she tried to wake him and continued on with his notes.

Eddie rocked back and forth on his heels as he waited for Steve to answer. He pointed to the book and said, “I’m here to help you study.”

“Bull. Shit. Harrington.” Eddie smacked the book on his chest with each punctuation. “Henderson sent you.”

“He did,” he admitted, “But I also meant to talk to you.”

Eddie remained silent, searching his face for something. Steve wasn’t quite sure what, but he found himself holding his breath, his eyes stuck between dropping to his lips or getting sucked into the gravitational pull of those deep brown orbs. The results were him trying to look anywhere but Eddie, which wasn’t suspicious at all.

Steve couldn’t help but step back or else he’ll forget the main purpose for coming here. “The boys miss playing DnD with you and I know that you’re busy trying to catch up and graduate this year, so I thought that when that’s all over with, you can use my place as a meet-up,” he tried to summarize with a casual shrug.

“Why?” Eddie asked slowly.

“What do you mean ‘why’?”

When Eddie narrowed his eyes, skepticism was written all over his face, instead of answering. Steve huffed in frustration, running a hand through his hair again. “Why” could mean anything. Why does it matter where we play? Why do you want us to be at your place? Why do you care at all?

“Those boys love playing that nerd game. They’ve been playing it since forever and it’s one of the things that’s been keeping them sane after this whole Upside Down shit that they’ve been dealing with since middle school. They love you,” Steve said, his voice wavering at the last bit.

He cleared his throat, turning away to look around the room. Eddie had decorated since the last time he’d been there. It felt more like Eddie with the posters of metal bands and a Rocky Horror movie poster by his bed. His eyes lingered on that, remembering the time Eddie had returned it for the seventh time and when Steve had pointed that out, Eddie and Robin exchanged a knowing look. Curiosity got the best of him and Steve ended up renting it, much to Robin’s glee.

Eddie’s guitar was missing. It wasn’t hanging on the wall or on a stand like Steve expected. That thing was his baby. He also kind of expected for him to have a small stack of DnD books and hand painted minis somewhere in the room, things that he remembered lying around in the Wheeler’s basement back when the boys played down there.

“You know, I used to be jealous of you,” Steve continued, walking over to Eddie’s small stereo.

Eddie raised an eyebrow, eyes not once leaving Steve’s figure. “Bullshit.”

Steve hid a wince with a chuckle when Eddie said that. That word was going to keep stinging him for a while apparently.

“Yeah, Dustin would go on and on about Eddie this and Eddie that. The little twerp worships you. And, you know, I guess I kind of got jealous. We barely knew each other in high school but everyone knew you as ‘The Freak’. I guess I still had that stupid high school mentality, as Dustin pointed out. Don’t tell him I said that,” he said quickly.

“His ego’s still too big,” Eddie said in agreement, joining Steve by the stereo and plucking Queen from his collection. He waved it in front of his face before popping it in. “Still trying to wrap my head around the fact that Steve ‘The Hair’ Harrington was jealous over Eddie ‘The Freak’ Munson.”

“I know, and I think that made me almost obsessed about it because Dustin is a good kid. Annoying, but good. And he’s usually a good judge of character.” Steve played with the volume of the stereo as Freddie Mercury’s voice filled the room, distracting himself from the heat emitting from Eddie being so close behind him. “So what did this guy have that made someone like Dustin love him so much? Something the whole school, hell, even this whole town, was missing. After spending some time with him, I just couldn’t believe that Eddie Munson… he’s a pretty cool dude.”

“Yeah?”

Steve could practically hear the smile in his voice. It was very reminiscent of their first one on one conversation that happened in the Upside Down. Eddie had leaned in so close to Steve and his heart suddenly picked up. As a reflex, Steve nudged him away with his elbow, shaking it off with a laugh. At the time, he wasn’t sure why his heart was fluttering, overwhelmed by a feeling that was not discomfort or disgust like he was raised to think.

“Yeah.” He turned to face him. Again, Eddie does not know the concept of personal space. It was doing something to him, a strange warmth in his stomach and he was getting tired of not knowing what it meant. “But also an idiot that can’t follow directions. What part of ‘don’t be a hero’ did you not understand?”

Eddie rolled his eyes, pulling away to flop onto his bed. “Come on! Am I supposed to apologize for trying to buy you time? I just… not everyone gets to be the hero all the time like you. That’s why I play dungeons and dragons, because in some universe, I am a hero of my own story. I just didn’t want to run anymore.”

“That’s the thing, though, Eddie,” Steve stressed out, standing in front of him. Eddie’s eyes snapped to him when he used his first name. “You were already a hero to Dustin. You didn’t have to prove anything to anyone, that was always your thing. If I’d known that you’d run straight into a swarm of demobats, I would have stayed behind to protect you two dumbasses.”

Eddie had his head tilted to the side, trying to figure him out. It was said so earnestly that he was finally getting the scope of how big Steve Harrington’s heart was and how much he cared for Dustin. It made him feel warm that he was willing to protect him, someone that he had rarely interacted with in high school and were in completely different social hierarchies, to that extent.

“So, that’s your thing.”

Steve didn’t expect to admit this much of his thoughts tonight, but he felt that lately he’d been hanging by a thread and any sense of safety and comfort opened the floodgates. There were all these emotions that he had kept bottled up, emotions that he did not know he was suppressing and it overwhelmed him. It was scary, like he was going crazy.

“What? Professional monster killing babysitter?” He joked with his hands on his hips, a pose that the kids called “Steve’s mom pose”.

Eddie smiled at that, then shook his head. “Very funny, but I’ve seen how you are with the people you care about. You put yourself between them and danger. You know their behaviors and what’s normal for them. You protect your people and care for them like they’re your family. Do you realize how much that means to people?” And how much you mean to them, he failed to say.

Steve shrugged that off. “I just thought that that was something I was supposed to do.”

“What a hero thing to say,” Eddie teased, twirling his hair.

“I’m not a hero,” Steve muttered, shaking his head, “The Sinclairs were getting hurt by douchebag jocks. Max almost died. You almost died. Dustin was losing his mind once we found you guys. You weren’t moving and your eyes looked… glazed over. I thought you were as good as dead and I wasn’t able to stop it and -”

After all this time dealing with the Upside Down and the demogorgons and the mindflayer, maybe this time… this time they were finally going to lose. He tried so hard to protect everyone, making amends to all the things he’d failed to do before, but it wasn’t enough. He had found himself once again being choked to death, wondering if this was it, but now Nancy and Robin were being dragged into it, too.

Then, the vines fell away, Vecna was molotov and shot point blank relentlessly, and it was over. Heading back to the trailer park and seeing Dustin crying over Eddie’s body, he couldn’t help but think that he hadn’t tried hard enough. No one was supposed to die. They had a clear plan and everything.

Steve didn’t realize he was crying until Eddie wrapped his arms around him tightly. His senses were flooded with Eddie and with each deep breath he took, he could smell weed and sweat and fresh cotton sheets grounding him. Steve clutched onto his shirt until his knuckles were white.

They almost lost him. Steve almost lost him. Seeing his body on the floor, covered in blood and haphazard makeshift bandages was like a splash of cold water. He honestly thought that they were starting to get close, too, that they could be good friends, and the possibility of losing that made his heart heavy.

“Fuck, sorry. I don’t know why -”

“It’s okay, Steve, just let it out,” Eddie soothed, rubbing circles on his back.

“I was supposed to be the one to check on you.”

Steve buried his face in his shoulder, letting Eddie lead them to the bed where he gently sat them down. When his breathing slowed, Steve pulled away, his entire face red from embarrassment and crying. Eddie cupped his chin gently before he could turn away completely.

“Hey,” Eddie said softly, “We’re okay. I’m okay. I’m here. We’re safe.”

Steve squeezed his eyes shut as he took a deep breath in and let it out slowly. He appreciated Eddie giving him a moment to collect himself, guilt filling his head for making him deal with his issues after barging into his room. Eddie was right, everything was fine. The plan worked and Vecna was gone. He was here right next to him, the heat of his hand that moved from his chin to his shoulder reassuring him as much.

“I’m sorry,” Steve said again, wiping at his cheeks with a sniff.

“It’s all good, Steve.” Eddie’s smile with those bright eyes and dimpled cheeks made him break into a smile. God, Steve had it bad. “I, uh, I’ve been smoking weed every night just so I could sleep and chugging down gallons of coffee to get through the day. It doesn’t get rid of the nightmares, but they’ve been more… manageable. Still, now and then, I get those nights where those nightmares felt so real and the first few times it happened, it scared my uncle to death.”

“You should have called us when that happened,” Steve scolded.

“I know.” Eddie scooted closer, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. “Thought you guys dealt with enough of me the past couple of weeks already. I appreciate Robin and Nancy helping me with my grades and the boys checking in on me. It’s… nice having this much support. I owe you guys.”

Steve shook his head, running a hand through his messy hair. “You don’t owe us anything, man. Just… don’t shut us out. That’s something I’m still learning and I’ve been dealing with this stuff for a while. And, look,” he hesitated, huffing when he couldn’t find the right words to reassure him and instead said, “I’ll even play a game with you guys.”

He didn’t know Eddie’s eyes could get any wider. “Really?” Eddie asked excitedly. He jumped up from the bed and gasped. “Are you really Steve Harrington?”

Steve rolled his eyes. “Come on, man. I wanna know what the hype is about and maybe I’d be able to spend more time with the kids, you know?”

“And me?” Eddie hid his face behind his curly hair, doe-like eyes peeking out and practically twinkling at him.

“Yeah,” Steve said warmly, a stupid smile on his face. At this point, he didn’t really care. He already freaked out and cried in front of him. Probably got snot on his shirt, too. “You, too.”

“Steve Harrington,” Eddie said in a sing-songy voice, the same way he did when they were in the Upside Down. He walked over until he was standing in front of him. “You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you?”

“I’ve been surprising myself a lot lately.”

Steve found himself reaching out to him. Eddie eyed him curiously and took it, feeling himself yanked over onto the bed. He landed with a huff, limbs splayed as Steve laid on his side watching him. Eddie’s heart seized, waiting to see what he’ll do next. He had the urge to fix a stray hair hanging over Steve’s forehead, then froze with his hand in mid-air. Steve caught this, bumping his forehead against his hand as a silent reassurance that it was okay, before lying on his back.

“So,” Steve said, breaking the silence, “You have time to decide whether you want to play at my place or not. It’s cool. We’ve got movie night on Saturday. I’m assuming Robin told you already.”

Eddie was grateful for the topic change because he did not want to deal with that conversation with someone who had just become comfortable being emotionally vulnerable with. Robin had come out to him during the second week of studying together and said that Steve knew about it, too. He’d heard that before, people being supportive of queer people until one starts being interested in them. Robin insisted that Steve wasn’t like that, but he didn’t want to take that risk.

“What are we watching?”

“The kids wanted to watch the Star Wars Trilogy again since Max hadn’t seen it yet.”

“Ah, so you can watch Princess Leia in a bikini strangle Jabba the Hutt?” Eddie teased with a smirk.

“And there’s Han Solo, too. Handsome, suave, and sarcastic,” Steve pointed out, “You know, a few girls have said that I reminded them of Han.”

“Really? Were they really watching the movie or were you guys busy doing something else?”

Steve scoffed. “What? You don’t think so?”

“You are not suave, Steve Harrington. Kind of expected more from the King of Hawkins High.” Eddie waved a hand over him dismissively. But him being handsome and sarcastic? Yes, he was.

“What?” Steve raised himself with his elbow, looking down at him in disbelief. “Excuse me, I climbed through a window to get to you.”

“Oh? Was that you trying to woo me?” He raised an eyebrow in challenge, his hands coming up to pillow the back of his head. Steve really wanted to slap the smug face off of him. Or kiss him.

Steve’s face flushed. Why exactly did he do that? It was the spur of the moment, but a part of him wanted to make some kind of impression on him. He knew that Eddie wasn’t doing so well mentally and if almost slipping from his rooftop lifted his spirits, Steve would do it again. It also made him feel reminiscent of when times were so carefree and easier. HIs few moments with Eddie always made him feel this way and no matter how many times he thought him obnoxious, a part of him, that’s been growing and growing, had been excited to see him again.

“Did it work?” Steve mumbled.

“What?”

“The window stuff.” He gestured to the window like it was obvious before looking back at him with a look Eddie couldn’t pin down. “Did it woo you?”

“Stop messing with me, Harrington,” Eddie said, his voice sounding rougher than he intended.

He immediately regretted his tone when Steve’s face dropped. This guy was confusing him to no end and it was getting frustrating. He wasn’t used to seeing this side of Steve and he didn’t want to get the wrong impression. How was he able to tell if he was flirting or mocking him or lightheartedly joking with him?

“Whatevers, man,” Steve muttered, sitting back up. He scrubbed his face with a tired sigh then stood up. “Look, I didn’t mean to snap at you earlier. I’m truly grateful for what you did for us. It really helped save our asses and you did make sure that Dustin was safe before you charged out like a maniac.”

“But?”

Steve kept his back turned to him as he pressed on. “It was hard seeing you like that.”

“Steve…”

“Man, Dustin was losing it,” he quickly added with a sniff, wiping his eyes with his sleeve, “Do you know how heavy you are? Doesn’t help when I had some kid screaming in my ear.” He chuckled, his feet shuffling towards the door. “I’m, uh, I’m going to head out now. Remember to call us if you need anything.”

“Steve,” Eddie said quietly. Steve stopped with his hand on the door knob. “What if I need something now?”

He tilted his head back to him, waiting for him to continue. Eddie steeled himself, making sure to keep eye contact with Steve.

“Stay?”

Steve’s hand fell limply at his side. “Are you sure?”

Eddie nodded. He was expecting him to turn that knob and, at the very least, bid him goodnight, leaving Eddie with a heavy heart filled with regret. Instead, he watched as Steve shrugged out of his jacket, tossing it over his desk chair, before joining him back on the bed. He found himself exhaling as he settled back in easily. Steve picked up Romeo and Juliet, flipping through it with a frown.

“You don’t think people used to talk like this, right?” he asked.

“Nah, I think people thought Shakespeare was a freak, too.”

They shared a laugh before trying to tackle his English assignments. They didn’t get that far, exhaustion from the rollercoaster of emotions of that night settling in. It was the first time in a very long time that the both of them got a full, undisturbed, rest.

If they woke up with entangled limbs, no one said anything. Wayne certainly didn’t when he saw them coming out of Eddie’s room, only giving them a nod before heading to the kitchen to start on breakfast. Steve didn’t put up much resistance with him when Wayne insisted he stay and eat first. His knees bumping against Eddie’s as they ate together before heading out into their respective cars.

“See you tomorrow?” Eddie asked, as if Steve would change his mind about inviting him over.

“Might see you later today,” he said, leaning against his car, “I’m picking up the gremlins after school.”

“You should just buy a soccer mom van, Stevie.”

He laughed with a shake of his head, tapping the roof of his car before climbing in. “Better get going, Eds, or you’ll be late.” Steve turned on his radio and cranked up the volume, one of Eddie’s Dio tapes playing as he pulled out of the driveway.

Eddie stared after him with a wide grin, feeling feather light and giddy. He didn’t even notice his uncle leaning by the front door.

“Good kid, that Harrington,” he commented before stepping back in. “He’s right, though. Try not to get a speeding ticket, boy.”

#steddie #steveddie #steddie fanfic #steve harrington x eddie munson #steve x eddie #eddie x steve #steve harrington fic #steve harrington #steve harrington imagine #eddie munson imagine #eddie munson fic #eddie munson #steddie brainrot #stranger things fic #stranger things imagine #steddie has no concept of personal space #steve climbs through a window instead of using the front door #i was totally going to have them reenact shakespeare but that was too much work #uncle wayne approves

10 notes · View notes