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ghosttotheparty · 1 year

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love me softly p21

part 20

Steve steals a Metallica hoodie from Eddie’s closet.

Eddie doesn’t know about it until he sees him at school on Friday morning, and Eddie stops after turning off the van, melting into the driver seat and staring, watching Steve. He’s sitting on the hood of his car, swatting Tommy’s hands away and laughing. Gareth is already there, laughing so hard his head is thrown back.

One of Steve’s hands is in the front pocket of the hoodie, and when he stops hitting Tommy, he lets the other sleeve fall over his hand before he lifts it to his face, rubbing his cheek. Eddie watches, biting his lip as his throat tightens.

It takes a minute for him to finally be ready to join them. Steve sees him coming, and he gives Eddie that squishy-cheeked, squinty-eyed grin that Eddie loves so much.

“Where’d you get that hoodie?” he asks, leaning against the car, and Gareth snorts.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“I would, yeah, it’s cool.”

“It is, isn’t it?”

“You guys are so annoying,” Tommy says dryly, leaning from where he’s sitting next to Steve to look at Eddie, who sticks his tongue out at him.

“Do you guys wanna come over tomorrow?” Steve asks, moving slightly closer to Eddie but looking from him to Gareth and Tommy. “For like a movie or something?”

“I will if Eddie brings weed,” Gareth says, and Eddie wrinkles his nose at him.

“Ass.”

Gareth sticks his tongue out mockingly.

“So is that a yes?” Steve asks, ignoring them.

“Yeah.”

“Okay, cool.”

“So why were you and Tommy fist fighting?” Eddie asks, nudging Steve with his shoulder.

“Oh, Tommy’s just a dick.”

“You’re a dick,” Tommy argues.

“Nuh-uh.”

“Yuh-huh.”

“Shut the fuck up,” Gareth says loudly.

As they’re headed inside, Steve nudges Eddie’s hand, and he gestures with a tilt of his head when Eddie looks. Eddie follows him to his locker and leans against the locker next to his as Steve twists the lock.

“Will you come over tonight?”

Eddie suppresses a smile, pushing his hands into his pockets and looking him up and down. The hoodie is too big for him, and the fabric is thick and cozy, the design on the front faded and worn, and Eddie wants to hold him and hide in his chest.

“We have a Hellfire meeting tonight,” he says after a moment. “After school.”

Steve looks at him, moving a book in his locker.

“I can come over after,” Eddie adds. “Or you can come with. Hang out.”

“I don’t know the other guys in Hellfire,” Steve says softly.

“They’re nice,” Eddie tells him. “You’ll like them.”

Steve hesitates, nibbling his lip as he rummages through his locker, but Eddie sees the nervousness in his eyes even though he looks away.

“You don’t have to,” Eddie says gently, and Steve’s lips curve into a tiny smile. He glances at Eddie, hesitating again.

“Maybe next time,” he says softly, looking at Eddie. Eddie nods, holding back from leaning in to kiss him.

“I’ll go to yours afterwards,” he says.

“Okay,” Steve says, still smiling shyly. “And then tomorrow Tommy and Gareth will come over.”

“You excited?” Eddie asks, raising his eyebrows, watching Steve nods happily.

“‘S been a long week,” he says lightly.

“‘S gonna be a good weekend,” Eddie says softly. His chest is warm. Steve looks back at him, his cheeks pink as he smiles, but his smile falters after a moment as his eyes flicker across Eddie’s face. “What’s wrong?”

Steve shrugs, shoving a book into his backpack and sighing softly.

“I just…”

He shrugs again, his eyes skimming across Eddie’s face again, lingering at his lips.

“Me too,” Eddie murmurs. Steve exhales, his eyes meeting Eddie’s and shining. “Later.”

Steve nods.

“I’ll see you at lunch,” he says softly.

Eddie nods, biting his lip and hesitating, leaning a little bit closer to whisper softly enough that no one could hear him even if they were to step too close.

“I’m kissing in my head,” he murmurs quietly, squinting and staring intently into Steve’s eyes. Steve giggles, staring back, leaning in and scrunching his nose adorably.

“I feel it,” he whispers, and Eddie laughs, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment.

“I’ll see you later,” he giggles, and Steve smiles, reaching up to pat his cheek just a little too hard, smacking him gently, casually, the touch leaving his face warm. Eddie pulls away, snorting as he steps past him, winking as he walks away.

Rumours are already swirling around the school about the graffiti. Most of them point to Eddie.

He doesn’t mind. It is pretty on brand for him, obviously, and even though nobody’s even glanced in Steve’s direction, Eddie would rather keep the focus off him as much as possible. It’s not hard. When people ask him about the graffiti during the day, he keeps a poker face and just shrugs lazily.

The others in Hellfire also ask about it, but Gareth doesn’t say anything, and after a brief moment of hesitation, Eddie lies that he did it. He isn’t about to out Steve to them, and they wouldn’t have believed him if he’d told them the truth anyway.

The sun is going down when Eddie finally gets to Steve’s.

Steve opens the door after just a few seconds, smiling brightly, and he pulls Eddie inside without hesitation. Eddie giggles, hugging him tightly and tossing his backpack aside.

“Hi, honey.”

“Hi, Eddie.”

“You okay?”

“Mhmm. How was Hellfire?”

“Was good,” Eddie says lightly. “Just did a one-shot session,” he adds, reaching to run his fingers through Steve’s hair. “Was fun.”

Steve lifts his head and presses a soft, lingering kiss to his lips that makes Eddie’s knees feel weak.

“I made dinner,” he says lightly when they part, tracing a line down Eddie��s neck.

“What’d you make?”

“Pasta.”

“Ah, romantic.”

He leans down and grabs at Steve’s legs, hefting him up over his shoulder as Steve screams and laughs, clutching at Eddie’s jeans. Eddie carries him to the kitchen, hanging him upside down, grinning as Steve exclaims loudly that Eddie is a fucking menace. His face is red when Eddie manages to set him on the table, and he swats at Eddie, trying to hit him and suppressing giggles as Eddie dodges his hands, laughing.

They sit at the table together, kicking at each other’s legs and giggling as they talk. Eddie tells him about the one-shot. Steve tells him about how he overheard some teachers saying the graffiti is probably going to be painted over this weekend. It makes Eddie snort, and Steve scrunches his nose at him, swaying in his seat happily. Eddie offers the spray paints up for Steve to practice some more. There’s an old junkyard around Hawkins, full of rusted, broken-down cars and school buses that would be perfect canvases.

They clean up together after eating, Eddie washing the dishes in the sink and Steve drying and putting them away. He keeps nudging his hips against Eddie’s, or tracing lines across his back and making him shiver. When Eddie is done with the dishes, he shuts off the water and looks for a towel on a counter, but Steve just steps close and dries his hands himself, so gently and tenderly that Eddie’s chest aches.

He leans in and presses his face into Steve’s neck as he dries his hands for him, nuzzling into him and kissing him softly. Steve hums quietly, and Eddie knows without looking that he’s smiling.

Steve sets the towel aside the towel when he finishes, holding Eddie’s hands, running his thumbs over his knuckles gently.

Steve leans close and nudges their noses together, sighing.

“‘S nice,” he murmurs.

“What is?”

“You,” Steve breathes. “I like being close to you.”

Eddie pulls him closer, kissing him softly. He smiles when Steve’s arms wrap around his neck, and after another soft kiss, he reaches down to Steve’s thighs, tugging to pick him up. Steve’s legs wrap around his hips.

Eddie looks over his shoulder to find the living room, hugging Steve close, and Steve mumbles a soft, “Don’t drop me,” as Eddie steps down into the conversation pit. When he sits on the sofa, Steve buries his face in his neck, humming again. Eddie runs his hands over his back, under the hood and over the folds of the fabric.

Steve sits up and plays with Eddie’s hair, pushing it back and tucking it behind his ears and running his fingers through it.

“You’re beautiful,” he says softly.

Eddie’s cheeks flush.

“Gimme a kiss.”

Steve leans down and kisses him gently, chastely, pulling away to gaze at him before he kisses him again. Eddie’s head feels fuzzy, like his brain is full of static, as Steve presses kiss after kiss to his lips, to his cheeks and nose and forehead.

“Woah,” he says softly when Steve finally stops, and Steve giggles, touching his cheek. Eddie blinks his eyes open, looking up at him blearily. He’s smiling brightly, his cheeks pink, eyes shining.

“You give me butterflies, Stevie,” Eddie says softly, tucking his fingers under the hoodie. Steve’s cheeks flush more, and his shoulders hunch shyly as he leans down until their lips brush.

“You give me butterflies too.”

Eddie tilts his chin up to kiss him, sucking on his lip gently before he pulls away to bury his face in Steve’s neck. Steve laughs softly, pushing his fingertips into Eddie’s curls as Eddie kisses his neck, just under his jaw, across his throat, under his ears.

“Eddie?” Steve says softly as Eddie is sucking on his skin carefully.

“Mhmm?”

“…Could you help me with something?”

“‘Course,” Eddie says between kisses. “What?”

Steve takes a deep breath, and then he starts laughing under his breath. Eddie lifts his head after leaving one last kiss on his neck, right on one of his moles, and looks up at him curiously.

“What is it?” he asks quietly.

Steve hesitates, biting his lip as he looks at Eddie’s face.

Eddie waits patiently, his thumbs brushing over Steve’s soft skin until Steve speaks again, his voice quiet.

“Will you cut my hair for me?”

Eddie blinks.

“Seriously?” he says when Steve stays silent. Steve suppresses a smile and nods.

“I— I know exactly what I want, and I think you can do it fine, I have clippers and everything,” he rambles quietly. “I’ve been wanting to for ages, but I think I— I think I want you to do it.”

“You wanna trust me with your hair?” Eddie says, raising his eyebrows. Steve giggles, nodding. Eddie stares, wide-eyed, and he reaches up to touch his hair, combing his fingers through it carefully. It’s soft.

“How do you wanna cut it?” he asks, gazing at it. It’s warm brown, almost golden in some lighting.

“Wanna shave the sides,” Steve says.

“Oh, shit.”

Steve giggles again, swaying in Eddie’s lap.

“How much?” Eddie asks, touching Steve's chin to make him turn his head so Eddie can push his hair back.

“Maybe like from here…” Steve touches his temple and traces a line across the side of his head to touch behind his ear. “…to here.”

“Fuck, okay.”

“You’ll do it?” Steve asks excitedly.

“If you’re one hundred percent positive you want me to,” Eddie says firmly. “And if you promise you won’t hate me if-slash-when I destroy your hair.”

“You won’t ruin my hair,” Steve says softly, still grinning. “And you could shave my all hair clean off and I wouldn’t hate you, Eddie baby,” he adds softly, tracing a line down Eddie’s throat. “I trust you.”

“Should you, though?” Eddie manages to ask weakly, his cheeks flushing.

Steve’s nose scrunches.

“I do,” he tells him. He kisses him softly, still smiling. “Will you cut my hair for me?”

“Okay,” Eddie breathes, his eyes still closed as Steve’s lips brush his.

A few minutes later, Eddie finds himself standing behind Steve in the bathroom, scissors in one hand, clippers in the other, as Steve sits on a tall stool he dragged over from the kitchen.

Steve is smiling, looking at him in the mirror.

“Okay, wait,” Eddie says, blinking hard and setting the scissors and clippers down. “Show me again.”

Steve points to his head, gesturing where he wants it cut, and Eddie reaches for the comb.

He combs Steve’s hair carefully, as gently as he can, furrowing his brows as he parts the hair to separate it where Steve wants it. Steve is watching in the mirror, smiling, gazing.

“Like this?” he asks when he finishes, stepping back, holding the hair out of the way for Steve to see. “That good?”

“A little more,” Steve says. Eddie fixes it. “Yeah.”

“Okay, hold this.”

Steve reaches up and holds the hair for him as Eddie does the other side, looking back and forth between Steve’s head and the mirror to make sure it’s even.

“Okay,” he sighs when it’s done, holding the hair out of the way and setting the comb down. “Alright.”

Steve is grinning giddily, his eyes gleaming.

“I can’t believe we’re doing this,” Eddie mutters, reaching for the scissors.

“You took me to graffiti the high school,” Steve says, holding back a laugh, “and you’re shocked that we’re cutting my hair?”

“You’re Steve the Hair Harrington—”

“Fuck my hair!”

Eddie is doubling over in laughter, squeezing his eyes shut and resting his forehead on Steve’s shoulder, which is shaking as Steve laughs too.

“Babe,” Steve says loudly. “Do it!”

“Why am I more scared than you?” Eddie exclaims. They’re practically shouting at each other, their voices bright and happy and echoing off the tile walls.

“I have nothing to lose,” Steve says, grinning.

“You have this.” Eddie holds up the bundle of Steve’s hair he’s holding. Steve shrugs lightly, smiling. “What do I have to lose?”

“…My trust?”

“Steve!”

“I’m kidding!”

“Oh my god—”

“Just do it,” Steve says excitedly. “Do it, do it, do it, do—”

“Okay!” Eddie tugs the hair gently, making Steve shut up, and Steve giggles. “Okay, alright. Okay.”

He reaches for the scissors before he meets Steve’s eye in the mirror. He pauses, gazing back at him, at the hair they’re both holding. It looks a bit silly, the hair they’re holding from opposite sides of his head, like his head is hanging from their hands, but he’s glowing with a bright smile.

“Kiss for luck,” he says, tilting his head and leaning down as Steve turns to face him. They kiss slowly, carefully, and Eddie has to tear himself away before he can forget what they’re doing.

He lines the scissors up, watching carefully, and squeezes his eyes shut, listening to the sharp snips as he cuts through it.

Steve is giggling as the hair falls to the floor.

Eddie focuses harder than he’s ever focused in his life when he turns the clippers on, carefully holding Steve’s uncut hair out of the way as he buzzes the hair short.

Eddie is silent as he cuts the other side, and Steve’s hand falls after he looks at the cut hair in his fingers before he drops it to the ground.

When he finishes, Eddie turns the clippers off, and the room falls an odd sort of silent that seems to bounce off the tiles. Eddie can hear his own breath. He sets the clippers down on the counter, brushing hair off Steve’s shoulder before he looks at him in the mirror.

Steve is staring at himself, lips parted, eyes wide. Almost in awe.

“Holy shit, Steve,” Eddie says softly. Steve looks at him in the mirror, lips curving into a smile. “Alright?”

“Fuck. Yeah.”

Eddie combs his fingers through his hair, pulling it back into a small knot that wouldn’t be able to hold with a hair tie, exposing the shaven sides. Steve beams, his eyes shining.

“God,” Eddie breathes. “You have any idea how gorgeous your smile is?”

Steve's smile widens and he squeezes his eyes shut for a moment as his cheeks flush pink.

“Fuck.” Eddie stands up straight, releasing Steve’s hair and watching it fall. “You like it?”

“I love it, Eddie,” Steve says, looking at himself in the mirror and reaching up to his hair, styling it almost lazily, pushing it back and fluffing it. Eddie flushes with heat.

“Okay,” he breathes, watching. Steve notices the shift in Eddie after a moment, and he looks at him.

“What is it?”

“Uh.” He clears his throat awkwardly. “You’re really hot.”

Steve’s face lights up.

“You think?”

“Uh. Yeah.”

His face is burning, and his stomach is fluttering, and Steve is just grinning at him before he turns to look over his shoulder at him. He tilts his chin up at Eddie to wordlessly ask for a kiss, and Eddie obliges without hesitation.

Their mouth crash together, and Steve reaches up to push his fingers into his hair, tugging it gently in a way that makes Eddie shiver as he holds Steve’s face in his hands. He gives everything in the kiss, every ounce of desperation and hope, and when they part, they’re both panting.

“Oh,” Steve says breathlessly. He pulls away to look at Eddie. His eyes are dark, his pupils blown, glistening, and his cheeks are flushed pink.

“Yeah,” Eddie agrees, caressing his cheek. “I, uhm…”

“Do you…” Steve pulls Eddie’s head closer to press their foreheads together, speaking so quietly Eddie can just hear him. “Do you want to?”

“Yes.”

“You do?”

“Yes. I want to.”

“Fuck. Okay.”

He kisses Eddie again, biting his lip and slowly standing up off the stool to pull Eddie closer. Eddie wraps his arms around Steve’s waist, pushing his hands under the hoodie to press to his soft skin.

“Are you sure?” Stew asks breathlessly between feverish kisses as Eddie tries to keep up, holding him desperately.

“Yes,” he gasps. “Yes. Do you want to?”

“Yeah,” Steve exhales against his lips. “Fuck, yeah, I do, I want to.”

“Okay.” He tugs at the hem of the hoodie as Steve presses a hard kiss to his lip, and after a moment Steve leans back, letting Eddie pull it over his head and toss it to the ground. It lands in Steve’s hair.

Eddie lets Steve pull his shirt over his head. It fucks up his hair, sending it across his face in a staticky mess, and they both giggle as Steve tosses the shirt away and combs through Eddie’s hair.

“Woah,” he breathes after a moment, his eyes finding the spider inked on Eddie’s chest.

“Oh, I forgot about that. You didn’t see it the night you sleep over?”

Steve shakes his head. He traces the legs with a light fingertip.

“Was distracted by your bed head.”

“Ha.”

“Why a spider?” Steve murmurs, touching it. Eddie slides his hands over his waist softly, squeezing. He shrugs.

“Thought it was cool.”

“Oh, so metal, man,” Steve teases dryly without looking up, and Eddie pinches him, scrunching his nose at him. Steve suppresses a grin. “‘S pretty.”

“You’re pretty.”

Steve smiles brightly before he pulls him into another kiss, sliding his hand over Eddie’s chest firmly.

“‘M nervous,” Eddie admits when they part to breathe.

“We don’t have to.”

“No, I want to. I just… I’m just nervous.”

“I am too.”

Eddie smiles softly, nudging their noses together as he exhales.

“You don’t have to be.”

“You don’t either.”

Eddie kisses him softly.

“I’m still nervous.”

“God, me too,” Steve says, laughing softly, his breath on Eddie’s face.

“Why are you nervous?” Eddie questions, tracing a line over Steve’s spine lightly. Steve exhales before he lifts his head, looking into his eyes. He looks like he might cry. His hair is messy, his cheeks flushed warm, and he shrugs weakly, tracing Eddie’s collarbone.

“Want it to be special,” he murmurs softly, shyly.

“Everything is special with you, Stevie,” Eddie says quietly, pulling him closer and sliding his hand up his back. He’s always so warm. “That’s what love is.”

Steve’s eyes glisten. He blinks at him, swallowing thickly, and his lip quivers for a moment. Eddie tilts his head, opening his mouth to say something like Oh, sweetheart or My love, but Steve interrupts him with a hard kiss.

“Bedroom?” Eddie gasps when they part, his fingertips digging into Steve’s sides.

“Come on.”

Steve takes his hands, kissing him one more time before he pulls at him, dragging him out of the bathroom and down the hall into they’re giggling and stumbling up the stairs.

part 22 read the whole thing on ao3 tagging: @thehumblefigtree @doilooklikebees <3 comment to be tagged in part 22 :)

#just realised theres only one chapter left of this #and then the epilogue #but #oh god #anyway #the 'thats what love' dialogue has been stuck in my head for like a year and I've been wanting to use it #but i didnt know what to use it for #but this scene was so perfect for it I'm so happy #ok anything go drink some water and eat something and take your meds #love u guys #steddie #steddie fanfic #steve harrington #steve harrington fanfic #eddie munson #eddie munson fanfic #stranger things #stranger things fanfic #love me softly

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