Chapter Text
X
November, 1983
Eddie Munson's breath formed vaporous clouds above his head which made his cheeks dewy and cold. He cracked a grin at his girlfriend Nancy Wheeler, trying to hide his wince of pain when his bottom lip split from the biting, dry air. It was still odd, the notion of dating a girl, he never thought it was something he would find himself in, yet here he was.
The girl stood next to the entrance of Hawkins high, and that idiot Steve Harrington was hanging around her, a look of his own stupid admiration painted on his pretty pink lips. Eddie narrowed his eyes at the jock and yet; there was a special place in hell for the part of his mind which rummaged up, old tucked away confusions surrounding Steve.
“Hey babe,” Eddie drawled as he hopped up the lounged steps. He wrinkled his nose at the musty smell of school that wafted from the doors, the warm air breathing out to call the teens inside.
Eddie gripped the metal railing and leaned as far away as he could, an act of small rebellion. Although, no teacher made declarations to head inside, no, it was just the elongated hallways that called him to the next years of his sorry life.
Or so he thought.
“When you’re finally tired of the freak, come find me,” King Steve crooned. Eddie’s nose scrunched at the pompous nature of the spoiled bastard that stood before him. The other teen’s gaze didn’t so much as flicker at him, which made him crumple into a pile of dismembered emotions. One of which was trying to crawl from the depths of his knotted stomach, he pushed it down and continued to knit over it. To keep it secret, keep it safe.
“Yeah, yeah, Harrington, go crawling back to your scamps and leave us alone please,” Eddie muttered, eyes falling to the ground as he pulled at a loose string attached to his leather jacket. The sleeves holding onto his arms were uncomfortable because of the cold November air. The insecure moment he was experiencing made the jacket feel almost suffocating, like the material was perpetually wet.
"Whatever, see ya later, Nance," And with a simple wave Steve sauntered off, tackling Tommy Hagan from behind.
Eddie welcomed the warm hand that weaved through his fingers, Nancy gave his hand a light squeeze. Eddie shifted his gaze so he could capture the small smile that was painted across her lips, he squeezed back, a thank you for the comfort she was reaching out to him.
Their relationship was still new, he remembered that the leaves on the ground were still crisp to step on, so it was before the rain started; Eddie had been packing up his Dungeon Master screen, surrounded by the Wheeler’s beige basement walls. Nancy had come down to help him clean up after a grueling episode of the first campaign he was running for her kid brother. The small brunette girl started poking around at his things, the two of them started laughing and joking. And before he knew it, he was asking Miss Nancy Wheeler to a movie. Deciding on Risky Business with Tom Cruise, but only because it was the re-run movie before a new release called Wargames.
And that was that, joined at the hip every day since. While, he wasn’t upset by this at all. It was odd, for sure. When he told his Uncle Wayne about going on a date with Nancy, Eddie had been afraid he’d never see the old man’s eyebrows ever again. Yet Wayne kept his mouth shut, not bringing up the obvious question he wanted to ask. At to be frank, it was a glaringly obvious one at that.
'Didn’t think you swung that way.'
Now don’t get him wrong, he’d follow Nancy just about anywhere, even to the end of the world, and it wouldn’t take much convincing on her part. Nancy was beautiful; slight frame, pretty smile, long hair and those curious doe eyes. All things he should be falling for, yet he wasn’t. Not that Nancy wasn’t attractive. No, just that she didn’t have that certain—thing.
He knew seeing her while he danced with himself and his curiosities was unjust. His thoughts rattled around in the dark, the springs of his old mattress digging into his hips, a painful reminder of what he actually wanted—The swooped back hair, mischievous smirk, eyebrows that made a darkened stare all the more enticing, strong hands holding him, pushing him, and the inherent smell of testosterone. Yeah, Eddie was going to have to deal with that soon, if he didn’t he’d end up breaking Nancy’s heart and that was the last thing he wanted to do. The girl deserved the world in his eyes; She was smart as a whip, dedicated and passionate. Those things weren’t for him, they were for some other lucky guy, who would sweep her off those periwinkle heels and twirl her around.
“Hey, you okay,” A small tap from Nancy’s finger brought him out of his crushing thoughts, her eyes searched the depths of his own eyes for an answer.
Eddie cleared his throat, the phlegm from his morning cigarette caught at the back his esophagus, “Uh, yeah, I’m good, just lost in thought, I guess.” The smile he gave her felt tight and forced even to him.
“Okay… come on let’s get to class,” Nancy pulled him inside the stuffy building, reluctantly he trailed behind her. The lights were florescent, the chattering of hundreds of people clouded his mind. If he thought he was being suffocated before, he definitely was now. The beige and green walls spun around him, the smell of pubescent teenagers and outdated textbooks filled his nostrils.
"Eugh, gross."
People stared, they always did. Eddie ignored them, as he always did. Sometimes it was hard to, especially when someone would sneer his way—but not this year. This was his year, finally getting out of this dump and then running for the hills. Leaving all of this behind him, and man, he could not wait.
He walked through the steady stream of student bodies behind Nancy; she was practically walking herself to class at that point, but what did it matter if led or not.
“I’ll see you at lunch?” Nancy asked shyly. Eddie leaned forward, his arm thrown nonchalantly on the wall beside her straight brown hair.
“You betcha, sweets,” Eddie mumbled, a small grin only for her ran playfully over his lips. She blushed, eyes drifting downward, causing an electric feeling of anxiety to rock through him. Hesitating before he captured his girlfriend’s lips with his own. Nancy let out a contented hum against him and then pushed away.
“Now, get to class, no more skipping!” Nancy scolded. Eddie rolled his eyes playfully at her, “I mean it, Munson!”
He didn’t respond, keeping the mystery of if he would go to class or not alive, backing away and shooting her with a finger gun. Her arms were crossed as she watched him disappear into the swarming crowd.
He held his tongue as the B.O. smell became stronger and more putrid sank into the crowd of people. Finally he pushed his way to the end of the hallway, the other exit for the school, did he dare? Yeah fuck it, today was a thought day, anyway. He definitely could not keep concentration during any class. Looking out onto the greying sky, he rubbed his hands together to prepare for the cold that would chill him down to the bone.
“Here we go,” Eddie muttered to himself, pushing the steel bar and out into the open air. Taking off quickly as to not be seen by any narcs or teachers, not that there was a difference.
November in Hawkins was always cold, Eddie was shit at dressing for them even though he’s been doing it for years. He was shivered in the thick leather wrapped around his arms, his denim vest not protecting him from the icy winds either. At least he had pockets, which were stuffed full of garbage and spare lighters. Picking up the pace, Eddie maneuvered his feet to the usual route through the woods at the edge of the football field.
A faded wooden bench came into view, it looked eerie surrounded by the dead trees. His eyes followed the branches up and up; the twisting knobs reaching toward the sky, searching for any nutrients the overcast weather could provide. Eddie smiled and jogged over to sit the bench, one hand shoved deep in his breast pocket, reaching for a joint that he so nimbly rolled that morning. Sometimes, he felt bad for skipping class, but mostly he didn't think about it at all.
Eddie put the joint in between his lips and ignited the black scarred lighter his uncle Wayne gave him, inhaling the smoke and relaxing against the creaking tabletop.
Wayne was a funny guy. There was this strange fondness that Eddie couldn’t shake, he’d only been living with the guy for about six years or so. Which he didn’t consider very long, seeing as Wayne was legally his father as of last year. He respected the hell out of his uncle, though, even if he never said it.
Eddie’s thoughts continued to run around in his mind, not even calming when his body began to feel sated and heavy from the weed. He let out a soft hum as the high kicked to full gear, feeling like a claustrophobic, yet familiar, hug.
He exhaled another deep drag from the slowly dwindling joint, when a snap of a large branch off in the distance broke his relaxed streak. Suddenly his heart immediately was lodged in his throat, thumping nervously, flicking his eyes around for any exits he could take.
While he panicked the joint burnt down, the cherry falling onto his numb hand, “Ow, fuck,” He cursed, jumping up to shake the burning plant off.
“Munson?” A quiet, unfamiliar voice piped up from behind him. The cold air streamed into Eddie’s lungs as he let out a chilling gasp, swinging around to see who it was.
When his vision stopped swirling around and came to focus, standing before him was none other than Jonathan Byers. The guy looked like shit, his usual shaggy cut seemed to hang off his head in oily tendrils, the bags under his eyes seemed to weigh down heavier and darker.
Will Byers hadn’t been too keen to join Mike and Dustin in playing alongside a senior in high school, so had opted to play their own game together on an alternating day with a kid named Lucas. When he heard that the kid went missing recently, he'd been to shocked to really digest the ramifications of what that meant. The stone of realization dropped as he stared at the harrowed boy that stood before him. Gruesome scenarios flooded his mind as he thought about what could come to be when someone as young as Will goes missing.
“Jonathan, pleasantries to you,” Eddie breathed out, still trying to calm down from the scare the teen caused. The older Byers nodded a small greeting and then nodded to the empty spot next to where he sat moments before.
“Can...I, uh, join you?” Jonathan muttered, his heavy eyes wandered the surrounding woods; as if he was waiting for something big and scary to jump out at any second to take another freak into the woods.
“Yeah, yeah, of course,” Eddie rushed, straightening out the half-smoked joint and plopped his ass back on the rotting wood. Jonathan sat awkwardly next to him while as he fiddled around with his lighter to reignite the joint.
“You expecting me to share, Byers?” Eddie made a futile attempt at joking, shooting a sideways glance at the other man. A small smile perked up on Jonathan's pale lips. He stared at Jonathan’s mouth, discerning that he liked pretty pink lips, not pale thin ones. So, did he like women? Aw jeez he should not be thinking about this while someone in distress was looking for comfort.
“Nah, man,” He said. Eddie’s eyebrows raised with surprised and respect, carefully handing the joint off to the guy.
“Hey, I’m sorry about your brother…” Eddie trailed off, eyes searching for something off in the woods to stare at, gripping at the fabric of his ripped jean and hand vibrating from his anxiously bouncing leg.
“Thanks, dude.”
Eddie grimaced as he took the joint back, the rolling paper covered in resin making his fingers sticky and warm. The two sat surrounded by a comfortable silence as they shared the remaining embers. Once it was done Jonathan stood, his bloodshot found his own and the grieving man ducked his head thankfully. He returned it, a solemn feeling trapped against his chest that made him uncomfortable.
“Well, see ya later, man. Stay out of trouble,” Jonathan said, eyes glazed over as he looked off in the direction of the school.
“Will do, Byers,” Eddie grinned, then watched as his company wandered back into the bright forest, the sounds of his camera clinked from where it hung around his chest.
Well, that was interesting. He never really hung out with the guy, only ever pleasant hellos at a party now and then. Eddie felt like he still couldn’t say he'd hung out with Jonathan, even after the moment the two of them just shared. That was more of the right place at the right time.
Eddie reached to his breast pocket once again and pulled his pack of John Players cigarettes out. Putting the filter between his lips, he ignited the tightly packed tobacco and inhaled. He wished he had brought his bag, having left it in his locker to feign Nancy away from suspecting him of skipping class. This meant that his precious cassette player and Black Sabbath’s ‘Masters of Reality’ were safely tucked away from his grasp—And man, could he use some music.
He sat and tried to enjoy the silence, tapping his ringed fingers impatiently on the table, fighting off his boredom. Thoughts of nothing and everything drifting through his mind, until they landed on Steve Harrington of all people; the stupid hair tall and daunting, that damned pretentious smirk that graced his lips—Fuck—Here he was, a fresh senior of high school and right back in the throes of his mournful crisis from middle school, about some rich asshole.
The more his thoughts wandered, the more guilt seeped into the dark pool of his gut, practically turning it inside out. How unfair he was being to Nancy. He was being selfish, still dancing around everything that he knew he needed to confront sooner rather than later.
“Hey freak,” an unfortunately familiar voice spoke from behind Eddie, mirroring what had happened moments before with Johnathan.
“What do you want, Tommy?” Eddie grumbled, stubbing out the burnt down orange filter as he leaned his head back to exhale the final puff of the nicotine.
“Why the hell else would I be talking to you, I need to buy some weed,” Tommy spat. Eddie rolled his eyes, imagining Tommy’s freckled face trying to be threatening.
“Well, you’ll have to wait, asshole,” Eddie said, still not giving in and turning to face the jock.
“What the fuck does that mean, freak,” Tommy’s voice raised a couple octaves in anger.
“It means,” Eddie swiveled around and leaned back against the tabletop, letting a mischievous smirk curl upward on his lips, “That I left my bag in my locker, and I don’t have any weed to sell to you, idiot.”
“Fuck you, Munson, I saw that Byers kid walking away from here. Eyes redder than my mother’s lipstick,” Tommy scoffed and crossed his arms over the striped pullover he wore.
“Pfft, that was my personal stash, buddy,” Eddie explained to his peer.
“Fuck you. Well, there’s a pretty Harrington penny in it for you if you can bring it by Steve’s tonight,” Tommy bargained. Eddie drew in a quick breath when the money was mentioned. Wayne was struggling for cash and really needed to get a replacement part for his truck so he could do full shifts at the plant.
“Fine, I’ll do it,” Eddie agreed, that black sludge in his stomach sloshed even more.
“One more thing, don’t bother showing up without Wheeler, the only reason Steve agreed to buy weed from you was so you could bring her,” Tommy stated, a sick grin on his face.
Eddie’s mouth fell open in disgust at what Tommy was implying. Without thinking, he was up and off his ass, pushing the shorter man into the harsh bark of a tree that stood tall behind them.
“Shut your ugly mouth now, or I’ll shut it for you, Hagan,” Eddie’s voice came out hoarse and deep, he hardly recognized it. Tommy sneered at Eddie under his fists.
“Thought that would get you riled up. I’m joking, Steve didn’t say shit. Just wanted to make you feel awful,” Tommy chided, pushing Eddie off harshly.
Eddie stumbled backward, confused as ever. These kids were getting smart with their stupid tactics, which he wasn’t excited about because that meant he had to get smarter with his retaliation.
“See you tonight, freak,” Tommy boded, and with no wave or second glance back, the jock left Eddie alone in the circle of leaves and trees.
“Jesus Christ,” Eddie muttered to himself, one hand on the back of his head and the other over his heart. The beat thumped fast from the adrenaline that was coursing through his veins.
X
“I’m not letting you go alone,” Nancy argued, arms crossed over her lilac sweater. The lunch hall was crowded and loud, the noise crushed in around Eddie, making him feel humongous and small at the same time.
“I need the money, Nance, and I don’t feel safe having you come,” Eddie tried, he knew she would not budge on this though. Once that jaw was set into place, he was doomed to have her come marching right behind him.
“Okay, and I don’t feel safe with you going alone. Those assholes could be setting up some hazing prank for all we know,” Nancy said, her eyes searched for the two jocks and Carol.
“I’ll come too,” Barbara piped up quietly from Nancy’s side. Barb, cool and sweet Barb. Has a crippling crush on Nancy and it was quite obvious to him, poor Nancy has no idea.
“Barb, you don’t have to! Neither of you do! Or will!” Eddie all but screeched, that garnered them a few looks from other tables. Luckily no big name ones, just other nerds. One, Rebecca? Ruth? Oh, who cares, looking at them with way too much curiosity written on her freckled face.
“Nance, please,” Eddie begged, cupping her hand in his dirty and stale tobacco smelling one. He grimaced and pulled it away.
“Nope, Barb and I are coming, end of discussion.”
Eddie dropped his forehead onto the shit plastic table, groaning and rolling his head side to side, “I’m going to get a migraine from your stubborn tactics, Wheeler.”
“Shut up, you know you love it,” Nancy joked. Eddie felt her tense next to him, huh shit, when he peeked at her through his hair there was a huge blush painting her cheeks and she stared straight ahead pretending nothing was said. Well, if she wanted to ignore that, he was more than happy to oblige.
“So, we’re going to a Steve ‘The Hair’ Harrington party tonight,” Barb said with astonishment woven into her tone.
“Don’t remind me, please.” Eddie groaned.
X
Once Eddie was home, he got to work. He ground a few nice buds up; the grinder producing the sweet acrid smell of the THC. There was something so insanely therapeutic about rolling. The tight concentration, sticky fingertips and the satisfaction of holding up a near perfect joint. Tommy and Steve were getting the shittier end of the stick, Eddie was making sure of that, but he still wanted to feel some amount of pride for the presentation of his business.
When he started to sell weed, it was only a few buds here and there. Then Reefer Rick passed along a good chunk of his stash before going to jail for the—oh Eddie doesn’t know—just that it was at least the second time.
A soft knock sounded on the hollow door of his room, “Eddie?” His uncle Wayne said.
“‘M decent,” Eddie mumbled, eyes trained on the last tight roll. Once secured, he licked a solid strip up the side and leaned over to turn down Metallica’s ‘Phantom Lord’.
“Hey buddy, I’m heading off to work…” The old man’s eyes trailed over the display in front of him, “Seems like you are as well.”
Eddie wasn’t sure if Wayne approved of him selling, there was a quiet understanding of do what you gotta do between the two of them. He was sure Wayne would’ve been all crimped up if there was any genuine issue, at least he hoped he would be.
“Yeah.. some shit jocks asked very impolitely that I supply, so here we are,” Eddie laughed, tucking away the joints into a foggy plastic bag. Then in a much clearer bag he dropped some large buds, that seemed fine enough for like four people.
“Well, be careful and you know where to call if something happens, okay?” Wayne huffed, a smile tugging at the corners of his wrinkled face.
“Thanks, Wayne,” Eddie said sincerely. And with a curt nod, his father figure tucked his worn hands into the big jacket that swallowed him up, being much smarter than Eddie about the cold.
“See ya, kid,” And with that, the old man was out of the trailer and off into the night.
Eddie sighed and pushed his hands into his hair, the rings on his right hand catching in his curls, trying to push any residual anxiety out of his brain. Nothing bad was going to happen tonight, why the hell would it? Tommy was a jackass, so was Steve, but the two of them were harmless, right?
“Shut up, Eddie,” He mumbled into his empty room. There was no use in second guessing anything, go in, get out. Easy.
X
If Eddie thought that afternoon was cold, it was properly chilled now. The air almost hurt his lungs as he took a deep breath into the night. He shivered and hopped into his van, which he had so graciously named Banshee, after Siouxsie and the Banshees. The silver key locked into place in the ignition and Eddie sparked the old van to life, the stuttering engine cried out into the trailer park, alerting a dog off in the distance who howled alongside his vehicle.
Eddie sifted through the messy pile of cassettes as he let Banshee warm up before chugging off to pick up Barb and Nancy. A feeling of satisfaction came when he found the album he wanted to listen to. He pushed the well-worn tape into the empty slot and fast forwarded to the second song, releasing the button with vigor, he let the opening notes of ‘Rock on the Moon’ by The Cramps wash over him.
With Lux Interior’s vocals running next to his van, he cruised off the dirt road, tires squealing when he took a dangerous turn onto the pavement.
Eddie yelled the lyrics to Garbageman loudly, head bobbing up and down so much that he almost passed right by the Wheeler’s doorstep. Peering out of his window, he could see Mrs. Wheeler doing dishes vigorously, her face pulled down in a stern expression. Either toward Mike or the no good SOB she was married to, Ted. He ducked out of the light stream, careful not to be seen observing. Eddie let out a chuckle as the aforementioned man came into the frame, a stupid look painted on his bland features.
“Idiot,” Eddie whispered before leaning his elbow onto the horn. A horrific loud and screeching noise came reverberating out of Banshee. Eddie let out a manic string of laughter when he caught Ted almost dropping a plate he was trying to put away.
The older man’s face scrunched in disapproval when he saw it was Eddie making all the noise, which only made Eddie feel he had to do more. He turned the knob for the volume, his speakers crackled as the song Sunglasses After Dark seeped from his cracked window.
“Eddie!” His eyes scanned away from the elder Wheeler’s and to the front door. Nancy stood with arms crossed and a foot tapping impatiently. Barb was behind her, hunched over, and her enormous eyes flitted around anxiously.
“Alright, alright,” Eddie mumbled, lifting his hands in surrender.
The two girls rolled their eyes at his antics and hurried to get into the van. Ted was probably on his way to point a menacing sausage finger in his face.
“Well, that was an unnecessary entrance, Eddie,” Nancy said, climbing into the front seat. Eddie blushed when she leaned over the console to kiss his cheek.
“Yeah, well. You know me, I’m ALL about the dramatics,” He sighed and fluttered his eyelashes flirtily at the brunette. Her own blush painting her cheeks.
“Can you two stop flirting so we can get this over with, I actually have a test to study for.” Barb’s sarcastic voice piped up from the back, halting his and Nancy’s banter.
“Right, does anyone know where King Steve lives?” Eddie asked. He looked in the rear-view mirror back at Barb, who shrugged her shoulders in response.
Nancy sighed from beside him, “I do.”
“Alright! Navigator Nancy, where the fuck am I going?” He pushed down the weird jealousy that spiked in his blood, the green monster twiddled it’s long fingers against his heart.
“Head to the creepy abandoned mansion in— “
He cut Nancy off, “Fucking, Loch Nora, of course.”
X
The streets of Hawkins were all but deserted, it being a Tuesday and all. Banshee’s headlights illuminated street signs as he followed Nancy’s directions, which were extremely direct.
“No! A right here, the driveways a bit hidden,” Nancy cried. Eddie jumped at the sudden change in tone, but squealed onto the sloped pavement. Gigantic trees loomed above them menacingly, lit up by those lights rich people used to display things.
“Why is it painted that colour, it’s so fucking ugly,” Eddie spat, gut twisting as he stared at the three story manor that was the Harrington home.
“What’s with the ‘f’ bombs tonight? It’s really not appealing,” Nancy frowned at him, her eyes searched his face but he looked away, not wanting to give her an answer.
“Whatever, let’s get this over with,” Eddie mumbled, arms crossing tightly over his chest. The leather rubbed against his arm hair uncomfortably.
Once the three of them were out of Banshee, they piled onto Steve’s tiny front stoop. Eddie rang the doorbell, distant footsteps approached slowly from inside, he tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for Steve to open the door. After what felt like a million years, the jock swung the heavy wooden door open. Instantly Steve leaned against the frame, one of his hips jutting out and his hair swooped back save for one curl over his forehead—Eddie immediately wanted him to shut the door again. Shit. Fuck. What was happening?
Eddie felt his heart pounding in his chest as his gaze stuck to Steve’s face. He watched Steve’s eyes squint disgruntled at him before moving to the girls, those pretty pink lips quirked up into a charming grin and he talked in suave tongues. Annoyed at himself for still being frozen in thought. There was something different about Steve’s appearance, and it was melting away any delusional walls he’d struggled to build for years.
He was hit with the undeniable raw attraction he was having for the guy currently chatting up his girlfriend, and he wasn’t able to push it down like he usually could.
“Alright, are we doing this transaction or what, Harrington?” Eddie interrupted. Steve blinked at him in surprise, slowly letting a threatening smile take over his lips.
“Seems like daddy didn’t teach you any manners, Munson, but yes, please all of you, come in!” Steve’s voice dripped with putrid falsity and it made Eddie shiver in discomfort.
He shuffled next to Nancy, both trying to step through the entryway at the same time. Steve eyed them weirdly, then he chuckled at the sight. Eddie’s blood boiled, lust and anger churning grossly in his stomach.
“Maybe, uh, one at a time?” He said, reaching a hand up to deftly scratch at the back of his full head of hair.
“Shut up, Harrington” Eddie mumbled, no real animosity in his words which he cursed. He wanted Steve to feel off put in his own home, but the guy wasn’t so much as tickled by his empty statement.
The inside of Steve’s house was very—bland. There weren’t many pictures on the wall, and the ones that were up didn’t hold any familial joy, Eddie thought. Not that he had a brilliant concept of what that was like. But even uncle Wayne has a picture of the two of them on a fishing trip, Eddie didn’t like the photo much because it was from the first summer he spent with Wayne. Shaved head and chipped front tooth, he got that from getting smacked by the cop car door when he tried to rush at it when the officers took his dad away. No, these pictures differed greatly from that one. Steve looked miserable in every single one, his parents looked vain and unemotional.
“What is this?” Eddie scoffed at an annoyingly familiar song from the radio. There was a stereo placed outside, that was softly playing music beside the pool.
“Do freaks not listen to music?” Steve stage whispered to Nancy. She shot the jock a hardened glare, arms crossed over her chest and knuckles white.
“Okay, I’m going to cut that short, lets get this over with,” Eddie stamped his foot on the hardwood floor. Steve smirked at him but led the way outside, Tommy and Carol were sitting in the same chair as each other, their faces glued together in a wet kiss. Gross.
“Well, I’d offer you guys a beer but uh, I only have enough for two of you to partake,” Steve chimed in, grabbing one of the aforementioned drinks from an overflowing cooler.
Eddie huffed out a laugh, “Seems like—you only WANT the girls to drink. Which is, in my opinion, gross.”
Steve shrugged his shoulders, cracking the cap off and letting the beer foam over top of the lip. Eddie cursed his body when he felt that persistent flutter, eyes trained on Steve’s neck as the guy swallowed down the beer languidly.
“Can you guys stop flirting and get on with it,” Tommy called from under Carol. Eddie blushed, floundering at the accusation that he and Steve were flirting.
“Yeah, alright,” Steve pulled a crisp twenty from his khakis and handed it to Eddie. He looked down at the small amount of cash and laughed. Steve raised one of his eyebrows, Eddie returned the expression.
“You expect me to; one, do a house call—two, only receive twenty dollars?” Eddie laughed. This was ridiculous, were these guys fucking idiots? Wait, he knew the answer to that. Yes, yes, they were.
“What the hell, that’s plenty, asshole,” Steve argued. Eddie wasn’t budging, no way.
“No way, I’ll accept forty or I’m out,” Eddie chewed, squaring his shoulders so he could loom over Steve.
Scoffing, Steve stood and straightened his posture, the slight roll of his shoulders making him just a bit taller than Eddie, enough to make him shiver in a questionable way. Eddie was still able to make good eye contact with the jock, which was all that mattered to him. If he could hold his own here, then nothing could slip through. He hoped.
“I’ll settle for twenty-five.”
“Forty.”
“Dude, that’s not how your barter, what a fucking joke,” Steve twirled around. He smacked the beer bottle, and it went shattering over the cement patio, “Shit.”
“Look, can I level with you? If I didn’t have to come here. I’d give it up for twenty-five, but you assholes made me, and these two lovely ladies—who have to study—All the way to fucking Loch Nora. So it will be forty, or we’re leaving,” Eddie said, watching Steve scramble to clean up the broken glass.
Before Eddie could react or hear Nancy’s warning call, he was shoved forward onto Steve. A high-pitched yelp fell from his mouth as he toppled over the jock’s back.
“Just fucking take the twenty or don’t, I’ll be taking the weed either way, freak,” Tommy jeered, wrapping his hand in a tight fist, trying to pry Eddie’s jacket off his back. He struggled against the assaulting hand, the strain on his jacket making him grimace. Thinking about the harsh way the leather was being handled.
“Get off me, prick,” Eddie yelled. Steve somehow was still holding strong as Tommy pushed Eddie further down.
“Give up the weed, Munson,” Tommy snarled, that baby face once again a hairbreadth away from his own. The smell of beer and other liquor licked at his nostrils.
“Tommy, what the fu-“ Steve was cut off abruptly when Eddie tried to push himself up a bit.
“Fuck. You.”
“Let him go, Tommy!” Nancy yelled. She was in a standoff with Carol, the chestnut-haired girl tapping her foot impatiently as she waited for Tommy to perform the last blow.
Eddie used the distraction caused by Nancy as a way out, and it backfired epically. He pushed back against Tommy, the freckled teen pushing him harder, causing Steve to buckle. There was a wail from the royal beneath him, and flailing shoulders.
“Tommy, the fucking—TOMMY GET HIM OFF ME.” Steve cried, he sounded in pain. Oh shit, the glass. Eddie tried to hold himself up as much, trying to take pressure off Steve as much as he could.
“The glass, Tommy, you asshole,” Eddie spat out, freeing his hands from where they had been trapped in between him and Steve.
“Oh… Shit.” Tommy reluctantly let go, his eyes wide in fear when Eddie jumped off Steve, then urgently helping the jock up.
Steve may be a grade A douchebag, but being trapped on top of a bunch of broken glass was something no one should be subjected to. Blood flowed from Eddie’s own hands from where he’d put them down on either side of Steve, trying to relieve any pressure for the guy.
“Fucking hell, Tommy!” Steve’s face was contorted into one of pain and anger. Eddie shrunk back to Nancy and Barb. Afraid of the altercation that was about to happen, he shuffled the girls into the house, trying to get them back out to the van.
“That was intense,” Nancy whispered once the sliding glass door was shut. Eddie nodded, ignoring the dull ache thrumming from the cuts in his hands.
“Come on, let’s go,” Eddie pressed, his hand landing on Barb and Nancy’s backs to lead them out to Banshee.
“I think I’m just going to go home, it’s not too far from here,” Barb whispered. Eddie could see how fast her breathing was, she looked as white as a ghost.
“Barb, you sure? Eddie can definitely drive you,” Nancy expressed. The ginger shook her head no. She smiled tightly at the two of them and then shuffled out the door and into the dark night.
Eddie frowned as he watched her go. He should fight more to drive her home, but all his mind was whirling around and making him feel nauseous. A dull throb running through both of his slashed palms. There was yelling from the two teenagers still out on the pool deck, it got louder as someone rolled open the sliding door. There was a crash when that person slammed it shut, causing him and Nancy to jump.
“Hold on, I’ll be right back,” Eddie whispered. Nancy grabbed onto his hand, he watched her eyes widen when she felt the rapidly drying liquid.
“I’ve got first aid in my car, hold on,” Eddie reassured before turning around and trying to find the owner of the house. He jogged around the corner and all but bumped into Steve, the jock was holding his shirt around his fists. Eddie felt winded at the sight of the man in front of him.
“Get the fuck out of my house, Munson,” Steve gritted, anger and disgust painted on his expression. Eddie rolled his eyes at the threat, rummaging around his jacket pocket and pulling out one of the nice joints he’d rolled for himself.
“Here. I’ll take the twenty, I’m sorry about your hands, and your shit friend,” Eddie said, he didn’t know why he was apologizing for those things or even giving the guy a joint, but it felt right. Steve’s eyes were glued to Eddie’s gifting palm, then back to his face.
“I— “Steve lifted his hands helplessly. Right, Eddie realized that there wasn’t a feasible way for him to retrieve the money.
“Shit. Right, never mind the money. Here,” Eddie carefully tucked the joint behind Steve’s ear. Steve’s light brown eyes bore into the side of his face while he patted the joint gently, grinning at Steve. When their eyes met, his smile faltered, and he held his breath.
The way Steve was staring at Eddie made the creature inside of him grow evermore. Churning away in the depths of his gut, rock climbing it’s way up to his heart. Which was pounding in his ears.
“Thanks,” Steve whispered, the beer stained breath whispering over Eddie’s face. This time it wasn’t unpleasant like the way Tommy’s was.
“Yeah,” Eddie breathed, his own dark eyes slipping from Steve’s gaze and landing on the jock’s lips. The pink colour was dull, fading drastically because of the blood seeping into Steve’s soiled shirt.
“Ehem, yeah,” Eddie cleared his throat and shifted his gaze away from the encapsulating man that was in front of him, “anyways, getting the fuck out of your house. And hey, don’t say I never did anything for ya!”
With that said and his heartbeats stuttering in his chest, he turned and all but ran from Steve’s home. When Nancy came back into view, he took her bloodied hand and tugged her outside.
The car ride back to Nancy’s was silent, he could feel her thinking and yearning to ask him what happened. But she remained quiet next to him. Which he appreciated.
“I’m sorry about tonight,” Eddie whispered once he stopped in front of her driveway.
Nancy’s smile was tight, she didn’t seem angry, just confused and a little out of it.
“I’m glad I came with you,” She whispered into the dark space between them.
Eddie let out a breathy laugh. “Yeah, me too.”
He leaned into the blackened space of tension that sat in the middle and pressed his lips to hers. She inhaled shakily, but kissed him back. He moved to deepen the kiss; he imagined threading his hair through the short hazelnut strands of a certain preppy jock. The feeling in his gut was no longer the sticky consistency of tar, but a blazing orange, passionate and uncontrollable.
X
That night, Eddie tossed and turned in his bed, the fitted sheet popping up on one side. Uncle Wayne wasn’t home when he arrived so he was forced to shoddily bandage his own hands, the lacerations turning out longer than the Band Aids he kept in his kit.
That wasn’t why he was having trouble getting to sleep, no, that was all Steve Harrington. The conflicting feelings smacked the sides of his brain, yelling all the answers he needed. But the inside voice was muffled and lost to him.
“Fuck,” Eddie finally rolled onto his back. His grey tank top had darker shades in areas where he’d sweat through.
Giving in to the want of sleep, he grabbed one of the joints he had failed to sell that night. One hand gripping the sill of his window, heaving it up and open. He stuck his head and ignited the contraband, inhaling deep and holding it. He could feel his lungs expanding, then contracting as they tried to cough up the smoke.
Eddie wiped the tears that burned in the corner of his eyes, coming from the pain in his lungs. He exhaled as much smoke as possible and as slowly as he could, trying not to hack up a lung as he did so. He missed a step in taking the first puff, which was always his downfall. The trailer park was still and silent, the cold air making the cloud of smoke even larger.
Eddie hummed contentedly when he took a few more puffs from the joint. He stubbed it out, then left it in the ashtray next to his bed. Leaving the window open to air out the smell of his room, he let the cooling breeze ground him, finally being lulled to sleep.
His dreams flashed with images of Barb anxiously wringing out her hands. Steve Harrington’s helpless face in the hallway. Nancy’s undeserved love for him. And his own demons taunting and chasing him through the streets of Loch Nora, they took the form of an elongated man that screeched in the night.
X
“Eddie! Phones for you!” Wayne knocked gently on his door. His eyes fluttered open, his nightmares and dreams quickly fading away. He sat up on his elbows, rubbing the sleep from the corners of his eyes.
“What time is it?” Eddie asked, the sky outside still dark enough to be night. Or, no, there was a slight dark blue tinge.
“I just got home, it’s about 7:30,” Wayne uttered quietly. Eddie nodded, then pushed the duvet off his legs. The cold air from his open window immediately sent goosebumps down his whole body.
“Close that window up, Eds, you’re going to get a cold,” Wayne scolded as he jumped into the heated rest of the trailer.
“Yeah, sorry, rough night,” Eddie mumbled. He took the phone from his uncle’s worn hand. The older man raised his brow at the bandages and mouthed ‘later’ at him. Eddie rolled his eyes and waved him away.
“Munson Mansion, how may I help you,” His voice was still thick with sleep and dried phlegm. He smacked his lips together and coughed, trying to purge the dryness of his mouth.
“Hey! It’s Nancy, I have a huge favour to ask of you,”
“Okay, what’s in it for me,” Eddie chuckled low and what he hoped was sultry, wrapping the cord around his index finger.
“Well, ever since Will went missing, Mike’s friends’ parents don’t want them biking to and from school, can you drive some of them today? My mums off at a Pilates class that started really early.”
Eddie’s heart clenched at the reminder of the missing young boy, “Yeah, of course. No worries, Nance.”
“Oh my gosh, you’re the best! See you soon, I love you!”
The phone line went dead, and so did Eddie’s heart. He was so screwed.