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hbyrde36 · 8 months

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No Vacancy

When Eddie Munson arrives at the Buckingham Beach Motel to spend the summer with his BFF Chrissy and her business partner Robin, the last person he expects to see waiting in the lobby is former king of Hawkins High and asshole extraordinaire, Steve fucking Harrington.

ao3

CW: Smut! light now, more in later chapters

Chapter 1: Checking In

Eddie grinned as he pulled his trusty van, the very same rust-bucket he’d been driving since high school that he liked to refer to as Van Halen, if only to elicit the groans of both friends and strangers, into the small parking lot beside the Buckingham beach motel. He hadn’t been on vacation for, well, okay, he’d never been on a true vacation before, and sure, he was going to be working a part time job while he was visiting his best friend in this seaside paradise, but it was still the closest thing to a holiday he’d ever had. Needless to say, he was hell bent on thoroughly enjoying himself. Sun, sand, and shirtless men in speedos? Sign him up!

He hopped out of the car, relieved to finally stretch his legs after the long drive, and threw open the back doors. He stared down at the collection of boxes, duffel bags, and one large black trunk, that made up the entirety of his worldly possessions, and sighed.

The day after he finally graduated from Hawkins High, back in 1986, Eddie had cut and run and never looked back. He’d been living as a sort of nomad ever since, never feeling comfortable enough to stay in one town or city for too long. He was usually able to find work as a bartender or bouncer to fund his stay at whatever hostel or efficiency he could find, and when all else failed he slept in his van. It wasn’t all bad, he’d seen a lot of cool places and met a lot of interesting people, but lately he’d been missing the stability of a home, of putting down roots. He craved the support and community that could be found with friendships that lasted longer than a few months. He still visited Hawkins on occasion, a necessary evil to be endured only so he could spend time with his beloved uncle, but that place would never be home for him again.

He grabbed the two largest bags that held the majority of his clothes, and the backpack that held the rest of his essentials and headed towards the lobby. He could come back out for the rest later.

The first thing Eddie noticed when he walked in the door was the spectacular pair of legs and delicious ass in too-short shorts that belonged to a man who was leaning over the counter talking to Robin. Unfortunately, the second thing he noticed was that same man’s oddly familiar swoop of chestnut brown hair. Eddie’s stomach dropped. What in the world was Steve fucking Harrington doing here?

“You made it!” Chrissy squealed as she came barreling out of the office door, having spotted him through the window.

Eddie knew what was coming, but he was a little slow on the uptake in his current shocked state, and only just managed to drop his bags in time to catch the former cheerleader as she launched herself at him, wrapping her legs around his waist. He held her tight, letting go of all thoughts about former jocks and high school rivalries for a moment, and just enjoyed the fact that he was here with his best girl, finally seeing her in person after six long months apart. He inhaled deeply, appreciating the familiar scent of Ex'cla-ma'tion. He used to hate her perfume, but it’s amazing what you start to miss when you're separated from your loved ones for so long.

“Missed you.” Eddie whispered into her hair before finally letting her down.

She giggled as he swung her to the floor, and then proceeded to punch him in the arm as hard as she could, which was pretty fucking hard for such a tiny little thing.

“Hey! What was that for?” Eddie sputtered.

“For waiting so long to come visit this time! I missed you too, jerk.”

He rubbed at the spot where she’d hit him. It didn’t actually hurt all that much, but he liked to play along. “Jeez, Chris. Funny way of showing it.”

“You love it.”

“Keep it in your pants, lady, you’re not my type.” Eddie teased.

“Freak!”

“Priss!”

The two of them dissolved into hysterics, falling into another hug just to keep eachother upright.

When they both finally calmed down enough to behave normally again, Chrissy’s expression turned serious. She spoke low. “So, as I'm sure you noticed, we have another hometown guest joining us.”

“Yeah, what's he doing here anyway?��

“He’s visiting Robin for the summer.” Chrissy said it as if it should have been obvious.

It wasn’t.

“...Why?”

Chrissy rolled her eyes. “He’s her best friend! I’ve told you this a million times, how do you always forget?”

She was right, he did always forget that when Robin talked about her friend Steve, that it was Harrington she was talking about. It was such an odd pairing that Eddie just sort of blocked it out. He couldn’t reconcile the Steve from Robin’s stories with the guy he remembered from Hawkins.

“Right, fine, sorry. What about him?”

“Well, you know this is our first season, and the booking system is so new and confusing. We… might have accidentally overbooked, but it's okay! Because the three of us were talking about it, and since the one room we do have left is a double queen we thought.. ”

Eddie interrupted, grabbing her by the hand and tugging her roughly across the lobby as far from the other two people as he could.

“Are you crazy? You want me to be roommates with King Steve?!” Eddie hissed. “Have you completely forgotten what a giant asshole the guy is?!”

“We’re not in high school anymore, Eds. He’s always been nice to me, and if what Robin tells me is true, then Steve isn’t like that anymore. Maybe he never was.”

Eddie's jaw tightened. “Right.”

“Look at me! I changed, and we became friends. Why couldn’t Steve be a good guy underneath it all too?”

“That’s different, you were always a good person, you just ran with a bad crowd for a while, not to mention the boyfriend we do not speak of.”

“Exactly! So isn't it possible Steve is the same?”

“No!”

“I’m serious! Think about it, do you remember him ever doing or saying anything shitty to you directly? Or was he just there in the background while his friends did?”

Eddie crossed his arms over his chest. “Assholery by proxy is still assholery.”

“I don’t think that’s a word.”

“Come on Chris!” Eddie whined. Had they been alone he might have even stomped his feet. “Don’t make me do this. Can’t I share with you?”

“You know I live with Robin.”

“Okay, and? It’s only for the Summer. She can stay with Steve, since they are apparently best friends, and I can stay with you! It’s a perfect solution.”

Chrissy shook her head. “Our room is a single and I love the shit out of you, but I draw the line at sharing a bed.”

Eddie’s eyebrows shot up. “Wait, does that mean you finally got your act together and told her how you feel?”

Chrissy turned bright red and threw her hand over his mouth. “Oh my god. SHUT. UP. Of course I haven't told her!!” She whisper-shouted.

Eddie scrunched his face and tried to talk, but Chrissy refused to move her hand. So, naturally, he licked it.

“Gross!” Chrissy yanked her hand back with a look of disgust.

“Jeez, I know it’s not the tongue you were hoping for, but it wasn’t that bad!” Eddie said, cackling.

Chrissy whirled around, probably worried that Robin had overheard them, but Eddie was a good friend. As much as he liked to mess with her, he’d been keeping a close eye on the other side of the room, and Steve and Robin were too engrossed in their own whisper-shouting match to pay them any attention.

Eddie leaned forward, speaking close to her ear. “Are you telling me that you and Robin run this place together all day, and share a bed every night, and you still don’t think she likes you back?”

“It’s not like that!” Chrissy insisted. “We make more money from the doubles. Financially it made more sense for us to live in one of the singles. We’re just…two really good friends having a never ending sleepover.”

Eddie wasn’t convinced and honestly it didn’t sound like she was either, but he’d drop it for now. “Whatever you say.”

“So, what do you think about sharing with Steve?”

Eddie groaned. “I can’t believe you’re doing this to me.”

“C’mon, it’ll be fun! I’m sure you two will get along fine. Who knows, maybe you’ll discover you have some things in common.” She sounded so optimistic, it was her one flaw.

Eddie rolled his eyes. “Yes, I'm sure we’ll come out of this as the best of friends.”

“That’s the spirit!” Chrissy cheered.

“I was being sarcastic!!” Eddie hissed.

Apparently Steve had also agreed to this outrageous living arrangement, reluctantly Eddie guessed, though he did an excellent job at hiding how unhappy he must be about it. The guy was all smiles. It made Eddie want to punch him in the face.

Eddie, on the other hand, would not be making any effort to hide his true feelings. Partly because he didn’t care, but mostly because he’d never been any good at it. For better or worse Eddie lived his life as something of an open book. From the time he was a small child he was told by friends, family, and teachers that they could practically read every thought as it crossed his face.

Chrissy had to leave for a meeting with the bank, nothing bad she assured him, they were just looking into an additional small loan to make more improvements on the place, but that left Robin to show him and Steve to their room.

Eddie liked Robin well enough, but he’d only ever hung out with her and Chrissy. He worried that she might act differently or something with Steve around. It became clear, however, when he heard her call the guy dingus for the 3rd time during their 5 minute journey, that his worry was unfounded. Robin was Robin, and she changed for no one. He appreciated that, and kept his guard up, ready to defend her if need be. He expected Steve to finally have enough and lash out, to be the mean girl he remembered from years ago, but it never happened.

Man, this guy was good.

The Buckingham was the kind of motel where all the doors opened to the outside. Some towards the front street, giving a beautiful view of the ocean, others opened up to the pool area in the backyard. Eddie wasn’t sure if it was a perk of being friends with the owner, or a consolation for the mix up, but he and Steve were given a room on the second floor, ocean side. There was even a cute little wooden bench next to their door, "In case you two ever want to sit out and watch the sunrise,” or so said Robin.

Eddie hadn’t woken before 10am voluntarily since he graduated and he didn’t think the lure of a few pretty colors in the sky was going to end that streak, but he politely kept that thought to himself.

“That’s a nice thought, Robs, though I think I'll get to see plenty of sunrises at work too” Steve chuckled.

Robin shuddered. “You’re a better man than me.” She said.

“What does that mean?” Eddie asked, unable to quell his curiosity.

“I’m working as a lifeguard on the beach, so I'll be up at the crack of dawn nearly every day anyway.”

Eddie grimaced. Jesus Christ, a prick and an early riser. Lovely.

“Don’t worry.” Steve added quickly. “I'll be careful not to wake you up. I know how to be stealthy, like a ninja.”

It was the dorkiest way he could have said it, and Eddie almost cracked a smile, but he held firm in his grumpiness by the skin of his teeth. “You’d better.”

Steve performed a little cross-your-heart gesture. “Seriously, my roommate in college was a really light sleeper, so I have a lot of practice being quiet.”

Eddie’s lip nearly betrayed him, twitching upwards like a traitor. Luckily, Robin drew Steve’s attention away, allowing him a moment to regain control.

“Oh, I’ll just bet you do.” Robin teased.

Steve’s cheeks flushed, but he ignored her and turned back to Eddie. “What about you? Are you getting a job, or just hanging out?”

“Hate to break it to you, Harrington, but I got a part time gig bartending at a place a few blocks over. The guy even said he’d let me play sometimes when the regular live acts are on break. Looks like we’ll be living on opposite schedules. We may never see each other awake.” The last part was said almost gleefully.

Steve’s smile wavered for a second, but quickly returned to its full power. “Well, lucky for you I’m a very heavy sleeper, so you don't have to worry about waking me up when you come home. Even if you did, I usually have no trouble going back to sleep, so it’s not a big deal.”

Eddie grit his teeth. He was annoyed. What did he have to do to get a rise out of this guy, huh? To get a peek behind the mask? And who did he think he was, saying ‘lucky for you’? The only person it was lucky for was Steve, because he would be damned if he’d be tip-toeing around his own place.

Robin handed them each a key to the room and left them to it, once she confirmed that both keys worked and that they didn’t have any questions.

The room was small.

Two queen beds made up the majority of the space, with a single nightstand wedged between them. A T.V. sat on top of a small dresser with six drawers. There was a tiny closet, and an efficiency kitchen consisting of a small sink, mini-fridge, microwave, two burner cooktop, and a little table with two chairs.

Eddie dropped his bags in the middle of the floor. As much as he would have liked to just keep ignoring Steve, the space was tight enough that they would have to dance around each other the whole time they were unpacking. They also needed to figure out how they were going to split everything.

“Alright, how do you want to do this?”

The only thing Steve expressed a preference for was taking the bed closest to the door, which sounded like some alpha male bullshit to Eddie, honestly. As if Steve needed to be the first line of defense if someone were to break in while they were sleeping. The idea was ridiculous and definitely not at all sexy.

Eddie wanted the bed by the window anyway, so it was fine.

Once that was negotiated, they began to put their things away. It was all too easy, Steve kept deferring to him, even offering to give up one of his drawers when he realized how much stuff Eddie had. It was infuriating, borderline suspicious. What did he expect to get out of all this politeness and generosity? There was no one here to impress!

Eddie curtly refused the offer, which Steve only shrugged at, saying there would be plenty of extra closet space anyway, as he only had a few dress shirts to hang up. Eddie gave up then, leaving about half of his band tees in one of the bags and kicked it under the bed before throwing himself on top of it. He watched through barely open eyelids as Steve pulled his extensive collection of very tiny swim trunks out of his bag, and contemplated the injustices of the world.

He laid there quietly brooding as Steve found a home for every single item he’d managed to squeeze into the small suitcase. It was frankly impressive, not that Eddie would ever tell him that.

Finally, Steve picked up a rather large toiletry bag and wandered away. Eddie followed. This was something he had to see, the guy hadn’t been called ‘The Hair’ for nothing.

He stood in the doorway and watched through the mirror as Steve hummed softly to himself, arranging his plethora of hair and skin care products in their small bathroom, being ever so careful to only take up half of the counter space.

For some reason, that was the final straw.

“What’s your deal?” Eddie snapped. It was more of an accusation than a question, and he prayed Steve would rise to the bait.

Of course he didn’t, remaining frustratingly calm and collected as he asked in return, “What do you mean?”

Eddie growled. “I just don’t appreciate the nice act, okay, King Steve? I’d rather you be real, and be a dick, than this fake polite bullshit.”

For half a second Steve looked almost sad, like Eddie had hurt his feelings, but it was gone so quickly that he assumed he imagined it.

Steve smiled and shook his head, finally looking up to make eye contact with Eddie’s reflection. “I don’t know what to tell you, man. What you see is pretty much what you get. King Steve? Now that shit was an act.”

Fine, if Steve wanted to pretend he was a good guy now, Eddie would just have to see how far he could push him. Sure his BFF was an out and proud lesbian, but how would he react knowing that the guy he was going to share a room with for the next 12 weeks was gay?

“Y’know, we should probably work out a system for when we want to bring dates home. I remember your reputation for getting around with the ladies, and I know I'm hoping to bring more than a few guys back for a nightcap after the bar closes, if you catch my drift. So, what do you think?” Eddie had started out his little speech feeling brave and a bit cocky, but by the end of it there was sweat pooling on his upper lip, and he was thinking maybe this wasn’t the best way to come out to a former jock who could probably snap him in two with half a thought.

It elicited exactly zero reaction. Steve didn’t miss a beat, didn’t even bat an eye before he asked, “What, like, putting a tie on the door or something?”

Eddie wanted to scream.

“I’m sure we can do better than that.” He huffed, looking erratically around the rest of their room until he spotted the set of hang tags sitting on the table in the kitchen area.

Eddie beamed.Most hotels just had the standard ‘please service’ or ‘do not disturb’ messages on their tags, but of course the girls would try and get creative with it.

“Here, these’ll work.” Eddie said, barely managing to hold back a laugh as he held the first one up for Harrington to look at.

Steve read aloud. “Out to sea. Cute.”

“Right, so we can use this one when the coast is clear, and this one when one of us has a guest.” Eddie’s eyes sparkled as he raised the other sign.

“My boat is docked. Do not disturb.” Steve said, cheeks turning pink as he read.

“See?! It’s perfect.” Eddie beamed.

As it turned out, Eddie was right. He and Steve had been cohabitating for 4 days already and he hadn’t seen the guy awake since they went to bed that first night after a meal of chinese takeout and a bad movie.

Steve was already asleep when Eddie got back from the bar at 2am each night, and he was long gone by the time Eddie rolled out of bed in the morning. Though, in his continued campaign to act like a good person, Steve had made a habit of leaving half a pot of coffee on the warmer for him. Eddie thought about dumping it out of spite, but it was…nice.

It brought back memories of Wayne doing the same, leaving coffee and often food out on the kitchen table for him to easily grab on his way out the door, because his uncle knew he wouldn’t have anything otherwise. It was comforting, and though he knew Steve didn’t really mean it that way, it made Eddie feel taken care of. He’d take that feeling where he could get it for now, even if it came from someone he couldn’t stand.

Work was busy that night. It was his first Saturday night behind the bar, and the place was absolutely heaving with sweaty bodies grinding themselves together to the tune of whatever shitty top 40’s cover the band played. Anytime he had a moment to breathe he found himself scanning the crowd. Chrissy had assured him that their part of town was queer friendly, though there was no actual gay bar to speak of, but he had yet to notice a single guy that set his radar off, until now.

He was tall, blonde, insanely tanned, and sure, Eddie usually preferred brunettes, but when the pickings were slim, beggars couldn’t be choosers. He was cute enough, and he was looking at Eddie like he wanted to eat him alive.

Perfect.

Eddie knew he looked good. He’d put a little more thought into getting ready than he had on previous days, knowing that the weekend crowd would give him a better chance. His black jeans were skin tight, and the boss had let him cut his white uniform t-shirt into a crop top, showing off a strip of pale skin and trim waist anytime he raised his arms. To top it all off, he’d worn his hair up today with just a few tendrils falling around his face. Honestly, that had been mostly to ward off the heat, but he also knew it was one of his best looks. He met the nameless man’s gaze from across the room and held it firm as he dried a pint glass, raising his eyebrow in question.

The man smiled glancing at his friends, who were far too busy chatting up a group of barely legal young girls to pay him any mind, before sauntering up to lean across the bar.

“What time do you get off, gorgeous?”

Eddie smirked. “Meet me by the side door in an hour.”

The streets were quiet as Eddie and his new friend walked the few blocks from the bar to the motel. A fact they took full advantage of, stopping to shove their tongues down each other's throats at regular intervals along the way.

So caught up in finally getting a little action, it wasn’t until Eddie was leading the way up the stairs to their floor that he remembered Steve. It was late, guaranteeing that he would already be in bed fast asleep. Somehow, Eddie hadn’t considered this little problem when they’d worked out the whole do-not-disturb sign system. Oh well, he’d just have to wake Steve up and tell him to get out for a while.

He told his date to wait outside while he got rid of his roommate and slipped inside the dark room. He looked down at Steve’s sleeping form and almost changed his mind. It didn’t feel right to kick him out of his own bed just so he could get off, but then Eddie remembered the way Tommy Hagan, Steve’s second in command, used to spit the word queer in his face as he shoved him into the lockers, and he found all the motivation he needed.

“Hey, Harrington?” Eddie murmured as he shook Steve's shoulder.

Steve stirred, waking slowly and frowning up at Eddie with heavy eyelids.

“Are you okay? What’s wrong?” His voice was thick with sleep but also with worry.

Eddie’s breath caught in his throat. Oh.

He hesitated to answer for a moment, but quickly shook himself out of it.

Don’t start feeling bad about this now, Munson, get your shit together.

“Nothing, I, um, just need the room for a bit?”

Real smooth.

Steve frowned harder. “What? I don’t…”

Eddie saw the moment it clicked.

“Oh. Ok, I'll just take a blanket down to one of the pool loungers.”

“Great. I’ll let you know when.. he’s gone.” Eddie said, opening the door and moving aside to let Steve pass.

He had expected to feel a sense of satisfaction for managing a hook up before Steve did, but as Eddie watched him shuffle off wrapped up in a blanket after giving the blonde an awkward nod, he just kinda felt like a jerk.

Bar guy hurried inside and shut the door behind him, kissing Eddie hard and crowding him into the wall before dropping to his knees right there. He made quick work of the fly on Eddie’s jeans and had them pulled down around his thighs in a matter of seconds. Eddie moaned as his length was engulfed by the warm wetness of an eager mouth, and all thoughts of feeling bad about Steve drifted away under the attention of a stranger's talented tongue. Eddie came quickly and eagerly returned the favor. After a quick cleanup and no cuddling, blondie was gone, and Eddie went down to the pool to wake Steve.

Chapter 2

Tagging a few folks who I think were interested, just let me know if you want to be removed. If you'd like to be added to the tag list, i'd be more than happy to do so!

@penny00dreadful @every-aj-needs-an-angel @manda-panda-monium @hellion-child @dreamwatch @brbsoulnomming

#steddie fanfic #no upside down au #steddie #buckingham #steve harrington #eddie munson #robin buckley #chrissy cunningham #stranger things #no vacancy #it was the 90s #double idiots to lovers #platonic hellcheer #platonic stobin

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hbyrde36 · 2 months

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No Vacancy

Chapter 9: Weekend Retreat

Ch 1 Ch 2 Ch 3 Ch 4 Ch 5 Ch 6 Ch 7 CH 8

WC: 4924 | AO3 link

“Fuck!”

Eddie shouted long and loud, the sound echoing inside the hollow interior of his van as he pounded the heel of his hand against the steering wheel over and over again. The lines on the road in front of him blurred as he flew down the highway with tears swimming in his eyes.

The thing was, he had known from the second he walked away from Steve that he was making a mistake. The entire time, as he stomped his way up to their room, packed an overnight bag, and went back down to take off, he knew he was doing the wrong thing—but he couldn’t seem to stop.

He was running away like he always did. At the first sign of trouble he’d jumped to the worst possible conclusion and used it as an excuse to bolt.

Not that he didn’t have a reason to be upset. They had lied to him, all of them.

Even Steve.

His Steve, who knew how Eddie felt about that kind of thing, who knew how hard it was for him to trust, had lied.

And sure, he’d had a flimsy justification locked and loaded for why he’d done it, if his story of only just finding out about the room situation were to be believed.

Eddie was hurt. He felt betrayed, and honestly? He was angry.

Never in his life had he been as happy as he was these last few weeks. He was staying in a beautiful place where he was able to see his best friend as often as he wanted, had a job he enjoyed with a boss he actually liked, and after a lifetime of keeping his heart on ice he’d finally found someone worth thawing it out for, or so he’d thought.

Maybe he should have seen this coming, things had been going far too well, in his admittedly cynical opinion, but it had been easy to push those feelings aside and just enjoy being with Steve.

It wasn’t just the steady diet of sex that had lulled him into a false sense of security either, though their chemistry was undeniable—their insatiable desire for each other unlike anything he’d ever felt before. It was all the rest of it too that had infected him with so much hope.

Steve actually cared about him, as a person. He listened, no matter what crazy shit came out of Eddie’s mouth. Even the hard things, the stuff Eddie never thought he’d share with another human being, apart from Chrissy or his Uncle, he had told it all to Steve. He gave himself freely, openly, and Steve had held him, validated him—was never impatient or unkind. And Steve had, or so it seemed at the time, shared himself freely with Eddie too.

But it was all ruined now.

If not by Steve’s betrayal, then surely Eddie’s running away had finished the job. By taking off, hadn’t he simply proved Steve’s point?

He drove straight through the night, only stopping to pee or to get a coffee whenever his eyelids started to droop, and managed to make the 9 hour drive to Hawkins in just over 8, pulling up to the trailer right as Wayne was getting home from his shift.

Eddie shut the ignition off and stepped out of the van on shaky legs. After pulling his bag from the back, he staggered over to meet his uncle as the man was getting out of his own truck.

“Hey, Pops.”

“You drive all night?” Wayne asked, frowning as he studied Eddie’s face.

It wasn’t the first time, or even the fifth, that he’d shown up on his uncle’s doorstep unannounced since officially moving out years ago, and Wayne didn’t look all that surprised to see him.

“Yeah.” Eddie admitted.

The older man grunted, a disapproving sound Eddie was all too familiar with, though he knew it was only because his uncle was worried. “You better come on inside then. We’ll have some pancakes and you can tell me what you done now.”

Eddie sat at the small two seater kitchen table, the same one that had lived in the trailer's kitchen since he was a small boy, watching as Wayne gently stirred a hefty handful of chocolate chips into the bowl of prepared Bisquick mix and began cooking off pancakes one by one, while a pan of sausages sizzled on the other burner.

“You want coffee?”

“No, thanks. I think I've had enough. It’s not even perking me up anymore, it’s just making my skin vibrate.” Eddie said through a yawn, rubbing at his strained eyes.

Fatigue was finally catching up to him, maybe he was getting too old for all nighters. The exhaustion was seeping into his bones and he knew he’d have to lay down soon or his body would decide for him where a good place to take a nap would be.

Wayne was quiet as he finished cooking their meal, waiting until he’d plated it all up and sat down across from Eddie to finally ask the obvious question.

“So, what is it that’s made you drive all the way out here and leave Chrissy-girl and your beach paradise behind?”

“I’ve been… seeing someone.”

Wayne’s fork slipped from his grip and landed on his plate with a loud clatter, his mouth hanging open in utter shock for a moment before he snapped it shut. He looked down, clearing his throat as he casually picked the fork back up and cut into his stack of fluffy goodness as if it’d never happened.

“Oh?”

Eddie sighed, pushing his untouched plate away and resting his head on the old cracked formica. “I guess I should say was. I was seeing someone, but I'm pretty sure it’s over now.”

“How long was this going on?”

“Two weeks, give or take.”

Wayne let out a long whistle. “You must really like this boy.”

“Was that sarcasm?”

“Son, you’ve never even mentioned dating anyone before. So for you to go from that to a two week long relationship—and don’t think I didn’t notice how you haven't taken a single bite of those chocolate chip pancakes, you’re favorite. He must be something special to have you this torn up.”

“Yeah. At least I thought he was.”

“What happened?”

“I found out he lied to me about something, so I freaked out and left.”

Wayne was quiet for long enough that Eddie had to lift his head to make sure the old man was still there. He was leaned back in his chair sipping his tea, his plate of food now empty, watching Eddie with a thoughtful expression.

“What did he lie about?”

“Does it matter?!” Eddie snapped, pounding his fist down on the table. “How am I ever supposed to believe him again after that? How do I know everything else he’s ever told me hasn’t been a lie too?”

“That’s a child’s question, Eddie. Life’s a little more complicated than that. Things aren't always as black and white as we’d like them to be, and not every lie is meant to hurt you.”

Eddie shook his head. “This is exactly why I don’t date, you can’t trust anyone!”

Wayne hummed noncommittally. “I think maybe you’d better tell me the whole story.”

Barring the gory details, i.e. his sex life, Eddie told his uncle the whole saga—from showing up at the motel to find a blast-from-the-past waiting in the lobby, to becoming involuntary roommates with the guy, ultimately finding out it’d all been a ruse, and everything in between.

“So, you see? It was all just a setup. None of it was real.”

Wayne tilted his head, setting his empty mug down on the table. “S’a little dramatic, don't you think?”

“Aren’t you supposed to be on my side?”

“And he’s from here, y’say?”

Eddie waved him off. “Yeah, but that doesn’t–”

“You gonna make me drag it out of you? What’s his name?”

Eddie sighed. He was the injured party here, why was Wayne interrogating him.

“It’s Steve.”

“Wait, it’s not… the Harrington boy?”

Eddie felt his face flush and knew his cheeks had to be bright red.

Wayne cackled, laughing so hard there were tears streaming from the corners of his eyes by the time he was through. “Christ, you’ve been ass over tits for him since you were fifteen years old!”

“I have not!”

“You used to come home talking about him all the time!”

“I was complaining about him.” Eddie grumbled, slumping down in his seat and crossing his arms over his chest. “Because he was an asshole.”

“Someone takes up that much space in your head, s’not usually cause you don’t like them.”

Eddie rolled his eyes. “Can we get back on topic please?”

“Sure. So, clearly the setup worked.”

“That’s not… well, yes… but–” Eddie sputtered. “Everything was fine, great even. We were happy. I opened up—I was fucking vulnerable, and then it turned out he knew it’d been a scheme. We were watching the front office for Chrissy and Robin last night, and I found some stuff proving most of the rooms were empty. I confronted him about it and he said he’d only just figured it out himself but–”

“But you don’t believe him.”

“I- I don't know. I want to believe him.”

Deep down, and if Eddie was honest with himself and searched his heart, he knew Steve was telling the truth. All those times Eddie had kicked him out of his own bed for a hookup? If Steve had known there was another option, he might have taken it. And if he’d done that they might never have…

“So what was his crime?” Wayne asked. “He found out after the two of you had already gotten together—I gotta be honest it sounds like you put that boy through the fucking ringer to accomplish that miracle, and you were happy, as you said yourself–”

“He should have told me.” Eddie cut him off, so sure in his conviction that he was right on at least this one point. “And Chrissy–”

“Seems to me those girls did you both a favor.”

Eddie glared.

Wayne stood, still talking as he cleared the table and began to work on the sink full of dishes.

“It might not have been the right thing to do on paper, but their hearts were in the right place. Chrissy just wanted to see you happy, Ed, and she ain’t the only one. It’s kept me up at night, thinking about you out there in the world all by yourself. I don’t want to see you wasting your life wandering around and winding up alone because you're scared.”

Eddie got up automatically to stand by his side with a clean dish towel, drying and putting away each piece as it was cleaned.

“How do I know it’s not going to turn bad, like Mom and Dad?”

“I suppose you don’t, but sometimes you just gotta take a leap of faith—with both feet. Do you think Steve is anything like your dad?”

“No.” Eddie answered without hesitation. “He doesn’t have a mean bone in his body.”

Snarky? Yes. Bitchy? Occasionally, but never truly mean.

“Well, there you go.” Wayne said, as if it were that simple. He was quiet for a moment, rinsing the last pan before handing it off and shaking the excess water from his fingers. He turned, facing Eddie head-on as he leaned a hip against the counter.

“Look, it’s never a guarantee that you're gonna find someone in this life, and that’s okay too. Look at me, I've found my home and happiness in other ways, but you—you've kept yourself so closed off. It sounds like you have three people out there who really care about you, so what are you doing here?”

The more they talked the less sure Eddie was about the answer to that question.

“There’s something else too.” He found himself saying, because it wasn't only Steve who had hurt him. “Chrissy… she’s in trouble, the motel is failing. I found stacks and stacks of overdue bills, and she never said a word. Does she not know how much I love her? That I'd do anything I could to help her and Robin out?”

“Oh, Bubba.” Wayne said softly, drawing Eddie into a tight hug. “She knows, I promise you she knows.”

Eddie let himself sag in the other man’s arms for a minute. His throat was painfully tight, and it was an effort to blink back the tears that so badly wanted to fall. He pulled back, running a hand over his face.

“I don’t understand why she wouldn't tell me.”

“That’s something you’ll have to talk to her about, but I think maybe she and Robin wanted to succeed on their own. Chrissy wants you to be proud of her, not see her as a failure.”

“Of course I'm proud of her.”

“Then that’s what you tell her, after you apologize for snooping through her stuff. It’ll be alright.”

Eddie’s bedroom looked exactly as it had since the day he’d left for good. He’d only taken what would easily fit in his van, his clothes, his guitar, and it always surprised him whenever he came home for a visit that Wayne hadn’t boxed all the rest of his shit up and made better use of the space. It wasn’t as if he couldn't sleep on the couch when he visited. The trailer was small, too small to give up one of its only two bedrooms for someone who didn’t even live there, but Wayne always made sure he had a soft place to land whenever he needed it.

He hadn’t slept without Steve since the night they’d fallen into bed together, and it felt strange and wrong to lie between the sheets by himself, even here in a place where Steve had never been.

Had he not been so thoroughly drained and worn-out he might have struggled to fall asleep without his human teddy bear to hold on to, but he was that tired, and though he missed Steve with a fierceness that made his chest ache, he dropped off almost the moment his head hit the pillow.

When Eddie woke up hours later the room was bathed in late afternoon sun, the light shining in through threadbare curtains. It took a moment to remember where he was and why, and he was hit with a familiar wave of sadness—and something else. It was the same thing he’d been feeling for a while now, the last year or more, as he roamed from place to place.

Homesickness.

He didn’t know when it had gone away exactly, but some time between arriving at the Buckingham and running away from it, he’d stopped longing for a place to call home, and started feeling like he was already there.

He had to go back. He had to make things right with Steve, and tell Chrissy how amazing she was no matter what happened with the business. Robin too—even though they tended to butt heads, he fucking loved her just as much as the other two.

He loved Steve.

He was in love with him.

Full stop.

No almost. No falling. It was wonderful. It was terrifying.

And it was far too soon, not that Eddie had any basis to judge such a thing, but also maybe it wasn’t? Because goddamnit Wayne was right. He had been a little obsessed with Steve for more years than was probably healthy, and in some serious denial about why. His sudden crush this summer wasn’t sudden, or new. Lying there now in his childhood bed he could admit all of that to himself.

Now he just had to be brave and admit it to someone else.

He changed into some of the clean clothes he’d brought, forgoing a shower to not waste another minute. He needed to get back to the motel as soon as possible. He’d have to apologize to his uncle for the hit and run, though he was sure the man would understand.

Speaking of the devil, Wayne was up for the night too. He was sitting at the kitchen table when Eddie rushed in, sipping coffee while he flicked through the newspaper.

Eddie dumped his bag in the other chair and began to rummage through the cabinets.

“Whatcha lookin’ for?” Wayne asked, not looking up from his sports section.

“That old travel thermos. Thought I'd take some coffee with me so I can get right on the road.”

Wayne put the paper down and got up, quickly locating the exact thermos Eddie had been looking for, which had been right in front of his face.

In his defense, he was in a rush.

Wayne chuckled, sitting back down as Eddie filled the cup. “What’s your hurry?”

Eddie screwed the lid on and set the thing down, freeing his hands to wind his disheveled curls into a bun as he explained.

“Just anxious to clean up the mess I made, Pops. I promised myself that I’d make it up to Steve for all the shit I put him through if he gave me a chance, and I've already broken that promise. He might have lied by keeping something from me but—I’m not perfect, and I can't expect him to be either. I shouldn’t have left, and I definitely should have given him the benefit of the doubt. We could've worked this out together.”

“Eddie, I think–”

“I love him, Wayne.” Eddie didn’t mean to interrupt, but he’d been bursting to say the words out loud since he thought them. “I don’t know exactly what I'm going to say to fix it, but I've got hours of driving time to think about it.”

Wayne smiled broadly, trying and failing to hide the gleeful expression behind his mug. “You might need to figure it out a little quicker than that.”

“Why?”

“Because he’s here, Bubba.” Wayne said quietly, using the cup in his hand to gesture towards the living room.

Eddie whipped his head around and sure enough there Steve was, sitting quietly on the couch watching him with an unreadable expression. His stomach flipped as they locked eyes.

Wayne clapped him on the shoulder as he moved past towards the hall. “I'll leave you boys to talk. It was nice to meet you Steve.”

Steve stood, offering an awkward wave. “You too, sir.”

When Wayne was gone Steve turned back to him, taking a few tentative steps towards the kitchen.

Eddie met him halfway, smiling sadly. “Hi.”

“Hi.” Steve said.

Tension was thick in the air between them, the silence heavy.

“I'm sorry to just show up like this.” Steve said abruptly, at the same time Eddie asked, “So you heard all that, huh?”

They both chuckled nervously. Steve looked down, running a hand through his hair.

“What are you… how are you here?” Eddie stuttered out. “I mean, how did you know I’d be here?”

“With Wayne is where you feel the safest,” Steve shrugged. “And this is where you planned to go last time.”

Once again Steve had proven himself to be so far beyond anything Eddie thought he deserved. He was a flight risk. Steve could have made his life so much easier by just letting him go, it’s what most people would have done, but Steve had come after him—thought he was worth finding. How could he have ever considered running away from that?

Eddie took one more step forward, close enough to reach out and take hold of Steve’s hand.

“Do you want to go for a walk with me?”

There was a path that cut through the woods that sat on the edge of the trailer park. Eddie used to take it all the time as a kid when he was bored. It wasn’t a terribly long walk, just enough to get you lost in your thoughts before reaching Sattler’s quarry.

Eddie sat them down on a log a few feet from the cliff’s edge when they arrived, the irony not lost on him. It was a beautiful view, especially this close to sunset as the changing color of the sky was reflected in the dark water below. They hadn’t talked at all on the way there, and Eddie took that time to enjoy the feel of Steve’s palm in his, so comfortable and familiar, and thought about everything he wanted to say.

Birds chirped, clouds drifted by, and Eddie let the quiet settle around them for a few more minutes as he willed his racing heart to calm, taking a few deep breaths before he began.

“I have been so scared my entire life, and maybe I learned the lesson a little too intensely to guard my heart and make sure I didn’t wind up like the people around me—that was a good thing for a while, it kept me safe and sane but at a certain point it just left me… alone. It wasn’t just romance I avoided, I was too afraid to make any close connections. I had Chrissy and Wayne and that was enough. Two people with the ability to break me was about all I could handle.” Eddie paused, letting out a wry huff of laughter. “But then you came along…”

He stared down at his feet, tracing patterns in the dirt with the heel of his boot.

“I’m sorry that I left, I’m sorry I assumed the worst, and I’m sorry that I hurt you again after begging you to give me a chance. I thought I was all in, but really I was still waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

Steve's hand found its way to Eddie's knee, stilling his leg which had started to shake up and down with his nerves. He covered Steve's hand with his own, and finally looked up to meet his eyes for the first time since they’d arrived.

“I’m sorry too.” Steve said. “This isn’t all on you, y’know. You have every right to be upset. I should have told you as soon as I realized.”

“You were afraid I'd freak out… and you weren’t wrong.” Eddie admitted.

“Still.”

“Steve, I- I don’t know how to be anything else, but I know I don’t want to be who I’ve been.” Eddie shook his head, sure that he wasn’t making any sense but he pressed on anyway. Steve had a special talent for deciphering his rambles. “I can’t be that guy anymore because I will keep running away—that version of myself won’t let me have this. I’m sure it will take time, and maybe it’s too late, but I want to learn a better way to be.”

“It's not too late,'' Steve murmured, turning his hand over where it rested beneath Eddie’s and lacing their fingers together. “You said you were waiting for the other shoe to drop, I think… I think I was doing the same thing, and maybe I don’t show it the same way but, I’m scared too. I should have trusted you enough to tell you and maybe it wouldn’t have come to all this.”

“So, we could both do better.” Eddie said, grinning as he released a breathy laugh. Which Steve returned as they both leaned in for a moment, brushing shoulders.

Eddie quieted, looking down at their joined hands and felt so lucky. He was ready to let go of all the shit that he’d allowed to hold him back for so long. He was ready to be happy.

“Did you mean it? What you said back there to your uncle about me?” Steve asked, his face suddenly serious.

Eddie nodded, fighting the urge to hide his face or look away—the intensity in the other man’s gaze almost too much to bear, but he held on.

Steve bit his lip. “Will you say it again—to me?”

Eddie smiled, choking back a single sob as he became so overcome with it all, but in the best way, and quickly lost the battle with his own tears. The good kind this time.

“I love you,” he said, voice cracking a little over the words he never thought he’d say to someone in quite this way.

Steve's face lit up, his own eyes glistening as he too gave up the fight with his emotions. He leaned in, ghosting his lips over Eddie’s as he replied.

“I love you too.”

Steve had barely finished the phrase before they crashed into each other, mouths working in desperate tandem, tongues sliding together like a well rehearsed dance. They kissed like they hadn’t seen each other in months, instead of hours, as if any separation was unbearable. Eddie whined, a high and needy sound in his throat as Steve guided him over to straddle his lap.

It was risky to be like this out here in the open. Things might have been a little better on the coast for the gay community in recent years, but that acceptance hadn’t yet made its way to rural Indiana, and the wrong person could easily stumble upon them out here.

Though it went against every base instinct he had, Eddie forced them to slow down. Breaking the kiss with an apologetic smile, one hand held gently against Steve’s chest to stop him from chasing after.

“It’s not safe out here, baby,” he said, sliding himself out of Steve's lap and rearranging his clothes. “We could be seen.”

Steve tried to pull him back down. “I don’t care. You’re out, I could be out too. Let them see.”

Eddie groaned, the problem in his jeans getting worse by the second as Steve ran hands up and down his thighs. He wasn’t making it easy to be good.

“It’s dangerous.” Eddie said, cupping Steve’s cheek. “And I’d hate for our happy reunion to be disrupted by a hate crime.”

It was dusk when they finally left the quarry, and dark by the time they got back to the trailer. Steve's lack of sleep was starting to show, he’d only managed a few hours before giving up, getting in his car, and making the trip to Hawkins.

They had discussed going to stay at Steve’s house for the night where they could be alone, maybe finish what they started without having to worry about a parental figure being in the next room, but Steve insisted he’d rather stay at the trailer and spend a little time getting to know Wayne while they were here.

Eddie knew he meant it, but he was also sure it was for his own benefit too, so he could spend time with his uncle who he didn't visit nearly often enough.

They’d be heading back to the Buckingham in the morning. Steve could get away with calling out for two days but he was due back on the beach for the 4th, as was Eddie at the bar. Independence Day was a big deal for the town, which went all out every year with a huge fireworks display over the ocean set off from a local fishing boat.

Wayne cooked up a half dozen burgers on the grill outside and the three men spent the evening sitting on the front porch shooting the shit and drinking beer until Steve could scarcely keep his eyes open. Though he’d slept most of the day away Eddie was right there with him. It was best they rest up for the long drive ahead anyway. They said their goodnights and goodbyes, knowing Wayne would likely be asleep when they got up to go.

The full size bed in Eddie’s room was a tight squeeze for two full grown men, or it would have been if either of them had any sense of personal space, but they happily clung to each other.

Tired or not, it was inevitable that a few well-meaning goodnight kisses would turn into more, and soon they were feeding at each other’s mouths like starving men, until both their lips were swollen and sore. Eddie slid his hands up under Steve’s shirt, resenting the amount of fabric between them. Usually they didn’t bother with clothes at night but out of respect for Wayne, and in an effort to restrain themselves, they’d both worn pajamas to bed—to Eddie’s lament.

He slid his leg between Steve’s, swallowing back a moan at the feel of him long and hard against his thigh.

“Can I at least blow you?”

Steve gasped, bucking his hips once in a desperate bid for friction before forcing himself to stop. “Not with your uncle on the other side of this wall.”

Eddie licked a wet line up the column of Steve’s throat. “You can be quiet.”

“I think you know by now that I can’t.” Steve sucked in another sharp breath as Eddie nibbled on his ear lobe. “It’s that fucking mouth of yours.”

“You love it.”

“I really do.”

Eddie pulled back, threading his hands through Steve's hair as he gazed down at him with a heart so full he could hardly breath. He was so in love, and by some miracle the beautiful man in his arms loved him right back.

He pressed his lips to Steve’s forehead, brushing them over each cheek, and finally kissed his mouth one last time before turning over, pulling Steve's arms around himself. Steve tightened his grip, pulling their bodies flush as he buried his face in the back of Eddie’s neck with a contented sigh. It wasn’t often he played the little spoon to Steve’s big but tonight Eddie was happy to be held.

Special thanks to @penny00dreadful for being the best beta, friend and cheerleader.

Reblogs are always appreciated and if you want to be tagged, just let me know! I'd be more than happy to do so 💜

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#steddie fanfic #steve harrington #eddie munson #stranger things #steddie #buckingham #robin buckley #chrissy cunningham #90's beach motel au #no vacancy #no upside down au

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