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#Imagine if Eddie also gets a job at Scoops Ahoy to work with Steve
artiststarme · 5 months
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Baby, it's cold outside
@nburkhardt, you asked for a cute introspective fic, I hope this fits! I hope everyone likes it and please leave your thoughts in the comments!
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Eddie Munson had always hated winter. He hated snow, sleet, frost, and hail. Unfortunately for him, that's all there was in Indiana between late November to early March. The nights grew darker, the trailer was always slightly too cold, and his loneliness seemed exacerbated. Unlike the peacefulness and solitude that he felt in autumn, empty nights in the trailer’s living room while Wayne was at work only served to make him feel alone… burdensome. 
It wasn’t like he could cry to his uncle about feeling lonely when he’d been pulling double shifts at the plant practically since Eddie had moved in with him. He couldn’t complain to his bandmates that hardly put up with him enough to call them friends. And it wasn’t like he had anyone else in the town that cared about him even remotely. 
Most of all though, Eddie hated how the winter reflected the frigidity of the town. He knew they hated him year-round but it seemed so much more prominent in the cold. Their malicious laughter when he slipped on ice, the hardly-visible sneers from underneath scarves, and cruel words seemed harsher. 
One winter day though, everything changed for Eddie. He’d chosen that day to avoid the stifling isolation at his trailer. Winter had only just begun but its effects were already visible. Eddie’s pale skin looked paler, the bags under his eyes were heavier, and the tip of his nose was almost permanently red. The weather was dreadful, softly snowing with the flakes sticking to the ground. Still, he had to leave the trailer park to keep his sanity, weather be damned. He sat on a low hanging swing at the elementary school playground, snowflakes stuck to his hair and a blunt between his lips. He was still alone but it wasn’t so unbearable out in the open. 
“Hey, uh. Mind if I join you?”
A sudden voice took away Eddie’s peace and he flailed like a cat electrocuted before he was able to regain his bearings and grip the swing chains with a vice grip. He choked on the smoke of his blunt and looked through leaking eyes up at the cause of his shock. 
“The fuck?” He hacked while trying to determine who’d bothered him.
“I’m sorry man, I really didn’t mean to scare you. I just… you looked lonely and I’m kinda lonely too so I thought we might as well be less lonely together,” the stranger’s voice seemed genuinely apologetic and it pulled the strings in Eddie’s heart. As soon as his vision cleared though, his system was flushed with ice.
“Harrington? What the fuck are you even doing here? You come all the way over here to pick on little ole me? Pathetic. Where are your cronies, hiding behind the bushes waiting for your signal so you all can jump me? Fuck you,” Eddie snarled before trying to get up from his place. He stopped only once Harrington’s hands landed on his shoulders and pushed him back down. 
Harrington looked gutted, “no man, I’m alone. I was just… trying to get out of the house when I saw you here. I’m sorry for bothering you, I’ll uh. I’ll see you around, Munson.”
Despite his words, he stayed still for a moment longer, eyes focused directly on Eddie’s. Upon closer inspection, he didn’t appear to be the King Steve he always was at school. He wasn’t confident here. His posture was slumped, his mouth was twisted in a grimace, and his perfect hair looked like he’d tried to pull it out himself. Most notably though were the angry bruises on his cheekbone and along his jaw. Eddie had seen more than enough abuse in his life and the aftermath left it like a scar. Hell, he saw it every day in the mirror. 
He couldn’t let Steve leave with this revelation. It seemed that the King and the Freak had more in common than they’d ever known. With a sigh, he pulled a fresh blunt out of his leather jacket pocket and handed it to Steve. 
“Here man, I could use the company. And I’m not sure I could finish this one alone.”
Steve’s grimace fell to reveal the most breathtaking smile Eddie had ever seen. “I’m sure you could Munson, but I’ll stick around. Thanks!”
They sat on the swings in the snow for what seemed like hours. They talked, they laughed, they sat in comfortable silence at times. When their hands got too frozen and their faces flushed, they stood awkwardly as if neither one wanted the night to end. 
“So uh, you want to come back to my place? It’s closer and I have hot chocolate,” Eddie muttered, his fingers twisting his rings in anxiety. He didn’t know what the fuck was happening here but he knew he didn’t want it to end. 
Steve ducked his head to hide a grin, but accepted nonetheless. “Lead the way, Munson.”
They spent the remainder of the night drinking hot cocoa, cuddling in Eddie’s small twin bed, and sleeping off what was a great night for them both. When they woke up, things weren’t awkward or stilted, it felt like they were just as they should be. Thus in the winter of 1983, King Steve and Eddie “the Freak” Munson became friends in the public eye. It caused quite the stir around both the school and the town alike but it didn’t bother them. And in the safety and privacy of their homes, they became more. They became more than strangers or friends and instead evolved directly into boyfriends that held hands, space heaters for each other in the cold of the trailer, and partners that they could each depend on. 
After what started off as a dreary night alone in an empty playground, Eddie’s life changed for the better. From that day forward, his hatred of the winter faded into a feeling of gratitude. The cold weather had guided two lost and lonely souls toward each other. After that, seeing snow or frost, or sleet always reminded Eddie of the day that he and Steve became each other’s person. They would never be alone again as long as they had each other. 
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accidental eavesdropping (steddie ficlet)
based on this post by @imjust-that-shy. i hope i did this vision justice <3
The doors to the bathroom burst open, and - on some pure, inexplicable instinct and with nearly inhuman speed - Eddie darts back into the stall he'd just been about to come out of and leaps to perch on top of the toilet seat, crouched there like some sort of creature. 
He hears the sound of retching and the stench of vomit fills the air. He holds his breath, wrinkling his nose and trying to imagine what possible context could be behind Steve Harrington and Robin Buckley bursting in here together to puke their guts out. Eddie knows the two of them work together, he’s seen them sharing shifts at Scoops Ahoy when he's walked by. (Not that he often intentionally passes by the ice cream parlor and slows down just to catch a glimpse of Steve or anything… Although who could really blame him if he did? Like, come on, Steve in that uniform? Hello, sailor.) His mind is busy spinning stories of possible explanations, ranging from spoiled ice cream to sneaking alcohol and getting too drunk during their break. 
Eddie's leaning towards the 'drinking on the job' explanation, especially when the retching finally ceases and Robin says something about the room no longer spinning. Those little rebels, Eddie thinks approvingly.
“When’s the last time you, uh…peed your pants,” Steve is asking Robin now, in response to her telling him in a Russian accent to interrogate her. 
Eddie curls over his knees, tilting his head to try to peer through the gap between the stalls and the floor to put an image to his eavesdropping. Might as well, he’s kind of stuck here and there’s really not much else he can do right now. He can see Steve’s legs, one bent and the other stretched out in front of him, and Robin in the stall past him laying on the floor with her legs up against the stall wall as she answers, “Today…” 
“What?” Steve questions.
“When the Russian doctor took out the bone saw!” Robin says. 
Okay…what? Russian doctors and bone saws? Eddie’s now thoroughly intrigued, if a little (okay, a lot) confused. Maybe they’re talking about a movie they watched or something.
Steve’s legs shake with his laughter. “Oh my god.” 
“It was just a little bit, though.” Robin pinches her fingers together as she twists her body in Steve’s direction while he laughs again and mutters that whatever it is they took is still in her system. She pushes her feet off the stall and slides to sit against the opposite wall. Eddie can only see her legs now. “Okay, my turn. Have you…ever been in love?” 
Steve answers that he has, with Nancy, and makes a sound mimicking an explosion. Eddie remembers that, remembers seeing Steve and Nancy being all touchy and cute in the hallways at school while he was trying his damndest to convince himself that he absolutely definitely did not wish he was in Nancy’s place. It didn’t work very well. And it’s not working very well now either as Steve starts to go on about some new girl he likes now instead - some girl who’s funny and smart and can crack secret Russian codes (okay, seriously, what is it with these two and Russians?) and oh shit, he’s talking about Robin. 
Eddie very suddenly feels like he should not be here listening to this, eavesdropping on Steve confessing his feelings for someone. Not only is that, like, a private and personal thing, but also what if Robin likes him back and they start kissing or something right here in this bathroom where Eddie has to sit here and listen to it and that would just be horrible for him for so many reasons and- Eddie’s getting ahead of himself. Robin hasn’t even said anything yet, and her knees are pulled up to her chest and her voice shakes when she confirms she’s still alive after Steve asks if she’s OD’d there in the silence and she uncurls with a deep sigh. All signs that she doesn’t actually like Steve back. 
Eddie watches as Steve shifts and slides under the stall into Robin’s, and catches sight of the nasty bruise marring nearly half of Steve’s otherwise beautiful face as he does so. Now concern has been added to the list of emotions this eavesdropping experience has rollercoastered him through so far. The bruise looks fairly fresh and Eddie can’t help but wonder what the hell gave Steve a black eye like that and if he’s okay. 
After a brief spiral of concern for Steve’s face, Eddie tunes back into reality to find himself staring at Steve’s ass as Steve now sits with his back against the stall wall opposite Robin. Eddie blinks, expands his tunnel vision to include Steve’s lower back and Robin’s legs which are also visible beneath the gap in the stalls. 
“It’s not because I had a crush on you,” Robin is saying. “It’s because…she wouldn’t stop staring at you.”
“Mrs. Click?” Steve sounds confused.
“Tammy Thompson,” Robin clarifies. “I wanted her to look at me.”
Oh. Eddie should really not be listening to this. Robin is trying to come out to Steve, trying to share something deeply personal and vulnerable with him and only him, not knowing that she’s outing herself to an eavesdropping near-stranger as well. Eddie feels violating and intruding. He can’t imagine how he would feel if he found out someone he barely knew had been secretly listening in on him coming out - probably not great, probably terrified. This is something he shouldn’t know, not like this. 
“But Tammy Thompson’s a girl,” Steve says, his tone unreadable, and Eddie’s heart nearly stops, sure his own anticipatory anxiety is likely only just a fraction of what Robin must be feeling right now. 
“Steve…” 
“Yeah?” A pause. “Oh,” Steve’s voice goes soft. “Oh… Holy shit.” 
“Yeah,” Robin sighs. Eddie can see her hands nervously rubbing at her shins. “Holy shit.” 
Steve is silent for a few painfully long moments. Eddie’s hands curl nervously around his own shins. Is Steve going to be homophobic? Should Eddie be worried for Robin now? 
“Steve, did you OD over there?” Robin asks, trying to be light but Eddie can hear the anxiety in her voice. 
“No, I just, uh- just thinking,” Steve responds. 
“Okay…” Robin’s voice is barely audible. Eddie is holding his breath.
“I mean, yeah,” Steve says finally, “Tammy Thompson’s cute and all, but the only reason I never gave her the time of day was because I was too busy staring at Eddie Munson.” 
The aforementioned Eddie Munson releases the breath he’d been holding with an involuntary squeak and claps a hand over his mouth. Thankfully, neither of them heard him over the sound of Robin shouting. “What?! Eddie Munson?! You liked Eddie Munson?” she squawks, voicing Eddie’s own stunned thoughts perfectly.
“Yeah,” Steve confirms casually, completely unaware that he's throwing an eavesdropping Eddie into an absolute crisis right now. There's a soft thudding sound like Steve's hitting the back of his head against the stall wall. His voice gets kind of wistful, almost dreamy, as he says, “His rings, man. Rings and tattoos…and that long hair and those chains he'd wear… Honestly just his whole punk aesthetic thing had me mesmerized.” 
“Pretty sure he's metal, not punk,” Robin corrects him. 
Thanks, Robin. Also, what the fuck is happening right now? 
“Whatever. Still hot as hell,” Steve says. 
Eddie squeaks again and practically shoves his whole fist in his mouth to keep himself from making any more noise, his teeth knocking against his rings. The rings Steve likes, apparently. He feels like he's going to pass out, his heart beating so erratically it's making him lightheaded. King Steve - the popular, preppy, stupid, gorgeous, dumb jock Eddie's been crushing on since forever - just called him hot????  
“Did you hear that?” Robin asks suddenly, voice low and cautious. 
Shit. 
“Is anyone else in here?” Steve calls out. 
Fuck. 
Eddie bites down hard on his knuckles and holds his breath, going impossibly still. If they get up and search the bathroom, then he’s about to be caught red handed, crouched on top of a toilet seat with his fist in his mouth and his face flushed scarlet, eavesdropping on their private conversation about secret Russians and gay crushes. Eddie contemplates falling into the toilet and attempting to flush himself down it. Every god imaginable is receiving a silent prayer from him right now as he watches apprehensively through the gaps in the stall. One of those gods must've heard and taken pity on this poor gay disaster of a man crouched like a goblin in a bathroom stall, because after a few horrible seconds of silence, all Steve does is lean down to peer beneath the stalls for a moment before sitting back up and saying, “Looks empty. I think the drugs are making us hear things.” 
“Yeah, probably,” Robin says. Then she giggles, knocking her leg against Steve’s. “I still can’t believe you were into Eddie.” 
Steve flicks Robin’s knee. “I can’t believe you were into Tammy.”
“What’s wrong with Tammy?!” Robin protests.
“What’s wrong with Eddie?” Steve counters. “At least he’s actually got talent. Tammy’s a total dud - she wants to be a singer and shit but she can’t even hold a tune.” 
Eddie is going to die. He is actually going to die right here, right now, because Steve Harrington thinks he’s hot and talented. And then Steve starts mimicking Tammy, singing Total Eclipse of the Heart in a ridiculously goofy voice, and now Eddie is going to die because he finds that so stupidly endearing and adorable. Maybe he should just flush himself down the toilet, save himself from this hopelessly pathetic crush of his. Instead, he’s saved by the bathroom doors bursting open again and a new voice shouting at them, “Okay. What the hell?!” 
Steve and Robin collapse into a fit of giggles before being dragged to their feet by the newcomers and led out of the bathroom, leaving Eddie alone and reeling and struggling to process literally everything he’s just overheard. He finally hops down from his toilet perch and exits the stall like he’s in a daze. He’s not sure how long he had been camped out in there - probably only about ten minutes - but it felt like hours, so long that the world outside of that single bathroom stall almost feels foreign and unfamiliar now. 
Eddie grips the bathroom sink and stares at his flustered reflection in the mirror and whispers to himself, “What the actual fuck?” 
---
Later, years later, only after he and Steve are already dating, Eddie tells him all about this experience, and Steve laughs so hard he nearly cries.
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acowardinmordor · 2 months
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Rumor Has It
Found this in my drafts and don't really remember writing it. I know it was prompted by a post I saw, but I can't find it . The only other thing I know is true in this AU is that Steve is not aware he isn't straight.
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Eddie didn't trust the rumors that plagued Hawkins. He heard them just like everyone else, sometimes he'd chase down more details if it interested him, but he didn't trust them at first contact the way that most of the denizens of the town seemed to. The ones that faded away in a few days were obviously fake. The ones that lasted weeks probably had some grain of truth. But this one, now six months old, but still only whispered about, should have been counted as truth. If it lasted that long, it had to be true. Eddie still didn't trust this one.
Not when it was a rumor that was, quite literally, the stuff of his dreams.
Steve Harrington was gay.
According to rumor.
The story started sometime after he got dumped by Wheeler and got his shit rocked by Hargrove. Eddie didn't know where it came from, but he heard it said for the first time a few weeks later. Hargrove never said that it was why Harrington got beat to hell, but he gave a nasty grin if the topic came up that implied a hell of a lot about Harrington on the rebound.
And Eddie didn't trust that. He didn't trust it when Tommy H started telling tales from their freshman year. Or when some of the guy's attempted-hookups started talking.
Eddie didn't trust it because it spread fast, stuck around, had plenty of sources, but it also never got said to Harrington's face. And if there was one thing that Eddie was sure of, it was that no one in that damn town had a problem throwing out slurs if it was even possible someone was different.
According to the rumor mill, that was because Harrington's dad had a connection with the mayor and enough money to bring the police down on anyone that started something. So it remained a rumor, remained in the background, and Eddie remained unconvinced.
Until Eddie went to the mall.
Embarrassing uniforms to earn minimum wage was not evidence. Though it was eye candy.
A different facet of the rumor said that Harrington Sr made Steve get the job as a punishment for the facade of heterosexuality slipping. So, no, the ridiculous, awful, wonderful, slutty little sailor suit didn't count as evidence of the guy's sexual or romantic preferences.
The lip gloss, on the other hand...
And maybe some eyeliner and mascara, but Eddie hadn't gotten close enough to be sure that wasn't his imagination.
And even then! That wasn't proof. A straight guy could use makeup. They didn't, they flipped out at the very concept, but in theory, it was possible.
Eddie wanted to know. Nay, he needed to know. His dreams, and his junior-year-crush demanded answers. Eventually, the temptation of fruit of knowledge grew to be too much.
Slipping into line behind a trio of girls, Eddie watched as Steve deployed the charming smile that had melted the hearts of half the school. Plus Eddie's. He watched it fail to work, catastrophically, and after six months of hearing this rumor and resisting the lure of believing it, he figured: fuck it, go for broke.
If it was bullshit, he'd get to be the one who broke the news to the guy, which might finally be enough to kill that stupid crush of his when Steve flipped out at the insult of the implication.
On the other hand, if it was true....
"Hi, welcome to Scoops Ahoy!"
"Well, hi there, sailor boy," Eddie flirted.
-
This is a hot potato fic. Continue it, steal it, whatever you please.
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steventhusiast · 8 months
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STWG daily prompt 17/9/23
prompt: working together
pairing/character(s): pre-steddie (eddie hates steve) and robin
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"Oh, hell no." Is all Eddie can think to say when he walks into Scoops Ahoy for his first day of work to see none other than Steve "the King" Harrington stood behind the counter in the stupid uniform they're all forced to wear.
"Excuse me?" Harrington says, brows furrowed in offence.
Eddie gives him a once over and scoffs when he notices he's put the hat they're obligated to wear on the counter instead of on his head. Of course the king wouldn't respect something like a uniform.
"Can I help you?" Harrington continues when Eddie doesn't say anything, just keeps glaring at him.
"Nope. I'm actually your new co-worker, my liege." Eddie says, voice tense and smile a little mean as he says the last few words. Harrington gives him a short nod, and gestures to the door behind him.
"Break room's back there."
Eddie rolls his eyes, even though Harrington's obviously just trying to help, and goes through the door. He breathes a sigh of relief when he sees Robin from band stood with a pocket mirror in one hand, adjusting her hat on her head.
She looks up when he walks in, and a grin slowly covers her face.
"Eddie Munson. Huh." She mutters to herself, "You finally decide you need a straight job instead of drug dealing?"
Eddie scoffs and rolls his eyes, but doesn't make a comment. He's still doing his.. Side job. It's lucrative, what can he say.
"Can you believe King Steve is working with us?" He says instead of anything related to her words. Her eyes light up and she nods in agreement.
"I know right? Kill me now." She groans, and dramatically flops back into the chair she's sitting on.
Eddie goes to the employee restroom to change into his uniform (he wouldn't be caught dead in it outside of the workplace, he doesn't care he has to come in early and leave a little late for it). By the time he comes back into the breakroom, he notices that Harrington is stood in the doorway, hands on his hips like an upset mother.
Unfortunately, Eddie also notices some other things. Before, he'd only been able to see Harrington belly button-up. And sure, Harrington's face and hair and moles that seem to be everywhere are attractive on their own. But now, he can see everything below that. And the shorts are a lot tighter on him than they are on Eddie, for some reason. His thighs are deliciously thick, almost bulging out of the bottom of the shorts, and the bulge at his crotch leaves little to the imagination...
Not that Eddie would ever be attracted to Harrington. The man represents everything Eddie hates about Hawkins. He's preppy, he's upper-middle class with everything handed to him on a silver platter, he's a jock, and he was bully-adjacent for most of his high school career. So. Aesthetically pleasing? Maybe. Someone Eddie would ever be attracted to? Not in a million years.
He lets himself look anyway. No shame in window shopping.
"Your shifts started ten minutes ago." Harrington says after a moment of standing there, and then swiftly goes back to manning the cashier.
Robin rolls her eyes and starts getting up to follow him, and Eddie glances at the clock and realises that, shit, Harrington's right. And he may heavily dislike him, but Eddie's not going to be an actual dick for no reason.
"Right. You gonna be showing me the ropes today, your highness?" Eddie tries to sound less mean this time. Maybe he'll survive this job if he manages to poke fun at Harrington on the clock.
"Don't call me that."
It's going to be a long summer.
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Ahoy!
Eddie Munson x fem!reader
Word count: 1.4k
Summary: In some timeline, Starcourt didn't burn down and Eddie was able to go to work selling ice cream. He and Steve make a little bet, from which Eddie comes out happy.
A/N: don't look for canonical logic in this, I just need to imagine my husband in shorts
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"You suck, Munson" laughed Robin, leaning out the window and placing a new line in the corresponding box "Although look at it on the bright side, you and Steve could compete for who is worse"
“And how about you enter the competition too? You'd totally kick us out,” Eddie taunted, causing the girl to throw a plastic spoon at him and Steve to smile.
Eddie Munson had walked into the job at Scoops Ahoy just a few weeks ago, but somehow he had won the hearts of both of them. At first both had been too suspicious, but they had to accept him thanks to the tremendous love that Dustin Henderson seemed to have for him, and what started as a committed relationship ended up becoming a friendship. He made them laugh and honestly brought a chaotic spark to the place. Also, during the holidays an extra pair of hands was perfect when dispensing scoops of ice cream.
"Here comes the next one, it's your turn dingus" Robin murmured with a mocking face. Steve took a deep breath, mentally preparing to make a fool of himself in front of another girl, but when he was about to turn to say hello, he was violently pushed out of the way by his partner.
“Ahoy, lady!” Eddie said enthusiastically, with a smile that could be described as completely nervous. You were standing in front of him, wearing a lime green dress and your hair full of butterfly barrettes, while you held a huge knitted bag on your shoulder "For which flavors would you like to sail this afternoon?” he asked, in the kindest tone he managed to get out of himself.
Both Robin and Steve looked at each other, not understanding why Eddie had been so aggressive in serving you especially, and decided to watch the scene with curiosity.
"Do they make you say that to all the customers?" you asked, letting out a giggle that put Eddie on the clouds.
He knew at some point you might go to that ice cream parlor, I mean, Hawkins isn't very big and it seemed like everyone was crazy to have something sweet and cold in their mouths thanks to the summer heat, but he hadn't prepared himself to have to serve you. He was already all flustered and he was praying with all his might that he wasn't blushing because of you.
"No, but I get paid an extra 50 cents an hour if I do," he joked and heard you laugh again. He hoped that was a good sign.
"I see, Eddie" you murmured and he thought he would die right there. Did you know his name? Did you really recognize him?
“Do you… do you know me?” he encouraged himself to say, struggling not to stutter.
"It's in your uniform," you explained, nodding at the small plaque on his chest. Of course that was it, stupid “But I've also seen you a few times at school. You're the one who stands on tables and yells things, right?"
"That's me," he laughed, slightly embarrassed that you had that memory of him. Most people noticed him because of how loud he was, but at least it was something.
You took advantage of the smile he gave you to look at him better: he was wearing that bright blue sailor uniform, but he had decided to put a chain on his belt just like the ones he wore on his pants and the scarf around his neck looked messier. You caught a glimpse of big black boots on his feet, his bare arms on which there were a few tattoos, and also the white company cap on his curly fluffy hair. It was obvious that you knew Eddie but had never paid much attention to him, and now that you did you were completely mesmerized by the sight.
“Do you have anything with cherry?” you asked in his direction. Eddie thought it was only natural that a girl like you would be a fan of cherry and he smiled to himself at that.
“Actually I have one right here that has cherry and mascarpone in it, it really does taste delicious,” he recited, hoping to be convincing enough. He had made sure to sample all the flavors when Steve and Robin weren't looking, just so he could recommend them to customers. "Would you like to try it?"
"Of course, why not?" you said while shrugging your shoulders and showing him a smile. Eddie deftly moved behind the counter and poured out a couple of scoops of ice cream in a cone, going out of his way to put an extra amount of everything just for you and also look cute in the process. In your opinion, that was working.
"A delicious ice cream on this hot day for the young woman" he exclaimed. He felt like an idiot as soon as the words left his lips, but hearing you laugh he relaxed noticeably.
"How much do I owe you?" you asked, reaching into your bag for a bill.
“Nothing,” he said immediately, which caused you to frown. “There's… huh… a promotion this week. Free ice cream for pretty girls”
Eddie thought, again, that maybe he was crossing a line of trust or that you would just be grossed out, but he again calmed down when he saw you smile.
"I guess you've said that to a lot of people, right?"
“You are the first, actually. You know, the company doesn't have enough to go around giving things away, so we have to be very selective” he lied to you. With each word that came out of his mouth, you could only smile more and more.
“I see,” you said, trying to keep your cool. He extended the ice cream in your direction and you took it, brushing for a second the boy's three-ringed hand "Then I'll have to come another day and see if that promotion is still on, don't you think?"
"We regularly change promotions every week, but I think you could apply for several of these" he responded excitedly. He didn't mind finishing his salary paying for your ice cream if it meant seeing you for a couple of minutes.
“That's great to hear that,” you exclaimed, knowing full well that he was just being flirty with you. You weren't going to take advantage of the poor boy, but it was nice to have an excuse to visit him. "I'll see you around then, I guess."
"Of course. See ya Y/N,” he murmured, pronouncing your name like romantic poetry and making you blush.
You turned to walk out, but as soon as you walked a few steps a part of you screamed at you to go back and find any excuse to keep in touch with the boy. He was handsome and kind, you didn't want to miss out on the chance to get to know him better.
"By the way…"
"Yes?" he answered quickly, leaning over the counter a bit to listen to what you had to say.
“Would you mind if I left you my phone number? so you can call me if you think I can take advantage of any of those promotions you said” you murmured, hoping you hadn't misunderstood the conversation. But you saw how his features lit up when he frantically nodded his head.
“Of course, that's a brilliant idea,” he replied, frantically searching for a piece of paper and a pen. When he found them, he extended them in your direction and watched excitedly as you wrote numbers, followed by your name "Then I'll call you if we have something that interests you"
“Or you can also call me if you just want to chat,” you said vaguely, again hoping not to go overboard with him, while you waved a hand in the air “Now I'm leaving. Nice to meet you, Eddie”
“Same here,” he murmured, almost hypnotized by you and clutching the napkin in disbelief.
You, his impossible love for years, had given him your number and told him he could call you whenever he wanted for no reason in particular. He felt like he was in heaven.
"What the hell was that?" asked Steve, who had been watching the scene from the beginning. Eddie had almost forgotten his presence.
“I'm sorry, man. But I couldn't stand watching you flirt with this particular girl."
"Well, I'm happy to report to you gentlemen that Eddie just got his first good point. Hooray!"
"Did she give you her number?" Steve asked curiously, trying to see the paper his friend of his was holding, but Eddie wouldn't let him.
He would guard that information as if it were life or death and of course he would withdraw from the game, because he knew that you were the only point he needed on the board.
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tadhgoftheforest · 11 months
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Facing down the last summer of his—hopefully—final and last senior year at Hawkins High, Eddie Munson gets a job at the newly opening Starcourt Mall's Waldenbooks—like the closet nerd that he is. On break one day, he finds out delightedly that there's a campy nautical ice cream shop called Scoops Ahoy, which to his even bigger delight has Steve Harrington dressed up in the most childish, goofiest, Halloween style sailor's uniform. The sight of that uniform gets Eddie into trouble staking out Scoops everyday. Misunderstanding endsues and Eddie has to figure out how to get out of the mess his crush and that dumb uniform have gotten him into without outing himself.
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Walking through the mall in the early afternoon, he'd thought no one would be here cause it was early. People had shit to do. But evidently not seeing as how it seemed to be fairly busy. It left him stepping around people and nearly running into a bunch of kids as they tore through the place shouting and screaming. The shrill shouting and screaming also directed him away from the side of the food court that had the Orange Julius and to the other side.
Brain still on the come up, it took him a few minutes to register that he'd sat in front of Scoops Ahoy!—a nautical themed ice cream shop. Eddie's jaw dropped, lips curling into an open mouth smile, as he stared at the place with glee. Absolutely horrifying. The biggest worst idea ever. He desperately wanted to know who was working there and what their uniforms looked like. He imagined that working at that place was literally the bottom of the barrel.
He'd shoved out of his chair and made his way closer, trying to get a glimpse of whoever was at the counter. Absolutely slammed, he couldn't see through the throng of people. So he snagged a table just inside and idly watched, jaw cradled against his palm, elbow jammed uncomfortably against the slick top of the wood table.
Taking gulps of his coffee, he watched kids running all over the store, pointing and shouting as they ordered what they wanted. Parents arguing with kids. Temper tantrums from younger ones. Giggles from clusters of girls as they talked with their heads together, sometimes leaning out of the circle to look at someone behind the counter before starting to giggle again. Some lothario must be back there, then. Anticipation sat heavily on his chest. He just wanted to see the uniform. Wanted a good laugh before he left. Because other than sitting here, waiting on the edge of his seat, there was nothing else holding his interest. He'd decided he'd head home for a few hours and loiter there before driving back to loiter here, but now in the company of friends.
And then the line cleared enough that he could see who was working. He recognized Robin from band. He'd been in band in middle school, interested in trying to play the drums. He'd been on his way out of middle, she just coming in. It's also how he'd met the other guys in the band. Gareth—also just coming in—had the most talent out of everyone on the drumline and had been the most interested when Eddie had started talking about the band. It's how he'd ended up with the younger, curly haired guy being in Corroded Coffin, demolishing the drums while he'd switched to guitar. But apparently him and Robin had made friends in band, so he'd heard and seen about her often enough over the past four years.
Buckley just couldn't win. First, she had that ugly green marching uniform, complete with feathered cap. And now this. A sailor's uniform. But not anything worthy and as professional looking at the marching band outfit, no. This abomination was closer to what he might find for Halloween.
He felt like the Grinch, mouth curling and curling and curling at the edges, delight just tickling his insides. Especially once he caught sight of who she was slinging ice cream alongside. Steve Harrington.
He needed a camera. Desperately. He had to have photographic evidence of the most perfect guy in Hawkins degrading himself like this for money. He had to be seriously desperate for money.
What started as delight quickly started turning towards dread, smile slowly falling off Eddie's face. He sat there watching, head in his hand, as Steve was flirting with a couple of girls at the counter. He looked bashful, boyish. Cute. His little white cap, shouting 'Ahoy', pulling his lion's mane of hair back and off his face. The way the little knot tied in front, almost comically long, made it seem like a boy playing at dress up in his father's clothes. He was smiling, laughing, biting his lip. Looking up from under his lashes as he scooped ice cream, hands out of sight behind the counter.
Fuck. God damn him.
Eddie shoved away from the table, chair screeching in the rancorous din of the lively mall. He quickly stood and hurried away, not quite jogging but definitely not walking away. He tried to keep his eyes to himself, but they lingered on Harrington, drinking in how boyish and cute he looked.
As Eddie nearly ran back to Waldenbooks and through the store and out to his car, all he could think about was how he was going to have to quit. He didn't think he could be in the same place as Harrington as long as he knew the man was wandering around looking like that while he worked. It was one thing to have an idle crush on the douchebag, undressing him with his eyes while at school. It was another thing entirely to suddenly not be free of his unfortunate crush even during the summer. And he looked cute! It was fucking unfair. He was so mad at himself. Not just for liking a straight guy, but an unfairly attractive straight guy that was an absolute utter dickbag. He had no right to look cute and attractive. Absolutely no right. You can't be hot and an asshole.
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