If I Should Stay
Just a friendly reminder that I missed the last post so I’m posting part 26 and part 27 on the same day, so make sure to go back and read 26 if you haven’t already! ❤️
Part 1 | . . . | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28
Eddie doesn’t laugh the way Steve thinks he would. Instead, he frowns slightly. “Should be careful,” he mumbles. “Some dealers don’t care what they give you, long as they get their money.”
Steve hums in response. “Well, I won’t have to worry about that now, right?” He shifts on the roof, laying down to look up at the stars. Feels, more than sees, Eddie do the same. “You’re staying.”
“That I am,” Eddie replies, sighing as he looks at the stars. “Wish we could see ‘em all.”
Steve glances over, and Eddie lifts a hand, waves it lazily at the sky. “The stars. Can’t see but half of ‘em cause of all the lights. But they’re so pretty. So bright. Almost enough to make me want to brave my dad again.”
Steve hums. “He’s still alive?”
“Yeah. ‘S he not? In four years?”
“I dunno exactly. Just… the way you phrased things made it sound like he wasn’t.”
“Well, hell,” Eddie laughs, raising the blunt like it’s a glass. “I’ll drink to that.”
Steve snorts and knocks his knuckles against Eddie’s, accepting the joint again after Eddie takes a drag. “So,” Eddie says, rolling over to lay on his front, propping himself up on his elbows. “Tell me the Steve Harrington hierarchy for dates. What comes first?”
Steve chuckles. “Why?” He asks, then answers regardless. “First date is getting to know each other, y’know? If you run out of things to say twenty minutes into it, how the hell’re you supposed to make a relationship work, right? So first date is making sure you’re…” he waves a hand around, looking for the right word. “Like… making sure you match.”
“Compatible?” Eddie suggests, and Steve snaps at him.
“Compatible, that’s it, yeah. Making sure you’re compatible. Second date’s for making sure you’re serious about it, making sure there’s still more to talk about, that you’re not gonna end up staring awkwardly at each other twenty minutes into that date because maybe you’re compatible enough for one date, but not really two, right?”
“So every subsequent date is just making sure you’re compatible.”
“I guess, yeah. Except when you know you are compatible, then you show ‘em who you really are. You put away your nice shirts and start getting out the everyday ones. The dates aren’t as planned out because they don’t need to be, because you already have fun together. Maybe you go to the arcade and you don’t let ‘em win. Or not as easy, at least. I’m still terrible at bowling. I don’t think there’s any hope for me.” He shakes his head with a chuckle.
Eddie raises a brow. “You’re telling me there’s a sport in which you don’t excel? This I have to see.”
Steve laughs and nudges his shoulder. “Man, shuddup.”
“No, but seriously,” Eddie says, and he sounds serious, so Steve drops his smile and listens. “If… if I were to go on a date, on a few dates, with a guy, maybe someone like you, and it’s going well, and we get to that point… I could imagine us doing pretty much exactly this.”
“Getting high on a roof?”
“Spending time together,” Eddie says quietly. “No expectations.”
“Oh,” Steve says quietly, sure his cheeks are scarlet.
“And,” Eddie says even quieter, practically a whisper, “I maybe wouldn’t mind trying with you.”
“As excited as that makes me,” Steve says, “and trust me, I’m pretty damn excited, I can’t help but think maybe we should wait until we’re past the end of the world.”
“Sure,” Eddie says, and brushes his knuckles against Steve’s. They both watch the movement. “Figure I’ve waited this long, what’s a little bit longer, right?”
“Yeah,” Steve murmurs, pressing his thumb to one of Eddie’s knuckles. Wishes he was pressing his lips to that knuckle instead.
He suddenly sighs. “It’s not just gonna be a week or two, y’know. It’s… when this is over, we can’t stay. Robin and I, we’ve gotta go back to the future.”
“Well, sure, but there’s some version of you that’s gonna stay, right?”
“And if that version of me doesn’t know that any of this happened? ‘M still an asshole, Eddie.”
Eddie grins and rolls over until they’re face-to-face. “I don’t think you’re capable of not being bitchy,” he says, laughing when Steve good-naturedly shoves his face away. “No, but hey,” he says quieter, more serious. “The Harrington Charm might be legendary, but us Munsons got a few tricks up our sleeves too, m’kay? If I have to win you back, I’ll do it. Or could you write yourself a note, maybe? Alli’s staying, she could give it to you. You could write to ask any one of us about it, and we’d tell you.”
Steve hums. “How do you do that?”
Eddie blinks. “Do what?”
“Make me feel like everything’s gonna be alright.”
Eddie blushes, but doesn’t answer, just offers Steve the joint again.
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