Parent trap ; Steddie

Sweet Leaf

June 8 1987, Forest Hills Trailer Park, Hawkins indiana

"Oh Eddie. I'm so sorry."

"Yeah," he got up off the couch with a sigh. When Dustin had gone to Eddie's in the first place, he was a mess. His one love was avoiding him, it was like his life was falling apart before his eyes. But by now he was starting to go completely numb. "Typical me. I've fucked up the one thing I truly cared about." Eddie said as he grabbed a beer out of the fridge, cracked it open and went back to the couch. 

Robin placed her hand on Eddie's knee, "Eddie you didn't do anything wrong."

"Maybe it was too soon."

"What was too soon?" Dustin interjected, "telling him you love him or moving in together?"

Eddie tilted his head down, "I- I don't know. Probably both."

"Eddie, listen to me," Eddie nodded, his head still facing the ground. "You did nothing wrong. You two have been together since forever, honestly I'm surprised the first I love you hadn't come up sooner, and he already agreed to moving in with you. You did nothing wrong."

"Then why is he so scared of me all of a sudden?"

"Eddie I'm sorry, I don't know. Is there anything I can do?"

"Just- just tell him I just want to talk to him. That I don't want him to be scared of me or feel unsafe around me. I just want him to be okay." Eddie had spent the last two days of his life trying to find Steve, being unsuccessful, then coming home to cry for hours before Wayne gets home late. If Steve was this afraid of him maybe it was better to give him his space and let him talk to Eddie when he was ready.

After another two hours or so of off and on conversations about Steve, trying to keep Eddie's mind off of Steve for a bit, and eventually ending back up on the Steve topic, Dustin and Robin started their journey home in the dark.

"I have no idea what I'm doing." dustin sighed

"Hey, it's ok. Why don't you come to Family Video when you're out of school tomorrow? I could use some help talking to steve."

Dustin nodded his head, "yeah."

June 9 1987, outside the Buckley residence, Hawkins Indiana

As Steve pulls up to the front of Robins, he sees her run from the window and out the door, locking it behind her. Steve watches as she opens the passenger side door and get in the car, "hi."

"Hey. How was the emergency? Is everything okay?" Robin knew very well there was no emergency, but if Steve thought she believed his bluff maybe it would calm him just a little bit.

Steve scrunched his eyebrows making a confused face, "emergency?"

"Yeah, you know, when you ran out of work yesterday."

"Oh right! Yeah that!" Steve's voice started to get louder as he got nervous. "Yeah everything is fine, everyone- everyone is fine."

Usually the car rides to work together are a lot more interesting, but today they kept finding themselves in an awkward silence. Most days Steve would rant about Eddie (in a good way) and Robin would talk about Vickie. (they had been going out for about a month at this point)

"Is there a tape in there?" Robin asked, pointing at the stereo of the car. She wanted to make the silence at least a little bit less torturous and her best bet was music.

Steve nodded, "yeah I think so."

When Robin turned the stereo on, the sound of Sweet Leaf by Black Sabbath filled the car. Oh god. Of course. Of course it's Eddie's fucking tape. Robin thought to herself. There is no way Steve was just listening to anything by Black sabbath on his own. It's good music, but just not Steve music. It's Eddie's music. Steve kept his eyes on the road as he took a deep breath in then out.

"Steve."

"Hm?"

"When are we going to talk about this?"

"Talk about what?"

"Eddie."

"Oh, um, I promise we will talk about it, just- just not right now."

Robin nodded calmly, "okay," she wasn't going to rush him. At least not until Dustin came to Family Video later that day.

A/N: I don't know if anyone actually payed this close of attention but the conversation that went on in the trailer, every time robin spoke to Eddie she started every sentence with his name. I put way too much thought into that for absolutely no reason. Remember to drink water!