When The Sun Rises - Steve Harrington x Eddie Munson

Part Seventeen - Eddie

[Trigger warning for homophobia, homophobic slurs, and blood]

Eddie ate his burger in silence. It was bland and overcooked, but hey, it was food. Steve sat in the driver's seat, picking through his fries. He looked as if he had a specific order of eating them. He quietly muttered something to himself as he chose each fry properly.

"Were you saying something?" Eddie asked after a little bit. His burger remained half-finished, wrapped in the unnaturally yellow wax paper.

"Hm?" Steve looked up from his food. "No, just thinking out loud. I have a process," he chuckled to himself.

"A process?"

"Yeah," he returned his gaze to the nest of fries in his hands. "I can't really describe why, but everything has to be eaten in a certain order."

"I get it," Eddie picked at the corner of the paper. "Like if it's not done correctly the whole world feels off kilter."
"Exactly," Steve smiled. "I'm so glad you get it."

"'Course, man," Eddie shoved the half eaten burger back into the paper take-out bag.

Steve paused. "Are... you not going to finish it?"

"Nah," he replied, "something about this is just suddenly unappetising."

"Hm," he hesitated, "do you want a fry?" He held out the red cardboard for Eddie.

He couldn't help but smile as he took a fry.

Steve was everything, he radiated with a warmth that Eddie had never felt before. He wore his heart on his sleeve, his incandescence lit up any space he occupied. He was sunlight trapped in human form. His eyes glittered like reflections on the sea, happiness infecting Eddie from just proximity. The brilliance of Steve's soul was evident in everything he did. It glimmered and glittered through everything. Every time he comforted Eddie, or looked after Dustin, anything he did illuminated the pure goodness that he was.

All he ever wanted to do was to bask in his glorious sunlight.

He leaned across the glovebox in the centre of Steve's car, resting his head on his shoulder and threading his arm through Steve's. He pressed his eyes shut as he buried his face into his neck.

A trail of soft, tame kisses passed over his skin. Steve tilted his head to the side, letting Eddie's lips dance up his neck. His jawline was well defined, silky under his affection.

Steve turned to him, their noses brushing against each other. Hands fusing, their lips connected in a simple flare of passion.

This kiss was brief, a simple bond of an even simpler tenderness. Their eyes lingered on each other, as if they were magnetised. Arms crossed over each other, their bodies bundled together across the glovebox.

"I love it when you kiss me like that," Steve breathed.

"Like this?" Eddie murmured back, pressing his lips to Steve's again, hands sliding to his waist.

They bled into one another, becoming like all the stars in a night sky: beautiful, whole, separate from everyone and everything else. The light that came off them was blinding, encompassing them in pure bliss. Even just kissing was the purest thing Eddie had ever felt. The hands that caressed under his shirt. The feeling of the hair that brushed his forehead. Every touch dripped with liquid gold.

But this image, as alluring as it was, shattered in an instant, with a rough sound of shattering glass against the car window. The two of them instantly pulled apart. A figure outside of the car jeered at them.

"You fucking faggots!" the man screamed, audible through the window. "Keep it to your fucking selves!" He slammed his fist against the glass, causing it to shake.

"Fuck, Steve, start the car," Eddie pressed his hands to his face.

"Trying," Steve muttered, fumbling for the keys.

The man slammed against the window again. "Thats right, queers, fucking run away," he taunted. Eddie watched as Steve's hand hesitated over the key.
"Steve," he pleaded.

But he didn't listen, and instead his hand reached for the door handle. Eddie grasped for Steve's arm.
"Eds, I'll be okay," he promised. "I can't let someone do this."

"Steve, please," Eddie tried again.

But he was already outside.
And Eddie could only watch. The air rang with silence, watching the movie that began to unfold in front of him.

The fight happened in slow motion, yet somehow was over before Eddie could blink. Steve threw a punch, a right hook into the man's jaw. He stumbled but didn't fall. A small amount of shimmering blood decorated Steve's fist.

The man attacked him, slamming his own curled hand into Steve's gut. He doubled over, clutching his stomach, and the man swung again, straight into his forehead.

He couldn't take it any more, and Eddie pushed his own door open. He fumbled for the switchblade in his pocket, but of course it was still missing. It didn't matter. Steve couldn't beat this guy in a fight.

The man turned to Eddie, but didn't punch first. Eddie's rings cut into the man's face, spilling crimson over his hand and onto the pavement.

"Fucking freaks," the man spit, holding his hand to the cuts that had opened on his face. He turned and walked away.

As soon as he relented, Eddie ran to where Steve sat on the curb, hands holding his bloodied face. Thick, dark blood poured from his nose, cascading down his lips and into his lap.

He sat next to the bleeding man, and slowly pulled his hands away from his face. "Are you alright?"

Steve laughed and spit blood onto the concrete. "I'm fine," he assured him, but his nose was crooked, and his face wrinkled in pain.

"I don't know how to fix a broken nose," Eddie used his sleeve to mop up some of the blood on Steve's face.

"You don't need to fix it, Eds, I'm okay."
"Why the fuck didn't you start the car?"

Steve pulled away, staring into his blood soaked hands.

"How could I? I saw the look on your face. He can't just get away with saying shit like that."
"You don't understand. People like them kill people like us. If he had a knife, trust me, you wouldn't have gotten out with just a broken nose," Eddie gently tried to rub off more of the red staining his face.
"I couldn't do nothing. I couldn't let him say that shit," Steve sniffed and then winced as the air passed through his nose.

He sighed and relaxed a little. "I know you couldn't... Thank you for protecting me." He leaned in and gently pecked Steve on the lips. His blood was metallic and warm, and Eddie chuckled as he wiped it off. "I... I forgot you were bleeding," he cringed.

Steve's face was flushed. "Dumbass," he laughed, avoiding eye contact.

"Is something wrong?" Eddie asked, gingerly lifting Steve's face up to look at his eyes.

"Not at all," the corners of his eyes crinkled in an embarrassed smile. "It's just... I think you're hot, Eddie Munson."

Eddie laughed, his shoulders heaving joyously. "Is it because of the blood?"

"Can we go?" Steve diverted.

"Yeah, c'mon, let's get you cleaned up." He stood and offered his hand to help Steve up.