Darling [Steve x Eddie]

Chapter 14

"Hate to interrupt this... lovely display of public affection, but could you show me how to use your microwave?"

Eddie and Robin broke apart and looked over to the hallway boarding the entryway, where Steve stood with a stupid grin on his face.

"Oh. My. God. Again, Steve?" Robin huffed, but she was smiling too. "It's not that hard! You just have to click 'start' and it will turn on."

She walked past him into the kitchen and left Eddie alone with Steve beside the front door.

"Hey..." Steve pressed his lips together in a show of awkwardness.

Eddie tucked his hands behind his back, fiddling with his rings.

"Hi," he said quickly, before crouching down to untie his shoes.

Steve lingered in the corner of his vision, so he looked up at him and gave a thin smile.

"You don't have to wait for me, I'm sure Robin wants to show you the mechanics of her kitchenware again."

Steve stifled a laugh and briefly looked over his shoulder into the kitchen to make sure that Robin wasn't in earshot.

"Honestly, it's easier if she just does it for me," he whispered confidingly. "I'll never remember the order."

Eddie found himself grinning, even though Steve's comment had hardly been the most amusing thing.

But maybe it was because Steve was acting like they had secrets, just between the two of them.

And it thrilled Eddie.

"Yeah, I've never attempted to use anything electric in her house," he admitted in the spirit of confession. "Her dad gets new household technology sent to him every month through some catalogue subscription and they always look like they're about to explode when they're plugged in."

Steve laughed quietly.

Somehow he had ended up beside Eddie and he offered a hand down to pull him up.

Eddie chucked his shoes to the side and gratefully took it, a little disgusted at the twist he felt in his stomach when Steve's skin touched his. It was like the moment that happened between them earlier in the day, when Steve's hand found it's way to Eddie's chest.

They were eye to eye now and Steve looked like he was about to say something.

Eddie shook his hand instead, with a firm smile to mask his nervous energy.

"Thanks, Harrington," he stumbled out. "You know, for everything you did this morning."

Steve exhaled.

"No problem, Eddie."

They stood in awkward silence for a moment, facing each other, hand still together. Steve was running his index finger absently over Eddie's fanged-skull ring.

"Yeah."

Steve bit the corner of his lip slightly, eyes downcast.

"Yeah."

Then he looked back up at Eddie and smiled.

"Can I hug you? I feel like I need to absorb some of the energy that Robin just transferred to you. She hardly ever hugs me like that. Not to say that we don't hug, but yeah, never that tightly. And I also want to because, you know, what happened when I came to your trailer."

He was either completely rambling, or Eddie was totally reading to much into everything.

All the same, Steve looked sort of nervous and cute, and Eddie didn't want to leave him hanging.

"Of course," he said softly, leaning in and pulling Steve's arms around him.

Instant calm.

Eddie started wondering why he hadn't done this before.

Steve Harrington, contrary to popular belief, gave the best hugs on the planet, Eddie decided immediately. It even topped Robin's choking squeeze of an embrace.

But this wasn't a Robin hug at all.

Steve's hands crawled their way almost naturally to Eddie's waist and he kept his chin tucked protectively over Eddie's shoulder.

"Fuck, why didn't you hug me way sooner, Harrington?" Eddie murmured into his ear.

"Didn't get the chance," Steve whispered. "You were incapacitated in a hospital bed and then I ruined our entire friendship."

"Water under the bridge if you can hug like this."

"Anytime."

There was a shuffle from behind them and Eddie looked up to see Robin holding a tray of snacks.

"Uhhh... what the fuck is going on?" She gaped. "You guys are supposed to, like, hate each other or something?"

"Right, yeah." Steve lightly shoved Eddie away with a suppressed smile. "I hate your guts and all that."

"Ditto," Eddie smiled back.

"Aww," Robin pouted. "Does this mean Steve can stay?"

Eddie looked over at Steve and raised an eyebrow.

"I dunno. Are you going to randomly decide to trip me again?"

Steve pretended to look hurt and then he got down on one knee dramatically.

"Unless a too-good-to-pass-up opportunity arrives, I solemnly—."

"Oh, come off of it," Eddie interrupted him with a light knock on the head, the corners of his mouth turning up.

"Whatever you say," Steve sighed comedically.

Robin clapped profusely from where she stood observing them.

"Bravo!" she called. "Now who wants to talk about Eddie?"

"I don't," Eddie said just as Steve shouted, "Yes! Time to confront!"

"Perfect, let's go up to my room, shall we boys?"

Eddie groaned, but he let them drag him along anyways.

He could tell that this was going to be a long night.