Darling [Steve x Eddie]

Chapter 16

When Eddie made it into Robin's room, Steve was already splayed out on her carpet with a bag of sour patch kids in his lap.

"Nice of you to join us, Munson," he teased lazily, looking up at Eddie who was breathless at the door.

"Fuck you."

Steve raised an eyebrow, which would have usually sent Eddie's gaydar off the charts, but this was Steve Harrington.

"Don't answer that," he muttered instead.

Robin furrowed her own eyebrows and looked questioningly at Eddie.

He shook his head to dismiss whatever assumptions she was making.

She shrugged dubiously and then reached out her hands to him.

"Come on, Eddie, join me!"

He glanced one more time at Steve, who was picking through the bag of candy, before he allowed himself to be pulled onto Buckley's bed.

"So..." She patted her knees in an off-beat rhythm. "If you're ready to tell me..."

He sighed.

"Fine, but let's not make this a big deal, okay? I promise you, I am completely alright."

"Doesn't sound like it," Robin murmured.

"What was that, babe?" Eddie pretended that he didn't hear what she said.

"Nothing." She grinned.

"Thought so."

Steve sprang up from the carpet and abandoned the half-eaten bag of candy on Robin's bookshelf.

"What did I miss?" he asked, slipping onto the bed beside her.

"Not you too!" Eddie groaned.

Robin pulled Steve closer, locking an arm around his neck.

"Oh, come off it, Eddie! He already knows, so what's the difference?"

"It's hard to talk about it!" he exclaimed. "If you know so much, why don't you talk instead?"

Robin's grin softened.

"Sorry.... if you don't feel ready or you don't want Steve to be here, we can do this later."

"What do you mean later?" Steve looked offended. "I'm in this for the long haul! I thought we were sleeping over!"

"Aw, cute," Eddie grinned. "Needed a break from babysitting, Harrington?"

"Damn right!" Steve said without an ounce of shame. "I can't stay on my hot-mom shit if the kids are mixing with work."

"And I'm work?" Eddie guessed.

"You said it, not me," Steve shrugged.

Robin choked on a laugh.

"You're supposed to be on my side," Eddie hissed, smiling in spite of himself.

"Hey, leave me out of whatever this is!" she exclaimed.

"This is a subject change," he laughed. "Let's talk about me instead."

He grinned winningly.

Robin leaned forward and grabbed his hands again, squeezing them tightly in her fists.

"Only if you're ready."

He glanced between her and Steve.

Harrington was staring at him with an incredible intensity, which Eddie had to quickly look away from, and Buckley simply appeared concerned.

He closed his eyes and took another deep breath.

"I got high last night and when I woke up, there was all of this." He lifted the sleeves of his sweatshirt to reveal the cuts along his arms.

Robin's eyes widened.

"I'd like to say that it was an accident, but I've done it enough times sober to know that it wasn't." He looked apologetically at Steve, who was chewing on his lips.

Eddie freed one of his hands from Robin's grip and wrapped his fingers around Steve's wrist, connecting him to their little bubble.

"What happened with Chrissy, losing her, and then all of the twisted shit down there," he pointed to the floor to indicate the Upside Down, "it really messed with me. I've always kept a streak of hate towards myself and I swear that crap stretched it."

In the silence that followed, Robin wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him again, softer than before. After a moment, Steve leaned in as well, but he pulled Eddie's head to his shoulder.

Running his hands through Eddie's hair, he pressed his mouth onto the top of his head.

Eddie froze.

It wasn't like Harrington was being romantic or anything, but it felt so good.

He almost sighed into his neck.

Then, just as quickly as they touched, the three of them unraveled themselves and sat facing each other again.

"Thanks for telling us," Robin said. "I think I speak for both Steve and myself when I say that we will do anything we can to help you."

Eddie smiled softly.

"I think I just need more of this," he replied.