After All This Time (Steddie)

Ch. 21: Boom

A/N; I took a break to watch 3 seasons of ST back to back and I have no regrets. Sorry if you were dying for a new ch yesterday. I still love you. :3

I'm apologizing pre-emptively for time skips bc I don't feel like adding so much filler right now.

TW; I'm not sure how to preface this without ruining it. Just.. read cautiously. Violence and homophobia.

"Man, I don't want to go to school tomorrow. I don't even see the point." Dustin is loudly complaining from the backseat of Eddie's van. We both know he has school, and I have work that I am not looking forward to going back to. And I have to close the store.

"You have two more weeks, Henderson. It's not that bad." Eddie was one to talk. He hated school the entire time we were there and barely graduated by the skin of his teeth after having to come back as a super senior. But Dustin wasn't like him. Dustin wasn't like anyone. This kid is a genius and should have graduated way earlier just based on grades alone. All AP classes. He has his pick of colleges begging for him to be there.

"I'm so ready to be done with high school though, it's really got nothing left in it for me. I've learned everything that it has to offer. I'm valedictorian. Do I reeeally have to go? I could just crash at your place... My mom wouldn't even care that much!"

"Dustin, your mom would kill me if you missed the last two weeks of school and she knew you were at my place."

"I mean no, she wouldn't kill you. She wouldn't be happy with you but you wouldn't die, necessarily."

"Well too bad we're at your house now. So go on, off to bed with you child!" Eddie smiles, pulling into the driveway of Dustin's house.

"You're the worst. Fine, fine. I'll go. But I'm unhappy about it!"

"We love you too, Henderson." Dustin opens the door and hops out, flipping both me and Eddie off before running up to the front door.

-Back home-

"So, you ready for tomorrow?" Eddie pulls his feet up onto the couch, sitting cross legged on the couch next to me. I look down at my mug of tea unhappily. "No."

"What's got you so worried?"

"You know what's got me worried, Eds."

"Darlin, I promise I won't let anyone hurt you."

"That's what I'm worried about. You're going to get hurt in the process and I can't live with myself if anything happened to you. Not when we're this close."

Eddie sighs and rolls his eyes. "I won't be stupid about it, you know."

"You literally threatened him with a knife last time... and you're telling me you're not going to be stupid?"

"Well I can't use that knife for threats anymore..."

"And why's that?"

"Once it graced you, I can't bare the thought of tainting it with someone so horrible." My face flushes, and I then am aware of the stinging of the skin across my chest. I put my hand over my heart, mind filling with the memory all over again. "I will never comprehend how you can flip a subject on me so quickly."

"It's a talent." He smirks and stands up quickly. "We should go to bed. You have work tomorrow. No use in staying up all night worrying. We'll face it as it comes."

He's right. It's a little after 1 AM, and sleep does sound nice. We get ready for bed and he pulls me into his arms, whispering sweet nothings to me, and running his hands through my hair until I drift off into sleep.