Hypotheticals

8-His Vickie

Eddie put his face into his hands. He waited. He parted his finger to see Robin smiling proud, as if her child recieved straight As. She brought a hand to his shoulder, and then her other hand to his other shoulder.  She pulled him in for a tight hug. 

"Oh, Eddie. You big, stinking dingus. I love you so much did you really think I'd not support you or something? Literally look at me!" She began rubbing circles on his back and he sobbed. He came out to someone for the first time ever. And they support him. He doesn't deserve such a good friend. 

She let go and he made eye contact, finally. 

"Oh Eddie, baby don't cry." She cupped his cheeks and wiped the tears from his face. She smiled at him, and he at her. One more brief hug and they began to talk. 

"So, is there someone? Do you have a Vickie?" He nodded, face flushing. She beamed at him.

"Do you want to tell me who it is?" He shook his head no. He couldn't use his words yet. 

"That's okay, you can when you're ready. I know how scary this can be. And now I fully believe you and I absolutely know you aren't lying, but are you sure he is the person? I wouldn't want you to make a move on the wrong person, someone you didn't truly like." He didn't say or do anything. 

Was Steve the right person?

"H-how do I know? How do I know if he's the right person? How did you know?" She smiled at him. "Well I asked myself questions." Eddie, fairly eager blurted "Questions like what?"

"Did I want to spend all my time with her?"

Eddie very much wanted to spend all the time in the world with Steve. 

"Did I want to hold her hand?" 

He wanted to hold Steve's hand.

"Did I like more than just her looks?"

He liked the way Steve was as a whole, his demeanor, his gait, his gentleness, his stubborness, his utterly annoying tendancies. 

"Would I feel comfortable kissing her?" 

Eddie's stomach tossed and turned even at the thought of kissing Steve. 

"Would I be confident enought to tell her? or others?"

Oh; would he? Eddie couldn't tell if he could tell anyone but Robin. And Steve, forget it. 

"Yeah. I think he's my Vickie, Robin." He felt his face burn, and Robin smiled gleefully. 

---

Steve was driving fast. He was late for work again. Nobody would really care, as long as he showed up, but he cared. 

As he pulled up he felt his stomach burn. He parked right beside the chunky white van he had grown so accustomed to. He got out of the car, careful not to hit the van with his car door. Just what he needed, honestly. Yet another run in with Eddie freaking Munson. 

 He bent down to look at his reflection in the side mirror. He ran his fingers through his hair, fixing it. 

He exhaled, and walked into the store. "Hey, Stevie boy! Finally showed." Eddie was smiling at him from the corner of the counter. He seemed to have been heavily involved in conversation with Robin. He greeted them both silently. Robin was slightly concerned for him, but she thought it best not to ask, he can be moody it was normal. 

It did not seem like Eddie was here to rent a movie. He looked like shit. No literally Steve thought he looked like he'd been to hell and back. At least he was smiling. Steve sat down behind the counter and observed. They had two customers in at the moment. Two teenage girls, looking for a rom-com. 

Meanwhile, Eddie was observing Steve. He and Robin's conversation had fizzled out, and they sat in comfortable silence. Eddie knew all the crying in self doubt last night didn't help his appearance. He was afraid Steve had noticed, he didn't want him to think he was unstable. He's not unstable. He's fine, completely stable. Robin could back him up. 

Steve was thinking that unfortunately, he could definitely get used to working all week, and having Eddie visit everyday. 

Robin watched Eddie for a bit. Aside from the roughness, she could tell something was different. Nothing bad, just different. She followed his eyes. She was met with her other best friend. huh. She looked back at Eddie. Then back to where his eyes were. They moved to steve's hands. odd. 

She went back to work, sorting the new releases and the boxes of movies the two employees were too lazy to un pack. 

"Wha- Steve!! Why didn't we open these earlier?!" She pointed to the box, holding a movie. He turned and looked at her confused. "Look, The Goonies!" 

"Oh, I wasn't a fan of that at all." Steve said flatly. Eddie frowned. 

"I actually quite loved that movie it was, compelling. No yeah I fucking loved it." 

"I'll watch it again see if my opinions change." Steve smiled sociably. Eddie fought the urge to smile hard. 

"You- fucker- get- down-" Robin was hopping up and down trying to reach a box on the top shelf. "Help please." she pleaded. Eddie being closer, signaled that he will help. He went on his tippy toes attempting to reach. He stretched his arms up. 

Steve watched in amazement? No bewilderdement? No definitely not. Steve watched in near awe. Eddie's shirt rose up, exposing a section of Eddie's hip, his skin was a ghostly white. Why did he wear his pants so low. Steve close his eyes and turned his head away. 

And then he looked back. And then away. And then back again. He didn't like the way this made him feel. To rid the feeling, he moved his eyes up to Eddie's face. That didn't help. He was heavily concentrated on the task, tongue sticking out the side of his mouth. Steve felt like he was melting, hundred of teeny fires burning him down to the floor. He doesn't like this feeling, he doesn't like it at all. 

Eddie's hands grasped at the box and he pulled it down with ease. He plopped it onto the counter, where Robin was working. He looked over at Steve, who broke eye contact remarkably fast. Steve's glare could have burned holes in the counter. Eddie fixed his shirt and walked out from behind the counter. 

"Robin, should I rent a movie for tonight?" He walked over to the new releases section. 

"I don't know yeah give us money please." She made a pouty face and the two laughed. Steve looked up and cleared his throat. 

"You should get the one that came out last summer. Alex P. Keaton, with the car and the guy who tried to bang his mom." Steve said, dully. "Dude, that's not the plot of the movie, dingus." Robin whacked him across the back of his head. 

"It's Back to the Future, he wants you to rent Back to the Future." Robin clarified, shaking her head. Eddie smiled. He found that wholesome, cute. "Okay! Now where to find this?" Steve didn't offer, but then Eddie called on him. "You gonna show me or not, H?" Steve looked up. He was H. He liked that name. 

"Can't Ro-" He looked over but Robin was at the counter helping the two aforementioned teenagers pay. She winked at him. He sighed. "Okay it's over here." He gave Eddie a slight push on the shoulder to lead the way. When Steve wasn't looking, Eddie touched his shoulder, where Steve had pushed. Today felt like the greatest day in a long time. Yeah he definitely found his Vickie. 

Don't get your hopes up, Eddie, he thought to himself, it's not gonna happen.