Steddie Hands, Steddie Heart

Chapter 2 - The Meeting

Author's Note: Volume 2 officially destroyed me. Here's some Steddie to cope.

Steve didn't understand why he was so on edge about a simple movie night at the Munson household. What did he have to be nervous about? He was watching one of his favorite movies with some of his favorite people. And yet he had spent the last hour trying to pick out an outfit and worrying about what to bring. Worrying so much, in fact, that he called Robin over to help him calm his nerves by giving much-appreciated advice.

"I say go with the regular blue jeans and the white tee with the stripes," Robin said from where she was laying on her side on Steve's bed.

Steve held up the shirt to his chest and looked into his floor-length mirror. He started smoothing down his hair nervously with his other hand. Even Steve could recognize that he hadn't been looking his best recently. Although he hadn't told anyone, Steve hadn't been sleeping well lately. He felt like every time he closed his eyes he was back at the lake, getting dragged into the Upside Down by Vecna. Or getting eaten alive by demobats. The bags under his eyes were proof of this sleeplessness he had been experiencing. As Steve looked closely at his face in the mirror, he couldn't help but think that the dullness of his eyes and pale skin made him look dead.

"Steve? You good, buddy?"

Steve turned to eye Robin. Her brows were furrowed in worry and the corners of her mouth were tilted down. Steve forced a grin as wide as he could muster.

"Sorry. I'm good. Just zoned out." He replied, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Right," Robin said, only frowning deeper. "Did you call Nancy? Is she coming too?"

"Yup," Steve replied.

Robin's frown seemed to dissipate at least slightly. Steve wondered what had happened between her and Nancy when they separated from the group to interview Victor Creel together, but anytime he pushed Robin to share details, she shut down. Steve just prayed that Robin wasn't developing a crush on Nancy, solely because he didn't want to see Robin get hurt. In his experience, Nancy was definitely straight.

"I'll be right back," Steve said, heading towards the bathroom to change into the clothes Robin had helped him pick out.

He returned not long after to get Robin's approval on his outfit.

"How do I look?" he asked.

'You look fine." Robin answered.

"Fine?"

Robin raised a brow. "Jesus, Steve we're going to Eddie's place. You're not going on a date or anything. Relax. You look okay."

Steve pursed his lips. Robin was right. Steve wasn't sure why he was so invested in picking out an outfit just to watch a horror movie with some friends.

"I just don't feel like having Eddie poke fun at my outfit, that's all," Steve mumbled.

"Since when do you care about Eddie's comments on your clothes?" Robin commented, eyes narrowing.

Steve rolled his eyes. "Since never. I just don't have the energy to deal with his antics today, that's all."

After taking a look in his mirror, Steve decided he liked the outfit and chose to stick with it. He checked his watch. 5:52 pm.

"We should get going. Nancy said she'd meet us at Eddie's." Steve said, grabbing a family-sized bag of potato chips he bought for the occasion.

"Mkay," Robin replied.

And soon the pair were buckled into Steve's car and headed for Eddie's trailer.

* * *

As Steve and Robin climbed out of Steve's car, Nancy pulled up and parked behind them. The pair greeted Nancy.

"Hi, you guys!" Nancy exclaimed cheerfully.

For once she seemed to leave her tough exterior at home and looked ready to actually have some fun, which was rare for Nancy after saving the world for the fourth time and counting. She gave Steve a curt nod before practically gushing to Robin about the latest news story she was cooking up. Steve didn't miss the quick down-up glance Robin gave Nancy. He sighed at the pair before walking past them and knocking on the door to Eddie's trailer.

Before long, the trailer door swung open and Steve's eyes were greeted with the pleasant sight of frizzy brown hair and a faded Black Sabbath T-shirt. Eddie traded his usual ripped black skinny jeans for a pair of looser-fitting light blue ones. His knees still peeked out of rips in the denim and on his hands were his usual stack of chunky silver rings.

Steve didn't realize until it was too late that he had kind of given Eddie the same look that Robin had given Nancy. Woah, did he just check Eddie out? Steve blushed against his will.

What the hell was that? Steve thought to himself. Luckily, Eddie didn't seem to notice.

"Hey, Harrington!" Eddie greeted with a wide grin on his face.

"Hey, man what's up?" Steve said, returning a smile just as wide.

"Nothing much, I've just been setting stuff up." He replied.

Once the girls caught up to Steve and Eddie, they exchanged greetings and Eddie led everyone inside.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to my humble abode," Eddie remarked dramatically.

Humble abode was putting in kindly. The place looked clean, but it was dark, cramped, and smelled perpetually like weed. Not to mention the stain on the ceiling that never came off. Still, it looked like Eddie had tried his best to make the place welcoming. There were some blankets and pillows set up on the couch with a TV across from it and some lamps turned on in an attempt to mask the natural darkness of the room.

"Does anyone want a beer?" Eddie asked.

"I'll take one!" Robin said.

"Same here," Steve added.

Nancy politely declined, knowing that she was something of a lightweight when it came to alcohol and she had to drive herself home after the movie.

Everyone eventually made their way over to the small couch. Eddie and Steve sat next to each other on the couch while Nancy and Robin opted to sit on the floor next to each other, leaning their backs against the bottom half of the couch.

Eddie pressed play on his remote and the movie began.