Hypotheticals

16- Formalities and nervous crushing

Steve cannot remember where His jacket went. He has other ones, sure but this one is his favourite. It was now pouring so hard that the walk from his car to the front door was enought to soak his hair and splatter all over his shirt. He runs up to his room and jerks open his dresser to switch into a dry shirt. He chooses a grey and green polo shirt. From there he moves into the bathroom to give his hair a quick blowdry. 

The loud drone of the blowdryer blocked out the knocking at the door. Loud, solid knocks. His parents were at a dinner party just outside of Hawkins, so nobody else was there to answer. Steve continues along, drying his hair. He was about to turn the blowdryer off and style his hair when he saw something in the corner of his eye. He unplugs the machine and turns to the bathroom window. Small little pebbles are flying up at the window. Steve looks out to see who the hell would be throwing shit at his window, and low and behold, he feels thousands of bricks lift from his shoulders. 

"Eddie?" Steve rushes down to the front door, completely abandoning his hair routine. Nearly tripping three times, he's finally at the door and fumbling with the lock. He swings the door open and there Eddie is, drenched, wearing Steve's coat. 

Steve's heart drops. Without skipping a beat he grabs Eddie's face. There was no time for formalities and nervous crushing.  His lip and cheekbone have tiny cuts upon them, dripping blood. The rain dripping down his face make his bruised eye more noticable. Steve is speechless. He didn't even close the front door. He couldn't tell if Eddie was crying before, but as soon as Steve's hands met his face, the tears began. 

Still without saying a word, Steve brings him up to his bedroom. Eddie sits silently on the bed, while Steve grabs tissues and a bandage. He returns to the room and sits facing Eddie. It breaks his heart to see Eddie like this. Steve gently dabs the tissues over Eddie's injuries. The injured hisses and Steve immediately pulls away. Eddie nods at him to keep going and Steve continues tending to the cuts. He finishes by putting the bandage on Eddie's cheekbone. His hand lingers after it was applied, and Eddie tried not to lean into it. There wasn't time for that kind of stuff, that's why he's in this mess, anyway. 

Steve puts his hands in his lap. He makes eye contact with Eddie. Eddie is shivering and his lip is trmbling.  

"Eddie, what- What happened, are you okay?" Eddie hides his face in his hands and mumbles something Steve doesn't quite hear. "Speak up, please Eddie." A defeated sigh escapes Eddie's mouth. 

"My uncle," He breaks eye contact by looking to the neat piles of clutter around Steve's room. "He's not a bad guy, I promise but sometimes he gets mad." His uncle? Steve thought he wasn't back for a few days. Oh. The asshole with the high beams. "Okay, so what about your uncle, Dee, tell me what happened." Steve puts his hand on Eddie's shoulder, rubbing circles. 

"Your cologne is very strong sometimes." Steve furrows his eyebrows. "And if you don't spend half of your waking hours with you, you notice it. My uncle calls me a queer sometimes. He loves me, but not all of me. He noticed the cologne, Steve." Steve's stomach felt like it was falling for miles. Was this his fault? Eddie took a breather. He continued to explain what happened. 

He explained how his uncle saw Steve driving away from their trailer. He explained how his uncle complained that their couch smelled of cologne that neither of them wear. He explained how Steve's jacket was draped on the side of the couch, and how his uncle threw it at him. he explained how all the pieces fit together in the wrong puzzle. 

---

"Eddie you don't wear this type of shit. Who's is it?" He threw the coat at Eddie. Eddie picked it up and tried walking away. His uncle grabbed his arm, stopping him. He was whipped around to face the man. "I said, who's is it?" Eddie kept his mouth shut. "Who's FUCKING coat is this Eddie?" Eddie's voice was small. "Steve." 

Who's Steve, huh? Your boyfriend? You know there's one thing that I don't tolerate under my roof. So you better quit faggoting around in my house. Do you hear me?" Eddie didn't respond to the man shouting at him. In return, he felt a quick impact on his cheek.  

"Y-you hit me. You fucking punched me." Eddie was stunned. His uncle was not a physical person, not like this. "I am sick and tired of you not listening to me so yes. I hit you. I'm teaching you a lesson."

Eddie was in rough shape when his uncle was through with him. He grabbed the jacket and locked himself in his bedroom. He grabbed his walkman and got under the covers. He barely moved for two days. 

---

"I know he's going to apologize soon, but I couldn't breath in there,  I had to go somewhere." Eddie finishes his story. Steve engulfs him in a hug. Eddie hesitates, but accepts. 

"Oh my god, Eddie, how- why didn't you come to me sooner? O-or Robin or-hell Dustin even?" He wouldn't say it , but part of him is glad Eddie chose him. "I don't know, part of me thought I deserved it. Holed up in that little room. I wasn't doing what my uncle said I was, but he did a hack of a job convincing me." Eddie wipes tears from his face. Realization hits Steve once more. 

"God, it was my fault you're even like this in the first place, I mean it's my jacket." He motions to the jacket that Eddie is wearing. "I shouldn't even wear this cologne, people hate it. Oh my god I'm so sorry I can't believe I- it's-" Now it was Eddie's turn. He grabs Steve's shoulders and looks him in the eyes. "Hey, hey, hey it's not your fault, okay. Wrong place, wrong time." Steve nods. Neither of them acknowledge what Wayne has accused them of doing, or being. 

"Wait circle back. Why did you think you deserved it? talk to me a bit more Eddie." Eddie avoids eye contact. "I-I don't know I guess my life feels like it's going so downhill sometimes. All the things that people say about me, all the names they call me, I feel like they're right sometimes. Sometimes I don't feel like I deserve to live. And sometimes it hurts, Steve, sometimes it really hurts." With the last sentence, fresh tears roll down his face. 

"And then  I think, well who would miss me? Nobody really cares about me-" 

"Eddie Munson you shut your mouth right now. You have so many people who will miss we canre about you, I care about you. I think you deserve to like all the time in the world."

"Yes but Steve- You, and Robin, and sure Dustin, you are the only people I'm living for, at this point." His rambling takes a turn. He can't help himself. "You guys are what make me feel things still. The kid, he gives me hope, and Robin is my crutch thrugh life, she cares about me. And you. You- you make me feel. You are, crazy. You make me feel things no guy should feel about another guy. You, its you it's all you." 

The beans poured out, the cats went flying out of the bag. 

(Author notes are fun) I had a near death expirence while writing. Somehow the entire chapter got deleted and i perished, i was dead. but handy little ctrl z ;)