iris. - steddie

10. his shirt

tuesday march 22, 1986

steve had dropped robin back off at home at around 9, they'd ended up talking about god knows what all day rather than anything productive.

whatever, it was still better than going to class would've been.

he got home, dropping his keys onto the kitchen counter with a loud clink.

it was so quiet. too quiet.

that was, until his doorbell rang loudly, almost causing him to jump out of his own skin.

'jesus christ—' he said quietly to himself, brows furrowed as he walked over to the door.

steve opened it to see eddie standing on the other side. it felt like ages since he'd seen his face.

he looked tired.

eddie's hair was wet as if he just showered, and he was wearing a black sabbath tshirt with yet another pair of black jeans with rips at the knees and small loose chains dangling from the side.

he could look at eddie for hours.

'i'm— i'm so sorry.' steve said, his hand moving off the doorknob as the older one still just looked at him. 'i shouldn't have just left, eddie. i..'

he stopped talking as he stepped in the doorway, arms wrapping loosely around steve without a word leaving his mouth as the door slowly closed behind him.

steve hesitated for a second before hugging him back, pushing his face into the crook of his neck.

'..you're not mad at me?' he said, voice muffled against the longer-haired one's neck.

eddie huffed a little, a small smile tugging onto his face. 'i'm not mad at you.'

steve's hands were still a little shaky, him taking notice immediately.

'hey, hey. it's okay harrington.' eddie backed up, looking at him and clasping steve's slightly larger hands in his.

steve looked down, seeing eddie's beaten up knuckles.

'oh my god, what happened?' he looked up at him in surprise, the once yellow bruises on his right hand were now speckled purple and red.

eddie smiled again, his eyes still on the small freckles that dotted steve's nose.

steve looked up, seeing the expression on his face.

'..why're you smiling?'

'my hand's bruised and you're acting like i got hit by a bus.'

'i— shut up.' steve frowned, eddie's smile only getting bigger.

the older one ran his thumb over steve's hand softly, biting at his lower lip. '..why did you leave though?'

'i was just.. i've never..' he paused, trying to collect the words scrambled in his head. 'i've never felt anything like how i felt in that trailer.'

eddie's eyes softened at him as he continued. that was very much possibly the most meaningful thing he'd ever heard leave steve 'the hair' harrington's mouth.