Steddie Hands, Steddie Heart

Chapter 10 - The Secret

Author's Note: Sorry for the later than usual update! I'm on vacation rn and once school starts up again for me, updates might not be as frequent. I'm still going to try my best to update weekly! I just wanted to give you guys a heads up. There will definitely be more chapters to come, thanks for supporting the fic so far!

"Eddie-" Steve started, breath rushed, before being pulled back into a kiss.

"Mmph-" Eddie replied, kissing Steve sweetly.

The two had been in the middle of a hardcore makeout sesh in the Family Video break room for the past half hour or so. Steve was sitting on the break table, thighs pressed against Eddie's sides, and Eddie was standing between Steve's legs. It was hard for Steve to grasp the fact that it'd been less than an hour since the pair had confessed feelings for each other. Being with Eddie just felt so natural. Their lips fit together like pieces of a puzzle. Unfortunately for the both of them, Steve was still technically on the clock.

Steve pushed lightly on Eddie's chest and Eddie, catching the hint, pulled away from the kiss.

"You okay? Did I do something wrong?" Eddie asked, concern evident in his tone.

"No, no, don't worry, you did nothing wrong."

Eddie let out a relieved breath and Steve couldn't help but feel a sense of endearment at the way the man across from him was always so careful to respect his boundaries.

"It's just that I'd really rather not get fired for neglecting my work duties," Steve explained.

Eddie was quick to reply with a quick, "Of course, yeah, I totally understand," before devolving into laughter.

"What- what is it?" Steve asked, utterly confused at the other boy's unprompted outburst.

Eddie stared Steve straight in the eyes. "You said doodies," Eddie said with a shit-eating grin.

Steve looked at the curly haired boy's brown eyes before breaking out into laughter himself, more amused by Eddie's antics than the joke itself. He grabbed Eddie's jaw and placed a quick, soft kiss to the other boy's lips.

"So childish, Munson," Steve said fondly.

"You think it's sweet," Eddie mused.

"I do," Steve admitted, "But I also really do have to get back to work now."

Eddie groaned and nuzzled into the crook of Steve's neck. Steve chuckled at the boy's reluctance to leave him and brought a hand up to play with Eddie's curls.

"How about this," Steve said into Eddie's hair, "You could pick me up after work and we could hang then, okay?"

Steve felt Eddie nod into his neck, and Steve placed a soft kiss on the top of Eddie's head before Eddie finally pulled away, satisfied with the compromise.

Steve watched as Eddie grabbed his vest from a nearby chair and threw it on, admiring the way his shirt rode up to reveal just a sliver of midriff. In that moment, Steve felt so lucky to be able to freely look at Eddie the way he was right then without fearing that someone might ridicule him for his attraction to a man.

And then, as these things typically go, the other shoe dropped.

Steve could see Eddie's features shift into something of a troubled expression. Steve stepped towards Eddie and grabbed his fidgeting hands, brow furrowed

"Hey, what's wrong?" Steve asked.

Eddie let out a heavy sigh. His eyes refused to meet Steve's.

"It's just... you know we can't tell anyone about this, right?" he said.

Steve felt a pang in his chest. They lived in small-town Hawkins, Indiana. It was the 80s. Of course they couldn't tell anyone. Steve felt stupid for imagining otherwise.

Steve swallowed hard before uttering a quick, "Uh, yeah. Right," voice thick with emotion.

Eddie must have noticed this because he grabbed Steve by the shoulders.

"Hey," he started, voice soft. Steve looked up to see an expression of adoration on the other man's face that made him melt. "You know I would love to tell people about you, right?" Eddie asked.

"You would?"

"Oh, yeah. Eddie 'The Freak' Munson and King Steve Harrington? We'd make local headlines," Eddie teased, earning a teary chuckle from the other boy.

"It's just not safe for us. And I'd hate to see anything happen to that pretty face of yours."

Steve blushed. He'd never been called pretty before. He never would've thought he'd enjoy it, but coming from Eddie's lips, it felt like the highest praise. Better than being called hot, even. Steve was starting to understand why the girls he dated in the past loved it when Steve called them pretty. It felt affectionate in the gentlest way.

"Can I at least tell Robin?" Steve tried, hopefully.

Eddie gave Steve a wide grin, which Steve returned gratefully.

"Yeah, pretty boy, you can tell Robin. She's good people. And she's one of us," Eddie said, wiping Steve's cheek where a stray tear had fallen.

One of us, Steve thought to himself, as in not straight. It felt so...other. After years of trying so hard to be normal, Steve was an "other." He liked it.

Steve smiled up at the metalhead in front of him before placing a kiss on his cheek and ushering him out of the break room. Steve noted that there weren't any customers in the store. Maybe he wouldn't get fired after all.

"I'm off at six, okay Munson?" he called after Eddie, who was making his way out if the store.

Eddie shot Steve an innocent wink, "I'll be here," before turning on his heel and exiting the store.

Steve couldn't help but note the way Eddie's tight jeans left little of his backside to Steve's imagination.

This boy is going to be the death of me, Steve thought to himself with a smile.