Mark My Words; They're Gonna Be True - A Steddie Love Story

Tentpole Shangrila

It was a slow day at Family Video, as it often was. Robin and Steve were struggling to keep themselves occupied, or rather, Robin was, as her best friend had resorted to pointless busy work. She stood behind the main desk, looking for another tape between the ones she had set out much earlier in the day for their next store movie.

Not that it mattered, they were the only ones there. But Robin still liked the noise.

Steve trailed around the store, cart in tow, as he re-organized the shelves and stocked in some newer movies, also carrying around cleaner, as the evening sun shone through the front windows, displaying a thin coat of dust on each shelf.

It was like that for a while, Robin shuffling through tapes, rewinding some, and Steve managing shelves. It was peaceful, and although they were immensely bored, they felt good for the first time in weeks.

Maybe it was the warm sun soaking the small store, or because the impending sense of dread was gone. Whatever the reason, they were both very grateful for this chunk of silence that they got to share together.

Steve, however, could not stay quiet as Robin heightened the volume of the box TV behind the desk, and began to hum. Nothing obnoxious, just a small, building, steady note that turned into an opening sequence. He moved to the back of the store reaching the final few shelves, the horror genre, their biggest selection, as he opened his mouth and began to softly sing, the sound of 'Monty Python and The Holy Grail' disappearing as his voice took over.

He was in it. He was glad there was no one present in the store as he moved about, gracefully moving the cart along with the notes he sang, restocking the shelves and cleaning them nonchalantly, to his own beat.

He felt confident.

Eddie, however, did not.

He was freaking out, and despite how often he did that, this freakout seemed ten times worse than any he'd had in the past few months, and he survived the Upside Down.

So this was saying something.

He burst into Family Video, the little bell above the door sounding his arrival. Robin looked up quickly, though her comfortable position of leaning against the desk was unmoving.

"Oh, hey, Eddie!" she said brightly, her eyebrows raising at the sight of the metalhead. He returned her smile. Tightly.

"Afternoon, Buckley."

"Ooh, I've heard that tone before. What's got your panties in a twist?"

"A dinner get-together at the Cunninghams, along with Jason."

Her eyebrows nearly reached the ceiling now as her mouth became agape, but he continued, pretending to ignore her dumbfounded expression.

"I said I'd bring a movie, and I will, but I also wanted to pick up some stuff for me. Now, I already know what the Cunninghams like, so that'll be an easy pick, but have you guys got anything new in horror? I want something to laugh at, especially since I've already been to hell and back."

Robin closed her mouth and nodded enthusiastically.

"Steve should be over there right now, he's been stocking up for the past hour. Real workaholic, he is."

"Eh, I think he just likes to keep busy." Eddie inhaled, the smell of lemon cleaner filling his nostrils. "Such a mom."

Robin snorted in agreement as Eddie walked to the back section, browsing the first few shelves as Robin began turning down the movie, a new sound breaking through to his ears.

At first, he thought it was the movie, but he had heard Monty Python many times because of his uncle, and he had no recollection of the steady singing he heard now. He walked to the next set of shelves, the sound getting louder, and peeked through an opening of some adjacent tapes on the wood.

He was given a clear window to the brunet man before him, the one who was swaying to his own words as he worked, the words he sang almost missing Eddie's ears as he admired the taller man.

He listened to the lyrics, each one captivating him, looking at Steve intently as he effortlessly let the words slip out.

Let me down, this is freaking me out

All of this attention turns the glamorous on its side

Oh, yeah

Alright

This Tentpole Shangrila displays this paradise in new light

Eddie looked on as Steve continued to stock and clean the shelves, pulling the cart behind him and lazily raking his eyes over the VHS covers.

He looked so at peace, the sun reaching the back corners of the store at just the right angles, hitting Steve's honey-brown eyes. The sight made Eddie's heart stutter as Steve resumed his melody, his voice sounding clear and sure.

So mark my words, 'cause

They're gonna be true

If you don't change your insides they'll take enemies over you

Oh, yeah

Alright

This Tentpole Shangrila has got its sights between your eyes

Steve concluded his song as he turned around to face the shelf which Eddie spied through, causing the shorter man to quickly whip his head around and clap a hand over his mouth, using the shelves to steady himself.

He could feel a blush creep up his neck as the full realization of what he saw, what he heard, what he thought of Steve washed over him, shock taking over as he dropped his hand, breathing heavily.

He didn't notice when Steve turned the corner and into his aisle, seeing him and softly smiling.

"Munson! Didn't expect to see you here," Steve joked, but his smile faded once he saw that Eddie wasn't bantering back, or making a snarky comment about how lame he was.

"Hey, Eddie, you alright?" He said, waving a hand in front of the metalhead's face.

Nothing.

Flashbacks of the past few months clouded Steve's mind as he frantically tried to think of a reason why Eddie wasn't responding that wasn't...

No. It was impossible. He was dead. The gates were closed.

Eddie didn't fight him just to become a victim.

"Eddie," he said softly, placing both hands on the other man's shoulders, leaning down slightly to his height. Once he saw that the shorter man's eyes were downcast and not rolled back, he exhaled with relief. He shook him slightly, smiling softly once the quiet man met his gaze. "You okay?"

Eddie quickly backed away, Steve's hands falling to his sides as his face dropped, but only for a second. Eddie didn't notice as he held eye contact, trying to remember how to speak, his cheeks flaring.

"Yeah... Yeah, I'm good, man."

He grabbed a movie from the shelf, not bothering to look at it.

"See, got my movie!"

Steve looked at him, doubtful about his confirmation, but let him go nonetheless.

"Enjoy it, Munson! It's a new release!" Steve called as the flushed metalhead scurried to the desk.

He hastily grabbed ABBA: The Movie and rented it along with the horror VHS. He thanked Robin quickly, making no retaliation to Steve's remark, instead running out the door and into his van, speeding home.

Oh, he was most definitely, royally fucked.

~~