Rock Steady (Steddie)

'86 Baby

Steve sat between Dustin and Wayne, Lucas and Mike on the other side of Dustin, his parents on the other side of Wayne. They waited in anticipation as Principal Higgins called out a litany of senior students' names. Each student filed across the stage, accepting their diploma and moving their tassels on their caps to the left before exiting the stage. Steve and the boys clapped heartily when Nancy Wheeler walked across the stage, then again when Robin Buckley crossed the stage. Wayne sat stiffly, nervous anticipation coursing through him.

When Chrissy walked across the stage, Steve smirked a little. He'd been a little jealous when Eddie had told him months ago that the love song he'd written had been about her. But now he had nothing to worry about. Eddie belonged to him, and people knew it. They weren't openly affectionate in public, but they didn't try to hide that they were in a relationship. It was common knowledge all over town.

Principal Higgins called Jeff's name. Steve and Wayne exchanged glances. They knew who was next. And when he called out Eddie Munson, a boisterous cheer rose from their small group sitting there. Steve and Wayne both beamed proudly as Eddie took his diploma and turned to face the crowd. Wayne held his breath, and Steve tensed. Eddie had never made a secret of the fact that he was going to flip off all of Hawkins, especially Higgins, once he had his diploma in hand. He raised one fist in the air, but instead of flipping everyone off, Eddie threw up the devil horns, then grinned and walked off stage, clutching his diploma for dear life. He'd finally done it.

After the ceremony, Eddie met his uncle and his friends in the parking lot. Wayne grabbed him and hugged him tight, holding back tears of pure joy and happiness. "I'm proud of you, son," he said, emotion clouding his voice. "Now, get the hell out of this town and make something of yourself." Eddie nodded as Wayne finally let go of him. "But make sure you come back to pay me a visit every now and then."

"Of course." He turned to Steve. "I did it, big boy."

"I'm proud of you, too." He folded Eddie into his arms and resisted kissing him. Instead, it was just a brief hug.

"Congratulations, Eddie," Steve's mom and dad said together.

He blushed. He was still nervous around them. "Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Harrington." He then turned to Dustin, Lucas, and Mike. "Thanks for coming," he told them. He held up his diploma. "I told you. Eighty-six is my year." He pulled the three of them into a hug.

"I knew you'd make it," Dustin said as Eddie put a hand on his shoulder while catching Steve's hand in his other. "I never doubted it."

"Boys?" Steve and Eddie turned their attention to Steve's father. "We're headed home. Don't be late." Steve's parents were hosting a celebratory dinner for all the boys and Wayne.

"Are Jeff and Gareth coming?" Eddie nodded in response to Wayne's question.

"We won't be late," Steve said, sneaking a sideways glance at Eddie. "We've got something to take care of. But we'll be there."

"Okay," Mrs. Harrington said. She gave both Steve and Eddie a kiss on the cheek. "We'll see you later."

**********

Steve parked at Skull Rock and Eddie got out of the car. Steve watched him walk to the rock formation and lean back against it, his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes glued to his shoes. After a moment, when Steve didn't get out of the car, he glanced up at Steve. He took a deep breath, dreading the conversation he knew they were about to have. Eddie had called him that morning, before the graduation ceremony, telling him that there was something they needed to talk about. Steve had no idea what Eddie was going to say, and if felt like someone had his heart in a death grip. In the back of his head, he was terrified that Eddie was going to break up with him. He took another deep breath when Eddie motioned for him to join him, then finally got out of the car. He approached Eddie slowly.