The Darkness Inside You (Steddie)

Friends With Benefits

Steve couldn't stop thinking about Eddie. What he'd said to Eddie had been true. He'd wanted him for years. His first day of high school, just a lowly freshman, he had seen Eddie in the hallway. He was a sophomore and Steve probably didn't even exist to him. But Steve had found himself staring. He knew he shouldn't, it was wrong. But he couldn't help it. Eddie's hair hadn't been quite as long as it was now, and he was taller than Steve back then, but Steve had found himself drawn to Eddie.

Steve never spoke to Eddie though. He had no reason to. They didn't have the same friends, they weren't involved with the same things, they didn't have any of the same classes. But it didn't stop Steve from watching Eddie every time he saw him in the halls, or in the cafeteria. Steve spent his entire first semester of freshman year just watching Eddie. But then he met Jennifer. He dated her through the second half of that school year and she helped serve as a distraction. She kept his mind off Eddie. Especially after Steve lost his virginity to her. Once that happened, Steve found it easier not to think about Eddie, or any guy for that matter. Every once in a while he'd see someone that sparked an interest in him, but he quickly pushed those thoughts out of his head.

Steve still remembered the first time he met Eddie face to face. It was the summer between his sophomore and junior year. His parents had gone out of town and he was throwing the first of many parties to come at his house. He'd been able to get a couple of kegs and Tommy Hagen had helped him get plenty of hard alcohol for the party. But the one thing he really wanted was weed. He asked around, hoping to find someone to buy some from, and everyone kept telling him the same thing. Eddie Munson. If you were in the market for weed, or any kind of drugs really, Eddie was your go to guy. There was Reefer Rick as well, but he preferred not to deal with kids, so Eddie was the go between. So Steve went in search of Eddie and found him at the arcade one afternoon.

When Steve approached him, Eddie had seemed wary at first, like he didn't trust Steve in the least. And why should he? Steve had never approached him for anything before. When he tried to introduce himself, Eddie said he knew who he was, which wasn't surprising. Steve was pretty popular around school, most people did know who he was. But it still surprised him that Eddie did. Because Steve was looking to buy more than just a couple of joints, Eddie told him it would be easier and safer if he just brought it to Steve's party. Steve just assumed he wanted to come to the party and this was his way of garnering an invite, but when he'd shown up with the bag of weed, he'd taken Steve's money and left without another word. Steve had been conflicted about that. In a way, he had wanted Eddie to stay. He had no particular reason why, he just wanted to be near him.

When Steve got to school on Monday, he was tense and nervous. He felt like everyone was staring at him, like they all knew what he'd done. Every corner he turned, he could swear someone was whispering about him. They all knew he was gay. They all knew he had sex with a guy. They were talking about him and judging him. He could see it now, these kids going home and telling their parents that Steve Harrington was sleeping with another guy. And soon it would get back around to his parents. To his father.

Steve wondered if he could take his father in a fight. Because that's what it would come to. Steve hadn't fought back that first time when he was twelve. He hadn't fought back when his father slapped him after a basketball game because he and one of his teammates had patted each other on the ass as they headed towards the locker room. And he hadn't fought back when his father had knocked him around because he walked in and caught Steve hugging Mike. Mike's mother had just passed away and Steve had only hugged him to comfort him. But Mr. Harrington wasn't listening. He ordered Mike out of the house and Steve had taken what his father dished out. And if his father knew what he'd done at that party with Eddie, it would be more than a beating. And Steve would have to fight back.