𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐈𝐍 𝐇𝐀𝐖𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐒

fourty-two

the group had begun to walk through the forest, nancy leading the way to her house. sam, eddie, and steve had trailed behind, and steve turned to the other boy. "hey, i just.. wanted to say thanks, for saving my ass back there."

eddie chuckled. "shit, you saved your own ass, man. i mean, that was a real ozzy move you pulled back there."

steve nor sam understood eddie's joke, although she should've. "ozzy?"

"when you took a bite out of that bat." eddie explained, realizing that the couple still didn't get it. "ozzy osbourne? black sabbath? he.. he bit a bat's head off onstage."

"i don't-"

eddie disappointingly shook his head. "doesn't matter. it's very metal, what you did. that's all i'm saying."

steve nodded. "thanks."

"henderson told me you were a badass." eddie continued. "insisted on the matter, in fact."

"wait, henderson said that?"

eddie nodded. "oh, yeah. shit, kid worships you, dude. like, you have no idea. it's kinda annoying, to be honest. i don't even know why i care what that little shrimp thinks, but, uh, i guess i got a little jealous, steve. i guess i couldn't accept the fact that steve harrington was actually a good dude." he explained. "rich parents, popular, chicks love him, not a douche? no way, man, no way. that, like, flies in the face of all the laws in the universe, and my own personal munson doctrine." he looked at him. "still super jealous as hell, by the way."

steve nodded, not admitting that he'd been jealous of the other boy as well. "okay, great."

"which is why i would never have jumped in that lake to save your ass." eddie added. "not under any, uh.. normal circumstances." he nearly jumped as a twig cracked under his feet. "outside of d&d, i am no hero. i see danger and i just turn heel and run. or at least that's what i've learned about myself this week."

"give yourself a break, man." steve sighed.

"see, the only reason i came in here was 'cause all of these ladies," he gestured to sam, who had now drifted away from the pair and to robin and nancy ahead of her, "came in straight after you. now, i was too ashamed to be the one who stayed behind. but.." he looked over at sam. "she didn't waste a second. a single second. you went under and she just.. she immediately went too. that was as unambiguous a sign of true love as these cynical eyes have ever seen."

steve nodded. "yeah?"

eddie smiled. "i don't know. i guess it's nice. seeing you two. and knowing that you're.. you're real people. and you're not douches."

he chuckled. "yeah, thanks, appreciate it, man."

"i don't know.. how long you guys have been together, whatever, it isn't my business." eddie continued. "but if i were you," he put a hand on steve's shoulder, "i would keep her."

steve looked down at him, and his face seemed unreadable for a moment before he looked between eddie and sam, who had began to slowly make her way backwards to eddie and steve.

"i don't really know what to say to follow up.. all of that." steve admitted. "but thanks, thanks for being there for dustin. and.. yeah. keeping her is the plan." he smiled, ending the conversation by catching up, grabbing sam's hand.