Boys Don't Cry - Steddie

Chapter 16

"I have something to tell you."

Eddie looked up from his book at Steve sitting on the other end of the couch with Eddie's feet in his lap and raised his eyebrows, "Okay?"

Steve took a deep breath, "I don't actually listen to The Cure."

Eddie furrowed his brows and looked over to the stereo in the corner that was quietly cycling through The Head on the Door.

"What do you mean?".

"I... I mean some of their stuff is good, but I don't really get it and I probably wouldn't listen to it normally. I bought the cassettes while you were in the hospital. They were on sale and I thought it was something you would listen to," he admitted, a red blush creeping up his cheeks.

Eddie just stared at him for a moment before closing the book and giving Steve a look of offense, "Do you think I'm goth?"

"What? I- no? Maybe? I don't know... Are you not?"

"No!" Eddie laughed.

"I'm sorry... I just thought- I mean, you wear dark clothes and..."

"You're so cute," Eddie smiled over at him, leaning against the back of the couch. "I can't believe you bought all those cassettes because you thought I listened to them..."

"You weren't even awake," Steve laughed softly and put his hand on Eddie's leg almost protectively.

"You're a sweetheart, Steve Harrington." It was nothing really compared to what Eddie wanted to say. How he wanted to tell Steve he loved him. That he wanted to give him the moon, the sun, and all the stars. How he would write sonnets to rival Shakespeare and get up on a stage in front of millions to express what he felt for Steve.

It was like the day they met Steve had reached out a hand and pulled Eddie out from the rock he was living under. Like that was the day his life began. Like Eddie was drowning his entire life and Steve was a breath of fresh air on a warm spring day.

Okay... maybe not exactly. There was a brief period (like 5 years) where he absolutely despised Steve and everything he stood for, or that Eddie thought he stood for. He had been absolutely wrong about both of those things though. And, okay, just because Eddie didn’t like Steve before didn’t mean he didn’t like looking at him. And if Eddie used to secretly revel in Steve showing up to school with a black eye every now and then, no one had to know.

He was a little shocked how quickly his opinion on Steve had changed. Like all the dust floating around in the upside down had gotten in his brain and made it go all fuzzy. Like watching Steve strip off his shirt and jump into Lover's Lake had flipped some magic switch for Eddie. He didn’t think that was it, either, but he wasn’t denying that it helped.

"I guess maybe they're not that bad..." Eddie teased.

Maybe he was just as bad as he assumed Steve would be. Judging people based on how they looked or how much money they had, or whatever the fuck he was thinking. Or maybe he had just thought that people didn’t change. That humanity was inherently stuck in their own beliefs and behaviors and nothing could move them.

"You're not hurting my feelings," Steve laughed.

"C'mere," Eddie reached out for him.

Steve moved out from under Eddie's legs and maneuvered himself to sit parallel with Eddie on the couch, despite the lack of room. Eddie pulled him close, brushing his fingers through Steve's hair gently, scratching lightly at his scalp in a way that made Steve lean into the touch.

"So you're telling me you broke into my room and still didn't know what music I listened to?" Eddie wasn't willing to drop the subject yet.

"This was before that."