( yes, if there were ever a time for Eddie to contemplate the dark side (read: wearing a polo), this would be it. it's dry and beating out, probably a better day to hit a pool than a fair. Steve can feel the sun making the tip of his nose and cheeks pink even though Eddie had slathered him with sunscreen after much groaning and nay-saying. he smells more like SPF than his aftershave, which strikes Steve as a little unsexy, though obviously he's not trying to be sexy right now! just, if he was, smelling like sunscreen really isn't the vibe he goes for.
still, this is an opportunity Steve feels like they can't waste. they're outside the toxic and insular vice of Hawkins, people don't look at Eddie like he's this close to satanically cursing their children. cleared of all charges according to the law didn't mean shit to people that didn't base their opinions on the facts, anyway. they just couldn't get away with this at home, which is a little depressing. for all sorts of reasons.
whatever. doesn't matter! because they're here, and after one fair you've probably been to them all. it isn't even Eddie's vibe, probably, but Steve is strangely delighted the guy has decided to tolerate it anyway. he is trying to not be unbearably obvious about it, okay, he's got a reputation to uphold. but any time he tries to maintain a sober and neutral expression, Eddie bumps his shoulder into his or does that thing with his eyebrows or leans a little too close and Steve can't keep it up. fading into a laugh or a smile or both.
this time it's both. )
C'mon. You've seen the guns. If I'm gonna win anything, it's the Feat of Strength. Or... shit, you think there's a free throw game? ( because he could make a killing at that, too. Billy throwing him on the floor all the time aside, free throws had been his thing, back when he was on the team. he'd pulled back games for them with his consistency, a couple times. a rinky dink free throw game would be easy. maybe it's kind of nice to get the chance to show off he's good at something. doesn't come up that often, is all. )
Have I? [ eddie tilts his head slightly, brow raising under his mop of hair slightly as if he's dubious before crossing his arms over his chest. ] Not sure those aren't all for show since I haven't seen them in action in a while.
[ if there's one thing he'll know works it's a little goading and being a shit about something while grinning, maybe toeing that line of too far and cheeky. plus, eddie has definitely seen a demonstration recently when he'd decided to watch steve go through his whole morning exercise routine which involved doing push-ups shirtless in the living room. he even helped, counting out loud (he will maintain his complete innocence if he's accused of counting 'six' three times in a row.)
it had been that or finally crawling back into bed and eddie's only human. oogling your roommate's probably a faux-pas but he and steve had been a lot less subtle lately. so. ] I'm not sure you'd win that one fair and square.
I'll put my bets on the basketball game, man. Show me if you've still got game. [ which is followed with a laugh and then eddie falling back a little, tilting his head back to squint up at the sun before he's looking around to see if the aforementioned game is anywhere in sight. ] I bet the grand prize is one of those oversized bears or some shit.
Oh yeah? ( Steve says, mock offended. maybe a little genuinely offended. hey, he doesn't cultivate this gun show for them to not be noticed, is all. he'd do just fine at the feat of strength, Munson, thanks! if he spots it, he'll make a point of proving it. though surely Eddie is more than aware, Steve is not above rising to the bait when he has to. Eddie can play coy all he wants, that he's into the muscles is pretty obvious when his hands and mouth are all over them whenever he gets him shirtless. for now, the guy just gets a petulant middle finger for his trouble.
but, fine. in the meantime, sure, a free throw game. why not. ) I've definitely got game. I was team captain, remember? ( maybe Eddie doesn't remember. he wasn't exactly a sports guy, any of the three years senior years he spent at Hawkins High. ) I can win you a giant ugly bear, no problem. The question is what are you gonna win me.
( it would be wise to keep his hands to himself, or just think a little about what sort of touch would be reasonable, between friends. Steve doesn't think about that at all, really, winding an arm around Eddie's shoulders in an affectionate headlock as he drags him in the right direction. would he grab another guy like that? maybe. probably. and then he'd let go, point made.
it is leaving his arm there that blurs the lines between normal dude affection and something a little more complicated. it's just nice, all right? and Eddie hasn't elbowed him off, so, why not? there's a dozen reasons why not, actually, and none of them are occurring to Steve at all. )
Have you been practicing? Mr. Former Team Captain? [ eddie says it like a jab but steve's the former captain because he graduated on time, at least he didn't keep the title for three years in a row due to falling behind. still, eddie isn't about to sing praises to steve's jock-hood outloud in public, he's more of an 'admire and mark up his muscles in private' sort of guy.
also an 'get him as undressed as possible in public and realize you'll suffer later for it' type of guy but today's not the day. maybe if it gets any hotter, though, he can convince steve to go into the dunk tank game thing. eddie's not that athletic but there's a fifty precent chance he could hit that target like his life depends on it.
he squawks as he's pulled, then grins. should he be more careful here? yeah, he's aware but this is also the most relaxes eddie's been in a while. truth be told, he's on edge in hawkins on the best day. most people still haven't let him off the hook, probably never will, and eddie spends more time than he'd like looking over his shoulder or fixing shit with his van because some hawkins asshole had a bad day. so this is nice. no one knows them here. ] You better get me the prettiest bear, Harrington.
And what am I going to win you? [ he drawls out, looking around and not fucking out from under steve's hold even if they'll both be sweatier for it. ] That would give away the mystery.
[ stalling? yeah. about to bullshit some game? also yes. ] Maybe I'll let you win a round of hide and seek in the corn maze.
It's like riding a bicycle. I don't need practice. ( Steve rolls his eyes, though the smile is still set on his face and he hasn't been able to shake it off since they got here. all day. nearly the entirety of the roadtrip, in fact. it almost feels a little wrong, how much he's been enjoying himself. seeing as things still aren't resolved, at home — Vecna is still out there, Max is still... things aren't finished, is the point. most of the time, those worries cling to his back like a shadow. when the next shoe is gonna drop. when the next threat will come crawling out of somebody's ceiling.
it's not like it all disappeared, obviously, when they put the van on the highway and left Hawkins in the rearview. it's all still there — and if one of the kids called they'd go screaming back, maybe not stopping until they got there.
but so far, nobody has called. faceless, primordial monsters are pushed pretty far to the back of his mind. Steve is firmly in the moment, and it's a good moment. usually he feels bad, for pushing the dark and ugly away to hold onto something good for a little while. it is hard to feel guilty right now, though, when Eddie is leaning too close with that Cheshire Cat smile and talk of pretty bears. what is that, even? Steve laughs, and maybe that's partly because Eddie is ridiculous. the rest of it is he's just... happy.
it is a little too hot to be so close, even though Steve finds himself reluctant to let Eddie go. he cinches his arm around his shoulders, just a moment — complete bro move, like an affectionate headlock! — before he releases him. Steve passingly wishes he could. just. hold onto his hand. just, a little point of contact. not really a big thing. right? only some part of him knows that it would be, so he doesn't. if his touch momentarily grazes Eddie's knuckles, it's just because instinct was hard to kick, is all. )
Oh yeah? ( Steve is competitive, he doesn't like to be allowed to win anything. he likes to win fair and square! all the same, the promise of sneaking around a corn maze where maybe there wouldn't be so many eyes is less of a let him win and more an opportunity. ) What's the prize for that?
Some people take a while to get back on that bike, Harrington. Not all of us are blessed with athletic grace. ( but he's more being contrarian than willing to argue the point, not when he's grinning back easily and laughing with just as much ease. he's relaxed now, here with steve, in a way that he hasn't been since spring break hit.
hawkins hadn't made it easy for eddie before, not with the righteous satanic panic bullshit that spread through middle america over a fucking game. no, it hadn't been easy then but it isn't any easier after nearly dying and being wanted for murder he didn't commit. people haven't let that go even if he's been proclaimed not guilty, labeled as a bit of a hero by authorities though the details are hazy at best. he's still had ot be on edge, always looking over his shoulders and that's not for creepy crawlies and vecna-like boogiemen. nope, it's normal people.
so eddie's more at ease now -- happier. shit, he's got his guard down and maybe that's a bad thing but it means he's more in steve's space than usual. not all over him like he is in the safety of the van but close. what affection they can pass between one another is welcome, that sling of steve's arm around him and eddie bumping the back of their hands together in response to steve doing the same. )
Well that depends on if you catch me when there's anyone around or not. ( eddie offers with ease, mischief dancing in his eyes as he slips his hands into his back pockets to quell the temptation to reach out. he can't outright say what he has in mind, even when they're so close to one another but hopefully that planted enough seeds to let steve's imaginationr run wild with it. )
( Steve doesn't seem impressed. who forgets how to ride a bike? besides, he wasn't blessed with athletic grace. he was a clumsy little fuck to start with. he just threw himself into whatever sport he could with wild abandon, and eventually it started to get easier and easier. even when he kind of sucked at it, it was better to be out in the sun with friends than sitting around home. often it was empty and when it wasn't, his mother was shooing him outside to "be a boy". whatever that meant. maybe it meant getting into every sport imaginable. and if that's what it meant, well, mission accomplished.
but in the end, Steve does not really care that Eddie can't throw a free throw. it's turned out to be a rather useless skill to have, anyway. maybe he'll get a stuffed animal for it today but that's an exception, not the rule. despite the fact they have so few interests in common, Steve is beyond the point of being surprised he just likes being around Eddie, no matter what. it reminds him of how at ease he is around Robin, and suffice to say he does not have interest in band or black-and-white movies or conspiracy theories. it just doesn't really matter, he could talk about anything or do just about anything with his friends and he'd still be happy.
and while perhaps his relationship with Eddie is slightly more complex these days than his friendship with Robin, that fact still stands. as long as they're together, the rest doesn't really matter.
though ... just maybe, he does wish, sometimes, they weren't so limited on how they could spend that time together when they weren't on their own. Steve would very much like to angle closer at that mention, flirt a little with what Eddie is implying. and... he can't. it's a little bittersweet. and it's getting harder and harder to remember these things, that he can't be in Eddie's space, that there's only so many acceptable ways to touch him, that to the rest of the world there's expected limits that they have to observe. actually, it's more than bittersweet. it's bitter, bitter sour, and if he holds onto that reminder too long it sort of drags the whole day down. so... he won't. )
Oh, I'll catch you, ( is all Steve haughtily promises, and he bumps into Eddie "on accident", to punctuate his point. he will catch him, and he's not against a little bit of a risky makeout in a corn maze, even though it is perhaps the worst fucking idea in the entire world. )
[ the way steve bumps into him might look accidental to others but eddie relishes in it, in that press of steve's warmth against his side even if the day is hot as balls and he'd whine about any sort of physical contact otherwise. then again, back in the van, he's also likely to drape himself all over steve even though the AC's being a bitch and not really working consistently.
he leans back in for a moment, then steps back so they're casually walking side by side.
totally normal, totally just like friends. eddie's hands itch in his pockets and he pulls them out to cross them over his chest. ] Big promises, big boy.
I'm pretty squirrelly and good at running, as the stories go. [ except that, well, later he'll be making claims about not running away so that's ironic, huh? eddie glances around and looks over at the rows of games before them as he tries to figure out which one has the biggest chance of success. they're all rigged, he knows, but he also has faith in steve's athletic ability even if he teases him about it. it's just that eddie naturally teases, even if he's impressed and is also the first to oogle steve post workout. he is but a mere mortal man, after all. ] But come on, I want to see your skills on these games, swoon a little, and then get a frozen banana or something.
[ not to like, tease or anything. they're just good and probably the healthiest sweet dessert eddie will eat today. ]
( way to make your flirtiness sound ominous, Steve??? maybe it would have been an unbelievable assertion a year or two ago, but, these days... well, Steve likes to think he's proven to his friends at this point that he is dependable. he gets Robin to school on time every morning, he has kept the day he and Eddie share off clear of Other Commitments so they can make the most of it, he's the first to pick up a bat covered with bloody nails when trouble comes calling. he isn't good for much besides waving late fees for old ladies, that's a fact; but being there, when his friends need him? doable. completely doable.
Steve does make a wrinkled nose expression at Eddie's somewhat suggestive snack choice — that's the sort of thing Tommy H. would crow about, for damn sure. it is kinda beyond them now to point out Eddie wants the gayest treat of possibly all time. if only because rainbow Doritos don't exist yet. )
We'll get you your banana, ( Steve says with a slight huff, like he's entirely put upon, to make sure the banana snacking happens. not really, though. in fact, he will probably have a banana, too. when in Rome, right? there's good potential there for being an awful tease and licking his fingertips, etc. Steve has gotten a lot better at his gay flirting. )After the games, got it? I was promised a prize, buddy.
( he has never had someone win him something before. it's just... gotta happen. it's gotta. even if it takes all night. ...well, maybe not all night, because there's so much more of this carnival he wants them both to see before the night is over. he's determined to make the most of it, because right now is the closest he's felt to normal in a really long time. )
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no subject
Date: 2022-11-09 04:03 am (UTC)still, this is an opportunity Steve feels like they can't waste. they're outside the toxic and insular vice of Hawkins, people don't look at Eddie like he's this close to satanically cursing their children. cleared of all charges according to the law didn't mean shit to people that didn't base their opinions on the facts, anyway. they just couldn't get away with this at home, which is a little depressing. for all sorts of reasons.
whatever. doesn't matter! because they're here, and after one fair you've probably been to them all. it isn't even Eddie's vibe, probably, but Steve is strangely delighted the guy has decided to tolerate it anyway. he is trying to not be unbearably obvious about it, okay, he's got a reputation to uphold. but any time he tries to maintain a sober and neutral expression, Eddie bumps his shoulder into his or does that thing with his eyebrows or leans a little too close and Steve can't keep it up. fading into a laugh or a smile or both.
this time it's both. )
C'mon. You've seen the guns. If I'm gonna win anything, it's the Feat of Strength. Or... shit, you think there's a free throw game? ( because he could make a killing at that, too. Billy throwing him on the floor all the time aside, free throws had been his thing, back when he was on the team. he'd pulled back games for them with his consistency, a couple times. a rinky dink free throw game would be easy. maybe it's kind of nice to get the chance to show off he's good at something. doesn't come up that often, is all. )
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Date: 2022-12-07 04:32 am (UTC)[ if there's one thing he'll know works it's a little goading and being a shit about something while grinning, maybe toeing that line of too far and cheeky. plus, eddie has definitely seen a demonstration recently when he'd decided to watch steve go through his whole morning exercise routine which involved doing push-ups shirtless in the living room. he even helped, counting out loud (he will maintain his complete innocence if he's accused of counting 'six' three times in a row.)
it had been that or finally crawling back into bed and eddie's only human. oogling your roommate's probably a faux-pas but he and steve had been a lot less subtle lately. so. ] I'm not sure you'd win that one fair and square.
I'll put my bets on the basketball game, man. Show me if you've still got game. [ which is followed with a laugh and then eddie falling back a little, tilting his head back to squint up at the sun before he's looking around to see if the aforementioned game is anywhere in sight. ] I bet the grand prize is one of those oversized bears or some shit.
no subject
Date: 2022-12-30 02:07 am (UTC)but, fine. in the meantime, sure, a free throw game. why not. ) I've definitely got game. I was team captain, remember? ( maybe Eddie doesn't remember. he wasn't exactly a sports guy, any of the three years senior years he spent at Hawkins High. ) I can win you a giant ugly bear, no problem. The question is what are you gonna win me.
( it would be wise to keep his hands to himself, or just think a little about what sort of touch would be reasonable, between friends. Steve doesn't think about that at all, really, winding an arm around Eddie's shoulders in an affectionate headlock as he drags him in the right direction. would he grab another guy like that? maybe. probably. and then he'd let go, point made.
it is leaving his arm there that blurs the lines between normal dude affection and something a little more complicated. it's just nice, all right? and Eddie hasn't elbowed him off, so, why not? there's a dozen reasons why not, actually, and none of them are occurring to Steve at all. )
no subject
Date: 2023-01-25 03:33 am (UTC)also an 'get him as undressed as possible in public and realize you'll suffer later for it' type of guy but today's not the day. maybe if it gets any hotter, though, he can convince steve to go into the dunk tank game thing. eddie's not that athletic but there's a fifty precent chance he could hit that target like his life depends on it.
he squawks as he's pulled, then grins. should he be more careful here? yeah, he's aware but this is also the most relaxes eddie's been in a while. truth be told, he's on edge in hawkins on the best day. most people still haven't let him off the hook, probably never will, and eddie spends more time than he'd like looking over his shoulder or fixing shit with his van because some hawkins asshole had a bad day. so this is nice. no one knows them here. ] You better get me the prettiest bear, Harrington.
And what am I going to win you? [ he drawls out, looking around and not fucking out from under steve's hold even if they'll both be sweatier for it. ] That would give away the mystery.
[ stalling? yeah. about to bullshit some game? also yes. ] Maybe I'll let you win a round of hide and seek in the corn maze.
no subject
Date: 2023-02-26 09:18 pm (UTC)it's not like it all disappeared, obviously, when they put the van on the highway and left Hawkins in the rearview. it's all still there — and if one of the kids called they'd go screaming back, maybe not stopping until they got there.
but so far, nobody has called. faceless, primordial monsters are pushed pretty far to the back of his mind. Steve is firmly in the moment, and it's a good moment. usually he feels bad, for pushing the dark and ugly away to hold onto something good for a little while. it is hard to feel guilty right now, though, when Eddie is leaning too close with that Cheshire Cat smile and talk of pretty bears. what is that, even? Steve laughs, and maybe that's partly because Eddie is ridiculous. the rest of it is he's just... happy.
it is a little too hot to be so close, even though Steve finds himself reluctant to let Eddie go. he cinches his arm around his shoulders, just a moment — complete bro move, like an affectionate headlock! — before he releases him. Steve passingly wishes he could. just. hold onto his hand. just, a little point of contact. not really a big thing. right? only some part of him knows that it would be, so he doesn't. if his touch momentarily grazes Eddie's knuckles, it's just because instinct was hard to kick, is all. )
Oh yeah? ( Steve is competitive, he doesn't like to be allowed to win anything. he likes to win fair and square! all the same, the promise of sneaking around a corn maze where maybe there wouldn't be so many eyes is less of a let him win and more an opportunity. ) What's the prize for that?
no subject
Date: 2023-05-22 05:20 pm (UTC)hawkins hadn't made it easy for eddie before, not with the righteous satanic panic bullshit that spread through middle america over a fucking game. no, it hadn't been easy then but it isn't any easier after nearly dying and being wanted for murder he didn't commit. people haven't let that go even if he's been proclaimed not guilty, labeled as a bit of a hero by authorities though the details are hazy at best. he's still had ot be on edge, always looking over his shoulders and that's not for creepy crawlies and vecna-like boogiemen. nope, it's normal people.
so eddie's more at ease now -- happier. shit, he's got his guard down and maybe that's a bad thing but it means he's more in steve's space than usual. not all over him like he is in the safety of the van but close. what affection they can pass between one another is welcome, that sling of steve's arm around him and eddie bumping the back of their hands together in response to steve doing the same. )
Well that depends on if you catch me when there's anyone around or not. ( eddie offers with ease, mischief dancing in his eyes as he slips his hands into his back pockets to quell the temptation to reach out. he can't outright say what he has in mind, even when they're so close to one another but hopefully that planted enough seeds to let steve's imaginationr run wild with it. )
no subject
Date: 2023-05-27 05:14 pm (UTC)but in the end, Steve does not really care that Eddie can't throw a free throw. it's turned out to be a rather useless skill to have, anyway. maybe he'll get a stuffed animal for it today but that's an exception, not the rule. despite the fact they have so few interests in common, Steve is beyond the point of being surprised he just likes being around Eddie, no matter what. it reminds him of how at ease he is around Robin, and suffice to say he does not have interest in band or black-and-white movies or conspiracy theories. it just doesn't really matter, he could talk about anything or do just about anything with his friends and he'd still be happy.
and while perhaps his relationship with Eddie is slightly more complex these days than his friendship with Robin, that fact still stands. as long as they're together, the rest doesn't really matter.
though ... just maybe, he does wish, sometimes, they weren't so limited on how they could spend that time together when they weren't on their own. Steve would very much like to angle closer at that mention, flirt a little with what Eddie is implying. and... he can't. it's a little bittersweet. and it's getting harder and harder to remember these things, that he can't be in Eddie's space, that there's only so many acceptable ways to touch him, that to the rest of the world there's expected limits that they have to observe. actually, it's more than bittersweet. it's bitter, bitter sour, and if he holds onto that reminder too long it sort of drags the whole day down. so... he won't. )
Oh, I'll catch you, ( is all Steve haughtily promises, and he bumps into Eddie "on accident", to punctuate his point. he will catch him, and he's not against a little bit of a risky makeout in a corn maze, even though it is perhaps the worst fucking idea in the entire world. )
no subject
Date: 2023-07-24 04:16 pm (UTC)he leans back in for a moment, then steps back so they're casually walking side by side.
totally normal, totally just like friends. eddie's hands itch in his pockets and he pulls them out to cross them over his chest. ] Big promises, big boy.
I'm pretty squirrelly and good at running, as the stories go. [ except that, well, later he'll be making claims about not running away so that's ironic, huh? eddie glances around and looks over at the rows of games before them as he tries to figure out which one has the biggest chance of success. they're all rigged, he knows, but he also has faith in steve's athletic ability even if he teases him about it. it's just that eddie naturally teases, even if he's impressed and is also the first to oogle steve post workout. he is but a mere mortal man, after all. ] But come on, I want to see your skills on these games, swoon a little, and then get a frozen banana or something.
[ not to like, tease or anything. they're just good and probably the healthiest sweet dessert eddie will eat today. ]
🎀 wrap here i think ???
Date: 2023-08-27 12:49 am (UTC)( way to make your flirtiness sound ominous, Steve??? maybe it would have been an unbelievable assertion a year or two ago, but, these days... well, Steve likes to think he's proven to his friends at this point that he is dependable. he gets Robin to school on time every morning, he has kept the day he and Eddie share off clear of Other Commitments so they can make the most of it, he's the first to pick up a bat covered with bloody nails when trouble comes calling. he isn't good for much besides waving late fees for old ladies, that's a fact; but being there, when his friends need him? doable. completely doable.
Steve does make a wrinkled nose expression at Eddie's somewhat suggestive snack choice — that's the sort of thing Tommy H. would crow about, for damn sure. it is kinda beyond them now to point out Eddie wants the gayest treat of possibly all time. if only because rainbow Doritos don't exist yet. )
We'll get you your banana, ( Steve says with a slight huff, like he's entirely put upon, to make sure the banana snacking happens. not really, though. in fact, he will probably have a banana, too. when in Rome, right? there's good potential there for being an awful tease and licking his fingertips, etc. Steve has gotten a lot better at his gay flirting. ) After the games, got it? I was promised a prize, buddy.
( he has never had someone win him something before. it's just... gotta happen. it's gotta. even if it takes all night. ...well, maybe not all night, because there's so much more of this carnival he wants them both to see before the night is over. he's determined to make the most of it, because right now is the closest he's felt to normal in a really long time. )