Chapter Text
The early December air was biting at Steve’s skin as he hurried along the neighbourhood. He stuffed his hands deeper into his coat pockets, desperately trying to keep his fingers from falling off from the cold.
He even forgone the usual cigarette he’d puff on, on his way home (since Robin wasn’t around anymore to hold him back), without the warmth of his car heater and even as much as a pair of gloves it was a dreadful prospect.
He left his car at the service after the poor thing gave in on him this morning for the third time this week – apparently there were some issues with the transmission – and since it being a busy period in general he’s been told it could take a couple of days to get it fixed. So he got a ride with Gary, from the electricians next door to the bakery he worked at.
He lived just two streets down from him, but Steve insisted that he didn’t have to drive him all the way to his house and after some pestering Gary agreed, but still offered to invite him in for some hot chocolate. Steve politely declined. He was a nice enough guy and there was definitely a vibe to him, but Steve didn’t really feel like putting himself out there. Not for nearly a year, that is.
As he stepped inside the blissfully warm house, he realised just how tense his muscles became in the cold and now he felt like melting.
He barely had time to shrug off his coat when the phone started ringing.
“Hallo?”
“You’re late dingus, I’ve tried to call like three times, I thought you were dead.” Robin’s cheerful voice came through the receiver and if he felt like melting until now, it was like being enveloped in the softest, warmest blanket there is. He missed her so much.
“Yeah, sorry, my car’s busted, had to get a ride with someone,” he said as he twisted the cord around his fingers.
“Someone?”
Steve closed his eyes briefly before answering.
“Gary.”
“Uh I think I remember. Nice guy with the sparkling blue eyes?” Robin pretended to think, like she didn’t know exactly who he was talking about.
“Robin.”
“Yeah I know you’re ‘not interested’.” Steve could practically hear her rolling her eyes. “You know it wouldn’t hurt if you lived a little.”
“Sure, because that’s what I need, to hook up with a guy who works just next door” Steve frowned as he dropped his back against the wall by the phone.
“I didn’t say hook up.”
“Well, a relationship is out of the question. Can you imagine the tension after breaking up? That is, if he doesn’t just punch me in the face for even asking.” They’ve been down this road before when she came to visit during the summer and they ran into Gary at the diner; according to Robin he was just way too friendly to be uninterested.
“Hm.”
“What?”
“Nothing. I was just wondering when did you become such a sour grape,” she laughed and Steve rolled his eyes and wished there was a way to convey this to her over the phone.
“Robbie, I haven’t heard from you in a week, could we save my pathetic and non-existent love life for later? Tell me about your trip instead.”
“Alright, but just because it was completely awesome! Like, you know my cousin Brenda? So it turns out she’s got a friend who’s got a cabin up in the mountains and we spent three days there just hanging out, you know drinking, talking, the usual and then she told me I had a nice smile–”
“You do” Steve interjected with a smile of his own. There was a sort of novelty to Robin’s ramblings.
“Yeah and then and then when Brenda and her boyfriend – did I mention her boyfriend? Real nice guy, a little preppy, but I guess he kinda reminded me of you, anyway – they went to sleep and so me and Casey – her name is Casey by the way – we stayed on the couch, drinking hot cider and then she told me that Brenda doesn’t know this, but I seem trustworthy and even if I wasn’t we wouldn’t have to see each other again and then she told me that she once kissed a girl in camp and that she really wanted to kiss me, but then I just made some sounds, like you know instead of actual words, but she leaned in anyway and then we kissed and Steve. Steve. It was so nice and she tasted like cinnamon and cider and I’ve been thinking about her a lot and it was my first, you know hook-up with a stranger you never have to see again.”
“Robbie, that sounds exciting. I’m glad you had a good time.”
Steve was grinning ear to ear just from listening to her. She was doing so good for herself and he was really happy for her.
“Yeah I wish you were there though.” Steve too wished he could be there for more of her adventures, but.
“You know I had to work.” He rubbed the bridge of his nose with two fingers. It just felt wrong, even though it wasn’t a complete lie; he did work after all. Although Mrs Cricken was nagging him about finally taking some days off, but he was definitely not about to tell that to Robin.
“You always say that, but you could always just come up for a weekend.”
“Robbie–”
“Come on Steve, I miss the crap out of you!”
“Me too Robbie, I swear, but…”
“But your panties are still twisted in a bunch because of Eddie,” she finished it for him and Steve just sighed. He didn’t wanna lie, so he kept quiet. They talked about this before, a lot actually. So there was no point in answering.
“You know it’s been such a long time, I’m sure he’s not holding a grudge. He even said that it’d be good to see you.”
“Sure, because that wouldn’t be awkward at all” Steve scoffed.
“Maybe for a little bit, but it’s not like you’d be alone with him, I’d be there the whole time, you know like old times.”
“I don’t–”
“Actually I was thinking that you could come up for Christmas.” The hopeful tone of her voice made Steve weak in the knees. It was pretty hard to say no to her, when she got like this.
“Yeah, uh I don’t think that’d be the best–”
“Steve, it was nearly a year ago and it was just a harmless crush.”
Steve snorted sarcastically. “Right.”
“I’m sure he barely remembers, he never brought it up anyways, besides I haven’t seen you in months and maybe you guys could actually talk about it?” Robin sounded a little tentative, like checking the water’s temperature by dipping your toes in.
“Talk about it” Steve deadpanned. “Second you’re about to tell a guy you like him, he’s literally skipping town. There’s nothing to talk about, Robbie.”
“Then it’s already sorted. Just come.”
Steve groaned.
“Come on, it’s Christmas, it’s us. What, you have some better plans?” She teased.
“My parents will be home.” Steve was grasping at straws, he knew. But he recognised a lost battle when he saw one.
“More the reason for you to not be.”
“Fine. How about this; I’ll think about it.”
“I’ll take that as a yes.” Steve could hear the winner smile in her voice.
“Robbie I–”
Suddenly there was some rustling and clinking coming through the receiver, like Robin was fisting a bowl of keys.
“Uh I’ve gotta go, you know how it is, busy with school and all. Talk to you tomorrow!”
“Wait Rob–”
The click in the receiver signalled that she had hung up on him. Steve rested his forehead against the wall and sighed.
This is gonna be the most awkward Christmas ever and there was a year where the nanny pretended to be talking with his parents over the phone, because they forgot to call him to wish him Merry Christmas.
***
Despite everything, Steve was looking forward to seeing Robin. She and Eddie had moved up to Indianapolis in January. Robin wanted to save some money during her gap year and "experience life, Steve!" before going to college and Eddie… well Eddie just wanted to leave Hawkins (and in it Steve).
Robin came to visit during Easter and the summer holidays, but now with school at full force she couldn't really spare the time, so Steve hasn’t seen her for months. Sure they talked on the phone at least four times a week and she told him about her days in great detail. She also talked about Eddie sometimes. How well he was doing in his job as a bartender and how he even got to do some gigs there with the band and it made Steve’s heart ache a little. Because they were out there, enjoying their lives and each other’s company, while Steve was still back in Hawkins, his days mostly a blur.
Dustin was a senior now and between him and the others they had three cars, so Steve didn’t need to drive them around that much anymore. Of course Dustin still came over and they spent some time together, watching movies and just talking, drinking beer (which was still way too weird for Steve, even though he was much younger when he had his first, but Dustin will be forever that thirteen-year-old kid who smuggled a baby demodog into his home) and he had a standing invitation for the Henderson’s dinner table, but Steve couldn’t help but to feel lonely.
The kids were all busy with school and their own little worlds and even at group gatherings Steve didn’t feel like he fit anymore. Plus after graduation most of them were going out of town for college, which would leave Steve to be actually alone.
All of this wasn’t helped by the fact that while everyone was planning their future and moving forward Steve just… well Steve still wasn’t quite sure what he wanted.
He didn’t hate his job at the bakery, actually Mrs Cricken and her husband who owned the shop were nice people and his other co-worker Linda kind of reminded him of Robin, because she was quite a clutz and was also able to carry a conversation without requiring a lot or any input from Steve. But it just made him miss Robin more.
Of course he could always just go out on dates; he collected plenty of phone numbers over the past few months, but he just couldn’t get himself to make the calls. The best he could do were aimless hook-ups, but somehow even those felt a little cheapened by the lack of romance.
He knew what was the problem, but he wouldn’t dare poke at it with a ten foot pole. Even though it buzzed under his skin non-stop, seemingly unable to fade for months now.
Because really, what can you do when the guy you like jumps ship as soon as he gets wind of your feelings? And it wasn’t like Eddie wasn’t into guys either, actually unlike Steve, he was exclusively into guys; he just wasn’t into Steve. Which somehow made it so much worse.
He tried not to think about it too much, but with his upcoming trip it was becoming harder by the day.
***
He ended up driving up to Indianapolis on the 18th after his shift. Dustin came in after the morning rush to make him promise to call as soon as he arrived (and to snag some cherry buns that ended up being too ugly for the display, but tasted just fine) and Mrs Cricken assured him that she was more than happy to let him go for a few weeks, especially since the shop would be closed for most of it anyways. She wished him a good time and even packed him some sweet cinnamon buns and chocolate swirls, which were now resting on the back seat of his beamer, right beside his duffel bag.
It wasn’t late, but it was dark and cloudy and the streetlights did very little to help Steve find the address that Robin had given him. He was at least sure he was in the right area, but all the buildings looked the same to Steve.
He squinted through his windshield as he tried to read the numbers on the side of the nearest house and he sighed in relief when he saw the bronze 317 on the door.
He pulled up front and grabbed his bag and the sweets from the back before locking the car and skipping up to the front door. He ringed the bell and immediately heard a loud rumble and swearing from the inside.
Robin ripped open the door with the widest smile Steve has ever seen on her face, before she jumped into his arms with a squeal of his name. Steve nearly lost balance as he was trying to hold on to her and the stuff in his hands at the same time.
“Steve! I was worried that you’re gonna bail in the last minute,” she said as she pulled back to grab his wrist and drag him inside.
“Believe me, I thought about it.”
“Well I’m glad you didn’t though,” she rolled her eyes. “You guys gotta move on at some point. He’s at work by the way, not back till late.”
“Oh.” Well at least that bought some time for Steve to prepare – for what, he wasn’t exactly sure.
“Ta-da!” Robin exclaimed as she stopped in the living room that was opened into a tiny kitchen and gestured around the place. It wasn’t huge, but it was homey and so very them. There were band posters on the walls (Blondie, Madonna, Metallica and Dio) and a bunch of pictures on a small chest of drawers along the wall (most of them were Robin and Steve from this summer and then there was one of the three of them from the year prior that Jonathan took on a day out at the quarry and some other pictures of the kids and Eddie playing the guitar, one from their graduation together with Nancy and Jonathan, all in mismatched frames), there was even a small Christmas tree tucked into the corner wrapped in tinsel and boas and decorated with way too many balls of way too many colours, all of this topped off by a ratty old couch with well sat-out cushions and a TV (which was actually Steve’s old one from his room that he gave to Robin as a moving present, alongside with other knickknacks Steve got together that he thought might be useful for them in the new house).
“What do you think?”
“I love it. It… feels like home.” Steve could feel the heat creeping up to his cheeks, but the way Robin’s eyes lit up made him not regret saying it out loud.
“This is mine,” she gestured towards a door on the right, “and that’s Eddie’s,” she indicated the door on the left. “Bathroom down the hall and– hey are those chocolate swirls?” She zeroed in on the little paper bag in Steve’s hand.
He just laughed as he tossed the bag at her and made his way to drop his bag off in Robin’s room.
***
They ended up on the couch, a copy of Animal House in the VHS, volume on low. Robin made some hot chocolate and after clearing all the chocolate swirls she left the cinnamon buns on the kitchen counter – presumably for Eddie to find when he got home.
Robin just wrapped up her story about her time at her cousins’, going over the things she skipped over the phone.
“So does this mean you’re over Nancy now?” Steve teased with a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
Robin spluttered out some incomprehensible words before whining out an embarrassed “Steeeve”, shoving his shoulder and Steve just laughed.
“I’m not gonna let opportunities slip by because of a hopeless crush” Robin finally said in a diplomatic tone and Steve just kept on grinning.
“Sure.”
He wasn’t sure just how hopeless that crush was; the three of them had spent some time together over the summer and Steve caught Nancy looking at Robin in a way that friends just didn’t look at each other. But he was wrong about Nancy’s feelings before. Besides she knew that Robin liked girls and never made a move, so. There was that.
He empathised with Robin, after all he knew exactly what she was going through. Except apparently she wasn’t above living with opportunities, unlike Steve who didn’t feel the smallest of inclination to date anyone, even the hook-ups were far and in-between, he only went for them when he felt like he had to blow off some steam or else he’d go crazy.
“I don’t know, I don’t think I’m gonna see her again. The sex was pretty good though.” Steve choked on his drink and snorted into his mug, splashing hot chocolate all over his face.
“Robin!”
“What? You always tell me about your hook-ups,” she shrugged. “Speaking of; there haven’t really been any stories lately” she said tentatively.
“So?”
Robin put her mug down onto the coffee table and turned back towards him.
“Steve.”
“Robin.” He mirrored her mockingly, which at least earned him an eye roll.
“Are you okay?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” Steve frowned and sure, he could answer that question in bullet points, but Robin didn’t need to know that.
But apparently was able to do it herself.
“You’re not dating or sleeping with anyone,” she started ticking the points off on her fingers, “you’ve been spending less time with the kids and this is the first time in a year that I could convince you to visit us, even though you live like an hour away and you’re like the only one who hasn’t seen our place yet by the way – we even had Jonathan and Argyle over!”
Steve didn’t know what to say, so he stayed quiet. He dropped his gaze down into his lap where he was cradling his mug.
“It’s just… I’m kinda worried about you, Steve. And you know you can talk to me right? If there’s anything going on.”
“Sure” Steve said on autopilot, but his head felt like it was filled to the brim. Because yeah, Robin was right. Of course she was.
“Steve.”
“I guess… I guess I’m a bit lonely.” He looked at Robin, but had to avert his gaze straight away, because having all that concern being directed at him felt wrong. He was very much used being worried about others, but having someone looking after him… not so much. “But it’s not a big deal, I promise, okay?” He tried for a cheerful tone and cringed at how flat that fell.
“That’s why you should come out here.”
“What?”
“Look I’m not saying that you should just up and move, but… no, actually that’s exactly what I’m saying. The kids are leaving in a few months and no offence Steve, but who are you staying there for? Because if it’s for yourself that’s fine, but I know for a fact that you hate to live there.”
“I don’t ha–”
“Steve, come on. You hate your house so much, you’re at work all the time. Your parents are home for Christmas and this is the first time I could actually convince you to come. Here, you’d at least have me and– and Eddie too. It’d be just like before, the three of us.”
Steve abruptly stood up from the couch and promptly put down his mug beside Robin’s, sloshing a bit of the now lukewarm chocolate onto the table top.
“But it wouldn’t be like before! And you know it just as much as I do. It just wouldn’t, okay? Because I had to open my big mouth and ruin the whole thing.”
“Steve–”
“You know that I wanted to move with you?” He cut her off, suddenly dropping his volume and shrinking in on himself.
“What?”
“Yeah. When you said you wanna move here before college I wanted to– it was before Eddie decided to… and I still thought that there might be a chance for you know and I wanted to ask him to come too, but then he wanted to get away and I just,” he shrugged “let him.”
“Oh Steve.” She came up behind him and snaked her arms around his shoulders. “Hey, we’re gonna spend the next few weeks together, maybe it’ll change your mind. We could always look for a bigger place for the three of us.” Steve could see her playful smile in his peripherals as he placed his hands over her arms. He could tell that she was being serious, if Steve wanted her to be.
He still wasn’t sure if he wanted her to be or not.
His life was going nowhere and his love life was a disaster, but Robin was right about how staying in Hawkins changes none of that and at least here he could have Robin – and maybe Eddie.
He felt a tight knot in his stomach over the prospect of that. Robin said that Eddie wouldn’t mind seeing him and that he used the word ‘good’, but Steve remembered the first couple of weeks after they moved away.
He tried to keep things as normal as he could, so anytime he talked to Robin on the phone he’d ask if Eddie was there, so he could say hi, but the answer was always the same; hesitation and then “no, he’s not here”. Steve knew – and he was sure Robin was aware of this – that she was hesitating because she was looking directly at Eddie, who didn’t wanna come to the phone.
So he stopped asking.
Which just made this whole thing a lot worse, because he absolutely had no idea how Eddie’s gonna act with Steve around. The last time they saw each other was the day they packed all of their stuff into Eddie’s van. Robin hugged Steve with suspiciously shiny eyes, before disappearing on the other side of the van to get into the passenger seat, leaving the two of them standing there awkwardly.
Eddie opened his mouth to say something, then closed it a few times, but said nothing. At the end he just gave Steve a curt nod and got into the van. As Steve stood on the driveway waving them off, Robin was the only one waving back.
***
The next morning found Steve stumbling out of Robin’s room, still half-asleep and probably a little bruised up. (He kind of forgot that Robin was a kicker.)
But he stopped in his tracks and froze as he found himself face to face with a shirtless Eddie Munson, rubbing sleep out of his eyes, staring at the coffee pot, waiting for it to brew.
He was wearing black and red plaid pyjama bottoms, long enough to almost cover his otherwise bare feet and had his wet hair up in a messy ponytail on the back of his head; Steve thought he probably just came out of the shower. (And wasn’t that just cruel? After all these months, he had to see Eddie for the first time like this.) He wasn’t even wearing his rings; the only jewellery in sight was the guitar pick hanging from his neck, emphasising his collarbones. Somehow it just added to the nakedness.
Steve’s mouth was definitely open, but no sounds were coming out of him, as his eyes roamed around Eddie’s bare chest and arms, cataloguing all the new tattoos and how they complemented his older ones, the ones Steve used to be very familiar with.
His eyes settled on the shiny pink-silver scars along his abdomen, like a confirmation to himself; we still match.
But as he finally lifted his gaze, he met with a pair of large dark eyes, crinkling in their corners.
“Harrington!” Suddenly Eddie looked much more awake as he rounded the counter to collect Steve up into a tight hug, making his head swim with the familiar scent of smoke, a fresh dose of body wash still clinging to his skin and something earthy that Steve could never really identify.
He barely just had time to wrap his hands around Eddie’s back, fingertips brushing his skin over his shoulder blades before Eddie let go of him, but not quite stepping back just yet.
“Hi” Steve squeezed out, being immensely proud that he was finally able to make actual sounds pass his lips.
“Welcome to our humble abode, Harrington” Eddie said with a big sweep of his arms in the air. Always one with the theatrics; after all, some things never change, Steve thought. “How was your trip?”
Steve wouldn’t call it a trip, it wasn’t even that long a drive, but mentioning that would beg the inevitable question: why didn’t he come to visit sooner? So he just nodded.
“Okay I guess, it only started snowing after I got here.”
Eddie hummed as he side-eyed the coffee pot suspiciously, like it would start boiling as soon as he looked away.
“Lucky for you, I had to shovel the snow off the driveway in the asscrack of dawn” Eddie scoffed.
“What time did you get back?” Steve frowned.
“Had to do the stocktake,” Eddie shrugged, “so like an hour ago.”
“Shouldn’t you be sleeping then?” Steve raised his eyebrows, because really why the hell was he making coffee of all things?
“Nah, if I go to sleep now my whole sleeping schedule gets messed up and then I can’t hang out with you and Buckley. It’s usually okay, but it’s not like I’m gonna be working. I took out my holidays when she told me you’re coming down.”
Steve couldn’t help the heat that rushed to his face. Eddie did that just so he could spend time with him? It was making him feel warm all over, but also a little confused. After all, he was the same guy who never even said goodbye to him and wouldn’t come to the phone when Steve asked about him.
“Coffee?” Eddie asked as he sauntered around the counter back to the pot that was making slow gurgling sounds now.
“Sure.”
Steve was very aware of the fact that Eddie was holding up the conversation for the both of them, but he couldn’t really help it. He hasn’t seen him in almost a year and now here he was, half naked and smiling at Steve like nothing ever happened. Like Steve never told him how he felt and Eddie didn’t just run away.
He sat down at one of the highchairs by the counter, following Eddie’s movements with his eyes. His forearms flexed and the muscles in his back shifted slightly as he grabbed two mugs from the kitchen cabinet above. It might’ve been just because he hasn’t seen him in such a long time, but somehow he looked even better than before and–
Shit. Steve was right back at square one.
“So how are things at Hawkins? Gone crazy with boredom yet?” Eddie asked with a small, playful smile.
Steve snorted out a little laugh despite himself.
“Yeah, actually. Everyone is always busy with school and everything, so I don’t get out much.”
“Ouch. But hey, more time for you and the ladies, right?”
And why did it hurt when he said that? It wasn’t like his tone was malicious in any way and yet Steve felt like every word was a papercut in his chest. He averted his gaze as he mumbled an “I guess.”
He looked up again when Eddie slid a mug across the countertop and noted with an added layer of warmth that he still remembered how he likes it; no sugar, half coffee, half milk.
“What? Don’t tell me you didn’t leave some sweet girl back at home, waiting for you like a marine wife?” He was still smiling, but it didn’t feel genuine.
“No actually. I’m not seeing anyone right now.”
It was the question wasn’t it? Hidden behind jokes sure, but Eddie was trying to find out if he was single. Unless somehow Steve read it the wrong way.
“Well, more the freedom to you man, girls in Indy are pretty up for it, especially for a pretty face like yours.” Eddie said as he mixed some sugar into his mug. Steve frowned.
What was with everyone’s sudden obsession with his love life anyway?
“Eddie are y–?”
In that moment the door to Robin’s bedroom opened and she emerged with one of the worst bedheads Steve has ever seen, yawning and squinting her eyes.
“Why are you being so loud at” she squinted even harder with a little scrunch of her nose, trying to read the clock on the microwave as she shuffled closer, “six twenty-two, Jesus…”
“Sorry Rob,” Steve smiled at her fondly. He was rushed with memories of their senior year, when the three of them spent the weekends at Steve’s, drinking, smoking, swimming in his pool and just talking all night and waking up in much the same state like now. She sat down beside him and Steve gave a quick kiss to her temple.
“’s okay,” she mumbled. “Eddie. Coffee.”
Eddie snorted in amusement, but filled another mug for her as well.
“So what you guys wanna do today?” Robin asked humming in satisfaction after her first sip.
***
After clearing some of the snow off of the driveway (and Eddie’s car) they all got into Eddie’s van and went out for breakfast to a nearby diner.
By the time their food has arrived Robin looked decently awake and she was chattering away about homework and family, peppering in questions about Hawkins and the kids, which Steve answered dutifully, his morning conversation with Eddie pushed into the back of his mind.
“Oh I almost forgot, Eddie’s got a thing at the bar tonight,” she mumbled around her straw before slurping her milkshake loudly.
“You’re working?” Steve looked at Eddie with wide eyes. Didn’t he say he had the next few weeks off?
“No, not really, just gotta drop off the stock list from this morning and I promised Sarah that I have a drink with her, she’s letting us do our gigs there, so it’s kind of a formality.” Eddie shrugged.
“Right, the band. How’s that going?” Steve asked while absentmindedly pushing some tomato slices to the side of his plate.
“Actually pretty good, we’ve got a new bassist, since Grant is in Boston,” Eddie said around a mouthful of pancakes and truthfully, it should’ve been completely unattractive, but Steve’s brain was clearly fried, because he found himself smiling at him fondly. “He’s an alright guy, don’t know him too well, but he’s in Robin’s class, so.”
“Yeah and he’s like totally my only hope of passing Econ, he’s really good at it somehow.”
“Anyway, you guys should come with me, have a couple of drinks and then we can come back and have some private fun.” He said the last part with a playful wiggle of his eyebrows and objectively Steve knew that Eddie meant weed, but it kinda sounded like he just suggested they have a weird threesome. Robin must’ve thought the same thing, because she grimaced.
“Ugh gross, don’t say it like that.”
Eddie just laughed and god, Steve missed the sound of that.
They chewed their food in relative silence for a moment, before Steve pointed at Eddie with a French fry questioningly.
“So when is your next gig?”
“A few days before New Year’s,” he said, frowning at the French fry.
“That’s great, I’ll still be here to see you!”
“You don’t have to–”
“Come one Eddie, we used to go all the time, plus I’m here to spend time with you guys, right?” Steve indicated him with his cup now, before taking a sip. He wasn’t sure why Eddie was suddenly against the idea, when against all odds it seemed he was dead set on acting like the past year didn’t even happen.
“Yes Eddie, we’re not gonna be sitting home while you’re having a blast on stage,” Robin added.
“Fine, but for the record, we’re still not pulling much of a crowd.”
Robin blew a raspberry before turning to Steve in a conspiratorial way, to stage whisper into his ear: “They usually have a full bar.”
“Believe me, a bar full on a Saturday night has nothing to do with the music.” Eddie crossed his arms over his chest and Steve’s eyes lingered on how his shirt tightened around his biceps.
“Sure, half the crowd’s only there for your good looks, but it still counts.” Robin shrugged with a smile.
Eddie grabbed a fry from Steve’s plate to throw it at Robin, resulting in a synonymous “hey” from the both of them and Eddie laughing with his eyes closed. So Steve allowed himself to stare just a little bit longer.