Eddie looks at the clock, hanging limply on his wall.

It reads 9:47.

Robin, Nancy, and Steve were probably sitting in a booth somewhere, clinking their milkshakes together, smiling, laughing, chatting. Eddie grimaces at the thought, can practically hear their delighted laughs and squeals. He gulps down his beer, desperate to get rid of the taste of strawberries and cream almost tangible on his tongue.

He sighs, lying back on his couch and closing his eyes. He tells himself it's for the best, that he'd only ruin things by being there. His thoughts go back to earlier that day, at Robin's anxious gaze and the sadness that swelled in her eyes when she saw Eddie.

You don't need to be fixed because you're not broken.

Eddie certainly felt a little broken right now. He felt overwhelmed with sadness and anxiety and anger, his emotions overflowing, rippling out yet he wiped the tears away and finished his beer in one gulp, letting the empty bottle roll to the ground and join the other three.

He seriously regretted letting Robin take his cigarettes now.

He lay on his couch, seconds turning into minutes turning into an hour, the gentle ticking of the clock breaking the silence that seemed to stretch into eternity.

Suddenly, he heard a knock on the door.

He ignored it, keeping his eyes firmly shut.

A moment later, he heard the knock again, louder this time.

He groaned and staggered to the door, opening it just a crack and glancing outside.

That's when he saw it. Soft brown hair falling into his eyes. Those beautiful eyes that twinkled in the pale light of the moon. Eddie felt his heartbeat quicken and his eyes widen.

Steve Harrington stood at the door, leaning against the frame nonchalantly, like he belonged there, like it was a perfectly normal thing to do at eleven o'clock at night. He smiled a little when he saw Eddie, giving him a small nod and wave.

"Hey," he said casually.

"Steve? What are you doing here?" Eddie asked, barely containing his bewilderment.

Steve shrugged, seemingly unaware of Eddie's astonishment. "Robin said you weren't coming. She also said you'd asked me to come tonight." He raised his eyebrows in question and Eddie felt his cheeks heat up.

"Right, uh, well I-" Eddie stammered, feeling another wave of embarrassment wash over him. He felt his body heat up and tugged at his shirt, revealing just a small expanse of skin and the edges of his tattoos as he did so.

He could have sworn he saw Steve bite his lip and his eyes flicker down, lingering for a second too long, but dismissed the idea, blaming it on the beer and lack of cigarettes.

"So can I come in?"

Eddie blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Come on, Munson, it's freezing out here. Let me in."

Eddie opened the door and stepped to the side, allowing Steve to stroll in, hands in his pockets and an almost-smug expression plastered on his face. Eddie shut the door behind him and turned to face Steve, who was looking around the place in awe.

He cleared his throat awkwardly, and Steve turned to face him.

"Hi," Steve said, his smile making Eddie feel dizzy and happy and so, so confused.

"Hey, uh... I don't want to be rude or anything but, what exactly are you doing here?"

Steve sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Maybe I just want to see you?" he offered, and Eddie felt himself blush furiously.

"Coffee?" he blurted out, turning away from Steve and walking over to the kitchen, trying his best to sound level and even.

Steve blinked. "Sure."

Eddie felt his hands tremble as he poured two cups of coffee, spilling a little on the counter as he did. He handed one to Steve, who had already made himself comfortable on the couch, spreading his arms out and kicking his legs on to the coffee table. Eddie watched him awkwardly for a moment before going to sit next to Steve, ignoring the arm that was wrapped around his shoulder. Or it would be, if Eddie leaned back a little.

Steve, noticing Eddie's tense expression, chuckled softly. "You can relax, Munson. I'm not here to kill you or anything."

Despite his apprehension, Eddie felt the corners of his mouth tug into a smile, and he leaned back so that he could feel Steve's arms around the nape of his neck and his hand was lightly touching his shoulder. He relished the feeling, trying not to let it show too much on his face, feeling himself immediately sink further into Steve's arms.

"Can I see them again?" Steve asked quietly.

Eddie turned to face him, confused. "What?"

"Your tattoos."

"Oh," Eddie blinked, running a hand through his hair. It was an odd request, even for Eddie, but with the way Steve was looking at him, his face a mixture of pleading and hopeful, how could he possibly say no?

He tugged his shirt down again, revealing the tattoos that trailed along his neck and collarbone. He was proud of them, liked to show them off whenever he had the chance. But under Steve's watchful gaze he just felt nervous, and it took him a second to realise why.

He cared what Steve thought about him. A lot.

Steve exhaled sharply, leaning his head back and staring at the ceiling.

"That's fucking-" he stopped himself, casting a nervous glance at Eddie. "Cool," he muttered, "They're pretty cool."

"Thanks," Eddie replied awkwardly, wincing slightly when Steve's grip on his shoulder tightened for a moment, before relaxing again.

"So what happened?" Steve asked, oblivious to how dazed he was making Eddie feel when he twirled a lock of Eddie's hair on his finger, the corners of his mouth curling absently as he did so.

"Mhm?" was all Eddie could manage, trying to sip his coffee and watch Steve's hand from the corner of his eye.

It didn't work, and he ended up spilling half his drink down his shirt. The burning sensation of coffee was nothing compared to how Eddie felt when Steve raised his eyebrows and grinned, poking him in the side and telling him to be more careful.

Eddie felt his ears go pink and looked away.

"Seriously though why'd you ditch us tonight?" Steve said, his smile gone in a blink as he set his mug down and turned his head to look Eddie in the eye.

Eddie shifted uncomfortably in his seat, trying to avoid Steve's piercing gaze.

"Why'd you not come visit me?" He asked, avoiding the question.

Steve blinked; a look of pure confusion spread across his face. "What?"

Eddie sighed and looked away, setting his own cup down and playing with his rings, catching the gleam of silver in the dim light.

"At Nancy's house," he began slowly, avoiding Steve's eyes as he spoke. "You ask me to go upstairs with you, watch me cry like a baby, and then we slept together in the same bed."

He could hear Steve exhale sharply at the last part but ignored it and continued.

"I don't know if this is a normal thing for you, but I don't like being messed around like that. And if you think you can play with me like that-"

He was cut off abruptly when Steve cupped his face with his hand, turning it to face him. Eddie felt himself stop breathing, he was terrified and excited all at once, his heart beating so loud he could hear it ringing in his ears.

The intensity of Steve's gaze made him want to look away, but he couldn't. Steve was holding on to him so tight, the arm around Eddie's shoulder shifting slightly, so that Steve's hand was at the nape of Eddie's neck, tugging at his hair slightly, so that Eddie was forced to look up at Steve, whose gaze was flicking from Eddie's eyes to his lips like he couldn't make up his mind.

"I'm not playing with you, Eddie," Steve said softly, his voice just a whisper yet Eddie felt it roaring in his ears alongside his pounding heart.

And then Steve closed the distance between them, and the world stopped moving, just for a moment.