Work Text:
Steve Harrington didn't recognize himself. The boy that stared back at him in the mirror, the boy decked in black, in leather jackets and jeans, with more makeup than a punk clown could even handle, was not him. Yet his reflection followed him. "Robin… Are you absolutely sure about this?"
"Oh, don't be such a baby," Robin responded. "You look great!"
"I look like I just got dressed for a funeral." Steve commented.
"Yeah, but how do you feel?"
Steve scoffed, coughing. "I FEEL like I can't breathe."
"So dramatic…" Robin teased. "You really expect to go to a metal concert in cacky jeans, a clean striped shirt and tennis shoes? Dress to impress, dingus. Dress to impress."
"I feel uncomfortable." Steve argued.
"Good! About time you got out of your comfort zone!" Robin went to a box on the edge of her dresser. She brought out a couple of her spare rings, the silvery accessories gleaming in the light that decorated his dear friend's room. "Here. Try some of these."
"Are you sure-?"
Robin sighed exasperatedly. "For the thousandth time, yes. I am sure. Just try on the damn rings, Harrington."
Steve rolled his eyes. He put the rings on his fingers. They were a bit tight, but they'd work. The silver went well with the shadowy black that covered him currently.
"Oh, that looks so BADASS!" Robin laughed. "Alright. Next is the hair-!"
"No! No fucking way, Buckley. No!" Steve protested heavily to that idea. "You can change everything else, but you are NOT touching my hair!"
"I'm not gonna hurt it-" Robin argued. "Come on, Steve,"
"The hair stays the same. That is final."
"Atleast let me slick it back or something! You look weird with that big mop on your head."
Steve narrowed his eyes. "Robin…"
"I promise I won't do anything else!" Robin pleaded. "Please?"
Steve shook his head, huffing. "Will you be done after this?"
Robin nodded excitedly. "Yep! Promise!"
Usually, Steve wouldn't let anyone work on his hair. There was a reason he had a routine; Even when washing, there was a meticulous plan he abided by. So having Robin style it for him honestly gave him a little bit of anxiety.
"Alright… There. All done." Robin smiled, handing him a mirror once she had finished. "You look like you belong at that show now!"
With the agonizing torture over, Steve looked. To his surprise, he looked good. Steve whistled. "Not bad, Buck."
Robin was beaming. "You're ready to go to the Hideout. And just in time too! You should get going-" Robin proceeded to try to push a confused Steve towards the door.
"Robin-"
"Ah, ah, ah- No buts!" Robin said, getting him to his car. "I've already helped pool those tickets. Those were paid for from my half of the paycheck, remember? You're doing this!"
Steve knew there were no grounds to argue, but still. This was completely out of left field for him. What if he didn't like it? He got into the car, fastening his seatbelt. His eyebrows were still furrowed.
Robin gave him a reassuring smile. "You're going to be fine, dingus. Just… Remember to have fun, alright?"
Steve let out a breath, tapping rhythmically on the steering wheel.
Right… Fun.
Because that's what this was supposed to be, right?
- ❦ -
When Steve first arrived at the cluster of buildings that was to house this supposed Hideout where the show was said to take place, he thought he got the address mixed up. He looked up at the sign, which depicted a pink flower alongside cursive text that took Steve a minute to decipher. The Orchid Cafe? This sure didn't LOOK like a place where a metal band would take refuge. So, when Steve got out of his car to look around, he was surprised to find that there was a guy sitting outside the entrance.
Steve was even more surprised to find that the guy addressed him when he approached.
"Ticket?"
Steve blinked. "Oh, uh…" he checked his pockets, finding the little slip of paper that Robin had given him before leaving. He got it out, showing it to the guy, probably a kind of bouncer, Steve guessed.
The bouncer took the ticket, narrowing his eyes. He chuckled. "You're a bit early, man." he said, giving Steve his ticket back. He nodded to him. "Head on in."
Steve had to admit. The inside of the cafe looked a little different. There was a stage set up; Seemed as though it was maybe only used for open mic nights. Or performances like this. The lighting was something to be desired, but Steve guessed it was supposed to seem low-key. But looking over to the stage, he froze.
He recognized one of the members setting up.
The guitarist manning this whole operation was none other than the Hawkins High Freak himself…
Eddie Munson.
Steve stood there, stunned. He didn't know why this surprised him. Of course Eddie would be in a band like this… Of course he would.
He was too busy wrapping his mind around this to realize he was staring. Eddie didn't seem to notice until one of his other bandmates pointed Steve out to him.
Eddie turned. Now he was the one who looked surprised. Seriously. He seemed to do a double take before a wide smile spread across his face. "Steve Harrington?" he asked. "Holy shit… I barely even recognized you." Eddie walked over to him.
Steve was still frozen. He tried to adjust the sunglasses he wore, even though the room was already pretty dim.
Eddie seemed amused. "Oh, come on. You don't need those in here. You'll hurt your little eyes." he teased. He gently lifted Steve's shades so they were resting on his atop his head. "Holy shit, it IS you! What's the King of Hawkins High doing in a dump like this?"
Steve tensed at that. He really hated that his past reputation followed him around. But, he answered truthfully. "I came to see the show. I didn't realize you were apart of Corroded Coffin." he commented.
"Are you kidding?" Eddie laughed. "I am… Shocked. Absolutely flabbergasted. Stevie's finally coming out of his shell, huh?"
Steve shrugged. "If you want to call it that. Yeah."
Eddie spoke a bit dramatically; Still one for theatrics, Steve noted. "Well, I am honored to be your first show, your Highness." he said, accentuating his words with a bow. He looked back up at Steve, making eye contact with him. Was it Steve's imagination, or was Eddie smirking at him? "I hope it won't be your last."
Steve stared. He looked over at the band and called to them. "Is he always like this?"
The drummer rolled his eyes. "To most guests, he's hospitable. But he's not nearly as friendly."
Steve looked back at Eddie. "Is that so, Munson?"
Eddie straightened back up. He seemed unbothered by the drummer's comment. "Don't mind Gareth. Honesty is his weakness."
"I see…" Steve said. Something about this entire interaction made him more… Aware. He was more aware of his breathing, how quick and shallow it was, and his heartbeat. God, had his heart always fluttered like that? Or was it just now?
Eddie looked back at his band. "Well, since you're the first one in house, you get first pick for seats." Eddie said to Steve. "Sit, or stand, anywhere you'd like." He clapped Steve on the shoulder. "Welcome to the Hideout. Hawkins' home of Rock and Roll."
Steve stifled a snort. "This is the Hideout? But it's a-!"
"-flowery cafe. Yeah. It's a secret for a reason." Eddie said, grinning. "That's half the fun of it." His hand stayed on Steve's shoulder. Longer than Steve thought was necessary. With a small but thoughtful squeeze, Eddie let him go, going back over to the band.
Steve took a good look at his surroundings. He found it strange that at first glance, a cafe like this wouldn't be seen as a place where a metal concert would take place. He found it even stranger that he had never heard of Corroded Coffin until Robin had mentioned them to him before coming here tonight.
Had Eddie really kept his band on the down low for this long? And if so… Why?
That was a stupid question. Steve knew why. Eddie had been treated like an outcast at school. He was the town's freak. Why bring attention to himself more?
Steve shook his head. He couldn't think about that now. He had promised Robin that he'd try to have fun. And that's exactly what he was going to do.
As time passed, more people started to file in. They were similarly dressed to Steve, most, if not all, clad in something similar. Some of them, Steve noted, even had tattoos or piercings. This was probably the reason why these kinds of meetups got a bad wrap. These guys looked intimidating, if not dangerous.
Steve didn't really want to get on these guy's bad side. But, if Robin had been able to go to one of these shows and survive… Why wouldn't he?
Get a grip! They're not gonna hurt you…
They just looked scary.
He would try not to judge a book by its cover. Keeping an open mind was the key to this, he decided.
It was starting to get a little crowded. Steve tried to find a place that wouldn't get him hurt or accidentally pommelled. How was Eddie comfortable with these many strangers in one place? Obviously this wasn't that different from house parties that Steve had attended, except some of the attendees were older than him.
He tried to not be on edge, deciding to look over at the band. They were doing a quick sound check, it looked like. He heard Eddie's voice booming through the speaker system as he spoke into the microphone. "Testing, testing… Does it sound OK? Awesome."
Steve couldn't stop staring. In the dim light of the spotlight above… Eddie looked absolutely ethereal. Not of this world; Of this realm even.
Was it even possible for a guy to be pretty?
Eddie did a quick riff on his guitar, grabbing the rest of the audience's attention. Cheers went up. "Alright, alright!" Eddie said, laughing. "Wow, there are a lot of you tonight! One of our biggest shows yet, I'd say." He looked around, waiting for the applause to die down. "First and foremost, I'd like to thank the wonderful owner of the Hideout for letting us play here for you tonight. You've continued to be a safe space for us freaks. Hope you don't tire of us." Laughter followed that comment. "Who's ready to have the time of their lives?" More cheers. Eddie nodded to the band behind him, then looked back at the crowd. "You fuckers are in for one hell of a ride…" Was it Steve's imagination, or did Eddie lock eyes with him? "Hold on tight."
The lights went down, causing the crowd to stir. Steve's surroundings were cast in black, he couldn't see anything. A riff started up of a song he didn't recognize. Considering he was one to listen to artists such as ABBA and Bonnie Tyler, it made sense that a metal song was nonsensical noise to him. But the crowd around him was brimming with anticipation; It was almost infectious.
When the lights went up, they shined on Eddie. The guitar riff was coming from him. Steve stared, stunned. The skill that this boy displayed… He didn't know if it was skill or raw musical talent. Perhaps both? In any case… He had to admit, he was mildly impressed. And then came the vocals… You would've thought someone had gotten killed; The crowd was insane. Thank God Robin provided Steve with earplugs to help dull the noise.
Steve didn't know what to focus on, the song or the clearly unhinged people around him. The screams were almost too much; His heart was roaring, and yet he could not tear his eyes away from the band. From Eddie. To see him completely in his element was… Otherworldly. It didn't feel real.
Eddie seemed to have noticed Steve was staring and locked eyes with him. Steve's heart skipped. His brain just flat out stopped working. Was Eddie… Smirking? Or was it Steve's hazy imagination playing tricks in him on the account that he had forgotten how to breathe?
Holy fuck, get a hold of yourself, Harrington…
Just as quickly as their eyes met, Eddie's gaze traveled elsewhere in the crowd. But for that brief moment, it almost felt like Eddie was singing to him in particular. But that was impossible. This was a show with what felt like thousands of other people in the crowd to single out. Why choose him?
But a part of him asked another question. Why not?
The whole experience, the whole show, felt like a fever dream to him. Being in a crowd of hundreds or thousands of other fans, brought together by their love of this music, all of them a collective, screaming cluster of excitement… Normally would be too much for Steve. But somehow he found that he had never felt more… Alive. Alive in a place where he knew he didn't belong. An outcast even among these other outcasts…
Somehow that made him feel like he belonged even more. All of these doubts melted away each time Eddie stole a glance at him. And each and every time Steve always thought he imagined it. Imagined this whole thing; the feelings he felt, the things he thought he saw. The way his heart would skip off-beat to the music as if it was purposeful. He had never felt so isolated yet so seen all at once.
It was a living, breathing contradiction.
Was this why people came here? Was this the feeling that they were trying to chase? Steve couldn't know. He didn't know…
But he thought, even though it was near impossible to think in the heat of the moment, that he was beginning to understand why. Why people came here.
They didn't have to hide.
But that begged the question…
Steve looked onward at the band again, the cheers drowning out as his vision practically tunneled.
What am I hiding?
- ❦ -
What seemed like hours later, people started to file out. Steve found himself reluctant to follow them. His head felt light, and he felt a little dizzy. He choked the feeling down however. As he watched the crowd leave, he kept coming back to that thought.
What WAS he hiding?
Unfortunately, he couldn't think about it too hard, because a voice spoke from behind him.
"Did you enjoy it?"
Steve jumped, turning around. Eddie was peering at him, an expectant smile on his face. "I… What?"
"Your first show." Eddie said, "Don't lie to me…"
Steve stared at him. Had his eyes always been that intensely blue? Steve cleared his throat. "I… Um…"
Eddie laughed. "Come on, big boy. Give me a straight answer. It's a yes or no question…"
Steve felt… Was this… Embarrassment? But he wasn't ashamed… Flustered?
No… No-
No, why would he be flustered?
Steve licked his lips; A habit he often did when he was trying, and failing, to focus. "Yeah… I… I enjoyed myself."
"I know it can be pretty overwhelming for a first timer. But… I don't know. You didn't seem so out of place by the end."
Steve raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
There was that smirk again. So he HADN'T been imagining it… "Face it, Harrington." he said, seeming amused. "You're a freak. Just like me."
Steve backed up. "What?"
"You try to fit into the norms that society lays out for us like cages, but you refuse to pick a box that fits. You really don't think I can't see through this 'King Steve' act? It's bullshit, man, and you're a terrible actor." Eddie said. "And I know a good performance when I see one."
Steve was at a loss for words. He tried to speak, but his voice was a bit strangled. "How-?"
Eddie just gave him a nonchalant shrug. "Being the outcast has its perks, you know. I've learned to read people. To scope other freaks out. And you… You're hiding something." he said. "The sooner you find out what it is… The sooner you'll be able to be your most authentic self. The Steve I saw tonight? That was you… Not this… Persona you insist on having."
Steve felt a little attacked. "Eddie, I-"
"I'm just making an observation… You freed yourself here tonight. I'd like to see more of that. Of this version of Steve Harrington." Eddie met his eyes. "Is that too much to ask right now?"
Steve stared back at him. Holy shit… Why were they so close? Steve could practically smell the tobacco on Eddie's breath. It wasn't exactly a bad smell.
Steve cleared his throat. He knew his answer. "No…"
"Take it slow," Eddie advised. "You can't enjoy anything in life if you breeze past it." He clapped his shoulder again. "See you around, Steve Harrington."
And then that twinkle in his eyes was gone. Eddie went back to his band, who gave him celebratory high fives and pats on the back. Steve looked at him for a moment longer, his eyes lingering on the long haired metalhead who had greeted him with such enthusiasm; The boy that grabbed his attention more than the music tonight. He tore his eyes away from Eddie as he left the Hideout to its masters.