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As the rain drummed relentlessly against the windshield, Jim Hopper steered his truck down the empty streets of Hawkins. It was dark out and he was annoyed that this was his second time this week busting the Munson kid. The silence inside the vehicle was thick, weighed down by the tension simmering between the two passengers. His face etched with a mixture of fear and defiance, Eddie Munson sat stiffly in the front seat. “You know how damn lucky you are I’m only letting you off with a warning?” Hopper grumbles.
Hopper's gaze flickered to the side as he spotted a familiar figure trudging along the sidewalk, shoulders hunched against the downpour. He slowed down his truck next to him and the man halted. He rolled down his window as he looked at him, and his heart dropped when he took in the other appearance. Jim had recognized him from the get-go, it was Steve Harrington. He had blood soaking through his shirt and blood, cuts, and bruises blemishing his face. “Harrington? That you? Shit, kid—what the hell are you doing out right now? You need a ride?” Jim called out. Steve Harrington, his usually immaculate hair plastered to his forehead, was beaten to shit and looking defeated. Hopper slammed on the brakes and Steve turned, startled, his eyes widening in surprise and relief at the sight of the sheriff's truck.
“No...no, sir. ‘M fine.” Steve said, barely being heard through the rain. His words were slurred due to his busted bottom lips. Jim frowned. “Steve. Now I’m not asking, get in the truck.” Jim said gruffly.
Steve didn’t respond and just stared at him. “Steve. Get in the truck. I’ll take you home and—” Jim’s words die on his tongue when he sees him flinch at the mention of ‘home’. Jim wasn’t stupid. He knew the Harrington’s, hell, everyone knew the Harrington’s. More importantly, he knew that Richard Harrington was not one to be messed with due to his temper on him. He knew about all the parties Steve threw, his parents were gone so often that he could have them with ease. Jim could easily put two and two together, and if Steve’s wounds and the way he reacted meant what he thought they meant...” I’ll take you wherever you want. I’ll even take you to Joyce’s place or my cabin.”
“I—I’ll get your seats wet if I-“ The kid seemed so insistent on not getting help, and Jim couldn’t help but feel guilty about it. “Kid, I’m not asking you. We can stay here and do this back-and-forth thing all night, I’m not leaving you here,” Jim tells him. “Besides, the seats will dry, just get in. Munson, in the back,” he ordered, his tone not allowing any room for argument. Eddie complied as Steve hesitated for a moment, then climbed into the passenger seat, his movements sluggish and pained. Eddie glanced nervously between the two. He didn’t exactly understand what was happening, and he’s never learned when to keep his mouth shut so he asks, “Figures you’d be mixed up in some kind of trouble. Can’t stay out of trouble, can you, Harrington? I wonder if all that hairspray got to your head. So, who was it this time? Hagan again? Oh, or maybe Byers?” Jim gives him a look in the rearview mirror, “Munson. Not the time.” He says with a hint of a warning on the tip of his tongue. The tension in the air became harsh again as Hopper pulled back onto the road, the only sound being the steady drumming of rain against the roof of the truck. Hopper stole occasional glances at Steve, his expression unreadable. Steve stared blankly out the window, his mind a whirlwind of pain. It’s not long before Eddie speaks up again. “Okay, I can’t be the only one who’s curious, right? Steve Harrington, golden boy of high school who went around like he was hot shit, keeps getting his ass beat.” Eddie retorted, his tone laced with sarcasm. “Guess you’re not as tough as you thought, huh?”
Steve doesn’t make any comments, his hands in his lap balling up into fists. “It’s not what you think, Munson,” he muttered, his voice barely audible over the
thumping of rain against the truck’s roof.
Eddie raised an eyebrow, shocked that he even knew his name. “Oh yeah? Enlighten me, Harrington . What’s your excuse this time?”
“ Munson . Drop it.” Jim gruffly said, looking back into the rearview mirror, but Eddie wasn’t about to let it go that easily. “Come on, spill it, Harrington. What, did you piss off the wrong person?”
Steve’s breath caught in his throat, and for a moment, he looked like he might lash out in anger. Eddie smirks at the thought of getting a rise out of Steve Harrington.
It’s Jim who speaks up for him. “Your pops—he the one putting his hands on you?” Jim knows he shouldn’t ask, but he’s a cop and he needs to know. Steve’s cold demeanor softens and for a second, Steve looks tired and scared. Like he’s been through this one too many times, like he spends most nights being hit and smacked around by his father. Steve hesitated, then nodded slowly. The smirk faded from Eddie’s face as he took in Steve’s words, a wave of guilt washing over him. Suddenly, he feels like the world’s biggest asshole ever. Guilt sat in his stomach like a boulder and he silently wished he could take back every mocking word he’d said. “Are you—“ Steve paused to clear his throat, “gonna tell anyone..?” Hopper shot Steve a sidelong glance, a hint of gruff affection in his gaze. “You know I have to. Your dad shouldn’t—he shouldn’t be hitting you.” Steve scoffs, looking out the window. “I’m 19, I can handle it.” He snapped, before wincing at the amount of pressure it must put on his injuries.
Something akin to anger boils in Jim’s gut. Was this what his dad was teaching him? That he was allowed to be beaten around just because he was legally an adult?
“Doesn’t matter if you’re not a child anymore, he shouldn’t hit you,” Jim replied.
“We’ll get this solved, okay? I’ll speak to your dad, probably bring him back to the station, and we’ll see where everything goes. You’ll be back home soon.”Jim tells him, hoping to sound reassuring. A humorless laugh erupts from Steve. “Yeah, good luck with that. My parents…they found out about some stuff and…I can’t go back there anymore. They don’t wanna see me.”
“ What ? Your parents kicked you out?” There was disbelief evident in Jim’s tone. Steve only nods as he shifts uncomfortably. “Where the hell was your mom when all this happened?” His voice was tinged with concern, and he saw how Steve’s jaw clenched in the corner of his eye.
“She…She was there,” he finally replied, his voice barely above a whisper. His knuckles were turning white with how hard he was clenching them. “She um…just stood there. Off to the side, um, crying.” Steve’s voice trembled with every word he said.
Jim’s expression hardened, a mixture of anger, disbelief, and disgust going through his head. Before he can say anything, Eddie speaks up. “And she didn’t..y’know, do anything to stop it?” His voice is filled with just as much disbelief.
Steve shakes his head, a small sniffle making its way out of him. “She never does.”
A heavy silence fell over the car as Jim and Eddie processed Steve’s frightening words. How many times has Steve’s dad beaten him to this extent?
Steve shifted uncomfortably in his seat, his gaze fixed on the dashboard as he must’ve realized how bad his words sounded.
"I mean... it's not like he does it all the time," Steve began, his voice hesitant. "And... I probably deserved it, you know? I've messed up plenty of times. I mean, I’m not the.. best son. I’m not the smartest, I’ve... I’ve only got my looks going for me."
Hopper's brow furrowed at Steve's words, his expression stern. "Deserved it? Steve, no one deserves to be treated like that, especially not by their father. Your mom is just as bad for not doing anything to stop it.”Steve's jaw tightened as he struggled to find a response. "But... but he's just trying to teach me a lesson, you know? Like, toughening me up…being a man and all that shit."
Hopper shook his head, his voice firm. "There's a difference between that and abuse, Steve. And what your dad did... that’s abuse. It's not okay." Steve shifts uncomfortably in his seat, trying to make himself appear smaller.
"Steve, let me ask you something. Would you ever lay a hand on one of the kids? Just any of your friends in general. Even Munson back there. Would you treat one of them how your dad treats you?" Steve's breath caught in his throat, immediately thinking of Dustin's geeky behavior, Lucas and Max's unwavering loyalty, Eleven's fierce determination, and Robin’s awkward yet unconditional love.
The thought of ever hurting them, even in anger, made his stomach churn. "No," Steve replied, his voice barely above a whisper and already sick just thinking about it. "I could never... I would never do that to them." Hopper nodded, his gaze steady. "Then why is it okay for your dad to do it to you? The man who is supposed to love you is putting his hands on you."
Steve swallowed hard, the weight of Hopper's words settling heavily in his chest. Eddie clears his throat nervously in the backseat.
"Um, Harring- Steve , man, uh, sorry you had to go through all that," Eddie said, stumbling over his words. "I mean, no one deserves to be treated like that.
And uh, coming from a guy who has an asshole dad too, your dad's a real jerk, no offense.”
Steve's lips twitched in a faint smile at Eddie’s attempt to be comforting. “Thanks. You don’t have to say sorry, you didn’t do anything.”
Jim’s eyebrows furrow at Eddie’s sudden comment, but relaxes when he hears how honest Eddie sounds.
Jim really didn’t want to bring the mood down with his next question and he felt guilt settle in his stomach, but he had to ask since it was his duty as a police officer. “Steve. Your folks still at home?” He asks, trying to sound as gentle as he can.
Steve’s smile falters and he hesitates before answering. “Uh, no. They…they left a few hours after..um…they said I need to have all my shit packed by the time they get back.”
Jim sighs, “Okay. Okay, well..we’ll figure something out, okay?”
Just then, Eddie chimes in. "Hey, Steve," Eddie began tentatively, "you know, my place isn't too far from here. If you want, you can crash at my house tonight. It’s uh, nothing fancy, but you’d at least have some place to sleep in the meantime, right? My uncles out, won’t be home ‘til morning.”
Steve freezes up and Jim glances at Eddie through the rearview mirror. “Oh…that’s, I wouldn’t wanna..intrude or anything.”
Eddie shakes his head. “You wouldn’t be intruding, it’s all good man.”
Steve hesitates for a moment, thinking over the situation. It would be nice to have a place to stay just for a while. “Alright. Uh…thanks, Eddie. I really appreciate it.”
Jim is already pulling into Forest Hills so there’s not much time to debate anything. Before Eddie fully makes it out of the truck, Jim stops him.
“Take care of him. If you hurt him in the slightest I swear nobody will be able to find your body after. Keep an eye on him, got it?” Eddie pauses, a hint of fear on his face which makes Jim feel somewhat proud, before nodding and getting out.
In Eddie's dimly lit room, the sound of rain tapping against the window provided a steady rhythm as Eddie meticulously cleaned the cuts on Steve's face. Steve winced as the antiseptic stung but gritted his teeth and endured it.
"You know," Eddie began, his tone casual, "back in high school, you were a real piece of work, Harrington." Steve's brows furrowed as he shot Eddie a questioning look. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Eddie shrugged nonchalantly. "Oh, you know, strutting around like you owned the place, acting like you were too good for everyone else. The whole ' King Steve ' act."
Steve's jaw clenched slightly. “Yeah, but I..I’m sorry about all that. People change, y’know?”
Eddie continued working on Steve’s injuries. “Sure, people change. But jocks who go around giving the freaks swirlies, calling them queers, beating the shit out of them? Yeah, they never change.” Eddie chuckled, not paying attention to the way Steven’s brows furrowed and a look of hurt flashed in his eyes.
“Okay, I..I can’t, I’m done. Screw this and screw you, Eddie.” With that, Steve stood up abruptly, forcing himself out of Eddie’s grip and ready to leave.
“I just-I don’t understand. You were acting so nice in the car and when you were cleaning me up, and now you just…switched up on me! One second you’re nice, and the next you’re acting like a huge dick. I can understand why you hate me, but please for the love of God don’t pretend you fucking like me.” Steve’s eyes are filled to the brim with tears and Eddie can only watch as his bottom lip wobbles. He wipes angrily at his tears and then attempts to tug his shoes on.
Why can’t Eddie just shut up? He realizes how much of a jerk he was being and how he let his frustrations get to him. He frantically grasps Steve’s wrist to stop him from leaving. “I’m-sorry. That was…I’m an asshole. I just…you’ve changed, I’ve um…been a witness to that and I’ve still treated you like shit, and for that I’m..I’m sorry..I don’t even know why I…uh brought any of that up. I just-i’m just angry-or upset about the past and um..I’m sorry.” He tries to keep eye contact and tries to stop fidgeting with his hands, but he can’t seem to really stop.
Steve hasn’t just fully up and left yet, which Eddie takes as a good sign. He skeptically sits back down on the bed, obviously creating some distance between them.
“Um…can I?” Eddie hesitantly asks while gesturing to Steve’s injured face. Steve nods, not meeting his eyes.
Eddie eventually comes to the end of cleaning Steve’s wounds, and he sits back awkwardly, resting his palms on his lap. “Um…you’re all good now. Um,” He quickly tries to think of ways to fix things. “Y’know…despite everything, you’re um…still pretty cool. Uh…you’re a good person, really good. I mean, like the time you stopped Tommy from breaking Jeff’s-my friend-hand. Like, he was really going too far, and uh you..yeah. You’re like, a paladin or some shit.” Eddie’s cheeks flush as he stumbles over his words.
Steve raises an eyebrow, tilting his head. “Wait-a paladin? Like from that demons and monsters game?”
Eddie’s eyes widened in shock. There was no way in hell Steve Harrington actually knew what Dungeons and Dragons was. “Wait, hold on, wait- you , Steve Harrington, know what Dungeons and Dragons is?” Eddie asks, his eyes blown wide as he stares at Steve in astonishment.
Steve huffs out a laugh of amusement. “Yeah, uh..these little twerps that I babysit are like, in love with that dorky game. I have to sit through them talking about their little quests for hours.”
He still hasn’t gotten over the fact that Steve fucking Harrington knows what Dungeons and Dragons is, and now he apparently babysits?
“I-What? I-I’m sorry, I’m just trying to process all this. You know what D&D is, and you babysit?”
Steve chuckled, nodding. “Yeah, seriously. They’re middle schoolers and are absolute shitheads, but they’re good kids. They keep trying to rope me into playing their little nerd game with them and they said they have a..uh, character card? Or some shit for me already, but it just doesn’t seem like it’s for me. Not that it’s not cool or anything, but yeah.” He admitted with a smile, and with a look of fondness in his eyes he seemed as if he could talk about these kids for hours upon hours.
“Seriously, man, I’ve gotta get you in on one of my campaigns,” Eddie exclaimed, his eyes shining with enthusiasm. His body felt like it was fizzing up with overwhelming feelings of joy at the thought of just talking about his campaign that he’s spent day and night preparing for. “Let’s make a character sheet. I swear you’ll enjoy it, or you could just sit in as an NPC!”
Steve chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. “I’m not sure…I don’t wanna intrude or anything. And um…I’m not the best with uh..numbers and words and all that shit…”
“That’s cool, I’ll walk you through it man. Shit, this is so- oh my god , Steve Harrington is going to play in one of my campaigns, holy shit—“ Eddie couldn’t help the excitement from overflowing. His eyes sparkled as he made gestures while he spoke. When he finally does stop talking, he’s out of breath and he notices the smile on Steve’s face.
Their eyes meet and for a second, it feels like time stops. It feels as if Steve can see everything inside Eddie and it makes him feel slightly vulnerable. Steve leaned in a tad bit closer and Eddie’s breath hitched.
“You’re..you’re really cool, Eddie.” Eddie’s breath catches in his throat and he feels like his skin is on fire. Even with all the injuries littering Steve’s face, he still looked beautiful.
“I’m..Steve, I really hope I’m not reading this wrong. I mean, I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors about the town freak, I’m.. I’m queer, man.” Eddie told him, his voice barely above a whisper and trembling.
“You’re not. Reading this wrong, that is.” Steve replied, before closing the gap between them, pressing his lips gently against Eddie’s. It was a brief, tender kiss, filled with words that said something and nothing at all and a silent understanding. Everything is buzzing, his heart is thumping and Eddie honestly is prepared for Steve to shove him off or look at him with disgust, maybe even leave. Steve may be fine with him being a nerd, but he might draw the line at being into guys.
He hesitantly looks into Steve’s eyes and is surprised to see no repulsion or anger. Instead, his eyes were full of adoration, soft with affection.
Eddie feels relief wash over his body and he finally manages to stammer out, “You’re..you’re not mad or anything?”
Steve shakes his head, a hint of a smile teasing his lips. “I’m not. I…think I’ve been wanting to do that for a while? I’m-I’m not sure. I definitely liked it, um, kissing a guy-kissing you . So yeah, I’m not mad.” Steve’s small smile then falters and Eddie can sense that something’s wrong. Eddie hesitantly takes Steve’s hand in his own, giving it a gentle squeeze.
“What’s..what’s wrong?” Eddie asked softly.
Steve took a deep breath. “I..the reason um…the reason my dad beat me was because he..uh…” Steve sniffles, wiping the tears swelling up in his eyes with haste. Eddie tucks some of his hair behind his ear, squeezing his hand again.
“I’ve known for a while that I..I like both genders. And um, I was experimenting and he…he found some queer porn mags in my room.” Eddie’s heart clenches at his words, and it reminds him of his own dad all too much.
“I..I tried to explain to him that I... I’m still me , I still like girls…but he wouldn’t listen and I-I was so scared, so fucking -I thought he was gonna kill me.” Without hesitation, Eddie pulled him into a tight embrace, holding him close as he whispered words of comfort.
“You’re okay now. I understand, you didn’t deserve any of that, Steve.” Eddie whispered, his voice thick with emotion. “I’m..you can stay with me and my uncle while things get sorted out okay? You don’t have to go back there, you don’t have to experience that again.”
Steve buried his face into Eddie’s chest, his body shaking as sobs tore from his throat and he struggled for air, his body shaking with the force of his sobs.
This can be enough, for now. They’ll have to figure out the rest along the way but they at least knew that together, they could heal the wounds of their past with their hearts full of hope and possibilities.