Mmhm. You’re one to talk. Nerd kisser.

[ That really might have been the cure for Eddie’s anxiety all along, because he seems almost entirely zapped of it now. He’s still buzzing internally, and he’s sure that his heart is still beating louder than a snare drum, but you’d never know it by looking at him. There’s a languid, self-satisfied smile on his face, and just for a moment, his eyes drift shut as Steve’s hand curls into his hair.

Because he knows now that this is okay. What they’re feeling is mutual, and he doesn’t need to be terrified by it anymore. What they have isn’t going to be lost or destroyed—it’s just changing, and it has been for awhile.

If he were to think for a moment, he’d realize there have been several little moment over the past two years that predicted this—skipped heartbeats and strange feelings and gazes that lingered a little too long to be normal. But if he had to pinpoint the event that really set things in motion for him, it happened long before the crater. It was last year’s birthday gift, his literal prized possession in Solvunn, that really made him stumble and fall for Steve Harrington. ]

How about we don’t keep count?

[ He eyelids flutter open again and he grins as he locks eyes with Steve. He props himself up on his elbows, pushing himself up for another kiss, but before things can get too serious again, he pulls back quickly to tack on: ]

But uh, Steve? You kiss me again and you’re absolutely gonna have to carry me out of here, you are aware of that?

[ Listen…it was on the table and he’s not just going to pass it up. And his knees…they’re weak… ]