Chapter Text
September, 1985
Steve.
“Are you alright?” Nancy asked him from the door jam of the bathroom.
Steve glanced her way. Her hair usually sleek and neatly brushed, but tonight for the party she had crimpped and teased it so it looked like a cloud. It was homecoming, and the idiot in him said it was a good idea to go to the after-after party. Instead, thoughts in his head swirled around about the events of the summer. Things from before summer too. Things he still hadn't managed to tell Robin about.
The water ran from the golden faucet and into the pearly white basin. He had just taken a palm full of water and drank it. The chalky aftertaste still in his mouth.
“Steve?”
“I don't feel good.” He murmured.
“Oh! Okay. Robin is somewhere around here. Can you wait?”
Steve shrugged. “I guess I have to.”
She leaned back “Robin!” She called put and stalked away towards the noise of the downstairs living room.
He took another long shaky breath and shut his eyes tightly. They stung and the secret thrummed in his fingertips in his joints.
“Whoa! Didn't see ya the— oh. You alright?”
Steve opened his eyes again, and this time saw a scrawny older teen. His arm around a perky blonde. Steve searched for the name. Eddie Munson, the blonde Chrissy Cunningham. Ohhhh, he heard about this. Tammy cackled about it at the video store, loudly. The town freak and the soon to be head cheerleader, dating… serious dating.
“Yeah. I'm fine.” Steve coughed.
“We were looking for a quiet place to cool off. You wanna join?” Chrissy asked sweetly.
Steve felt his cheeks burn. They were looking for a palace to fuck, clearly. Why was she asking him?
“No. Nah. I'm uh. Gonna head home.”
Eddie came up behind him. “Let me grab a towel, Chris skinned her knee.”
Steve snapped his head to her knees, sure enough she had a gnarly scrape. Blood trickled down her pale leg.
“How'd that happen?”
“The stone steps outside.” She winced, then continued. “The lights weren't bright enough and I tripped.”
“Ouch.”
“You're telling me.”
“Alright babe. I think there's a bedroom across the hall.” Eddie informed her.
Steve noted he only had a rag in hand. “You're gonna need like… stuff to clean that with, Munson.”
Eddie blinked at him then smirked. His thin lips were the color of — he forced himself to stop thinking about it. “Alright, Dr. Harrington. Your patient. I am but your humble nurse.”
Steve stared at Eddie, then sighed. “You two shouldn't involve me in your shit.”
Chrissy snorted and covered her mouth. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Eddie raise a brow at her. She dropped her hand and limped in.
“You want her on the sink, doc?” Eddie asked.
“Uh—”
It was too late to answer. Eddie wrapped his long nimble fingers around her hips and lifted her up. Gently he placed her on the sink.
“Showing off at how strong you are?”
“Nah, she's light enough anyone can pick her up.” Eddie said and tilted her chin up. He pressed a kiss to her cheek.
“Alright, alright. Pretty sure there's been more than a few dentists who've gotten in trouble for less, nurse Munson.”
Chrissy giggled.
“Hydrogen peroxide, doc?” Eddie asked.
“Somewhere around here.” Steve murmured and knelt down and opened the cabinet below. He found a bottle of the stuff and Eddie handed him a bag of cotton balls.
He soaked one and then gently cleaned the wound. For her part, Chrissy didn't wince or whine like other cheerleaders he knew.
Eddie found the large bandaids and smoothed it over her knee. He pressed a kiss to her knee and smiled up at her on the sink. The moment was intimate, but intoxicatingly sweet, like cherry wine. Steve watched the electricity between them.
“Steve, ready?” Robin asked. She materialized out of nowhere. She caused Steve to jump out of his skin, but he wasn't doing anything wrong.
“Ah… yeah! Yeah. See you guys.” Steve awkwardly waved and began to leave.
“Steve, wait.” Called Chrissy.
He turned around. She still was perched on the sink, her hand twined loosely with Eddie’s. “I need a running buddy. You interested?”
Steve looked at Eddie who had a poker face on. Chrissy could be asking if it were raining outside.
“Uhhh.”
“He's a bit of a slowpoke, and besides. Corroded Coffin practices every Monday and Wednesday night. Friday and Saturdays they have a performance. So I don't have someone to run with those days.”
“I'm a dude. I run faster than you.”
She smirked and her lips were the color of freshly washed cherries. He wanted to — nope. No. He didn't let himself go there either. “Is that a fact or a guess?”
Even though be stopped the bad thoughts he still stuttered. “Uhhh. It's uhm. We'll girls are slower than guys. It's a fact.”
She lifted her chin. “Guess we'll have to see. You still live at the house with the pool?”
“Uhhh. Yeah.”
“Great. Six o'clock alright?”
Steve would be off at six on Monday, so he responded. “Six thirty would be a little better.”
She smiled brightly. “Sounds great.”
His cheeks bright red, he was sure. “Yeah.”
Steve spared a glance at Eddie who looked — he looked…
Steve didn't let himself finish that thought.
June 1985
Eddie.
It was great that Ronnie visited, but the time came that he had dreaded all week. Airport drop off.
She begged him to stop by the closest drug store for a cheap sandwich and a huge water bottle and a Jolt Cola. She swore it would keep her up and alert through the flight back to New York.
Eddie relented because Wayne needed him to pick up a prescription of back pain relievers.
He saw a flash of blonde as he parked the car. Ronnie dashed in first, excited about the mad dash of food and sugar.
He turned off his van, and worship. There it was again. This time he caught a better look. It was a girl. She poked her head around the corner, darted back and repeated it.
Eddie pursed his lips and went to investigate.
Chrissy Cunningham, on the back side of the pharmacy. Pacing in the alleyway. She wore a long sleeved powder blue dress. The hem kissed the tops of her knees. Though it looked killer on her, it was hot as balls outside.
She muttered to herself something Eddie couldn't understand, then she turned on her heel and saw Eddie. He smiled and gave a friendly wave.
“You must think I've lost my mind.” She called to him.
He snorted. “I mean… I've lost mine years ago. It's just comforting to know I'm not the only one.” He pressed a shoulder to the brick wall.
She walked closer to him. “I can't go in there. But I need something.”
“What do you need? Why can't you go in there?”
She hopped from foot to foot. “Promise not to tell?”
Eddie took his index finger and drew an X over his heart, then crossed his fingers. With his thumb he drew a line across his neck.
She looked at him bewildered.
He smiled, and repeated the actions. This time voicing what they meant. “Cross my heart.” Index finger drew an X on his chest. He then crossed his fingers. “Hope to…”
She finished with him. “Die.”
“Cute.” She hummed.
“Not so bad yourself.” He blurted then nearly kicked himself. She was with that prick Jason. God. He needed to get over himself.
“I… I…”
Eddie swallowed and stared down at her. She was a whole head shorter than him, and he was terrified of her. His disguise, long black hair, weedy smell, black clothes and chipped black nails was meant to make people terrified of him. He worried it worked too well.
He needed to show her he wasn't scary.
“Uh… I'm picking up tampons for my neighbor girl. Can you help me pick some out?”
She blinked rapidly. “Yes. Sure.”
“And uhhh whatever you need, we can throw it in with like a pint of ice cream or something.”
Her shoulders dropped. “Yeah. Yeah. We can do that.”
“Great. C’mon.”
She didn't follow.
He circled back.
She took a slow breath. “I… need a pregnancy test.” She whispered.
“Ah.”
“Yeah. So I can help you pick out tampons but I can't be seen buying a pregnancy test.”
“By who?”
“The cashier. His sister is on the cheerleading team.”
He tilted his head back.
“I'm not… I'm not like those girls.”
He lowered his head and raised a brow.
“I dont…have sex a lot, just… or ever.” She bowed her head in shame.
He chewed the inside of his cheek, and wondered how to proceed. “Well. I have sex a lot. I always wear a raincoat, but uhm. I get it. You’re a careful girl, right?”
She looked up at him with watery blue eyes.
Gods, does he tell her now? Or later? Later, he decides. Just a little bit.
“I’ll be right back.” He assured her.
“Wait!” She yelped.
He obeyed. Gods above, he was weak for pretty girls — pretty guys too but he wasn’t gonna let himself fully accept that.
She handed him a crumpled twenty dollars. “To pay for it, and you can keep the change…”
He smiled and took it willingly.
He found Ronnie deciding between Razzles or M&Ms. He inclined his chin to her and whispered. “We have a chance to protect a young impressionable girl from the toxic gossip tentacles of this small town. Are you interested?”
She smirked. “Always.”
“Cool. We gotta get a pregnancy test.”
“Ahhh.”
“Can we act like a couple pissed off at each other?”
She sat back on her heels. “Mmm, are we thinking that I’m mad because you forgot a condom or…”
“That’s good.”
“Great. How long have we been dating? A year?”
“Two, at least.”
“And I popped your cherry.” She pointed to him.
“Only fair.” He shrugged.
She took a breath to steady herself, then stormed to the feminine healthcare. Eddie trailed behind hands in his pockets. He stooped his head down low.
“Unbelieveable!” She hissed at him as they went to the counter. Her sandwich, M&Ms, and a simple coke in her basket along with the pregnancy test.
The clerk, a skinny kid with hair the color of dried hay, raised his brows when he maybe distantly recognized the two of them. He rang up the items slowly.
“Eighteen twenty.” He said.
Ronnie turned to him. “Well?” She huffed at him.
Eddie forced a blush in his cheeks and he pulled the crumpled bill from his pocket and handed it to the cashier.
He passed the change and tucked everything in a sack. “Thanks come again.” He said. He handed the bag to Ronnie.
“Sure.” Ronnie rolled her eyes.
Outside, Eddie fished out the pregnancy test and went to the side of the building. He grinned when he saw Chrissy. She squatted low to the ground, and wrapped her arms around her knees.
Ronnie came up behind him and Eddie felt her character she had built up in her head fade away quickly.
Eddie handed it to her. “You’re all set.”
Chrissy breathed easy and pressed the test to her stomach.
“I’ll go wait in the car, Eds.” Ronnie called over her shoulder.
“Yeah.” Eddie coughed.
“Did I give you enough?” Chrissy asked.
“Yeah. More than. You paid for Ron’s plane food. So she'll thank you.”
“Ron is your… girlfriend?”
“No! No. Nooooo. She's a friend that just happens to be a girl.”
Chrissy looked… happy?
“You know… this isn't the first time we've hung out.”
Her eyes became the size of saucers. “It's not?”
He leaned on the brick, Mr. Cool Guy. “Yeah. You don't remember me?”
“I… I…"
Eddie dramatically lurched forward, an imaginary dagger in his chest. “Oof. That's okay, Chrissy I wouldn't remember me either.”
Late June 1985
Eddie.
The phone rang. Eddie picked it up in the kitchen while he smoothed peanut butter on bread for a sandwich. “Munson residence.”
“Hi. Uhm. I'm looking for Eddie?”
A schmear of peanut butter got on his thumb. He licked it off. “Speaking.”
“Eddie! Hi. It's Chrissy Cunningham. I kinda… got your name from the phonebook.”
“Oh! Hi.” Eddie grinned.
“Uhm. Yeah. Anyways. I wanted to call and tell you. The test was negative.”
Eddie blinked. “Oh! That's great, right?”
“Yeah. Of course… I'm sorry. It's weird to call and tell you this. I just didn't have anyone to tell and… yeah.”
Eddie gripped the phone as he braced himself to say the next words. “Well. I can come over… or meet you at a park, a walk or something?”
She paused and breathed. Eddie could swear he smelled her in front of him. Freah berries and cream. “I… I'd like that.”
“Park?”
“The one off of Cornwallis?” She asked.
“Yeah… hey. Uhm. Not that it matters. But. I don't get involved with people who are dating other people. So, are you?”
“Oh. No. I broke up with Jason.”
“Great. I mean good.”
She giggled. Eddie wanted to bottle it up, wear it around his neck.
“See you in like twenty?”
“Yes.”