The party arrived at the fair a little after four. All the kids rushed through the entrance gate straight away while the elder ones trained behind them at a slower pace. They followed them but left some space for the kids to atleast feel like they had some privacy. Even though they knew the elders were keeping an eye on them.
They had been through too much shit to just wonder around without checking up on each other. It became second nature to just check that everyone was still alive and safe. Even going as far as calling each other at least once everyday to confirm that they were fine and that no weird Vecna or Upside Down related shit happened again.
Everyone also took turns to check in on Dustin and make sure he didn't adopt and raise any demodogs again. So far they were in the clear.
They stopped at some spinning chair ride and watched as Dustin, Will, Lucas and Mike rushed onto the ride. The girls hung back and linked hands, "we should do something fun without them."
Nancy nodded at that, "come on girls, we'll find something better than dumb spinning chairs."
All the girls trailed off, leaving Argyle, Jonathan, Eddie and Steve standing there alone. Eddie pulled his pack of malboro's out of his pocket and offered it to each of the guys. Jonathan and Steve took one without second thoughts.
Eddie handed Jonathan the lighter after he lit his own cigarette. Steve waited for the lighter to reach him but it never did, Eddie pocketed it when Jonathan returned it to him.
Steve scowled "how am I supposed to smoke without a light, Munson?"
He shrugged "c'mere I'll light it up for you."
He let out an irritated huff — resembling a child about to throw a tantrum for not getting what they wanted — before stepping closer to Eddie.
Eddie leaned more into his space, nudging the tips of their cigarettes together. Steve watched as his cigarette started to ash at the tip. Eddie moved his away once Steve's was lit and made a show of blowing smoke into Steve's face.
Steve shoved him lightly in response. "You're an idiot."
Jonathan looked at them and shook his head, "you two need a room?"
"You know what Byers, that is the best idea you've come up with all night." Eddie teased.
Argyle stole from the popcorn box that was in Jonathan's hand, pulling his face up at their cigarettes. "Those little shits are going to kill you brochachos. Stick to the real shit."
Eddie threw an arm over Argyle's shoulder, "y'know you still haven't given us some of that good Cali shit yet."
"Shit man. Purple Palm Tree Delight will change your life." came his response.
Jonathan nodded, "he's not lying about that."
"Can you get some tomorrow? We could meet up and chill a bit" Steve offered.
Argyle nodded, "Got a bit back at the Byers place." he turned around with that and walked over to a nearby food stand.
Eddie nudged Steve gently, "Steve and I are going for a walk real quick, guard the young'uns, Byers."
Jonathan gave them a nod and waved them off.
Steve followed Eddie through the crowd of people, a nervous feeling bubbling in his stomach. "Where are we going?"
"While I greatly appreciate the company of our party, I do want to have a bit of time to myself every now and then." He started, "but I hate being myself, especially in crowded places like this. So I figured that I could steal you away for a little horror joyride."
They stopped in front of the 'little house of horrors.' Eddie had a massive smile on his face, his eyes bright under the fair lights and his dimple popped.
Steve was mesmerized, he had never seen a man as pretty as Eddie before. He was also fighting back the urge to poke his finger into that dimple that seemed to be taunting him a lot recently.
"You game, Stevie?"
He tore his eyes away from Eddie and looked at the horror house and sighed, "really Eds. After all the shit we've been through you want to go into a horror house for fun?"
Eddie shrugged, "if we could fight real monsters, I'm sure these fake monsters will be a walk in the park. If anything gets too scary you can be my hero. Go all Ozzy on those bastards."
Steve let out a laugh at that, "sure thing. I'll even hold your hand."
"What would I do without you?" he uttered dramatically, "oh please save me from the big bad monsters. Carry me to your castle chambers Prince Harrington and tend to my wounds."
"You're such a dork." Steve shoved him lightly, giggles pouring out of his lips.
They walked into the horror house side by side after paying at the door. Their arms pressed together as they made their way through the dimly lit room. There was a few other people littered around, letting out screams of surprise and fear.
It looked like the perfect place to bring someone if you wanted to get up close and personal with them. The monsters jumping out all over the place could be used as an excuse for couples to grab onto each other. The perfect opportunity for guys to show their dates just how buff they were and the girls squealed and grabbed onto their date's biceps in 'fear.'
The pair enjoyed their time in the fun house much more than they anticipated. They were howling with laughter as they walked out after spending an entire hour just running through the place keeping tags on who got jump scared the most.
"You're such a dork, Munson" Steve said between laughs, "thought you were supposed to be brave."
"Oh but Steve you promised to be my hero." He sighed dramatically, "you said you'd hold my hand and keep me safe."
"Shut up." Steve shoved him.
He laughed a bit before nudging Steve toward one of the food stands, "come on Harrington. M'hungry."
Steve trailed behind him slightly, watching Eddie walk up to the stand and order two servings of their curly fries with cheese sauce. He paid and shot the girl behind the counter a wink before walking back to Steve. He felt a bitter stirring in his stomach, his jaw clenching slightly. He hated watching Eddie flirt with anyone that wasn't him, even if it was just to get a discount on their fries.
Eddie stopped in front of him and handed him one of the boxes of fries. He had a soft look on his face as his eyes scanned Steve's face. "See something you like, Munson?" he felt brave.
"Yeah I do." Eddie shot back. Grinning when Steve's face flushed slightly.
They stayed quiet for a bit while picking at their fries, walking side by side in search of their party. Steve's mind was back on what Robin had told him earlier that day. His mind was running a mile a minute, he just wanted to know what she was talking about.
He wanted to ask Eddie, it was just an innocent question after all. He was curious, maybe a little too curious for his own good.
"Hey Eddie," he started, rocking back on his heels a bit to calm his nerves. "Can I ask you something?"
"You just did." he teased.
Steve rolled his eyes, "shut up. I'm serious."
He turned to Steve, shoving a few fries into his mouth as he waited for Steve to ask away.
"What's flagging?"
Eddie choked on his fries, his eyes tearing as he went into a coughing fit. He leaned forward a bit, gasping for breath. Steve patted his back gently, waiting for him to calm down a bit.
"Jesus H Christ. You can't just ask something like that without a warning, Steve" he sputtered, still trying to catch his breath.
"I did warn you" he defended, still wanting an answer.
Eddie took a few minutes to collect himself before shaking his head, "you're going to be the death of me, Harrington."
Steve sighed, "are you going to tell me or not?"
"How do you even know what you're talking about? Who even told you about flagging?" he shot back.
"Robin said I should ask you about it." he shrugged.
Eddie shook his head, "I'm going to kill her." he tossed his empty fries box into a trash can nearby and began playing with his rings. A nervous habit. He was mentally shitting himself right now.
"Its– it's like a code language." he started.
"Like your weird DD lingo?" Steve cut in.
He shook his head, "no its more of a– more of a thing certain people do to make their sexual preferences known."
It took a minute for him to process what Eddie was saying. He didn't understand it, how does one even flag? Why had he never seen Eddie flagging? Why did he need to flag? Was Steve flagging?
The questions shot out of his mouth without his control, his mind swirling with all the possibilities of what this meant. Maybe that's why all the women he tried to flirt with turned him down. Did they not like what he was flagging?
Eddie placed his hands on Steve's shoulders, "Steve– Stevie. Slow down for a minute." he let out a small laugh. "You're not flagging. Trust me the women you flirt with probably have no idea what flagging is either."
"So what is it?" he asked again, before a thought crossed his mind. "You don't have to tell me if it's too personal. Shit. I'm sorry. I shouldn't be pushing you to talk about this. I'm sorry, forget I asked."
He started walking away from Eddie, trying to hide how shitty he felt. He made Eddie uncomfortable. He hated himself. How could he be so fucking stupid, why would Eddie just go about telling Steve his secrets. He was so stupid.
"God I'm so fucking stupid" he whispered, rushing to where he thought the group would be.
Eddie reached for his arm to stop him, he gave him a small smile. "Hey Steve. Calm down okay." he took a deep breath, "it's not that big of a deal. I kind opened that can of worms myself when I admitted to being gay this afternoon."
Steve let out a strained laugh, "yeah– but that still doesn't give me the right to question you like that."
He shrugged, "it's okay. Flagging is like a code language between gay men. Let's us know what you're into sexually."
"Robin said you're flagging, how?" he asked gently, not wanting to scare Eddie off.
Eddie stayed still for a minute before reaching for his hanky, "hanky code... Certain colors mean certain things, which pocket it's in usually determines top or bottom preferences."
Steve nodded, looking at the hanky skeptically. "What do they mean?"
Eddie's face flushed, "Jesus, Steve." he took another cigarette out of his packet and lit it. He took a long drag and blew the smoke out, "I'll give you a few examples. Grey is bondage, Purple is piercing, Light Blue is oral, Red is fisting. The list goes on. I'm sure you can figure out what Yellow is"
Steve's face was bright red as Eddie listed off a few colours. He thought for a moment, "piss?"
"Ding! Ding! Ding! we have a winner." Eddie nodded with a chuckle, "absolutely correct. You catch on fast Stevie."
"You didn't tell me what yours means" Steve said after another few minutes of silence.
Eddie raised a brow at him, "can't have you knowing all my secrets Harrington. That's enough of that. We should get back to the party, they're probably looking for us."
Steve nodded and followed behind Eddie. His box of fries were long forgotten as his mind spun with all the things Eddie's hanky could mean. He was dying to know but he wouldn't push. Eddie had already opened up so much and he hasn't even said anything about himself. He was certain that Eddie thought he was straight. Which was totally fair since Steve had never showed any interest in men before him.
Eddie turned back and shot him a smile, "you alright, Stevie?"
He nodded, moving to catch up "Just taking it all in."
"Is it too much for you?" he sounded nervous, "you think it's disgusting, don't you?"
"No. It's interesting" he had a faint blush on his face at the admission. "If I have any more questions in future can I pester you with them?"
Eddie smirked, "I might not answer all of them, but you can definitely ask. I want you to feel comfortable around me." he admitted.
Steve nudged him gently. "I am comfortable around you Eds."
Eds. It sounded good. He liked that.
A bit of a short chapter but it'll get better I promise. Things will start to get interesting in the next few chapters.
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