Steve Harrington was many things, but an idiot was not one of them. It took a lot of skill to maintain his flirty, slightly dim persona. People often overlooked him because of this, which was preferred.

Hell, a lot of people assumed he'd gotten into Kelley's because of his grandfather. Whilst that might be ultimately true, his grades were more than good enough. Steve didn't have a choice after all, his father was insistent, and he'd learned at a young age not to disobey him.

There wasn't much in his life he could call his own: his place, his friends, his education... all products of his upbringing. Everything came with a price. Play the part, and you'll be just fine. Break the mould, and you're on your own.

Steve played his part well. He had no reason not to. His freedoms, although limited, were hard-earned. And even if his relationships were nothing but flings, he was okay with that. What was the point of falling in love when his father insisted on marrying a woman?

But then he'd met Eddie Munson.

When he'd first walked into Munson's Rare, he hadn't thought much of the cashier other than to note he was kind of attractive. Maybe he would fuck him, maybe not. It was so easy to use Eddie to get to Tommy - who had always had a possessive streak - as if Steve was anything more than a willing body to use when Carol wasn't putting out.

Eddie surprised him, though.

He didn't jump at the chance to sleep with Steve, despite the fact he should have been begging for it. He just said goodnight and let Steve go upstairs alone. Steve had been stung by the rejection and had fallen back onto old - and admittedly bad - habits and riled Tommy up, got him to come over instead to fuck him. He hadn't stopped thinking about Eddie the entire time.

Steve had wrote Eddie off after that, assumed he wasn't that into him after all. Besides, there were plenty of other guys, and Steve didn't like playing the chaser. He liked to be wanted, and Eddie… well, he didn't seem that interested.

It was Nancy who talked some sense into him, of course. She had always seen right through him. So he'd texted Eddie and met up with him. Steve had never told anyone about Tommy, but he told Eddie. He expected Eddie to freak out and call him awful names, but he didn't. It was worse because Eddie still looked at him like he was worth something.

It scared Steve to be seen like that. He didn't know what this was between them, but he knew he didn't deserve it. He needed to sort himself out before trying to have a real relationship. Eddie deserved better. He knew he'd made the right choice when Eddie let him go without a fight.

And then Tommy went missing. Well, disappeared into some crack hole, more like. Steve had tried to contact him for days but got nothing. When Tommy finally did text him back, he was the same old asshole acting like nothing had happened. Steve hated how relieved he was and how much he wanted to see him. It was so easy to fall back on old habits.

He couldn't do it again, so instead of giving in, he went out with Eddie. It had been the right choice. Eddie had looked at him like he was something amazing, and Steve… well, he was a sucker for flattery. He liked the attention and even promised to call Eddie.

And that was his downfall. Steve was never good at following through. He got distracted with school and Carol's distress over Tommy. His father was pressuring him to join his business, but Steve was adamant he wasn't ready. He wanted his freedom for a little longer. It was inevitable, becoming the protege, marrying the favoured girl and spawning the next generation of Harringtons. Steve didn't want to be trapped in that life just yet.

Robin came back into his life in time to commiserate another failed relationship with him, and hiding away in her cottage seemed like the perfect idea. He needed to get away from Tommy and Eddie and clear his head. He needed to be free from his father's shackles, if only for a few days.

It didn't work. He spent the entire time missing Eddie, and like a miracle, he appeared. Steve had never been so happy as when Robin deposited Eddie at his side—learning how he'd found them. He should have been disturbed by the discovery, but Steve was only pleasantly surprised. Eddie had followed him outside the city and tracked him down to this remote place.

It was a first, and Steve found it incredibly endearing. Robin found it creepy, but Steve was insistent. Eddie was something different, and he wanted it. He felt alive for the first time in years.

Within the week, they made it official. Boyfriends. Steve had never had a proper boyfriend before, nothing beyond causal flings or dirty moments with Tommy. Eddie wasn't afraid to hold his hand out in public or kiss him. Steve found it so freeing to be affectionate like that. He was genuinely happy right up until Billy arrived.

Steve knew right away he was trouble. Eddie changed. He was distant and off-kilter, more than an ex-boyfriend should warrant. So Steve went digging. It wasn't hard to put the pieces together; the breakup, the disappearance. He got in contact with Billy, managed to convince him to talk and well… took care of it.

Billy's version of events was disturbing. How could he have thrown away Eddie's devotion like that? And now he was back to ruin his life again? Steve couldn't allow it.

And how did Eddie thank him? By accusing him of cheating. Steve had risked so much for him to have it thrown back in his face. He acted impulsively. He'd be the first to admit. Breaking up was a little extreme, but he couldn't back down after walking away. He went to Robin's cottage to cool off, tried to forget about it but couldn't.

He missed Eddie desperately.

When he returned to the city, he knew what needed to be done. Getting keys was easy. Gareth was eager for them to make up. Steve had been putting off having sex with Eddie because he was scared once they slept together, he would lose interest, just like he always did. But it didn't happen. He loved Eddie more as they lay together in the cage. Eddie loved him, wanted him, and Steve couldn't believe how lucky he was.

Then the hammer fell.

Tommy wasn't hiding out in some crack hole. He was dead.

Nobody had thought to suspect Steve's latest boy toy. Admittedly, neither had Steve until he'd seen the watch. Steve had spotted it under the desk in the cage, cracked and wedged behind one of the legs. He'd known right away it was Tommy's, and if it was here, then Eddie had killed him.

Was he scared? Not really.

If Eddie had wanted to hurt him, he would have done it by now. They had been alone together plenty of times. So why had he done it? The only other plausible reason was jealousy.

What else had he done?

Steve had checked his phone, and sure enough, there was one of those hidden spy apps that shared his messages, emails, history, hell, everything with another phone. So Eddie knew everything he'd said and done for months. Steve kept the app active to allay suspicion.

He could call Dave to take care of it if Eddie became too much to handle, but... Steve couldn't deny the discovery slightly moved him. Eddie had gone to a lot of trouble to get him, even killed someone. No one had ever made such an effort for him before.

And that was the bottom line. Eddie was willing to do anything for him. How could Steve throw that away? He wasn't Billy. He knew how rare Eddie's devotion was, and he wasn't going to run away from it.

Instead of doing the sensible thing and cutting off all contact, Steve continued dating Eddie. He even went along with the texts 'Tommy' sent him. He didn't want to make Eddie suspicious. It was surprising how easy it was to put Tommy in the back of his mind. He was no saint either, even if his hands were technically clean. That was what Dave was for.

With no Billy and no Tommy to come between them, it should have been so easy to be together. But again, Steve underestimated Eddie. He knew about Billy. Nancy's message sent him into a panic, and he was sure when he got home, Eddie would be gone. But he didn't mention it, so neither did Steve. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe Eddie didn't know. But he didn't believe that.

Steve realised it was time to come clean, he had planned to do it that evening, but Eddie never returned. He was supposed to come over after closing the shop but didn't. He even called Wayne, who confirmed he didn't go home. So where was he?

Carol answered the question. Her voicemail revealed everything. She knew about Tommy, and she had Eddie trapped.

He couldn't lose Eddie, not after everything they had done for each other. It was a surprisingly easy choice, and he called Dave as he got ready to go. By the time he arrived at the shop, it had been taken care of. Dave confirmed Eddie was still alive but trapped downstairs in the cage.

Holding the keys tight, Steve started down the stairs.

Now it was time to come clean.

Eddie looked a contrite sight, sitting in the cage and leaning against one of the walls. He seemed genuinely surprised to see Steve when he reached the bottom step and stepped into the light. All Steve could think was that Eddie would have a change of heart once he found out how much he knew.

Kneeling next to him, Steve murmured, "We need to talk."

"Yeah," Eddie replied softly, turning to face each other, but he kept his eyes on the ground. "I suppose we do. How much do you know?"

"Everything. Tommy… Billy… the phones." Eddie curled up against the glass, and Steve wanted to go in there to comfort him. But he couldn't, not yet. He didn't want to hurt Eddie, and he didn't know how he would react to physical contact. So he pressed a hand to the glass against Eddie's shoulder instead. "Hey, it's okay."

"Is it? I fucking killed someone, Steve. How is that okay?"

"Because I killed people too." Steve took a deep breath. Now or never. "Did you really think Billy just left? I took care of it for you. Just like Carol."

"Steve…"

"You did it for me. Is it so bad I did it for you, too? We're okay, Eddie, we're safe. No one knows."

Eddie laughed bitterly. "Safe. You really believe that, huh?"

"I do." Finally, he looked up to search Steve's face, disbelief giving way to wonderment and, finally, love. His smile had Steve's heart pounding so hard he laughed. "I need you," he whispered, pressing his head to the glass beside Eddie's.

"Come here," he whispered back.

It was going to be okay. With shaking fingers, he unlocked the cage and slammed into Eddie's arms, holding him tight. It felt so good to be held after such a long day.

Steve knew there was only one thing standing between them and their future. His father. It wouldn't be easy. He didn't even know if it was possible, but with Eddie's help, he stood a chance. "Eddie," he started softly, "we're not safe yet."

Eddie immediately stiffened. "But you said-"

"I know. We're safe over this, don't worry. No one will find out what we've done. But… we can't have our future, not yet."

"Why?"

"My father. He'll never allow it." Steve pulled back and smiled reassuringly. "Listen, I've got some money saved. He doesn't know about it. It's not enough, but soon, we could go away together. I'm not saying it would work. My father has connections. We would have to move around constantly. There's another way."

Eddie's expression turned cautious. "What?"

"We kill him. We kill my father."

"Steve…" Eddie started to pull away, so Steve held him tight.

"No, Eddie, listen. My father will never let us be together. He'll accept it for a while, but eventually, he wants me to settle down with a girl of his choice and get to work on a grandson. He won't let me be with you forever. It's the only way to stay together. We can do this. I know we can."

"But-"

"It's the only way, Eddie. Do you love me?"

For a moment, Eddie's face contorted in confusion and what looked like pain, but then he smiled, kissing Steve's forehead. "I love you."

Smiling back, he pressed his head to Eddie's chest again. His fast heartbeat confirmed it, and the voice in Steve's head only had one word.

Liar.