Eddie was well aware he wasn't a romantic person. His only relationship started from a mix of pent-up desire and alcohol. Not that he was complaining when he woke up naked and sore in Steve's bed. He hadn't complained in any of the days since either.

But he wouldn't say their relationship was all that romantic.

Sure they held hands and did couple shit together but they didn't do romantic candlelit dinners or moonlit walks through Hawkins. Mainly because the darkness freaked them both out and candles flickered too much. Point was, Eddie had never tried to woo Steve.

He wanted to make him swoon.

Seeing Nancy turn into a blushing mess when Jonathan brought her flowers and spun her around made him wonder what Steve would do if he was surprised like that. Eddie wanted to try. So with Robin's help, he had a plan.

Wayne had gone away for the weekend and Steve was supposed to be coming over after his shift which gave Eddie time to prepare.

He strung up fairy lights, testing them first to make sure they wouldn't flicker. The effect was quite nice, casting a soft glow around the trailer that would surely look romantic in the darkness. Then he cooked Steve's favourite meal with step-by-step instructions from Joyce Byers. They had made it together a few times leading up to that weekend and Eddie was fairly confident he could make it alone. And the icing on the cake? A Tears for Fears album that Eddie bought at a great personal cost to his reputation. It was playing softly in the background and if he tried hard enough he could pretend not to hear it.

When Steve knocked on the door and came in, his eyes widened in surprise before finally landing on Eddie. "What's this?"

Eddie took his hands and guided him to the table to sit. "Let me woo you, Stevie. I know we haven't had much romance in our relationship so..." He produced a bunch of roses from behind his back and handed them to a laughing Steve. "...let me make it up to you."

"You don't have to do this, Eds."

"Too late."

"Is that Pale Shelter I hear?"

"It is." Eddie placed the food down and took the seat next to Steve. "I won't be able to show my face in the record store again. Gareth will never let me live it down."

"Seriously?"

"Yes! He said I'm whipped." Steve smiled and reached out, Eddie automatically took his hand. "Not that I mind."

"Eds, we both know you've got me wrapped around those sinful fingers of yours."

"That so?"

Steve shrugged, fingers dancing across Eddie's palm. "I've never... been in a relationship like this before."

"With a dude?" Eddie was well aware that Steve's past experiences were exclusively female. It was something that made him feel very smug, being the only man Steve had ever been with.

"No, well yeah but I meant our relationship. I don't need big declarations of love or romance." He bit his lip and met Eddie's eyes shyly. "Waking up to see you smile and say 'hey, pretty boy' is enough. Knowing you're there every morning, it's means everything to me."

Eddie almost sent the food flying as he pulled Steve into a kiss. "I do love you."

"I know, God of course I know that Eds," Steve murmured against his mouth, trailing soft kisses down his jaw. "I love you too."

They shared one more tender kiss before breaking apart. Eddie cleared his throat and tried to get things back on track, pressing a fork into Steve's hand. "Come on, pretty boy, eat up before it goes cold. This took a lot of effort."

"Thank you." Steve nodded his approval around a mouthful. "It's good. You've been practising?"

"Yes, with Joyce." His cheeks warmed as Steve laughed. "What?"

"Nothing. It's just sweet is all. And you say you're not romantic."

"Shut up and eat."

Steve did but reached out to take one of his hands. Although it made eating more difficult, Eddie didn't complain. He'd give up a lot more to hold Steve's hand.

Maybe he was more romantic than he thought.