Why had he agreed to do this?
Steve regretted every life choice that had led him to this moment, driving Tommy and Carol to the abandoned Creel house on the edge of Hawkins. He didn't know the details, and he didn't want to know, but it had something to do with murders and a haunted house. Not his idea of fun. They could have gone to Tina's annual Halloween party, but no, Carol had invited, and this would have been more fun.
He was not having fun.
The place smelled like death, and everything was covered in thick dust and cobwebs.
"Guys, c'mon, this place is giving me the creeps. Let's go." When he got no response, Steve turned around only to find Tommy and Carol had snuck off, their footsteps leading to what had to be a living room. He could hear them giggling, followed by the unmistakable sounds of kissing and moaning. Ugh. Steve would rather find the ghosts.
He stomped upstairs, not bothering to keep the noise down, and hoped some dust would fall on the couple downstairs, ruining their fun. He'd been dragged to this creep-ass house so they could fuck on a mouldy-ass couch while he skulked around elsewhere. It was humiliating.
On the second floor, Steve discovered he wasn't the sole occupant. There was a faint light glowing under one of the closed doors, and he pushed it open in an act of bravery or supreme stupidity. Whatever he'd been expecting, it wasn't to find Eddie Munson high off his ass, in what was unmistakably a hideout. The room was cleaner than the rest of the house, and cushions littered the floor. Hell, there was even a mattress that Eddie was sprawled out on.
"Harrington?" Eddie asked, appraising Steve as he leaned back on his elbows. "What're you doing here?"
A loud moan followed Steve into the room, making him cringe and quickly shut the door. "Babysitting."
"Huh." Eddie laughed and held out a half-smoked blunt. What the hell. Steve took it, inhaling deeply, and the weed calmed his frayed nerves. Blowing out the smoke, he sat down beside Eddie, handing the blunt back. "I would say you owe me for that, but it looks like you need it."
"You don't know the half of it."
They passed the joint back and forth, Steve relaxing back until he was lying on the dirty mattress, staring at the ceiling. The flashlight Eddie had brought was dim, and it cocooned them, shutting out the rest of the world and the couple below. It was almost nice, save for the creepy house that creaked and groaned unexpectedly.
"Is this place really haunted?"
Eddie laughed. "Nah, man. At least the ghosts leave me alone if they're here. I haven't seen or heard anything, and I've been using this place for over a year now."
"Good to know." Steve closed his eyes, feeling better.
"Why, you scared of ghosts?"
"Not until they string us up, and we're stuck here forever."
"Touche." Eddie tapped Steve's knee, so he opened his eyes to find him smirking. "What if I'm already a ghost, and I'm just lowering your guard."
Steve narrowed his eyes. "If you're gonna kill me, expect your ass to be haunted for the rest of our undead lives. I will never let you rest."
"Fine, fine. You may be pretty, Harrington, but I'm not prepared to spend an eternity listening to you whining."
The only word Steve heard was pretty, and suddenly, he was blushing. "P-pretty?"
Eddie smiled, crawling closer so he could kneel over Steve. "You heard me, Harrington. Pretty. And I think you're too wasted to beat my ass. Reckon I could be outta here before you're standing."
Steve considered his options or lack thereof. All he could think about was how plush Eddie's lips looked and how much he wanted to turn this around. So he fisted Eddie's shirt and yanked him down into a kiss.
It wasn't great. It lacked finesse, and the surprise meant their teeth clicked, and the kiss was short and painful. Eddie reared back, confusion and amusement warring on his face before settling into a wide grin. "Wanna try that again."
"Please," Steve whispered, too far gone to care. This time, he pulled Eddie down gently, and it was so much better: soft, warm, and tingly. He smiled into the kiss, getting Eddie between his legs to keep him close. "Good. So good," he mumbled between kisses, and Eddie groaned in response, pressing closer.
A loud bang from downstairs broke them apart, and Steve suddenly remembered where they were, heart pounding with adrenaline. Then he heard Carol giggling and Tommy calling his name and sighed. His friends were such assholes sometimes.
"You know, your friends are assholes," Eddie muttered, scooting away and watching Steve warily.
"I know." Steve sighed and got to his knees. He would have to get down there quickly before Tommy and Carol came to investigate. But he hesitated, looking at Eddie, who was now inspecting his chipped nail polish. "Hey, next time."
"What?" Eddie looked up but smiled into their next kiss. "Okay, next time."
Steve hurried downstairs, glaring at his friends. "Can we go now? This place is creepy."
"You're such a pussy," Tommy teased, but he followed Steve back to his car. "What were you even doing up there?"
"Exploring."
"Huh, anything interesting?"
Steve's newfound crush, on not just a guy but Eddie Munson? "Nope."
"Bummer."
As he drove away, Steve glanced back at the house, spotting Eddie's window because of the faint glow of the flashlight. He couldn't help but smile. Even if the house were haunted, it would be worth going back to get another one of those kisses.