It was a scorching hot summer day, and Eddie was melting, no exaggeration. Lucky for him, he was now friends with Steve Harrington and had access to a private pool, no questions asked.
But on the hottest day of the year, Steve just had to be selfish and work. So when Eddie knocked on his door, no one answered. Deciding not to let that stop him, he hopped the fence. Getting the pool all to himself? Well, that was a damn miracle. Wherever the kids were - probably badgering Steve for a key - it gave Eddie a little privacy for once, which was nice. He wasn't all that comfortable with his scars yet, let alone having other people see them.
The quiet and the trees surrounding the backyard gave Eddie the courage to take off his shirt, and as the breeze played across his still-sensitive skin, he shivered. The pool helped ease the discomfort, and soon, he was floating on his back, staring up at the cloudless blue sky, feeling more relaxed than he had in weeks.
Before long, the sound of the back door opening and yelling broke through his peace and Eddie leaned on the side of the pool to watch the gaggle of teenagers run out and join him.
He waved when Dustin noticed him, calling, "Hey, finally decided to join me, huh?"
"What are you doing here?"
"Well… unlike you buttheads I don't have to wait for permission. Right, Stevie?"
Steve, who had just walked outside, caught sight of Eddie and rolled his eyes. "Why am I not surprised, Munson? Did you break anything?"
"Nope. Not even my ankle climbing your fence."
"Shame."
"You wound me." Eddie grinned but was left spluttering seconds later when Lucas cannonballed into the pool, sending a wave of water over his head. Pushing hair out of his face and ignoring Steve's laughter, Eddie turned to splash Lucas back, quickly hauling himself out as the other teens jumped in with yells of delight. Shaking out his wet hair, Eddie grabbed his towel to quickly dry off and put on his shirt.
"Don't do that!" Steve admonished, pulling the shirt free and tossed it back on the deck chair.
"But…"
"But what? You think anyone here cares about your scars?"
Eddie shrugged and wrapped his arms around his middle. "It's not that easy."
Steve considered that and with a big sigh, pulled off his shirt too. His scars were just as red and angry as Eddie's, splashed across his sides. "You're right, it's not. But maybe we can work on that together?" He held out a hand and after a second of hesitation, Eddie took it.
He felt friendship in the squeeze that followed. Friendship and understanding. He was not alone in this, never had been really. There was a whole group of people waiting outside that understood all too well what he'd been through and together, they would make it through.