WHAT: Steve's determined to woo Eddie for Valentine's Day, Eddie has reservations WHERE: Foxway House; Eddie's room WHEN: A couple days before Valentine's Day WARNINGS: Not really, FTB STATUS: Complete FANART:Yonder
Steve Harrington was a natural romantic. For all of his significant others, he was the type to do little surprise things, or buy flowers, or write ridiculous little notes. He didn’t give a shit what people said about it, Steve liked making others feel good about themselves. Maybe it stemmed from the fact that his parents were the exact opposite and he just existed in their world. Who fucking knew.
But he hadn’t had a signifigant other for Valentine’s Day since Nancy, and Steve was fucking determined to make it a good one.
Especially when Eddie had muttered something about commercial holidays earlier in the month. Then it became a challenge.
Then it became little things, everyday. Making lunch for Eddie and shoving a stupid cutout heart in it. Leaving a black rose tucked into Eddie’s guitar. Fucking folded origami boxes filled with candies left on the bedside table. Edible underwear that hadn’t even been touched yet because it was honestly a little weird and he’d just gotten caught up in the buying process. Strawberry lube had been a no-go too, eugh.
So he had to make up for that one a little, and overcompensated with an entire arm-full of red roses he planned on scattering around Eddie’s room next. Well--
If he could get the fucking bedroom door open without stabbing himself, anyway. That part was proving more difficult as Steve quietly swore and tried to shift the flowers over slightly so he could get his hand on the doorknob.
Eddie’s favourite thing about Valentine’s Day had always been making fun of the people who got really into Valentine’s Day. He and his friends would sit at the cafeteria table, and loudly make cracks at all the jocks and cheerleaders who’d turn their relationship into a spectacle on the 14th of February – not that they weren’t generally good at doing that even without a holiday to egg them on. How gullible they all were! How easy it was to sweep them up in corporate sentimentality, how very conformist.
He wasn’t entirely sure what to do now that his boyfriend seemed really, really into Valentine’s Day. But he wasn’t going to be won over. He’d groaned when he’d found Steve’s cut out heart in his lunch, and just because the black rose was now sitting in a vase on his nightstand (and would be getting dried for prosperity when it was time), and the origami boxes had made him smile when he’d seen them, and maybe he’d caught himself searching for Valentine’s Day date ideas didn’t mean that the stupid holiday was winning him over.
Besides, Steve probably had a whole big Date Thing planned anyway, so Eddie should probably stay out of it. Unless he was hoping Eddie would take the initiative after his not-so-subtle hints that Steve obviously loved this holiday. Maybe he should make reservations somewhere just in case. Except that reservations were way too mainstream. Maybe a… winter picnic or something.
He was staring at his phone, googling what time the sun was supposed to set on Valentine’s Day – blarg, what was Steve doing to him? – and so, when he opened his bedroom door, he didn’t notice Steve standing there until the moment right before he would’ve walked into him.
“Oh, hi,” Eddie said, heart jumping a little at the unexpected sight of Steve. And then his eyes dropped to the roses. He made himself frown. “More roses?”
He refused to be won over. Refused. He was absolutely not going to smile like some sort of goofy lovesick Valentine.
“Shit fuck--” Steve stumbled a little and recovered swiftly, managing to not drop any of the roses as he had the shit surprised out of him with Eddie opening the door.
But then he caught the frown on Eddie’s face and his own face fell slightly. That was a little slower to recover, to pretend either like he hadn’t noticed or wasn’t bothered. He would win Eddie over, that was his current focused determination. He’d just hoped to have a little more surprise on this one.
“Yeah, fucking deal with it.” Steve leaned in and pressed a swift kiss to the side of Eddie’s mouth as he smoothly moved into the room, not bothering for an invitation or deterred at this point. “I’d hoped to surprise you, but since you’re here, we’re just going to do it the hard way.” He pulled out one rose from the bunch with a little flourish and offered to Eddie. “For you.”
Eddie’s will was weak. He couldn’t stop the grin from breaking free when Steve kissed him, and couldn’t stop it from expanding with the way he presented him with the rose. He took it. “God, you’re so cheesy,” he teased, and then catching Steve by the belt loops to pull him closer, added, “All these roses are going to do terrible things to my rep around here.”
Steve snorted a laugh, but his cheeks flushed all the same. “What fucking rep?” Yeah so maybe Eddie gave off a much cooler vibe than Steve did but everybody in the house knew he was a nerd.
But Steve was trying to be better about being aware of his significant other’s feelings, it was something he’d been working on for a few years. So he leaned away with a slightly more serious expression plastered on his face. “Do you hate it? I can stop if it’s bugging you. Just- wanted to show you’re important, you know? I figured a little romance couldn’t hurt.”
Eddie took a moment to consider the question, and then shook his head. “No, I don’t hate it,” he said. “I’m a little annoyed that I don’t hate it, actually, after all the rallying I used to do about people taking the massacre out of the Valentine’s Day massacre.” He kissed the corner of Steve’s mouth. “But I love being lavished with attention, especially when it’s by you, so I suppose I’ll just have to accept my new lot in life as ‘hopeless romantic.’”
Steve’s grin blossomed under Eddie’s denial and admission. He felt a little like he’d just won the lotto, in getting to shower Eddie with a little extra attention.
Okay a lot of extra attention. “There’s more where that came from,” Steve promised with a wink. It wasn’t an empty promise, either, as he still had an actual gift for Eddie. And then more flowers had been ordered. And some ridiculous decorations. Probably some food. Speaking of- Steve winced. “Okay so how do you feel about chocolate covered strawberries? And fondue? Too much? Be honest.”
If truth be told, Eddie didn’t really know what fondue was. He was pretty sure that it was some rich person food. Maybe something to do with melted cheese? He was pretty sure it had something to do with melted cheese.
“I don’t know if chocolate-covered strawberries would be very good covered in cheese, babe,” he said slowly, squinting.
Steve groaned and covered his face with his hand. “Gross. No. It’s fucking chocolate fondue.”
He made a mental note to nix the cheese fondue idea. Even if it was intended for bread. “You can put shit in it. Like rum. And marshmallows.” Steve broke away so he could put flowers in a cup near the bed, and just because it was easier to wildly gesture in Eddie’s direction when he was at least arm’s length away. “It’s romantic and shit, trust me. I’m gonna woo you so hard.”
Eddie grinned. “Chocolate I can get behind.” He added consideringly, “Though, I think I’d rather lick it off of you than a marshmallow,” before he shot Steve a grin, and now that Steve was no longer burdened with the roses, he gathered him in his arms to kiss him, hard. “I am very wooable, Steve.”
Steve let himself get lost in the kiss, laughter on his lips as they matched up. When he finally came up for air, he was grinning just as heavily as Eddie had been when it started. “Fuck yeah. I think I can back that.” He’d let someone drip hot candles on him before, warm chocolate had to be way better, right?
Now he was distracted. Eddie being agreeable did things to Steve, and he started pushing his boyfriend towards the bed. When the backs of Eddie’s knees hit the edge of the bed, Steve shoved him down onto it. “Good. Consider this my wooing attempt, Munson.”