Chapter Text
Steve takes a deep breath as he and Eddie walk back inside. The kids bombarding him with questions and criticism was frankly overwhelming, and all he wants is to sink into the couch in the Wheeler’s basement and not be the center of attention anymore. Today is supposed to be about Eddie and the rest of Hellfire club, not about Steve Harrington’s love life. Okay, it’s a little about his love life, but that is supposed to be a subtle secret between himself, his boyfriend, and apparently, Max Mayfield.
Eddie must be able to tell Steve is feeling apprehensive, because he pauses once they’re through the front door. “You okay?” He asks softly, dropping his arm from around Steve’s shoulder to instead take hold of one of his hands.
“Yeah I’m fine. Sorry.” Steve shakes his head.
“Stevie...What’s the rule about apologies?”
“Fuck, you’re right sor-” Steve cuts himself off with a sheepish look. “No apologizing for feelings.”
“There we go. That was a lot. It’s okay to be nervous.” Eddie reassures with a gentle squeeze of his hand. “Does it help if I tell you I’m, like, insanely nervous right now too?”
“You are?”
“Oh 100% Harrington. Partially because I froze back there and couldn’t think of what to say to help which was a little shitty of me-”
“-Eds. It’s fine. I-”
“But mostly because I’ve been working really hard on this campaign, and you’re here, and I really don’t want you to think this whole thing is lame.” Eddie continues on like Steve hadn’t interrupted.
“I’m not going to think you’re lame Eddie. I know you’re a nerd. It’s part of your charm. I am genuinely excited to watch, and I know you’ll do great. The kids never shut up about how cool you are and what a kickass DM you are.”
“They said I’m kickass?”
“Mhm.” Steve affirms as he tucks a strand of Eddie’s hair behind his ear. He leans in slowly and kisses Eddie gently. It’s a risky move, but he’s pretty confident nobody will bound up the stairs right this second. If they wait any longer though, it’s a possibility, so he pulls back just as Eddie starts to deepen their kiss. Eddie pouts, not moving from his spot. Steve rolls his eyes affectionately and kisses him one more time then says “C’mon baby. You said yourself that we’ll have time for this later. Now let's get down there before somebody actually kills us for starting late.”
“Okay, yeah, you’re right. Into the dungeon we go, Harrington.” Eddie gestures dramatically to the basement door, and the two descend into the realm of Hellfire.
Eddie takes his seat at the head of the table, clapping his hands together to garner everyone's attention. His posture seems to immediately relax as he settles into his element. “Alright ladies and gentlemen, wizards and warlocks, tieflings and elves! Shall we begin our treacherous journey where last we left off?”
“Finally!” Mike exclaims.
“Absolutely.” Will smiles.
“About damn time!” Erica says with her signature sass.
Dustin and Lucas nod silently, looking at Eddie with rapt attention.
Steve plops down on the couch next to Max and Eleven as Eddie begins his exposition.
“Then allow me to paint a picture.” Eddie says, leaning over his DM screen to point out everyone’s character minis on the map as he speaks. “We start outside the castle. Everyone except Lady Applejack stands huddled in the treeline about thirty feet away from the courtyard, watching as Miss Applejack nimbly makes her way across the grass and avoids detection.”
Steve’s heart flutters as Eddie slips into his DM voice. It’s not quite the voice he used on Steve a few days before, but it’s close enough to have Steve’s mind wandering already. He shakes his head and forces himself to focus on Eddie’s words. If Max notices the blush on his cheeks, she doesn’t say anything.
“She makes it to a side wall undetected, and moments later a large looming figure rounds the corner. It’s Finnel, orc barbarian and lead guard to the King. You see a short exchange happen between the two of them, although you cannot hear what is being said from so far away.”
“Can I make a perception check to see if I actually can hear them?” Dustin asks.
“DC 25 but you can try.” Eddie tells him with a chuckle.
Dustin rolls one of his dice and shakes his head in disappointment. “That's a seven.”
“You cannot hear them whispering from 30 feet away. You see Applejack place a hand on her hip as she says something that garners a nod from Finnel, then both cross the courtyard to where your group awaits. He addresses you with disgust dripping in his voice.”
“Let me make one thing very clear to you, filth .” Eddie says in a deep and gruff character voice. “I lead you through the garden, and once you’re inside the castle, my job is done. I will not help you any further. I will betray my king no more than I already have. If you are caught, I owe you nothing, and I will gladly watch you all rot in dungeon cells. Are we clear?”
“How do we know you won’t lead us straight into a trap?” Lucas asks skeptically in his own character voice. Max laughs softly next to Steve, ignoring the pointed glare Lucas sends her way.
“Roll for insight.” Eddie tells him.
“18!”
“You are confident that Finnel means what he says. Whatever dirt Applejack has over him is powerful enough to force him to lead you to the secret entrance, but not enough for him to risk assisting you within the walls of the actual castle.”
The party argues for a moment before finally agreeing on a plan of action, and Steve watches intently as the story begins to unfold. He listens enraptured as Eddie switches back and forth between his theatrical DM voice, the voice of Finnel, and occasional atmospheric sound effects. The way he controls the energy at the table is incredible. He leans at tense moments, lowering his voice so everyone else leans in too, hung on every word he says. When a trio of frog-like creatures jumps out of one of the fountains in the garden, Eddie slides his chair back, shouting in a way that makes Steve jump at the sudden noise. All of the kids begin to shout too, surprised by this twist in their plan. He doesn’t understand a lot of the technical terms once the party enters combat, but Eddie’s storytelling is easy to follow, and Steve finds himself having a lot of fun watching.
El gets up to go to the bathroom, and Max leans over, whispering to Steve “You’re staring.”
“That is generally how you watch things Max.” Steve retorts.
“I think generally you’re supposed to watch what everyone is doing, not just Eddie.” She teases back.
Steve tears his eyes away from Eddie and the dramatic gestures he uses as he describes Lucas’s character obliterating the first bullywug. His cheeks grow hot and he looks over at Max with a nervous expression. Was he really being that obvious with his staring, or did Max just notice because she knows to look for it? Can the others tell? Should he stop looking at Eddie? Would that be more obvious?
Max bumps her shoulder against Steve’s and adds more sincerely, “They’re oblivious dude, it’s okay. And I’m not going to tell anyone.”
“Thank you Max.” He lets out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.
Max shrugs. “Got a good deal out of helping cover up for you guys, but even if I didn’t, I wouldn’t out you. You don’t have to thank me for not being a shitty person.”
“Still, I appreciate it.” Steve bumps her shoulder back.
“No problem. You should really buy some makeup though. I’m not letting Eddie use mine every time you guys get carried away. And my foundation definitely doesn’t match your skin tone.”
Eleven sits back down next to Max before Steve can say anything more than “Heard,” and their conversation comes to an end. The girls immediately lean in close to each other again, talking in hushed tones as Max explains what El missed while she was gone. Steve smiles to himself. As much as she claims to think DnD is lame, Max seems to have a good grasp on the mechanics and terminology.
“NAT 20!” Mike yells loudly, pulling Steve’s attention back to the game. The rest of the kids erupt into cheers around the table as Eddie brings a hand to his chest, gasping and choking before falling to the floor in an over the top performance of the last bullywug’s final moments. When Eddie returns to his seat, he glances over at Steve and winks, and he looks so goddamn beautiful Steve’s heart skips a beat. He waves, and Eddie shakes his head laughing before turning his attention back to the campaign.
The first encounter going well seems to have the kids more energized than they already were, and Eddie has to swoop in multiple times to keep the story moving when the younger teens get distracted or arguments erupt over the best course of action.
Finnel leads the party through the hedge maze in the garden, and even though the maze changes halfway through, separating Mike and Will from the others, everyone makes it safely to the center. There they find a grand statue, which Eddie describes as a weeping angel that looms over them with a sword held in its bound hands. “On the base of the statue, there is an inscription. It’s formatted like a poem, but the text is in a language that none of you understand.”
“I cast Comprehend Languages.” Will says.
Eddie smiles wide and slides a piece of paper across the table to Will. The paper looks aged, and Steve wonders how he was able to do that. Will reads over the “translated” poem quietly, turning his body to the side when Mike tries to lean over his shoulder to read it with him.
“Well? What does it say?” Dustin asks.
“I- I don’t think I can tell you.”
“What? You gotta tell us dude. No secrets from the party!” Lucas argues.
“I think it’s a prophecy.” Will supplies vaguely.
“And what does it say, nerd boy?” Erica demands.
Will stays silent, contemplating if he should share what he has learned.
“You have to tell us dude! We’re stuck here if we can’t get past this puzzle!” Dustin says.
“Whatever it says Will, we can handle it. The party is in this together.” Mike persuades.
“Okay…” Will says hesitantly. He reads the poem. It’s full of flowery and vague language that Steve doesn’t fully understand, but he gets that generally it’s talking about the dangers ahead, and warns that each member of the group will have to sacrifice something in order to complete their quest.
“And as I say these words, all foretold will be done.” Will finishes reading. The statue makes a loud clanking sound as the angel begins to move, raising its bound hands until the tip of the sword is no longer resting in the stone between its feet. Everyone shouts out, convinced Eddie has thrown another combat encounter at them, but instead of a weapon swinging towards the party, the statue begins to rotate, revealing a secret staircase beneath it.
“I rush in.” Mike immediately decides, not waiting for the others before making his decision.
“Oh shit Mike!” Dustin shouts.
“Do the rest of you follow?” Eddie asks.
“We have to!” Lucas says, throwing his hands in the air. Erica and Will agree, and everyone bounds down the stairs after Mike.
“You rush down the staircase. The moment the last of you is past the threshold, you hear Finnel say Gods permit, this is the last time I see any of you, and before anyone has a chance to react, the statue moves back, covering your escape and plunging you into darkness…”
Eddie sits back in his chair, dropping his DM voice to say, “And we’re stopping there for now! Everyone stretch, piss if you gotta, talk strategy if you must. Harrington and I are going to pop pizzas in the oven. We’re back in 30.”
The kids all grumble in protest, but nobody truly argues with the DMs decree.
Steve had never understood before how these sessions could last for hours at a time, but he gets it now. When he looks at the clock it's 3:30pm. They’d been playing for two hours already, but it hardly felt like one had passed.
Erica gets up to go to the bathroom. El jumps up from the couch to go talk to Mike and Will. Dustin pulls snacks out of his backpack, and everyone eagerly accepts handfuls of chips, even though they’re about to eat lunch. Eddie brushes off the legs of his jeans when he stands, then leans back, stretching his arms above his head. His shirt rises up, showing the smallest hint of his hips, and Steve swallows, mind immediately wandering to images of Eddie completely shirtless, leaning over him in bed, kissing him until he’s panting.
“Staring again.” Max elbows Steve.
“Shut up, no I’m not.” He grumbles.
“Mhm…”
“Why don’t you go talk to your boyfriend instead of worrying about mine?”
“Fine.” Max rolls her eyes with a smile then heads over to where Lucas is sitting.
“Coming Harrington?” Eddie asks from the bottom of the steps.
Steve nods and follows him up the stairs to the kitchen.
********
The two men spend their break upstairs, happy for the short respite from seven pairs of eyes on them. While they wait for the oven to preheat, Steve asks questions about the campaign. It seems to make Eddie so happy, Steve immediately feels guilty for not showing interest in all of this DnD stuff earlier. He leans into Eddie’s space, and steals a kiss.
“I feel like I’m fucking high right now dude, today is going so well.” Eddie shakes his head softly in disbelief before pulling Steve closer to him. They kiss until the oven beeps, and once the pizzas are placed inside, they start to makeout again. They narrowly avoid being caught when Dustin rushes up the stairs to ask how much longer it’ll be, so once he is placated and sent back downstairs, the pair spend the rest of their time talking.
30 minutes and two trips between the kitchen and basement later, everyone is settled with cans of Coca-Cola and plates full of pizza. Cheese for El, Max, and Will. Pepperoni for Lucas, Erica, and Dustin. A slice of each for Eddie and Steve. The chips Dustin had pulled out are also making their way around the room, and the younger teens all eat ravenously, as if the fictional battles of their campaign have taken a real physical toll on them. Steve scolds Dustin to slow down before he chokes, and elbows Eddie when he whispers “soccer mom” in response.
Once everyone is full and satisfied, the game starts back up. The party immediately encounters something in the darkened tunnels and everyone rolls for initiative. Whatever they are fighting seems strong, dealing damage to half the party before they have the chance to identify what they are up against. Erica uses an action to identify the monster as a Wraith, which Steve thinks must be bad based on the panicked reactions it gets from the boys. On Will's turn, he casts Daylight, filling the tunnel with bright light. The battle that follows is still tense, but Will’s spell seems to turn the battle to the party’s favor. Now every time Eddie rolls for the Wraith to hurt somebody in the party, he rolls with disadvantage, which Steve learns means rolling twice and taking the lower number. During the next few rounds of combat, Dustin falls but passes his death saving throws. Lucas is also knocked out but Erica is able to revive him, sacrificing her last healing potion to do so.
When Mike is the next at the top of the order, he tosses his silvered sword to Will, and tries to lure the Wraith towards himself. The Wraith takes the bait, passing by Will on the way towards Mike, allowing an attack of opportunity against it. Will swings the sword down, and lands the final blow. The creature dissolves in a cloud of smoke as it dies, and the kids dissolve into shouts of celebration as they all survive the encounter.
With Will’s Daylight spell still in effect, the party makes their way through the tunnels quickly. They get to a forked path and have to decide if they head to the King's Quarters, the Treasury, or split the party to hit both at the same time. They bicker for a moment, but ultimately decide against splitting the party. Even if it's a superstition, they all remember how badly it went last time they separated into groups. So, yeah, they'll head to the Treasury together first, then allow Erica and Will to sneak into the King's Quarters with the others on guard close by.
Eddie tries to stop here, but gives into the begging of the kids eventually and allows the group to make their way to the treasury. They begin to survey the room for the artifacts they’re seeking, and when Lucas discovers a mimic, Eddie adjourns the Hellfire club meeting for real, this time ignoring the protests and refusing to start combat.
Steve walks over to Eddie as everyone begins to pack up, and despite how desperately he wants to touch him, he just leans against the table.
“So… what did you think?” Eddie asks, looking at his papers instead of Steve.
“That was honestly a lot of fun.”
“Really?” Eddie looks at Steve excitedly.
“Really. I mean I didn’t understand a lot of the technical stuff, but you’re a really good story teller. I kinda get why you all like this so much now.”
Eddie absolutely beams.
Steve and Eddie talk for a few more minutes as everyone packs up, then they usher everyone upstairs. Steve helps carry Eddie’s things to the van as the kids split into their carpool groups, and when he hands over the last of Eddie’s books, their hands brush together. They linger a moment longer than they should, eagerly taking what touch they can safely have in front of others.
“Okay.” Eddie pulls his hands away first. “See you after drop off?”
“See you after drop off. We can order dinner if you want?”
“Sounds good to me.”
“Awesome.” Steve smiles back. “Drive safe.”
“You too.”