Work Text:
Since the kids are hanging out at his place at least once a week, Steve starts buying more healthy snacks, so that they don't just stuff themselves on chips, peanuts and candy bars they bring with them all the time. He makes sure a large bowl in his living room is always filled with some fruits. Unfortunately, with things like oranges or grapefruits, turns out it results in sticky stains all over the carpet as the kids tend to rip into the skin like animals, squirting the juice everywhere (one time, Dustin even got some in Mike's eye, starting a screaming match that made Steve's ears ring).
So from now on, Steve just peels the fruits himself before passing them around. (He even keeps a small knife next to the bowl to peel the apples for El, simply because she doesn't like biting through the skin.)
Pretty soon, he starts doing the same thing for Robin when she's around, because she claims her nails are too fragile and she doesn't want to break one. Steve rolls his eyes and doesn't comment on the fact that her nails were just fine opening that soda can five minutes ago; he's rewarded with a grin as he peels a large grapefruit for her. And by proxy, for Nancy, because Robin hands one half over to her, which she accepts with a shy smile. It's something Robin does every time, Steve soon learns. Sometimes, he wonders what's going on between them, but decides not to pry. Robin will tell him when she's ready.
A week later, everyone's gathered in his living room again. The boys and Erica have their D&D game with Eddie while the rest just hang out, Nancy and Robin painting each other's nails and discussing colleges, Max and El bent over a stack of comic books and skateboarding magazines. Steve, as usual, is on fruit peeling duty, between listening to and occasionally joining various conversations around the room. At this point, he doesn't bother pretending like it annoys him. In truth, he likes keeping his hands busy. And this little ritual has become just another part of him taking care of his strange found family, even in small ways when there is no major apocalypse to deal with these days.
Or, almost everyone. He can't help but notice that Eddie's the only one who didn't ask Steve to pass him any fruits. He wonders, but there could be lots of reasons. Maybe Eddie didn't want to get his notes stained. Or he's allergic to oranges. Or he just doesn't like fruits. Come to think of it, Steve has hardly ever seen Eddie eat anything other than cup noodles or pizza.
But also, Eddie can be really strange around Steve. Sometimes, he's his usual, loud, obnoxious self, making flirty jokes and poking fun at Steve. Other times, he's almost cautious, keeping his distance, barely meeting Steve's eyes.
During a bathroom break in the middle of their game, Eddie approaches him with a teasing grin. "So what, that's a new item on the list of babysitter duties, Stevie? Peeling oranges for everyone?"
Robin grins at him from the other end of the couch. "Oh, not everyone. We're just special. Peeling fruits is Steve's new love language, apparently."
Her tone is teasing, and Steve rolls his eyes, but what she says isn't far from the truth.
And just like that, Eddie goes into distant mode. Nods, mumbles something about needing another soda and heads for the kitchen. And part of Steve wonders if maybe, Eddie doesn't know that this is something he could ask for.
He knows that he loves Eddie. He's still not sure what kind of love it is, it's certainly different from his love for Robin, or Nancy these days, or the kids. But he knows he does. Because of something the man told him himself once, actually, about what a sign of true love is; and Steve knows that if needed, he'd walk into the Upside Down and bite through a thousand more bats for any of the people in this room without a moment's hesitation. Any of them. But the gates are all closed, and grand gestures like that are no longer necessary, so he just makes sure everyone he loves is safe, and fed, and happy, occasional mother hen jokes be damned. And it doesn't sit right with him that Eddie isn't aware that includes him.
So he decides to fix it. Later that night, when everyone's gathering their stuff to head home, arguing loudly over who's going to get a lift from Nancy instead of taking their bikes, Steve asks Eddie to stay another while, have a few beers, watch a movie. And Eddie agrees, as easily as always, even if that strange, distant look is not yet completely gone from his eyes. As he puts on some horror flick, Steve tries not to dwell on the fact that he doesn't actually remember Eddie ever saying "no" to him.
Ten minutes or so into the movie (that looks terrible so far, but of course Eddie insists it's an absolute masterpiece), Steve reaches for the fruit bowl, grabs the final orange from it. Looks over at Eddie, who averts his eyes immediately towards the TV. Aiming for a casual tone, Steve holds it up to him.
"Hey, Eddie. You want one?"
Eddie's eyes are back on him, watching him with an unreadable expression for a moment. "Uh. Yeah, sure." Eddie reaches out, but Steve doesn't let him take the fruit, instead bringing it into his lap and quickly working on removing the skin. He doesn't know why his heart suddenly beats faster.
When he finally looks up, handing the now peeled fruit to Eddie, he's met with the most brilliant smile. Slowly, Eddie takes it, spins it around in his hands a few times, biting his lip, as if lost in thought. And then, he splits the orange in half and wordlessly holds one half of it out for Steve.
Suddenly, with that bizzarre silent exchange, everything clicks for Steve. Like puzzle pieces all coming together. There's the puzzle of Robin and Nancy he's pretty sure he's figured out now. But more importantly, the puzzle that's him and Eddie. His own uneven heartbeat and Eddie's sudden mood swings. His eyes always getting drawn to Eddie like a magnet, following him around the room. Eddie's smiles for him, always soft even when he's teasing. His 'Stevie', like warm rays of spring sunshine against Steve's skin.
Steve only waits long enough for both of them to finish eating their orange halves before taking a leap of faith, shuffling closer and reaching for Eddie's hand. Eddie stares at their joined hands with a look of disbelief, then chuckles quietly and looks up, his smile almost blinding up close.
Their first kiss tastes like oranges, their lips a little sticky, and so are probably their hands buried in each other's hair, but it's not like either of them cares.
(Days later, the first time they move on from couch makeouts to his bedroom, the first time Steve takes the shirt off of a slightly trembling Eddie, he can't help himself. "You know, if peeling fruits is a love language, you're totally my new favorite fruit." It's stupid and corny, but it makes them both laugh so hard neither of them is nervous anymore after that.)