Eddie having a tattoo on the inside of his thigh that he cant fully really remember getting, it’s of an S.
He vaguely remembers another person being there. But it was on a night out in Indy with the guys, having successfully managed to convince them to go to a club with him (how Gareth pulled more than he did, while his underage ass was only drinking cokes? Uncertain. but Gareth discovered he’s bi so. Congrats Gareth)
Getting black out drunk, completely off his face, he remembers pulling one person while Gareth introduced Jeff and Frank to a group of lesbians he’d somehow charmed.
And that vague outline of a person who’d kissed him senseless in a cubicle in the mens bathroom, being with him when he got that tattoo. Maybe getting one for themselves too.
it’s only after the world doesnt end while at an impromptu we saved the world pool party at Steve’s McMansion, while spending an unfortunate amount of time ogling the other man’s legs in those shorts, wishing he still had that bat facing courage needed to go over there and just bite one of them. That he notices the tattoo.
an E. Right there on the inside of his thigh, just low enough that the shorts dont cover it.
Something so interesting about Steve to me is that even during his King Steve reign, when everything is about being at the top of the food chain and being impressive and cool, his true nature still slips out. That big heart of his that’s been buried deep keeps rearing its head, begging to be let out once and for all instead of stuffed down beneath layers of Lacoste tennis shirt and Farrah Fawcett spray.
You can see it in the way he always makes a point of making eye contact with Barb whenever he’s talking with Nancy so that she isn’t left feeling ignored or left out, and never questions or dismisses why Barb shows up with Nancy at his house.
In the way he enjoys the stupid and mean jokes that Tommy H. and Carol make but is quick to put a stop to them whenever someone else, like Nancy or Barb, seems uncomfortable with them.
In the way that he stops during sex to ask Nancy what’s wrong, then holds her hand through it and tells her how beautiful she is.
In the way that he tries to reassure her afterward that no one’s judging her or knows what happened, that he had a good time with her, and that everything is okay.
In the way that he can be seen giving his lunchmeat to Tommy and his applesauce to Carol and how he doesn’t hesitate to step up to bat when he thinks Nancy’s been wronged even if it seems a bit out of his comfort zone judging by the look on his face at the end.
In the way he grows concerned for Nancy after she blows him off and goes to check on her later that night because he wants to make sure everything is okay and it isn’t just her being busy.
In the way that, even in the midst of high emotion, a possible head injury, and heavy confusion about why Nancy was even at the Byers’ house in the first place, his primary concern was about her hand being hurt and whether or not she was okay.
In the way he went back inside the house to try and save them even after seeing the monster that makes no sense, having a gun pointed at him by his girlfriend, and being told to leave by both of them.
In the way that he didn’t leave when it was all over or make a fuss and instead went to the hospital with them to sit and wait for what was probably hours for word about Will.
Steve is a bitch. He is a mean girl. He is sassy and shallow sometimes. But he’s also the jerk with a heart of gold. An atoner. A protector. He’s had his bad moments, sure, and he’s going to have some more because he’s human, and none of his good moments can truly wipe those away. And while a lot of these are generally the bare minimum a person can do, it is morethan one would expect from a guy called the King, who is known for his hair, keg title, house parties, and ever-growing list of companions. Making it a true testament to how it’s never been a case of “Steve Turned Good After [meeting Nancy/the fight with Jonathan/being exposed to the Upside Down].”
Good!Steve has always been there; he’s just been hiding in plain sight. So it’s not a case of an absolute change or a reaction due to trauma. Only case of a boy, good at his core, who never wanted or felt like he could genuinely expose that side of himself in its full glory, who finally learned how to say fuck it, and allowed himself to come forth and show off the parts he kept hidden in the dark for so long.
steve doesn’t realize that he and eddie are dating because he used to have really weirdly intense sleepovers with tommy and now he and robin share clothes and a brain cell so when he and eddie sit on each others laps he’s just like “yeah this is how normal friends work :)”
