Work Text:
He was excited and scared all at the same time. He didn't have any fucking art experience?? How the hell was he supposed to do this? He told himself that's why it's a class, not a group where everyone already knows it all. Except everyone else in his class probably did. He knew he was gonna feel out of place, and maybe even suck, but he had to try to break out of the box he was shoved in. Do something he felt like he actually wanted to do for once instead of it being some big thing that his parents had him do because it would be good for college.
Well, now he's there, and his parents can't pressure him into that anymore. He had landed a scholarship and they had no say. But that didn't mean they weren't fucking livid with him. They told him a different major like business or something would be wayyy better for his career. He didn't care. He wanted to be able to do something without the weight of needing to excel at it for the purpose of his future on his shoulders. Something he'd actually enjoy and get good at because he wanted to, not because he had to.
He'd bought all the stuff the course required and then a little more. So here he was, lugging it all to class and thinking maybe he should have just listened to his parents if he knew it was gonna be just as much of a workout as basketball. (But not really, he had an extra kick in his step knowing he pissed his parents off and he couldn't deny it).
He wasn't later or early, there were a few other people there already setting up their stuff but he thankfully didn't stand out as late on the first day or anything. However, what did stand out, was the dark curly haired fuck face setting up his canvas.
What the fuck?!
He was STATES away from Indiana and somehow managed to get a class with the one and only person from Hawkins high he wouldn't even slightly miss. There was genuinely no way that was him, right?? Much to his dismay his suspicions were confirmed when the familiar face perked up at another student, entering Steve's view entirely now, making small talk with whoever he was talking to and pissing Steve right the fuck off. Eddie. Munson. He didn't even notice Steve, was too wrapped up in whatever the fuck it is HE talks about. Steve was genuinely livid. He'd hated Eddie for years, and it was mutual. How the fuck did he manage to end up at the same damn college in the same class thousands of miles away?? He was starting to think god or whatever’s out there was playing some sick prank on him.
He let out probably the biggest sigh of his life and set his ginormous fucking bag down on a chair and began setting up the easel that accompanied it, on the exact opposite side of the fairly medium sized room of Eddie and positioned next to a moderately tall dude in hopes he would act as a curtain over Steve the entire semester so Eddie would never notice him. Yeah, because that's realistic in this college class of 40. How the fuck is the class even that small?? Its not unheard of but the fact him and what was basically his evil arch nemesis wound up there “coincidentally” and it was anything less than an insanely popular school like fucking Harvard or something is insane. God HAD to be playing games on him.
He got through the first class with the only thing on his mind being to hide as well as possible and then get the fuck out the entire time. He'd averted Eddie's discovery and gotten some material from his teacher to look over after class. Class had started on a Friday so he had the weekend to internally freak out before being shoved back into what was supposed to be a good thing for him turned obstacle course thanks to Eddie motherfucking munson. It was a relatively quiet class, he really hoped it wasn't that way all year. Unless of course it meant Eddie never had to realize Steve's existence, then he would put all his effort into breathing silent as a ghost. Take breath control classes if he needed. But that wasn't the case, he knew he would end up interacting with him sooner or later. Hopefully it was the latter.
Class ended and he booked it out of there with his still heavy ass materials that he made sure to pack up like 5 minuted before class ended specifically so he could get out the door just as fast as he did. He didn't have another class for an hour so he opted to lug his stuff back to his dorm and go out to get a coffee or something, but mainly just to explore the spots near the college buildings. He was happy to be putting the stress of that class behind him with a hint of excitement in his walk to his car, that was immediately shattered when he layed his eyes upon what was in fact not his car.
When he had arrived 2 days prior there was someone in his parking space, forcing him to park somewhere absolutely not convenient to him. He assumed they just didn't realize it, it being the first few days, and decided to just park elsewhere. That was until it kept happening. And somehow without a doubt, every single time he walked to his car he would completely forget about it all and go through all 5 stages of grief yet again. He'd only needed his car a few times to go get some base level groceries yesterday and a lamp the day before, but he really needed to remember. Actually, what he needed more, was to find whoever kept parking their hindrance in his space. He knew he could bring it up to administration but he opted to just find whoever it was on his own before resorting to that for his sake. Why he was being so nice? Who knows. He sure didn't. In fact it kinda stumped him. He was being overly understanding of someone he didn't even know that was causing him great annoyance. Maybe it was the fact he got the fuck out of Hawkins for once. Yeah. Probably.
-----
[Okay so here is where there was supposed to be a scene or multiple scenes where Eddie and steve meet, Eddie is unnecessarily nice and ends up offering to tutor Steve. Steve begrudgingly says yes. This is supposed to be an enemies to lovers yet the enemies part is so one sided omfg]
[Also there's another gap up here later + the next scene I don't have any reasoning as to why he was walking to his car but alas]
-----
And low and behold, there was still a big ugly fucking van parked in Steve Harringtons parking spot. He was done. By now he'd tried file a complaint but they either ignored it, read it and then ignored it, or hadn't gotten to it yet. Despite the latter being the most reasonable explanation he decided he wasn't gonna wait for that. In a moment that was most definitely not his proudest, he pulled out his jumble of keys and carded two between his knuckles. Stepping off the sidewalk step he walked down the length of the van, light screeching emanating from the tool in his hands contact with the metal of the vehicle as he absolutely demolished the paint job. Honestly, it was so old and chippy he wasn't even sure if the owner would notice.
Cornering the back end of the van twice as he pulled the keys up, then placed them back down again once he reached the other side, picking them back up for the final time as he stepped back up onto the sidewalk at the front of the van. Satisfied with his work yet still fondly annoyed at whomever was stealing his space, he brushed the flakes of old green and white paint off of his keys and slid them into his pocket before heading back to his dorm.
As he stepped up the final stair to the hall of his room and looked up, he sighed. Of course. There was Eddie Munson standing at his door knocking and waiting expectantly for a turn of the knob that didn't arrive. However, what did, was Steve's footsteps behind him. Eddie turned, slightly startled face that melted into nonchalant relief when he realized it was just Eddie.
----
It was late. Steve was still pissed, and now bored. He reluctantly pulled out his phone, his retinas screaming in protest while he tried to find something to cure the usual that is an uneventful night for that of Steve Harrington. Earlier he had followed Eddie so they could talk about sessions and other stuff of the sort.
But now curiosity was peaking from his mind. He was just gonna look. See what Eddie Munson posts about. Just wondering.
As he started scrolling it was mostly band related things, some van halen, some hanoi rocks, and other shit like that. Pictures of cool guitar picks he's found/bought, maybe a clip of him tuning a guitar here and there, yada yada. But then he came across a beach post. Nothing like…. Out there. Not like he was flexing his muscles or anything. But a picture of him and his friends where he in fact was in his swim trunks. God, he's pretty, isn't he?
Fuck. No, not happening. He turned his phone off and tossed it on the nightstand. But of course not before unknowingly liking the post.
He layed there in bed for an hour before managing to fall asleep. Only thing on his mind were the pictures of Eddie. Not in a lustful manor, rather that he just seemed so.. warm? Inviting. And now he was only thinking about how his personality reflected that. Steve hadn't even noticed it until now. He was so busy hating his guts he didn't notice Eddie didn't entirely hate him back. Seriously, what reason did he have for disliking Eddie? Before he unknowingly stole Steve's parking spot repeatedly.
Which reminded him he still had to confront Eddie about that. The already old and chipped paint job of the van that was now even more fucked. He felt bad. Real bad. But he wouldn't have done it if he'd known it was Eddie, even if he thought Eddie was taking his spot on purpose! Shit. Now he'd come to the realization he'd have been nice to Eddie even if he knew he was intentionally being an ass. Why was he giving him the a benefit of the doubt? He fucking hated the guy. He HATED studying with him. He hated the way he was able to work at Steve's pace without frustration over the fact Steve wasn't getting it. He was so unbearably nice and it had to be a facade. Surely.
With a new excuse reason locked in his mind as to why he seethed at Eddie Munsons very existence he settled his brain and put his emotions at bay long enough to fall asleep