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“i don’t want to go to the skate park though, maxwell,” steve sighed, looking at her from across the counter at family video. she glared at him and eddie rose an eyebrow, a grin on his face where he sat on the counter.
“you don’t deserve bones, stephanie,” she said, still glaring. steve was instantly dumbfounded and eddie was cackling. steve furrowed his eyebrows, trying to rack his brain for something to say. he opened his mouth and then closed it. opened it and then closed it.
“max- i- i don’t- what?!” he asked, only making eddie laugh harder. “i don’t even- what am i supposed to say to that?!”
“that you’ll go with me to the skate park. after our little ice cream outing,” she said, shrugging.
“max,” eddie wheezed. she looked over at him, her eyebrow raising and a grin starting that she’s trying to hold off. “i have never been so proud to know someone.”
“edward!” steve snapped, getting more snickers from eddie. the bell rang and steve sighed before looking over at the door. “welcome to family video. let me know if you need any help.” the lady smiled at him before walking over to the comedy section.
“anyways. skate park. you and me. after ice cream tonight.”
“fine,” steve sighed, slouching. “only because i’m confused about not deserving bones.” eddie started chuckling again and max smile triumphantly.
“good,” she said, turning her face up. steve rolled his eyes at her but smiled nonetheless. “i’m gonna get you on a skateboard one way or another.”
~
“when are you getting glasses?” she asked him before biting into her ice cream. he cringed and shivered as she did it. he does every time. she smirked at him as she saw it.
“we’re going to get my exam and pick out frames tomorrow.”
“we?”
“eddie and robin are coming with me,” he said with a laugh. “eddie wants to see me in glasses and robin wants to help pick them out.”
“eddie is such a horny asshole,” she said. steve sputtered out a laugh at that and she laughed along with him. “but seriously, i think glasses could be a good look for you.”
“thanks,” he said, smiling at her. “hey, what do you want for your birthday?”
“there’s a new board at this store in the mall in indianapolis that i want,” she said with a sigh. “so money to put towards that.”
“did you tell billy the same thing? because you know he’s just gonna buy it for you,” he said with a laugh, getting her to smile.
“i told billy something else,” she said, shrugging. steve nodded his head.
“well… do you wanna make the trip to go get the board?”
“steve- what? no! you can’t just buy the board for me! that’s why i specifically said money! like- like $20 or something!” she rambled, looking taken aback. he just smiled at her before shaking his head.
“i’m gonna get you the board,” he said, biting into the cone as he had finished the ice cream. “and you are going to come with me when i do.”
“steve- you can’t just do that for me! i could never ask you to-“
“you’re not asking. and it want to.”
“but you shouldn’t-“
“max, i would do anything for you. you know that right?” he asked her, raising an eyebrow. she deflated, looking at him for a minute before throwing herself at him and hugging him right. he chuckled and hugged her back. “i love you, kid. let me get you the board.”
“i love you, too,” she mumbled before pulling away from him.
“we can go thursday since my appointment is tomorrow,” he said as he nudged her.
“can eddie come?” she asked him. he bit his lip as he tried not to smile at the mention of eddie’s name again.
“why do you want eddie to come?” she shrugged her shoulders again before sighing.
“look. i love billy. but i am in that house with him. i live with him. and i have you and eddie who are also like my big brothers and i love you both a lot and i feel like i haven’t got to see you guys a lot lately. and if you tell anyone that i said all of that, i will gut you.” he snorted at her but all he felt was love. steve absolutely adores this kid.
“i won’t tell anyone that you like hanging out with your gay dads,” he whispered, getting a cackle from her. he smiled again before slinging an arm around her shoulders. “i will kidnap eddie so he has to come if he refuses, which he won’t, because he adores you.” she slugged him in the arm as she tried not to grin.
~
“you definitely need glasses, mr. harrington,” steve grimaced at the use of his last name before nodding his head. “your right eye isn’t too bad. you’re at about a 20/50 there. but your left eye… your left eye is at about a 20/90.”
“great,” steve mumbled with a huff. the doctor gave him a chuckle.
“not too bad. we’ll just have you get some frames picked out and we’ll have them ready for you in about a week.” steve stood up as he held the door open for him. he made his way back into the waiting room where robin and eddie were waiting for him. eddie looked up at him first, smiling. steve felt relaxed as soon as he saw it on his face, giving him one back.
“so?” he asked, getting robin to look up.
“bad. help me pick out frames,” he said, laughing as robin shot up and went over to the wall. eddie laughed at her as well before standing and walking over to steve.
“what about these?” robin asked, holding up some frames, excitement in her voice. steve made his way over and grabbed them from her. he must have made a face because robin snatched them back. “okay so not those.”
“i like these ones,” eddie said, holding up square frames. “they look like your sunglasses.” steve grabbed them and put them on his face.
“i don’t like them,” robin said after studying him. “they’re not really steve.”
“i think they look good,” eddie mumbled and robin snorted.
“of course you do,” she mumbled back. steve felt his face heat up and eddie smirked at him.
in the end, they found some round wire frames. robin looked like she was ready to punch eddie the entire time they were looking because he just kept telling steve he looked good in all of them. steve was a bright red mess the entire time and the ladies at the front desk were giggling as robin just kept pushing frames onto his face and pulling them off when she didn’t like them.
~
“what store is it again?” steve asked, looking over at max as they entered the mall.
“it’s called shredders. it’s on the second floor,” she said, bouncing in excitement. steve smiled at her as she took the lead.
“shredders,” eddie said with a laugh, bumping his shoulder against steve’s as they walked. “stevie, we should get you a pair of vans.”
“that’s a great idea, eddie,” max said from in front of them. she dropped back to be closer to them and eddie threw his arm over her shoulders.
“why?” steve asked, raising an eyebrow at him. he just smiled and shrugged his shoulders.
“i think you’d look hot in them,” max gagged and elbowed him. he snickered as he backed away from her and she rolled her eyes.
“gross,” she mumbled and steve smiled down at her.
“we can go look at them,” he said with a sigh. she smiled back at him and he looked up at eddie, who had a smirk on his face.
“you should get the maroon pair that i have,” max said nonchalantly. steve snorted before he took his turn slinging his arm over her shoulders.
“you wanna match with me?” he teased. she scoffed and tried to push him away too but he just tightened his grip and started laughing.
“steve- get off-“ she was trying not to laugh as she said it.
“you love me,” he continued to tease. “you wanna match with me. just admit it.”
“god! you are so annoying!” steve glanced up at eddie. he had a soft smile on his face as he watched the two of them interact. steve tilted his head in question as they made eye contact and eddie just waved him off. steve narrowed his eyes before dropping it. they walked into the store and max made a beeline for the board she wanted.
“oh, max, this is sick,” eddie said, giving her a nod. she grinned at him and nodded her head back. steve saw an associate and asked if they could get the board.
“you need to get like, wheels and shit too?” steve asked her. she bit her lip and looked down at the board that the associate handed her. “max.”
“i mean, yeah but-“
“but nothing, go pick some out,” he said, pushing her away. she had a shy grin on her face as she walked away. he turned to look at eddie and saw the same grin. “what?”
“it just always amazes me how good of a person you are and how lucky i am to get to love you. and even luckier that you love me,” he whispered. steve felt his face get hot as a flush made its way up his neck. “i am gonna marry the shit out of you one day.”
“i am so in love with you,” steve whispered back with a smile on his face. eddie’s grin grew and he bit his lip before looking away. max started to walk back to them and steve headed for the register.
“steve, are you sure-“
“max,” he said, turning to look at her.
“it’s just a lot of money and-“
“what did i tell you the other day?” eddie looked between them in confusion, as did the associate at the register. max looked at him for a second before sighing and rolling her eyes.
“that you would do anything for me,” she mumbled. he grinned before huffing out a laugh and turning back towards the girl.
“how much is it?” he asked, pulling his wallet out.
“it’ll be $82.50 for everything,” she said with a smile. “you’re a good brother.”
“thanks,” he said with a smile as he pulled cash out to hand her the cash. they finished and walked out but max stopped at the entrance and looked up at steve. him and eddie stopped walking to look at her. “what’s up?”
“i just love you,” she said with a shrug. he huffed out a wet laugh before pulling her to him. “you do a lot for me and i know i act like i hate you sometimes but you mean a lot to me.”
“max,” he sighed, feeling the prickle in his eyes. “i love you too, kid.” he kissed the top of her head before letting go. he gave her a shove for good measure and she grinned before slugging his arm. eddie was trying to bite back a smile as he watched them, feeling so much love and adoration for the man he gets the honor to love.
steve did end up getting a pair of maroon vans just like max's. she was grinning the entire time they were in the store and all the way out to the car.
~
steve was sat on the counter in the kitchen of the harrington house with a pint of ice cream as he watched eddie make them spaghetti. he took a bite before getting another spoonful and holding it out to eddie, who gladly let steve feed the ice cream to him.
“i have a confession to make,” steve said, still looking at him. eddie rose an eyebrow, smiling over at him.
“oh?”
“yeah,” he said with a nod. “so this is hard to tell you but i think i might be in love with you,” eddie let out a mock gasp. “i know. shocker.”
“well i also have a confession to make,” eddie said, moving so that he was standing in between steve’s legs. he grabbed the ice cream from him and set it on the counter next to them.
“oh?” eddie huffed a laugh at the response as he gripped steve’s thighs in his hands. steve wrapped his arms around eddie’s neck and smiled at him, tilting his head.
“i think i might be in love with you too,” he whispered as he bumped his nose against steve’s. steve’s jaw dropped in mock surprise and eddie giggled a little.
“what? me? really?” he asked, eyes wide. eddie pushed forward and pressed his lips to steve’s, feeling steve sigh against him before threading a hand through his hair and deepening it.
“mmmm baby. as much as i love your lips and literally everything else about you, i need to make sure the sauce doesn’t burn,” he said as he pulled away. he gave him one more quick kiss before moving away back to the stove. steve groaned at him before getting down and moving behind eddie to hug him. “needy today are we?”
“i just really really like you is all,” steve said, smile on his face.
“hey, wanna get married?”
“i thought you’d never ask.”