Work Text:
Tender is the flesh that bleeds. Steve took that with intent. Softened flesh bleeds more frequently. So he hardened his flesh, made himself stone, like the firm marble of the angelic statues he stood beside each day. All stone cold heavy expressions. All stood at the front of a church, his fathers wish and will, keeping him in place at the church. Steve was angry. Angry that this man, saw who Steve was becoming, happy, loving, gay . And he was quick to force him into the church, forceful shove of the cross down his throat. Steve knew better, awaiting his fathers death to free himself from the inherent personal hell of his family's design.
A colorful light coated his expression, tight wound and stiff. Discomfort. The stained glass colored the area in hues of yellow and white, heavenly, but with an overturn of red, the image of Jesus strung up on his cross, fat red drops of blood spilling from the thorn crown on his head. King looks at King. Steve’s eyes drag over his crown and wonders how it would feel to carry that own weight of that on his head, but he realizes he already is, everytime he slides on the stiffening black clothes and the white collar tucked into his shirt, he is putting on his own thorny crown. He turns forward again, people beginning to file into the church for his evening mass. He turned to glance at the rest of the clergy. It felt weird, after the original Priest left, he was quick to be forced into the head position. King Steve, head of the church, the disciple of God, still the same as a king. His God given right to rule. He looked around for a specific head in particular, his usual audience to his religious lectures, the one he nodded at each passing time he walked through the church for the sacramental wine and bread. He met steely brown and hungry eyes, curls covering most of his forehead and face as he gave Steve an uneasy smile.
Steve was aware of Eddie’s presence in Hawkins. He was known as being a satan leader to a DND club that Dustin was in. He was also aware of how much he cared for all the kids Steve cared for just the same. He was also aware of the rumors about Eddie, how he frequented the same clubs he did, the hanky in his back pocket, black and teasing to Steve. Steve smiled at him softly, soothing. Ever since the Upside Down, Eddie’s uncle, Wayne, forced him to church, trying to deter the satanic rumors about his nephew. It’s worked so far, if Eddie wasn’t immediately leaving the church to go to a gay bar (the same one he did), even Steve would’ve thought he turned to God’s holy word.
Steve watched as everyone settled, checking his watch before looking up. And so it begins. His voice carried along the wooden walls, muttering out, “Please rise for the choir.”
The people stood, shifting and pulling out hymn books, quick to follow the lead of the king as the choir began to sing the praises of God, voices carrying the power of heaven that was a little overwhelming. And pitchy. Robin would make some sort of comment about the girl she liked, Tammy Thompson, how she sounded the same. He chuckled to himself at the idea, moving his lips like he was singing as he tugged on his shirt, discomfort rising and bubbling in his chest again. What he wouldn’t give to be in bed, or out, in the city far from here, home away from home. He glanced up once more, catching eyes with Eddie who winked at him, pushing blood into Steve’s cheeks and creating a bright red hue. It was inherently forced, like he couldn’t control himself, and he realizes he doesn’t think he can, doesn’t think he can control himself around Eddie. He turns, and the choir begins to fall silent, his turn to sing the heaven’s praises, in his own way. His voice is worrisome, but he knows he doesn’t show it, knows he never will. He carries out his duty, speaking the written word of God, speaking with intent, with a faked passion.
He glances up, carries the eyes of Eddie and stiffens at the hungered gaze he’s met with. It’s unsettling to say the least, but not unwelcome. He continues, his voice dropping to a low hum. His sermons were quicker, so people who were busy, but still wanted to come to church, attended most of the sermons he gave. He moves along, story and prophet after one another, blending into a religious slur of unsought terms, bringing hope and love for their God into the hearts of hawkins. It’s not that Steve didn’t like being a priest.. He just really really really didn’t like his God. The God who kept giving him these unfortunate situations in life. He figures it’s in the grand plan but.. He really hates the grand plan too. He wishes to live his life like he used to; happy, content, and so deeply and irrevocably in love with Eddie Munson, who was now listening to his sermon, to his voice, that he thinks he might’ve killed him. He’s still in love with Eddie, that’s without doubt. But he see’s Eddie leave with a different guy each time, and he’s beginning to think it’s just him. Because everytime Eddie’s leaving, it’s with someone- like Steve. Brunette hair, the big puppy eyes Robin says he always has, and usually the same build as him. He thinks maybe it’s because Eddie thinks friends are off limits, but why would he flirt with him to begin with if that were true. That just feels- rude. Eddie may be a little bit rowdy, but rude, teasing to his friends? He knows that’s against his morals. He finishes his sermon, nodding to the choir to sing him out as he steps down the stairs, movement towards his office as he glances at Eddie with a small smile, gentle and friendly. Eddie beams back, eager to recuperate as he stood, moving out of the aisle and standing at the entryway. Steve turned, greeting a few people who were asking for assistance, or questions about God. People scattered out, and Steve turned to Eddie who was glancing at the stained glass, turning to him when he finally felt Steve’s gaze, shifting to look at him full, “Hey, you busy?”
“A bit, gotta finish some stuff up in my office really quick, but um… if you wanna hang out for a bit, I can give you a ride back to your place?”
He broke into a small grin, “No no- that’s fine.”
Steve nodded, moving to his office as he removed his collar and undid one of the buttons on his shirt, “How was the movie you saw with Dustin today?” He turned, smiling softly at a nervous looking Eddie.
“Pretty good, kid was trying to be a smartass as per usual.” He chuckled, flopping down onto the chair across from his desk and looking up at the mirror directly above his desk, smirking at Steve through it. Steve smiles back, moving to his desk and settling down and he begins to go through a couple of papers, filing them away as he chuckled, “I figured, don’t tell him I told you, but he went and saw it before you two went just to one up you.” He looked up smiling cheekily like the cat that’s got the cream, dragging him on as he leans closer, “he’d be pissed if he knew I told you.”
“Oh good heavens Steve, cursing in the lord's house…”
Steve scoffed, looking at him tiredly, “you know better.. I don’t like working here Eddie. I’d rather be with Robin at Family-Video…”
Eddie frowned a bit, “cheer up Steve, maybe the paycheck can get all three of us that house we’ve been talking about, across the way from the Byers household..” he smiled and Steve took it for pity, scoffing again, “come on man, you know it’ll never happen.”
Eddie groaned, “for a guy who works for joy you sure are dramatically negative as shit.”
Steve glanced up at him, a warning before finishing up his work, “okay, I should be all set for tomorrow.”
Eddie glances at him momentarily, watching as he stands and gathers his things, moving around his desk. And he doesn’t move, doesn’t make a move to get up. Steve passes him, brushing a hand on his shoulder and murmuring, “You okay?”
Eddie reached up, grabbing Steve’s wrist and tugging him down, murmuring lowly, “I’m just peachy, what about you Steve?”
Steve tensed up a bit, looking at him curiously, “I-I’m fine Eddie, what’s going on?”
“I’m- I’m a friend of Dorothy's.” He murmured, looking at him with wide eyes, trying to gauge his reaction.
His voice fell dead on his tongue as he opened his mouth, closing it again and opening it finally, speaking softly, “I know Eddie, I am too.”
He glanced up at him and Steve noticed something dark filling his gaze, and red glazed over the usual brown puppy eyes Steve loved to look into and get lost in. the same blood red that filled the stained glass, glazed and smooth and something else all together. Steve was shaking, the fear of being outed, let alone being an outed priest.. It could kill Steve. Literally. Eddie noticed, quick to adjust his approach, “Don’t worry Steve- I’m not- Christ sorry, wrong idea, I’m not trying to scare you.” he frowned, cupping his jaw. Power over the king, all from the court jester. Eddie murmured softly, his voice soothing, “I just- I didn’t know you were like me. I saw you and kept trying to- replace you I guess.” Steve frowned and leaned into his touch, submission. “Why do you think you need to replace me to begin with?”
“I don’t know, I just figured you don’t want to be a town priah, be a freak like me.”
“I already am.” Steve, soft and soothed now, realizing that Eddie just wanted the same love Steve wanted. Poor little Steve with his heart on his sleeve, and intimidating Eddie with sharpened teeth and hands ready to pounce at every sight of that heart. Steve muttered softly, reaching up and dragging his hand over his cheek, suddenly tucking his thumb under his upper lip and tugging it up, “What..? Eddie?”
Eddie let out a sheepish grin, grabbing his wrist more tightly and murmuring, “oh Stevie…”
Steve let out a whimper, and Eddie could swear that he would swallow it if it were possible. His voice was almost condescending as he spoke, “You’re no freak like me, because you don’t even know what kinda freak I am.”
“Then tell me.” He demanded, his eyes steely as he looked up at Eddie, “Your eyes are a completely different color then normally, and your teeth are sharper than usual, what the fuck are you.”
Eddie stood finally, pushing Steve against his desk as he pinned his hands to the edge of it, forcing Steve to arch his back into him with a grumble, “Was gonna tell you but I might as well show you.”
He lifted Steve’s head, forcing him to look into that stupid fucking mirror , watching as Eddie began to strip, peeling off his shirt as he murmured into Steve’s shoulder, “Don’t scream okay- Hopper and Dustin know but those bites, before you and Dustin pulled me out- got a little bit infected.”
Steve looked up, his eyes worried despite the situation, looking at the now black scars from Eddie’s bites, looking up when motion tore his eyes away from the gnarly skin, watching as tattered, red, wings spread over his back. A cloak of his own design. Steve’s mouth dropped open as he let out a shocked noise, squirming and turning to look at him curiously, “W-What are you!?”
“Some sort of upside down demon…” He murmured, leaning down as he tried to distract Steve, brushing his hair back and attempting to soothe him like an iron smoothes out denim, murmuring softly, “Look it’s fine- just got a bit banged up. Venom from Vecna and all that. I think maybe everything about me is normal, other than.. The very large elephant in the room.” As if with a mind of their own, the wings flicked and twitched, folding back as Steve watched on in pure horror, watching them tuck securely into Eddie’s back, safe and hidden away from his eyes.
Steve let out a croak, an attempt at not screaming as he looked at him with a groan, “Why didn’t you tell me!”
“You work in a church Steve! It would be weird if I told the priest I’m a demon if I didn’t know my feelings were recuperated first okay!”
“Well you know now I guess!” He groaned, covering his face, “This is insane! Who else knows?”
“You- Hopper, Steve, the scientist… and I think Joyce knows because she keeps trying to invite me over to stay at hers if I’m ever lonely.”
“That’s just Joyce.” Steve grumbled, cupping his jaw as he looked him over fully now. King’s first sight of sin and he thinks he loves it. Foolish foolish King. He looked Eddie over as he brushed his hair back, hearing him sing his praises at the soft touch as he spoke, “I really like you Eddie.” He looked at him curiously, trying to see what he’d say next as if to drag it from his mind.
“I like you too, Steve, but do you want this.” he murmured, leaning forward again, forcing him further onto his desk, “I need to know if you want this.”
“Yes. I want this Eddie. I want you.”
It was all Eddie needed to flip him over, looking him over with a hungered gaze, “Need to get this off, need to look at you properly.”
Steve’s eyes widened at the man-handling, his hands gripping the edge of his desk as he glanced at Eddie through the mirror, watching the control floodgates snap as he let out a noise somewhere along the lines of feral and absolutely horrifying. He murmured softly, reaching back even to soothe him a bit, “I’m not going anywhere Ed’s.”
Eddie’s eyes snap up, looking at him with softened eyes, leaning down and nipping at his jaw as he nodded in agreement, “I know- I’m not either.” he tugged on his pants, yanking them down with surprising ease. Steve thinks this is his own sacrament, his holy calling now nothing more than a calling as a holy spot filled his chest that was uniquely Eddie shaped. He leaned over the desk, replacement of the blood christ as the blood of Eddie filled his scents. His new holy God as he heard the subtle clink of Eddie’s own belt peeled off. He looked up, eyes reaching all the way up to the top of the mirror, watching as his lamp made a halo around Eddie’s head, his own personal angel, softened eyes and hands dragging over his hips as he fell into his own wine glass from God herself. Eddie’s voice broke through his thoughts murmuring lowly, “Got lube for me big boy?”
Steve nodded, reaching into the open drawer and rifling around as he tossed a small tube to him, looking at him from the mirror still, absolutely enamored with him. Eddie chuckled, leaning forward and kissing his temple softly as he poured lube onto his hole, smearing it with hopes of lubing him up as much as possible, wanting to make it good just for Steve because Eddie was so considerate like that, and Steve thinks that he can accept that type of love because he doesn’t know what this is but he doesn’t even fucking care cause it’s Eddie. Eddie who he’s pined for for the past year essentially; He’ll have to call Robin to tell her. He glanced up at Eddie as he began to position himself, glancing up at Steve with just the same lovesick look in his eyes, and Steve tries really really hard not to notice as Eddie asks him softly, “You still okay up there Stevie?”
“Eddie fuck me or I’m gonna have to actually start praying to you.”
Eddie smirked, sliding into him slowly, easing him open as if he were splitting him open like God split Adam’s chest open on the second day, as if he were peeling his rib out to make himself, and Steve knows he’d offer that rib without any hesitation, because the temptation of his own personal Eve that’s Eddie shaped makes him want to bite into the wood of his desk. Eddie slides further into him, his hand easing over Steve’s back before gripping the back of his head, tugging it up and making him look into the mirror, forcing him to watch himself on the table, the flesh and blood of the son of Christ, given to Satan himself. Eddie’s grin is wicked and Steve reads it as the most tempting fucking apple he could possibly see because it’s so delectable looking he thinks he’ll take a bite.
Steve’s eyes go hazy as he feels Eddie bottom out, flesh and blood spilling onto the wood as he lets out a shuddered groan. His breaking point is here he thinks, because he’s already found heaven in Eddie. Eddie’s hips are quick to piston into him, an attempt to break him he thinks as he looks up at Eddie in the mirror, watching as he devours his expression and his whole being and he knows that this is it, because he could break and die right here and he’d die so so so happy. Eddie’s hips are rolling, hitting that spot in him that makes him see sparks of light and bright white fire, and he knows Eddie has him mapped out like he’s been with him a hundred times based on how well he’s fucking him, and when Eddie reaches down, hand still slightly coated in lube and starts pumping Steve’s cock, he thinks he’s seeing stars, but that would down play it, he’s seeing the entire fucking galaxy as Eddie coo’s something condescending behind him, and Steve knows he shudders at it because it feels good on his mushy brain. Eddie keeps pumping him and Steve really wishes he didn’t go four months without being touched because it would be much easier to try and hold back, and he really is trying, and then Eddie is gripping his base, knowing he’s about to cum and stops him. He thinks now he wants to turn and choke Eddie, but he’s still fucking into him and it feels so good . So he lets him because it’s letting him savor this because he doesn’t think it will ever happen again. Eddie leaned forward again, licking a stripe up his neck eagerly and dragging the salty sweat over his flesh and he feels utterly sinful at the feeling.
There is a point when Steve genuinely thinks he’s seeing an angel when he looks up because Eddie’s hair has poofed up just a bit, and the light behind him is creating a heavenly look from it, and his jaw is so defined in this lighting that it looks like someone has carved him out of stone. He looks so pretty here and Steve wishes that he could hire someone to make a stain glass out of it, because the sight alone has him nearly tipping over the edge. Eddie notices, reaching down and pumping him again as he looks at Steve through the mirror, his voice gravelly and sounding so sinful it drips out of him like syrup, “Stevie, you close?”
Steve nodded and the nickname makes him feel like he’s floating as he leaned further over the desk, pressing further into Eddie’s constant moving hips as he felt Eddie pump him more quickly. He thinks that the release might be heavenly, but that would be denying the credit Eddie deserves on his own, because it fills Steve like a different heat, one that is so warming and soothing that it makes Steve genuinely feel like he’s being held, and he is. Eddie is leaning over his shoulders, pulling him up and kissing along his shoulders, murmuring into his neck, “Hey, you okay?”
Steve nods and leans back into him, feels the heat leave him and lets out a whimper. Eddie is quick to soothe him, “it’s okay, I’m here.”
Steve nods, his eyes blinking a little dazy as he turned, leaning into Eddie as he murmured, “not to fuck up your post, but what are we?” He ducked his head further, shame filling him as he tried to mute all the worry in his head. Eddie leaned back muttering against Steve’s head, “anything you want Steve. I’m yours.”
Steve nodded, soothed like a balm on a burn, “okay, I’d like that.” He slid his hands over Eddie’s scars, feeling everything out in hopes of mapping his new God, and Steve really hopes people make statues of him too, because Eddie deserves that. He glances up, voice soft as he chuckled to himself, “you’re so pretty.”
“Oh I’d hope so, gotta compete with you.”
Steve smiled fondly and leaned further into him, Holy sacrament of the devil and kings love, a united reunion of the sinful and holy, a combination of the apple and Eve, the worshiper and worshiped, holy king to unholy king.