Chapter Text
The summer started off like any other for Steve Harrington.
He packed up everything he’d need for the four weeks of camp into his car, doing one last sweep of the house to check all the lights were turned off and windows shut, before locking the door behind him. He knew the house would sit empty for the time he was gone, his parents off jet-setting around Europe for the summer, yet again. That had originally been the whole point of summer camp – get rid of little Stevie for a month so they could go off to various holiday destinations without having to tow him around.
He used to cry over it, but now it was his choice, and he would much rather spend the summer running after the brats at Lover’s Lake than having to pretend for any length of time that he had any interest in his parents’ snobby idea of a vacation, all stuffy museums and wine-tastings.
He shot one last look at the big, empty house before pulling out of the driveway, heading for screaming kids, tiny cabins, mediocre food, and smelling so strongly of sunscreen and campfire smoke that no amount of soap could get rid of it. He couldn’t fucking wait.
- - -
Nancy was standing at the camp entrance with one hand on her hip, the other holding a clipboard, her camp shirt knotted at the side, hair pulled up in a ponytail.
“Name?”
“Nance, I’ve worked here the last three summers. You know my name!” Not to mention they had dated for a brief period, but that was an ancient history that Nancy did not like being reminded of.
She looked at him, an eyebrow raised, like he knew better than to argue with her.
Steve rolled his eyes and sighed. “Steve Harrington.”
“Thanks, Steve.” She scanned the sheet on her board. “Okay, you will be with Cabin 7 this summer. Here’s your list of campers and schedule for the first week.” She held out a piece of paper. “Put your things in your assigned cabin and meet at the firepit in 20 minutes for orientation.”
Steve skimmed the list as he started towards the cabins, but stopped short and turned back to Nancy.
“Nance, this isn’t my list.”
She came over and looked at the bold heading at the top. “Cabin 7, that’s the one.”
“But… Dustin Henderson isn’t on it. Dustin’s always in my cabin!” he exclaimed, jabbing a finger aggressively at the paper.
“We had to make some last-minute cabin changes. You’ll get over it, Steve.” She turned to where a dirty van was turning into the gravel parking lot, ready to greet whoever was driving, already finished with their conversation. Steve knew there was no point in arguing further.
Steve grumbled all the way up to the cabins, reading the names on his list. He recognised most of them, but he was still pissed that Dustin’s name was missing.
He’d been there longer than Nancy had, by a year, but of course, with her organisational skills and responsibility, she’d been promoted quickly to head counsellor. Steve didn’t mind. He liked being able to come as he was and not worrying about keeping all the other counsellors in line. He thought he’d be pretty bad at it, actually.
He climbed the three wooden steps up to Cabin 7, ducking in and throwing his duffel bag on the end of the bed near the door. He loved the cabins here. They smelled strongly of pine and slightly of dust, with low ceilings and crowded bunk beds. Walking in on the first day always felt like coming home.
Steve climbed up each of the bunks, using a stick he’d grabbed on his walk over to break up any cobwebs in the corners of the rafters. He’d learned his lesson his first year as a counsellor, when he’d been awoken by the blood-curdling scream of little Jimmy Wallace at 3 AM. All because a spider had fallen on his face. Since then, Steve was very particular about his cabin set-up routine.
Once he was sure there were no more eight-legged creatures lurking in the corners, he made up the bed neatly and put his washbag on the little table in the corner. Then he grabbed his sunglasses and decided to head back down for orientation. He knew from experience that Nancy did not take kindly to latecomers. She ran a tight ship.
He’d only made it about five steps before a voice cried out from beside the washhouse. “THERE AIN’T NO FLIES ON US!”
Steve didn’t even have to think before calling back, recognising the voice. “THERE AIN’T NO FLIES ON US!”
“THERE MIGHT BE FLIES ON SOME OF YOU GUYS BUT–”
He joined in for the final line. “...THERE AIN’T NO FLIES ON US!”
“HARRINGTON!” A blur was running towards him, limbs flying all over the place.
“BUCKLEY!”
Robin hit him full force, not even slowing down before the impact, and wrapped her arms around him tight. He lifted her off the ground, spinning her around in a full circle before setting her back on her feet.
“How’s the life, Stevie?” she asked with a grin.
Steve gave her their standard reply. “I’m living it!”
Robin had started at the camp last year, and they’d become fast friends. She was more like an overgrown camper than a counsellor, pulling more pranks and causing more mischief than all the kids combined. Steve loved her for it.
She hooked her arm through his and pulled him along, chattering about everything that had happened in the eleven months since last summer and which cabin she was with and how she hoped Nancy had at least partially removed the stick from her ass since last year. Steve grinned and let her lead them down to the campfire pit by the water’s edge.
An assortment of young adults sat on the logs around the pit, Nancy standing at the front and tapping her foot. Uh-oh .
She spun around when she heard them coming. “Late!” she scolded.
Steve checked his watch. “Two minutes, Nance, you’ll survive!”
He and Robin took an empty log and waited for the spiel to begin.
“Welcome to Lover’s Lake Summer Camp, Summer of ‘86!” Nancy began. “We’re so glad to have you here, and I know the campers will be as well. Our itinerary for today, before the campers arrive tomorrow…” She made her way around to each of them, handing out sheets of pink paper with lots of times and information printed on them, as she continued. “You should all have been given an assigned cabin, a list of campers, and the first week’s schedule on your arrival to Lover’s Lake. So, we’ll have a tour of the camp first, then go over some basic health and safety protocols, and then, my personal favourite, team-building!”
“Oh joy,” Robin muttered to Steve. He rolled his eyes back at her.
Nancy led the way for their tour, and Robin and Steve hung back, scouting the new counsellors. They already knew where everything was, anyway.
“She’s cute.” Steve subtly nodded toward the blonde girl who was bouncing along next to Nancy.
“For you or for me?” Robin asked.
Steve shrugged. “Guess that depends.”
Robin, far less subtle than Steve, pointed openly at the boy with long dark hair and a bandana dangerously close to falling out of the back pocket of his black cut-offs. “He’s not bad, either.”
Steve stared at her. “Rob, you’re gay,” he reminded her quietly, as she seemed to have forgotten this fact.
“Not for me!” she countered, a sly grin on her face.
Steve frowned. He was about to ask her who she was even talking about, but then Nancy was calling their names. “Steve! Robin! Are you even paying attention back there?”
Robin stood at attention, saluting. “Sir, yes sir!”
Nancy rolled her eyes and carried on with the tour.
“Ugh, Miss Priss,” Robin complained under her breath, but she stopped talking and listened to Nancy explain the fire evacuation points.
The rest of the day passed uneventfully, a drone of policies and procedures and who to find in which emergency. They ate lunch in the dining hall, sandwiches and juice, before Nancy announced it was time for some team-building and led them out the ropes course on the edge of the woods that surrounded the lake. There was a rope hanging down from a sturdy branch, and a bunch of square mats laid out on the dirt, in a sort of triangle formation.
“It’s important this summer that we all work together, to know we can lean on each other, because we will have our good days, but also our bad days. And so will the campers. So let’s start with introductions! We’ll go around the circle, and everyone say your name, which cabin you have, and ummm… your favourite flavour of ice cream! I’ll start.
“My name is Nancy Wheeler, I’m the Head Counsellor so my job is to support all the cabins and counsellors. My favourite ice cream is Neopolitan.” She looked at the girl next to her, the bouncy one with the blonde hair.
“Hi everyone! I’m Chrissy Cunningham! I’ve been assigned to Cabin 1 and I like strawberry ice cream.”
They carried on around the circle, until Steve was next.
“Hey, I’m Steve, I’ve got Cabin 7 and I’m a mint choc chip kinda guy.”
There was a gagging sound from further along in the circle. It was the bandana dude Robin had pointed out earlier. “Sorry, man. Just. Worst flavour ever.”
Nany interrupted before Steve could defend himself and his mint chocolate chip. “Hey, not here to judge, just to get to know each other. Robin, you’re next.”
“Right well, as Nancy said, I’m Robin. I’m gonna be with the little boogers in Cabin 3, and I guess I like coffee ice cream.”
The guy with the visor atop his long, straight hair explained he’d just moved from California, his name was Argyle and he liked bubblegum ice cream, especially with a chocolate sauce drizzle. Steve looked over at Bandana Boy at that, but he didn’t have anything to say this time, just nodded along with a smile. Steve couldn’t help himself.
“Really, man, you’re gonna slander mint choc chip, a time-honoured flavour, but you’re cool with Mister Bubblegum Chocolate Sauce over here?” he exploded, throwing his hands up in the air.
“Hey, you mind? Pretty sure it’s my turn next and you’re interrupting,” the guy said, and he turned to look at the others in the circle. “So hey, uh, my name’s Eddie Munson. I’m gonna be hanging with Cabin 8, and I’d take rainbow sherbet, any day.”
A loud snort escaped from Steve, but he managed to hold in his comment about this Eddie guy’s choice of flavour.
“So! Now we all know each other a little bit better…” she glanced between Steve and Eddie, shooting a warning glare at both of them. “Everyone has to start behind this line.” She corralled them over to one side and laid a long stick down in front of them. “One-by-one, you need to use the rope swing to get to the mats on the other side, but you cannot move from the mat you land on. If you fall or step off your mat, the whole team goes back to the start! Any questions?”
No one said anything, so she blew the whistle that was hanging around her neck. “Go!”
Jonathan stepped forward, one of the other seasoned counsellors, like Steve. “Right, okay, we need a plan.”
“Do we?” Argyle Bubblegum Chocolate Sauce asked. “Or does she just want us to think we need a plan?” The rest of the group stared at him for a moment.
“Oh, for God’s sake– right, who has the longest arms?” Eddie asked, looking around. “Steve, was it? You’re pretty tall. If you lean out for the rope swing and someone holds you back so you don’t fall, you should be able to pull it over.”
“Uh, yeah, alright.” Steve stepped up to the stick Nancy had dropped on the ground. No one else moved. “Who’s gonna hold me?” Still nothing. He looked at Robin, but she was just smirking at him. Jerk.
“Christ, only since you asked so nicely,” Eddie said sarcastically, and then he was wrapping his arms around Steve’s waist.
Steve was in so much shock that this practically total stranger had just hugged him from behind with no hesitation that he didn’t move right away. Eddie was not patient.
“We gonna stay like this all day, or you gonna get that damn rope?” Steve jumped slightly, but leaned forward, stretching for the rope. His fingers found it but the attempted grab sent it swinging further away.
“Shit, hang on, almost…got it…” He kept reaching until finally, he felt the rough rope tight against his palm. “Okay!” He leaned back and once Eddie released him, readjusted his t-shirt.
“Who’s going first?” Steve asked the group, offering the rope.
Robin spoke up. “Okay, so I am like the clumsiest person to ever walk the face of the earth, so I don’t know how I’m even going to manage this. So… definitely not first. But, it might work if we fill in the mats from the back, so whoever thinks they can swing themselves the furthest and stick the landing should go first.”
“Fuck it.” Eddie grabbed the rope from Steve’s hand and pulled it back, taking a running jump into the swing and landing, surprisingly cat-like, on the furthest square. He bowed dramatically, calling back to them, “Who dares to follow in the footsteps of Eddie the Graceful?”
More like Eddie the Arrogant , Steve thought. He caught the rope on the backswing, but Robin stopped him with an arm thrown across before he could swing out, hollering over to Bandana Boy. “Hey, Eddie, do you think you can like, grab Steve and make sure he lands on the next furthest row?”
“Jesus, I am perfectly capable–”
“Yeah, got it, Coffee Ice Cream Girl… sorry, I forgot your name,” Eddie shouted.
Steve nudged Robin’s arm out of the way and swung himself over. Except, he overestimated the distance and ended up crashing into Eddie, sending them both to the ground and off the mats completely, Steve landing half on Eddie’s legs.
“Ow, shit,” he groaned.
“Hey, I cushioned your fall,” Eddie pointed out.
“I wouldn’t call your knee a very good cushion,” Steve bit back, scrambling to his feet.
They headed over to the other side to start again. Steve grabbed the rope where it was still swinging to give them a head start.
“Maybe Steve should go first this time,” Eddie said, still rubbing his hip, which had taken the brunt of both their weight.
So Steve swung, nearly toppling over but managing to stay on the square. Eddie came next, with Robin’s shouts of “grab him! Steve, grab him!” He did, guiding him down to make sure the other boy managed to stay on the mat. Chrissy was next, and performed a very nice landing, professing that she was, actually, a cheerleader. The rest of the group followed, filling in the spaces one by one with a few near misses. And then they were all staring back at Robin, who looked nervous as hell.
“C’mon, Rob!” Steve called over. “You got this!”
“Yeah, dude, we’ll catch you!” Argyle told her.
Robin grabbed the rope and walked back, trying to get some momentum behind her. And then she ran, swinging feet first towards the rest of the group, and hit them like a bowling ball knocking down pins. The rows of counsellors toppled, knocking Chrissy and Eddie off balance, and finally Steve, until they were in a heap in the dirt. Eddie turned to look at Steve, who he had landed on top of this time.
“You were right,” he groaned. “Knees do not make the best cushions.”
Nancy let them give up on that on that particular exercise as they all struggled back to their feet, nursing scrapes and bruises. She did insist on them taking part in trust falls, though.
“Okay, partner up, everyone!” Robin and Steve stepped toward each other, but Nancy stood in between them. “Uh-uh, nope, you two already trust each other… a little too much, if I’m honest.” She looked around the rest of the counsellors, the majority of them paired up. “Let’s see… Steve, you can go with Eddie, and Robin… you’ll be my partner!”
Nancy instructed them to cross their arms over their chests and close their eyes, falling backwards where their partner would catch them. She demonstrated with Robin, no hesitation or worry on her face, which was impressive, to be honest, after the rope swing fiasco had proven Robin’s clumsiness.
He turned to Eddie, about to ask who should do the fall first, but he was already talking. “Dunno if I can trust a guy who likes mint chip,” he sighed sardonically.
“Christ, man, give it a rest already,” Steve grumbled, crossing his arms and standing with his feet together. “You gonna catch me or what?”
Eddie smirked. “You insinuating that you’re falling for me?” he quipped, but he held his arms out all the same. “Don’t you worry – if you swoon, I’ll sweep you off your feet.”
God, this guy was annoying. Steve started to lean, but before he lost control of the descent, he shot his leg back to catch himself on basic instinct. Shit .
“Uh, sorry man, panicked a bit. Let me try again.” He reset, arms crossed, eyes closed, back straight, and… as he started to tip back, he automatically steadied himself again.
Eddie put on a hurt voice. “Steve, do you not trust me? After all we’ve been through?” He started making exaggerated sniffling noises. “I can’t believe this!”
Steve spun around and smacked his bicep. “Just give me a second, yeah? Christ, you need a lesson in patience.” He took a deep breath, trying to block out thoughts of Eddie and his stupid comments. “Ready?”
“Been ready for a while now, man,” Eddie said.
Steve focused every thought on just letting himself fall but– his body wouldn’t listen, and he stayed upright. This was getting embarrassing. He turned.
“Okay, if you think it’s so easy, you do it!” He held out his arms to Eddie, to show he was ready to catch him.
Eddie made a big show of crossing his arms and sticking his tongue out like a cartoon corpse before spinning around and falling, stiff as a board, into Steve’s arms.
Steve buckled a bit under the man’s dead weight, not actually expecting him to do it on the first try. Robin and Nancy were watching them, chuckling a bit. Eddie continued to lay in Steve’s arms, pretending to be dead, until Steve gave him a bit of a push, saying, “Okay, okay, whatever. Get up, you’re not as light as you look.”
Eddie stood, grinning at Steve, just a little too close. “See? I trust you ! Wanna try again, big boy?”
Steve didn’t. This guy was getting on his nerves with his stupid theatrics and nicknames. “Need some water,” he grunted as an excuse, heading over to where they had all put their bottles and bags. He chugged half of his bottle and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, hoping that Nance would announce it was time to move on to the next activity.
He heard footsteps approaching behind him and then Robin’s head was on his shoulder. “Playing nice with the other kids?” she asked.
“Who does he even think he is, coming in here like he owns the place, being all over-dramatic?” Steve griped. “He’s so smug, just ‘cause he can balance and do trust falls, like, who even cares?”
“Apparently, you do,” Robin pointed out.
Steve changed the subject. “Whatever, do you know what Nancy has planned next? God, I hope it’s not more team building.”
Unfortunately, it was worse.
Nancy had them practice a song, ready to perform for the campers the following night. Once that embarrassing ordeal was over, they had some free time to bond or get set up or just chill out before dinner, and then the camp director was going to come say hello and answer any questions they had. Most of the counsellors went down to the lake to cool off, dipping their feet in the cold water and getting to know each other.
Robin and Steve found a shady spot to sit, spending some time catching each other up on their lives since they’d last seen each other. Robin had lots to discuss, mostly about some girl in band that she’d spent the year trying to figure out, to no avail. Steve listened to her ramble on, staring out at the sun glinting off the water. He’d gone a few dates over the past year, but nothing stuck. He didn’t even know why he bothered– he wasn’t sure what he was looking for, if he was honest.
He suddenly remembered earlier, and turned to Robin, cutting her off. “Hey, who were you talking about earlier? When you said Eddie wasn’t bad, but not for you? You trying to hook Nancy up or something?”
“As much as that might help her relax, no, it wasn’t Nancy I had in mind.”
She didn’t offer anything else, so Steve kept pushing. “So, if not Nancy, who?”
“Never mind, Stevie, it was stupid.” She changed the subject with ease. “So Chrissy - what do you reckon? I’m getting slight Sapphic vibes, won’t lie…”
- - -
After dinner and a meeting with the director, the counsellors sat around the fire pit, enjoying their last night of freedom before the kids arrived. Robin had suggested Truth or Dare, because “what better way to get to know a group of strangers before you spend four weeks together?”
Unfortunately, they didn’t have the social lubricant of alcohol, not under Nancy’s watchful eye.
Robin turned to Chrissy. “Okay, truth or dare?”
“Uh, truth?”
“I’ll start off easy, don’t worry. Do you have a boyfriend?”
“Yes, back home,” she said, looking relieved at the simple question.
“See, easy!” Robin said, but Steve saw her smile falter the slightest bit. “Okay, Chrissy, now you get to choose someone.”
The game continued for a few rounds, everyone choosing truth, until Jonathan turned to Eddie. “Truth or dare?”
“Dare, man, of course! You guys are so boring!”
“Alright, uh… sit in someone’s lap for the next 5 turns?” Jonathan suggested.
“Easy!” Eddie stood, raking his eyes around the circle with a thoughtful look. After a moment, he flounced over to Steve and perched on his lap, throwing an arm around his shoulder dramatically.
Steve didn’t know what to say when Eddie targeted him. This guy had been a thorn in his side since orientation began, and now he was purposefully finding more ways to annoy him? This was going to be a long summer.
He tried to put some distance between himself and the other man, but didn’t dare complain – that wouldn’t be in the spirit of the game. So he leaned back and tried not to think about how close, how awkwardly close, Eddie was.
He was so busy trying not to think about it, that he nearly missed Robin giving Chrissy a quick kiss as her dare.
“Um… Steve!” Robin shouted what appeared to be the first name to pop into her head, looking a bit flustered.
“Seriously, Rob?” He glared at her.
“Truth or dare, little Stevie?”
“Truth.”
“You’re spoiling the fun!” Robin complained, but she thought for a moment before asking, “Hmm… okay, where is the craziest place you’ve had sex?”
Eddie twisted around to look at Steve, waiting for his answer.
“I dunno, uh, backseat of my car, I guess?” Steve replied.
Robin scoffed. “Bo-oring, Steve, I expected better from you!” Eddie chimed in with a boo, loud and right in Steve’s ear. What an asshole.
“Ugh, whatever. Uh… Argyle! Truth or dare?”
Five turns came and went, and Eddie still sat, perched on his lap like an annoying bird that wouldn’t leave him alone. He could say something, but he knew Eddie would just come back with some remark, trying (and probably succeeding) to embarrass Steve. Something about him really got under Steve’s skin.
They’d gotten around to Nancy, who was calling Eddie’s name. “Dare, as always,” he grinned.
“I dare you to go skinnydip in the lake.”
Eddie gasped, hand over his heart. “Wheeler! How scandalous!”
Steve breathed a quiet sigh of relief when Eddie finally vacated his lap, heading for the water. It was dark, but Steve could see his silhouette as he shed his clothes and stood there in the light from both the moon and the fire, casting a strange silver and orange glow that danced across his skin. It was remarkably mesmerising.
That was, until Robin leaned over and broke the spell, whispering, “See something you like there, Harrington?”
He pushed her off the log.