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1982/1983,
Steve’s eyesight has never been great, but it’s been manageable so far in his 15 years of age.
It is, however, becoming a concern as of lately.
No one in high school has really noticed anything happening to him (is something happening, anyway? It's just seeing things blurred or not seeing them at all, no biggie). Steve doesn’t think anybody would bat an eye if they knew about how he struggles sometimes to do something as simple as… seeing.
It’s not that his parents have never noticed any signals either. Steve doubts they would even care if they actually paid attention to him and saw him struggle. He’s convinced maybe any other kid would have gotten some concern from their folks, and get their sight checked out. But not Steve.
It was already bad enough when he was smaller and he had to force himself to stop crying when he got himself hurt. Like that time he bumped his knee falling over from his bike and didn't make a single noise so he didn’t get told off. Or that time he had to go to school even when he was burning with fever. He can still hear his mom saying the usual “Drop the act and deal with it, Steven, there’s things I need to sort out”.
Not even a “Steve”, just Steven. Never an endearing word, as other kids around him got.
Thinking about past grievances is more than he can take right now, so Steve tries to keep himself busy and just keeps ignoring the obvious symptoms he’s had for a couple of years. He barely noticed before, but now they're annoying, ever present.
If he got his eyes checked out and received official confirmation that something was wrong, he would need to tell his parents anyway in order to get a pair of glasses. It’s his family that’s rich, not him. What if they say he has to earn the money for the glasses? It would be embarrassing.
The Harrington's residence is empty almost at all times and his dad would probably mock him if Steve showed up randomly with a paper saying "needs prescription glasses". Another sign of weakness. He can tell by the way Dad looks at him, clear disappointment showing in his face.
So Steve decides he doesn’t care about the entire ordeal, or pretends that he doesn’t.
Why would he? Who cares if King Steve cannot barely see the writing on the board? It’s not that he pays attention to class anyway, he clearly doesn’t have much brains either. Tommy and Carol would laugh at him if he shared his thoughts. Steve flinches sometimes, when hears them call any younger kids “dork”, “nerd”, “four-eyes”. Would they call him that too even if he’s a friend to them? Are they really his friends, anyway?
At times, he doesn’t even bother with squinting his eyes to try and see things. PE is what Steve enjoys and what’s easier for him. It's the only thing he cares about, really. Steve excels at sports, he gets praise (and even gets an audience of girls when he plays basketball, boosting his pride), his sense of self-worth gets a little bit restored, life goes on. As long as he has sports, he's fine.
All Steve hopes before leaving high school is to get a scholarship, becoming a promising player in the basketball team. There’s prospects to become the captain by next year, and…
Does Hawkins really need a four-eyed captain? No, they do not.
Steve has always just scraped by in all the other subjects in school. Tommy is constantly bullying nerd kids to get the answers to the tests, and that works for Steve to make it academically. His future is tied up, he is going to get some job at his Dad’s firm anyway, but needs to make it through high school, even if it means just scraping it.
It was kind of a relief when Nancy and him started going out. She was always keen to help him with his essays, and always kept pristine notes she shared enthusiastically when Steve asked if she could share, so he didn’t have to put an extra effort trying to decipher anything in class to write it down or seeing Tommy threatening some kid for his lunch money in exchange for the notes.
Nancy is observant. She has clearly noticed sometimes how Steve moves the papers very close to his face, closer than most people would need so he can read her corrections in red. Steve knows that she knows, but keeps silent. No reason to mention it. No mention ever happens. Steve’s grateful for it.
Nancy looks at him with questioning and even concerned looks sometimes. Maybe she would be embarrassed having a boyfriend who wears glasses.
It’s probably that. Steve gets it.
1984,
Sometimes, other people notice, and those are the times when Steve feels vulnerable, bared, exposed.
He’s picking up Dustin with his car, just because it’s raining too much to cycle to the Wheelers’ house and they have that D&D going on.
Dustin has called him around ten times to nag him until he convinced Steve to be his chauffeur. The last phone call is just a monologue where Dustin is just telling him off instead of asking. Cheeky.
“It’s the end of the campaign so it cannot wait for a sunny day, Steve. Please, c’mon, it’s an emergency!!!'' Steve says yes. All this pleading is grating his ears.
Steve feigns annoyance, but since he’s been friends with the little shit, something feels lighter in his chest. Because someone cares about him, someone calls him regularly and someone actually needs him. Sincerely and not to just hang around with “ the Hair ”. He doesn't think Dustin cares much about his hair, aside from the Snow Ball 1-2-1 they had.
It also makes Steve feel that every other “friend” he has had in his life was a fake one, which is a bit depressing. He doesn’t want to admit that not having friends of your age is a bit sad.
It all would feel nicer without all the monster stuff happening in the background, but it does feel nice to have someone around. Dustin is a nice kid. He can't blame Henderson for his lack of other friends.
Since Nancy dumped him, Steve’s been feeling quite hollow, but now he gets comfort from all these fourteen year olds, who have seen and coped with way too much for their age.
Steve finds a new sense of purpose taking care of them (or trying to), knowing them, ensuring they're safe. But he still needs to pretend all the babysitting annoys him, he cannot appear all mushy all the time. It works.
Steve’s always been good at building a façade.
He doesn’t stay at the Wheelers’ house when they arrive, even if Karen offers him several times a cold soda or suggests to stay for dinner. She’s always had a liking for him, but for the wrong reasons. Karen believes that Nancy seemed to be in a more lighthearted mood around Steve. And it’s not because she was happier with him, but Karen does not know that. Of course she doesn’t. He ends up telling her several times that Jonathan is a great guy. How humiliating. (Nothing against Byers, but it's hard to admit someone's better than you in every aspect).
Being popular and having rich parents also helped him get smiles and fake sympathy from other adults in Hawkins. Steve’s a polite and charming guy, but Karen can only see, again, the façade. She doesn’t know Steve. So Steve doesn’t stay in casa Wheelers', because he cannot cope with this right now. Also, he doesn’t need to see Jonathan and Nancy being sentimental and happy. He’s happy for them, but there’s no need to bask in his misery (and he already is, he always is feeling sorry for himself).
After a couple of hours chilling around, he drives back to pick Dustin and any of the kids that want a lift back. There’s two figures outside the house, looking like long shadows. It’s dark, and Steve’s not that far away, so he should be able to have a clearer vision than he actually has.
He just rubs his eyes and parks. He’s never had issues driving before. While he’s getting out of the car, a backpack gets rocket launched at him.
“Auch! Jesus Christ, Henderson, chill!” Steve complains while glaring at the culprit in front of him, rubbing his elbow.
And then there's silence. The two kids are in front of him, and still look a bit blurry with all the darkness surrounding them. Maybe he could tell Karen to put up a couple of lights around the garden.
“Henderson? Geez, Steve… ” And it’s Wheelers’ high pitched voice, who was just out too, apparently sending people off to their houses. How was he supposed to know he was going to be outside? How did he get them confused? They wear similar clothes, but Steve has to admit it’s a bit embarrassing…
“Well, all right, sorry you all little shits dress the same”, is the lame excuse he comes up with. It seems to suffice with Wheeler. But now the real Henderson speaks.
“You were rubbing your eyes when you got out of the car and now you’re blinking a lot, Steve. Are you too tired to drive?” Dustin is frowning, probably fearing for his life thinking about getting into the car, more than when he has to fight an Upside Down monster.
“What? Nah! I do not do dangerous driving, Henderson. You should know by now. Super awake!” Steve’s lips are quivering and he sounds a bit nervous.
Dustin seems to be happy with the answer, though. Or he really wants to get home for dinner. Steve doesn't mind, he just wants to brush the interaction under the carpet. But, in the car, Dustin keeps staring. And the kid is a damn good observer.
“I think you need glasses, Steve”, is what Dustin says.
Deadpan. Affirming, and not questioning.
“What?”
“You squint. I thought it was part of your, you know, zhuzh, when you talk up to people. But you’ve been doing it constantly while looking at the road. So yeah, think is just your eyesight. And you don’t do dangerous driving, do you?” And he smiles at him, as if it’s not a really touchy subject for Steve.
Steve’s not good at smart comebacks. So the response is a pouty mouth and silence. He cannot get mad at Dustin when he smiles. He just can't.
Thank god they’re already on his driveway. Henderson gets off the car and waves, with a “See you around Steve! Take care of yourself!”
Steve lifts a couple of fingers to wave bye back.
Take care of yourself.
It’s the first time someone has noticed and said something.
Instead of feeling grateful (because he should feel grateful that someone cares about his well being, shouldn’t he?), Steve thinks about what things the kids would say to him if he started wearing glasses. Probably not nice stuff. They would laugh at him, too.
So his mind wanders, and he thinks of changing the lights of his car to something brighter, or how he could learn to squint his eyes less. Something to make the situation better and that does not involve glasses. He will come up with something, for sure.
August 1985,
So here he is, the King of Hawkins High, with his stupid sailor uniform, blurting out dopey pick up lines to all the girls that get in line to buy an ice cream.
The “Ahoy ladies!” speech is not really working for him, the outfit is humiliating and his hair, his lovely hair, his best asset in this world, looks like a mess under the ridiculous hat. Robin has that silly board of hers in her hands, taking close count of his failures at flirting and documenting them. The lines under the “You Suck” column are getting out of hand.
It doesn’t help his morale at all. Has he lost his charm, his touch? Steve just feels like he's the biggest loser in the whole town. At least he can console himself, he’s making some money and showing his parents that he's capable of doing things independently.
Proving a point.
Reality is, he’s not just proving a point. Dad has decided Steve’s not good enough to work with him at his firm anymore because he wasn’t able to make it into college.
And Steve’s past caring about what Dad thinks, about not getting the scholarship or that his grades were so pathetic he couldn’t even attempt to apply for colleges, to be honest.
Dad looks even more miserable than usual the few times Steve manages to see him this year around their massive house, anyway. So him, working in the firm? It wouldn’t have ended up well.
The scholarship and college goals weren’t his own dreams anyway. Steve does not really know what his dreams are. He’s just interested in finding someone to create a great connection with. Maybe someone that will fall in love with him this time? He feels a bit stupid that the only thing that keeps him going is wanting to find love.
So, yeah, he’s been saying to himself that he hates Starcourt Mall and this summer in general because he’s not dating anyone and he has no prospects to get out of Hawkins.
However, he is laughing and having the most fun he’s had in… years. The job is not so awful as it seems, aside from the horrible pay and the see the worse side of what kids can do when they want something: groveling and trying to blackmail their parents to get an ice cream.
Maybe this is just preparation for when he gets his own kids. He’s getting a bit ahead of himself here with this train of thought, anyway. Scoops Ahoy is not bad. Robin is genuinely cool, even if she’s a band kid. Dustin also comes to see him every day. Steve doesn’t know what’s the deal with him and the rest of "the party", and hopes they make up soon and get back to playing their board game stuff. He cares about Dustin’s social life and him doing well, but has to admit it’s nice to have the kid around so often.
However, Steve does not feel alone as he sometimes did. Eleven and Max also come around, always giggling and happy. Even the Sinclair girl is entertaining, making slow work days interesting by annoying him and making him work way above his minimal pay grade. Not that Steve would ever confess that he enjoys her company, she’s smug enough as she is, thanks very much. But when Lucas comes around, he asks how she’s doing. Lucas frowns, but shares.
***
It’s a Tuesday afternoon and the after lunch-rush is about to start. Yes, there are rush times for getting ice creams. The cinemas keep doing morning screenings which fill up Starcourt with little menaces and couples, so people stay around for lunch and to shop around. Capitalism at his best. It’s busy as heck.
Robin is taking a break, and as always, she picks up the best times for it. The line is starting to go out of hand and Steve wants to throw the stupid hat he’s wearing to the nearest dumpster because he’s starting to freak out and he needs to run a hand through his hair to calm down.
But he doesn’t, so he's focusing on putting on his best smile for his current customer, a mom with two little kids who cannot be older than four or five years old. The mom only asks for a single scoop of lemon sherbet in a cup, which is simple enough. The kids, however, have other plans.
Steve sure hopes it’s not a banana split or another U.S.S. Butterscotch they want, because he’s done like five in a row in the last ten minutes and he’s run out of bananas in the front of the store. Also, those U.S.S. things are just a nightmare to make. After some consideration, the boy asks for a vanilla cone. A classic, good, simple choice. The waffle cone gets sorted easily and the boy holds his ice cream, making a bit of a mess but thanking Steve very politely as per his mom's instructions. Steve will need to tell Robin to help him clean when she’s back. The little girl seems to have made a decision as well is now pointing at the sign behind Steve with the Scoops Ahoy Menu, looking very sure of her choice of ice cream. “that one, that one, that one! ” she says, giddy.
“Which one, my lady?” Steve replies, putting his most charming smile towards the little girl.
“The one below the bubblegum one!!!” an excited voice responds, pointing all over the place, leaving Steve no option for a lucky guess.
Steve sighs and smiles, trying to conceal his nervousness. Could kids ever stop being bratty and just ask things properly for once?
So, the nervousness thing. Yeah. Steve has all the menu memorized, of course. He’s an expert ice cream connoisseur with just barely a month's experience in the business, thanks very much.
There’s the catch: Robin just put the new special board this morning, which wouldn’t be an issue for any other mortal. But she normally changes the order of the ice creams listed (so she doesn’t die of boredom, she keeps repeating). That leaves Steve, trying to chill nonchalantly next to the board once a week when he’s alone. Just to memorize the items and where they’re located in case kids point around and decide to be obtuse instead of saying what they want. Like what’s happening right here, right now. And it’s an issue because Steve cannot read the board from the register where he's standing. It’s all blurry. The handwriting is quite small for him. He used to be able to, when the flavours were all written in black. However Robin thought it was too lifeless so she’s been switching colours, and now they’re in red. So he’s screwed.
He decides to get closer to the board and pretend that he’s getting a new cup to prepare the ice cream for the little girl, but what he’s doing is looking very close at the damn board, trying to find the word “bubblegum” and see what’s under it. Robin returns from her break precisely at that moment, observing him with a funny face. Like all the times she is studying his weird behaviour.
Steve notices why. He’s literally almost touching the board with his nose, trying to read, frowning. He could put an excuse, say Robin's handwriting is bullshit, or something like that. But a five year old could read it just seconds ago, so maybe that’s a no.
Fuck it.
He turns around, and decides to wing it and takes a scoop from cookies and cream container, hoping for the best.
“Nooooo! Not that one! Raspberry, Mister Sailor!” The girl starts to complain, and Steve wants to shout some swear words and be swallowed whole into the Upside Down, in this order.
After that disastrous day (because for some reason, this is extremely embarrassing for Steve), he decides to spend some of his meagre salary on contact lenses. Nobody will be able to tell, will they?
He starts wearing them, and it’s great. Doesn’t remember a time where everything was so clear, when he didn’t struggle trying to read, or tell people and things apart from each other.
Good things do not last, though. When he gets captured by the Russians later in the month, he gets battered in the face and around his eyes. It hurts so much.
Every time he tries to put contacts after he recovers from the bruises and the concussion, he keeps flinching, his eyes are too dry and they hurt. So he needs to stop wearing them. The pharmacist says sometimes it happens, some people can’t wear contacts.
They just saved the world again, so it’s not a big deal for Steve, with all the other stuff going on. Yeah, no more contacts.
Steve does not buy any damn glasses to replace them. He still does not need them, or that's what he keeps repeating to himself, like a mantra.
April 1986,
It’s been a week since they defeated Vecna. Eddie is recovering in hospital, and Steve has been by his side for so long that the nurses don’t know how to kick him out.
Steve must look deranged. He doesn't care.
The nurses prompt him to get home so he can get a change of clothes, a warm meal and good night of sleep. Reassuring him several times that Eddie will be in the same place when he comes back to the hospital, that he’s in good hands. Steve, of course, believes them but does not listen to them. He needs to be by Eddie's side. The nurses insist, saying he also has really nasty bruises he needs to recover from.
A lot of things happened in quick succession, he almost lost Eddie in the Upside Down.
Before he passed out in his arms, Steve kissed him, told him he loved him. Didn’t know if he would have another chance to say it.
Steve has never felt the way he feels around him and doesn’t know how things work out between guys, but had to give it his best shot. There was no time to hesitate. And Eddie smiled at him after Steve's confession, but Steve didn’t know if he was just being delirious or if Eddie loved him back.
When Eddie finally wakes up, Steve can breathe again. He’s safe. However, Steve’s now terrified, because he has kissed Eddie without asking for permission and he has opened his heart to him. Maybe Eddie will push him away from his life, as all the other people Steve’s fallen in love with have done. Maybe he’s disgusted by him. Steve's afraid. He wanted to be there when Eddie woke up, he wanted to explain.
Eddie grabs his hand and tells him that he stinks, but that he’s glad to see his hero. His voice and his big brown eyes say a lot. They don't look at him with disgust. There's shyness, tenderness, a sparkle. The moment is intimate, and Steve’s heart is hammering in his chest, feeling the usual love he feels towards Eddie but also, hope. There’s a lot to talk about.
“Sweetheart, I am so glad you have stayed next to me all this time, but we can talk when I am not surrounded by cables, yeah? I also want to ask a favour first” Eddie’s voice sounds weak and tired.
Steve flushes all over at the endearment.
“Anything, Eddie”, Steve whispers, fervently, feeling he’s in one of those romance novels Nancy liked to read. Pride and Pretence, or something like that.
“Go home, have some food, get a shower, because I can smell you from here, and get some beauty sleep, yeah? What would your admirers say if they saw that tired face?”
Steve rolls his eyes at him and Eddie grins.
“I’ll be here tomorrow, big boy, promise. Just take care of yourself, for me, huh?” Eddie adds, before Steve can come up with any stupid excuses.
Steve nods, and after squeezing Eddie’s hand, he stands. He keeps promises.
“And please, Steve, make sure Wayne is eating. He’s a worrier, I am sure he’s been surviving solely by smoking cigarettes while I’ve been gone”. There’s a tinge of worry and guilt in his voice, so Steve reassures him everything is going to be fine and that he will take care of everything.
Steve’s reluctant to drive home and spend time in the Harrington’s residence, always too big and too empty. His parents have been out for a couple of weeks, and he does not bother to shout hello when he opens the door. He does not care if they’re in or not. He's well past that.
Aside from being full of Upside Down grit that hasn't come off from the quick shower he got in the hospital, he’s absolutely starving. He’s only had the snacks Dustin and Nancy have been bringing him to hospital. He’s too lazy and too knackered to cook anything, so he orders a pizza while he gets a shower, getting rid of the change of clothes Robin's brought him two days ago. Eddie was right, he stunk.
He feels better once he’s fed and clean. Feeling eager to see Eddie again.
Steve falls asleep out of exhaustion the second he lays down in bed. His peacefulness does not last long, because he has nightmares and wakes up panting just a couple of hours later. And then freaks out, because he knows he had left the light of the corridor on before getting into bed, and he cannot see it. It’s not even a blur, it’s just total darkness. His headache is killing him, but he tries to stand up regardless, see if he can get some water, check those lights and calm down.
He’s feeling wobbly, cannot control his balance at all. When he walks, he’s uncoordinated. He gets scared, because he's never felt sick like this.
Days pass, and he gets seen by a doctor, who says he has got a really nasty concussion, and recommends wearing glasses to alleviate some of his symptoms. Well, at least he has an excuse now. He almost got killed by giant vines. Steve’s glad that he’s alive. He will able to cope wearing glasses around the house, when he's alone.
Eddie and Steve start dating after he’s discharged from hospital.
Eddie tells him that he loves him and it makes Steve’s heart feel full. It’s the happiest Steve’s ever been.
July 1986,
Steve is in his bed, with a book, wearing the damn glasses. He always does when he’s on his own, now. Nobody else knows, not even Eddie. He didn't share what the doctor told him about his concussion. And the doctor was right, his head aches less with them on, and he can focus on simple things like watching TV or reading effortlessly. It’s great to focus on other stuff that’s not monsters.
He has found out that reading The Fellowship of the Ring is quite relaxing. Eddie did lend him his battered copy, full of annotations, a couple of weeks ago, which makes Steve feel accompanied while he reads. The fact that Eddie shared the most priced of his possessions (aside of his guitar, of course), makes his stomach flutter. Steve thought that it would take him forever to read, not being able to finish a single book for the English Literature classes in his life, but has to admit that he’s quite invested and he's more than halfway into it now. He likes Aragorn and Boromir, and he thinks of Dustin when he reads about the Hobbits. He will try not to sound too enthusiastic when he gives the book back to Eddie, because when Steve said he didn’t mind some Alice Cooper tunes, Eddie made him listen to his entire discography. He has even written a letter to his fan club in England, requesting his presence for a concert in Indiana. Unbelievable.
Steve’s so enthralled by the book that doesn’t hear Eddie letting himself in his room. He was in band practice today, and usually grabs some food and comes over to see Steve when Gareth kicks him and the rest of Corroded Coffin out his garage. Eddie knows where the spare key is in the front garden and they trust each other that much. Steve wishes Eddie could live here permanently, but his parents wouldn't be amused and Eddie likes living with Wayne. They got a quite nice new trailer now.
However, either Eddie arrives quite early or Steve has been reading for too long and lost track of time, because he wasn't expecting him yet. When Steve looks up and notices his presence, they make eye contact and cannot really tell how long Eddie has been standing there just staring at him, but it looks like a good while. He looks mesmerised.
Steve flushes easily, and he’s feeling too warm all of a sudden. And then he notices. He’s wearing glasses and Eddie’s never seen him like this.
He finally opens his mouth to speak.
“Jesus, Stevie. You look like a sexy librarian. You know, if you were the one working in Hawkins' library instead of Marissa, I would probably have graduated two years ago. Chatting you up about books and stuff, babe. I would have learned so much, or nothing at all, if you had let me woo you at work…” Eddie’s eyes look hungry, eating Steve up.
And Steve does not know what to do because he didn’t imagine that Eddie would see him like that with glasses. Find him attractive. Finding him sexy, get hit on like that, shamelessly, while Steve is just there, doing nothing, in the comfort of his bed. Eddie is riled up just because Steve is wearing those glasses. Steve’s not prepared for this scenario.
“Now you’re being a freak, worthy of the nickname. Don't cream your pants ”, Steve retorts, no malice in his words, but also not addressing the elephant in the room, the glasses. He prefers to talk about his boyfriends’ libido at any time. Eddie’s been teaching him raunchy stuff to do in bed lately. Steve can’t complain. He's eager and he wants more.
“Ah, ah, ah … words hurt, Steve-O. Look, I’m merely just bringing up that roleplaying AND your glasses turn me on. Sue me. Maybe you can wear them more often just for your boyfriend? Pretty please?” and he starts putting on his best Bambi eyes.
Steve blushes and caves in straight away.
“Okay, okay! Maybe… It will weird me out for a while, though. Still not used to wear them ”, he says, in a hushed voice. Still concerned.
Eddie frowns, and sits next to him.
“Why? You’re always the prettiest to me, Harrington. And they fucking suit you. Come on, dork. Let me kiss you.” Eddie doesn’t care how much time he needs to shower Steve with praise to make him feel comfortable wearing them, but it’s now his quest.
“How long have you been wearing them?” Eddie asks when they break their kiss, oblivious of what a big deal this is for Steve and how many years he’s struggled with it.
Steve is sick and tired of excuses by now.
“I… kind of always needed glasses. But I was and I still am… quite embarrassed to wear them. Guess I am too stubborn. I was getting temporary blindness and was scared shitless after Vecna, and the doctor said it would be best to get a pair, so… I caved in. But it’s just wearing them when I am on my own, so far". Steve’s ranting, and Eddie just holds him and reassures him, understanding a bit better some of Steve’s concerns.
“It’s okay, babe. We’ll figure it out slowly, yeah? But honestly, I fucking love them. The things I want to do to you are insane…”
“Stop it!” Steve says, but they’re kissing again and doing indecent stuff shortly after.
Steve still struggles wearing his glasses after that instance, but he’s capable of wearing them.
In general, with Eddie, things come easy. Steve doesn’t feel like he has to hide. Yes, there’s constant banter, Eddie berates him constantly, but Steve never feels judged by him.
Eddie believes everybody should be the person that they are comfortable with. Because he is the person he wants to be and it makes him happy. Eddie wants the best for the people he cares. Steve understands why the kids look up to him so much and even imitate him.
Also, Eddie doesn’t know the concept of personal space. Always trying to reach, to share all the energy he has within him. Eddie does flatter people usually with his words and that helps people loosening up, feeling comfortable being themselves, but there are some words and touches that are intended for Steve only. They soothe him as a balm, make Steve feel a peace of mind that he thought he would never find.
Steve loves romance, he loves love, and he thought he would never find it, after he tried so many times. But he has what he needs. What he needs is Eddie.
And Eddie seems to be enjoying the glasses way too much for his own dirty purposes, so Steve might need to get a spare pair to spice things up.
After a couple of weeks, Steve also finally manages to find the courage to go out the house and meet other people wearing his glasses, after a lot of encouragement. Eddie must have threatened or bribed everybody (maybe both), because nobody says a single word about them, and Robin hugs him for longer than usual. Steve finally feels comfortable with them and with himself.
And life goes on in Hawkins.