#eddie munson childhood au

[munson-memories]

Weekends at Wayne's pt 1

(All images found on pinterest)

#eddie munson #uncle wayne munson #eddie and wayne munson #eddie munson headcannon #eddie munson imagine #stranger things #wayne munson headcanon #eddie munson x reader #stranger things headcanons #eddie munson blurb #wayne munson #eddie munson moodboard #stranger things moodboard #eddie munson childhood au #¤-munson-memories-¤

[hairmetal666]

TW for internalized homophobia and related bad decisions

Steve is 12 and he thinks about finding his soulmate all the time.

You're supposed to find them through touch; your life together will flash in front of your eyes. They're rare, though, soulmates. So rare that most people never find theirs. So rare that some people say they're made up.

Steve wants to be one of the lucky few. He wants it to be a true, unbreakable bond, a love he gets to have forever.

He wonders if he'll find his soulmate at school. He's popular, he thinks. Tommy would say they were popular. But Tommy's definition of popular mostly has to do with the number of kids he can get away with being mean to, and that's not really Steve's deal. Tommy is like a prey animal, the way he can find weaknesses.

There's a new boy at school. Steve doesn't know his name, but they have English together. He's too thin, with huge brown eyes, and all his clothes are too big. His head's been inexpertly shaved and he never looks anybody in the eye. It's only a matter of time before he catches Tommy's interest, and Steve wishes he could stop it somehow, but he's never been good at going against Tommy.

The day comes, of course. They're standing in the hall, the new boy walking towards them, head down, as always. Tommy nudges Steve says, "What a loser."

And Steve shrugs, starts to ask Tommy about football, if the Colts can make the Super Bowl, but the boy is nearing and Tommy is cackling.

"Watch this." Tommy sticks his foot out.

The boy doesn't react fast enough. He falls forward with a bitten off yelp, and Steve moves without really thinking, only knows he can't stand to see him fall. He catches the new kid beneath his armpits, Steve's thumbs brushing the soft skin his arms.

The world around him falls away at the touch.

---

He's sitting on the floor in the band room, Eddie--the boy's name is Eddie--next to him. Eddie's hair is a little longer and Steve's in a green polo he doesn't recognize, and he's never been in the band room in his life. They're leaning into each other and laughing and Eddie's so beautiful.

---

They're in the woods--Skull Rock, Steve thinks. Eddie's hair is curled and frizzed around his chin, and he's laughing, his cheeks pink, his dimples prominent. He tries to pull his hair in front of his face, but it's not long enough yet to reach. Steve is overwhelmed, wants to kiss him so bad. He's never had to wait to kiss someone, or been unsure, or--

He wants to kiss Eddie.

So, he does.

It's hard, desperate, not the first kiss Steve expected, but then they've been waiting for so long.

---

Steve stands in the hallway of Hawkins High. He's wearing a striped, beige short-sleeved polo, and flirting with Nancy Wheeler.

He likes Nancy, she's pretty and smart and fun. And it's easy. He can hold her hand. Can introduce her to his parents. Can take her on dates and kiss her in public.

She bats her big blue eyes at him, and he can't help but kiss her.

He pulls away gently, brushing his thumb against her cheek, and when he looks down the hall, Eddie is there, frozen. His mouth is wide, his eyes glassy.

Steve thinks the way his heart stutters must be what dying feels like.

---

He's sitting on his diving board, facing away from the pool. He smokes a cigarette and there's a bat studded with nails at his feet, what the fuck. Music thuds, shrieks and laughter seep into the cool night air.

He should be playing the gracious host. He should be having a good time. Instead, his eyes search the woods and he taps another smoke out of the pack.

"Harrington?" The voice makes him jump, hand flexing around the bat handle. "It's freezing out. What are you doing?"

He recognizes the voice now, doesn't turn, doesn't respond, can't stand to see another person he let down; another person who could call him bullshit and be 100% correct.

"Do you not have a jacket? C'mon, man."

Something warm settles over his shoulders, and he inadvertently breathes in weed and leather and cedar. He squeezes his eyes shut, like that will make the comforting, familiar scent go away. He'll have to move to shrug off the jacket, though, which would mean acknowledging Eddie's presence.

"Can you at least say something, Harrington? You're freaking me out."

"I'm fine, Ed--Eddie." The nickname falls from his lips too easily. He doesn't miss how Eddie flinches.

His hair is long now, down to his shoulders, brittle looking in the cold. He's wearing a t-shirt and worn flannel, arms wrapped around his chest for warmth now that his jacket is draped over Steve's shoulders.

Steve is an idiot. He's such an idiot. Chasing after Nancy when Eddie is--

"I'm sorry," he says. He turns to face his soulmate, then. "I'm sorry about Nancy, I--"

Eddie jerks back like he's been hit. "Fuck you, Harrington," he snarls.

---

He sits in the back of an ambulance, eyes swollen shut, face throbbing. He's wearing a sailor suit for inexplicable reasons, which is almost more upsetting than the ambulance. He smells like puke and something toxically sweet.

A girl is with him, one he doesn't recognize, but he feels deeply, instinctively protective of her. He holds her shaking shoulders tight, tries to whisper comfort to her through his busted and bleeding mouth.

He's pretty sure he has a concussion.

"Steve!" Someone screams over the sounds of the EMTs and firefighters, of the building burning and collapsing behind them.

Eddie bursts through the gathered onlookers and past the ring of police cars enclosing them. He's falling into the ambulance before Steve has a chance to react.

"Sweetheart," Eddie sobs. He tries to cup Steve's face, but his fingers flutter around the damage. "Sweetheart, oh my god. I came as soon as I heard. Are you--what can I--"

Steve stares at him--his hair falling from its messy bun, his cutoff Metallica tee, concern and love leaking from those brown, brown eyes--and bursts into tears.

---

They sit on the roof of his house, sharing a joint back and forth. It's chilly, bordering on cold, winter just on the horizon. They're laughing, leaning into each other, and Steve is--he's happy. Elated. Could float away with it.

Robin--Robin-- is in the bathroom, or maybe in the kitchen for snacks, and it's just them for now. They're looking at each other, smiles wide, eyes bright.

They're taking it slow. Steve knows it's important, after what he did. They talked about it, his abandoning of Eddie for Nancy, chasing what his dad told him was normal and expected.

He doesn't want to cross any boundaries, wants to do this right. How Eddie deserves. But they're leaning into each other and they're smiling, and he's so in love. Intoxicated with it, lost.

In the end, he doesn't know who makes the first move, just that they're kissing and it's like coming home.

---

He's in a building, a shed or something. It's musty and dirty, smells like oil and gasoline and a building left closed up too long. Eddie's in his arms and he's talking through hiccuping sobs.

"I didn't save her, Steve. I didn't help. I just left her there! She was broken in pieces and I--I--"

Steve holds him close, tight, squeezes his eyes closed to stop his own tears from falling. He never wanted this for Eddie, never wanted him involved. Thought he could protect him from all of Hawkins's terrible things.

They aren't alone. Robin is there, coming up to hold Eddie too, plus a redheaded girl and curly haired boy he doesn't recognize.

"We'll figure this out, Eddie." The boy promises.

"We won't let anyone hurt you. We know you didn't murder Chrissy," the girl says.

---

Steve is in a world he doesn't understand, and Eddie is his arms. Eddie is in his arms, and there's blood everywhere. He's not awake, he's not--his heart beat is soft and slow, too slow, and his breathing stutters, and Steve can't--

"Baby, stay with me." He begs as he runs across the dead and rotting landscape. "Eddie, please. Wake up, okay? Wake up for me. I need to--I need to know that you're alright."

Eddie stays limp in his arms.

"Please," he begs. "You can't leave me. We promised, remember? We promised we'd be together forever. The rest of our lives. Me and You. Our six little nuggets. You promised."

The portal back to Hawkins is less than a dozen feet away, he's so close. Eddie gasps to consciousness, but his eyes are still hazy.

"Hi, sweetheart," he mumbles.

"Hey, hi, you're doing so good. We're almost out, okay? We're almost out and we'll get you to the hospital."

Eddie reaches out a weak hand, touches the edge of Steve's jaw. "Love you, Stevie," he whispers. "Glad you were mine."

He goes still in Steve's hold.

---

The images come faster now--

A hospital room at Hawkins General, Eddie hooked to machines. Steve holds hands with an older man. They wait in terrified silence

Eddie propped in a bed, a bunch of kids around him, Steve and Robin at his side. His eyes keep sliding to Steve, like he's making sure Steve's real, that he's still there

Their bodies tangled together in a bedroom Steve doesn't recognize

Steve down on one knee in a marble room lit only by black and red candles, Eddie standing in front of him

Hand-in-hand on a cliffside overlooking the ocean. The Chief of Police, Jim Hopper, stands in front of them with tears in his eyes and a beaming smile on his face

In a big, green yard behind a cozy little house. A little boy with Eddie's eyes and curls riding on his shoulders. Eddie sprinting around with a tiny girl giggling after him, perfect imitation of the King Steve hair-do on her tiny head

In a park, surrounded by family and friends. Steve has a little bit of a paunch and wears glasses. Eddie's hair streams around his shoulders, going grey at the temples. There's a banner strung between trees proclaiming 'Happy 20th Steve and Eddie!' They're surrounded by everyone they love and it's perfect

---

The images flash too fast for Steve to catalog after that, seconds-long glimpses of a shared future, and then he's back in his body in the hallway of Hawkins Middle, still holding too tight onto Eddie's arms.

Eddie rears back, face pale and terrified, and Steve is too shocked to do anything but let him go.

Tommy's yelling, but Steve only has eyes for his soulmate, who scrambles to his feet and throws himself down the hall away from them.

"What the hell, Harrington? Why'd you catch him? That was about to be funny as hell! I bet he'd have broken his nose--you ruined it!"

Steve isn't listening. He's trying to hold on to the memories of their life together, the ones that are already fading.

The last thing he remembers is that, sometime in the not-too-distant future, he'll find his way to the band room, Eddie Munson, and the rest of their lives.

#steddie #steve x eddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #ficlet #soulmate au #fluff #angst #angst with a happy ending #childhood sweethearts #canon divergent au #everyone lives/nobody dies #glimpses of the future #getting together #break up #getting back together #first kiss #brief stancy #platonic stobin

[blushweddinggowns]

“Your boyfriend,” Chirssy sighed as she picked through Nancy’s clothes, “Y’know, Steve?”

Robin blinked at her, “You think I’m dating Steve?”

That was a silly question, “Of course I do. Why wouldn’t I? You guys are all over each other.”

They were. Piggy back rides, cuddling on the couch together, constantly invading each other’s personal space. The only person worse with Steve was Eddie, but Chrissy figured that just came with being best friends for over a decade. She didn’t exactly have a frame of reference for that, considering her first real friends were barely six months old. 

Chrissy just hadn’t expected Robin to burst out laughing. Hard enough to double over.

Robin wiped at her eyes, barely managing to speak through her own cackles, “That’s-oh my god. How have we fucked up this badly?” 

Chrissy could feel a flush creep up her neck, embarrassment kicking in. She hated when she wasn’t in on the joke. It usually meant that it was actually on her,  “Don't be mean.”

“No!” Robin rushed out to say, effortlessly catching on to the look on Chrissy’s face, “No! I-I don’t mean- you’re not stupid! I am. We are. For… reasons. But we aren’t dating.”

That didn’t make any sense. Unless… was Steve leading her on? Was he the type of guy to do that?

Chrissy raised a brow at her, “So what are you doing? The two of you are attached at the hip. Unless he just drives you around everywhere for fun?”

Chrissy could tell Robin was still trying not to laugh. She was failing at it too, obvious as she hid it behind her hand. 

“Stop laughing at me,” Chrissy grumbled. 

“I’m not! I’m just laughing near you,” Robin said quickly. She turned to Steve, “Hey babe, can you come over here for a second?”

He came trotting right over, leaving Eddie to argue with Nancy in his place. He kind of reminded her of a dog, but in a cute way. Like a golden retriever boyfriend. 

Robin wrapped an arm around his shoulder the second he was within reach. She grinned at him, shaking him the slightest bit, “How would you feel about us going out some time?”

Steve stared at her, obviously confused, “Huh?”

“You, me,” Robin went on, “The whole boyfriend girlfriend shtick. What do you say?”

Chrissy didn’t expect to Steve physically cringe, like the idea completely disgusted him, “Ew, no.”

Robin scoffed but she didn’t look very surprised, “Fucking rude.”

“No!” Steve said, raising his hands to placate, “I don’t mean you’re gross! I mean it would be like banging my sister!”

It was Robin’s turn to cringe, “Dude, ew.”

“See!”

Chrissy didn’t understand what was happening. She stared at them, blurting the question out, “You guys aren’t together?”

Robin did a set of jazz hands, “Nope. Absolutely zero attraction between us. See?”

“But why?” Chrissy asked, looking between the two of them, “You both seem so perfect for each other.”

“Hey Eddie,” Steve called, a weird smile on his face, “What do you think? Are Robin and I perfect for each other?”

Suddenly Robin had that same look, “Yeah. He knows Steve better than anybody. Let's have him weigh in.”

Eddie groaned as he came over, clearly eavesdropping the entire time. He left Nancy to dig around her closet, walking up next to Steve with a sigh, “Are we really doing this? Really?”

Robin gasped, faking a faint, “Are you implying that I’m not good enough for Steve?”

Steve gasped right along with her, joining in with the dramatics while Chrissy was still lost, “I think he might be.”

“As fun as this little game is,” Eddie sighed, “I think we should just tell her. I’m tired of keeping my hands to myself anyway.”

Steve looked at him, head cocked, “You think so?”

“Why not?”

Steve shrugged, his eyes landing back onto Chrissy. His voice dipped down, more serious then before. He was talking like he was speaking to Eddie, but Eddie wasn’t the one he was staring down as he spoke, “It makes sense. I think the chances of it going badly are pretty low. The alternative wouldn’t be very wise.”

Chrissy was reminded, not for the first time, why she thought Steve was the scarier one of the best friend duo. 

But then Eddie was clamping a hand onto Steve’s shoulder, pulling him closer as he mumbled in his ear, “Put the claws away angel. I highly doubt she's like that. Plus she's been through enough for one day. Don't you think?”

It was actually pretty impressive, how easily a few words had Steve’s face transforming from scarily defensive to pleasantly neutral. It nearly looked like the words made him shiver, “I-you're right. Sorry Chris. I'm just… sensitive about it “

“I have no idea what’s going on,” Chrissy said, completely unable to accept an apology that she didn’t understand, “What is happening?”

And what did Eddie just call him? 

Eddie went on, “Well… we kind of have this thing when we’re in a near death experience. Or at least adjacent to it. Where we, well, kind of let loose? So we might as well warn you about what you’re going to see beforehand.”

Chrissy stared as Steve leaned further into him, nearly too close. No, definitely too close. He was basically nuzzling the side of Eddie’s face as he spoke, “You’re making it sound like we’re going to commit public indecency in front of her. And I’m the one who needs to calm down?”

Chrissy still didn’t get it. But her brain was still trying to work it out, fitting the weird pieces together. The way they were leaning into each other. The fact that Steve, for some bizarre reason didn’t want the best girl in the country, despite the fact that Robin was right there. How Eddie was instantly able to calm him down. 

Angel.

Oh. 

Oh. 

OH. 

“Uh, you okay there Chris?” Eddie asked, watching right at the realization hit her.

She was not okay. Not because of Eddie and Steve, but because this meant Robin was single. And she had been the entire damn time. 

Chrissy shook herself out of the stupid thought, just because she wasn’t taken didn’t mean she had a chance-

“Yeah, we’re kind of the queer trio over here,” Robin added, effortlessly grinding Chrissy’s train of thought back to a halt, “I um, probably should have told you sooner but piggybacking on their coming out seems appropriate.”

Nancy snorted, her outfit choices formalized as she walked over, “If you’re the queer trio what does that make me? The straight fourth wheel?”

They were all talking about it so casually. Like the thing that has plagued Chrissy’s mind for years, filling her with guilt and doubt, didn’t matter. It was normal, it was fine, and Robin liked girls.

She was pretty sure she was going to faint. But before she could her mouth was opening, “That’s- I - Why didn’t you tell me sooner?!”

Her voice came out more forceful than she expected. Though in her defense, she just found out that she had a real shot with her best friend the same day her life was in danger. She was feeling frazzled, but she corrected herself when she was met with silence, “I-I’m fine with it! Really! I j-just wish I had known.”

Nancy looked at her sympathetically, “Did you have a crush on one of them too? I get it, Steve got me the first time we started getting close. But I promise it’s not that hard to get over it.”

“No!” Chrissy said quickly, again with too much force, “I’m just surprised. T-That’s it. Everything’s fine.”

“Think you got the wrong category there Nance,” Steve mumbled under his breathe, yelping when Robin pinched his arm with a sharp glare. 

“Ignore him,” Robin said with a sad smile, “He doesn’t get everyone doesn’t have the gay gene.”

Chrissy nodded, her eyes trailing the flush that was going up Robin’s neck. Suddenly her mouth felt dry, the urge to correct her coming out full force. She shouldn’t tell them, right? It was wrong, it was bad, it didn't make sense. Because she knew they weren’t wrong. They weren’t bad. And Chrissy was so, so, tired of other people’s words invading her own thoughts. 

Nancy was laying the clothes out, the only one capable of getting everyone back on task, “Since it looks like neither of you were actually looking. I picked these out for you-”

“I have it,” Chrissy blurted out, her eyes still on the clothes on the bed. She refused to look up for any of their reactions, “The um, what you guys were talking about earlier. Me too. And I like the blue skirt.”

Nancy was the only one who didn’t miss a beat, “Ah, so now there’s four. Good for you. And I agree with the skirt, it will make you look a little taller with the heels and the elongation. We can get you to pass for a college student for sure. Robin, what do you think about the pink?”

from the next chapter of this fic

#steddie #steddie fic #buckingham fic #steve harrington #eddie munson #chrissy cunningham #steddie childhood friends au #the universe trapped in your skin #preview #im trying y'all #queued

[jaebeomsbitch]

Cherry Lips (E.M)

Pt II: in progress

Summary: Your childhood best friend steps up when your baby daddy skips town. Eddie had been with you through all stages of life, what's helping you through motherhood? Or Eddie Munson sucks out a clogged milk duct when you're in pain and eventually you finally sleep together

Pairing: Bestfriend! Eddie x Single Mom! Reader

Warnings: MINORS DNI, Titty sucking

A/N: Inspired by a reddit thread that I currently cannot find. Will update with link when I do. Smut next chapter!

You were knocked up by some stranger, a piece of shit who ran away as soon as you told him your one night stand ended in this, in the sweet baby girl. Luckily for you, your best friend Eddie was there every step of the way. He held you while you cried holding the pee stick, fuck he drove you to get it. He took you to every appointment, you eventually got tired of correcting the nurses that he wasn’t the father. 

You’d known Eddie for a long time. You were stuck at the hip since fifth grade, you can’t really pinpoint the day you became friends it just kind of happened. Your parents suspected he was your boyfriend, he was met with raised eyebrows when you first introduced him to your parents. After months of seeing you interact they grew maybe less suspicious or more like there was some unrequited love there. He looked at you like you were the sun in the sky and the waves in the ocean. You’d never really noticed or maybe you ignored it and Eddie was always too much of a coward to bring it up. Eventually the time passed where it became too awkward for him to say something…Say it, say anything really. You were friends for too long for him to finally come out with it so, he repressed those feelings. 

He slept around but never had a real girlfriend. Not that he didn’t want it, who doesn't want to have a partner? Who doesn't want to be beloved? His heart ached every time he saw you. Anytime he tried to date they didn’t want you around. They were always suspicious of you, of the way you touched him, the way you laughed around him but most importantly the way he looked at you. 

He held your hand as you gave birth to her, he yelled at your grip like the drama queen he is. His bangs stuck to his forehead with sweat, his mouth nervously spilling out words. What words? Mostly gibberish with a bit of praise about how well you were doing. You couldn’t really internalize whatever the fuck was going on. You just wanted the pain to end, whoever said childbirth was a miracle… it was a miracle anyone fucking did it. But this was your cross to bear, you wanted nothing more to be a mother even if it meant this. If it meant you needed stitches to hold you together, even if you felt bloated, and you didn't sleep most nights. 

Eddie was a godsend, he didn’t need to step up. He was your best friend not the father, the father was somewhere in florida fucking anything with a hole, probably fucking up some other girls life. But Eddie was here, he practically moved in when you found out you were pregnant. He started working overtime and put a downpayment on a house. Eddie… your Eddie the guy who promised to leave Hawkins and never return to this shitty town took on a thirty year mortgage. He refused your money when you wanted to pay rent, said he needed to move out of Wayne’s a long time ago. He didn’t know you were secretly putting money into the principal loan every month as rent. 

He was there and you didn’t know how to feel about it. You loved him for as long as you could remember. A deep rooted seed of love in your heart was planted there since the first day you met him. Since that awkward, too loud, lanky boy bumped into you in the hallway. Your heart ached, it was agonizing. Maybe if you were a different person, if you weren’t so afraid of commitment things would be different. Maybe if you weren’t a coward this would be his baby. A part of you knew though, knew that he saw your beautiful baby as his. You saw it in the way he held her after she was born, the way his dimples adorned his face as he cooed at her, and the way he loaded her in the car checking the seatbelt eight times to make sure she was secure. 

He’d wake up in the middle of the night and change her when you were too tired. He’d come home tired and hold her to give you a break. You can still remember the day you built the nursery. He went with you to the supply store to help pick out the paint, his hand on your back as you argued about which color to paint the walls. The guy working the paint station looked at you both with a bored expression. It all felt too domestic, it felt normal. You couldn’t pinpoint why but you could pinpoint that dull throb in your heart when he mockingly told you wanted to paint the walls with piss because you wanted yellow. Eventually you both decided on white, Eddie got his way. He’d read in a manual that white was productive for babies… How? You didn’t fucking know but you couldn’t argue with him when he looked at you with those big chocolate eyes and pulled you around the store gently, his hand never leaving the small of your back. 

Every night a piece of you feels broken… more like something is missing. Like there’s a tug in your heart and it leads eight feet to the wall on your right. To those ugly gray sheets and black comforter. You pad around the kitchen as she sleeps. You try and make yourself some quick dinner before she wakes up for her meal. There’s a throb in your breast, they feel tender and swollen, something that isn’t unusual but something feels wrong. They ache and feel tight, just as you turn off the stove and grasp the counter Eddie walks in. 

“Honey I’m home~~” He sing songs quietly.

“Eds” You whisper harshly trying not to crumple into a heap as you grip your tender breast. You can hear the thuds of his work boots stomping towards you. 

“What’s wrong?” He says in a panicked voice watching your head hung down in pain. 

“I- I don’t know. It hurts” You say, trying not to cry. You couldn’t freak out right now.

“Where, where does it hurt sweetheart?” He whispers, eyes wide and full of anxiety. His hands reach for you, touching you all over trying to find the source as you gasp for air. The sharp pains in your breast only getting worse. 

“My breast hurt s’bad” You silently cry, your knuckles turning white as you grip the counter harder. 

“Woah,” He says, holding you as you sway, the pain becoming increasingly unbearable like a water balloon about to pop. 

“We have to go to the hospital, somethings not right Eds” You say looking up at him, your nails digging into his forearm. 

“Your breast hurts? I- I read something in the manual about this” He says hurriedly, watching as you tremble. 

“I think I can make it better. I think you've got a clogged milk duct. Fuck sweetheart, okay. I- I have to suck on your nipple,” He says, holding you closer to him bearing your weight. 

“W-what?” You ask, maybe you just hallucinated that. 

“Yes, women have their husbands suck the blockage out all the time. Trust me, It’ll make you feel better and if it doesn't work we’re rushing towards the hospital” He almost pleads as he watches your face scrunch up with pain. 

“Okay, j-just do it” You say, the pain increases more and more. You let of your breast as he lifts you onto the counter, one of his hands on your waist and the other quickly bringing your shirt down. He was used to seeing your breasts because you liked to breast feed but this was different. You can’t even think about it because his lips are engulfing your nipple and he's sucking hard. Your hand comes up to tangle in his hair, holding him in place. The pain hurts so bad, it feels like it's shooting into your skin but also like it could pop like an overinflated balloon. Groans leave your mouth, your fingers pulling at his scalp as he continues to suck on your nipple. Small tears leave the corner of your eyes squeezed shut. 

Finally a floodgate opens and the pain starts to slowly subside. The feeling of his lips around your breast becomes a little more apparent, you blink your eyes open as he pops off your breast. 

“Did it work?” He asks, his lips covered in saliva as some of your breast milk dribbles out. 

“Thank you,” You say, voice cracking as you feel the pain fading away. Your hands not leaving his hair. You become acutely aware of the way his thumb is comfortingly brushing your waist. 

“It’s okay, you’re alright now,” He says softly, wiping the tears away. He looks down for a second before covering you back up. You stay there for a second, his hips slotted in between your legs, your fingers in his hair, and his thumb dragging across your waist. Eventually you let go of his hair, maybe you realized the position you’re in. Eddie clears his throat, stepping back from you, “You okay? We can still go to the hospital and get you checked out” He says, those big puppy eyes looking at you with concern. 

“I’m okay now, thank you for… uhm doing that” You say, your cheeks painted with a blush as you feel your blood run up towards your cheeks. 

“No problem. Just let me know if you feel it again and I’ll help, okay? Don’t feel embarrassed” He gives you a small smile. Without you asking he helps you off the counter, his strong hands holding your hips as he places you down on the floor. He says something about needing a shower as he leaves to his room, stopping by to check up on the baby. 

You stay frozen, your knees weak at your interaction. Eddie was so effortlessly sweet, he’d spent months reading every baby manual he could find in the library. Anytime he was out of town he’d pick up a new one trying to find every tip and trick to help you. Your heart pounds in your chest as you try to return to make dinner. Your thoughts full of Eddie, of the grip he had on you. How would his calloused fingers feel on your skin? How would his tongue feel against your sensitive nipples when you weren’t in pain? Fuck, no don’t imagine your best friend like this. He wasn’t your anything, he was just helping. 

You have dinner with Eddie, he tells you about all the new work gossip like nothing ever happened thirty minutes ago. Not that anything did happen, it wasn’t like he fucked you on that counter. No matter how many times you’ve imagined it before, especially the night he brought you here the first time… You were getting sidetracked again. You can’t help but notice the crinkles in his eyes as he laughs about something that happened at the shop or the way his hands move wildly as he tries to speak quietly. That is until there's a cry in the nursery, without taking a second glance at you he paces towards the room scooping up your daughter. You walk into the room watching as he rocks her “Shhh shhh, I’m right here honey. It’s okay” He soothes. 

“I think the little munchkin is hungry,” he coos in a baby voice turning towards you. You walk closer to them and grab her, she’s already suckling on the fabric of your shirt before you can pull it down. 

“Wow, we got an eager girl” Eddie laughs. We. You chuckle pulling down your shirt and adjusting her so she can latch on. Eddie looks away, “Need company?” He asks as you sit down on your nursing chair, he hands you a pillow to rest your arms on. 

“No it’s okay you’re probably tired. Get some rest” You say looking up at him. 

“But I haven’t seen my little pumpkin all day,” he pouts, fingers wiggling towards her. 

“Eds really, you don’t have to. You had a long day at work,” You say feeling guilty for relying on him so much. He waves his hand pulling up a seat and sitting down. 

“I want to hang out,” He says, yawning. You can see how tired he is, the way he’s already started trying to blink the sleep away but Eddie is stubborn. He sits there watching you both for a second but his eyelids get heavier and heavier until he falls asleep in the chair. You try to nudge him awake but he doesn’t wake. It isn’t until she’s finished eating and you've burped her that you are able to stand and wake him up. Your hand gentle on his shoulder as you shake him. 

“Eds, Eddie, time for bed,” You say softly. He groans, slowly cracking his eyes open, you caress his face, “Time for bed.” He nods his head, standing up at a snail's pace. He puts a kiss on her forehead and then yours before he stumbles into his room and crashes onto his bed. You stand there stunned, Eddie was affectionate sure but he’d never kissed your forehead. He was sleep deprived, that’s all that it was. Guilt gnaws at you, knowing he’s so tired because of you. Because his heart is too big and he’ll do everything in his power to help you even when he doesn’t have to. 

You spend some time getting her to settle down and fall asleep again before you leave the room. Your hand hesitates over the phone. It was late, like really late but you needed to tell someone how you felt. God, maybe you needed a therapist. Your fingers work over the buttons, you press the receiver to your ear as it rings, it doesn't click until almost the last ring. 

“Hello?” A sleepy voice says. 

“Robin, fuck sorry for calling so late,” You whisper. 

“No, it’s alright. I haven’t heard from you in a week. I was starting to get worried, "she says. 

“Rob… something fucking weird happened today,” You say, your heart pounding in your chest as you keep glancing over to his bedroom. 

“Oh my god is she okay? Do you want me to drive over there? I’m getting my bag,” She says frantically. 

“Robin, she’s completely healthy. Calm down,” You say in a hushed tone. 

“Oh thank God,” She breathes out. “What happened?” she asks curious as to why you’re calling her almost near midnight. You always called on her during the day. 

“Today… I guess I had a clogged milk duct and I didn’t know but that shit hurt like a mother fucker a-and…God this is so embarrassing,” You groan as silently as you can, not that Eddie could hear, he’s a very heavy sleeper except when it came to your baby’s cries. 

“Oh my god, this sounds juicy. Spill it out, bitch,” She says.

“Eddie sucked on it until it got unclogged” You whispered hurriedly. 

“WHAT,” Robin yells over the receiver. 

“Shh- shut the fuck up you’re gonna blow my ear drum out,” You say biting your nail. Your eyes keep flicking towards his bedroom like you're doing something you’re not supposed to. 

“Holy shit give me the play by play… Actually–. God I just know this is one of your depraved fantasies,” She laughs loudly. 

“Hardy har, I should give you a comedian of the year award. But… He literally pulled me onto the counter, whipped it out and started sucking like it was a normal thing to do. I was in so much pain I didn’t have time to freak out but I’m kind of freaking the fuck out,” You whisper.

“I do deserve an award. So you’re telling me he manhandled you and helped you… Girl that sounds like your wet dream. Weren't you always talking about–” Robin says.

“Shut the fuck up, this is serious! He acted normal when we had dinner but like… I mean he sucked my titty. Is that not supposed to be weird? Like it’s weird right?” You start pacing the kitchen. 

“Or are you making it weird? I think you’re overthinking it. Unless there's something else isn’t there? You like him, I mean everyone in fucking Hawkins thinks he’s your baby daddy anyway. What happened… Oh my god did you like it you dirty dog?” She gasps. 

“Yes, fine okay I sort of liked it and there was this moment,” You hush hurriedly. 

“A moment?” Robin is intrigued

“He didn't move after he helped. He was rubbing my hip until he knew I was okay, he asked me like forty times, and then he pulled me off the counter. Fuck and then he did the thing” You groan. 

“The thing?”

“He fucking went after the baby as soon as she started crying like it was out of instinct. Fuck Rob… I’m in too deep,” You sigh. 

“You wanna hear my opinion?” Robin says, you hum in response. 

“He’s had a massive fucking crush on you since like forever ago. Everyone can see it, he looks at you like you're the next coming of Jesus Christ,” She says

“No he doesn’t,” You immediately deflect. 

“Are you actually serious? He fucking bought a house for you. Eddie Munson, the guy who despises Hawkins, bought a house… for you. He comes home and takes care of your baby, he spends his days off with you two. When was the last time he’s even had a fling? Fucking two years ago? That man is in love with you, you’re just in denial and he’s just a coward,” She rips into you. 

“But what if he isn’t Rob? What if I tell him and he- he doesn't feel the same? I couldn’t live here anymore, fuck I couldn’t even look at him. I- I don’t know I’m just so fucking scared of losing him….” You feel the tears in your eyes spring forward. 

“Hey, hey no one is holding a gun to your head and forcing you to tell him but I’m glad you finally admitted it. I just want you to know that I’m a thousand percent sure he’s fucking more than head over heels for you. He’s like stupidly in love with you… You could have the dream life. The white picket fence, the husband, you know the whole shebang if you just told him.” She sighs. 

“I don’t know Rob. I need him in my life, I can’t fuck this up. He’s like the sun and I’m just some shitty little weed that’ll wilt and die if he’s gone,” You say, trying to get rid of the tightness in your throat. 

“Hey you are not a fucking weed. You are a fucking Magnolia, this huge tree full of love and life. Don’t sell yourself short or I will drive the ten hours there and personally kick your ass,” She scolds. 

“How does one impersonally kick someone's ass?” You laugh. Robin always knew how to make you feel better.

“Don’t change the subject. Now you have to confess your sins. Since when did you start liking him?” She asks like you’re still in high school. 

“Ugh you’re annoying. Uhh… I don’t know I think I always did but it became like a thing in sixth grade. We were at this stupid party, I don’t know why my parents let me go. It was just like a bunch of tweens jacked up on soda playing spin the bottle and seven minutes in heaven and I had to kiss some random guy. I kept wishing, praying, hoping it landed on him and it kind of clicked. God and he was so fucking weird looking back then too. Like his arms were too long for his torso,” You laugh. 

“Oh? You’ve been holding out. Now I gotta see some photos of you two back then,” Robin laughs imagining how Eddie looked back then. 

“I was worse, I was going through a weird bangs combed over phase and I had these big chunky glasses. Ugh I don’t even want to think about it,” You groan. Then there's a cry in the nursery, “Shit I gotta go. I’ll talk to you tom- today and you can catch me up on your date. Alright byeeee,” You rush. You hear a faint “Bye” as you put the phone on the hook and walk back towards the nursery.

#eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson / reader #eddie munson / you #eddie munson x you #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson au #eddie munson x fem reader #eddie x you #eddie x fem!reader #eddie munson my beloved #eddie munson fic #eddie munson stranger things #eddie munson x female reader #eddie munson imagine #older eddie munson #mechanic!eddie #eddie munson x childhood friend #eddie munson x best friend reader #domestic fiction

[missjashin]

It’s been some time and Dustin and Steve go to see Wayne. Maybe he is moving out of Hawkins and they go to help with packing or maybe they just wanna check on him and he is reminiscing Eddie. Either way he has punch of old photos out. School photos, birthdays, first concerts, various different types from different ages.

One photo really catches Steve’s eye tho. It’s a group photo from the early 70s, taken in the summer. Steve asks Wayne “Why do you have this?”, seemingly little shocked and bewildered by the photo. Wayne looks at the photo and smiles telling it was taken in a summer camp Eddie once went. “That’s my boy” Wayne tells pointing one kid among the others. Dustin also looks at the photo and smiles. It seems like a good and happy memory.

So Wayne and Dustin get little puzzled when they hear choked sob coming from Steve. He is trying to hold it together but not really succeeding, his hands in his hair pulling so hard it can’t be comfortable. Just walking away from them now, fighting the tears. Rather weird and strong reaction for a mere summer camp photo, especially coming from Steve… Till you take a little closer look at the photo.

Because yes, with his buzz cut hair and thousand watt smile there’s little Eddie. Little Eddie who has his arm over another kid’s shoulder, pulling closer a little boy with a sweet smile, chestnut hair and tiny moles dotted on his face.

#steve harrington #dustin henderson #eddie munson #wayne munson #stranger things #steddie #it’s Steddie cuz they my star crossed lovers #used all the tissues while crying over this hc sorry about that #feel free to end me 💖✨ #sad headcanon #I have something sweeter too guys don’t worry I’ve just been lazy and need to write it down #it’s just all in my brain atm #also if you don’t understand this one : Steve was in the photo with Eddie #childhood friends AU #kinda #Steve owns the same photo #remembers the summer camp and the boy he had so much fun with but didn’t realize it was Eddie until now #angst

[xspeter]

soon :)

#joe keery x reader #joe keery #steve harrington #steve harrington x reader #childhood friends #neighbors #book store au #second chances #second chance romance #exes to lovers #past angst #xspeter #fluff #angst #stranger things #stranger things x reader #steve harrington x you #eddie munson #robin buckley #no upside down au

[stevesbipanic]

@steddielovemonth Day 26: Love is a fire that never goes out. @sidekick-hero

"We need more logs! I want a big fire!"

"We haven't even gotten the fire started, Eddie, Mr Samson said we needed twigs first."

"Bet I can find more twigs than you!"

"You're on!"

It took the two young boys an hour to actually get their fire going, Eddie insisting on trying to start it with rocks for half of it. All the other camp kids were roasting their marshmallows by the time the first few sparks ignited in their little fire pit.

"We did it, Eds!"

"I told you, we're master survivalists, Stevie."

They stayed huddled around their fire for hours, curled up with one blanket and ate their way through a whole bag of marshmallows til their tummies ached and their eyelids drooped.

"C'mon boys, time for bed, you're going home tomorrow."

In their tent they pushed their sleeping bags closer together, still not wanting their last night to end.

"You'll write, won't you Stevie?"

"Of course, Eddie, you're my bestest friend in the whole wide world!"

Eddie giggled reaching out to take Steve's hand.

"I wish I lived in Hawkins with you, then we could play every day together."

Steve gripped his little hand tightly, "One day when we're big we'll have houses next door and a tunnel connecting them so we can hang out all day, no bedtimes!"

The next day, through hugs and sniffles they made sure the other had their address. The letters would stop a couple months later.

Steve often thought about what happened to his friend, why did he stop replying? Eventually, Steve stopped sending the letters, too.

That summer became a distant memory as Steve finished middle school then began high school, becoming King Steve. He thought briefly about his time at camp as he hugged Dustin goodbye the summer of '85.

It wouldn't be until the summer of '86 that two boys would find themselves around a campfire again.

"You ever go to summer camp?"

"Oh, once! It's a little hazy, that was the summer before dad went to jail and I was in foster til Wayne found me. But I remember loving it, there was a boy who I wrote too before everything happened. We used to wish that I lived in Hawkins with him, I have to admit I had a huge crush on him looking back."

The memory felt thrust back into Steve's mind, campfires and swimming and huddling in tents. He passed a marshmallow to Eddie, the fire crackling in front of them.

"Mmm I loved camp too, told this boy once when we were big we'd have tunnels under our houses, wonder what he'd think now knowing he's been staying across the hall from me?"

Steve turned towards Eddie, hoping Eddie remembered what a young Steve had wished, "I think I had a huge crush on him too."

"Stevie, you're that Stevie?"

"Would you forgive no tunnels if we shared a bed again?"

"I'd like that, sweetheart, although young us should know we're even more master survivalists now."

Steve laughed, "We would've been demogorgan dinner as kids!"

Eddie joined his laughter, "I still think if I got the right rock I could start a fire."

One day Steve would tell him that starting that campfire together lit a fire in his heart that burned for the rest of their lives.

#summer camp au #stranger things #childhood friends #steve harrington #eddie munson #steddie #pre st4 steddie #ficlet #fluff #steddielovemonth

[honxybees]

childhood friends

gonna be reposting all of my art on here periodically!

#steve harrington #eddie munson #steddie #childhood friends au #stranger things #honxybees art

[afewproblems]

In My Heart is a Memory (And There You'll Always Be) Part Two

Part One

Steve spends his week in the hospital on oxygen and fighting pneumonia from his bed. A harsh wheezing sound has developed whenever he pushes too hard but Doctor Sattler isn't nearly as concerned as Steve the first time he hears it.

"It shouldn't worsen over time, but if you feel that the wheezing is becoming more frequent or that feeling of an elephant sitting on your chest comes back, you will need to use your new inhaler, today's the perfect day to learn how it works," Doctor Sattler told him with an air of nonchalance that did not match the news.

Two and two made four, the sky was blue, and Steve Harrington would need medication for the rest of his life.

Most of the time Steve sleeps fitfully, dreaming of cold grey water and kind brown eyes, but on the days he has more energy Steve walks around the ward with Claudia in between practising blowing into something called a spirometer. 

She tells him it's important to test his level of lung function and how he's improving, it should also help to reduce the wheezing sound when Steve is simply resting. He even gets one to take home with him. 

Steve listens as Claudia talks about her own son, he's eight years old and so curious about the world. It's obvious she loves him dearly.

Steve wonders if his own mother ever talks about him like that.

His mother checks in with him twice during the week. His dad has already left for his most recent work trip and Diane is planning to leave as well, at least until Sunday when Steve is expected to be discharged. 

“I’ll be gone for five days, but you’ll be here anyway, and they are taking good care of you aren’t they?” she asks, her voice uncharacteristically soft for once as she takes his cheek in her cold hand. 

Diane’s fingers brush the oxygen hosing around his cheek, Claudia had called it something weird --a canny-something-or-other. 

Diane lets go abruptly as if burned; her nose wrinkling slightly as she rubs her fingers against the palm of her hand. In one fluid motion, she stands up from her seat at the side of his bed and smooths down the blankets as she does so. 

Diane meets his gaze once, her pale blue eyes almost seem to look past him, before she hikes her handbag further up her arm.

“I’m leaving the number of the hotel with your Nurse Henry, and you’ll be home before you know it,” she nods with a forced smile and turns on her heel to slip out the door of his room before Steve can even correct her.

He hopes Claudia did get the number, that there isn’t some strange Nurse Henry with more access to his mother than even Steve is allowed. 

A small part of himself hopes that Eddie will come visit him.

It’s not likely, Eddie had seemed excited initially about showing him his Dungeons and Dragons book but how would he have any idea Steve would still be here.

That doesn't stop Steve from picturing Eddie yelling to his uncle as he bounds down the hallway, ‘Come on old man, Steve’s room’s gotta be here somewhere!’

But Eddie never materialises down the hall, armed with his players book or tales of dragons and knights.

Steve takes it in stride as much as he can.

The days blend together the longer he stays, but it isn't as though Steve has no one to talk to.

He asks Claudia more about her son and listens to the jokes the orderlies tell him when they come by with meals. Even Doctor Sattler stops by to check the machines by his bed and to watch him blow into the Spirometer.

It’s fine. 

Claudia gives him a long hug the day he's discharged. Steve isn't sure she's supposed to by the exasperated look Doctor Sattler gives her, but he says nothing and busies himself with writing something out on a small notepad.

"You be careful sweetheart, use your spirometer to practice and keep your inhaler on you at all times".

She sweeps his hair away from his face and squeezes his shoulder briefly before giving him the barest of pushes towards his mother who stands by the door.

Doctor Sattler hands Diane the two papers he's written out, "you'll have to fill these prescriptions, he'll need both of them before you head home". 

Diane nods and breathes out a clipped thank you before ushering Steve to the doors, he tries to turn to wave only for his mother to grip his shoulder firmly and walk him out.

He catches what he thinks may be concern in Claudia's eyes before the automatic doors close behind them and the familiar jingle of his mothers keys to the maroon beemer fills the air.

"We'll stop at Mevalds, you can wait in the car," Diane says as she opens the driver's side door and gets in. Steve hurriedly opens his own door as the engine starts, a small part of him wonders if she would leave him if he took any longer.

He closes the passenger door behind him, it's heavier than he remembers and a harsh wheeze fills the car as Steve breathes in slowly to halt the stuttering of his chest. 

He buckles in and looks up to find his mother watching him carefully. 

"Perhaps we should wait another week for you to go back to school," she hums, it's a voice she uses when thinking aloud but every instance of it usually happens when that thinking is about Steve.

"Why?" He asks as they pull onto the main road.

"You're making that awful noise," Diane says simply, "we should wait for it to stop, it will be distracting to your classmates".

A deep ache that has nothing to do with his lungs builds in his chest. He hadn't thought the sound was that noticeable. 

None of the other nurses or orderlies seemed to care about the new noise he made, or if they did they never said anything. Steve had been the one to ask about it,  concerned that he was the only one hearing it.

"Doctor Sattler said it should get better, but it won't go away," Steve argues with narrowed eyes, he crosses his arms over his chest and looks away towards the passenger window.

He hears Diane sigh as she signals to pull into the parking lot of Mevalds.

She turns off the engine and reaches into the back seat for her purse, leaning her hand against Steve's seat for balance.

Diane stops with her hand on the door handle, pausing as she turns to face him fully.

"I'm just looking out for you," Diane says softly, "the other children will notice eventually and the world isn't kind to people who are different Steven".

She gets out of the car, letting the words hang in the air. He watches her go into the store, already knowing he's lost. 

***

Steve's teachers welcome him back with little to no fanfare, Ms. Cuttler, the history teacher, even goes so far as to reprimand him for missing two whole weeks in front of the class. 

Steve doesn't need detention for 'mouthing off' on his first day back, no matter how unfair she's being. He manages to take his seat without speaking; he can't quite hide the angry red flush staining his cheeks though. 

Lunch is what Steve is looking forward to, he just has to make it to lunch, he can keep his head down until then.

Steve's last morning class is science. 

It's not his favourite class, but Mr. Clarke at least tries to keep it interesting for them, and he's always nice. Giving extensions on homework, half marks on tests rather than zeros with little comments in blue ink saying, 'I see where you were going with this, you almost got it!'

As soon as the bell rings, Steve grabs his backpack and books, uncaring of the homework instructions Mr. Clarke tries to yell over the clamouring kids and the last few notes of the bell.

"Oh Steve, you gotta sec?"

It takes every fibre of Steve's being not to just bolt from the room with the rest of the class, pretend he didn't hear.

It's your lungs that are screwed up now, not your ears, he thinks bitterly as he turns towards the front of the room where Mr. Clarke stands with a stack of xeroxed paper.

"Here's the homework you missed, if you can have it done for next week I think that'll keep you on track," he says with a smile that quirks his moustache.

Steve gives him a brief smile as he takes the stack of papers, "thanks, yeah I'll have it done by then," he tries for a grin, wincing at the raised eyebrow Mr. Clark gives him. 

They both know it will be late. 

Steve turns to leave again, with a forced half smile, but stops as Mr. Clarke clears his throat.

"They don't give us a lot of information about absences," he gives Steve a long look, "so all I'm going to say is if you want to chat, about anything, even if it's just homework, my door is open". 

Steve nods as Mr. Clarke gives him a kind half smile, patient like the ones Dr. Sattler or Claudia would give him after explaining how something worked. 

It's not something most adults put a lot of effort into, especially for Steve, writing him off if he doesn't understand something the first time it's explained. 

It's certainly not something his parents do for him.

"Sure Mr. Clarke," Steve mumbles as he tucks the papers into the textbook in his arms.

His teacher nods once and clears his throat awkwardly, gesturing towards the door, "Alright, you better get going," Mr Clarke says, "it's pizza day and I guarantee you the pepperoni is pretty much done at this point".

Steve snorts and takes a step back, "later Mr. Clarke," he calls over his shoulder as he makes his way past the empty desks and into the hallway, letting himself be guided by the stream of kids heading towards the cafeteria.

With the Hawkins Middle and High Schools being the only two secondary schools in the county, the buildings were naturally massive to accommodate all of the children and teens they housed on any given day during the school year.

The cafeteria was no exception.

Finding somewhere to sit was almost always impossible if you ran late to lunch, most students would give up trying to find a table and would end up settling by their lockers or sitting outside in the warmer months, but Steve was on a mission this time.

He looks around the busy room with his lunch tray, head on a swivel as he searches for a mop of curly brown hair. Eddie said he could sit at his table but he hadn't mentioned which one that was.

Steve walks along the wall, eyes scanning the tables, he begins to wonder if he had the wrong lunch period after all.

"I'm telling you, a beholder is the worst thing you could run into in a Dungeon, hands down--" 

Steve perks up at the voice, fairly certain he knows who it belongs to.

The relief is palpable as he continues forward, following the voice. A small part of Steve had begun to wonder if Eddie even went to his school, or if his muddled water logged brain had dreamed that up entirely. 

He finally spots Eddie at a table against the far back wall and has to stop himself from cheering as he makes a beeline for them, albeit more slowly than he would prefer. He's still getting winded easily and doesn't want to have to break out the inhaler the doctor gave him just yet.

There are two other boy's that Eddie is talking animatedly to, his hands gesturing wildly with a broad grin on his face.

Eddie spots him mid sentence and the effect is instant, his face lights up as he smiles and starts to wave before halting abruptly, a strange look passing over his face. 

"Hey!" Steve smiles, slightly uncertain now that Eddie's face has fallen into something unreadable. The other two boys at the table have turned to face him, their eyes scanning Steve up and down. 

The kid sitting closest to Steve, a black boy with braces and a t-shirt with something called Queen on the chest, Steve feels a spark of recognition at the name and makes a note to ask him about it later. He gives Steve a small polite smile which makes him feel slightly less nervous.

The other boy sitting closest to Eddie eyes Steve somewhat warily, he's wearing a Hawkins Middle school shirt, thick glasses with tape around the frame, and wavy brown hair that isn't as long as Eddie's but longer than Steve's mother would ever allow.

They all stare at Steve for what feels like an eternity before he clears his throat awkwardly.

"Um, my name is Steve--" he starts to say, reaching out a hand to the closest boy before Eddie stands up from the table.

"Where were you?" Eddie says, uncaring of the sudden climb in volume or the heads that turn their way. 

Steve ignores the faces turned their way and takes another step forward towards the table, a small nervous laugh bubbles up as he moves, “I was sick, remember?"

Eddie frowns, his eyes dart from Steve to the other boy directly in front of him, closest to where Steve is standing.

"I wanted to show you my book two weeks ago," Eddie folds his arms over his chest now, frowning slightly, "Ms. Allen confiscated it," he mutters darkly.

Steve winces at the tone and brings his arms around himself, taking a step back. A small part of him curses his decision to stay home another week to let his breathing find some semblance of normal.

The teen closest to Steve rolls his eyes, "if it wasn't the handbook, it woulda been something else Ed, you know Allen's been looking for a reason to punish us since you told her that you got more out of Gary Gygax than anything Mark Twain ever wrote --plus there's a literal demon on the cover,” he says with a wry grin. 

"I'm Jeff," he says with a wave before pointing to the other kid at the table, "that's Bobby, and it seems like you already know Eddie?"

Steve gives Jeff a small, thankful, smile and takes a step closer, "yeah, it's a bit of a long story--"

"A heroic tale of rescue more like!" Eddie cuts in, the familiar energy fills Steve with relief as he launches into the story.

Jeff rolls his eyes again and shoots Steve an exasperated look before patting the bench next to him, an official invitation.

Steve tries to play off the wide grin that threatens to take over his face and takes a seat next to Jeff, setting down his lunch tray with a clatter.

"So,” Eddie sits up slightly, bringing his leg up onto the table bench to curl up underneath himself, “Uncle Wayne and I were fishing, right?"

"Fishing?" Bobby cuts in with a laugh, wrinkling his nose as he looks Eddie up and down, "you?"

"Yeah fishing, not all of us can just go to the grocery store whenever we want," Eddie huffs impatiently as his ears begin to redden, he waves his hands, "anyway".

"Instead of a trout we managed to catch something a little stranger,” he grins at Steve, “he was all caught up in some old fishing line or something and--hey, you never told us why you were out on the lake by yourself?”

Three sets of eyes turn to stare for a beat though Bobby loses interest fairly quickly, averting his eyes back to the open milk carton on his own orange lunch tray. 

Steve clears his throat, unsure just how to explain his thought process that morning. 

He just had to get out of the house, he couldn’t sit there any longer waiting for his dad to finally leave--

“Well?” Eddie prompts again, the smallest of frowns pulls at his expression before Jeff snorts.

"This is not very heroic so far man, where are the X-Men, the laser battles, come on dude," Jeff grins as Eddie sputters and launches into a rant about comic books that Bobby seems to perk up at, his attention switching from the lunch tray to Eddie.

Steve breathes out a sigh of relief as the attention moves away from him.

"You don't need lasers or special powers for hero stories, Tolkien didn't need idiots in spandex, he just needed a Hobbit and a ring and made a fucking masterpiece," Eddie 

"Are you seriously comparing yourself to Tolkien right now?" Jeff asks with a knowing smirk, it grows wider as Bobby laughs.

"Who's Tolkien?" Steve says, it's not a name he's ever heard before, though they must be some kind of storyteller. Was there a new book assigned while Steve was away recovering?

Eddie blanches for a second in surprise before his face lights up, he waves his hands at the chorus of groans from both Jeff and Bobby and cackles, "Stevie, Stevie, Stevie, we have so much to teach you!"

***

As the school year comes to a close, Steve finds himself looking forward to the summer for the first time in his life.  

Summer for Steve is normally lonely.

He spends his time looking for ways to avoid his house, counting down the days when he can go back to school. Even sitting through class or trying out for the intramural leagues is better than the monotony of summer.

At least during school he had people to talk to. 

But this summer is different. 

Steve, Jeff, Eddie, and Bobby get on like a house of fire, where one of the boys is, the other three are never far behind. 

They teach Steve about Dungeons and Dragons, Tolkien and the one ring --the book certainly reads like some of the books they had assigned in class, but Eddie and Jeff looked so excited the day Steve brought it home from the library, he couldn’t disappoint them.

In turn, Steve introduces the other boys to the pool, inviting the three of them to the Harrington house on a scorching June day.

“No way,” Bobby whispers as they reach the driveway, Jeff’s mouth drops into a little ‘O’ shape while Eddie’s eyes widen in surprise before his expression shutters. 

“You’re kidding right?” Jeff asks with a laugh in his voice, “seriously, where’s your moat man?”

Steve reaches out to push Jeff’s shoulder as Bobby laughs, “shut up, it's not that bad--”

“No? Are you going to bring out a unicorn next? What else are you hiding in there?” Bobby scoffs as he takes a hesitant steps towards the edge of the driveway, as though worried the ground would fall out from underneath him at any moment. 

“Oh just wait,” Steve says, biting his lip to keep his grin in check, it falters slightly at the pinched expression on Eddie’s face, the way his eyes flick from the house to Steve, before eventually landing on their feet.

Steve opens his mouth to ask what’s wrong but he’s forced to whirl around to keep his footing as Bobby drags him up the drive, “Steve, if you do actually have a horse in there, I will still be very impressed”.

While it may not be a unicorn, Steve knows he has one other ace up his sleeve as he presents them with the crown jewel of the Harrington house, the Atari.

“Oh my god!” Bobby crows as he jumps off the last step of the basement and races towards the television. 

“You have one of these!” he hisses incredulously, snatching the attached joystick from its resting place on the top, Steve winces as the cord pulls slightly from Bobby’s exuberance. 

“I mean, it’s my dads, not mine,” Steve shrugs, he puts his hands in his jeans pockets and turns back to Jeff and Eddie, “but we can play it, he’s not home”.

Diane argues the day his father brings the machine home. 

It must stay in the basement, out of sight, determining that something so hideous has no place in their well decorated living room. 

Ignoring the fact that the only television in the house was in the basement, Diane insists on keeping the rest of the house as pristine as Good Housekeeping has taught her. 

Richard simply rolls his eyes at his wife, ‘It’s not like it matters Diane, one of the investors thinks he’s being cute, like any son of mine would waste his time with one of these, right Steven?’

Steve nods, content to keep his head down, focused on his homework, not to make waves.

‘Course dad, computer games are for losers,’ the words come easily, he’s heard them before.  He flinches as a heavy hand comes down on his shoulder and squeezes lightly.

‘God damn right’.

‘Why are we even keeping it then?’ Diane asks sharply, her tone cool as she follows him down the stairs. 

Steve trails after them to the landing; he can still hear from the wary distance he keeps while his parents continue to talk. 

"Allan and the rest of the partners are coming in two weeks for drinks, and I’m not letting that prick get one over on me”.

Diane is quiet for a beat.

Steve tilts his ear to listen intently. He knows that silence. It's something his mother usually employs while calculating all options before speaking carefully.

‘Fine, I suppose the dust will collect best down here,” Steve can almost hear the sneer that pulls at his mothers mouth as she speaks. 

‘Atta girl,’ Richard  says quietly, almost fondly. 

Jeff raises an eyebrow as he comes to stand beside Steve, “you can’t play it if your dad’s home?” 

Steve falters for a second, scrambling for something to say.

Bobby scoffs by the television, still inspecting the machine, "you know how much one of these things costs? If we had one, my dad would flip if I so much as looked at it”.

Steve settles for shrugging with a mild smile, infinitely grateful for Bobby's ability to blurt out the first thing he thinks in any given situation.

If Jeff questions it, he doesn't say anything, and instead moves to join Bobby where he crouched on the floor.

Steve turns back to find where Eddie went only to find him frozen on the last stair still.

His eyes seem to trace over the room, an unreadable expression on his face, it contorts into something sour before smoothing as his gaze eventually lands on Steve. 

"Didn't know we pulled a rich kid outta the lake," Eddie says after a beat, finally walking further into the room, his arms crossed tightly over his stomach. 

"I guess," Steve says weakly as Eddie nods and moves towards where Jeff is kneeling beside Bobby with one of the game cartridges in his hands.

A spark of annoyance crackles through Steve, licking the inside of his ribcage. If Eddie isn’t interested in playing, he just has to say so, they can do something else - work on their character sheets, go outside. The other day Eddie showed them all the best spot by the quarry for throwing rocks so that the sound seemed to echo for miles as it hit the water. They could easily go, right now. 

They aren’t supposed to be touching this anyway, it’s not like it’s a big deal. It’s not. 

Steve knows the others don’t know how much trouble he could get into for this, the risk he’s taking for even showing it to them, for having kids over unsupervised, uninvited. 

 "Well, does that thing play Asteroids or what?" Eddie asks abruptly, interrupting Steve’s train of thought. 

He nods, quietly tamping down the last fleeting sense of irritation and walks over to the shelf where the rest of the games were dumped, wincing at the impressed chorus of whoops that Jeff and Bobby let out.

It only serves to accentuate the brooding silence that has followed Eddie all morning, since they walked over the threshold of Steve’s front door.

Jeff and Bobby take turns playing the rest of the afternoon. Steve defers to them, content to simply watch his friends try out the games. They bicker back and forth, making noises at key moments to try and break each other's concentration, Steve laughs brightly as Bobby manages to make Jeff crash for the fourth time in a row by simply imitating Rod Stewart.

“If you want my body and you think I'm sexy, come on, sugar, tell me so!” Bobby croons, making his voice older and raspy as he leans close enough for Jeff to twist his head away.

“Get outta here Bobby-- oh you sonovabitch!”

Bobby cheers, lifting his clasped hands above his head, “and the crowd goes wild, what do ya say, Jeff, best two out of three?”

Jeff flops backwards onto the carpet, pretending to catch an invisible dagger to the chest, “mark my words, if you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine!”

He rolls his head to the side and reaches out, pointing towards Steve with a cry, “Avenge me!” 

Steve laughs long and loud as Jeff croaks and groans and finally sticks his tongue out of the side of his mouth with a low hissing sigh as he finally pretends to die on the carpet of Steve’s basement. 

“So, what say you, Steve?” Bobby croaks as he lifts one hand to cover his mouth, and the other to hold out the abandoned joystick as he breathes out heavily, “do you dare take up the saber?”

Steve has no clue what they’re doing, a joke from something he’s sure, but he schools his face into something serious, and takes the joystick with a grave nod.

“For Jeff!” Steve cries as the digital melody fills the air.

Finally, Steve lets himself bask in the warmth and friendship that has surrounded him for the last few months, the normal chill of the Harrington home finally absent as Bobby begins to cheer while also doing his damndest to distract Steve. 

Jeff finally sits up with another hiss, “I LIVE, to see Steve beat your sorry ass Bobby!” 

He claps his hand on Steve's shoulder with a grin, “you got this!” 

It isn’t until a throat clears behind them that the three boys notice Eddie hasn’t said a word for the last ten minutes. 

He’s standing now, backpack slung over his shoulder --when did he go upstairs?

“It’s late,” Eddie mumbles quietly, “Wayne will want me home for supper soon”.

The words seem to break the spell that has fallen over the other two boys and they both stand as if summoned from their seats on the floor. 

Steve can only sit and watch as Jeff and Bobby move towards Eddie, albeit reluctantly. 

Jeff stretches out, raising his arms above his head, “yeah, I should probably go too,” he groans out as he drops his arms back at his sides. 

“Thanks for the game dude,” Bobby says with a shrug, though he looks decidedly more annoyed at the interruption than Jeff, “beats trying to escape the heat in the creek anyway”.

Jeff rolls his eyes, “It also beats shelling out quarters at the arcade on 4th Bobby, this was seriously really cool man”.

Steve grins at the pair of them before turning towards Eddie who glares at the floor in silence until Jeff elbows him. 

Eddie breathes out loudly through his nose, “yeah it was cool, but next time we should go over your characters a bit more, especially if you guys are going to survive the next encounter I designed”.

Bobby scoffs as he grabs his own messenger bag from the bottom of the stairs, “well I’m not going back to the library, Mrs. Depencier gives me the creeps”.

“The library is the only place with enough space,” Eddie argues as he turns and makes his way up the stairs.

Steve feels the words lift him up, this is his chance, he takes a step towards the other teens, “I could host?” 

Jeff and Bobby stop, turning back towards Steve with excitement in their gazes. Jeff seems to hesitate though, turning back to back to Eddie whose face is hidden by the edge of the staircase, Steve can only make out the bottom on his legs from where he’s standing.

He walks forward to the bottom of the staircase and stops short of taking the first step, “my parents aren’t home for the next four weeks so I can have you guys over, no problem”.

Bobby punches his fists into the air, "Yes! Oh my god, huge house, no parents?" Bobby jumps down the last two stairs again and nearly tackles Steve, "this is perfect!"

Perfect, is…certainly a word for it, not necessarily the one Steve would use, but Bobby wasn't here at night. 

Not when the glow of the pool would cast eerie shadows along the treeline that surrounded the Harrington backyard. Steve never felt comfortable sitting outside by himself once the sun went down, even now in middle school. 

All it took was one snapped branch in the dark or one flicker of shining eyes for him to race back into the kitchen, slamming the sliding door shut behind him.

The locked door never really feeling like enough by himself. 

"Four weeks?" Eddie says quietly as he takes a step down, his expression seems pained though Steve can't imagine why.

"I know it's not that long," Steve shrugs, "but we could do it in an afternoon right?"

Jeff's eyebrows rise, cutting shallow creases across his forehead, he and Eddie look at one another, seemingly having some kind of silent conversation before they both turn back to Steve at the same time.

"I need three days to finish it up, but that means we can meet in between to finish your characters," Eddie offers, the words slowly break the strange sudden quiet that has fallen over the basement. 

"Tomorrow?" Steve asks tentatively, 

"I'll be here, and hey if they don't come," Bobby says with a wry grin as he elbows Steve, "then I'll kick your ass at Asteroids!"

"We'll be here jackass," Jeff scoffs as Eddie nods silently.

He has a strange look on his face that Steve can't quite place, but at least he doesn't look annoyed anymore.

"Tomorrow then," Eddie confirms, grinning as Bobby blurts out a loud, 'hell yeah' as Jeff rolls his eyes once more.

The boys do eventually make their way upstairs, though at a snail's pace as the strange tension from earlier fades away. 

Steve walks them all to the door and watches as they make their way down the long drive, taking turns waving as their voices fade into the distance.

Steve swallows hard as he closes the front door, trying not to think too hard about how many hours until he'll hear his friends voices again.

Permanent Tag List: @eriquin @luvinthefreaks @cinnamon-mushroomabomination

#in my heart is a memory and here you'll always be #childhood friends au #afewproblems writes #stranger things #steve harrington #eddie munson #jeff #baby hellfire #we have a cameo from mr clarke #I just want to give them all a hug #instead #I'll put them through the ringer #maybe next post we will do the full prompt reveal #sorry this took so long #eddie is a task master when it comes to dnd but his friends love him for it #cross posted on ao3 as well

[pollenallergie]

Thinking about you pulling out child!best friend!Eddie’s loose tooth for him in the third or fourth grade because he was too scared to do it himself. You get home later that night and tell your mom you saved your best friend’s life today. Meanwhile, Eddie gets home and tells Wayne that he pulled it out all by himself. He’s like, “Yeah, it's no big deal, Uncle Wayne. I just pulled it out during math class because I got bored.” Cut to you comfortingly rubbing your sobbing, scaredy-cat friend’s arm at recess as you count down from ten to help him mentally prepare for you to yank his loose front tooth out of his gums.

#eddie’s talking to wayne at dinner that night like ‘yeah i’m just tough like that’ #meanwhile you’re talking to your mom at dinner like ‘i was such a good friend today. ur gonna b so proud of me when i tell u what i did.’ #eddie munson x reader #best friend!eddie munson #child!reader #child!eddie munson #best friend au #best friend!eddie #childhood best friends au #eddie munson thoughts

[boffeeceans]

Small mungrove childhood besties headcanon:

When they were kids Billy bit Eddie in the arm so hard it scarred, over ten years later and you can still kind of see it. You can also see that Billy was missing his front teeth at the time of the bite.

#eddie munson #billy hargrove #mungrove #childhood besties au my beloved #im writing one rn but who knows when it if it'll be done

[munson-memories]

When Eddie first moved in, Wayne bought him a nightlight.

He still uses it occasionally when he gets sensory overload but for the most part it stays off.

after the upside down, its on every night

but Wayne doesnt say a word.

-

-

(I plan on making this a full fic eventually, im just too impatient and wanted to squeeze this concept out to everyone)

(I know its kind of choppy, ive been struggling with my mental health for a long time and it effects the way i write, but eat up)

#eddie munson #stranger things #eddie and wayne munson #uncle wayne munson #eddie munson headcanon #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson blurb #stranger things headcanons #eddie munson imagine #wayne munson headcanon #wayne munson #eddie munson childhood au #eddie munson angst #angst #adhd eddie munson #¤-munson-memories-¤

[hairmetal666]

A continuation of the childhood sweethearts first kiss fic...

Eddie is 10 when he get his first kiss. A lot of people wouldn't consider it a real first, It's a dry press of chapped lips, chaste and sweet, but it remains the best kiss he's ever had, the one that means the most.

It's the summer before he moves to Hawkins--spending the school break with his Uncle Wayne--before he's known to the town as a loser weirdo freak, and he makes a friend. A boy golden bright as the sun, who steals Eddie's heart at first glance and keeps taking it again and again and again--not by force, but by his pure kindness, by his surprisingly wicked sense of humor, by the joyful way he experiences the world.

They run through the woods of Hawkins, ride bikes until the streetlights glow, swim until they fall asleep on a pool lounger, spend their nights in a tent in the wide Harrington backyard. He's not known around town yet, so the parents don't hate him, call him trash, fear for their child's reputation. He's just a boy still, his faded clothes and worn tennis shoes can be blamed on northing more than the consequences of a summer spent outdoors. Though, maybe it's just that Mr. and Mrs. Harrington aren't around enough to notice.

On his last night before he returns home to his parents, they make a fort in Steve's bedroom, find all the blankets and pillows in the house, create a cozy structure just big enough for two. They share all their secrets, their hopes and dreams, and as night becomes morning, Steve whispers, "Eddie...can I kiss you?"

Yes is the only possible answer he can give, and as Steve's mouth touches his, Eddie knows he will never love anyone else, not for as long as he lives, not if they never even see each other again.

He belongs to Steve Harrington, body and soul.

---

Eddie moves to Hawkins a year later. His first day of school, two months into the semester, he sees Steve in the hallway. Eddie's whole face lights up as he sees his friend, but--Steve's eyes slide right past him. He sees Eddie, no doubt about it, but there's no light of recognition, no excitement, no joyful reunion.

After a few years he accepts that Steve will never acknowledge him. He almost succeeds in not letting it bother him, and it's for that reason that it doesn't break his heart when Steve falls for Nancy Wheeler. It doesn't kill him to see Steve's beaten face after his fight with Jonathan Byers. It doesn't keep him up at night, watching Steve lose all his other friends. He doesn't hate jocks and rant on cafeteria tabletops just in the hope that Steve will look his way.

Everything changes after Nancy and Steve break-up and Hargrove beats the shit out of him. Whatever high school social cachet Steve still has disappears overnight, but dethroned King Steve still doesn't notice Eddie. He's made his peace with it. Moved on. He's an adult now, basically. He's going to graduate high school and move to the big city and he'll meet so many guys and never ever think about Steve Harrington ever again.

---

He's smoking a cigarette in the little-used bathroom up by the auditorium. His eyes are half-closed, imagining shapes in the tendrils of smoke.

The door bangs open, shocking him upright, the cigarette falling to the floor.

Steve Harrington stumbles inside, hands covering his face, blood pouring through his fingers.

"Steve!" Eddie yelps, can't help it when there's blood, when Steve is hurt.

Like always, he doesn't even bother to look at Eddie. It shouldn't shred his heart to pieces but Eddie's always been weak for Steve.

"What happened?" He asks, even though he knows he shouldn't care.

"Doesn't matter," Steve answers. He's standing at the sink, blood splattering the white porcelain red.

Acting against each one of his sharply honed instincts, Eddie rushes to the nearest paper towel dispenser, ripping half the roll off.

"Move your hands. Relax your head." He's surprised when Steve does as he says.

Eddie uses the paper towels to staunch the flow, pinches at the bridge of Steve's nose with his thumb and index finger. "How do you not know how to fix a bloody nose?" he mutters.

"I know how," Steve argues. "I just--" he pauses, swallows hard. "Why are you helping me?"

He doesn't know how to answer this question. He shouldn't be helping Steve.

"I don't know."

They don't talk again, not until the bleeding stops, and then Steve says, "It was Hagan, the motherfucker. He shoved me into a locker and I didn't have time to get my hands up."

"He's a dick," Eddie agrees. "It's not broken, though."

Steve shrugs. They fall silent again, neither moving. "Thanks," he says. He doesn't look at Eddie.

"Would have done it for anyone."

Those hazel eyes stay fixed to the linoleum as Steve nods. Eddie doesn't know what to do next. If he should leave or press for more that he shouldn't want.

But then Steve lets out a gulping kind of sob, is falling against Eddie's chest, and Eddie wraps his arms around him, holds him so tight even he can't breathe.

"Oh, Stevie," he whispers, and without really thinking, he pulls them into the nearest stall, shutting the door behind him.

Between his cries Steve repeats, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Eddie can't tell him that it's okay, so he combs his fingers through Steve's hair and holds him, fighting off his own tears.

Eventually the sobs stop and the tears dry up, but Steve doesn't break their embrace.

"I shouldn't have ignored you, Eddie," Steve says into the quiet. "You didn't deserve it."

"Why did you?" Thinks it's his right to an explanation, after everything.

"I wrote to you. After you left. Was gonna visit Wayne and get your address, but then my dad found them. He said, 'boys don't write letters,' and ripped them up. He told me if you ever showed up in Hawkins again we weren't allowed to be friends. The next week he'd signed me up for every available sports league in town.

"I was so excited when I saw you at school, Eds. I couldn't believe you were here. I panicked, though, and decided to pretend like I didn't recognize you. It was easy, not having to decide what to do, so I just...kept doing it. I wanted my dad to be proud of me."

"I'm sorry he did that to you, Stevie. For what it's worth, I would've loved to get those letters. I would've written back."

Steve laughs a little. "I know. I'm so sorry I hurt you. I've regretted it every day, but I had no idea how to make it right."

Eddie shouldn't want more. He knows that he's lucky they've even had this moment, but he always needs to push.

"You could try now," he says.

"Hmm?"

"To make it right. You could try now."

A smile illuminates Steve's perfect face. "You mean it?"

Steve's hand slips against Eddie's cheek, moving up to card through his hair. His thoughts scatter like fractures of light, as Steve touches him in a way he only imagined in the midnight depths of his wildest fantasies.

Their second kiss is just as soft and sweet as the first, their lips coming together in a gentle press.

They separate, and his fingers immediately go to his mouth. "You--did you--" He squeezes his eyes shut, takes a few deep breaths. "You can't kiss me like that unless you mean it, Steve. You can't just--"

"I meant it. I meant every second. I never stopped missing you. I hated that I made it impossible to be your friend. It's been eating me up for years. I want to make it right."

"I need time," he says. His voice trembles. " I want that too, Steve, but after everything, I need to know I can trust you."

Steve nods and gives him a small smile. "I'll do anything, Eds."

---

They hangout almost everyday, and Eddie finds that, underneath all that King Steve bullshit, he's still the boy Eddie fell head over heels for at 10, golden and bright and so lovely. Still mean, still funny, still owns Eddie's heart.

Steve doesn't kiss him again, and that's for the best no matter how much Eddie longs for it.

A little over a month later, Steve invites Eddie to his house again.

He follows Steve up to his bedroom--just as terribly plaid, just as empty of things that made it Steve's--except there's a pillow fort built against the bed.

"What's this?" Eddie raises an eyebrow and stifles a smile.

Steve rolls his eyes. "You know what. C'mon, get in."

They're a little too big for a fort now, but they squish inside, limbs tangling until they end up in a giggling heap.

"A fort, Stevie?" Eddie asks once he can talk again.

Steve's smile is soft. "These last few weeks have been the best of my life. You're my best friend. And I was just wondering--" he falters here for the first time, breath stuttering. "Can I kiss you?"

Sparks erupt in Eddie's chest, his smile so big that it hurts. What a fool he was, to think he would ever stop loving Steve Harrington.

"Please," he answers.

#steddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #steve x eddie #ficlet #oneshot #fluff #angst #angst with a happy ending #childhood sweethearts #first kiss #alternate first meeting #childhood friends #mutual pining #making up #getting back together #second chance at love #best friends to strangers to lovers #high school au #apologies #steve harrington has bad parents #like seriously his dad is the worst #tommy hagan is also the worst

[blushweddinggowns]

Jonathan didn’t know how else to say it but…Steve Harrington was weird. Like really, really weird. And he wasn’t even talking about Steve and Eddie. He thought Harrington was plenty weird all on his own. 

Jonathan really didn’t understand why Eddie was always marked as the strange one in the duo. To him, Eddie made perfect sense. Poor background, unique interests, drug dealer, loud and obnoxious as a coping mechanism, but still managing to be a pretty good guy all around. It was normal for a guy like that to be a little out there. 

But Steve didn’t make any sense to him. Zero. Zilch. 

Because he was rich, handsome, athletic, a total jock in every sense of the word. Half the school wanted to get in his pants, while the other half desperately tried to figure out how he got so many girls. By all accounts, he should be an asshole. Someone who basked in his own popularity, not someone who literally shunned it. Steve was the only person he’d ever met who had it all, and didn’t care. 

All he seemed to care about was freaking Eddie Munson of all people. They had been attached at the hip since grade school and even with Eddie disappearing for two years, Steve was right back at his side nearly the moment he got back. 

He didn’t go to parties, never bragged about his conquests unless someone asked, and even then he was always incredibly vague, and from what he’d heard from Nancy, he didn’t even sleep at his own house 90 percent of the time. If you were looking for Steve Harrington, all you really had to do was track down Eddie Munson.

Jonathan had only purchased weed a handful of times in his young life, but every single time Steve had been there. Either in the van waiting when Eddie dropped something off, or sitting right next to him on the park bench, popping gum and reading a comic book while Eddie did his business. 

And he was…intensely protective over him. Which was weird considering how Munson was scary enough in his own right, at least on the outside. Like getting into multiple fights, protective. Making girls cry who had the audacity to say anything about Eddie’s antics, protective. Like cursing out an actual teacher, protective. 

Like comforting your best friend after a near death experience instead of your literal girlfriend protective. Who did that? And maybe it hadn’t been official back then, but still. You’d think you’d spend time cuddling your crush in your lap instead of your childhood buddy. And there was also the weird hair smelling thing they kept doing. He hadn’t looked too closely at the time, but Steve had turned to bury his face in Eddie’s hair every few minutes after the 83 showdown. He hadn’t seen a repeat of that since, though. Maybe…maybe Eddie had gotten demon guts in his hair? And Steve had been trying to find the source?

He didn’t fucking know. He just…didn’t get him. And now he got him even less. The guy pulled freaking Nancy Wheeler as his girlfriend, and he didn't spend every possible waking moment with her? 

But it wasn’t just him prioritizing Eddie over Nancy. It was the fact that he didn’t care that Nancy was with him more often than her actual boyfriend. Which was fantastic for Jonathan, even if it was a bit of a double edged sword. Because Nancy was gorgeous and so fucking smart and cool and…and Jonathan liked her so much he kind of wanted to die.

And he couldn’t do a damn thing about it. Even if he’d come close, way more than once. There were probably a dozen times where he’d almost kissed her. And the last one would have happened if they hadn’t been interrupted. They had been talking next to his car during lunch, Jonathan couldn’t even remember what it had been about. He just remembered that he had said something to make her laugh. And she looked so freaking beautiful when she laughed. She looked pretty all the time, but something about seeing her happy made her jump from a 10/10 to a 15. 

The sun was in her hair, and her eyes crinkled in that cute way that he loved, and Jonathan had been leaning in before he knew it was happening. And if Steve and Eddie hadn’t walked by right in that moment, it would have happened. He had jumped nearly ten feet in the air when he spotted him out of the corner of his eye, fully expecting Steve to start tearing into him for being so close to his girlfriend. 

But he just smiled and waved when he saw them, and went right back to their conversation before walking off. 

See? Weird.

He didn’t know why it didn’t bother Nancy more, how little he cared about what the two of them were up to. Part of him was praying it was because she was falling out of love with him, and all of the romantic tension they had together wasn’t in his head. 

But he just couldn’t bring himself to make that final step. Mostly because he was busy trying to take care of Will most of the time. Even if he got his way he wasn’t exactly in a position to be a good boyfriend. His little brother came first, especially after everything he had been through. And he was struggling, Jonathan could see it. And he spent most of his spare moments trying his damndest to get Will to open up. It hadn’t worked. But he kept trying.

But there was another part to it too. He…he didn’t want to be that guy. The kind of guy to make moves on a taken girl. Especially Steve’s girl. Both him and Eddie had risked their lives last year helping them out, and what? He was going to thank them by breaking Steve’s heart? He couldn’t bring himself to do it. 

Even if Eddie wanted him to. Which was just one more thing he didn’t get, the weird encouragement Eddie would give him when it came to his best friend’s girlfriend. If Jonathan mentioned a movie he wanted to see, preferably with her, Eddie would always be sure to keep Steve busy on friday nights for her to be free. If Jonathan had his mom’s car for a week and really wanted to be the one to pick her up in the morning, Eddie would conveniently find a reason that Steve couldn’t. 

It was weird, and kind of fucked up, but Jonathan had at least a small idea on why he was doing it. It was pretty obvious, after you got a little closer to the two of them. Eddie was in love with Steve. But Steve wasn’t in love with Eddie, not when he had Nancy on his arm. It explained why he monopolized all of his time, why he hung around them on their dates, why he was so open to letting another guy swoop in on her. 

He never actually asked him about it. It felt like a fucked up thing to say, especially if he was wrong. But Jonathan couldn’t think of any other explanation. So he kind of just…went with it. At this point it felt like he was Eddie’s co-conspirator to break them up, even if it was never explicitly said.

Which was fucked up, on both their ends. Yeah Steve was weird, and kind of a bitch, but he was a good guy all in all. He was Eddie’s best friend for a reason. 

So Jonathan held back his feelings. Or at least he did for as long as he could. But then Nancy came to him for help to expose the Hawkins lab. And they ended up on this crazy fucking adventure together. And he just fell more and more in love with every wild stunt she did. 

And then they kissed at Murray’s and Jonathan didn’t have the strength to say no. How could he? It just…happened. And okay yes. He feels bad for Steve. But he doesn’t regret it. Not even slightly. And maybe that made him the biggest asshole in the world, but it was hard to care when Nancy freaking Wheeler wanted him of all people. 

It was pretty easy to shove the guilt right out of his mind. That was until they saw Steve and Eddie next, right in front of the Hawkins lab. Steve had instantly brightened at the sight of her, immediately sweeping her up into a big hug. 

And Jonathan couldn’t bring himself to watch it. He just couldn’t. Because that was probably going to be the last time they hugged like that. He was already in too deep and there was no way in hell that he was going to let last night be a one night stand. He hadn’t exactly asked Nancy to break up with him yet, but he was going to. 

Because he was a dick like that, apparently. But maybe they could find a way to do it…kindly? If that was even possible. And if there was anyone who would be able to help soften the blow for Steve, it would be Eddie Munson. 

Jonathan walked up to him as the other two started talking. He jerked his head to the side, “Hey can I talk to you for a second?”

Eddie nodded, following him over to a safe distance from the car. He didn’t really think Eddie would be mad at him for what he did. But he was still a little nervous to say it out loud. 

He avoided saying what he truly wanted, deflecting with a question, “So um, Steve and Nancy, how uh, serious are they?”

Eddie stared at him like he’d magically grown a second head, “Huh?”

“They’ve almost been together for like a year now right?” Jonathan pressed, “Is he…y’know. In love with her?”

But Eddie was still looking at him like he’d asked something insane. He narrowed his eyes at him, “Are…are you kidding me right now?”

“What?” Jonathan asked, almost as equally confused as Eddie, “Why would I be kidding?”

Eddie raised a brow at him, “You think Steve and Nancy are dating? For like, real? After all this time? After last year. That’s what you think?”

Jonathan really wished Eddie would just tell him what the hell he was talking about instead of emphasizing every other word. He crossed his arms over his chest, feeling oddly defensive when he asked, “What else am I supposed to think?”

He hadn’t expected Eddie to bark out a laugh at the question. It took a second for him to compose himself to talk again while Jonathan looked on, more confused than ever. 

Eddie eventually straightened, holding a fist in front of his mouth while he struggled for the words, “Jonathan, dude, last year you saw me in his lap. With my arms around his neck. While he kissed me to make me feel better.”

Jonathan blinked at him, “Huh?”

He hadn’t remembered the kissing part. And in his defense he had been a bit distracted with the news that his brother was alive. But the hair smelling thing…had…had Steve been kissing the top of his head that whole time? Right in front of him? 

Eddie looked way too amused at Jonathan’s shock, “So what do you think that means bud? Is that something you do with your friends?”

“But Nancy! And all the other girls-”

“Fake, fake, fake and fake,” Eddie said with a grin, “That boy’s all mine. And has been for years. Him and Nance are just friends. Really good friends but that’s it.”

Eddie put a hand on his shoulder, voice softening a little but still a little too tickled for Jonathan’s liking, “We all kind of thought you knew man. I guess I underestimated our own acting skills there.”

Jonathan slowly nodded, even though his brain was still struggling to catch up with everything he’d said. But it made sense. It actually made perfect sense. That’s why Steve didn’t care that he was all over her, that’s why Eddie had been so encouraging, that’s why Steve was so fucking weird. The guy had been basically married since he was in third grade. 

“Holy shit,” Jonathan finally breathed out, “That makes so much sense.”

But then a realization hit him, “Wait, so all of this time Nancy has been single?”

“And ready to mingle,” Eddie added with a wink, “Though if it helps, you’re the only one she’s set her sights on. That and Tom Cruise but I think you still have good odds.”

As wonderful as that revelation was, it kind of also made him want to smash his head into a wall. How could he have been so blind? 

“Don’t worry about it,” Eddie said, like he could read his mind, “We do actually try to hide it most of the time. It’s not completely your fault for not seeing the hints.”

He only had one more question, a stupid one but he still wanted to be sure, “So um, hypothetically. If I, uh, slept with his fake girlfriend, he wouldn’t be mad about it?”

Eddie laughed, “He’d be ecstatic. Half the time those two talk is about you. He’s been waiting for you to make a move as long as Nancy has. And he will definitely get a kick out of this conversation when I tell him, that’s for damn sure.”

Jonathan nodded. That was…some pretty fantastic news. Besides the sting that he could have had her weeks or even months ago, it was a good fucking feeling to know that they hadn’t done anything wrong. It was kind of weird, knowing that Steve Harrington of all people was gay. But he didn’t care. That might have been how his dad tried to raise him, but his mom had stopped all the homophobic shit the second he ditched.

He was raised better than to judge two people for being happy together. And the fact that they trusted him with something so big made him feel…kind of special. Definitely not like an asshole. The two of them wandered back to Steve and Nancy and Eddie didn’t hesitate to pull him into his arms. 

Jonathan watched as he whispered something to him before kissing his cheek, like it was the most natural thing in the world. And for them it probably was. He saddled next to Nancy. He didn’t exactly have the confidence to be that affectionate in public like those two did, but he’d like to work his way up to it. He gently took her hand in his, blushing at the way it made her smile. 

She squeezed his hand back before shuffling a little closer to lean into him. He didn’t have much time to indulge in it, not when the lights all suddenly came back on. But as they all hurried inside, he couldn’t help but think that maybe, just maybe, everything would be okay.

From the latest chapter of this fic

#steddie fic #steddie ficlet #eddie munson #steve harrington #jancy #the universe trapped in your skin #stranger things #steddie #pov outsider #season 2 rewrite #secret relationship steddie #steddie childhood friends au #nancy and steve bffs #nancy wheeler #jonathan byers

[jaebeomsbitch]

Cherry Lips II (E.M)

Pt: I |Pt III: In progress

Summary: Being irrevocably in love with your best friend leads to love confessions in laundry rooms

Pairing: Bestfriend! Eddier x Single Mom! Reader

Warning: Kissing

A/N: I get too into my head about writing. Literally put this off for so long and then just finished 75% it in less than an hour. I need to get out of my head. Never edited as always lol

Taglist: sleepie-bunnie skrzydlak tlclick73 cuvntt twirls827 goth-cowgirl-03 manda-panda-monium ali-r3n gublerstylesobrien1238 antagonize-me-motherfucker veemoon witchwolflea ryanmxrie josephquinnsfreckles strangerfan3691 akiratoro420 babydollface1165 mygirlchaos eddiesguitarskills middle-of-the-earth bandaids-n-porcelain graciehams eddiemunsonslittlemetalhead

It had been months since that night on the kitchen counter with Eddie. Your maternal leave ran out a long time ago. Eddie insisted that you quit your job and stay home with the baby but you always promised you’d never be dependent on a man even though you were. You wanted the option to be able to leave if anything happened. 

Wayne and your mom help you out with the baby. Wayne takes her on his days off. Eddie cooing as he leaves yelling “Have fun with your grandpa.” Eddie saw Wayne as a father figure more than his own deadbeat dad. Wayne was there to teach him about growing into a young man. He was there to give him dating advice and the rare baby advice. Wayne took to taking care of your baby naturally despite never having a kid of his own. 

You could tell he’s going to be the best grandpa ever with the way he treats your daughter. Exactly like Eddie does, with fragility and care, their eyes sparkling with a deep love. Today Wayne took the baby despite it being your day off grumbling about having some time to yourself. 

It isn’t until Wayne leaves that you notice the vase on the dining table, magnolias. You look at them confused, where’d they come from? You walk towards them, brushing the petals lightly between your fingers thinking of what Robin said. You were a magnolia. 

“You like them?” Eddie says, startling you. You clutch your chest, heart pounding against your rib cage. 

“Holy fuck Eds, scared the shit outta me” you say feeling your heart beat slow down when you know it’s Eddie. 

“Well isn’t this a familiar sight?” He says with a smirk on his lips. Your face flushing remembering the kitchen incident. You tried to push the memory back but you always ended up in the shower, fingers knuckle deep inside you as you bite your arm trying not to moan. You let go of your chest lightly laughing trying to push past the awkwardness. 

“Yeah I like them. Where’d you get ‘em?” You ask turning back towards the flowers, picking the one in your hand up and smelling it. Your face brightening, a big smile adorning your face. You were a big beautiful fucking magnolia and you’d never let anyone tell you otherwise. 

“Just thought you’d appreciate something pretty in the house,” he shrugs.

“You know Robin said I was like a magnolia tree, full of love,” you murmur lost in thought, fingertip tracing the delicate petal. 

“Oh I know,” he says, leaving you to yourself. It takes a second for you to realize what he just said. 

Knew… he knew? How the fuck did he know? He had to have overheard the phone call or Rob told him. But she’d never tell him…right? Your best friend wouldn’t totally tell your other best friend that you were head over heels for him would she? Oh fuck you’re panicking… Maybe it meant nothing? Maybe he’s just agreeing with Robin? Okay it’s no big deal. Totally not anything, you try to convince yourself as you grab your hamper and walk downstairs to the basement to do laundry. 

There’s no way he knows anything, Eddie was dead asleep and you’d never done anything obvious… besides the occasional ogle when he’s got his back turned to you. Fuck that back, you bite your lip as you separate the darks from light. No, No horny thoughts of Eddie especially not when it’s just the two of you in the house tonight. You swallow your spit, as you pour in the detergent and softener. 

“Hey, I’ve been talking to you?” Eddie says louder than normal which startles you. You bang your knee on the washer, the lid slamming closed. You cradle your knee, hobbling around to look at Eddie with a pained look on your face. 

“Mhm?” you hum in a high pitched tone, trying not to press too hard onto your aching knee cap. 

“Shit, you all right?” He says, walking quickly across the basement towards you. Once again you find yourself being lifted by the waist but this time on the lid of the washer. 

“Stop scaring me!” you groan, slapping his arm.

“Stop being so fucking jumpy then” he retorts, folding your pajama pants and inspecting your knee. His fingers gentle as they brush your kneecap but you can’t help the visceral reaction you have. Your face scrunching up, hands reaching for his shirt squeezing the fabric in your palms. 

“Fuck,” you groan again.

“S’not bleeding, think you just need some ice and to rest it,” He murmurs looking up at your face, you can tell because his breath hits your chin. Why was he so God damn close? Your heart beat races in your chest, lump forming in your throat.

“Okay,” you breathe out, fluttering your eyes open. You thought he’d step back but he doesn’t move. For the first time since you were teens you can see the familiar spray of faint freckles on the bridge of his nose. You’d always scolded him for not wearing sunscreen which he always met with an eye roll. 

“Oh, sorry,” You say, realizing you’re quite literally pulling him towards you. You let go of his shirt wiping your sweating palms on the soft fleece of your pajamas. The throbbing in your knee replaced by a different kind of throbbing as you inhale his scent. It’s changed slightly, now he smells like detergent and motor oil. He used to smell like weed and musk but he’d given it up since you got pregnant, always said he didn’t want to expose the baby to it.

“I know,” he says, voice deep and gravelly. 

“Hmm?” you say, eyebrows furrowing in confusion, trying your best not to look down at those pink lips of his. 

“I know,” he simply repeats, pressing himself forward, face centimeters from yours. You try to scoot back but hit your head on the cabinet. 

“God you can’t fucking help it can you?” he says clearly amused by the way you’re always hurting yourself in front of him. 

“You know?” you ask, trying to press him for more as you rub the back of your head but he swats your hand away, fingers finding the soft tresses of your hair gently massaging the area of impact until you relax in his hold. 

“Mhm,” he hums. Clearly he was playing some sort of game. Eddie always liked to fuck with you, he’d play little prank on you. Like once in high school he’d convinced you that you’d forgotten an important day. You’d spent the entire day wracking your brain for the thing you forgot even asking all of hellfire who gave you the cold-shoulder. It was something stupid like a year from the first time you let him borrow your good pen.

“Okay… what do you know?” you ask, looking up at his chocolate brown eyes.

“Something,” he sing songs mischievously as he presses his hips into the side of the washing machine, your legs dangling on either side of his hips. 

“God you’re annoying?” you roll your eyes but a small smile threatens to overtake your lips. 

“You sure ‘bout that?” he asks, fingers moving from your scalp to hold onto the back of your head, his thumb brushing the underside of your jaw. Your breath hitches. It’s too much. If Eddie was fucking with you’d probably have a mental break down. 

“You know?” you ask, trying to cross that barrier without saying it. You gulp, fingers reaching for his waist, softly pressing into his back as he presses closer and closer. Your faces a centimeter from each other, breaths mixing as you both practically pant for breath. He doesn’t respond and you don’t dare break the moment as his big doe eyes flick down to your lips and back to your eyes as if silently asking for permission. You nod ever so slightly, heart hammering in your chest. Was this real? Please God let this be real. You couldn't wake up to dream like this again, it broke a piece of your heart every time you dreamed of the press of his lips on yours…and so much more. 

His lips press against the corner of your mouth, fingers dipping down to your waist pulling you impossibly closer until you feel the hardpress of his cock through his jeans. You gulp as he takes a moment as if giving you time to back out. Fuck no, you’d been dreaming of it for so long, pressing your fingers into your pussy wishing it was his length. 

He presses a soft hiss to your lips, its gentle and sweet as you move against each other. Your fingers moving from his hips to tangle in his curls. You kiss him with a bigger sense of desperation and he matches your pace. Every year he’s held back pressing forward, every year he held back his jealousy making him slip his tongue into your mouth, every year you weren’t his, had him cradling your head tongue lapping against yours until you can’t breathe but you don’t dare to move away. Instead you wrap your legs around his lithe waist. 

He pulls back panting, “Fuck.” His gentle fingers press into your scalp, lips pressing softly into the place between your jaw and neck, his other hand caressing your neck, thumb brushing your soft skin, his nose skirting the soft line of your jaw. It’s so tender and sweet just like Eddie has always been with you despite your earlier makeout session. 

“Eds,” You say breathlessly. He hums against your skin in acknowledgement. 

“I love you, so much,” you whisper, fingers gripping his shirt, as you choke up with emotion. All your longing spilling forward like a leak in a dam. 

“I love you too,” He responds, eyelashes fluttering against your jaw. You can hear the imperceptible crack in his voice. Your hands immediately sliding towards his back pressing into it softly trying to comfort him, silently apologizing for being so stupid.

He takes a second to collect himself to look at your eyes again. His eyes wet with unshed tears, with silent longing love and adoration to match yours. You press a soft kiss to his lips, saying sorry over and over again. You’d always imagined this super passionate, rough, sexual encounter with Eddie just like the stories he’d described but… that wasn’t him now. He was always your kind hearted and sweet boy. 

“I love you,” You murmur against his lips, tears dripping down your eyes as you hold his face. You can taste the saltiness on his lips as your tears mix together. He pulls back, thumbs brushing away your stray tears whispering an “I love you too.” You take a moment just to revel in the warmth of this moment, eyes searching each other as if they contained every secret of the universe. 

#eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson / reader #eddie munson / you #eddie munson x you #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson au #eddie munson x fem reader #eddie x you #eddie x fem!reader #eddie munson my beloved #eddie munson fic #eddie munson stranger things #eddie munson x female reader #eddie munson imagine #older eddie munson #mechanic!eddie #eddie munson x childhood friend #eddie munson x best friend reader #domestic fiction

[mynameishazard]

Eddie Munson would go to see Barbie with his daughter and IMMEDIATELY fall in love with it.

Steve doesn't really have a problem with that but he's had to talk Eddie out of painting their home Barbie pink five times while Robin eggs Eddie on in the background.

#this is because I just found out that Margot Robbie is a childhood metalhead #stranger things #eddie munson #steve harrington #robin buckley #steddie au #steddie