#the duffers will try to silence me

[taeiris]

stranger things season 5 is gonna start with the voice of a little boy, singing a familiar song…

and then we see will, singing. THEN we see the demogorgon taking him to the library, everything in between the scenes we know— that we haven’t seen, deleted scenes or new scenes idc.

season 5 is gonna start at the point between will getting to the library and joyce and hopper finding him, what we didn’t see. we get a close look at a tease of how the connection between him and vecna specifically began

and then he wakes up. present s5 time, title card intro begins and the first episode of the final season of stranger things starts.

im CALLING IT BABY!

#im rewatching season 1 #if you couldnt tell #and it brought me back to the upside down comic #which i KNOW isnt canon #but hey #its a pretty clear and legit guide to what might happen #and im pretty possitive of this theory #the duffers will try to silence me #put this in your bingo cards! #remember me! #connection gate #mind walkie talkie gate #stranger things #byler #will byers #stranger things 5 #st5 spoilers

[therainscene]

It’s funny that Bylers are so often accused of being delusional, because I was at my most delusional when I was anti-Byler.

I spent most of S4 refusing to acknowledge that Will had romantic feelings for Mike, despite knowing damn well what all that love triangle imagery and sad gay pining was implying. I convinced myself it was just bros before hoes drama; that perhaps Will wanted to come out to his best friend but felt nervous after six months of radio silence following “it’s not my fault you don’t like girls!”

The van scene forced me to accept that he really was in love, and it pissed me off because what was even the point of making him fall for a straight boy?

Mike’s bizarre “no homo” behaviour was clearly a symptom of growing up in a conservative 80s household, and witnessing Will’s sacrificial act of love in the van was the shitty lesson he needed to get over his homophobia.

I saw a typical straight male protagonist in an 80s coming-of-age film getting to coast his way to self-actualization on the back of queer suffering; a cruel and homophobic trope I thought we’d moved past by the year 2022.

But then the NINA reunion scene rolled around--

--and I immediately picked up on the heavy parallels between Mike and Will in how they greeted El. The realization hit me like a tonne of bricks: Mike feels the same way about her as Will does.

I thought, “wait, does this mean I was wrong about...? Oh my god. No way.

No fucking way.

Will was in love with El this whole time?? What the fuck, he’s been gay since S1 and she’s his sister this is BULLSHIT I will personally strangle the Duffers--”

Heteronormativity is a hell of a drug, kids.

Let this be a lesson to those of you who think media illiteracy is to blame for Byler denial -- how well someone understands the mechanics of storytelling is irrelevant if they insist on treating Mike’s supposed heterosexuality as an axiom instead of an evidence-based conclusion. The issue lies with bias, not literacy.

I was stubbornly anti-Byler because I knew I’d immediately fall in love with this ship if I allowed myself to have hope it could be canon, and the general state of queer rep in mainstream media meant I was all but guaranteed to get hurt if I was so stupid as to have hope. But in my desperation to cling to the “safe” heteronormative outcome, I only ended up hurting myself with my own silly assumptions.

We’ve seen both canonically gay characters in the show make exactly this mistake, needlessly hurting themselves with their silly but self-defensive assumptions about their love interests.

Stranger Things absolutely nails its depiction of the subtler ways internalized homophobia can manifest -- Will may feel like a mistake and be prone to beating himself up, but he isn’t some pitiful self-loathing queer who wishes he was straight, either. He’s just so crushed by heteronormativity that he accepts it as an inescapable fact of life and lets it guide his beliefs and actions.

Don’t get me wrong: Will, like Robin, is very sensible for being cautious in such a horrifically bigoted environment -- trying to openly defy that level of homophobia by yourself, especially when you’re young, is a bad idea.

But unlike Robin, he clearly struggles to accept that he has the right to chase his same-sex love interest. He's no longer simply exercising caution, but conforming to homophobic standards -- much in the same way I thought I was sensibly refusing to be queerbaited, when really I was just agreeing with the heteronormative status quo.

I realize now that this is the real reason Will was written into a homophobic 80s trope: not to teach Mike an outdated lesson in acceptance, but to maneuver Will into position for the lesson he’s going to learn in S5 about resisting conformity.

Will needs to learn that castrating himself to make straight people comfortable is a bad idea too. Not only is that a miserable way to live his life, but what sort of world is he leaving for the next generation of queer kids if he never questions these homophobic standards?

It’s just the cycle of abuse scaled up to the societal level.

This is what gives me confidence in Byler endgame. Queerness isn’t just an incidental element of Will’s personal arc, but suffuses the show to its very core -- it’s in its themes, its allegory, its characters.

So Will getting the boy isn’t just nice fan-service for Byler shippers, but a necessary ending if the show’s most important lesson is to land:

That it’s rewarding to make the difficult choice of standing up to bigotry in the face of forced conformity. Of choosing love.

Could it be the case that I was right the first time, and Stranger Things is going to turn out to be yet another heteronormative mainstream show that doesn’t commit to its own themes? Sure, maybe. But that wouldn’t invalidate the valuable lessons this show has already -- and apparently accidentally lol -- taught me.

Anyone who calls us deluded for hoping a mainstream show is going to have a gay pairing as its main couple just doesn’t realize -- or doesn’t care -- that they’re contributing to the very problem they’re describing.

#stranger things #byler #will byers #mike wheeler #robin buckley #my analysis

[talaok]

Hello!! Can I request a Joseph smut where Y/n and Joseph are both co-stars (and they’re not dating but they both have a crush on each other), and While they’re filming, Joseph can’t concentrate because y/n’s character is wearing something really sexy, so by the end of the day when they’re all out of costume and everyone goes home, he fucks her

Pairing: Joseph Quinn x fem!reader

Warnings: SMUT (fingering,protected sex)

a/n: guess who's back bitches! Hope you like this

Distracted

“ Eddie, it’s time to go” you said as you entered his trailer. “Steve is waiting in the car” you pointed outside as he turned around towards you. His eyes traveled down your body, taking in what you were wearing, as his mouth opened slightly in surprise. You frowned internally. What was Joe doing? This wasn’t in the script. Eddie was supposed to be unbothered by your short, tight red dress. You had even joked about it with him earlier, saying how it points even further to how he’s clearly not straight. Maybe he was improvising, you thought, maybe the Duffers had told him to try this instead. There was definitely an explanation, that was certain, so you went with it. “Eddie?” you waved your hand trying to get his attention. He shook his head, as if waking from a dream. “y-yeah right”He cleared his throat as his eyes fell to your breast again for a second. You felt yourself blush, you knew he was in character, so what he was doing was only a play, but still, you couldn’t help but feel nervous as Joe stared at you like that. Like he was eating you with his eyes. You heard a loud noise from outside, as scripted, and you turned towards it with a shocked face. “What was that?” you whispered terrified. “Eddie please tell me it’s not what I think it is” you pleaded as you backed from the door to get closer to him. You peeked up at him, looking for reassurance and you saw him swallow nervously as he scanned your whole face. You kept looking at him as he glanced at your red-painted lips. What was he doing? He was supposed to say his line. “Eddie” you murmured trying to salvage the situation. He licked his lips “It’s impossible” he whispered “Steve avoided the main roads right?” he asked concerned. Another loud roar came from outside, making you jump as you gasped. You gripped his shirt, placing your hands on his chest. You felt him stiffen just as you did. You looked up and nodded at him to answer his question as tears formed in your eyes. “Oh god” you murmured hiding in his arms. You nuzzled against him, hugging him as your chest pushed against his and you looked up at him frightened. His eyes fell to your breasts again, this time staying there, as he bit his lip. He didn't look terrified at all, quite the opposite, he looked like he wanted to fuck you. Joe was a great actor, what was happening? You widened your eyes subtly at him, trying to signal him that he was supposed to say a line. His eyes came back up to yours, and your heart fluttered as you noticed the hunger in them. God, how much you wished it was actually him looking at you like that. He still didn’t say anything. There was total silence on set. There was no point in keeping this up. “Joe” you smiled shily “your line” you reminded him softly. He widened his eyes, realizing his mistake. “Oh, shit” he breathed out as if he had just awakened from a trance “I-I forgot” he smiled” I’m sorry” he apologized to the crew behind you. “LET’S START FROM THE TOP GUYS” matt yelled from behind the camera and you pulled away from Joe, already missing feeling that close to him, as his eyes never left you. Ross jogged towards you just as you did “hey Joe, try not to act so surprised “ he turned towards him “Eddie doesn’t care about what she's wearing alright?” he explained. Joe cleared his throat “oh, yeah sure” he scratched his head “no problem” he said moving his eyes from Ross down to the floor, avoiding yours. You frowned confused as you walked back behind the fake door. So they hadn’t told him to do that, maybe he had thought it would have been a good idea, you considered. Yeah, that was probably it.

“Heyy” you murmured awkwardly as you entered joe’s trailer. Your costume designer, Jenna, had convinced you to go talk to him after you had spent 30 minutes rambling about how weird Joe had been while the poor woman was just trying to get your wig and outfit off of you. So here you were, standing in his trailer like a statue, afraid to even move a finger. “Y/N” he muttered surprised as he turned towards you. You smiled blankly at him. What were you doing here? This was stupid. “Did you need something?”He asked Oh right, you needed to actually say something and not just show up here. “ uhhhh” you mumbled, scratching your neck nervously” no, not really, I just-“ did you really just come here unannounced without even thinking of what you were gonna say? Genius. Joe frowned, confused. God this was stupid. Ok, just say it. You’re here already. “Ok.” You exhaled ”I wanted to ask you why you were acting weird before” There was definitely a better way to put that. Joe’s eyes widened subtly, as he cleared his throat. “W-what do you mean, weird?” “Well you- you were acting strangely before when we were shooting y’know?” you tried to explain yourself better. He laughed awkwardly “Oh, yeah, I’m sorry I was just-” he paused and glimpsed at you before immediately looking away”I was distracted” “Oh” you said sympathetically, “Is there something on your mind?” you asked, walking closer to him “ you wanna talk about it?” He still wasn’t looking at you, his eyes seemed fixated on a cabinet right next to him”N-no, thank you. It’s stupid” he shrugged. “Are you sure? You can tell me anything you know.I won’t judge I promise.I want to help you” you said, placing your hand on his arm. His eyes finally found yours, and you could see so much tension in them, it was as if he was looking at you but his mind was still elsewhere. “Y/n, it’s not important “he said with a thin voice. “Joe, there’s obviously something troubling you. please let me help” you said placing your other hand on his opposite arm. He looked at you, actually, looked at you, and you felt a shiver run down your spine. His gaze penetrating you and sending a warm wave through your whole body. “C’mon, why were you distracted?” you said with a reassuring smile. Silence fell and suddenly all you could hear were the muffled noises from the crickets outside and became very aware of your hands touching him. You didn’t move, too afraid to mess something up. “Because of you” Your heart skipped a beat. What did he just say? “Huh?” He chuckled “You distracted me” he said, moving a lock of your hair behind your ear “That outfit you wore” he explained, stepping closer to you “I’m used to you being beautiful by now, but” he smiled “that dress” he bit his lip” it was just too much” Oh fuck. Your cheeks were burning, and your brain was buzzing from all the effort it was putting into trying to metabolize what he had just said. “W-what?”you muttered “I couldn’t concentrate because you‘re too hot y/n” You blinked. What!? “Joe” you whispered, having no idea what to say next.I mean what were you supposed to say?You think I’m hot? have you ever looked in the mirror?try concentrating with that looking back at you. “I-I don’t know what to say” you murmured He smirked “ you don’t have to say anything” “O-ok “ He got even closer to you, an inch now all that separated your two bodies. You could feel the heat emanating from him, and his cologne inebriating all your senses. “Can I kiss you?” Your mouth fell open. “U-U- yes” you murmured He smiled, both at your behavior and for genuine happiness, before placing his soft lips on yours. He wrapped his arms behind your back, pulling you closer to him, and you closed your eyes losing yourself in the kiss, as your arms came to rest on his shoulders. He tasted of mint with a hint of cigarettes and his arms around you felt like the safest of barriers. One of his hands started exploring your back, leaving a trail of tingles with its touch. He leaned away, and you gasped softly at the lack of contact. You opened your eyes and in front of you, there wasn't the same man you were talking to before. Yes, it was Joe, but the look on his face felt more like the one a predator would have, a hunter in front of a defenseless deer, lust was the only thing you could see in his eyes as they traveled up and down your body while he bit down a subtle smirk. You swallowed and looked up at him through your lashes "Is everything ok?" you murmured. He found your eyes, your heart stopping a moment. If you thought he was hot before, now, you couldn't even find the words to describe him. "More than ok" he grinned before crashing his lips with yours. This time the kiss was hungrier, his tongue immediately making its way into your mouth while he gripped your hair pushing you against him. His other hand found your ass as he forced you against the wall. "God you're so hot" he muttered as he left sloppy kisses on your neck. "That dress you wore" he groaned, thinking back at it as he continued kissing you. Your hand found his hair. "I just wanted to rip it off of you" his hand made its way underneath your skirt and you whimpered. "or even better" he whispered against your ear, as his hand played with the hem of your panties "keep it on as I fucked you" his fingers gently caressed your clothed pussy. You bit your lip. "Just roll it up" his fingers found the wet spot on your panties and he groaned "Move your panties aside" he murmured as he did exactly that, finding your clit "And fuck you until you screamed my name" he said as he pushed his fingers inside you. You moaned and he chuckled, resuming kissing your neck as he picked up his pace. "Fuck" you moaned as his fingers curled up inside you. He looked at you, a smug look printed on his face. "Joe" you whimpered pathetically as his fingers continued their dance. "Yes sweetheart?" he asked feigning cluelessness and you moaned even louder at the pet name. "god it feels so good" you whined. his lips twitched into a grin "I'm glad" he kissed your cheek gently "but now I need to know how this pretty pussy feels around my cock" he whispered against your ear, his hot breath sending a shiver down your spine. "Would that be ok?" he kissed your ear. "Y-yes please" you stuttered desperately. he chuckled as he removed his fingers from inside you, quickly undid his belt, and liberated his hard cock from his boxers. He took his wallet from one of the jeans' pockets and pulled a condom out of it. You  raised your eyebrows "You carry that around with you all the time?" He smiled "You never know when your hot colleague will come to your trailer and give you a chance to do what you've been dreaming about for months" You bit down a proud grin. Months? wow. "yes months" he whispered, reading your mind as he leaned down to kiss you again while putting the condom on. He put his hand on your waist as he positioned himself in between you with the other one. He didn't break the kiss as he slowly pushed himself into you. He hissed at the feeling and you couldn't help but moan. "Fuck y/n" he groaned "It's even better than I imagined" he smiled, starting to move in and out of you slowly You giggled softly before a wave of pleasure washed over you, making you moan. "Joe" you whimpered "that's right" he said, thrusting into you "say my name honey" "Joe" you obeyed, gripping his biceps as he sped up his pace. "bloody hell y/n, you're so tight" he groaned. "Joe please" you whimpered, already feeling close. "What baby?" "Harder" He looked at you cockily before doing as told. Your eyes rolled to the back of your head as he started pounding into you mercilessly. "god yes- fuck-Joe" you muttered incoherently as he continued. "You're so pretty" He said kissing your neck. You could feel pressure building up in your belly. "I-I'm gonna cum" you said with a thin voice. "do sweetheart" he pecked your lips quickly " show me how beautiful you are when you cum" Those words were enough to send you over the edge. Millions of fireworks going off inside of you as you orgasmed, immediately followed by Joe, who came with a low groan, resembling your name. The only sound in the room was your heavy breathing. You looked at each other and as you locked eyes couldn't help but smile happily. "I'm sorry I distracted you" "I'm not sorry at all"

#joseph quinn #joseph quinn x reader #joseph quinn fanfiction #joseph quinn smut #joseph quinn x y/n #joseph #joseph quinn stranger things #stranger things #stranger things volume 2 #stranger things season 4 #joe quinn #Smut #starnger things #request #stranger things x reader

[stranger-theory]

Song & Scene Analysis, Lumax vs Byler

I've also posted this on the Byler Subreddit, so if you see it there, hi, that's me!

I’m sure you’re aware of song importance in Stranger Things, with the Duffer Brothers saying sometimes it takes weeks to pick a song that conveys the exact message they’re trying to portray. I’ve seen quite a bit of theories around what songs mean what, but there’s one specific song that caught my attention.

There’s a scene in season two, episode six where Lucas and Max speak on top of a bus in the junkyard. It’s a lovely scene in which Max explains her behavior to Lucas, and apologizes for some stuff she wasn’t proud of. She says she’s sorry for acting like a jerk, and doesn’t ever want to be like that, but she feels overwhelmed with her home life and takes it out on people she doesn’t mean to. She then expresses that she likes California, and sometimes wants to go home, but having Lucas there with her for comfort makes her feel better. Max makes a call back to their “Stalker” joke, with a shared laugh. This emotional scene is then cut off by the sighting of a demodog, and a tense scene plays.

Now you know the base of the conversation, let me tell you about a similar scene I see as a parallel. Season four, episode four bedroom talk. This scene is between Mike and Will, where Mike apologizes to Will. In his apology he says he’s sorry for acting like a jerk, but everything with El was just so overwhelming, and he doesn’t want Will to feel like their argument was personal. Mike explains to Will that he likes it in Hawkins, but since Will moved to California, Hawkins feels different. He misses Will. They share a “Cool” with each other and sit in silence while smiling, but are cut off by the doorbell as Jack’s men come searching for El.

These scenes may not feel as similar as I'm insisting with just this information, but there’s a very key portion to this parallel: Music.

I’m going to go through these scenes at the same time to help you understand where I’m coming from. At the current moments in time for these scenes, Lucas/Will have a like Max/Mike, but don’t know how to confront them about it. Max/Mike both apologize to Lucas/Will for hurting them when they didn’t mean to. Max/Mike say the reason they acted like this was because they felt overwhelmed with their lives at the moment. Max/Mike say that they like California/Hawkins, but without Lucas/Will, it wouldn’t be the same. Max/Mike make a callback to “Stalker/Cool”. Almost directly after these heartfelt talks, they’re interrupted with the intense Demodog/Goverment scenes. The same song plays in these scenes to further imply that we’re supposed to view them the same way. The camera slowly zooms closer on their reactions to help the audience understand better, and help it feel more intimate.

These are things you basically can’t deny, as I’m just stating the facts of these scenes. From all of these similarities and comparisons, we can also further suspect other aspects of these scenes. Something we’re allowed to assume is that, like Max, Mike also has feelings for Will. If the original scene including this song is meant to be interpreted as romantic, then why would the second be any different? If the original scene is meant to be read as a “romantic” and “intimate” apology, then why would the second scene suddenly be a purely platonic interaction? If they’d wanted us as an audience to think otherwise, then they would have chosen a different way to portray this scene.

I thank you greatly for listening to me rant about why this scene drove me crazy. I’ve been looking forward to posting this the moment I got tumblr, but with my very on fire Spongebob looking brain, I never remembered. I’d love love looooove to hear your thoughts and add ons to this, ESPECIALLY corrections if i’ve somehow misinterpreted something. I wouldn't want to spread misinformation. Have a good morning, afternoon, or night, folks.

#byler #stranger things #mike wheeler #will byers #byler endgame #byler is canon #byler nation #byler tumblr #byler is real #stranger things theory #lumax #byler parallels #stranger things parallels #lumax parallels #parallels #lucas sinclair #max mayfield #stranger things theories #st theory #st theories #st2 #st4 #st4 theory

[honey-baby-blossom]

Peachy! - eddie munson

part one | part two

summary | Hawkins High’s resident freak convinces the librarian aide to help him finish his book report, but that might not be all she could help him with…

warnings | f!reader, size difference, flirting, mutual pining, absolutely no mention of what the duffers did

word count | 2.2k

notes | im a basic bitch what can I say? a boy has nice eyes and good hands so now I'm whipped ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

The library was finally starting to clear out, the frantic eyes and overstuffed backpacks trimming out of the herd one by one as everyone started making their way home. Midterms were always busy, but finals were hell. Your fingertips started to ache from peeling stickers and logging new books into the handwritten system you’d finally started to understand. There were still a few stragglers; freshmen waiting on their rides, a couple of sophomores apparently trying to write wedding vows inside their partner’s mouths. It was so very close to empty and as soon as it was, you were free like everybody else. 

You tried not to stare and foam at the mouth as the last kid slipped out the wide, swinging doors. Once his bouncing backpack was out of sight, you jumped to your feet and searched for the keys. Just as you found them and held them tight in your palm, the low squeal of the doors sent your excitement out the metaphorical window. You looked up wearily and the last little bit of your patience was ground into fine powder as that mess of brown hair and stupidly large matching eyes sauntered in. 

“Did the bell ring already, Peach?” he asked, his voice almost echoing through the silent and empty library. You huffed out a short breath and closed your eyes. 

“For the last time, Mr. Munson, please don’t call me that. And yes, the bell rang twenty glorious minutes ago and I would like to go home,” you said, messily gathering your things from your spot behind the counter. Eddie let out an amused snort, tossing his head back slightly. 

“I’ll stop calling you ‘peach’ when you start calling me Eddie. It’s not my fault you just couldn’t get enough of me,” he said, his smile wide across his face. 

“I always knew I’d come back to work here, it’s your fault you can’t seem to pass a single English class in all four years of high school,” you shot back, making his smile drop slightly. He sighed and let his backpack fall off his shoulder as he stepped his way up to the counter. 

“That’s why I’m here, okay? It’s the last project of the year and I’ve been doing fine but the fucking story about the guy and the wolf or whatever is kicking my ass. You’re the only one I know who might possibly be both smart enough and willing to help,” Eddie said, his eyes somber as he looked down at you in your seat. You hated his eyes. Those big, dumb, magic doe eyes could convince anybody of anything. Including you. 

“Who said I was willing?” you smirked, raising your eyebrows up at him. He stuck his tongue in the side of his cheek and let out a huff through his nose before stepping around the counter to where you sat. You turned in your rolling chair to meet him and watch as he knelt down on one knee with his hands clasped together in front of him. 

“I am begging you, oh peachy one, please have mercy on a weary idiot like me and help me with my English project so I can finally graduate,” he said, filling his voice with drama and empty formality. You hummed quietly to yourself as you thought it over in your head. After a few beats of silence he looked back up at you, his brown puppy-dog eyes boring into yours. “Please.”

“Oh alright. But only because you begged,” you smiled, nudging his knee with your foot so you could stand up. He grunted and held a fist in his victory, bouncing back onto his feet with a clap of his hands. “What’s the book again?”

Eddie squinted in thought and pushed his lips out, humming for a moment before speaking, “Big Wolf? Bay of Wolves? I don’t know, something like that.”

You let out a loud snort and tossed your head back with a laugh, causing the boy to look down at you with a pointed frown. 

“Beowulf?” you asked, still smiling with a chuckle. Eddie rolled his eyes and turned on his heels. 

“That’s what I said, Peach,” he said, scooping his bag back onto his shoulder lazily. You let out another loud laugh and pulled your own bag into your arms. 

“You realize it has absolutely nothing to do with wolves right? I don’t think there’s a wolf in the entire book,” you asked, following him out the doors. His hand made a loud smack sound as he pushed the door open, the metal of his rings connecting with the thick wood. You looked at him curiously, waiting for him to answer your question, as you stepped past him. He frowned back at you and let the door shut behind him, standing patiently as you went to lock it. 

“Then what’s it even about?” he said, his eyebrows furrowed in disapproval. 

“A warrior named Beowulf,” you answered, looking up at him over your shoulder. His eyebrows raised and he nodded in pleasant surprise. 

“Kickass name. I can respect that.”

“I’m sure the author would be overjoyed to know that the great Eddie Munson, three-time senior of Hawkins High, approves of the name,” you said, tossing your hands up dramatically as you spoke his name. You looked up at him with a proud smile and watched as he rolled his eyes, unamused. “That’s gotta be a record right? Spending a whole six years in high school?”

“Record stands at seven years. Some guy got held back for 10th twice then another two for his senior year. As long as I can pass this one, I’ll be just as good as the rest of you,” Eddie said, his voice failing to hide the dripping desperation in the back of his throat. He cleared it quickly, turning back to you with a weak smile. “Can’t always be the freak, right?”

You nodded slowly, looking back down at your feet. You never liked that label on Eddie. He was a lot of things, but freakish was a stretch. Van Halen, Kiss, ACDC, bands that were weird and heavy a couple of years ago were starting to become incredibly mainstream. Who was to say that Black Sabbath, Metallica, and Iron Maiden wouldn’t soon do the same? Plus, you had an uncle that played D&D every weekend with his work buddies over beer- it wasn’t a damn cult. 

“They still call you that?” you asked, frowning up at him slightly. He snorts and nods quickly, looking down at you with a raised eyebrow. 

“Are you kidding? The closer I get to graduating, the worse it gets,” he said, holding the door at the end of the hall open for you, exposing the bright parking lot. It was pretty much empty besides a few other teachers parked on their side and Eddie’s dark van in the back corner. You chewed on your lip as you stepped past him. 

“I never liked that. Seeing them treat you differently,” you muttered. Eddie looked down at you curiously and you sucked a quick breath in. “N-Not just you. Everyone, plus you, I guess.”

You stopped in front of your old Chevy quickly, fighting off the hot pink feeling in your cheeks. He stood over you, his face breaking into a sly smile. He licked his lips and let out a quiet laugh before nodding. 

“After school tomorrow, okay? Beowulf. Sound good, Peach?” he asked, his smile still wide on his lips. 

“Sounds good, Eddie,” you answered softly, failing to beat the heat rushing to your face. He stayed in front of you for another moment, his smile dimming into a look of gentle adoration. 

“I missed you, Peachy,” he said, nudging your foot with his. You nodded slightly and looked up at him. 

“I know,” you said softly. He bit his lip and continued to stare, his liquid eyes bright in the afternoon sun. You met his gaze finally, letting his eyes read the reality and somber look in yours. He cleared his throat and nodded to himself, stepping back slowly. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow then?” he asked, blinking a few times. You nod with a gentle smile, reaching to open your car door as he turns away. 

He gets almost halfway through the parking lot before you stick your face out of the window and call after him, “Hey, Eds!”

He almost falls as he turns around to answer you, “Yeah?”

“Make sure you bring a pencil! You’ll need to take notes!” you shout, smiling widely after him. He laughs and nods, shaking that brown mess of hair. You roll your window back up and let out a soft sigh before turning and driving past him out of the lot. 

-Two Years Earlier-

Your body felt heavy and sluggish as you made your way to your spot at the lunch table, the precious seat left open next to the denim and leather-clad boy. You were nervous all your weight would break the cheap plastic seat as you plopped down into it and buried your face into your best friend’s shoulder, your lips pressed against the iron-on patch to his vest. 

“What is it this time?” Eddie asked, turning to wrap his arms around you loosely. 

“I saw him holding her hand. She’s a goddamn sophomore and he’s holding her hand,” you groaned, pressing your palms against your eyes. Eddie let out a sympathetic chuckle. 

“You poor thing,” he said, pressing a chaste kiss to the top of your head, “But maybe reconsider this never-ending crush now that you’ve seen his potentially pervish behavior and interest in underclassmen?”

“You think I don’t want to?” you huffed, sitting up straight. 

“I know you do. I’m just suggesting it,” Eddie shrugged, taking a sip of the soda in front of him. You chewed on your lip and let out a breath as you finally saw the frantic scribbles in the boy’s ratty composition book. Various fantasy buzz words were written in messy handwriting all surrounding the bold words “Hellfire Club” in the center. 

“I take it this is what you were doing instead of the classwork last period?” you smirked, pulling the book in front of you. 

“You know it,” he chuckled, leaning his chin into the palm of his hand, his thin elbow propped up on the table. 

You raised your eyebrows and held out for the pencil next to him, silently asking permission to make edits on his work. He placed it in your hand immediately and leaned closer to watch you. You quickly erased and respelled the words he wrote incorrectly: psychedelic, freakish, complexities. He hummed softly and nudged your shoulder defensively as you let out a soft sigh at the last error. 

“Can’t figure out the logo quite yet. Everything I do seems too cheesy,” he said, pushing his brown messy curls away from his face. His hair was getting long, almost past his shoulders. You liked it, but that wasn’t the kind of stuff you told each other. 

“What about this?” you asked softly, lightly tracing a cartoon devil underneath the bold words. Eddie tilted his head and nodded slightly. 

“Yeah, but more. It can’t be like anything people have seen,” he answered, taking the pencil back, his fingers intertwining with yours for a short second. You swallowed and pulled your hand back, glancing over to make sure he didn’t notice.

He boldened the lines you had started and added gills to the sides of the head, transforming the creature from classic devil to freaky demon. You nodded and took the pencil back and changed the silhouette of the eyes to be smaller, sharper, and added small lines to make the creatures fangs a little longer. 

The two of you stayed that way until the lunch bell rang, shoulders leaning over the book and handing the pencil back and forth. You fixed the lettering for the title and added the little flame over the I and the crack in the demon’s skull. Eddie added the flaming sword and glowing chain mace on either side. Just before he started to stand up and close the book you gasped and stole the pencil from his hand. Your tongue stuck out from between your lips as you quickly drew a pair of dice on either side, a D-4 and a D-20. 

You looked up at Eddie proudly, a wide smile on your face. His cheeks were a soft pink as he nodded, gently pulling the book closed and into the crook of his arm. 

“Couldn’t have done it without you. Seriously,” he sighed, pulling you into a half hug. You blushed harder and buried your face into his side. 

“Does this make me the queen of Hellfire?” you smirked, looking up at him from your seat. Eddie tossed his head back with a warm laugh and nodded.

“Forever and always, my dear,” he smiled, pressing one last kiss to the top of your head. 

#eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x female reader #eddie munson smut #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson fluff #eddie munson drabble #stranger things #stranger things season four #stranger things x reader #stranger things spoilers

[joe-mazzello-archive]

baby we're a dying breed - part two

eddie munson x fem!reader (no y/n)

w/c: 17.9k (i'm sorry)

warnings: slow burn, s4 spoilers, canon divergent, reader has fear of being in/on water, references to alcohol and drugs, violence/gore/blood, supernatural elements (it's stranger things, y'all), smut (p in v)

a/n: here we are! part two of this monster of a fic. i have about six bonus scenes planned if y'all are interested (including some from eddie's pov). i aged ten years with all of the plot holes i had to fix so the duffers will be receiving a bill from me. i did also use a time jump, but some of the bonus scenes will fill in the gaps. hope you enjoy!

It’s eerily quiet.

The commotion from the shoreline has died down and the water around the boat has gone still. It’s just you, laying down, floating alone in silence, trying not to have a complete meltdown.

He left you. He left you behind. In the middle of the fucking lake.

You cannot fathom why.

He must have known you wouldn’t jump in after him. Maybe he assumed he would help save Steve and then just…swim back up? You cannot for the life of you understand what his game plan was.

And either Eddie and the other teens were killed by whatever dragged Steve into the depths of the lake or they all drowned…or they all went through the gate.

You have to believe it’s the third option. You don’t know what you’ll do if it’s not.

You’re also assuming the kids left on the shore were found by the cops. Meaning that even if you manage to steel yourself and make it back to shore, every single person who could have any idea of what to do next is unavailable.

Why did Eddie have to dive into the fucking water?

You then remember some of what the others told you about the Upside Down. It’s full of creatures and vines that all share a hive mind. And those idiots are in there with no weapons and no protection. And considering Steve’s shirt, socks, and shoes are strewn randomly throughout the boat, he’s strolling around the Upside Down barefoot and shirtless.

You don’t want to even imagine what they’re experiencing down there. You just want Eddie – all of them – to be back. And safe. That’s all you’ve wanted since this whole thing started.

You don’t know what to do.

But you do know you need to get back to shore.

So you take a deep breath, and you sit up.

It’s your worst nightmare. The boat rocks with your movement and your stomach churns unpleasantly. The shoreline seems like it’s miles away and you swear the night has gotten darker somehow. You try to focus on your breathing in hopes of calming your pounding heart, and you reach for one of the abandoned oars. As your fingers wrap around the old wood, you close your eyes and try to think of something to distract yourself. A happy thought - just to center your mind while you make your journey back to land.

Your mom comes to mind at first. You think about the time you got home from school to find her excitedly waving an envelope in the air – it turned out to be your acceptance letter for school. She had wrapped you in a tight hug and took you out to dinner that night.

Then you think of your friends, the people you spent your years of high school with. You think about the band dinners at Benny’s, the sleepovers at Carolyn’s house, the nights you would sneak out to smoke in the forest.

And then you think of Eddie. The way his eyes light up every time he gets a rise out of you. His toothy grin when you bite back at him. His eyes when he told you that he’d be there for you in a heartbeat.

You focus on the memory as you open your eyes and hesitantly plunge the oar into the water. With a weak push, you manage to move the boat a little bit, the shakiness only slightly terrifying. You take another breath before bringing the oar up and forward, your second stroke a little more powerful than the first. Then you do it again. And again. And before you know it, you’re steadily moving towards the shore.

When the boat hits the edge of the forest, you practically launch yourself from the vessel, and you don’t even mind that you land smack on your back.

You made it.

The ground feels amazing under you, and you begin to laugh in relief. You let your eyes fall closed and you just lie there, basking in the accomplishment of actually making it back to shore.

“Steve? Nancy? Anyone copy?”

Dustin’s voice is muffled by your bag as it crackles through the walkie talkie. Your eyes snap open at the sound and you jump to your feet, reaching for where your purse still sits in the boat.

“Hey, it’s me,” you say into the receiver, almost breathless from how fast you got up.

Dustin sighs your name, clearly relieved to hear your voice.

“Where are you guys? We’ve been collared by the law.”

“Yeah, I saw,” you reply. You hesitate for a moment before continuing. “Um…I’m still at the lake, I just got back to shore.”

“Where’s everyone else?”

“I think they…I think they went through the gate.”

Dustin doesn’t respond at first. For a moment, you’re unsure if he even heard you.

“They what?!”

“Yeah, I think –”

“No I heard you, I just can’t believe they would be stupid enough to go through Watergate without a plan or any weapons –”

“To be fair, I don’t think Steve had a choice in the matter –”

“Shit, I’ve got to go –”

“Wait, Dustin, what should I do? Dustin?”

You get nothing but silence.

With a sigh, you drop the radio back into your bag. With no plan and no experienced teenagers to guide you, your only option is to try and get back home. So you take another deep breath, adjust the strap of your bag, and begin another hike through the woods.

As you walk, you can’t help but let your mind wander to Eddie. You’re so unbelievably upset with him for leaving you in the boat. Despite your intense fear of the water that he was well aware of. Despite everything the two of you went through the past few days. Despite the fact that you practically begged him not to leave you. He still jumped in. You just cannot understand it. If you do somehow reunite with him…you’re not sure what you’re gonna do…but slapping him isn’t completely off of the table.

But at the same time, you’re so worried about him. The idea of him being trapped in another realm with monsters and mind-controlling demons with nothing but his wit doesn’t sit well with you. You’re angry with him, yes – but fuck, you’re so scared for him. Part of you suspects that if you do see him again, you’ll be so relieved that he’s okay that you’ll forget you’re mad at him.

It feels like you’ve been walking for hours by the time you reach a main road, but luckily you’re not far from your house. Your plan is to head home, shower and change – you’re on day four of the same clothes for fuck’s sake – and wait for some sort of instructions from Dustin. He must be figuring out a plan. At least you hope so.

You know it’s crazy, but part of you wishes you could find a way into the Upside Down yourself, at least to be reunited with Eddie and the others. You don’t think you’d be very good at fighting monsters, but at least you wouldn’t be alone.

And then it hits you.

The gate opened where Patrick was killed. Which means there must be a gate where Chrissy was killed.

You immediately spin on your heels and start to head to Eddie’s trailer.

You begin to pick up the pace, your new plan giving you a renewed sense of energy and purpose. You don’t have any idea what you’re going to do when you get there. And hell, maybe the theory isn’t correct and the gate at Lover’s Lake was a fluke. But you have to try.

Because he said it himself – Eddie would do it for you in a heartbeat.

You’re almost in a full run by the time you turn down the street right before the trailer park. All of a sudden you hear shouting, and after a moment you realize it’s your name being called. You peek over your shoulder to see four silhouettes on bikes heading straight for you. With a squint, you quickly discover it’s Dustin, Max, the other boy from earlier who’s name you didn’t catch, and another younger girl whom you’ve never met.

The quartet pulls up next to you and Dustin signals you to jump on the back of his bike.

“Why is it that every time you show up you have a new random child with you?” you ask Dustin as you plant your feet on the back axle of the bike and grab his shoulders.

“We were gonna call you as soon as we got to the trailer,” he explains, ignoring your comment. “I take it you figured out there would be a gate there.”

“Yeah,” you confirm as the teen kicks off the ground and begins to ride again. “I had no plan for what I was actually going to do when I got there.”

“Luckily, we have a plan,” he replies, his tone smug. “We were able to make contact with the others through Nancy's sister's LiteBrite.”

You blink twice.

“You know what, I’m not even going to ask for an explanation.”

You feel the breeze of the evening across your face as you cruise down the street, your legs grateful for the break after running and walking for miles. The trailer park comes into view, and your stomach flutters - you haven’t been to Eddie’s trailer in years, not since high school when you bought from him. Something about returning after all this time makes you nervous – especially after everything you’ve been through the past few days. And of course…the fact that someone was murdered there a few days ago.

Dustin slows to a stop in front of the familiar trailer, and you hop off the bike. The other kids all drop their bikes and begin to make their way up the steps and through the surprisingly unlocked front door. You hesitate for a moment, all of your conflicting emotions swimming around in your head. But you eventually take a deep breath before entering the trailer yourself.

Your eyes are immediately drawn to the ceiling, where a large crack glows red, and weird, black vines grow from its center. It almost looks alive in the way it thrums and moves. It’s not a clean hole - there appears to be a layer of film across it, like it’s never been used – which you suspect is the case.

You’re not sure what you expected these gates to look like, but you can’t say you expected them to look like this.

The five of you stare up at it for a few moments before Dustin finally moves. He grabs a broom that’s propped by the front door and centers the handle right against the glowing crack.

“Well, here goes nothing,” he says before he begins to push the handle through the gate. The film holds at first, looking almost spongy in the way the handle pushes it inward. Dustin pulls the broom down for a moment before he violently slams the handle through the film, tearing it. The gate squelches as he thrusts the long handle through the hole, clearing the rest of the film and gunk in the way.

The five of you all walk closer, congregating directly under the gate, and at first you’re not sure what you’re looking at. But you soon realize you’re looking at an upside down version of the very trailer you’re standing in now…maybe that’s where they got the name from.

You’re about to ask what the next step of the plan is when suddenly a familiar face appears. Steve slowly walks into view, also upside down. He’s followed by Nancy, then Robin, and then finally Eddie. You let out a breath you didn’t realize you were holding when you finally see his face.

Dustin lets out a laugh as he waves at the quartet above you, and you can’t help but smile yourself. The teens wave back as they stare in awe at the open gate. You’re mesmerized by the sight too – if you had any doubts about all of this Upside Down shit, they’re certainly gone now.

Your eyes lock on Eddie and you find him staring back at you. His face is unreadable once again, and you hope yours is too – you want to keep up the facade of being mad at him no matter how much you can feel it slipping.

“Alright, let’s get them out of there,” Dustin announces, breaking everyone’s trance. “I have a plan but we’re gonna need something long for them to climb and something soft for them to land on.”

Without another word, Max and the other two kids immediately start roaming around the trailer and you feel like you missed further instruction – the way these kids can silently communicate with each other and just know exactly what to do will never not astound you.

You’re just kind of awkwardly standing there, not sure what to do when Max taps you on the arm.

“Come help me with this,” she requests, and you simply follow, grateful for more specific instructions. You trail her down the hall and through a door, but you immediately freeze in your tracks as you realize where you are.

You’re in Eddie’s bedroom.

You scan the messy room, eyes drinking in as much as you can. You know it’s wrong to snoop like this, but you feel like you stepped into Eddie’s brain. The walls are littered with posters, and every surface is cluttered with random objects from beer cans and cassette tapes to magazines and items of clothing.

“Hey! I said help me!” Max snaps, grabbing your attention. She’s on Eddie’s bed, pulling at his sheets and you scramble to assist her, trying to ignore the fluttering in your stomach as you grab the sheets off of the bed.

“Bring these to Dustin, I’ll try to find more,” she explains, pushing all of the fabric into your hands. “And then come back and help me move this mattress.” You follow her orders without hesitation, spinning on your heels and heading back to the living room. Eddie’s familiar scent wafts off of the sheets and fills your nose as you walk, and that fluttering never stops. You practically throw the sheets at Dustin before quickly heading back to the bedroom, worried that you’ll get distracted by the sight of Eddie in the ceiling again.

So much for being angry at him.

You grab one side of the mattress as Max grabs the other, and you try not to linger on the sight of a few stains on the surface. The two of you manage to manhandle the mattress through the door and down the hallway before plopping it right below the gate’s opening. Dustin and the other two kids have already managed to get the sheets tied into a rope, and you simply watch as he tosses the fabric upward, through the ceiling.

And it stays there.

These kids are way smarter than you.

You all take turns pulling on the suspended material, and you’re amazed to find it holding strong. The teens above you do the same, and they all exchange looks before Robin decides to really test it out. You watch as she climbs towards you, fighting to reach the opening, before she flips upside down and drops at your feet, the mattress breaking her fall.

“Holy shit,” she says as she sits up. “That was fun.” Dustin pulls her to her feet and your eyes shoot up to see who’s next.

Eddie grabs the rope and starts to climb, shaking his head to clear the hair from his face. His tongue pokes out between his lips in concentration as he pulls himself towards the opening. He finally clears the divide and he flips too, landing on his back on the mattress with a bounce.

“That was fucking trippy,” he says as he sits up. You hold a hand out for him and he grabs it, allowing you to pull him to his feet.

You’re suddenly very close to him.

For a moment you’re pressed chest to chest, his brown-eyed stare piercing. You know your own eyes are wide, your head swirling with a thousand feelings. You’re upset with him but you’re glad he’s okay but you want to hit him but you want to wrap your arms around him but he’s way too close but he’s not close enough –

“Listen, about the boat –”

You don’t let him finish, your hand striking him across the cheek with a loud crack.

“Oh fuck,” he whimpers, immediately covering his cheek with his hand. “Okay yeah, yeah, I probably deserved that.”

But before he can get too far you wrap your arms around him, your head coming to rest on his chest. You know he wasn’t expecting this either, but after a second his arms come around you, and he squeezes, holding you tightly against him. The thrumming of his heart under your head is comforting. He’s here, he’s okay. You’re both okay.

“Nancy? Nancy!” Steve’s panicked voice sounds above you. Your focus shoots up to the hole in the ceiling, where Steve is shaking Nancy by the shoulders, but her eyes are rolled back into her head.

“Shit! He’s got Nancy!” Dustin practically shouts. “We need to find her some music, now!”

Your eyes meet Eddie’s once again.

“Fuck, I have a ton of tapes in my room,” he announces, and all of you scramble back down the hallway. Once you’re through the door your eyes find a stack of tapes on Eddie’s dresser and you immediately start combing through them. They’re all bands you don’t recognize – each name sounds more violent than the last. You glance around to find the others not finding any success either.

“Steve says you need to hurry!” the young girl shouts from the hallway.

“Yeah no shit!” Dustin growls back, frantically digging through Eddie’s desk.

“We’re trying,” Max argues. “I can’t find anything.”

“Seriously, what is all this shit?” Robin counters.

“Well what are we even looking for?” Eddie asks angrily, clearly offended by Robin’s comment.

“Madonna? Blondie? Bowie? Beatles? Music, we need music!”

“THIS IS MUSIC!”

“HEY!” you shout, as loud as you can, drawing the group’s attention. Eddie’s eyes widen, obviously not used to hearing you at that decibel. “Getting at each other’s throats is not going to help Nancy. Just shut up and look for something she might know!”

It does the trick, the group resorting back to silently searching through tapes, the only sounds in the room being the clacking of plastic against plastic.

Only a few seconds pass before the young girl comes running back down the hallway.

“She’s back! She’s awake!”

You all pile back out into the living room as a visibly shaking Nancy sits up from the mattress on the floor, a haunted look on her face. Robin and Dustin fly to her side immediately, helping her up and over to a chair. Steve finally flips through the opening and lands on the mattress, and just like that, your group is finally entirely reunited.

Steve immediately moves to kneel in front of Nancy, his hand rubbing small circles on her knee. Her stare is empty, and you watch as she wipes at her face. You feel a hand come to rest on your shoulder before giving it a small squeeze, and you don’t have to look to know it’s Eddie.

The room is tense, the events of the past few hours weighing heavily on everyone. You have no idea what Eddie and the others experienced in the Upside Down but by the level of grime the group is covered in and the injuries that Steve is sporting, you know it couldn’t have been a walk in the park. And then to almost lose Nancy to Vecna…this shit is getting real.

This is so much bigger than protecting Eddie from the cops or the basketball team. This is life or death. For all of you.

Max is the first to break the silence.

“We should probably relocate to my trailer,” she announces. “We can get some food and some rest while we figure out our next move.” She’s met with silent nods from everyone, the group beginning to meander towards the front door of the trailer.

Eddie squeezes your shoulder once more before letting you go and taking a step forward. You quickly grab him by the wrist and pull him back.

“Uh uh,” you say. “You are going to grab a change of clothes first. You reek, Munson.”

That trademark Eddie grin that you’ve grown attached to returns.

“Always full of good ideas, Major.”

He disappears into his room, quickly returning with a pile of clothes in his hand. You immediately realize it’s another pair of black jeans and a Hellfire Club shirt.

“What, is that your uniform or something?” you comment, crossing your arms.

“I have a signature look,” he defends as he passes you, and you roll your eyes before trailing behind him.

–

You and the rest of the group manage to sneak over to Max’s trailer without anyone noticing. Dustin and Lucas – who’s name you finally know – raid her fridge to find food for everyone, while Max attempts to grab as many blankets and pillows as she can for folks to use.

You try to head for the shower, but your plans are foiled when you find that no water comes out of the showerhead or the sink. Max’s cheeks turn red as you reveal your discovery, and she mutters an apology, explaining her mom is likely behind on the rent payment. She digs through the bathroom cabinet and produces a package of hand wipes. You smile and give her a soft thanks. She disappears down the hall and you take the opportunity to run a wipe over your hands and face.

Your stomach growls, so you opt to wander into the kitchen where Lucas and Erica have teamed up to make everyone PB&Js. You grab two off of the pile, throw them on a plate, and head back to the living room, where you find a freshly changed Eddie emerging from the bathroom. You cock your head and signal him to follow you, and you take a seat on the couch. He plops down next to you and goes to reach for a sandwich and you grab his wrist.

“You’re not about to eat food with your hands covered in Upside Down filth,” you scold, pulling another hand wipe from the package. You begin to clean his hand, starting with his palm.

As you center your focus on wiping away the grime from his skin, you can feel his stare. He’s watching you, and you’re afraid to look back up at him, knowing his eyes will just turn you into jelly. You gently clean around his rings, trying not to think about how the cool metal feels against your own skin. You eventually finish and grab his other hand, and you ignore that the intense fluttering in your stomach has returned. You’re so close to him, his body heat radiating and warming your own body pleasantly.

You’re aware of the strange intimacy of the situation and it’s your own fault – you could have just tossed him the package of wipes and told him to clean himself up. But no, you chose to pull his hands into your lap and take care of it yourself. 

You also realize that he hasn’t said a word this entire time. No snappy comeback to your quip about Upside Down grime. No witty remark about you being his mom or anything like that.

You finish his other hand and it’s then you decide to finally look up at him. He’s looking at you with so much warmth, and a soft smile forms on his face.

“Thanks, sweetheart,” he says before giving your knee a squeeze. You offer a small smile in return before reaching for a sandwich and sitting back against the couch. He mirrors you, and the two of you silently enjoy your meal together.

The others are scattered throughout the living room and kitchen, all either having a sandwich or setting up a spot to settle in for the rest of the evening. You notice Max standing at the phone hung on the wall, attempting to call someone, but not receiving an answer. She then looks to Steve before shaking her head, and he nods.

Eddie finishes his sandwich before you, practically inhaling it, and gets to his feet. You immediately miss his body heat, but you try to stamp down your disappointment and finish eating so you can get a little bit of sleep.

You’re finishing the last bite of your sandwich when you notice why Eddie got up – you watch as he lays out some blankets along the floor in a spot that no one had claimed yet. He then grabs two pillows and lays them side by side before stretching out on one of the blankets and laying his head on a pillow. His eyes meet yours and he vaguely motions to the spot next to him.

You bite your lip to hide the smile that threatens to take over – him making a spot for you next to him is such a sweet gesture. It reminds you of your first night in the boathouse – which feels like a lifetime ago – when he created you a bed out of life vests.

After returning the dirty plate to the kitchen and stopping to check on Nancy, you finally venture over to the spot next to Eddie. You settle down and he turns to face you.

“You okay?” he asks and you almost scoff at the question. The guy who’s been on the run for days and just returned from an alternate dimension where he was in constant danger is asking you if you’re okay.

“Yeah, I’m okay,” you say, your voice small. “Are you okay?”

He smiles and you swear your heart skips a beat.

“Yeah, right now I’m okay,” he replies.

You smile in response, and after a few moments he speaks up again.

“My face kind of hurts though,” he quips, and you let out a snicker.

“You said it yourself, you deserved it,” you counter and he chuckles.

“Get some sleep, Major.”

“You too, Munson.”

Your eyes flutter closed, and you’re out like a light.

–

When you come to, you immediately clock a warmth across your middle and against your back. The feeling is pleasant – you feel safe, warm, protected, happy. It almost feels like you’re in a dream, but it also feels so real.

When you finally open your eyes, you’re suddenly reminded of the reality of your situation. You’re still sprawled across the floor of Max’s trailer, you’re still in your clothes from days ago, and there’s still an evil demon trying to kill everyone in Hawkins.

And then you notice the reason you’re so warm.

Eddie’s arm is thrown across your torso, and his body is pressed against your back. You can feel his steady breathing against your spine.

As uncomfortable as you are on the floor, you find yourself not wanting to move. Feeling Eddie against you comforts you and settles your nerves. And you want him to get as much sleep as he possibly can. So you decide to let your eyes fall closed once again.

You’re not sure how long you’re out before you’re awoken by several soft pats on your shoulder.

“Time to get up,” Eddie says and you let out a groan. You manage to sit up, your aching muscles practically screaming at you. Fuck, you’re so over this whole not-sleeping-in-a-bed thing.

The trailer is tense – everyone is still shaken up from the past few days. But Nancy seems the most haunted. Given how she’s still seated in the same spot as last night, you’re pretty sure she didn’t get any sleep.

But it seems like she’s ready to talk about it.

You and the rest of the group all settle around the living room, you and Eddie squeezing onto the couch next to Erica. You all listen intently as she recounts her encounter with Vecna. She explains who he is – how he’s Victor Creel’s son and how he was behind the original murders. How he was the first experiment that eventually led to Eleven, the super powered girl they told you about before. How she was the one who banished him to the Upside Down and how he’s behind everything that has happened in the past three years. 

Then she explains how he showed her things that haven't happened yet. She describes terrifying visions of Hawkins succumbing to the Upside Down – an army of creatures destroying everything and attacking everyone. Her entire body shakes as she describes seeing the bodies of her family members.

As she speaks, Eddie’s leg bounces where it sits next to yours. You can tell he’s anxious. You calmly place a hand on his knee to get him to stop. The movements cease, and you’re about to move your hand when he places his own hand on top of yours, interlacing your fingers. You spare a glance his way and find him already looking at you, an unreadable expression on his face. You give your joined hands a squeeze, and he responds with a small smile.

Nancy is describing her vision of four gates spreading throughout Hawkins when Max speaks up.

“Four chimes,” she says, shaking her head in disbelief. “Vecna’s clock always chimes exactly four times. He’s been telling us his plan all along.”

“Four kills,” Lucas speaks up. “Four gates. End of the world.”

“If that’s true, he’s only one kill away,” Dustin adds.

You feel Eddie tense, and you watch as he runs his free hand over his face. You cover your joined hands with your free hand, running your thumb across his skin to try and soothe him.

Steve instructs Max to try and call more of their friends, and you start to feel your own stress rising. The plot twist of Vecna being someone who was once just a boy living in Hawkins shakes you to your core. How many other super powered beings are just wandering around this town?

Max is unsuccessful once again, and then Nancy drops a bomb on you all.

“We need to go back there. Back to the Upside Down.”

“No, no way, nope!” Eddie argues and you can’t help but agree. Nancy and Steve begin to argue, with Robin, Dustin, and Lucas eventually joining in. They reason that while Vecna is completing his kills, his physical body is vulnerable. Dustin argues that if the group goes in, distracts the army of bats, and attacks Vecna in his lair, they can kill him. Max volunteers to be bait, knowing that Vecna already has a target on her back.

The others all exchange looks, doing that silent communication thing they always do.

“I guess we have a plan,” Steve concedes and the others nod in agreement.

You turn to Eddie.

“Are you sure about this?”

“No,” he admits, his tone pretty defeated. “But I think we have to.”

You let out a sigh, and you nod in understanding, before giving his hand one more squeeze and letting it go.

“Anyone have any ideas on how we can get weapons?” Robin asks. Eddie perks up.

“I might have an idea,” he announces as he gets to his feet. “Red, you guys got a phone book?”

Max fishes a phone book out from a cabinet and hands it to Eddie, who skims through it before plopping it down on the dining table. Everyone gathers around him.

“Here, The War Zone,” he explains as he points to one of the ads on the page featuring a Rambo-esque man sporting a gun in front of an American flag. “I’ve been there once, it’s got everything you need for…uh…well, killing things, basically. It’s just far enough outside of Hawkins. We just need to steer clear of main roads to avoid cops or…angry basketball players.”

“How are we even going to get there?” Dustin points out. “It’ll take all day to bike there and back, and we don’t have that kind of time.”

“Who said anything about riding bikes?” Eddie counters, and you can practically hear the gears in his head turning as he comes up with a plan.

“What, do you have some secret car we don’t know about?” Steve asks incredulously.

“It’s not exactly a car,” he reveals. “But it will do. Anyone up for some grand theft auto?”

Everyone grabs their stuff, and trails behind Eddie, now sporting his bandana tied around the bottom of his face to hide his identity – as if his outfit wouldn’t be a dead giveaway to bystanders. He leads all of you across the way to an RV, the owners of which happen to be sitting right outside. You sneak around the back of it, and you watch as Eddie slides open a window and climbs inside. You all follow suit, taking turns pulling yourselves and each other through the small opening. Eddie heads to the front of the vehicle with his bag of tools, and you and Steve follow him. Eddie yanks out some wires from under the dashboard and begins snipping away.

“Where did you learn to do this?” Steve asks the question you’re wondering yourself. Eddie lets out a soft huff.

“While other dads were teaching their kids how to fish or catch a ball, mine was teaching me how to hot-wire,” Eddie explains. He shoots you a quick glance over his shoulder before going back to the task at hand. “Still like me even though I’m living up to my criminal genes, Major?” You let out a chuckle.

“Munson, I’ve bought illegal substances from you many times,” you argue, a smirk on your face. “I think we’re well past the issue of you being a criminal.”

You watch Eddie work, mesmerized by the way his hands grab at the wires. You hadn’t realized how…nice…his hands are until last night.

You’re interrupted from your thoughts by Robin appearing next to you.

“Eddie, I’m not sure I love the idea of you driving,” she comments.

“She’s right,” you confirm. “Someone might see you.”

“Oh definitely, I’m just starting her up,” he explains. “Harrington’s got this, right, hot stuff?”

Before Steve can respond, Eddie rubs two wires together, and suddenly the engine jolts to life. You hear a muffled “what the hell” from outside and you pat Steve’s shoulder a few times.

“Go, go, go!”

You, Eddie, and Robin clear out of Steve’s way, all looking for something to hold on to.

“Drive, Steve, Drive!” Dustin shouts from the back of the RV, and Steve slams on the gas. The vehicle jerks forward and you lose your balance, immediately careening forward. A hand grabs you by the waist and pulls you back, and you find yourself chest to chest with Eddie, once again.

“I got ya,” he says with a smirk, and you give him an awkward smile before shifting to grab onto a handle by his head, putting a little bit of space between you. But Eddie’s grip on your hip stays firm.

The RV shakes and bounces as Steve drives through the trailer park. He swerves and turns sharply as he weaves through the trailers, and you’re grateful Eddie’s still holding on to you. Finally you hit a main road, and the shaking settles down enough for you to be able to take a seat.

Eddie slides in next to you, while Dustin and Robin settle across from you. Lucas and Erica linger nearby while you notice Max retreat to the back of the RV. Nancy takes the seat up front next to Steve.

“So I’m thinking we’ll need three groups,” Dustin begins. He seems to be the one who’s always the brains behind everything. “One group with Max in the Creel house. The other two groups head back through the gate. One distracts the bat army, and one takes out Vecna.” He states it matter-of-factly, as if it’s as simple as that.

Lucas shakes his head and crosses his arms before relocating to the back of the bus, sitting down next to Max.

“I take it he’s still not on board with using Max as bait,” Robin points out.

“It’s her choice,” Dustin points out. “Besides, I think him and Erica should go with her. They can signal to the group on the other side when Max is under Vecna’s spell and that it’s safe to attack.”

You all nod in agreement, and you can’t help but be impressed at the kid’s planning skills. These people weren’t lying when they said they had experience with this stuff.

“I’m down for heading to Vecna’s lair,” Robin announces. “And I know Steve and Nancy will want to take down that son of a bitch.”

“I guess that means me, Munson, and Dustin will be on bat duty,” you confirm, after doing the process of elimination in your head. You’re not sure how you feel about going into the Upside Down, considering it sounds like you’re the only one in the group who’s never been before. But after everything these people have been through to protect Eddie…to protect each other…to protect Hawkins? You’ll help out any way you can.

“I think Henderson and I can handle the distraction,” Eddie chimes in. “You should probably go with the Sinclairs.”

You turn to face him, eyes narrowed. Of course he’s gonna argue with you.

“Seriously? Ditching me here while you go to the Upside Down to try and be the hero, again?” you ask him incredulously, and you notice both Dustin’s and Robin’s jaws drop a little at your outburst.

“I just don’t want you to have to go there if you don’t have to!” Eddie says defensively, throwing his hands up in surrender.

“Well, I do have to,” you counter. “Because honestly, Munson, I don’t trust you not to do something stupid when you get there.”

The briefest flash of a smirk appears on Eddie’s face, and you immediately know you’ve already won. If you’ve learned anything from the past few days, it’s that Eddie gets a kick out of you bossing him around.

“So I’m going with you and Dustin, end of story,” you finish, crossing your arms. That trademark Eddie grin slowly takes shape and he lets out a huff.

“So bossy,” Eddie comments, his tone playful.

“Okaaaaay,” Dustin says after a few moments. “Now that that’s settled, how are we gonna distract the bats?”

For the first time, Dustin doesn’t have an immediate idea. You ponder his question – and then it occurs to you.

“Wait, we just have to get their attention, right?” you ask, receiving a confirming nod from the group. “So we just need to make a lot of noise?”

“Yeah, basically,” Dustin agrees. You turn to Eddie, and he cocks an eyebrow, clearly wondering what you’re leading to.

“How about a concert?”

It takes a second or two for him to catch on, but then his face lights up.

“Major, you little genius,” he compliments. He slams his hand down on the table, earning a startled jolt from pretty much everyone on board the RV. “Eddie Munson rocks the Upside Down, one night only. The most metal show of all time.” He throws his hands up as if imagining his words on a poster or marquis.

You roll your eyes at his theatrics before glancing over your shoulder to see if you could determine whether or not you guys are close to the store yet. Your gaze falls to Steve and Nancy, who are chatting amongst themselves. But you immediately clock the way they are looking at each other – more than just admiration. You spin back around.

“Are they…?” you ask, nodding towards the pair in the front seats. Robin gives a little shrug.

“They were,” she replies.

“Steve is totally still into her,” Dustin adds. “It’s so obvious.”

“Uh, it’s definitely mutual then, if the speed at which Wheeler jumped in that lake to save him is any indication,” Eddie chimes in.

“But she’s taken,” Dustin argues. “As far as I’m aware, she’s still dating Jonathan.”

“Wait, Byers?” you ask incredulously. “Nancy Wheeler is with Jonathan Byers? Damn, I would not have predicted that one –”

“If you assholes are done gossiping back there, we’re here,” Steve announces. Sure enough, you peek out the window and spot the obnoxious sign for the weapons store…as well as a very full parking lot.

“Guess everyone else had the same idea we did,” you comment.

“Well, they all know a murderer is on the loose in Hawkins,” Robin counters. “But they think it’s a devil-worshiping third-year senior instead of a pissed off demon mind-killing people from another dimension.”

Steve pulls into the parking lot, parking the RV off to the side, ideally so that no one nearby will get curious and peek inside.

“Alright, Eddie is obviously staying here,” Steve says as he stands, his hands landing on his hips. “Dustin and Lucas should probably lay low too, since people know you run with Eddie.”

“I’m gonna stay too,” you add. “Just in case Jason told people I was with Eddie the other night.”

“Alright, everyone else, let’s go,” Steve commands with a wave, and the rest of the group piles out of the RV.

You take the opportunity to slide out of the booth and stretch your legs, before relocating to the much comfier couch at the back of the vehicle. Eddie trails behind you, plopping down on the couch and glancing out the back window. You watch him as he fiddles with one of the rings on his left hand.

“So, what’s it like?” you ask. Your question breaks his trance and he turns to look at you.

“Hmm?”

“The Upside Down,” you clarify. “What’s it like?”

“Oh it’s a party,” he replies, leaning back and spreading his arms before folding them behind his head. “Just imagine Hawkins, except somehow even…shittier.” You let out a chuckle.

“You gonna give me details, or is it a surprise?” you tease.

“Christ, where to begin?” he queries. “Well first of all, everything is dead. The trees, the grass…it’s all rotting.”

“Sounds beautiful,” you comment.

“And then there’s the vines that cover, like, every square inch of the place,” he continues. “And apparently they’re all a part of a hive mind that all of the scary shit in there is a part of.”

“Lovely.”

“And then there’s the bats,” he goes on. “And these aren’t just any bats. They’ve got these long gross tentacle things that can grab you. And if Harrington’s injuries are any indication, they will just…go to town on your flesh.”

“Wow, that does sound like a party,” you say, your tone sarcastic.

“Oh and I almost forgot, there’s an earthquake every few minutes,” Eddie adds on.

“Of course there is.”

Eddie sits up and crosses his arms.

“Having second thoughts about going with us?” he asks, an eyebrow cocked.

“Nope,” you reply, mirroring his crossed arms.

“Is there anything I can say to make you change your mind?”

“Nope,” you repeat, popping the ‘p’. “You’re stuck with me, Munson.”

He eyes you for a bit, and you have to look away after a few moments – his gaze is too overwhelming. He cracks a smirk and sits up.

“I guess there are worse people to be stuck with,” he quips. You take the opportunity to nudge him with your shoulder playfully at his comment. He nudges you right back with a chuckle, so you raise your hands to lightly shove him, letting out a giggle. He’s quicker than you, and he grabs your wrists. You immediately begin to flail your arms, attempting to wriggle free, but he’s stronger than you. The back of the RV is filled with yours and Eddie’s giggles.

“Violence isn’t the answer, Major!” Eddie says as he attempts to control your limbs. 

Before you can respond, the RV door bursts open. Eddie drops your wrists and you both turn to see Steve frantically climbing into the vehicle, the others not far behind.

“What’s going on?” Lucas asks.

“We gotta go,” is all Steve says before tossing the supplies in his hands towards Dustin and practically leaping into the driver’s seat.

“The basketball team is here!” Erica announces. Your eyes widen before they meet Eddie’s.

“Shit, shit, shit!” Dustin shouts. You turn to look out the back window as Steve starts the engine, looking out for those familiar green and yellow jackets. You realize Eddie is simply doing the same.

“Get down!” you say, frustratedly, annoyed at his stupidity. You grab his head and pull it down as you yourself duck below the window as well. Steve gets the RV into drive and peels out of the parking lot. Your grip on Eddie’s head doesn’t loosen until you know you’re out on the road. You finally begin to let go, but you realize this is the first time you’ve ever touched Eddie’s hair. It’s just as soft as you thought it would be, and you have to resist the temptation to play with it. As you loosen your grip, you allow your fingers to run through wavy locks for just a moment before letting go entirely. You immediately avoid Eddie’s gaze as he sits up straight, suddenly finding the road much more interesting to look at.

–

Steve drives everyone to a remote field away from all of the main roads to prepare for the battle. Him and Robin set up shop pouring out liquor bottles they found in the RV to fill with fuel and make molotov cocktails. The Sinclairs get to work using the hunting knives they bought to make spears. Max heads over to help Nancy with her shotgun. You and your battle partners manage to scrounge up some milk crates and trash can lids from a junk pile nearby and start making some anti-bat shields.

“Try not to smash your finger, Major,” Eddie playfully chides as you hammer away at a nail. “We don’t have time for an ER trip.”

“Says the guy who set himself on fire in junior year chemistry,” you snap back with a smirk, cocking an eyebrow towards the metalhead.

“Well shit,” Dustin suddenly says, standing from his kneeling position. “I’m out of nails. I’m gonna go see if I can find another box.” He takes off for the RV, and you furrow your brow. You could have sworn there were two boxes of nails before, plenty for three shields. But now you only see the one empty box where Dustin left it.

“Too bad we can’t bring a drum set into the Upside Down,” Eddie says, drawing you out of your thoughts.

“What?” you ask, confused by the randomness of the statement.

“So we could jam together,” he explains, and you smile, finally understanding. “I mean, I assume the former drum major can still play the drums, right?”

“I haven’t played on a set in a while,” you confess. “Don’t have the opportunity at school.”

Eddie moves his lid from the milk crate, opting to take a seat on it instead.

“Well whenever you’re in town in the future, let me know,” he suggests. “I’m sure Gareth wouldn’t mind letting you have a go at his set.”

You can’t help but smile at the thought of playing some music with Eddie. You probably won’t be able to agree on a song or genre, but something about the idea of jamming with him just sounds really nice. And it gives you hope – that you’ll all come out okay on the other side of this and be able to go back to normal…or as close to normal as you can.

“Sounds cool,” you say, trying to hide just how much you like the idea. Eddie mirrors your smile for a moment, before it slowly fades. He gets to his feet.

“Hey, um,” he begins, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. “You haven’t had any, like…headaches or nose bleeds or…visions…right?”

Your heart pangs at his concern. You shake your head.

“No, I’m good,” you reply. “You?”

He shakes his head as well.

“Nothing.”

“Good.”

There’s a moment of silence, and you watch as Eddie absentmindedly kicks a rock.

“You’d tell me if you had, right?” he asks, his voice oddly timid.

“Yeah,” you confirm. “I would.”

“Okay, cool,” he responds, now fiddling with the zipper on his jacket. “Because if it comes down to it, I’m pretty sure I’ve got a Violent Femmes tape somewhere in my room.”

Your brow furrows – you’re both unsure why he thinks they’re your favorite band and surprised that he would have their tape, considering they’re more folksy punk than metal.

“Violent Femmes?” he repeats, trying to get you to understand. “Shit, I assumed they were your favorite band considering how much you used to hum Blister in the Sun in Haviland’s history class.”

You can’t help but bark out a laugh – you were a little obsessed with that song for a while. But you also can’t believe he remembers that. He seems to remember so much about you, and honestly, you don’t even know how to feel about it. You shake your head lovingly.

“You continue to surprise me, Munson,” you admit, your tone sincere. He grins, clearly proud of himself.

“Feeling’s mutual, Major,” he replies.

“Found more nails!” Dustin announces as he arrives back to your prepping area, a box of nails in his hand. You immediately recognize it as the box you saw earlier. You narrow your eyes at Dustin, immediately suspicious, and he avoids your gaze.

“I’m gonna go use the ladies room,” you announce as you stand. “Try not to injure yourselves while I’m gone.”

“No promises,” Eddie replies, and you let out a chuckle.

You head back up to the RV, taking a moment to glance around at all of the others on your way. You hesitate for a moment to think of them as your friends – with the exception of Robin, who you knew from marching band, and Steve and Nancy who you only knew in passing, you just met the rest of the kids a few days ago. But you’re about to go to battle with them against an alternate dimension monster. And these people have done nothing but go out of their way to protect you, and Eddie, and everyone else in Hawkins. You’d be proud if they consider you their friend.

After finishing in the restroom, you pop back out of the trailer and pause for a moment. Across the field, you watch as Eddie and Dustin roughhouse with each other, trying out their shields and just goofing off. You can’t help but smile at the sight. Eddie looks so…free. You’re glad that he’s getting this time to have fun with his friend after everything he’s been through. And you’re gonna make sure that after this is all over, he’ll continue to be free. You don’t know how – clearing his name seems next to impossible – but you’re gonna do it. He deserves it.

You hear a chuckle to your right and you look down to see Steve and Robin giving you a knowing look.

“Shut up,” you say, pointing a finger at the two of them. You aren’t interested in their teasing. They can think whatever they want.

They chuckle once more, and you leave in a huff, practically stomping back down the hill towards Eddie and Dustin.

–

The drive to the Creel House is somber.

You were all able to blow off a little steam when you were prepping for the battle. But now it’s here, and everyone is feeling it. No one really talks – the only sound is the droning of the RV and a Journey song softly crackling through the radio.

You’re crammed onto the back couch, sandwiched between Eddie and Robin, Dustin seated at your feet. Eddie shuffles for a moment, before pulling his bandana out from his back pocket. You watch as he attempts to tie it around the top of his head, but struggles to get it properly knitted. You reach up and grab the fabric from him, and he offers a soft smile and turns his back to you. You fold the fabric and drape it over his head before tying it into a tight knot and tucking the ends underneath. Eddie turns back to face you and grabs your hand, giving a squeeze – a silent thank you. He doesn’t let go, and you don’t either.

The RV eventually pulls up to the decrepit house, and Lucas, Max, and Erica each give a half-hearted wave before hopping out.

“Last chance to change your mind,” Eddie says, his voice low for only you to hear.

“You’re stuck with me, remember?” you reply. He smiles and gives your hand another squeeze.

The RV pulls away, headed for the trailer park, and you can feel yourself getting more and more nervous. You try to focus on the feeling of Eddie’s hand in yours – how his skin feels on yours, how the metal of his rings is familiar and comforting. You’re definitely scared of what lies in store for the lot of you in the Upside Down. Eddie’s description did freak you out, despite what you led him to believe. But you’re determined to see this through. And knowing Eddie will be with you the entire time helps put your mind at ease.

At least a little bit.

Steve parks the RV off of the road, tucked away in the woods near the trailer park. You give Eddie’s hand one last squeeze before letting it go, moving to do one last inventory of the supplies you’ll be bringing with you.

Nancy gets to her feet, a nervous energy about her. She paces a bit, before requesting to run through the plan once more. The first phase is Nancy, Steve, and Robin getting to the playground across from the Creel House. They’ll signal Erica on the other side, who will then signal Lucas and Max. Phase two is Max baiting Vecna, getting him to be vulnerable in his attic lair. The third phase is you, Eddie, and Dustin getting the attention of the bats, drawing them away from the house. Finally, Nancy, Steve, and Robin will get into the house and light Vecna up.

“No moving on to the next phase until everyone copies,” Nancy demands, her tone stern. “No deviating from the plan no matter what. Got it?”

“Got it,” you all say in unison. You all grab your things. You take a deep breath before leading the group out of the RV and through the woods. You all sneak across the park and head into Eddie’s trailer.

Steve goes through the gate first, expertly landing on the other side on two feet. He grabs Eddie’s bed just like you all did on this side of the gate. And then one by one, each teen climbs up and through the gate until it’s just you and Dustin. You help toss supplies through the opening, including the extension cords needed for Eddie’s amp, before it’s finally your turn.

You grab a hold of the tied sheets and pull yourself up. It’s a struggle – you were never good at the rope climb in gym class either. You grunt and put as much energy into it as you can, before you feel the pressure fall away, and you’re suddenly dropping. You hit the mattress and bounce slightly, the fall almost knocking the wind out of you. You don’t even remember closing your eyes, but you open them to see the hole in the ceiling, only now it’s just Dustin looking at you. A ringed hand appears in your vision, and you grab it, finding yourself quickly pulled to your feet.

“Welcome to the Upside Down,” Eddie greets, squeezing your hand before letting you go and turning to wait for Dustin. You finally stop to take in your surroundings.

Eddie wasn’t kidding – there are vines everywhere. It’s unnervingly dark, and you can see little flecks of…something…floating through the air. A flash of red catches your attention, and you turn to look out a window. Angry dark clouds collect across the sky, and a spark of red lightning shoots through the darkness.

You hear the soft plop of Dustin landing on the mattress, and Eddie helps him to stand. With a nod, you all head outside.

You try to ignore the chill that shivers down your spine at how eerie the Upside Down version of the trailer park is. The knowledge that there is nothing in this world except terrifying creatures being controlled by an evil mastermind…and the six of you…is somewhat haunting.

Nancy, Robin, and Steve begin to head in the direction of the Creel House, when Steve suddenly spins to face you.

“Guys, listen,” he starts. “If things here start to get really bad – I mean at all – you abort. Okay? Don’t do anything stupid.”

“We get it, Steve,” Dustin replies, his tone sarcastic. “You can be the hero.” Steve lets out a sigh before saying your name.

“Please, just…keep these assholes in line,” he says. You can’t help but smirk, understanding his frustration.

“I’m on it,” you confirm. He gives you a firm nod before turning to walk away.

“Hey, Steve,” Eddie speaks up, causing Steve to turn back. Eddie hesitates for a moment before continuing. “Make him pay.”

Steve nods once more before joining the other two, and you watch as the trio heads across the trailer park and towards Vecna’s lair.

“Alright then,” Dustin says. “Let’s get to work.”

The three of you grab your tools and begin to fortify the trailer. Armed with a pair of wire cutters, you head for the metal fencing around the trailer park. You cut as much as you can before Eddie is able to pull off each piece. Dustin scavenges some wood planks and metal sheets from some of the trailers and brings them over. The three of you then systematically go around to each window of Eddie’s trailer and cover the vulnerable area with wood or metal, creating a bunker for the three of you to take cover in once the bats descend. While Dustin continues to drill away, you and Eddie use the metal grating to create a barrier around the door, which will give you guys a way to get in and out of the trailer, but still keep you safe.

Once you finally finish, and the three of you run out of scraps to attach to the building, you all take a step back to admire your work.

“Not bad,” Dustin comments.

“Not bad at all,” you agree.

“Now for the fun part,” Eddie adds with a grin, playfully batting Dustin in the shoulder. He heads back towards the trailer and the two of you follow. For the first time in the last few days, you find yourself somewhat excited for what’s about to happen. If you ignore the part about being in an alternate dimension where everything is trying to kill you and your friends, the idea of getting to watch Eddie do what he does best is thrilling.

You trail Eddie down the hall of the trailer and into his bedroom where he freezes in the doorway. Right across from you on the mirror hangs Eddie’s guitar, exactly where it was in his room back in Hawkins.

“Jesus,” he starts, his eyes locked on the sight before him. “It’s like…she was destined for an alternate dimension.”

You bite your lip to hide your amusement at how serious he is…and how he just called his guitar “she.”

“What do you say, team?” he asks, grabbing the guitar from its holder. “Are you ready for the most metal concert in the history of the world?”

“More like in the history of multiple dimensions,” you correct, delight in your voice. Eddie grins and shoots you a wink as he gently puts on the guitar.

“Let’s do this,” he declares before swinging the instrument over his shoulder.

The three of you get to work setting up for the rooftop concert. You and Eddie manage to relocate his heavy amps to the top of the trailer while Dustin works on connecting all of the extension cords. With no word from Robin, Nancy, or Steve, you take a moment to plop down on the trailer roof, letting your feet hang off the edge. You glance over to see Eddie fiddling with his guitar – you assume he’s tuning it or something. Dustin takes a seat next to you.

“I know we kind of…turned your entire world upside down when we asked for your help,” he says, nudging you with his elbow. “But I just want to say…thank you. It means a lot that someone was willing to go through all of this to protect Eddie.” His tone is sincere and it brings a smile to your face. Your eyes are drawn to Eddie once more.

“He would’ve done it for me in a heartbeat,” you reply. And even knowing what you know now, even after everything you all have dealt with in the past few days, you would do it all again.

The moment is interrupted by Robin’s voice crackling through Dustin’s walkie.

“Max is in! Move on to phase three.”

“Copy that,” Dustin confirms, speaking into the receiver. “Initiating phase three.” You both leap to your feet and head over to the amps. You crank the volume and give Eddie a nod. You see him mumble something under his breath before he yanks the guitar pick from around his neck and lets out a scream.

And then he begins to play.

You can’t clock what song it is – metal really isn’t your forte – but you can’t help but get fired up as Eddie begins to strum the chords. You watch, mesmerized, a smile plastered to your face as his fingers travel up and down the guitar. His face is focused, his tongue poking out slightly, and he jams his head along with the music. You look over at Dustin to see he’s having just as much fun as you – he’s banging his head and tapping his foot. 

You realize this is the first time you’ve seen Eddie play in years. You remember the scrawny middle school talent show version of him, adorably attempting to cover AC/DC. But this Eddie – this Eddie is really fucking good. He’s confident, a swagger about him that is…you hate to say it…attractive. You watch as he props a foot up on the smaller amp, and you gotta give him points for style.

Dustin holds up his binoculars, looking for the first sign of the bats. He turns to you and shakes his head, and while part of you is glad they’re not anywhere near you yet, the other part worries that the plan isn’t working.

You turn your focus back to Eddie, and you find him already looking at you. You can’t help but smile, and you begin to softly rock your head along with the music. His face lights up, and he shoots you a wink before turning his focus back to the guitar.

Then a sound that you can only describe as a screech catches your attention. Dustin looks through the binoculars again, but this time when he turns to you, his face is serious.

“Eddie!” he shouts, getting the musician’s attention. “We gotta lock down in T-minus thirty seconds!”

The guitarist nods in understanding before continuing to shred on his instrument. With the news that the bats are on their way, your eyes lock on the sky, waiting for their silhouettes to be illuminated by the flashes of red lightning. You can just make out some dots in the clouds, and your stomach twists from nerves.

“T-minus twenty!” Dustin announces and you feel your heartbeat pick up. You can begin to see the bats clearer in the sky, and holy shit there are a lot of them. The plan is clearly working.

“T-minus ten!” Dustin calls out and your eyes fly back to Eddie, whose fingers are flying up and down the length of the guitar at impressive speeds. The sounds of the bats shrieking is getting louder and louder, and your heart is practically pounding out of your chest.

Dustin begins to count down and part of you wants to just grab the two of them and make a break for it now. You’re getting worried that you’re all cutting it a little too close.

“ONE!” Dustin shouts and Eddie cuts the music abruptly. He quickly yanks the guitar from around his neck and reaches for you, grabbing your hand. You both take off, heading for the side of the trailer. Dustin jumps down first, and you begrudgingly let go of Eddie’s hand in order to climb onto the pickup truck parked next to the building.

“Come on, come on, come on!” Dustin chants as the three of you move. Your feet hit the ground and you practically launch yourself towards the makeshift shelter, and you can hear Eddie cursing behind you. Your hands fly up to catch yourself as you hit the trailer door, and you turn to see Eddie pull the gate shut, causing several bats to hit the metal with an angry screech. Your eyes widen at the sight of the bats up close. You spot rows of teeth in their mouths as they open them to squeal at you, and their tendrils claw at the steel of the gate protecting you.

“Let’s go!” Dustin shouts, getting your attention. You head through the door and Eddie pulls it shut behind him. The three of you stop for a moment, attempting to catch your breath.

“Dude,” Dustin says. “Most. Metal. Ever!” 

“Holy shit!” Eddie replies, grabbing Dustin’s arms. The two of them begin to jump up and down, screaming in unison. You catch yourself chuckling at their antics, but a loud screech from outside kills the moment.

“Hey!” you call out, placing a hand on each of their shoulders. “We’re not done here yet, let’s celebrate when we’re out of this place!”

They both nod several times in agreement. You head over to the pile of spears and shields and hand them to the boys. The three of you then opt to settle in the center of the living room, close to the gate opening. Back to back to back, you all face outward, armed and ready for the bats to make their move.

You can hear them screeching outside, thrashing against the building. Your heart continues to pound and your hands shake slightly despite your grip on the tools. The three of you slowly rotate, and your eyes stay peeled as you watch for any sign of the creatures breaking through the fortification.

And then after a few moments, the shrieking dies down and the clattering against the building stops.

“Hey dipshits! Is that all you got?” Dustin screams. You quickly shush him and Eddie shoots him a glare.

“Is that really necessary?” he growls.

You hear a rattling sound above you and your eyes shoot up to the ceiling.

“They’re on the roof,” Eddie confirms. Your stare remains locked on the ceiling as you follow the sound of the creatures. Dustin has the same idea as you and begins to move through the trailer as the clattering continues to travel. You trail behind him with Eddie behind you, shields and spears at the ready. As you get closer to the kitchen, you spot a vent in the ceiling, and you quickly notice shadows moving past it.

“They can’t get in through there, can they?” Dustin asks, and you can only hope the answer is no.

But the universe has other plans.

With a crash, a bat bursts through the vent, creating a vulnerable hole in your fortress. It lets out a blood-curdling scream and you can’t help but scream back.

Suddenly, you’re shoved backwards, Eddie pushing his body in front of yours. He throws the arm holding his shield across your chest as he and Dustin begin to jab at the bat. Your thoughts start going a mile a minute – you need to find a way to close the opening. Your eyes fall to the shield full of nails in your hand and you immediately get an idea.

You go to move closer, but the second you take a step, Eddie’s arm pushes you back.

“Let me help, goddamnit!” you shout, which distracts Eddie for a moment, allowing you to push your way through. You reach for one of the kitchen chairs and pull it with you.

“Out of the way!” you call out to Dustin, who heeds your words and steps to the side. You quickly throw the chair in front of you, climb on top, and with the strongest thrust you can muster, jam the shield into the ceiling right over the hole.

You’re left panting, and you almost double over on the chair to catch your breath.

“Major, you fucking genius,” Eddie mutters, holding out a hand to help you down from the chair. You all take a moment to breathe, the chittering from the bats dying down a bit.

“Are there any more vents?” Dustin suddenly asks and Eddie’s eyes go wide. He takes off down the hall, muttering curses under his breath, and the two of you follow. He stops short in the entrance to his room, and before any of you can make a move, a swarm of bats bursts through a vent in the corner. The bats quickly fill the space, their shrieking the loudest you’ve heard yet.

Eddie pushes you backwards and pulls the door closed behind him. The three of you head back down the hall, and you glance over your shoulder to see small cracks forming in the thin piece of wood. Eddie throws his arm in front of you again, blocking your body with his, and blocking his own body with the trash can lid.

“That’s not gonna hold!” Dustin shouts, and you know he’s right. You’re running out of time.

“Let’s fucking get out of here!” Eddie screams. “Go, go, go!”

Dustin immediately grabs the sheets, grunting as he pulls himself up. The second he flips through, you take a hold next. Your adrenaline has really kicked in, because this time you’re able to easily pull yourself up and through, landing on the mattress once more. The lack of spores in the air and the soft light of Eddie’s real trailer immediately puts you at ease.

You roll off the mattress, awkwardly getting to your feet and looking up to find Eddie.

But he’s just…hanging there.

“Eddie, come on, let’s go!” Dustin shouts.

But Eddie doesn’t move.

He glances up and meets your gaze, and you immediately know what’s about to happen. You see the same look in his eyes you saw back on Lover’s Lake.

He’s about to do it again.

“Munson, I swear to god, if you don’t get your ass up here –”

You trail off as he looks away from you and slowly lets go of the sheet.

“Eddie, let’s go!” Dustin wails. Eddie doesn’t respond, disappearing from view for a moment and reappearing with the spear. 

“Munson!” you scream, your voice cracking. He can’t do this to you. Not when the stakes are this high. Not when he could fucking die.

With a shout, in one swipe he slices the sheet, and the makeshift rope falls into Dustin’s trembling hands. You watch in horror as Eddie moves the mattress out of view, and you stare up at an empty floor. You realize you’re crying.

“Eddie, what are you doing?” Dustin demands, and you realize he’s crying too. Eddie drapes the strap of his spear across his chest and picks up the shield.

“I’m buying more time,” he says, before his eyes meet yours. “I’m sorry.”

And in a flash, he’s gone.

You see red.

“FUCK!” you shout, spinning around and slamming your hands on the kitchen counter. You’re livid. If the Upside Down doesn’t kill Eddie, you sure will.

But you’re not giving up without a fight. That idiot wants to be a hero? Fine. But he’s not gonna do it alone.

“Find some way for us to get back up there, now!” you order at Dustin, who immediately begins scrambling. You tread down the hallway into Eddie’s room and immediately begin digging through drawers and clearing items out of your way.

“You’re a fucking pothead, you’ve gotta have a fucking lighter somewhere,” you angrily mutter to yourself as you tredge through Eddie’s messy bedroom. Finally, you spot a lighter and pocket it, taking off back down the hallway. You swing open the hallway closet, where amongst random objects you spot a plastic broom and a metal baseball bat. You snatch both and head back to the living room, where Dustin has moved the mattress and replaced it with a chair. You grab what’s left of the sheets and tear off a few pieces of fabric, quickly tying the scraps around the top of the bat and broom. Satisfied, you jump to your feet and grab the bottle of vodka tucked into the corner of the kitchen counter. You pour it over the fabric of each tool, trying to coat the scraps as much as possible.

You glance over to see Dustin testing the strength of the extension cord that still hangs through the hole.

“It’s gonna be a rough landing,” he points out. With the mattress gone, your flip to the other side is going to be much less graceful.

“I’m gonna kill him for that,” you respond before throwing the bat and broom through the hole. They land on the other side with a clatter, and you nod to Dustin before leaping onto the chair, grabbing a hold of the extension cord and pulling yourself up. As you begin to feel the weight of the air shift, you swing your body, and you somehow manage to land on your two feet, though awkwardly and with much less style than Steve had earlier.

You immediately grab the tools on the ground and pull them out of the way before adjusting the mattress back under the hole. Dustin falls through with ease, and you quickly pull him to his feet before handing him the broom.

You bolt through the trailer door and down the steps. You don’t see Eddie immediately, but the screeching of the bats gets your attention, and you spot a silhouette in the distance. The bats are swarming him, and you can tell he’s getting overwhelmed.

“Fuck, let’s go!” you call to Dustin, and you head towards one of the forgotten bikes. You hop on, awkwardly trying to balance the aluminum bat in your hand as you begin to ride. You pedal as fast as you can, eyes locked on Eddie’s figure in the distance as he swings his spear and shield. As you get closer, you watch in horror as a bat wraps its tendrils around Eddie’s neck.

“EDDIE!” you scream in terror. His head immediately turns towards you just as he’s yanked to the ground. More bats begin to wrap around his wrists and ankles. 

You practically leap from your bike, tossing it away, and run towards Eddie. In one move, you pull the lighter out from your pocket and set your bat ablaze.

“Fuck off!” you shout as you swing the fiery weapon, knocking out a row of bats that had begun to bite at Eddie’s torso. They let out a high-pitched screech as they attempt to fly away, the fire doing significant damage. You take a few more swings at the bats at Eddie’s feet and hands, and finally knock out the one that was holding his neck.

“Hey!” Dustin calls from behind you, having finally caught up. “Lighter!”

You toss him the lighter and his broom ignites, and he immediately begins swinging at the swarming bats.

You turn back to Eddie, who has managed to sit up, and find him coughing and holding his throat. His eyes meet yours, but before either of you can say anything, you hear a squeal and spin around to find a bat flying right at you. You swing at it, nailing it and sending it yelping to the ground.

Your instincts take over, and you continue to swing at the bats that dive bomb towards you, your flaming bat keeping them at bay. Dustin hollers and yells as he swings his own fiery weapon, and eventually you hear a grunt behind you and see Eddie getting to his feet, gripping his spear and shield once again.

You have no idea how long the three of you stay like that – thrusting your weapons at the creatures. Every so often one of them manages to grab a hold of one of you, but you work well together, quickly getting rid of the problem bats.

You can feel your body tiring out. Your limbs are getting heavy and you're completely out of breath. You don’t know how much longer you can go on – you don’t know how this is even supposed to end. There are too many bats for you to defeat all of them, and you’re sure Vecna’s likely sending some other, deadlier creatures after you next.

Just when you think you can’t fight anymore, the bats begin to fall from the sky.

You stare in shock as they hit the ground one by one, mewling and twitching before becoming motionless.

All you can hear is the sound of the thunder rumbling and the three of you panting.

“What the fuck?” you finally breathe out after a few moments. You scan the bats scattered around you, and you can’t help but feel creeped out as some of them spasm and jerk on the ground.

“I don’t know,” Dustin responds between breaths. “Maybe they did it. Maybe they killed Vecna.”

Shit, you hope that’s the case. Because that means this is all over.

“Whatever the answer is, let's get the hell out of here,” you suggest. The other two nod in agreement, and you drag your exhausted bodies back over to your bikes, discarding your weapons on the ground. You pedal back towards the trailer from which you came, eyes peeled for any other threats. The three of you head back into the trailer one last time, this time leaving the front gate open for the others to be able to get through

Once inside, you and Dustin slide the mattress out of the way once more, setting up the chair like you had on your way in. With a leap, you cling to the extension cord and manage to control your flip through to the other side, landing nicely on the chair. You hop down and move the chair, before pulling the mattress on this side back in place for the others. Dustin drops down first.

“I’m gonna try and get in touch with the others,” he says as you help him to his feet. You nod in acknowledgement and turn to watch Eddie plop onto the mattress. You yank him to his feet harshly and he stumbles and mutters a curse under his breath.

“So –”

Your hand flies across his face with a sharp slap.

“Fuck!” he shouts, grabbing his cheek and stumbling once more. “Okay, yeah, should have seen that coming.”

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” you shout at him. “Why would you do that? What happened to not deviating from the plan no matter what? What happened to not doing anything stupid?”

A lazy grin appears on his face.

“You’re cute when you’re angry,” he says before he awkwardly sways and grabs his side. “Shiiit.”

You react immediately, moving to steady him by the shoulders. Before you can ask what’s wrong, you glance down to see his hand covered in blood. Your stomach clenches and your heart begins to pound.

“Fuck, sit down,” you order, your voice beginnng to tremble. You push him backwards so that he’s seated on the chair. You impatiently yank off his vest and jacket, and your eyes lock on an ugly red patch forming on his Hellfire shirt. You gently peel the fabric up and away, and reveal several ugly gashes across his torso.

“Am I gonna live, doc?” Eddie says, and you can’t help but roll your eyes. The wounds aren’t deep, and while he’s lost some blood, he’ll likely just need to get patched up. You let out a breath you didn’t realize you were holding.

“You won’t die from bat bites, but I still might kill you,” you reply, shooting him a glare. You get to your feet and head to the kitchen, grabbing the leftover vodka and sheet scraps from before. You tear off a piece of sheet and run it under the sink for a moment. You settle back down next to Eddie, and you can feel his stare once again.

“This is gonna hurt,” you tell him as you begin to clean his wound, wiping away the blood and disinfecting it with the alcohol. He hisses slightly and jerks a little when you make contact, but you can still feel his stare practically burning into the side of your head as you work.

“You called me Eddie,” he murmurs, so quiet you almost miss it. Your brow furrows.

“Pretty sure that’s your name,” you point out. “Or have you already lost that much blood you forgot?”

“You’ve never called me Eddie before,” he replies, ignoring your comment. “I’ve always been just ‘Munson’ to you.”

You’re caught off guard for a moment, and you fumble with the fabric in your hands. You realize he’s right – you don’t ever call him Eddie. You don’t even really know why. Maybe at first it was because he annoyed you in high school. He pissed you off so you never gave him the respect of calling him by his first name. And then it just stuck.

He’s right, he was just “Munson” to you. But he’s so much more to you than that now.

And that realization causes your stomach to flutter.

Satisfied with how clean Eddie’s wounds are, you reach for another scrap of cloth. You let your eyes briefly stray to his face, and unsurprisingly he’s still staring at you.

“Stop staring at me,” you mutter, trying to change the subject. “Arms up.”

He ignores your first request but follows your second one. You begin to wrap the white cloth around his torso, trying it tight enough to hopefully stop some of the bleeding.

“You’re still mad at me,” he says, and you let out an exasperated huff and finally meet his eyes.

“You know, it kind of seems like you go out of your way to do things that will make me mad at you,” you argue as you tie a knot to keep the cloth secure. You roll his shirt back down, trying to ignore how his skin feels against your fingertips. He drops his arms and collapses against the back of the couch with a deep sigh. He cocks his head and looks at you with a dopey smile.

“How else am I supposed to get your attention?” he challenges. You roll your eyes – of course he would say something like that.

“You’re such an asshole,” you respond, nudging his knee with yours. He grins.

“Careful,” he warns. “If you keep being mean to me I will fall in love with you.”

Your heart skips a beat and your mouth goes dry.

But before you can even begin to process his words, you hear a crackling sound from above. Your eyes shoot to the ceiling, expecting to see Steve, Nancy, or Robin falling through. Instead you see the gate starting to grow, with more and more vines slithering out of the opening. The opening begins to travel across the ceiling, causing plaster to fall to the floor. You watch as the glowing crack grows and grows before it envelops almost the entire ceiling. The trailer begins to shake.

“We’ve gotta get out of here!” Dustin calls, and you can’t help but agree. You get to your feet and pull Eddie with you, draping his arm over your shoulder to help him balance. The three of you head towards the door, managing to make it through before the gate begins to take it over. You practically stumble down the stairs, trying to manage Eddie’s weight as you move. You pause several yards away and turn back, and the three of you watch in horror as half of the trailer disintegrates before your eyes, leaving a huge gaping hole in the side of the building and a large thrumming red gate on the ground. The gate continues to extend through the grass, cracking through earth and leaving a tremor in its wake. You grip Eddie tightly as the two of you try to maintain your balance despite the entire world shaking. The gate continues to divide the trailer park, moving closer and closer in the direction of downtown. 

The shaking begins to ease up as the gate opening travels farther away. The three of you are left standing in shock.

You hear a noise behind you and you turn your head to see a woman opening her trailer door, likely coming out to investigate all of the commotion.

“Shit, we’ve gotta get you out of here,” you say to Eddie, voice panicked. “We can’t have anyone see you.”

“You guys head back to the RV,” Dustin stutters out as he moves to grab one of the bikes that’s discarded in the grass. “I’m gonna go try and link up with the others.”

You and Eddie both nod, exchange a quick glance, and begin to head towards the treeline.

–

You grip your steering wheel tightly, and you can’t help but glance at the rearview mirror, checking for the tenth time to see if anyone is following you. Despite it being days since the “earthquake” – as the authorities are calling it – your paranoia still hasn’t gone away.

Helping to hide a murder suspect who is now assumed dead will do that to you.

You let out a deep breath as you pass the sign for Hawkins, finally relaxing a bit now that you’re out of city limits. You can only hope it will get easier as time goes on, but with everything you’ve gone through in the past week, you think your stress is understandable.

It’s crazy how much your life changed in such a short amount of time. Had those kids not knocked on your door and asked for your help, you would be on your way back to school at this very moment. Instead you’re headed out to a remote location a half hour outside of Hawkins, bags of groceries on your passenger seat. Steve had volunteered to do the food run for Eddie today, but you insisted that you could take care of it. You tried to ignore the knowing look he shot you, but he could see right through you.

Besides, you have something you have to tell Eddie.

The whole situation seems too bizarre to think about. You had been hiding Eddie at your house after…everything, wracking your brain trying to figure out what to do with him. But on the second day, three adults in suits showed up at your door. They knew everything, even name dropped Eleven, and they explained that they were there to help. They had secured a remote trailer not far from Hawkins where Eddie would be safe as long as he lays low. They even handed over some cash for clothes and supplies. Dumbfounded, you simply nodded your head, accepted the gifts, and helped Eddie get settled in his new home.

Things in Hawkins are still shitty. There are still massive red cracks dividing the town into fourths, there are still townspeople unaccounted for, and there’s still the threat of Vecna and the Upside Down looming in the distance. But Eddie is safe, you’re safe, and that’s all you want to focus on for the time being. You’ll let the experts take it from here.

It’s not long before you reach the dirt driveway, and you head down the long rocky road leading up to the small building hidden in the trees. You see a finger poke through the blinds of one of the windows, and a familiar eye appears in the crack. You hop out of the car with a smirk, before heading to the other side to grab the bags. Eddie pops through the door, lightly jogging to where you're parked. He’s dressed in a plain black t-shirt and gray sweatpants, and you try to ignore the flutter in your stomach at the sight of his exposed arms. You’re not used to seeing this much of his skin.

“Please tell me one of these bags has beer in it,” he almost whines as he grabs one of the paper bags from your arms.

“Nice to see you too,” you snap back playfully, giving him a slight nudge with your elbow. “And yes, there’s a six pack of Miller in there.”

He shoots you a grin and leads you into the trailer. You both drop the bags on the counter in the small kitchen. Eddie pokes around the top of the bags, and you panic a bit, hoping he doesn’t notice one of the boxes shoved at the bottom of one of the bags.

“You shop way better than Harrington does,” Eddie comments before meeting your gaze. “There’s actual food in here.”

“Yeah well, I figure getting some real food in your system will probably be better for your wounds than a diet of cheese puffs and Yoohoo,” you counter. “How are those by the way?”

“Still gross, still achey, but overall better.”

You nod in response. An awkward silence settles over the two of you, and you fiddle with the car keys in your hands.

“So,” Eddie begins. “I take it this will be your last supply run out here. Headed back to school, right?”

You look down at your hands and bite your lip, trying to hide your smile.

“Um, I’m actually gonna stick around,” you reveal, eyes still avoiding his. “It doesn’t…feel right…leaving y– Hawkins right now. Not after everything that, um, Hawkins has been through.” You stumble over your words slightly – you’re struggling to say what you really want to say.

You chance a glance up at Eddie to find him eyeing you warily, his arms folded across his chest. He doesn’t say anything, so you continue, hoping that he’ll eventually understand the meaning behind your words.

“Despite everything, I…uh…I feel safe…in Hawkins,” you stammer. “And I want…I want to help keep Hawkins safe.”

The faintest hint of a smile appears on Eddie’s lips as he nods at your words. He takes a step closer towards you.

“That’s really good to hear,” he says. “Especially since…Hawkins…really likes having you around. And Hawkins would really miss you if you left.”

Your heartbeat picks up at his words, and you’re pretty sure he’s caught on to your hidden meaning.

“Also, Hawkins…cares about you very much,” he adds, before taking another step towards you. You mirror him, taking a step closer so that he’s almost close enough to reach.

“Well, I…care about Hawkins very much, too,” you confirm. Eddie’s smile grows and he takes one more step, leaving very little space between the two of you. He drops his crossed arms, instead choosing to gently take one of your hands in both of his.

“Hawkins also thinks you’re really pretty,” he says, his voice almost timid. You let out a soft chuckle, biting your bottom lip and letting your eyes fall to your hand in his. Your eyes follow as he softly brings your knuckle to his lips, giving a quick kiss to the skin. You feel your body warm at the gesture, and you’re almost taken aback at how he’s looking at you – like you’re everything.

“In case it wasn’t obvious, when I say ‘Hawkins’, I mean me,” he quips, a smartass grin on his face. You can’t help but chuckle and shake your head lovingly.

“Shut up, you idiot,” you say before you pull him towards you and plant your lips on his.

He responds immediately, moving to cradle the back of your head with one hand and your hip with the other. You gently slide your hands up his chest before curling your arms around his neck as you settle into the kiss. His lips move against yours so perfectly, like they were meant for each other.

He uses his grip on your side, to smoothly rotate you so he can press you against the kitchen counter. You deepen the kiss, letting your tongue tease against his lips. He immediately opens his mouth, his own tongue poking out to stroke yours. You groan into his mouth at the sensation, and he pulls you even closer to him, your entire bodies pressed flat against each other.

You pull away for a moment to catch a breath, resting your forehead against his as your chest rises and falls.

“Shit, sweetheart,” Eddie mutters. “Should’a done that a long time ago.” You smile before leaning in once more, already addicted to the feeling of his lips against yours. You don’t know what you expected kissing Eddie Munson to feel like, but you never imagined it would feel like this. His lips massage yours expertly, and your entire body warms at the sensation.

This time he pulls away, and his head falls to your shoulder with a groan. He mumbles your name against the fabric of your t-shirt.

“You don’t even know what you do to me,” he confesses, rubbing his hands up and down your sides. You give your hips an experimental roll, and you hum at the discovery of him hard in his pants.

“I think I have a bit of an idea,” you counter before sliding a hand into his wavy locks. You grab his hair and pull his head up, slotting your lips over his once again. He rolls his hips into you, and his dick rubs pleasantly against your core. You moan at the feeling, and you feel Eddie smile against your lips. He takes your response as a cue to spin you again, and you refuse to break the kiss while he backs you towards his small bedroom.

The back of your legs hit the side of the mattress, and you pull away, but only to pull your shirt over your head. Eddie lets out a groan as his eyes land on your chest, and his hands reach for you. He presses soft kisses all over your chest and the tops of your breasts as his hands slide up your back. He finds the clasp of your bra and easily undoes it, pulling back to rid you of the garment.

You stop him before he can do anything else, grabbing ahold of the hem of his t-shirt and lifting it a few inches. He smiles as he lifts his arms, allowing you to pull the shirt over his head. He shakes his head, allowing his curls to fall back into place, and you take the opportunity to run your hands over his chest, careful not to dip too low and disturb the bandage on his lower body. You smile as you admire the dark ink on his sternum before meeting his gaze once again.

“You’re pretty,” you tell him, and he responds with a smile, his eyes sparkling. He takes your hands in his, pressing a kiss to the knuckles of both.

“Even with chunks of flesh missing?” he asks, his tone cheeky. You chuckle and lean in to quickly peck his lips.

“Yes, evil bat bites and all,” you confirm. He pulls you closer, and your bare chest presses against him as he kisses you once more. You hum into the kiss at the feeling of your skin on his, and slide your hands out of his grasp to run up and down his bare back.

“Lie back for me,” he practically whispers between kisses, and you steal one more kiss before breaking away to sit back on the bed. A smile never leaves his face as he slides his sweatpants down his hips, and you take the opportunity to rid yourself of your jeans, kicking them off to the side.

Clad in just boxers, Eddie takes a step towards the bed before his face falls and he stops.

“Shit,” he says, running his hand along the back of his neck.

“What?” you ask.

“I don’t…have anything,” he says, and you bite your lip to hide your smile.

“Bottom of one of the grocery bags,” you respond, and Eddie’s eyebrows shoot up. He spins on his heels and heads out to the kitchen, and you chuckle at his eagerness.

“I see how it is, you little minx,” he playfully teases when he reappears in the doorway with a box of condoms. “Your plan was always to seduce me, huh?”

You giggle, giving him a casual shrug before laying back against the pillows at the top of the bed.

“I had high hopes,” you reply, earning a chuckle from Eddie. But before he says another word, you reach down and slide your panties over your hips and down your legs, before balling them up and tossing them at him.

His jaw goes slack and his pupils dilate, and the fabric hits him in the chest before dropping to the floor.

“Jesus Christ,” he curses under his breath, and his eyes stay locked onto you as you slide a hand down your body, through your curls, before coming to rest at your core. You run two fingers through your slit, and while you already knew you were wet, you can hear it as you play with yourself. You hum, lazily caressing your opening while Eddie simply stands there gawking at you.

“You gonna join me, hot stuff?” you ask, and it seems to wake Eddie up from his trance. He eases his boxers over his hips and down his legs and impatiently kicks them off. As he fiddles with the box of condoms, you take the opportunity to admire his cock, and shit, it’s beautiful. Long and thick, but not enough to scare you. You can’t wait to know what it’s like to have him buried inside you, and at the exact moment you have that thought, you happen to catch your clit with your finger and let out a moan.

It catches Eddie’s attention, and his eyes lock back onto yours as he rolls the condom onto his shaft. He gives himself a few strokes before moving towards the bed. He crawls up your body until his face aligns with yours, and he leans down to kiss you as he rolls his hips, allowing his cock to slide against your wet center.

“Shit, I must be dreaming,” he mutters between kisses. “Either that or I died in that shithole and now I’m in heaven.”

You adjust your hands under him, interlocking your fingers with his.

“This is real, baby,” you say as you thrust your hips upward, rubbing your core along his shaft once more.

Eddie groans at the feeling, and he looks down between your bodies as he lines himself up with your opening. Slowly and carefully he pushes in, and you let out twin groans as he fills you. Neither of you move for a moment, taking time to enjoy the feeling of him deep inside you.

He slides his hands out of your grasp and under your back, and you wrap your arms around him, bringing your chests together. His head falls to your shoulder as he pulls his hips back, sliding through you so that only his tip is still inside. Then he rolls his hips forward, burying himself to the hilt once again. You can’t help but let out another moan at the feeling, and you dig your nails into his back. He continues to slowly thrust into you, and his mouth finds your neck, kissing and licking and sucking at the flesh.

The two of you move like that for what feels like forever, Eddie’s hips lazily bucking into yours. He feels so fucking good inside of you, like he was always meant to be right here.

Eventually he picks up the pace, with little grunts and whines and curses escaping from his lips. You can feel him getting more desperate with his thrusts, so you slide a hand between you, finding your clit and rubbing at it.

“Fuck,” you moan out. “You feel so fucking good.”

He mewls in response, pulling his head out from where he had buried it and planting his lips on yours.

“Sweetheart, I’m close,” Eddie practically whines. You nod in understanding, your own climax fast approaching. You wrap your legs around his hips, and he grabs a hold of one of your thighs as his thrusts get more and more erratic.

“Shit, shit, shit,” you curse as you give yourself a few more rubs. A wave of pleasure crests over your entire body, and your hips stutter under his. You feel his entire body shudder under your hands, and with a long, deep groan, he comes too. He continues to push his hips against yours as you both ride out your highs, before finally coming to a stop.

The two of you are a panting and sweaty mess of limbs. You try to catch your breath, your entire body still buzzing. Eddie presses a soft kiss to your shoulder before peeling himself off of you and sliding out of your core. He shoots you a smile and a wink before disappearing through the doorway to get cleaned up.

You feel like you’re melting into the bed with how relaxed you feel. Your eyes fall closed and you let out a hum as you settle into the sheets. The mattress dips and your eyes flutter open, watching as a grinning Eddie, still naked like you, crawls towards you. He settles beside you and reaches for you, pulling you against his side and wrapping an arm around your shoulders. You can hear his heartbeat under your head as you rest against his chest, and you reach up to gently play with the smattering of hair across his sternum.

The two of you lie there in a comfortable silence, simply basking in the afterglow of your activities. You’re perfectly content to spend the rest of the day right here, in Eddie’s arms – safe, comfortable, and at ease for the first time since you got back to Hawkins a week ago.

“I wanted to impress you,” Eddie mumbles after a few moments. You furrow your brow, his simple statement confusing you. You turn slightly, allowing you to look up at his face, and you find him staring at the ceiling.

“What do you mean?” you ask, urging him to continue. His hand begins to gently caress the skin of your arm.

“When I jumped into the lake,” he clarifies. “I had just seen Harrington, Wheeler, and Buckley just…dive head first right into danger without giving it a second thought. I wanted you to see me like that. Like, a hero or something.”

You let his words sink in, the explanation for the events of that night finally being revealed to you. While his reasoning still doesn’t make a lot of sense to you, you’re glad you’re finally talking about it.

“And when we were in the Upside Down, I realized it could be my moment,” he continues. “I would be the one to save the day…to keep you safe…to be your hero.”

Your heart pangs at his words. All this time he was trying to play some part you never wanted him to play. He didn’t have to put himself at risk to win you over. He already had you.

He’s had you for a long time.

You shift to sit up and Eddie mirrors you, and you take the opportunities to take both of his hands in yours.

“Eddie…you…you’re not my hero because you dove head first into danger,” you explain, meeting his gaze so he understands how serious you are. “In fact whenever you did it, it pissed me the fuck off.” He lets out a chuckle, and you smile at him. “You’re my hero because…because told me you were sorry about my mom. Because you remembered how I feel about the water and you never once judged me for it. Because you let me cling to you each time we had to go out onto the lake. Because you held me and protected me from having to see what happened to Patrick. Because despite your own fear and stress, you still calmed me down when I was panicking. Because despite the entire world going to shit around us, you always kept the mood light and made me smile.”

You reach up to cradle the side of Eddie’s face, caressing his cheek with your thumb.

“And you’re my hero because you played the most badass, most metal concert of all time,” you add with a cheeky grin, and that earns another laugh from him. He leans in and pecks your lips.

“Alright, you’ve convinced me,” he says. “No more running head first into danger for me.”

“Oh, that convinced you?” you respond, your voice playful. “Not the two times you got slapped across the face?” You both are sent into a fit of giggles, and Eddie takes the opportunity to run his hands up and down your thighs.

“Okay, that’s fair,” he concedes before leaning in to kiss you once again. “Want to know why you’re my hero?”

You cock an eyebrow, your interest piqued.

“Oh, I’m your hero, too?” you say, voice teasing. He leans in closer to you, taking your chin in his hand, forcing you to look right into his eyes.

“You’re my hero because from the very beginning you believed me, believed I was innocent,” he says, a soft smile on his face. “Because after years of me trying to get a rise out of you every time I could, you still chose to stay with me in that boathouse. And you kept choosing to stay with me. Even now, when you don’t have to anymore. Because you’re protecting me, keeping me safe. And I guess you saving my life in the Upside Down is just a bonus.”

He pokes your nose with his finger and you let out a chuckle. He lets go of your chin and reaches for you, pulling you into his lap with your back pressed against his chest, his arms wrapped around you. You reach up and rest your hands on his wrists, and he plants a kiss to the crown of your head.

“Damn, Munson, who knew you were so sappy,” you tease, and Eddie digs his fingers into your sides in response. You let out a squeal and wiggle in his grasp as he tickles your skin. He eventually eases up and encircles his arms around you once again, squeezing you once before relaxing into the embrace.

The two of you settle into that position, and you let out a deep breath, content to be in Eddie’s arms.

“I really get to keep you?” Eddie asks after a few moments. You can’t help but smile.

“I told you,” you reply. “You’re stuck with me, Munson.”

#eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson fic #eddie munson x you #eddie munson smut #joemazzmatazz

[stranger-fanfiction-n-things]

CHAPTER 4: THE BODY

This is an Original Character fanfiction. All Stranger Things characters and content are owned by Netflix and The Duffer Brothers.

a/n: Enjoy!

Warnings: None.

Word Count: 1188

Masterlist

PART I || PART II || PART III

ROANE FUNERAL HOME 

The funeral home smells like fresh flowers, wood and astringent cleaning product. It is impeccably clean yet stuffy like an old age home. The lights are dimly lit and the walls are painted in muted tones. A shiver runs down my back thinking about dead bodies as Nancy and I walk down the hall to the main room. The thick funky coloured carpet muffles our loud thumping. Nancy and I approach the opening and find Jonathan, right where Joyce said he would be, choosing caskets for Will. 

Jonathan looks at us, eyes slightly wide. I’m immediately uncomfortable for overstepping boundaries. Nancy and I were so determined to find out about Barb that we didn’t take in that Will’s body was found last night. Mom literally told me an hour ago that the funeral was tomorrow. I touch Nancy’s arm. 

“Maybe this was a bad idea,” I whisper, smiling kindly at the funeral director. 

“A little…” Nancy agrees, lingering by the entryway. “But we have to try.” I open my mouth to protest against it but Jonathan is walking over to us with his hands stuffed in his pockets. 

I haven’t seen Jonathan since yesterday in the parking lot and we didn’t necessarily end on good terms. I am honestly still a little miffed by the photos, but the photos are why Nancy and I are here. I shift behind Nancy, playing with the ends of my hair. Nancy and Jonathan haven’t had a conversation about the photos and the admission makes me uncomfortable. The photos were extremely intimate and private; to think Nicole, Steve, Carol and Tommy H were all privy to them, makes me annoyed all over again. 

“Your mom…” Nancy starts, looking as uncomfortable as I feel. “She said you’d be here. I just…” Nancy looks at me for help. 

“Can we talk for a second?” I ask, sheepishly. 

I am surprised Jonathan agrees to talk to us and we all walk to the hallway and sit on the bench against the wall. Nancy hands Jonathan the photo and he inspects it closely. I point out the figure behind Barb and he nods his head. 

“Does it look like anything to you?” 

“It looks like it could be some kind of perspective distortion, but I wasn’t using the wide angle.” The irony of the situation is almost comical. I tuck a loose curl behind my ear, chewing on my bottom lip. Jonathan shifts uncomfortably on the bench. “I don’t know. It’s weird.” He gives me back the photo. 

“And you’re sure you didn’t see anyone else out there?” Nancy presses. 

Jonathan looks pensive, though I can tell he’s uncomfortable with having to relieve a moment of poor judgement. He sighs shaking his head “No, and she was there one second and then she was gone. I figured she bolted.” 

“The cops think she ran away. But they don’t know Barb.” 

The way the cops were treating this investigation…they weren’t taking it seriously. Brushing it under the rug or throwing it away like yesterday’s paper. Questioning me as if I were crazy for what I knew I saw. What I can’t get over is the disappearance of Barb’s car. It doesn’t just vanish into thin air. This whole situation is deeply unsettling and Barb deserves better.  The silence suddenly became awkward. I was sitting here with Jonathan at a funeral home. Disturbed him as he was picking a casket for his brother whose body was found last night in the Quarry, to talk to him about my missing best friend. As if reading each other’s minds, Nancy and I both stand up.  

“I’m sorry. We shouldn’t have come here, today of all days.” Nancy apologizes, reaching for me. I walk to her, taking her hand in mine, squeezing it tight. 

“What did he look like?” 

Nancy and I look at each other before looking at Jonathan. 

“This man you saw in the woods,” Jonathan urged. “What did it look like?” 

Something told me he knew what we were talking about. But how? 

“I don’t know…” Nancy stammers, a line appears between her brows. “It was like he—” 

“Didn’t have a face?” Jonathan finishes. 

A chill froze me to the spot. “How did you know?” 

HAWKINS HIGH 

I’ve never been in the darkroom at school before. I observe the painted black walls and the equipment propped against it along with the stacks of photography paper. I wrinkle my nose, at the strong smells of chemicals wafting in the air. I squint under the red-light watching Jonathan put a slide under this large microscope-like machine. He looks through the magnifier, fiddling with a knob above his head. I lean against the counter, fascinated by all the equipment in here and what it all does. 

“Did your mom say anything else? Like where it might have gone to or…” 

“No, just that it came out of the wall.” 

The machine dings and Jonathan turns off the switch before grabbing a piece of photography paper. Nancy and I crowd around him as he puts the paper in a tub of what looks like water but smells faintly of gasoline. 

“How long does this take?” Nancy mumbles. 

“Not long.” Jonathan answers, shifting the tub back and forth until the paper is fully saturated. 

“Have you been doing this a while?” 

“What?” 

“Photography.” 

Jonathan shrugs. “Yeah. I guess I’d rather observe people than you know…” 

“Talk to them.” Nancy says with a small smile. 

Even though our brothers are all best friends, this is the first time Nancy, Jonathan, and I are together. Growing up we weren’t very close, Jonathan often lingered in the sidelines. He’s always been quiet and a little shy. As we got older, we grew farther apart, Nancy and I growing close with Barb and Jonathan seeing the world through a camera lens. 

“I know. It’s weird.” 

“No, it’s not,” I assure.

“No, it is. It’s just that people don’t always say what they’re thinking. But you capture the right moment, it says more.” 

“What was I saying?” Nancy asks.

“What?” 

"When you took my picture.” 

Suddenly, the black walls become more interesting. I shift uncomfortably on my feet. The elephant in the room was bound to be talked about. I didn’t think it would be now, in a pungent, red lit darkroom at school, but nonetheless the conversation needed to be had. 

“I shouldn’t have done that. I’m sorry. It’s just—” 

“That’s it!” I exclaim, looking at the photo. “That’s what we saw!” The photo develops clear showing some weird looking animal? Thing? Whatever it is, it’s tall and grotesque looking and doesn’t have a face.  

“My mom,” Jonathan shakes his head in disbelief. “I thought she was crazy cause she said that’s not Will’s body. That he’s alive.” 

“And if he’s alive.” 

“Then Barbara.” 

Nancy and I look at each other. Barb’s alive. She has to be. We can save her and Will from this thing and the cops won’t think we’re crazy. 

“Okay so what do we do now?” I ask, licking my lips in anticipation. “We have evidence but no proof.”  

CHAPTER 5: THE FLEA AND THE ACROBAT

#stranger things rewrite #black fem reader #stranger things fic #stranger things #dianasinclair #eddie munson x black!reader #steve harrington x black!reader #eddie munson x female reader #sinclair!reader #steve harrington x fem!reader #eddie munson x reader #steve harrington x reader

[sidekickjoey]

My initial takeaways from the Steve x Eddie forest scene script:

A very awkward “guy” way

“Steve stares, totally lost” should be knitted on a pillow ASAP, we now have it in writing.

How the script reads: Two boys are at war w/ each other over Dustin and are lowkey jealous enemies because of it How the show aired: Two boys both look seconds from getting emotional at the thought of not having Dustin’s full attention/adoration and are trying to not be the first to give in and admit it

Call me out on the reach, sure, but I’m so beyond delighted here for the addition of Steve’s name on the ‘got a little jealous’ line followed by that HEFTY unscripted silence. That shit added. 

“Give yourself a break, man” and Steve then reaching out to reassure/comfort Eddie both being unscripted makes me want to cry into a glass of wine, thank Joe Keery whole-heartedly, and also fight the Duffers/writers because uh what makes you think S4 Steve Harrington wouldn’t go into mom mode and stop his friends from talking badly about themselves, do you know who this man is???

The addition of ‘thanks’ when Eddie calls Steve metal and the elimination of Eddie saying ‘I just didn’t believe him’ in reference to Dustin calling Steve badass is something that is so, so personal to me (and I could talk about it for days)

Joseph Quinn really deserves an award for making Eddie’s words match his character because some of this dialogue was so STILTED before he massaged it a bit. Same goes for Joe Keery w/ Steve too, but dang Joseph really had to work. And we wonder why he’s so praised.

While on that topic, these guys really had SO little stage direction and RAN with their characters and I think that’s pretty dang noteworthy.

Seriously, please look at the gif above and take note of the fact there was not a single ounce of that scripted, aside from the words Eddie spoke. Not ONE bit.

#stranger things #steve harrington #eddie munson #Joe Keery #joseph quinn #steddie #stranger things season 4 #stranger things 4 spoilers #st4

[harringtown]

so give me hope in the darkness

the duffers wanna just jump a few days forward and ignore all that wonderful angst potential? weak. anyways if they won't deal w it I will <3

requested by anonymous

pairing: Steve Harrington x reader

summary: au based on ghosts that we knew by Mumford and sons (aka some angst and fluff after the vecna mess)

word count: 1.5k

-

Steve hasn’t stopped moving in hours. Days, maybe. Even during that slim, dread-filled time between leaving the Upside Down and returning with an arsenal, he fluttered about like a mother-hen, slapping together peanut butter and banana sandwiches or triple-checking ammo or trying to scrub the bloodstains out of everyone’s clothing.

The fight ends the way it always does—with more loss than anyone knows what to do with.

Steve fidgets the entire drive home, still running on enough adrenaline that it makes you doubt whether he should be driving at all. But you’re too tired to speak, and you think if you open your mouth, it’ll release all the tears you’ve been holding back for hours.

The sirens ring in a constant loop through your head, though the ambulances went in the opposite direction, to the hospital. Not just the hospital. The morgue, too.

Bile claws up your throat, only stopped by the quick silencing of the car’s engine as Steve kills it in the Harrington driveway. His is the only car, as expected. His house is always empty. And it’s always both a relief and a little sad.

He doesn’t ask whether you’re staying the night. It’s a given after the last few days.

When you reach his bedroom, Steve peels off his soiled clothing without a word. He favors his right side more than he did this morning, and he twists your way enough to see the dark red seeping through his shirt.

“You’re bleeding,” you say.

“I’m fine.” Steve has always been a shitty liar. 

“No, you’re not.”

“It doesn’t matter,” he snaps, kicking his stained clothes into a pile in one corner of his room. “None of it matters.”

“Steve.”

“Just leave it.” He catches your gaze for a fleeting moment, and it’s hard and cruel.

“Yeah, like that’s happening,” you say sarcastically. You unzip your heavy overcoat and toss it to the corner with Steve’s. “The vines must have reopened the bites. Let me see.” You duck to pull the first aid kit from beneath Steve’s desk. It lives there these days, and he’s had to restock it more times than anyone should.

When you turn back, Steve is staring out the window, unmoving. The dark forest beyond his house disappears into blackness, but he looks into it like it has something to tell him.

“Steve.” You deposit the first aid kit on his bed and approach him from behind, touching his arm. He doesn’t react.

“Look, you’re the one who refused to go get checked out at the hospital. Unless you want to be dragged there, you’ll let me clean you up. God knows what kind of bacteria…” You trail off, taking a deep breath. “Talk to me. Please.”

His shoulders sink. After a long second, he turns, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallows. His face is still crusted with dirt and blood. It makes his bloodshot eyes shine brighter in the lamplit bedroom.

“I was supposed to keep everyone safe,” he says. His voice cracks on the last word, and an image of Dustin, limping and crying and above all, alone, flickers in your head. And those sirens, the ones in the ambulance carrying Max—

“Sometimes, those kids look at me like I’m this damn hero, and sometimes—” He sucks in his teeth and makes a disgusted noise. “—I believe it.” He throws up his hands. “I told Max I’d protect her, and look at her now. And Eddie—he shouldn’t have gone out like that. Dustin shouldn’t have had to see it. I couldn’t stop any of it—” Steve stops. “I’m not a hero.  I’m just some guy. And it wasn’t enough.”

“Steve.” You reach up to cup one of his cheeks. He leans into the touch, eyes fluttering. “Eddie was not your fault. Neither is what happened to Max.”

“I should have been there. I should have—”

“What, self-multiplied? Been in three places at once?” you ask. “If you recall, Steve, we were a little busy being strangled by sentient vines.”

He shakes his head. It doesn’t matter if there’s logic in your words. Logic doesn’t matter when the world is falling apart around you. Loss is a cavern, and it’s swallowing Steve whole.

“I could have stopped it. Instead, I just let them—” He pulls back, and shakes his head again.

“No. That’s a load of crap, and you know it,” you say, grabbing the sleeve of his shirt to hold him in place. The oversized sweatshirt he pulled from his trunk dwarfs him, and he looks more like a kid than the soldier he was a few hours ago.

“Is it?” he asks. His voice is small.

“Not being able to save someone is not the same thing as letting them die.” You press your lips together and shove back the tears stinging the backs of your eyes. “And Max is going to be okay. We have to believe she’s going to be okay.”

“And Henderson?” Steve cocks a brow. The bravado returns momentarily, and you’re relieved to see it’s survived again. You’re afraid one of these times, the Steve that walks away from the fight won’t be the one that walked into it.

“Dustin is strong. He’ll get past this. He has you,” you say. “He has the others.”

Steve’s lips part and abruptly shut again. He shifts back—if he moves again, you think you might lose your grip on him altogether. And you’ve lost enough.

“Dustin and the others don’t look at you like they do because they think you have all the answers. They know you don't,” you say, giving him a tiny smile. And to your relief, a smile ghosts his own lips. “Do you even know why everyone looks to you for help?”

Steve takes a breath. He back up and drops onto the thin pad on the windowsill, looking up at you. “I have no goddamn idea.”

“Because you’re brave. Because no matter how bad things get, and they’ve gotten pretty damn bad—” You take a step, and another, until your knees bump his. With the windowsill’s height, you’re at eye level. “—you don’t get scared, or run. You don’t start fights, but you always finish them. You’ll go to bat, literally, for the people you care about, and we all know it.”

Steve closes his eyes for a long moment. Opens them.

“I don’t feel brave,” he says.

“Well, it’s nice to know your ego isn’t entirely invulnerable,” you say, and Steve smiles, just a bit, like you hoped he would.

“Just because someone died doesn’t mean we don’t deserve to live,” you say.

Steve’s chin starts to dip, but you catch it with a hand, nudging it back up.

“Okay?” you ask.

Steve takes a long breath. He takes your hands in his and stares at them, two sets of blood and dirt-crusted fingers and knuckles.

“You remember that dream I told you about? A shitty RV, a few national parks.”

“And an obscene amount of children,” you say. One side of his mouth quirks up. “I remember.”

His smile fades. “Every second that passes, it’s like… I don’t know, like it’s less of a dream and more of a fantasy. An impossible one. I mean, who the hell are we to think everything’s going to work out?”

“Hey,” you say, curling your fingers around his and squeezing. “Don’t you dare count out our happy endings. I’m offended on our future children’s behalf.”

Steve closes his eyes again and leans forward, burying his face in your chest. When he exhales, his warm breath tickles through your shirt.

“Tell me everything is going to be okay,” he mumbles, his voice muffled by fabric.

It’s a game you play—making wishes and convincing yourselves they’ll come true. Maybe one day it won’t be a game at all. The monsters will stay under the bed where they belong.

“Everything is going to be okay,” you say, guiding him back and taking his face in your hands. “We are going to be okay. You and me and Dustin and Max and every single one of us is going to grow old and wrinkly and irritate each other until time kills us.”

Steve cocks a brow. “Morbid,” he says.

“I think a natural death is the least morbid thing we’ll ever see.”

“A guy can dream,” he says. He smiles, and this time, it reaches his eyes. It’s brief, a moment before the grief slides back in, but it’s something.

“But first, we’re both going to take a shower, because there’s no way I’m getting into bed with you when you smell like a sewer gave birth to a landfill,” you say.

Steve inhales to speak, but you cut him off before you can.

“And if you tell me I smell, you’re sleeping on the floor,” you say.

“I’m calling that bluff,” Steve says.

You snort, leaning forward to press a kiss to his forehead. You nudge him toward his bathroom door.

“Take a shower, Harrington,” you say.

He grumbles a response too low for you to hear, and you watch him until the bathroom door shuts behind him. His shoulders are still weighed down heavy with ghosts, but one day, he’ll walk back into the room, and all the ghosts you’ve known will be long gone.

You just have to make it there.

-

taglist (join the new list here): @milkiane​

#brooke writes fic #steve harrington #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x you #Steve Harrington x y/n #steve harrington fic #steve harrington angst #steve harrington fluff #stranger things #stranger things fic #stranger things fanfiction #Joe keery #x reader

[eddieydewr]

I also think Noah decided to lay low but I have a hard time seeing ppl letting up which is what worries me for his sake. When ppl begin to move on the internet loves to bring it back up.

I don't think the cast is icing him out because that would not be a smart thing for the duffers to advise for many reasons. The cast has also shown support for Noah (liking his posts or Noah posting about them). At most, I think they were just advised to not post with him since, like you said, every time ppl see him they scream "genocide". Who knows, Noah may be out with them too and just decided not to be in the picture. And maybe I'm selfish but I really hope to see Noah soon. Both in character AND hanging out with the cast because I want him to enjoy it.

As for his socials, I could see Noah deleting everything himself to try and get a clean slate and begin setting boundaries or that being advised by a therapist or manager or whatever. I could also see him being more closed off which makes me sad because I like what he shares but he needs to do what's best for him. He's probably going through a lot of changes rn. And maybe this is selfish as well, but I hope he continues to do college online and does not return to Penn physically. I don't think it's safe and I believe he got involved with some not very good ppl. I know a lot of his priv stuff got leaked and I believe that is part of the reason why along with all the obsessive haters who began stalking him. Speaking of which, I really hope he takes legal action against some of these ppl who have been spreading the false rumors, it's just not okay.

that’s one of the most annoying things about social media; the so-called cancel culture, whether the person being cancelled deserves it or not. we can’t move on or enjoy something without them going “ummm, did y’all forget he did this and she did that??” it’s truly miserable. whatever happened to curating your own online experience? (i’m aware i sound hypocrital lol but i don’t go out of my way to find things that makes me miserable).

💚💚 it’s not selfish to want to see noah. i think we want confirmation that he’s ok. we wouldn’t know for sure but it’d be nice to see his face and see him getting on with things. i sure hope he isn’t isolating himself and avoiding others off set. until he says something, if ever, we have no idea what is happening. but i’m gonna be cautiously optimistic and say it’s mostly business as usual for him. and he is hanging out with the cast and taking photos (they’re just not being posted right now, and he might not want to. but bts pics are different so i reckon he’ll post them when s5 is out). try not to assume the worst, that’s what the antis want. it’s an adjustment for anyone who is used to noah’s online presence, and now the sudden radio silence, lol. like i don’t blame you for being concerned. maybe the whole thing is being blown out of proportion and while it sucks, just let people flap their gums while noah earns a hefty paycheck, lmao.

#people will stop being loud eventually especially once the war ends #they run out of fumes. they always do. so they’ll seethe in silence while noah moves on with his life #beth answers

[steamystrangerfics]

Lessons

Ok. First ST fic (well the actors, rest will be characters). This will most likely be parts. I wrote is all in one night so don’t sue.

Summery – I saw this thing on twitter the Joe Quinn would always ask Keery if his accent was good. And like aw! (Also there’s Jamie in here because I didn’t mean to it just happened. Opps. Also Maya bits.bc friends)

Warnings: Fluff, smutt. 18+ I guess (I mean I was reading these things like wayyy young but you do you. I’m just a pig i guess), oral (m+m). idk what else – back in the day we never did warnings on fics

On set for filming ST s4vol1. ‘Damn.’ Joseph thought to himself, ‘how the hell will I survive this.’ Joseph Quinn, who was just introduced as Eddie in Stranger Things, found himself in a trance gazing at those gorgeous brown locks. “Hey, freak”, Maya yelled from across set. She could see what- well, who- Joseph was fawning over. She walked over to him with a wide smirk on her face, “You know, he doesn’t bite”. Joseph’s smile grew even bigger as his imagination went wild of the thought of Joe Keery playing rough. “Um, loverboy”, Maya whispered in a warning tone, “iceberg, 6 o’clock”. Joseph’s thoughts and images of Joe has cause him to become hard just as they were to start the next scene. Luckily, Eddie wasn’t in much of the scenes they were filming today, so he hurried to the men’s room. ‘Why here?’ Joseph sighed as he knew he had to finish what he had started. He took his hard member in his hand and massaged it as he would want Joe doing to him. As he was finishing, a part of him knew that this was the closest he would get to being with Joe because there was no way that man was gay. “We need everyone on set for an announcement” announced the Duffer brothers. As everyone was quickly gathering on set, Joe noticed that Joseph and Maya were both missing. Before the brothers made the announcement, the cast went looking for them. “There you are”, Jamie had walked into the men’s room, not realizing what exactly Joseph was doing at first. “Dude, I’m so sorry, there’s an announcement, they’re looking for you-everyone. Just-um”, Jamie was not losing his words as he felt embarrassed as to what he walked in on. Joseph quickly cleaned up and pulled himself together. Just then a quick smirk grew on Jamie’s face, “okay, we’re both adults here- you gotta tell me who!” Joseph immediately goes to push past Jamie and snaps with a harsh tone, “I don’t have to do nothing”. Jamie grabs Joseph by the arm, “we’re both new cast members”, he states which makes Joseph turn to him, “we gotta stick together. I’ve seen you looking at people, hanging with people. Just tell me who. I think it’s cute that you’re in here fixing yourself. Maybe I can even help you score in the long run”. Jamie raises an eyebrow as he is staring into Joseph’s eyes, it’s like Jamie is trying to read his mind, now just inches away. After a few moments of silence, Jamie breaks, “we need to get to the announcement, but remember what I said.” Jamie has a devilish smirk as he walks off, it’s almost like he is Henry in real life. ----------------------------------- A few days have passed, and all the cast members are out at a bowling alley. Millie, Charlie and Jamie were all sitting around talking in their on-stage American accents and laughing. “How are you all able just to pick up an American accent so perfectly and that simple?” asked Joseph who had been having a hard time on set with his American accent. “It wasn’t easy at first”, chimed Millie. “No, it took a lot of reading my lines over and over again,” mentioned Jamie, “I even found it better to practice with someone with an American accent to bounce it off of. Just as Jamie said that Joseph felt a kick under the table. Jamie then spoke up, “since Mille, Charlie, and I don’t have as many lines with Joseph as you do, you should help him out more…privately.” Did he just say that - to Joe? Joseph’s mind was mush, and his jaw was on the ground. “I’d love to.” Joe said with a sweet smile as he locked his gaze with Joseph. His eyes glistened even in terrible lights, love, that word sounded so pretty coming off of his plump, pink lips. The loud clashing of the bowling pins brought Joseph back to reality. “Did you hear me?” It had seemed that even walked over to the arcade, leaving a Joe and Joseph., “I said we can start as soon as tomorrow. We would just have to do it around filming”. Joe’s voice was so soft, so caring. “Y-yeah”, the only word Joseph could mutter out. He didn’t understand what exactly made him so weak for Joe, but something felt different tonight. Maybe talking to Jamie wouldn’t be a bad idea before tomorrow. “Jamie,” yelled Joseph across the arcade not realizing how loud he was. Jamie was over playing air hockey with Maya. “I’m here to you know”, said Maya with her arms crossed in front of her. She was very bad at pretending to be mad. “Well, I could use both of you-“. “Ah. Man trouble” Jamie cut Joseph off with a grin. “Could you not tell the whole cast”, Joseph hushed Jamie. He thought how the rest of filming would be if they all knew, if Joe knew. He would surely hate Joseph. “They all know”, whispered Maya, “you aren’t very…graceful at hiding your infatuation for Joe. The way you stare at him, fawn over him, always have to be next to him, laugh at everything-“ just then Maya was cut off. “Hey that is because he is very funny,” Joseph rebelled. They could see they made him a bit upset by poking fun. “What can we do to help?” Jamie reached out a hand for comfort. The three of them decided to go back to Maya’s place for the night after Joseph had told them a bit about the “accent lessons” that will be happening tomorrow.

--------- “I’ve never liked a guy this much before, and I’m worried-“ Joseph was fully confiding in Jamie and Maya. “Well, he agreed to this right? So, there’s something” chimed Maya who was sitting bouncing on her bed like a little kid. “There’s one sure fire way to always know,” there goes Jamie acting and sounding like Henry again in his sly, slow, soft, intimidating voice. Joseph was now worried about what would come out of Jamie’s mouth, but also willing to hear it. “You just have to touch him, and then see if he likes it or not.” Jamie was now walking over to Joseph who was perch on a light grey bean bag chair, “and when I say touch him… I don’t mean on the hand like a 3rd grader. While you two are going over lines,” Jamie raised his hand to Joseph’s body as Joseph’s eyes widened, “find a way to slide your hand on his thigh.” To Joseph’s surprise Jamie’s hand started mid-thigh and was slowly tracing the hem of his jeans upward. Joseph closed his eyes thinking of his hand on Joe’s leg and wondering how it would feel, or if it would turn Joe on? “Boys, would you like me to leave?” laughed Maya. Luckily, she stopped Jamie before Joseph’s mind got too imaginative again. Joseph opened his eyes, realizing who was touching him. He quickly sat up straight noticing that he had leaned his pelvis closer to Jamie with legs open. “No, nothing is going any farther than that, tonight.” Jamie winked. Joseph was so lost and turned on and the same time. He knew that doing exactly what Jamie just did would reveal if Joe was interested. But he couldn’t shake what just happened here, was this more than just Jamie helping him? Nonsense. ------------- The next day, they were off to the sets again, and Joseph was ready more than ever thanks to Jamie. Today they were mostly filming the California scenes, so Joe asked if they wanted to run some lines. ‘Wait. But What if he doesn’t like it and It’s weird. I would have just touched his thigh. What if Joseph doesn’t wrong?’ thoughts of worry raced through Joseph’s mind as they walked into Joe’s dressing room. “Here, it will be nice and quiet in here to run lines without distractions,” Joe gestured for Joseph to walk in first. “Such the Gentlemen, Keery.” He said as he walked in to try and ease some of his tension. As they both sat down on the sofa somewhat close to each other, Joseph’s leg was shaking from nerves. “You that nervous about speaking in an American accent?” Joe teased. “Yeah,” the only word Joseph could mutter out again. “You’re cute when you’re nervous, you know that.” Joe locked eyes with Joseph, ‘Was he into me’. Joseph’s mouth was a gap in shock. Cutting the tension Joseph spoke up, “I was thinking we could start here”, instead of saying what page and line number he leaned across Joe and pointed on Joe’s script to where he wanted to start. In doing so Joseph had to balance himself by placing a hand on Joe’s thigh, which he could feel the muscles tense up. As Joseph sat up to pull the rest of his body closer, he kept his hand on Joe’s leg and his eyes locked on Joe. Since Joe didn’t stop him, he kept going. Remembering what Jaime did last night to him, Joseph started moving his hand slowly up, tracing the inseam of Joe’s dark wash denim pants. Joseph was not letting his eyes leave sight from Joe’s gorgeous hazel eyes where his pupils are now dilated.  Joseph noticed Joe has let him be just slightly from his groin and so he stopped, looking for permission. “Why would I want you to stop now?” Joe said in a raspy voice. It was obvious he was enjoying every moment. Joseph continues moving his hand up, now tracing Joe’s bulge. In doing so, Joe was now thrusting his pelvis, yearning for more. He wanted in, but he knew going slow would be more tension for them both. While one hand never stops, his other hand tugs at Joe’s shirt, “May I?”. “Rip it, baby”, Joe yelps. Joseph is enjoying how vulnerable he has Joe under his touch. Seeing Joe shirtless, his abs, his chest hair, it turns Joseph into an animal, “Come here” he says as pulls Joe by the back of the neck with both hands into a strong sensual kiss. Joseph now straddles Joe on the chair and presses deeper into the kiss, wanting to taste every bit of him. Joseph presses his tongue to Joe’s bottom lip, asking for entrance which is given to him. In turn Joe groans into Joseph’s mouth, something he didn’t know was in himself. Joe breaks the kiss, panting for air, with a long grin on his face, “why are you getting all the fun?” Joe starts to undo Joseph’s belt when a knock at the dressing room startles them both. It’s Jamie. “Joe,” he called, “they need you on set. Are you still in there running lines? Joe?” The doorknob starts to turn as Joseph catches his breath, “yes, we will be right out”. As Joe grabs his shirt to put back on, Joseph throws himself on top of Joe once more, kissing him, tasting every last bit as of this might be the only time. “My place, right after filming!” Joe said as he broke the kiss to go out. Joseph just stood there in shock, waiting to wake up from another one of his dreams. Not this time, this was real, he felt all of that.

“So, what were you two doing?” Jamie asked later that day while Joe was filming. “Lessons” Joseph replied thinking about how Joe was just seconds away from tearing open his pants. Joseph wondered what would have happened after that. How adventurous, dirty, and rough was Joe Keery, he thought. “So, are you guys having lessons again?” Jamie winked knowing full well what went on in the dressing room. “I mean,” Joseph replied, “you can’t master an American accent in just on small session, especially when it is interrupted.” He was now glaring are Jamie, making it known that Jamie stopped them at very wrong time. “Hey, they needed him on set, you’re lucky it was me that offered to go get him. I’m like your hero, twice now, you owe me.” --------- Just as filming was wrapping up for the day, Joseph went into Joe’s dressing room to surprise him. Joe hadn’t come back yet so he waited. When Joe entered the room Joseph’s heart skipped. Joe was so sweaty from the last scenes they had just worked on; he was even sexier. “My god”, Joseph murmured. Joe blushed, “you like this”, he asked as he did a runway walk towards Joseph, flipping his hair at the end. Joseph grabbed him by the waist and pulled Joe close to himself. Their hearts were beating a mile a minute, “are you ready for tonight,” Joseph asked whispering in Joe’s ear, sending tingles down his body, “because I’ve been waiting so long for this”. Joseph couldn’t help but nibble on Joe’s ear, sliding down to his neck. Joe didn’t want it to stop, but he gently pushed away, “let’s go. It will be more comfortable, and we will have the rest of the night to ourselves.” With that they both left in one car to go to Joe’s place, leaving Joseph’s car at the set since they would just be back in the morning. Walking into Joe’s place, Joseph couldn’t believe how Joe had started taking control over everything, he knew that would have to change because no one dominates him. “What do you want to drink?” Joe asked as he made himself a drink. “Water is fine, I’m verry thirsty.” Joe grabbed a water out of the fridge and joined Joseph on the sofa, rolling his eyes at that comment.

Now looking stern into Joe’s eyes, Joseph put a hand on Joe’s arm, “What are we doing here, Joe” Joe was taken back by the question. “I thought this is what you wanted, isn’t it?” He places the question back to Joseph. “I do, this all started so fast though. I want to make sure you are on board,” Joseph paused, he was struggle to find words, “I don’t want to do this if it’s just going to be a fling either.” He looked away for a second, feeling bad that he started this just to bring this conversation up. Joe now put down his drink, and rested both hands on Joseph’s lap, “I haven’t known how to tell you how I feel, then when you touched me like that,” Joe’s eyes were now tear-filled, “I never want you to stop. Please.”

Joseph smirked as he got up on the sofa on his knees turning his full body to face Joe, “now that that’s settled,” he growled pulling off Joe’s shirt, to which Joe was at his command once more, “let’s cut the shit and continue where we left off.” Joe laid back onto the sofa letting Joseph have him. Joe was letting out quiet moans as Joseph started nibbling and sucking every inch of Joe’s torso and neck, “Scream for me, Joe”, he demanded, wanting Joe not to hold back. “Jo-seph!” he cried; Joe could feel every inch of himself getting stiffer. He wanted his turn, remembering that he didn’t get it when they were in the dressing room. Letting the pleasure continue, Joe’s hand traveled down to Joseph’s pelvis to undo his buckle. After waiting for a nod, he quickly undid the belt, dropping it to the floor. His hands ventured inside Joseph’s waistband, pulling his jeans down to show his boxers. Joseph kicked them the rest of the way off, piling them on the floor with his belt. To Joseph’s surprise, Joe grabbed him and flipped him to the bottom, “Why is it that you are always in charge? Don’t you trust me?” Joe said this with an evil look on his face. Joe was now straddling Joseph leaving him unable to go anywhere, even though there was nowhere he’d rather be.

“Take it all off for me, handsome”, Joe leaned into Joseph’s ear with a soft but naughty voice, his lips lingering on the word all. “The work is half the fun”, Joseph taunted him pulling him down into a deep passionate kiss. “Don’t try to distract me, I’m in control,” Joe hesitated, “as long as you’re okay with all of this.” Joe looked at Joseph with care in his eyes and Joseph comforted him, “I want all of this babe, dominance is just something I’m not used to giving up”, he giggled. “Well, be warned because I’m in control for the rest of the night” Joe’s voice was stern and deep, it was sexy yet haunting. Joe began kissing Joseph in the crook of his neck, “Say my name”, he demanded. Joseph couldn’t believe how it all felt, “And what if I don’t,” he teased trying to see just how far he could push this handsome boy. “Well, then you’ll be punished.” Joseph’s eye’s widened with pleasure, and with that he melted beneath Joe.

Still straddling Joseph on the sofa, Joe begins to fully strip the rest of his clothing. As Joe undoes his pant to pull them down, he notices Joseph’s hard, throbbing bulge under his boxers, “You just can’t contain your excitement, can you?” Joe laughs as he drops his pants to the floor along with his boxers, leaving himself fully exposed on top of Joseph. "Now I'm not going to say it again,” he said in between kissing Joseph, “Take. It. All. Off.” Joe was now laying on Joseph, thrusting himself down on him at a very hard and steady pace. “Make me, big boy.” Joseph growled, it took everything in him not to comply and strip down, to leave the of fabric of his boxers in between them.

“Now,” Joe begged in a teasing voice “how am I supposed to take all of this,” his hands grabbed Joseph’s dick through his boxers, “in my mouth if you won’t-“. Just like that Joseph was bending to Joe’s words and had his boxers on the ground with everything else. “That’s more like it”, Joe snickered as he took in every inch of the man that had been pinning for him. “Enough damn words and just suck me! I know you want it, Joe.” Joseph was so hard, and his face beet red. Joe kept kissing Joseph, biting his bottom lip. Soon he trailed down his torso leaving bite marks everywhere his lips went. With each moan, Joseph bit harder. Joe got down on his knees as he looked up at Joseph who gave him the go ahead. Joe began to massage Joseph’s dick with his hand, it was plump and throbbing already, and decorated with precum. He went on to leave small kisses around his shaft, taking the moment in. Finally, Joe just couldn’t hold back any longer took. “Fuck,” Joseph was enjoying Joe’s lips around his tip. Joe slowly goes deeper, circling his tongue in a rhythmic pattern. Sucking harder, Joe can feel Joseph tugging at his long, luscious curls, turning him on more. Coming up for some air, Joe gives Joseph another devilish smize, “I’m going all the way, I can take you. You only stop if you need it.” With a fearsome grin, he goes back for more. This time grabbing Joseph by the ass he pulls him in tight as they begin to thrust in sync with one another, faster and harder. Joe now has Joseph’s long, wet, cock all the way into his throat. “Fu-ck, Jo-e Keery”, Joe looked up to see Joseph’s eyes rolled back as he yells Joe’s name. Joseph couldn’t help but grip Joe by the back of the shoulders to help stabilize him; in doing so he was leaving marks from the sensations rushing through him. “C-com-,” he couldn’t mutter out that he was about to cum, but Joe understood. With a final few thrusts, Joe took in all that Joseph had to offer before he collapsed on the sofa next to Joseph. Joseph sat there bewildered at what just happened, “So,” he mentioned, turning to look at Joe, “I had no idea you could do that.” Gripping the back of Joseph’s neck, Joe pulled him into another passionate kiss. Joe’s tongue was fighting for dominance over Joseph’s in their mouths, he could still taste the gin on his breath. Releasing from the kiss, Joe replies “That is not even the best part of what I can do to you. But we will leave that for another time since it is late.”

#maya hawke #jaime campbell bower #joe keery #joe quinn #steve harrington #eddie munson #stranger things #stranger things 4 #steddie #steddie smut

[meowmeowbilly]

Hi 👋

When would Steve realize that Billy is the "one"? Someone he wants to spend the rest of his life with?

Honestly? I think some part of him realized the day that Billy shoulder checked him on the basketball court and then grabbed his hand and told him to plant his feet. Whether it was a conscious or subconscious recognition, I'm not sure.

If we're sticking with canon? I don't think it fully clicked in his head until talking with Robin in the bathroom in season 3. I would argue that his moment of silence after she came out was not him processing that, but processing his own shit. In that moment, he realized that Billy was the person he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. Now, whether or not they'd gotten up to things/fooled around/dated in-between the seasons is up for interpretation, so there could've already been a developing relationship. I don't know, I think there's just something very Steve about him not realizing until it's too late. Before the end of the night, Billy is laying dead on the floor of Starcourt. IMO this could possibly explain him going through girls like crazy and then finally trying to rebound with Nancy in S4. (yes, I know it's the duffer's shitty writing let me try to make it make sense 😭) People deal with grief in different ways and I think that he would very quickly try to go back to what he knew and was familiar with, even if the feelings weren't really there anymore.

NOW, on a non-canon note? I think it's the first time that he sees Billy hurt. (from Neil, upside down shit, even after the fight at the Byers', or any number of scenarios.) I think seeing Billy hurt makes it click in his head that "Oh my god, I can't imagine living my life without this person in it. The rest of my life wouldn't be the same without them, I love them."

Bonus (how did Billy realize?): Billy realized the night of the Halloween party. Maybe he saw some astrological alignment of planets that his mom taught him about or maybe all it took was seeing Steve's face. That staring at him? It was absolutely NOT because he was trying to intimidate him or some stupid shit, he was trying to memorize the face of the person he wanted to be with. All of the "bullying" or teasing that he did to Steve was just straight up flirting (i mean we all knew that but my point still stands.) I think he was testing the waters and trying to get a gauge on if he had a chance with Steve at all; he was trying to figure out whether or not Steve was into guys and specifically into him.

#harringrove #ask #billy #steve #billy hargrove #steve harrington #harringrove headcanons #harringrove hcs

[peaceteaa11]

Love Luna

Pairing: Eddie Munson x OC

Rating: this is pretty clean ngl. They might not all be but this one is :)

Warnings: Mentions boobies :)

Summary: Luna Byers meets Eddie Munson for the first time. A moment that changes her life forever.

AN: requests are open. First fanfic on this platform. Let me know what you think.

**I do not own any characters from the duffer brothers’ Stranger Things. I only own original characters such as Luna Byers.**

─────── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───────

The first time I met Eddie was during the storm of the season. Thundering was booming, shaking the ground beneath my feet. Lighting was streaking across the sky acting as my only source of light as I spirited through the woods. A short cut to my house that I had memorized when I was younger. I knew my mother would be furious when she found out I wasn’t home before the storm hit. She always warned me and my brothers to get inside beforehand. Ever since Will, my little brother, had disappeared a few years back she barely let us do anything anymore. She had perfectly good reasoning, ya know, monsters stealing her children and all, but she truly shouldn’t be surprised that I’m sneaking out every now and then. Besides, Will is back and has been for awhile now, the monsters are gone, and life in Hawkins is just as boring as it was before the upside down.

It was by pure chance that I ended up meeting Eddie Munson that night. But meeting Eddie changed my life in just about every way that it possibly could.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I quickly weave through the trees my eyebrows knit together as I squint through the heavy drops of water. Just as I am coming up to a familiar clearing and picnic table where Will and I come to talk about... well, just about anything, my left foot slips out from underneath me sending me falling backwards. Mud cakes the front of my shoes and I’m sure that now it is all over my back. I lay there for a moment, my eyes closed facing the sky. I sigh and mumble to myself before being startled by the honking of a car horn. I quickly sit up and my head aches from hitting the ground. My hair smacks me in the face as I whip my head towards the noise. It sticks to my cheeks and the back of my neck, I wipe my drenched locks out of my face to see a bit clearer. A van sits parked on the edge of the clearing only a few feet away. The drivers side window roles down and my eyes lock with Eddie Munson’s big brown ones.

“Byers! What are you doing in the woods at night?” He chuckles a bit. I had never really heard Eddie laugh other than sarcastically in response to insults thrown his way. Eddie and I didn’t really run in the same circles. He was… well he was Eddie and I was hanging with Steve Harrington, Robin Buckley, and Nancy Wheeler. That was about all the friends I had unless you could my little bother’s friends. I slowly pick myself up off the ground as Eddie sticks his head out his window. I feel his eyes scan my soaked figure and it's clear to him that I have caught him doing so when his eyes meet mine once more. He tries to hide a small smile, poorly doing so, but he tries.

“Isn’t it obvious? I’m falling. The usual.” I half shout over the storm half laugh. He smiles brightly at me before his face scrunches up a bit. He bites his bottom lip as of tiring to stop himself from saying something stupid. Before any awkward silence can set in I decide to speak up again. “What are you doing the woods at night?”

Eddie smirks before holding up his left hand which has a blunt wedge between his ring clad fingers. “Smoking. Listening to music. The usual.” He shrugs and lowers his hand, continuing to stare at me. “Uh… do you want a ride?” He nervously nibbles on his lip after he finishes his sentence.

I look around me in the pouring rain. My eyebrows still knit together. A big boom of thunder shakes the world around me. Squinting, not at him but more in his general direction as I try to see his soft face through the sheets of rain. I scan the area around me and then Eddie once more. Just as I’m about to speak he cuts me off. “Uh, I’m… I don’t know if you formally know me but uh, I’m-I’m Eddie… Eddie Mu-“

“Munson. Yeah, I know who you are.” I yell over the rain. Crossing my arms over my chest to keep warm.

“Oh. Great.” He huffs to himself. “Guessing you don’t want that ride then.” There was that sarcastic tone I was so used to. He forces a harsh laugh. I quickly run up to the window and he moves away quickly. He stares at me in shock. His lips slightly parted and the tips of his hair dripping from sticking his head out the window.

“No. I… Are you… are you sober enough to drive me home?” I wrap my hands around the open surface of his car, basically pleading with him to not leave me in the rain alone. Another streak of lighting lights up the woods around us and a huge boom follows quickly after. I jump a little and then shiver from the cold rain. He glances down at my fingers before meeting my eyes. He looks shocked, startled, but he also seems worried? There is something strange I can identify.

“I… I… yea yea. Of course I am.” He smiles at me genuinely before nodding to the passengers side of the car. “Hop in Byers.”

I jog around to the other side of the van and he pushes the door open for me. I look inside, I hesitate a bit causing Eddie to frown.

“Look. You don’t have to get in if you don't want to. And if you do want to I won’t tell anyone you hung out with the freak. I promise. I just... it doesn't feel right letting go home alone in the rain. I mean look at this storm it’s-“

“Eddie shut up. I just… do you have a towel? I’m all muddy. I don’t wanna get your van messy.” I smile lightly wrapping my arms around my torso once again.

“That’s what you’re worried about?” Eddie chuckles. It’s light and contagious. I can/t help but giggle a little.

“Well… yeah, kinda.” I shiver once more.

“Just get in dork. You're going to freeze to death.” Eddie takes one more hit off his blunt before putting it out. I jump into the van slamming the door behind me, glad to be out of the rain. Eddie rolls his window up before glancing at me. His big brown eyes hesitate on my body. “Uh… here.” He shimmies out of his leather jacket and vest then tosses it onto my lap. I look over to him in confusion. A light blush tints his checks and tips of his ears through his hair. “I can see… your shirt is…”

“Oh! Oh… thank you. Uh… that’s embarrassing.” I feel a similar blush quickly take over my face.

“It’s all good. I just didn't wanna be that jerk that doesn't let you know for my benefit." He laughs and begins to reverse.

"For your benefit, huh?" My comment makes the pink tint on his cheeks intensify.

"I'm high." He mumbles.

"But not high enough to not be able to drive me home, Munson." I smirk to myself and keep my eyes trained on the concentrated boy in front of me.

"Yeah, I... look at least I told you. I'm not trying to be creepy." He glances over to me before training his eyes on the road once again.

“Yeah. Suppose not.” I smile at him and quickly give him my address. I slip into his jacket and instantly I am hit with the smell of cinnamon and cigarettes. I snuggle into his leftover warmth in the jacket as I wrap the open sides around me tightly. I let my fingers play with the soft jean fabric of his overlaying vest that he wore with almost every outfit. My fingers work their way up to the pins on his chest pocket. I run my finger tips over the cool metal. We sit in silence with only the pitter patter of the rain and the soft hum of Dio’s Holy Driver album flows through the radio. “What’s your favorite song?”

“Hm?” He glances over at me with confusion.

“From the album?” I point to the radio and his lips part catching my attention. I stare at his mouth until he begins to smile. I turn my attention back to his eyes. He glances at me once more.

“You know Dio?”

“Yes? That’s why I asked?” I laugh a bit and he chuckles.

“Wow. Byers you never cease to surprise me. Running through the woods during an Earth shaking storm. Knowing Dio. Having a tattoo.” He slips the last part of his sentence out quietly. I whip my head in his direction. My tattoo was a small crescent moon on my lower sternum just under, but technically in between my boobs. His brown eyes sparkle as they meet mine.

“I… how do you…” I look down at his jacket and remember why I’m wearing it. “Oh. Shit. I… well… um. There’s nothing to really say about that I suppose.” I force a laugh.

“Don’t worry, darling. I’m not gonna tell anyone. Besides. It would only make people think you’re hotter.” He chuckles as we pull onto the rustic path that leads to my house. I feel a deep blush step into my skin. Tingles running all over my body. I look to my house not sure what to say. Quickly, I decide to shift the topic away from my boobs.

“Oh thank god! My mom isn’t home yet!” I laugh. He puts the van in park and looks over to me. A small smile forms on his lips.

“Glad I could be of assistance.” Once again my eyes dart down to his lips. This time he definitely takes notice. “See something you like?”

“Can I keep this for a bit?” I quickly rip my eyes from his lips and point to his jacket. My eyes lock onto his. His big brown eyes sparkle and he chuckles. The sound fills the van and I can’t help but smile.

“Absolutely, darling. You can drop it at my house after school sometime... Er- actually I could just come here. That would be better.” He quickly spits. I notice as soon as he mentioned his house his face dropped. I decided not to pry into his personal life and instead take one more look at his lips. He smirks, catching me once again.

I chuckle as I jump out into the rain once more. I stare into the van and Eddie smiles out at me. “Thank you Eddie. I’ll take good care of your jacket.” I wink at him and slam the door before running inside. As I step inside I hear his van start up once more. I smile to myself. I always thought Eddie was attractive ever since I started high school, but good god. He's literally so fucking pretty.

“Will? Jonathan?” I shout through my house.

“My room!” Jonathan yells. I jog into my room. I carefully take off Eddie's jacket and vest, setting them on my bed. I peel the drenched clothes from my body and quickly change into plaid pajama pants and a tank top. I look at Eddie’s jacket on my bed and find myself blushing a bit. Woah. I barely know him and I’m blushing like a fool. I quickly hang the jacket up in my closet before rushing to my brother’s room. When I swing the door open Will is on Jonathan's bed leaning against the headboard with his nose in a comic book. Jonathan sits at his desk writing something, a love letter to Nancy, I’m sure.

“You’re lucky mom isn’t home yet.” Will sets his comic into his lap and smiles up at me. I jump onto Jonathan’s bed and lay my head on Will’s lower legs. “Ewwww you’re hair’s all wet!”

I look up at Will and huff. “I don’t know if you know this but it’s pouring outside so… I kinda got a bit damp.”

“Oh shut up.” He pulls his legs out from under me and sits criss cross.

“Where were you?” Jonathan catches my attention.

“Just with Robin. Then I ran into another friend on my way home. He gave me a ride home.”

“Steve?” Jonathan grumbles. They don't really get along that well. Being in love with the same girl will do that to ya.

“Nope.” My answer causes both my brothers to stare at me with curiosity.

“Who?” Jonathan questions.

“Just some guy from school. You wouldn’t know him.” I hum.

“Uh. You don’t have any other friends besides Steve and Robin.” Will says.

“Uh yes I do. Nancy is my friend too.”

“Right okay. Robin, Steve, and Nancy. And no one else.” Will corrects himself.

"There is also Max and El." I smile brightly.

"Right right, my friends." Will playfully glares at me.

"Our friends." I shoot him a toothy grin and he laughs.

"Okay fine. Whatever." Will hums.

“Well. We aren’t really close friends but I like him. He’s nice.” I feel another blush creep onto my cheeks. Neither of them seem to pick up on it though, thank goodness.

“Okay… whatever weirdo.” Jonathan laughs before turning back to his work. Will sticks his nose back in his comic book and I stare up at the ceiling replaying my first interaction with Eddie Munson.

I’m glad he gave me a ride and I finally got to meet him. He’s so sweet… and not bad to look at either.

─────── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ──────

Okay! Let me know if you guys like this! I’ll probably write more parts and other fics either way cause I’m obsessed but still! Requests are open as well.

Read part two and part three

#eddie munson #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson imagine #eddie my beloved #eddie x oc #stranger things #peaceposts

[significant-ace-nnoyance]

update on my mom watching st: SHES ALREADY ON S2?????? STARTED LIKE TWO DAYS AGO???? she was at first kinda annoyed by the misogyny at the beginning bc they were trying to set it in the 80s and i didn’t want to spoil so i couldn’t explain that they were emphasizing the heteronormativity of the wheelers for a reason *wink* and also yes the boys are a bit annoying as kids they gotta mature

but now she says she LOVES it and that the show is “sooooo good” also el is her fav at this point as she SHOULD be

already know she’s gonna be pissed by milkvan which is fine by me :))) but i’m just gonna have to sit in silence while she rants at the duffers for being sexist and hates on mike LMAO

#for the negative zero people who care LMFAO #i just felt like sharing bc for some reason it makes me super happy and validated that she likes it even tho obvi it’s super popular lol #i really really hope she notices byler s2 iS THE GAY ONE

[stranger-fanfiction-n-things]

CHAPTER 3: HOLLY, JOLLY

This is an Original Character fanfiction. All Stranger Things characters and content are owned by Netflix and The Duffer Brothers.

a/n: We love a heart to heart between friends. Virginity is such a controversial and nuanced topic and I wanted to dive into Nancy losing her virginity and not feeling the sparks and butterflies or like a new person. Having sex does not make you a slut.

Warnings: Violence.

Word Count: 2188

Masterlist

PART I || PART II || PART III || PART IV || PART V

CHERRY OAK AND CORNWALLIS 

“Nancy, what’s going on?” I ask for the fourth time. We are walking down the street towards the Motel 6 on the side of the road. 

“We need to go back to Steve’s house.” Nancy finally answers. 

I frown, shrugging off Nancy’s hold. “No.”  

“Diana,” I shake my head not wanting to hear anything Nancy has to say. There was no reason to go to Steve’s house and I’m not going. 

“I’m not going.” I say turning back towards Hawkins High. 

“Diana, please!” Nancy shouts, pulling my arm again. 

“Wha—” 

“I think something happened to Barb!” she exclaims, tears brimming her eyes. I flinch as if she flicked me on the forehead. Nancy looks around and says more quietly. “I think something happened to Barb, and the last place we both saw her was at Steve’s house.” Nancy bites her lip to keep from crying. “I need you to come with me, Diana. Help me find Barb.” 

“I called Mrs. Holland after lunch today and she said she hasn’t heard from Barb either.” She continues.

“Barb was supposed to be sleeping over at your house, remember?” 

Nancy stands rigid, squeezing her eyes shut. She does this when she’s overwhelmed. After a brief second, Nancy opens her eyes, visibly relaxing but not enough. “I-I know,” she agrees. “I had to lie to Mrs. Holland.” 

“If Barb isn’t at school and she isn’t at home—” 

“She must be at Steve’s…” Nancy interjects, her expression strained and tight. “Somewhere.” 

I frown shaking my head. “That doesn’t make any sense—” 

“I know it doesn’t!” she shouts in panic. “But we have to check. It’s the last place we both saw her.” 

I don’t say anything for a moment, trying to make sense of everything. Barb wouldn’t just disappear like that. Sure, she was upset with Nancy, we both were. But nothing a small conversation couldn’t fix. If something did happen to Barb, I can’t leave Nancy to find her on her own. It’s too dangerous. I puff out my cheeks blowing a breath that is strong enough to shift my bangs. The stubborn part of me wants to be mad at Nancy for putting us through this in the first place, but whatever happened in the past doesn’t matter anymore. What matters is finding Barb and I pray we do. 

“Okay. Okay.” I respond. “But before we go to Steve’s we need to find Barb’s car. She wouldn’t leave without it.” 

KERLEY AND MIRKWOOD

I think something happened to Barb. It’s enough to snap me out of whatever resentment I have been feeling towards Nancy…towards Barb. It’s been about half an hour since Nancy’s small outburst and we have been walking in silence since. I try not to panic but with each step, it gets worse and worse. The last time I saw Barb, I hugged her goodbye and told her to put a bandage on her finger to stop the bleeding. I remember the hug feeling like a…farewell. The thought sends a shiver down my spine. No. No. Barb is fine. She has to be. 

“Diana!” Nancy says, holding my arm. She points ahead of her at a car parked on the side of the road. Barb’s car. 

“Oh my god,” I gasp. We both rush to the car peering through the window.

It looks the same as when we left it last night. Nancy’s sweater is still on the passenger seat. Which means…Nancy and I exchange anxious glances. 

“Barb?” Nancy shouts, looking around. 

“Barb!” I shout right after. 

Barb hasn’t been to her car since. 

Neither Nancy nor I speak to one another as we walk to Steve’s house. I am consumed in paranoia at the thought of where Barbara could be. This morning, I assumed she was sick because we were outside for a long time in the cold and the way her finger was bleeding when I left, maybe she went to the hospital to get stitches. But when Nancy called it seemed as though Mrs. Holland hadn’t heard from her and it was unlike Barb to not call her parents. The feeling of dread formed then, but I pushed it down to be with Eddie and Ronnie. Then the mix up with Jonathan happened with Steve in the parking lot—

“Diana?” Nancy asks, touching my arm. “Are you okay?” 

I move my arm away. “No, I’m not okay!” I exclaim. “We can’t find Barb! None of this would’ve happened if she just left with me.” 

Nancy is quiet, blue eyes waiting for me to lash out. I sigh shaking my head, clenching my jaw. Walking back to Steve’s house felt like walking back to the scene of the crime. The scene of my emotional turmoil. It isn’t fair. Now with Barb’s car being abandoned in the same spot we left it last night. I can’t anymore. 

“Nancy, what happened last night?”

“What do you mean?”   

“By the pool.” Nancy cocks her head. “The way you were treating me and Barb…you weren’t you.”

“I was me. I was just having fun.”

“At the expense of Barb and I. You weren’t being a good friend to us, Nance. You forced Barb to drink, embarrassed me in front of everyone. We told you multiple times we don’t want to go to Steve’s house, but because you are our best friend, we stayed to support you and the way you treated us…” 

“It wasn’t my intention to embarrass you guys.” 

I’m sure she seen how uncomfortable you looked. Eddie’s voice said in my mind. I shake my head. “You didn’t see our discomfort because you were too drunk to notice and you pushed Barb and I away. Now she’s missing!” I can’t stop the words from tumbling out of my mouth. “Since when do you know how to shot gun beer? Do you even like beer?” 

“I just wanted to make sure you were having as much fun as possible considering you and Barb didn’t want to be there.” Nancy answers. 

“I felt like you didn’t want us there and when you told us to leave, it solidified that feeling. When Barb decided to stay, I had to walk home in the middle of the night!” I exclaim. “I just…These past few days have been so scary with Will missing and now Barb, I can’t!” 

“We’re going to find Barb!” Nancy shouts, holding my shoulders. “We are going to find Barb.” She repeats. “We are going to find her.” I think she’s trying to convince herself more than me. Nancy lets go of me, running her hands through her hair. She wrings her hands out, pacing back and forth. “I feel like I’ve been messing everything up these past few days. I just feel like…I don’t know.” 

I stare at Nancy, giving her a moment to compose herself. For as long as I’ve known Nancy, she has never been…fidgety or uncomfortable. I’m the fidgety one who is often uncomfortable in situations where I have to talk to people I don’t know. It makes me wonder what happened when she went up to Steve’s room. I touch her arm willing her to stand still. 

“What’s wrong?” I genuinely want to know. “Did you walk home from Steve’s house too?” 

“Yes! I got home at like 12am and then my mom started yelling at me and I was just so overwhelmed and we got into an argument.” 

“About?” 

“Well, the time I got home for one and then, I forgot I was wearing Steve’s hoodie and that became a whole thing.” We stroll down the hill. Nancy doesn’t speak for a long while and I give her the space to form her thoughts. “She asked if Steve and I were dating. And I don’t know why, but I felt…angry. Because why does it have to be labelled? I’m just having fun. What’s wrong with having fun with a boy?” 

I don’t have to ask what “it” was, to know what “it” she’s referring to. “There’s nothing wrong with having fun with a boy. Just be mindful of how you treat your friends.” 

“I’m so sorry, Diana. I swear it wasn’t my intention.” 

“I believe you. I’m sorry I wasn’t trying to be involved. I just feel so out of place sometimes.” 

“Me too. I didn’t get much sleep last night. I kept tossing and turning, thinking about…what happens now.” 

“What do you mean?” I know what she means, but I want her to say it. 

“I mean there’s so much talk about it being a life changing thing…but I feel everything and nothing. I don’t feel any different than I did before. I don’t feel attached either.” Nancy shrugs her shoulders. “When I was walking down the halls this morning, I felt like everyone was staring at me like they knew what I did. Steve came to my locker and he was really sweet. He didn’t tell anyone and I trust him. Then I realized. It’s okay. It was my choice. I feel happy and safe and I’m glad I shared that moment with him.” 

I smile feeling at ease with how Nancy’s night went with Steve. I would hate to have to find my brother’s wrist-rocket to use on him. I nudge her softly and she nudges me back. 

“It’s what I told you in the car. I won’t look at you any differently. I’m glad you enjoyed your time with him and it was on your terms.”

Nancy’s eyebrows rise along with her smile. “Me too.” 

I link my arms between hers. This is the Nancy I know. I sigh deeply debating on if I should tell her or not. I decide I might as well. “I’ll admit, Steve’s not as bad as I thought he was.” I ignore Nancy’s surprised stare. “I can tell he really likes you, Nancy.” Her cheeks turn pink. 

“Shut up.” 

“It’s true! I see the way he looks at you.”

“How does he look at me?” 

Like he’s in love. I shrug my shoulders. That’s for Nancy to figure out on her own. “I don’t know…like he really likes you. I can’t explain it.” 

Nancy seems satisfied with my answer or she’s too embarrassed to push. Either way, I’m glad things are back how it used to be at least for now. When the breeze blew past, the heaviness in my stomach crept back up my chest. I look at the empty spot beside me. The spot for Barb. Hoping we’ll find her soon. 

HARRINGTON RESIDENCE

We approach Steve’s house. It looks much bigger and intimidating in the daytime. I follow Nancy to the side of the house where there is a wooden door leading to the backyard. Nancy reaches for the handle and my eyes widen. 

“Nancy!” I hiss, pulling her back. “We can’t just walk around Steve’s backyard without permission! It’s trespassing.” 

“We have to. It’s the last time either of us saw Barb.”  

“Nancy, we can be arrested if someone catches us.” 

“If you don’t want to come, then stay here and keep watch. I’ll look around and see if I find anything.”

I shift from side to side watching Nancy carefully open the door. I hold it open for her as she looks around before stepping through. My body is vibrating with anxiety as I keep look out. Nancy peruses the concrete edge of the pool.  

“Barb?” Nancy calls out. 

There’s nothing but silence for a moment until I hear rustling in the trees. I whip my head to the side, searching through the underbrush for the source of the sound. My stomach flips when Nancy walks toward the same place I thought I heard the sound. Is she out of her mind?

“Nancy!” I whisper out loud, letting go of the door. It creaks shut behind me. “Nancy!” She can’t hear me. Worry gnaws at me; I can’t leave her to walk inside the woods by herself. 

I scurry after her, grabbing her arm. She jumps, looking back at me with wide eyes. Nancy relaxes for a moment; thankful I am with her. I swallow thickly, keeping close as we walk deeper into the woods. Remnants of my dream comes back to me. I can almost feel the branches scratching my cheeks and ripping my hair out of its ponytail. My screams for help. A sense of deep uneasiness holds me rigid. What if something happened to Barb and she was screaming, but Nancy and I can’t hear her? 

“Barb?” Nancy calls out. 

The same rustling sound happens again. Nancy and I gasp snapping our heads to the left. I draw a sharp breath, blinking back tears. Nancy and I share nervous glances. 

“Barb?” Nancy calls again. 

From the corner of my eye, I see something whip past us a few yards down. It’s huge and—I scream letting go of Nancy. I don’t see her fall until I trip over her legs falling on top of her. We are a tangle of limbs scrambling up to our feet. Nancy grabs my hand and we both take off sprinting out of Steve’s backyard. 

#stranger things rewrite #black fem reader #stranger things fic #stranger things #eddie munson x black!reader #steve harrington x black!reader #steve harrington x fem!reader #sinclair!reader #steve harrington x reader #dianasinclair #eddie munson x reader #Eddie Munson x fem!reader

[how-queerious]

It is very wrong of you to assume that Eddissy shippers aren’t queer too. In fact the vast majority of Eddissy shippers are lgbt+ and see Eddie x Chrissy as a bi4bi relationship. They’re not ignoring the queerness of Eddie. In fact it’s Steddies who will happily erase Eddie’s bisexuality. Bisexual erasure is so harmful and alienates bisexuals who already feel like outcasts in the community. It falls into the stereotype that bisexual men are just secretly gay men who just haven’t come out yet which is so wrong. Canonically, Eddie had a crush on Chrissy. He’s had a crush on Chrissy for a long time. Joseph said there was a potential for romance between them and to erase that or to ignore that is to say that Joseph is a bad actor because his intent didn’t come across. Joseph hasn’t said anything but ‘people can dream, I guess’ about Steddie. Yet, Eddissy shippers don’t ignore the potential for Eddie to be bisexual. Bisexual men can still participate in the hanky code and can be into BDSM (even though the costume department already explained that Eddie was using the handcuffs to add accessories to his outfits and the hanky in his back pocket is about following the fashion of metal bands) (You are also giving the Duffers and writers way too much credit when they forgot Will’s birthday). If Eddie is lgbt+ then he falls under the bisexual umbrella. Please don’t be part of or participate in the group of people trying to silence Eddissy shippers by calling us all straight or cisgender, it’s hurtful.

if you read through my whole post and took that from it you deliberately swerved the message. also im literally bi dude. i am bi and into bdsm. believe me i am aware. that post was (as explicitly stated several times) about the straight shipper who ARE erasing chrissy and Eddie's characters

i explicitly stated it was the STRAIGHT fans of eddissy that i was talking about, and that i wasn't against the pairing themself (not my cup of tea but also i ship ronance and dont hate jonance because i do know that thats fruitless)

#touch grass bro #with love #also come off anon and fight with me LiKe A rEaL mAn #(just so I'm perfectly clear since your reading comprehension seems to be a total of zilch #that was sarcastic and mocking of the like a real man shtick) #also give me pronouns so i dont misgender you while i drag you for filth please