#Take Me Home steddie fic | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

seidenbros · 2 years

Note

hi! ♡ i'm not even in the st fandom (the only knowledge i have is: eddie munson), but can i ask something based on the 17. playing their favorite board games of this but maybe instead board games it's just eddie helping steve to make a dnd character for their campaign?

Hello my love! 💚 Of course you can! And this is such a sweet prompt oh lord. I have to say, though, that it went in a direction that I hadn't actually planned, like... not at all. But here we are now, and I hope you'll like it

Requests are open | prompt lists for inspiration | Stranger Things Masterlist

Summary: “Perfect. My place at three. We’ve got a lot of work to do.” Eddie grinned at him, before he turned around and walked towards the door. “It’s a date!” When Steve Asks Eddie to teach him how to play DnD, help him come up with his own character, he doesn't expect Eddie to call it a date. He surely didn't mean anything by that, or did he? Robin on the other hand is sure that Eddie meant a real DATE. She'd seen her best friend try to flirt with Eddie so long, she really hopes she'd right. Pairing: Steddie | Steve Harrington x Eddie Munson Word count: 2871 Warning/Tags: First kiss,, fluff, gay Eddie Munson, Canon Divergence (Post S4, everybody lives), first date, mutual pining (let me know if I missed anything)

Read on AO3

“Can I come?” Steve asked out of the blue, looking over at Eddie after he’d told him about the next campaign he was planning. Eddie had come to family video to pick up a movie for the night. He always stayed a little with Steve and Robin when they were working, catching up. Now, that school was over even for him, he was working in a record store, trying to earn some money, before he figured out what to do, which path to follow.

“What? To our meeting?” Eddie looked at him curiously, leaning over the counter to peer into Steve’s face and find out whether he was serious or not.

“Yeah. You’ve been talking about it all the time and Dustin has been begging me to try it out.” And Steve had been intrigued to see Eddie in action. Before, he hadn’t been interested in their little games, but ever since Dustin had told him about Eddie and the campaigns he came up with, Steve had been curious. About the game, but about Munson as well. Eddie managed to get under Steve’s skin but… in a good way. At first, he’d always been irritated, but by now, he’d realised that he craved that kind of attention, the way his skin started to tingle whenever Eddie’s eyes lingered on him a little longer.

“But you have no idea about DnD, Harrington, or did I miss something.”

“Well…” Steve rubbed a hand over the nape of his neck. “No. I thought maybe you could help me with that. It’d be a surprise for Dustin.”

“Steve Harrington wants my help to play DnD?” The smug grin on Eddie’s lips made Steve’s cheeks burn. Maybe, he shouldn’t have asked, should have found a different way to learn about this.

“I’m not going to beg, but yes, I want your help.” Steve could feel Robin’s eyes boring into him. She probably wished she’d had some popcorn right now, because she’d already teased him about the way he acted around Eddie, the way he flirted with the older one- which Steve had denied at first, but she hadn’t even let him finish. She’d seen him flirt with all the pretty girls, and he was treating Eddie like he was one of them most of the time.

“Oh, Harrington, what I wouldn’t give to see you on your knees, begging for my help,” Eddie teased and for a moment, he looked dead serious until he let out a chuckle and pushed back from the counter. “You’re off work tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah…” Steve was still taken aback from the way Eddie’s words had sounded right now, that he wasn’t following Eddie completely.

“Perfect. My place at three. We’ve got a lot of work to do.” Eddie grinned at him, before he turned around and walked towards the door. “It’s a date!” Before he walked out, he looked back once more. “See you ‘round, Robin.”

“A date, eh?” Robin drawled into Steve’s ear, nudging his shoulder with hers.

“He probably didn’t mean anything by that.”

“And yet… you can’t stop grinning like a lovesick fool.”

“Oh stop it.” Steve turned around, grabbed the stack of movies and started to return them to their designated spots.

“You don’t have to deny that in front of me, Steve.”

No, he really didn’t because Robin knew him, knew about his feelings, just like he did about hers. When he’d started to feel this pull towards Eddie, he’d confided in her, had spent the whole night talking with Robin, because that’s what best friends do.

“I’m not… I just…” He shrugged his shoulders before he turned to look at her. “Don’t wanna get my hopes up, you know?”

“Says the person who told me that Vicky likes boobies, because of a movie?”

“Well, I was right, wasn’t I?” Steve walked back to the counter, got behind it with a smug smile on his lips. “How’s she doing anyway?”

“We’re on for dinner tonight. My turn to cook.”

“Just watch out that you’re not burning down the kitchen.”

“Hey!” She swatted at his arm, but the hint of a smile was still playing on her lips. “My skills have improved!”

They really had, but it was always just playful banter between them.

“Anyway, we’re not talking about me.”

“Not about me either.” Nope, he really didn’t want to think or talk about this anymore. It had cost him enough courage to ask Eddie about this, the first time he’d initiated anything that could lead to them spending time alone. Usually there was always someone else, but this time…

“Fine.” Robin rolled her eyes and kept her mouth shut about the topic until she was done with work and heading home to let Steve close up the store.

“Have fun on your date tomorrow. And call me afterwards! No matter what time. You hear me?”

“Goodbye, Robin!”

Yes… he’d definitely call her, once this was over, but he still wasn’t sure if he could call that a date, or if Eddie had just said that.

—

Steve stopped the car in front of Eddie’s trailer. He’d been up half the night, not able to fall asleep, because he’d kept thinking about today. Ridiculous, because they were friends by now, so it was perfectly normal for him to come here and spend time with Eddie. He’d just never done that before, and the word date still echoed in his head, which was the primary source for the nervousness that made his heart pick up its pace when he walked to the door and knocked.

“Just a sec,” he heard Eddie yell from the inside, and it sounded like something crashed to the floor, followed by Eddie swearing. Steve couldn’t help but smile when Eddie opened the door, looking a little out of breath.

“Harrington! I’ve been expecting you.” Eddie grinned at him. “Come on in, just need to fix something.”

Eddie left the door open for Steve to enter and he followed. It wasn’t his first time being here, but it still felt somewhat different. Maybe, because it was just them and no one else, since Eddie’s uncle was out and about before he had to go to work.

“I already laid everything out on the table.” Eddie gestured towards the living room, because they’d have a bit more space there than in his bedroom. Steve just nodded and walked over to sit on the couch, but he still kept his eyes on Eddie, who was putting some shards of whatever he’d broken away in the trash.

Eddie had hurried towards the door and had knocked one of Wayne’s mugs over. It wasn’t one of his favourites, just a plain dark blue and white one, but Eddie still felt bad. He was just too excited to see Harrington here and talk about DnD with him - something he’d never thought would happen.

“So…” Eddie flopped down next to Steve, grinning at him. “How much do you know?”

“Not much.” Steve turned to the side so that he could face Eddie. “I know that you make your own characters, but that’s about it.” Yes, Dustin had talked a lot about the campaigns, the stories Eddie had come up with but not exactly about the way the game was played. Just that everyone made their own character.

“That’s at least a start.” He scooted a little closer and reached out for the papers that lay on the table. “These are some of my old characters.” Dating back to God knows when, but Eddie had kept them. “Character-sheets.” Next he reached for a book that he dropped in Steve’s lap. “You need to have a look at the different races first, find out what kind of character you want, what fits you.”

Oh, Eddie was in his element, and when it came to DnD, he could probably talk for hours, but he had to take it easy with Steve. Someone who was just beginning to get into the matter, could easily be scared away. So Eddie took his time, told him about the different races, told him what kind of character he thought would be good for Steve, especially to start with. It was all about having fun, enjoying yourself, enjoying the game, and the time with friends. Mistakes would be made, that was unavoidable, but it was perfectly fine. He just wanted to make Steve feel welcome, show him that he really appreciated the interest in a game that Eddie himself loved.

For nearly three hours they sat there together, looking over the character sheets and everything else Eddie had prepared. Once Steve had gotten a good idea of what this was all about, Eddie helped him create his own character. Steve was still a little reserved with his own ideas, but Eddie kept on encouraging him, asking him, and so Steve was able to break out of his shell.

It was… comfortable with Eddie, and while Steve was still aware of his increased heartbeat, it wasn’t really due to nervousness anymore, but just because of Eddie himself. Because of the way he talked to Steve, the way their hands brushed against each other all the time, because of Eddie’s upper arm pressing into his own as he leaned over to point something out. Yes, Steve was acutely aware of Eddie, of how close they were, and he thoroughly enjoyed it.

“Think you can finish the rest by yourself?” Eddie looked at the nearly filled out character sheet, there were just bits and bobs missing, so he was sure that Steve would be able to manage alone. Otherwise he could still ask Eddie about it. To be honest, he wouldn’t mind spending another afternoon like this with Steve, sharing something he loved.

“I had a great teacher, so I think I can do that.” Steve grinned at Eddie, who was just getting up from the couch. He’d made it easy for Steve to feel comfortable around here, around him. He’d opened up more, maybe because they were alone and nobody was watching them.

“Make that the best teacher, and you’ll get a little present.” The way Eddie winked at him, made Steve’s stomach flip, and for a moment, he was speechless. He realised, though, that Eddie was waiting for a response.

“Of course…” Steve managed, shaking his head to focus again. “The best teacher I could possibly get.”

Eddie bit his tongue to not let the words good boy slip, because it wasn’t exactly appropriate right now, was it? Even though he’d called this a date , Eddie really didn’t know what Steve thought about this.

He excused himself and came back with a little leather pouch, which he dropped in Steve’s lap, just like he’d done with the book before.

“What is that?” Steve cradled the pouch in his hands and looked up at Eddie who was standing behind the couch, leaning on his arms on the backrest.

“Open it, Harrington. I’m not gonna spoil the surprise.” The grin on Eddie’s lips made Steve’s hairs stand on end and his heartbeat kick up another notch. Eddie would be the death of him, if he kept looking at Steve like that, talking like that.

Steve concentrated on the pouch again and opened it, letting the contents roll into his hand.

“Are these -”

“Dice, yeah. You’ll need them anyway and I’ve got more than enough.”

“They’re my favourite colour as well.” Steve turned them between his fingers, the smile on his lips widening. He didn’t think that Eddie had paid special attention to the colour, but it was a nice surprise.

“That’s why I chose them.”

Now, that caught Steve by surprise, squeezed his heart even more. Just now he’d thought that it was a mere coincidence, but Eddie had remembered that, had made a conscious decision to give these dice to Steve instead of some other ones.

“I love them,” he said breathlessly, tucking the dice safely away before he got on his knees on the couch so that he could face Eddie. He wasn’t thinking straight anymore, just followed his heart, when he framed Eddie’s face with both his hands and touched his lips to Eddie’s.

Eddie was completely caught off guard, not sure what was happening right now, but that was Steve Harrington kissing him right here, right now. His mind couldn’t comprehend what was happening, let alone allow him to react, so Steve pulled back. Eyes wide in shock about what he’d just done, Steve scrambled off the couch.

“I should go!” he mumbled, looked around for his belongings until he realised that he hadn’t actually brought anything, just the keys to his car that were still on the front pocket of his jeans.

Eddie watched him, touching two fingers to his lips, trying to figure out if that had been just his imagination or if it had really happened. Judging by Steve’s reaction and the tingling he felt all over his body, he was sure that hadn’t been a figment of his imagination.

“Fuck.” Steve’s voice tore him out of his thoughts again, but only when he was already halfway through the front door.

Stupid, stupid, stupid , Steve thought to himself as he tried to get the car keys out of his pocket, elaving the door to Eddie’s trailer behind him ajar, because he just wanted to flee.

“Harrington!” He heard Eddie’s booming voice behind him. Shit . He really wasn’t ready to get all his hopes crushed right now. Eddie’s reaction had been enough - or rather the lack of reaction.

“Hey! You really think you can kiss me and just run away?” Eddie called after him, coming out of the door. Steve was already at his car, finally managed to open it and get in. Eddie rolled his eyes at him, before he started running towards the car so that Steve wouldn’t get away.

“Hey!” Eddie knocked against the window. Steve didn’t look up at him, instead, he let his head drop to the steering wheel. So much for getting away fast enough so that Eddie wouldn’t catch up. He was faster than Steve had assumed.

“Roll down the window!” Eddie kept looking at Steve, his own heart racing in his chest, due to what had just happened between the two of them, and maybe a little bit because of running, but it was mostly due to Steve, to his soft lips that had taken Eddie by surprise, but that had also taken his breath away.

“Steve!” That got his attention, and he finally looked up at Eddie, cheeks still pink from embarrassment. He should have just stepped on the gas and got going, but he couldn't.

“Roll it down, now!”

The demanding tone in Eddie’s voice made him do so in the end, and Steve was sure he’d pass out any minute now, because his heart would give out.

“Look, I’m,” he started but didn’t get any further. Eddie had leaned down through the window as soon as Steve had rolled it down, and was now cradling Steve’s face just like he’d done moments ago with Eddie’s. Not sure what was happening, Steve put his hand on Eddie’s wrist, ready to pull it away, but as soon as he felt Eddie’s lips on his, his grip on Eddie’s wrist softened.

Eddie was testing the grounds, but when Steve pulled him even closer by the collar of his shirt, Eddie smiled into the kiss, before he let his tongue graze against the seam of Steve’s lips, begging for entry. Steve surprised him though, because he didn’t only open his lips to him, but also swiped his tongue against Eddie’s, past his lips, exploring him.

When they pulled apart after a moment, both of them were breathless. Steve’s eyes were glossed over, and he had no idea what was happening. Had he fallen on his head on his way out? Was he hallucinating?

Eddie swiped his thumb over Steve’s cheek before he slowly pulled back and stood up straight.

“Never run away like that again, okay?”

“Sorry…” Steve had to smile, because it had been really stupid considering the outcome of this situation.

“You just caught me off guard in there, man.” Eddie shook his head, grinning to himself. “I mean, I called it a date, but I hadn’t expected you to…” He threw his hands in the air at a loss for words, which was a first for him.

“I hadn’t planned on doing that.”

“Well, I’m glad you did.”

“So… this was a date?”

“Sure it was. I wouldn’t have called it that otherwise. Just wasn’t sure what you’d think, so…” Eddie shrugged his shoulders. He’d been trying to ask Steve out for some time now but had always backed down, figuring that Steve wouldn’t be interested in him, but today had changed all that. “What you doing tomorrow night?”

Steve thought about it for a moment, before he answered: “I get off work at six. Why?”

“Good, I’ll pick you up at seven, take you on a proper date, where we both are actually aware that it is a date.”

All the way home, Steve couldn’t get the grin off his face. Oh yes, he really had to call Robin and tell her about this.

I don't have a tag-list for them yet, but I might make one, should anyone be interested 💚

#steddie #steddie fanfic #steddie imagine #steddie fic #steve x eddie #eddie x steve #steve harrington x eddie munson #steveddie #stranger things imagine #stranger things 4 #amzngdevil #staffi writes #maybe I lsitened to Take Me Home Tonight while writing #first steddie fic here we gooo

50 notes · View notes

m-owo-n · 1 year

Text

#something I really hate in fanfics is when Max’s mom just completely abandons her or is just a really shit parent #like yeah she’s obviously not doing well in season four #but skipping town when her daughter falls into a coma??#just completely giving up on her??#all so Steve can like take her in and be her big brother figure or whatever #it’s just in so many fics and it really bugs me #idk I just want everyone to be happy in fanfics #I’ll read angst don’t get me wrong #but if there is a mention of max’s home life it’s always sad!!!#I want more of Susan realizing how she needs to step up after season four #of course I do mostly read steddie fics but comE ON PLEASE

2 notes · View notes

steddiehyperfixation · 6 months

Text

don't you forget about me (steddie fic)

saw this post and was inspired to write something angsty <3

The first thing Eddie is aware of when he wakes up, before he even opens his eyes, is the dull, aching pain throbbing through pretty much his entire body. The second thing he’s aware of is that someone is holding his hand.

“Eddie?” The hand in his tightens its grip as Eddie begins to stir; the voice it presumably belongs to sounds immeasurably relieved, yet only vaguely familiar.

Eddie groans. His eyelids flutter, blinking awake, and he groggily rolls his head to the side to get a look at whoever had spoken.

The voice sighs again, “Oh thank god-”

“Harrington?” Eddie’s eyes fly open wide now as they land on the mystery man sitting beside him on the edge of the bed - a man he most definitely is not close enough with to be holding his hand, and a bed that is most definitely not his own. He snatches his hand away. “What the hell are you doing? Where am I?”

“Ed-” Another man’s voice, this one just as relieved and infinitely more familiar. It fills Eddie with relief too as he looks to his other side to find his uncle Wayne rising from a nearby chair to come up next to him.

“Wayne, what-?” His surroundings are becoming more clear. “What happened? Why am I in a hospital? And why the fuck is King Steve at my bedside?” Eddie tries to sit up only to gasp and wince in pain as the dull ache in his sides sharpens to near agony at the movement.

“Take it easy, son.” Wayne’s hand lands on his shoulder, gently but firmly pushing him back down onto the pillows. “You were hurt real bad.”

“Yeah, I got that,” Eddie grumbles out. He sucks in a deep, intentional breath and exhales slowly, the pain beginning to dull again now that he’s settled. His questions are still largely unanswered, though. Blank mind reaching desperately for any logical piece to this bizarre puzzle, he turns an accusing glare to Harrington. “Did you land me in here? Is that why you’re here, some sort of weird guilt thing?”

Harrington’s looking at him like a kicked puppy. “What? No, I-” he falters, takes a shaky breath and swallows painfully like he’s trying not to cry. “You don’t remember?”

“I don’t remember what? Will someone just tell me what happened?” Eddie’s confusion is rising more and more into agitation with every second he remains without an explanation.

“What’s the last thing you remember?” Harrington asks quietly.

“I was driving home from school, just found out I wasn’t gonna graduate again.” Eddie frowns as he thinks back, still trying to put pieces together. “Did I crash my car? Is that it? I was emotional and not paying attention and got into an accident?”

Yet again, he receives no answers.

“Eddie, what month is it?” Wayne asks instead, his tone dangerously measured and serious. “What year?”

“May…” Eddie says warily, “1985.”

His words hold a weight he doesn’t understand, landing heavy on the others in the room and thickening the air. It sends a chill of dread down his spine, the way his answer etches concern deep into the lines of Wayne’s face, the way Steve Harrington seems to take it like a blow to the chest.

Harrington exhales sharply as if he’s been punched, standing abruptly and taking a few stumbling steps back. Wayne says, “It’s April of ‘86, Ed.”

Eddie’s blood runs cold. “No. No, it can’t be.”

“I’m gonna go tell the nurse you’re awake,” Harrington mumbles, his voice strained and his eyes glassy with barely held-back tears.

“I’ll go,” Wayne offers, pushing himself away from Eddie’s bed. He gives Harrington a meaningful look, though what that meaning is, Eddie can’t decipher.

Harrington turns his devastated gaze to the older man. “But, Wayne, he doesn’t-”

“I know, kid.” Wayne gives a sad smile and places a sympathetic hand on Harrington’s shoulder as he passes by. “Just talk to him.”

Eddie is thrown off by this familiarity between them. Since when were those two close? He feels like he’s entered some sort of parallel universe where everything is just ever so slightly wrong. It leaves an itch beneath his skin, uncomfortable and out of place, like he no longer quite fits in his own body, in his own life. He’s lost 11 months, apparently, and this world is no longer his; he doesn’t know where he fits into it anymore.

Wayne leaves the room, and Eddie wants to protest: Don’t leave me here with this guy I don’t know in this time I don’t know, please, you’re the only thing that feels safe and familiar! Anxiety is crawling through him like a thousand tiny bugs in his veins. He wants to scream, he wants to cry, he wants to run. Anything to shake this feeling loose. But he’s confined to this bed, trapped both by his pain and by all these machines he’s hooked up to, and he sure as shit isn’t going to have a breakdown in front of Steve goddamn Harrington.

Instead, Eddie resigns himself to this situation and casts a sideways glance at Harrington who very much looks like he’s also trying not to have a breakdown. “I’m freaking out, man,” Eddie says finally, hating how shaky and pathetic his voice sounds. “I swear to god, Harrington, if you don’t tell me what the hell is going on…”

Harrington worries his lip between his teeth as he hesitates. “It’s a lot to explain.”

“Yeah, I bet,” Eddie scoffs out a humorless laugh. “I’m missing nearly an entire year, of course it’s a lot to fill in. Unless I’ve been here this whole time?”

“No.” Harrington shakes his head. “No, you’ve only been here about a week. I- I don’t know why you’re missing so much time, the whole Vecna thing only started like a week before that-”

“Vecna?” Eddie interrupts to question. “What does any of this have to do with the D&D campaign I was planning? And, also, how the fuck do you know about that?”

Harrington closes his eyes for a second and takes a breath, like having this conversation is the most painful thing he’s ever had to do. “I’m not talking about D&D, Ed. Vecna was a real-life monster from a real-life alternate dimension we called the Upside-Down. The kids only called him Vecna because we didn’t know who he was at the time and he, like, cursed people before he killed them, but he was actually Henry Creel, which is a whole other fucked up story.”

“Okay…” Eddie doesn’t know who ‘the kids’ are and he’s skeptical of the way Harrington talks so factually about monsters and dimensions and curses existing in the real world, but he does remember his uncle telling him stories about the demonic tragedy of the Creel family, which is the only thing that makes any of this even halfway believable. It still doesn’t explain how Eddie wound up in the hospital with his entire body feeling like it’d been run through a blender, though, or why the former king of Hawkin’s High was hovering over his sickbed. He gestures for Harrington to continue.

“I never wanted you to get involved in all this Upside-Down shit,” Harrington’s voice breaks. He steps closer to Eddie’s bed again, and he looks so so sad as he stares down at him that it makes Eddie’s own heart ache, just a little bit. Harrington’s hand twitches at his side as if he means to reach out for Eddie but then thinks better of it, running the hand through his hair instead as he continues, “I tried to keep you from it for so long, I really did, but then Vecna killed Chrissy in your trailer and the whole town blamed you and you were just a part of things then, there was no getting around it. You helped us fight him - Vecna. You kept his army of bats off our ass while we weakened his body and El weakened his mind. If it weren’t for you we never would’ve defeated him and we certainly wouldn’t have all made it out alive.” Harrington’s gaze softens, as does his voice, his next words almost a whisper, “You were a hero, Eddie.”

“That doesn’t sound like me,” Eddie says, like that’s the least plausible part of Harrington’s story. And, really, it is. He can wrap his mind around a lot of things: a murder in his trailer - sure, Forest Hills always was a shady place; the whole town accusing him of being a killer - yeah, of course, that tracks; even an evil wizard from another dimension with an army of bats - fine, okay, why the hell not. But Eddie Munson is no hero, and he’s definitely not any sort of fighter either.

“No, you never did think so, did you?” Harrington mutters with a sad sort of fondness and the barest trace of a wistful smile. “But it’s true. Dustin was in danger and you didn’t even think twice. You ran right into the fray without a second thought, sacrificed yourself so that the rest of us might survive. Those bats nearly killed you, b-” he breaks, choking on whatever word he was going to say. His eyes swim with yet more unshed tears. “I almost thought they had killed you, you know. I thought you were dead when I carried you out of the Upside-Down,” he admits shakily, choked up and barely managed, “and even when I brought you here and you were stable, I was still so scared you wouldn’t wake up…”

Eddie doesn’t know how to react to any of that information or to such a display of emotion. His own hands twitch now with the urge to reach out and comfort him, but he too denies that instinct. He tries for humor instead, something lighter, cracking a grin and teasing, “Aw, Stevie, I didn’t know you cared.”

Harrington makes a sound halfway between a sob and a laugh. “Oh, Ed, you have no idea.”

“We were friends then, weren’t we?” Eddie guesses now, carefully. It’s rapidly becoming the only possible explanation for the guy’s behavior around him. “Before all the Vecna stuff?”

“Yeah,” Harrington manages, forcing a small, sad smile as his eyes finally overflow and streak his cheeks with tears. “Yeah, we were good friends.”

Wayne reenters the room then with a nurse in tow, and Steve quickly turns away and rubs his hands over his face. He needs to pull himself together; he can’t break down right now, not yet, not here.

He listens, distantly, as the nurse asks Eddie a bunch of questions and then tells the rest of them that she needs to take him in for some tests to determine the cause and prognosis of Eddie’s amnesia. He watches, numbly, as she wheels Eddie’s entire bed out of the room.

Steve can barely hear, barely see, his emotion clouding his eyes and roaring in his ears. He stares blankly through the open doorway and struggles to swallow down the ever-rising lump in his throat.

Wayne’s voice rumbles from somewhere beside him, but he can’t quite make out the words. “What?”

“I’ll take that as a no, then,” Wayne says, the sound reaching Steve’s ears a little clearer now. “I asked if you were alright.”

Steve shakes his head. His voice comes out coarse and raw, “‘Course I’m not alright.”

“Right, ‘course you’re not,” Wayne echoes. He follows Steve’s mournful gaze to the door Eddie had disappeared through. “What did you tell him?”

“Told him he was a hero,” Steve croaks, “...and that we were good friends.”

“Ah…” Steve’s vision is so blurred behind a thick layer of tears he can’t see the sympathetic frown on the old man’s face, but he knows it’s there. “At least he’s alive, kid,” Wayne tries to be comforting. “You can always start over.”

“Yeah, I know, but I don’t- I don’t want to start over, I just want-” Steve chokes back a sob. He just wants Eddie.

It’s a horrible thought, but Steve almost thinks that this just might be worse than if Eddie really had died… Because how is Steve supposed to handle the fact that his boyfriend of 9 months no longer knows him? How is he supposed to cope now that the love of his life looks right at him and no longer sees him?

He closes his eyes, presses the heels of his palms into his eyelids, inhaling a shaky breath and exhaling an even shakier sigh. Steve whispers, “It feels like I’m losing him all over again.”

(part two is here!)

#i have plans to fix it don't worry. eventually. maybe #i'm really really bad at writing longer multi-part fics but i've got a lot of ideas spinning around my head for this one so #hopefully i will continue it if any of y'all are interested in more of this #steddie #steddie angst #steddie fic #steddie ficlet #eddie munson #steve harrington #stranger things #ficlet #fanfic #mine #1k #dyfamsteddiefic #<- tag to follow for this story

2K notes · View notes

estrellami-1 · 10 months

Text

If I Should Stay

Y’all are the absolute funniest most of the tags/comments on part 2 were either “oh shit Nancy????” Like we as a collective Steddie hivemind genuinely forgot Steve and Nancy were a Thing for a minute and I think that’s so sexy of us. OR y’all went “OH THANK FUCK ROBIN REMEMBERS” which. Y’all. Y’all don’t understand how little control I actually have over this fic 😂 like genuinely I’m not creating anything, it’s writing itself, I’m just writing the words down. It’s fantastic. 😂 also keep in mind I have a tentative posting schedule of every 4 days so expect something on/around the 16th! ❤️

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Eddie runs.

He’s terrified and a coward but it’s kept him alive this long so he runs, books it back to his van, ignores Harrington calling out for him, only realizes when he’s most of the way home that he’s still got the ring clenched in his hand.

He stares at it long enough at a stoplight that someone honks at him when it turns green. “What the fuck,” he whispers again, placing it on his desk when he gets home. “What the fuck.”

Wayne knocks on his door then immediately pokes his head in, which completely defeats the purpose of the knock, but Eddie’s door was open anyways. “Eds?”

“Yeah?”

“Y’alright, kiddo?”

“I think I hallucinated.”

Wayne’s silent for a few long moments. “Did you take somethin’? Or are you bein’ dramatic?”

“I didn’t take anything.”

Wayne sighs. “Wanna tell me what you think you hallucinated?”

He’s about to, it’s on the tip of his tongue, but he can’t quite say it. Like there’s a dam at the front of his mouth, and the words can’t break through. He lets out a desperate chuckle and shakes his head, flopping backwards onto his bed. “I don’t even know.”

Wayne raises a brow, but before he can respond, there’s a knock on the trailer door.

Knock is a polite term for it. It’s more like someone’s trying to break down the door with their fist. “Munson!” Someone yells. “Open this door, dammit, or I will drag you out by your ears?”

“Boy,” Wayne says, looking at him. “What the fuck did you get yourself into?”

Eddie groans, grabs his pillow, and screams into it.

When he surfaces for air, Wayne’s gone, talking to the person at the front door. Eddie vaguely recognizes the voice. Female, young, probably someone he has a class with.

Wayne, the traitor, lets her in, and Eddie’s suddenly faced with a furious Robin Buckley. He blinks. “Buckley?”

He tries to think back, but he hadn’t sold her anything recently—or ever, for that matter—so he has no idea why she’s here, looking like she’s about to murder him. “You said you’d listen.”

He blinks again. Sits up to face her. “What?”

“Steve. He told you.”

“Steve- Harrington? Oh, come on, Buckley, are you delusional too?”

Blue eyes narrow at him. “You’ve got a little stick-n-poke on your thigh. It’s an upside down star. It’s crappy ‘cause you did it yourself, but that’s why you love it. He already said your favorite song, so I won’t repeat it. You’ve had a frankly ridiculous crush on him practically since the moment you laid eyes on him. You call your guitar your sweetheart because that’s what your mom called you, and she’s the one who taught you to play.” She crosses her arms. “I can keep going.”

“I suppose you’re from the future, then, too?” Her words catch up to him and he suddenly blanches. “I, uh, I’m not sure about your second point.”

She softens some, which is rather unexpected, but he’s grateful. “Oh, Eddie.” She sits on the edge of his bed. “Me too. It’s alright. I’m sorry, I got upset because you ran, after you told Steve you’d listen, and…” she sighs, looking around his room, before standing when she catches sight of the ring on his desk. She picks it up and studies it. “This is practically all we have left,” she says softly, and Eddie feels like throwing up.

“Because I die?”

She looks at him like she’s seeing a ghost. “Yeah.”

Permanent Taglist: @justforthedead89 @ilovecupcakesandtea @madigoround @bookbinderbitch @suddenlyinlove @nburkhardt @artiststarme @paintsplatteredandimperfect @i-less-than-three-you @alyelf @quarble @messrs-weasley @littlewildflowerkitten @vankaar @starman-jpg @bornonthesavage @steddie-there @goodolefashionedloverboi @andienotannie @cinnamon-mushroomabomination @platinum-sunset @just-ladyme @steddiestains @swimmingbirdrunningrock @imhereforthelolzdontyellatme @martinskis-lydias @notaqueenakhaleesi @sleepyboosstuff @bestwifehaver @m-owo-n @thatonebadideapanda @finalmoondragon @velocitytimes2 @callmeanythjing @ajeff855 @ilikeititspretty @knitsforthetrail @sillysparrow @that-one-corvid @ace-is-bored @local-writers-corner @harpymoth @weirdandabsurd42

@paperbackribs @ninjapirateunicorns @bisexualdisastersworld @hiscrimsonangel @lolawonsstuff @xo-r4e @thedragonsaunt @l0st-strawberry

Fic Taglist: @blondlanfear @do-you-want-something-more @little-gae-shit

#if I should stay #stranger things #steve harrington #eddie munson #steddie #time travel fic #starambles

2K notes · View notes

solarmorrigan · 4 months

Note

If you’re still taking prompts, could I ask for “please come get me” with Steddie?

I’ve read over all your other angst prompts and just about died this morning, you’re so good at the pain!!

Hello! :D Thank you for the prompt! I'm afraid this one is a little heavier on the comfort than the hurt, so perhaps not as much pain, but if you've been binging what I've written so far, maybe that's a good thing?? But anyway, I hope this is alright!

[Warning for implied child neglect/emotional abuse. Nothing really happens in the fic, but just as a heads up]

Angsty-ish Prompt List

Eddie shouldn’t be hearing this. This isn’t a conversation meant for spectators.

“I know you just got back from a trip, I just–” Harrington says into the receiver of the payphone, clinging to the handset as he practically wilts against the useless ‘privacy wall’ next to it. “I’m sorry, I was just hoping you could give me a ride home.”

All Eddie had wanted to do was cut the pep rally like any self-respecting social outcast would, except he couldn’t just ditch and go home; it’s Friday, and he has Hellfire after this. But the last thing he’d expected while loitering around outside, waiting for the pep rally to end, had been to stumble across Steve Harrington on the phone, practically begging someone for a ride home.

“No, I drove myself here today, I’m just not sure I can drive home.” Harrington pauses, then sighs. “No, Dad, this is a pep rally, I haven’t been drinking.” Whatever comes down the line next makes his posture snap straight almost immediately, before he hunches back in on himself with a wince and a hand pressed to his forehead. “No, sir. I’m sorry, sir.”

This is weird. This is so weird. Harrington is meant to be cocky – confident and in-charge and at ease, not curled around a payphone in the same way a kicked puppy tries to protect itself even as it asks someone for more attention.

Someone who is apparently his dad.

It’s just – weird. It’s like how you know a lemon is a citrus fruit, just the same as an orange, but the second you peel off the rind, you feel like you’ve seen something forbidden. Lemons aren’t meant to be peeled that way, and Harrington isn’t meant to look close to tears while trying to get someone to drive him home.

“I – I’m sick. I mean, it’s – I have a migraine,” Harrington explains haltingly. “No, it’s not just – yeah, my head hurts, but if it was just that, I swear I wouldn’t bother you, I just – I’m dizzy, and my vision’s all blurry, so I’m not sure I can drive, and I don’t…”

Shit, that sounds kind of fucked up. Eddie frowns, leaning against the wall he’s been peering around, now definitely intentionally eavesdropping. Harrington is frowning, too, rubbing a frustrated hand over his face.

“Tommy and I don’t hang out anymore, we haven’t in over a year,” Harrington says, then carries on a little more quietly, a little more subdued, “and there isn’t really anyone else here I can catch a ride with, either.”

Eddie will admit he hasn’t been paying a whole lot of attention, but anyone who doesn’t live under a rock knows that Harrington’s popularity had taken a bit of a hit last year, when he’d ditched Hagan and Perkins and decided to be a bit less of a dick. And then this year – well, even if Hargrove hadn’t crowed enough about the fight between the two of them, the state of Harrington’s face back in November had spoken volumes. Still, Eddie hadn’t been aware the condition of Harrington’s social life was so dire.

“I’m not – I’m not making this up, the doctor talked to you about this, he– I’m not trying to talk back, I just– Dad, please, can you just – please, come get me,” Harrington stutters through what sounds very much like a losing argument before going silent altogether, pressing one hand over his eyes as he lets his head hang, the other still holding the handset near his ear. “I understand,” he says dully after a minute. “I’m sorry. I’ll – I’ll figure it out… Yes, sir.”

It doesn’t seem like there’s much left to say after that. Harrington hangs up the phone and leans up against the adjacent wall before sliding down and sitting himself right there on the ground, knees drawn up and face in his hands.

Shit.

Eddie ducks back around the corner, gnawing on his lip, caught in indecision. He shouldn’t have overheard any of that, intentionally or otherwise, but now that he has, he can’t just – not do something.

Can he?

He tries to tell himself it’s not his problem, that Harrington’s certainly never done him any favors, even if he’d never been a dick to Eddie specifically, but it doesn’t work. All Eddie can see is the defeated slump of Harrington’s shoulders, the helpless way he’d just sort of dropped to the ground, the way he’d quietly admitted there’s no one else he can ask for a ride – Eddie’s always had a soft spot for the lonely ones.

But when he rounds the corner, prepared to come up with some bullshit excuse as to why he’s out here and willing to drive Harrington home, he finds that Harrington is – gone.

Eddie glances around, but he doesn’t seem to be anywhere. Poof, vanished while Eddie had been too busy trying to decide what to do.

Well, damn.

Distantly hoping that Harrington had, indeed, figured something out, Eddie tries to put the incident out of his mind. The pep rally will be over soon, and that means Hellfire will begin, and he needs to get his head in the game.

He has no real reason to think on the incident after that, and he’s fairly successful at shoving it somewhere into the back of his mind until nearly two years later, in a setting so far removed from that spring day at the school that it might as well be in another life.

Eddie has to extricate himself from a few fans (actual fans; apparently, rumors of Satanism and returning form the dead will do wonders for the reputation of your metal band) in order to get up from the table settled near the back of The Hideout. Gareth, Jeff, and Oliver are all accounted for, enjoying their drinks and chatting with whoever’s descended upon them after their set, but Steve had disappeared ten minutes ago and has yet to make a reappearance.

Ten minutes isn’t all that long, Eddie knows logically, but after last year, after everything, it still feels a little too long. If he finds Steve and Steve tells him he’s fine, then that’s great, Eddie will leave him be. But he just wants to check.

The bathroom is a bust, empty but for one drunk swaying precariously in front of a urinal, so Eddie heads outside, where, around the side of the building, settled on the ground in a triangle of sodium-glow orange thrown off by a nearby streetlight, he finds his quarry.

Steve is sitting with his back to the rough wood façade of the bar, his knees drawn up in front of him and his head leaned back against the wall behind him. His eyes are closed, but there’s a little pinch of tension between his brows, and Eddie is abruptly reminded of that day, eons ago and not really that long ago at all, when all Steve had wanted was for someone to care enough to give him a ride home when he’d been sick.

Eddie finds his ass on the concrete right next to Steve before he even has the conscious thought to go over and sit down.

“Doing okay, sweetheart?” Eddie asks, picking up one of Steve’s hands from where it’s resting on his own knee (it’s safe enough right here, Eddie knows; someone would have to actively be looking for them to spot them where they’re tucked away).

If Steve is surprised to find Eddie beside him, he doesn’t show it. He turns to look at Eddie in the low light, offering him a fond little smile.

“I’m good. It was just getting to be a little much in there, so I came out here for a break,” he says.

Things like excessive noise and heat—say, the likes of which might be experienced at a concert in a crowded bar (or maybe a high school pep rally)—tend to be migraine triggers for Steve, so why he continues attending shows at The Hideout is beyond Eddie. He’s tried telling him that he doesn’t have to come, but Steve still insists he wants to make it to every performance that he can.

Eddie squeezes Steve’s hand. “You wanna head out?”

Steve shakes his head. “You’re having a good time. I don’t want to take you away from that.”

“I’m not going to be having a good time if you’re miserable.” Eddie reaches up and cups Steve’s cheek in his hand, keeping him facing in Eddie’s direction. “You’re a priority for me, you know that, right? Say the word, and we’ll go home.”

It doesn’t seem like Steve has anything to say to that; instead, he just stares at Eddie with something like wonder, as if Eddie’s just done anything more amazing than promise Steve that he’ll never have to beg for basic consideration.

“Besides,” Eddie goes on, if for no other reason than to shift the sudden weight of Steve’s reverence, “it’s not like it would be a hardship.” He leans in, pressing a kiss to Steve’s willing mouth before he continues, speaking so close that their lips are brushing. “Getting to take you home, take you to bed, lie there in the dark, just the two of us…”

Steve presses in for another kiss, long and lingering, before pulling away.

“Let’s stay a little longer,” he says. “Jeff owes me a beer, anyway.”

“Y’know,” Eddie pauses with a grunt of effort as Steve stands and uses their joined hands to pull Eddie up after him, “the only reason you knew the movie he was referencing—and, thus, the only reason he owes you a beer—is because I made you watch it.”

“And? What do you want, a medal?” Steve snarks.

“Well,” Eddie drawls, glancing Steve up and down, “some token of appreciation wouldn’t be remiss.”

Steve raises an unimpressed eyebrow at Eddie. “It would be if we did it in the alley next to a bar.”

“Wow, Harrington, mind in the gutter much? I only meant a beer,” Eddie sniffs, all exaggerated offense.

“Sure you did,” Steve says. “Now c’mon; one more beer, and then… home?”

“You got it, sweetheart,” Eddie says, offering one more quick kiss in hopes of putting any hesitation out of Steve’s mind. “One more beer, and then home.”

#rajumat #steddie #eddie munson #steve harrington #stranger things #eddiesteve #I think this one is a little rough but I dunno man I'm fond of it #solar wrote #answers from solar

395 notes · View notes

xiaq · 28 days

Text

I know this is going to mean very little to the majority of y'all, but I closed 4 deals in the last 24 hours putting me well over the Q1 number I needed to get a nice bonus and prompting my boss to say some lovely things to me/to our team about me.

B, Deacon, and I are going to celebrate with a sushi + reading picnic in the park tomorrow. I'm feeling very valued (and tired! lol), but we leave for our honeymoon in 2 weeks and I have promised B that my work laptop will stay at home and after the Q1 I've had, I'm not even feeling that guilty about taking some time off.

(on Sunday I'll try to get the next chapter in my Steddie fic finished! If you've been waiting for that, thanks for your patience.)

#mylife #tech world things #q1

214 notes · View notes

hornedqueenofhell · 8 months

Text

Steddie Sick fic pt. 2

Pt 1

“Eddie!” The kids shrieked as they all ran to the unconscious Dungeon Master’s side. Dustin knelt down and reached for Eddie’s forehead, yanking it back seconds later. “Shit he’s burning up.”

“He’s sick.” Gareth huffs as he helps the kid shift Eddie onto his back. The metalhead’s breath is rattling in his chest and he’s covered in a layer of sweat.

“Why didn’t he cancel then?” Lucas asks, looking at the older kids.

“Because he’s a stubborn ass who doesn’t know how to ask for help.” Gareth turns to the others, “Can one of you get him home?” His mom had the car tonight.

“Jeff rode with me and we still have all those stupid boxes of my dad’s shit in the back.” Frank said with a shrug, “Besides he probably shouldn’t be alone if he’s sick man, you know Wayne works nights.”

“Okay but we can’t take him and what are the kids going to do, strap him to their handlebars?”

That caused all the kids to glance at each other before turning to Will, “Is Jon still coming to get you tonight?” Mike asks.

“Yeah, and I know he doesn’t have a shift tonight.” With that settled Dustin gets up and goes to his backpack. He pulls out a walkie talkie and after fiddling with it a moment he starts speaking.

“Steve, Steve come in, over.”

Steve? How was Steve Harrington going to help here?

“I’m heading out the door Henderson don’t worry, you guys ended early tonight.” Dustin normally would ignore Steve until he used proper radio etiquette but Eddie took precedence. And besides, Steve’s little ‘secret’ isn’t so secret when he leaves his books open on the Family Video counter.

“Actually we need your help, over.”

The response was immediate and tense, “Code red help?”

“No, no, leave Lola in the trunk. Eddie is sick and passed out, no one else can help him.” Dustin turned back to Eddie who now had a wet rag on his head courtesy of someone.

“Who’s Lola?” Jeff asked the other kids who just rolled their eyes, except Will.

“Steve’s melee weapon, he named her Lola.” Well that cleared up exactly nothing.

“Because you have lifeguard training dumbass!” Dustin says, the others having missed Steve’s reply.

“Lifeguard certification does not equal a doctorate Dustin! What about his bandmates, why can’t they take him?”

Huh, Steve Harrington knows they exist, and not just in a they’re also in Hellfire kinda way. This day just gets weirder and weirder.

“No one has a ride or space available. Please Steve, he’s got a bad fever and his breathing is really shallow. There’s no one at home to keep an eye on him.”

The line goes silent for almost a minute and a half before finally crackling to life again, “Low fucking blow Henderson,” The ex-jock hisses out, “I’ll be there in five. Who is taking you brats home?”

“We’re going to bully Jon into doing it. Thanks Steve.” He shuts the walkie off and puts it away before going back to Eddie.

The older man had sort of regained consciousness by now but whatever he was mumbling wasn’t coherent. Seems he’d gone delirious from the fever.

Less than five minutes later, Jesus had Harrington floored it all the way here, the old King of Hawkins High strode through the drama room doors. He ruffled Dustin’s hair before quickly going to Eddie’s side. After also checking his temperature and his pulse the brunette turned to the band.

“Has he had anything to eat or drink today?”

The other two shrugged and turned to Gareth, “I gave him some water and crackers at lunch since he didn’t have any food with him, also brought him some tea before we started tonight. I don’t know about anything else.”

“Okay, thanks man. Dust,” He pulls out his car keys and hands them off to the other teen, “Get the back door open for me please.”

The kid runs out to do as requested, Steve turns back to the other kids, “If you haven’t yet, let Jon and Nancy know what’s happening. I don’t want one of you stranded here while I get Munson settled.”

Lucas nodded and went to do as the older boy asked. The Coffin boys knew Steve was a babysitter/overbearing sibling figure to the kids, the way they sang his praises, but this felt like a commander giving orders and everyone followed them like their lives were on the line. It was weird.

“Give my best to your families, I’ll be there for Saturday dinner kay?” He pats Will’s shoulder fondly and then turns back to Eddie.

“Okay Munson, are you with me enough to hold onto me?” Steve coaxes Eddie’s arms into looping around his neck, he’s not expecting one to immediately curl into his hair and tug weakly. Whatever face Steve made as he held back from making any kind of sound besides a pained grunt seemed to amuse Eddie greatly as he started giggling.

“Yes, yes you’re very funny.” Sighing, Steve digs his arms under Eddie and scoops the metalhead into his arms. Eddie lets out a very soft ‘whee’ in response as he’s lifted and his head tucked into Steve’s shoulder. There’s a small smile teasing the corner of Harrington’s lips. He stands and makes sure Eddie isn’t about to fling himself out of Steve’s arms before he starts walking back out to the parking lot. The rest of the group scrambles to pack their shit away and follow after them.

Pt 3

#stranger things #eddie munson #steve harrington #steddie #steve harrington x eddie munson #steve x eddie #dustin henderson #will byers #lucy sinclair #mike wheeler #gareth emerson #jeff stranger things #stranger things unnamed freak #corroded coffin #sick fic #emt!steve #steddiefic chronicles

447 notes · View notes

explorevenus · 1 year

Text

toy cars & princess tea parties ♡ steddie x reader

nsfw (18+) - minors dni !!! srsly i will scream

word count - 4.8k

description - a few years after the (non-canon) events of season four, steddie and reader are grappling with the implications of adulthood-- eddie comes home from work with an interesting idea to take their relationship to the next milestone...

tags/warnings - polyamory, pet names (baby, princess, angel, doll, etc.), praise, threesome, breeding, fem!reader, eddie being mischievous bc he 100% planned this, steve playing right into eddie’s hand and going absolutely feral, p-in-v ofc ♡ also one use of (Y/N) which i didn’t know was a problem for some people but apparently it is so there’s ur warning

a/n - ok i’m sorry but ever since my first time witnessing the six lil nuggets speech i cannot get over the CANONIZED FACT that steve harrington is INTO BREEDING. it’s canon to me and u can ARGUE WITH THE WALL. that being said i felt it was my civic duty to rope eddie into it bc i physically cannot help myself and here we are ♡ i hope u enjoy, i will repent later ♡

p.s. i used the stand-in name ‘jennifer’ for them to refer to a random npc classmate of theirs bc apparently that was an incredibly popular name in the 80′s so if ur name is actually jennifer i am sorry in advance but the name is only mentioned like two or three times at the beginning so

my masterlist ♡

my ao3 ♡

fic under the cut, thanks so much for reading and i hope u enjoy ! ♡

-venus ♡

It started out as a quiet, normal evening.

You were curled up on the couch with Steve, drifting in and out of naps as he played with your hair and absently watched whatever was on the TV. You were both off work today, and unsurprisingly, it was rather quiet without Eddie around. He'd been working late shifts at the record store lately-- something about a coworker needing a schedule change to coincide with her college classes.

So, there the two of you sat, your hair messy with sleep as you slumped into Steve's chest, his strong arm closed tight around your shoulder, thumb caressing your exposed arm where your blanket had slipped down. It was cozy, it was lazy, it was sweet.

A stark contrast to what you didn't know you were in for that night.

Your sleepy eyes blinked open at the sound of the front door to your shared apartment opening, and you and Steve both turned your heads to see Eddie walk in. Eddie tossed his keys on the counter and stretched his arms up with a dramatic, satisfied groan before kicking his boots off, and his dark chocolate eyes soon trailed across the room to you and Steve.

His lips were quick to upturn into a smile. "What a sight to come home to. Aren't you two just adorable?"

"Says you," You mumbled tiredly, opening up your arms so as to coax him to join you on the couch. "How was work?"

Eddie's posture softened and he wasted little time giving into your command, plopping down on the couch beside you and joining Steve in playing with your hair. "It was fine. Work's work, y'know."

You hummed in acknowledgement, just about to drift back to sleep at the added warmth of his body before he spoke up again.

"Do you guys remember Jennifer from high school?" Eddie asked.

Steve pondered for a moment. "Jennifer... which Jennifer?"

"Chess club Jennifer," Eddie confirmed. "She came into the record store with her boyfriend today, that guy Todd? Well, I guess he's her husband now. Anyway, she was like, super pregnant. Isn't that weird to think about? People we went to high school with are having kids now."

It certainly was weird to think about. High school felt like it was a lifetime ago just about as much as it felt like yesterday, and classmates getting married and starting families were just another harsh reminder that you were all well and truly adults now.

"Yeah... wow. That's a trip," You mumbled, reaching up to rub the sleep out of your eyes. "Sometimes I forget we're not 16 anymore."

"Yeah, seriously," Steve hummed in agreement, and you could have sworn you noticed his muscles tense beneath you.

"Well, good for them," You added, hoping to cut through some of that tension. "They've been dating since like, freshman year. I guess it was only a matter of time."

Eddie let out a little breath through his nose, grinning as he stared forward at the TV, but it was evident he wasn't really watching.

You raised an eyebrow and nudged him. "What?"

Eddie shrugged, drumming his fingers on your hip and stealing glances between you and Steve. "Only a matter of time, huh?" He asked. "Good to know."

Eyes widening, you quickly straightened your posture and stared at him in confusion. "What do you mean?" You pressed further. Steve was watching him too, reaching for the remote and muting the TV without even looking. The silence was deafening.

Eddie shrugged again, face smug with amusement. "I don't know, it's just... seeing them all happy together and starting a family, it just kinda got me thinking, y'know? That could be us someday."

Steve's hand froze on your arm, and now you could hardly read his expression. You just stared between them with eyes so wide you were sure they could see right through them and into the cogs turning in your head.

"Just think about it for a sec, okay? Indulge me for a minute," Eddie continued. "Little Munsons and Harringtons running around, Saturday morning cartoons, bathing fat little babies in the sink... wonder whose seed'll take first," He chuckled to himself.

But that comment alone got to you. Your face burned, and now it was you pretending to watch the TV, even with the sound off. Heat pooled in your core with an embarrassing quickness, and it felt nearly impossible to fight off the image of trying, Steve and Eddie fucking you into a sobbing mess and filling you up to the brim, competing to see who would knock you up first. You swallowed dryly.

"I-I need some water," You stammered, peeling yourself out of their arms and abandoning your blanket as you disappeared into the kitchen.

You had never really talked about having kids before. Steve had always shown an interest in starting a family, but you weren't really sure where you stood, and Eddie didn't seem like the type. You always figured it would be a conversation for another day, a day in the distant future when you were all finally adults working big jobs, picket fence and whatnot.

Yet here you were.

"You alright there, baby?" Steve's voice broke you out of your deep thought and you realized your glass was full beneath the tap, cool water spilling out over your fingers shortly after he'd spoken.

You flinched and turned off the water, setting your glass down and reaching for a rag to dry your hands. You couldn't quite bring yourself to look at him as you replied, "I'm fine, just... thinking."

"Thinkin' pretty hard, it looks like," Eddie teased, coming up behind you with a squeeze to your hips and a sweet kiss to the crown of your head. "Didn't mean to freak you out, doll."

"I'm not freaked out! I promise," You were quick to clarify, taking a big sip of your water with a shaking hand. "Just... caught off guard, I guess. I've never really thought about having kids before."

Eddie let out a little pff. "Oh, come on, I don't believe that. You've never thought about it before? Not even one time?"

You shook your head.

He turned you around in his arms, taking the glass from your hand and returning it to the counter, ensuring he had your full attention. Steve was leaned on the door frame listening, observing. Watching your reddened face.

"You're blushing," Eddie chuckled quietly, leaning down to brush his lips over your forehead before turning over his shoulder to look at Steve. "Help me out here, Harrington?"

But Steve looked just about as flustered as you did. "It would be nice," He admitted. "I've thought about it. A lot. You would make a beautiful mother, (Y/N)."

"See?" Eddie smirked. "Harrington agrees with me."

"Don't you guys think we should wait? I mean, the apartment works just fine for the three of us, but it's a little small to raise kids in, and we're still so young," You said, though you weren't fully sure whether you were trying to convince them or yourself. "It's just a really big decision. I don't think we should rush into it."

"We can get a house!" Eddie grinned, brushing your hair away from your face. "I'll work overtime at the record store, book extra gigs at The Hideout. Whatever I need to do to make that happen. We'll find somewhere real nice, fenced yard and all that. Maybe we can even talk Steve into building a treehouse."

"I don't know, Eds..." You sighed.

You fully expected Steve to back you up on the absurdity of that suggestion, but he didn't. "That's not such a bad idea. I've been saving up from my paychecks since we graduated. It was meant to be a safeguard if Vecna came back and we all needed to hit the road, but it's been a few years now. Maybe we should just do it. Real estate's pretty cheap around here, given everything that's happened."

Perhaps they had a point, although selfishly, you sort of wanted them to keep trying to talk you into it.

"That's great, but have you guys really thought this through? Like really thought it through? Babies are a lot of work, and our relationship is hard enough to explain as it is, people are going to have so many questions--"

"Then let ‘em ask," Eddie interrupted you, planting a sweet kiss on your lips, though he quickly became distracted by your throat, tipping your chin up with his pointer finger. "I don't give a fuck. It doesn't change anything. They'll just be jealous that they don't have an extra parent for their kids like we do, right Stevie?" He spoke between increasingly sloppy kisses to your neck, teeth nipping at your warming skin.

"Exactly," Steve smiled softly, crossing his legs where he stood, and you almost could have sworn you saw the front of his sweatpants tightening. "We're already better off than most couples, if my math is right."

You were quickly melting under Eddie's attention, and Steve's lustful gaze. While you might have initially hoped that excusing yourself for a drink of water would help you cool off, it was entirely obvious now that such an attempt was in vain-- you couldn't fight with yourself anymore. They'd successfully convinced you.

Swallowing thickly, you tangled your fingers into Eddie's messy curls and could hardly bring yourself to look at either of them as you spoke in a near-whisper, "O-Okay, let's do it..."

Eddie froze, pulling away from your neck with a parting nip of the flesh so that he could stare at you with stars in his eyes. "What did you just say?" He asked.

Shyly, you glanced between them, a giddy smile tugging at your burning cheeks. They both looked truly in disbelief. "I said let's do it. Let's try for a baby."

Eddie hardly had a chance to react before Steve crossed the small kitchen and took your face in his hands, pupils blown wide as his mouth collided with yours. You stumbled back into the countertop at the force of him, gripping the edge with one hand and fisting his old Hawkins High gym shirt with the other. Eddie could do little but step back and observe, and unbeknownst to you and Steve, since you were preoccupied, Eddie had quite the satisfied smirk resting on his face. Truthfully, he knew this was what Steve wanted and that it likely wouldn't be much of a challenge to get you both going, the devil that he is. There was nowhere better to start than to just witness the fruit of his efforts.

"You have no idea how long I've waited for this," Steve spoke against your lips, letting one hand drop down to slide up beneath your shirt-- a shirt you'd stolen from Eddie's side of the closet-- and you shivered at the feeling of his warm skin on yours. "No idea how long I've wanted to hear you say it, princess..."

"S-Steve--" You gasped, but he wasn't finished yet.

"Say it again," He grunted, hips rutting into yours, and... yeah, his grey sweatpants were definitely getting tight. "Say you're gonna make me a fuckin' daddy, sweetheart."

Eddie watched with anticipation, palming impatiently at the front of his jeans. He knew Steve wanted this, but he didn't know he wanted it this badly.

Breaths quickening, you briefly took Steve's bottom lip between your teeth just to drive him that much crazier before giving in to his request, voice soft and sweet. "I'm gonna make you a fucking daddy, Steve..."

Steve let go of your face to hike one of your legs up over his hip, driving his clothed cock into the seat of your thin pajama shorts. You let out a choked whine, feeling a rush of wetness pooling in your panties, head swimming with need.

"Forgetting someone, angel?" Eddie interjected smugly, eyebrow raised, working himself stiff over his jeans.

Panting against Steve's hot, wet kisses, you barely managed to get the words out. "G-Gonna make you a daddy, Eds... gonna give you a baby..."

Steve groaned against you, lips sloppily trailing down your chin as he lifted you up in one quick motion, peeking his eyes open just enough to orient himself so that he could carry you towards the bedroom. You grabbed at Eddie's free hand as you passed, dragging him along with you, although he hardly needed any convincing-- he'd been waiting for this all day, resisting the urge to feign a sudden onset illness just to skip out of work and fuck you dumb, even though it appeared Steve was determined to beat him to it.

Steve shoved the bedroom door open with a heavy hand and wasted no time pinning you to the bed, tugging at your shirt like he'd die if it didn't come off, and in your eagerness to be touched by them you were quick to lift it over your head for him, exposing your soft chest to the cool air of the room. Steve's teeth dragged over your collarbones and down to the swell of your breast, sucking a harsh mark there before he took your nipple into his mouth and swirled over it with his slick tongue.

"F-Fuck," You sighed, taking a fistful of his thick hair.

Eddie shed himself of his t-shirt and jeans before joining the two of you on the bed, smoothing your hair out of your face with one hand and stroking his hardened cock with the other. "You're gonna look so pretty with a baby in you, dollface," He mused, taking his bottom lip between his teeth. "Everyone's gonna know you're fuckin' ours, huh? Ours forever."

You nodded hazily, reaching out to grab at his thigh, your nails pressing little crescent moon shapes into his alabaster skin. He sucked in a sharp breath, pace of his hand faltering. Eddie didn't want to cum just yet, for obvious reasons, but it was hard to stop himself from jerking off as he watched you writhe under Steve's touch. He found himself having to exercise some serious self control.

Pulling away from your breast with a soft pop, Steve slid his hand beneath the waistband of your shorts and ran two fingers over your drenched panties. "So good and wet for me already," He praised, watching with lust thick in his eyes as you inadvertently bucked into his hand. "You just can't wait, can you? Want me to fuck a baby into you so bad..."

"Y-Yes, Steve, please," You whimpered, shaking hands carding through his hair. "W-Want it so bad..."

"Easy, Harrington," Eddie chuckled breathlessly. "It was my idea. I'm goin' first."

Steve shot him a look that could truly kill, dragging his fingertips over your clothed clit just to make you squirm. "What are we, twelve?" He scoffed.

"Whatever. Don't make me push you off the bed, Stevie. Move," Eddie grunted, expecting Steve to put up more of a fight, but he didn't. He simply rolled his eyes and withdrew his hand from your shorts, clambering off of you to busy himself undressing for now.

Eddie crawled atop your trembling body, kissing down your chest as he dragged your panties and shorts down with a hooked finger. You hastily kicked them off and let them drop off the edge of the bed, leaving you completely bare for them. Eddie took a moment to soak in the sight of you with adoring, hungry eyes, dipping a calloused finger into your folds to ensure you were as wet as Steve said-- you definitely were, in fact, even more so than he'd been led to believe.

With a proud smirk and shaking hands he took hold of your hip, dragging the reddened, weeping head of his cock up the length of your pussy to slick himself with your arousal. You flinched at the stimulation, bucking toward him with a soft mewl of his name, a coded plea for him to get on with it, and he chuckled.

"I've got you, baby," He soothed, gifting you a sweet kiss. "Gonna fuck you real good, promise."

Your jaw dropped in bliss as the head of his cock breached your entrance, and without even thinking about it you hooked a leg around him and drew him deeper into you. He was trying to be gentle, considering they hadn't prepared you quite as well as they usually would, but he was impatient and clearly, so were you. His hips jerked into yours as he lost himself to the feeling of your plush, soaked walls hugging him tightly, and as he buried himself in to the hilt he let out a low growl that was almost animalistic.

Eyelashes fluttering, you whimpered in pleasure at the feeling, holding his soft biceps to ground yourself. "Fuck, Eddie..." You sighed, rocking into him.

"Jesus, baby, you gotta be patient, or I'm gonna bust and then neither of us will get to enjoy this," He chuckled breathlessly, fingertips pressing into your hips as he slowly began to move. "Fuck, you feel like a dream..."

Your head fell back into the pillows as the pace of his thrusts picked up and steadied-- he'd quickly found his rhythm, watching your tits move with every snap of his hips against yours, and he could hardly believe his luck that he'd found two people as perfect as you and Stevie, let alone that you'd agreed to start a family with him. Just the thought of it drove him crazy, and he could barely look at you anymore or he would finish way too soon. Screwing his eyes shut, Eddie let his own head fall back similarly to yours as he submitted himself to the feeling, and the sinful sounds of your slick cunt taking all he would give you.

Steve, newly naked, sat beside you on the bed, taking your breasts into his big hands, thumbs skimming over your pebbled nipples as he watched Eddie fuck you. "Takin' him so well, sweetheart," He mused, resisting the urge to reach for your clit. "You're such a good fuckin' girl, aren't you?"

"S-Stevie," You whined, speech slurring with pleasure as you reached weakly for his hand. "Feels so... so good..."

He hummed, taking a hold of your hand, lips brushing over your knuckles. "I'll bet it does, princess. Gonna let Eds make you a mama, huh?"

"Mhm," You nodded, squeezing his hand. "A-And you too..."

Steve chuckled softly, kissing your knuckles again, more affirmatively this time. "That's right. That's my good girl."

With the combination of their filthy words and the near bruising feeling of Eddie's engorged cock prodding at your cervix, you were ashamed to admit that you were already nearing the finish line too. You desperately clenched around Eddie in an attempt to hold on, but it would seem as though the action brought him that much closer to his own end.

His rings were cold on your hot skin as one hand moved from your hip to the lower part of your stomach, applying just enough pressure to intensify the feeling of his swollen cock inside you. Your mouth fell open in a near silent cry, and Eddie couldn't help a breathless little laugh at your reaction. He just couldn't believe how adorable you were, how perfect you looked even while he was fucking you like a touch starved teenager.

"Right here," Eddie groaned, taking his lip between his teeth with a wild grin. "That's where our perfect little baby is gonna grow, right between these gorgeous fuckin' hips of yours, princess..." His inked skin glowed with sweat in the low bedroom light, and your cheeks burned.

It was in that moment that you started to realize that Eddie really must have been thinking about this for a long time-- running into a classmate of yours at work was just a convenient excuse to bring it up. Regardless, you couldn't help but be glad that he did.

"S-So close, Eds, m'close... please," You whimpered, feeling that knot begin to tighten deep within you, but in his concentration it would seem Eddie had barely registered your plea.

No matter, Steve was certainly paying close attention. He gently brushed your hair away from your face so that he could admire you properly before allowing his hand to travel down the length of your stomach, dipping in the space between you and Eddie so that he could toy with your clit. Mewling in pleasure, you gripping Steve's wrist with a shaking, white knuckled hand as your high crested over you-- you felt your walls pulsing around Eddie's thick cock as your cum seeped out around him.

It would seem that alone was enough to push Eddie finally over the edge. His fingertips bore deeply into your skin, pace of his thrusts faltering as he buried himself as deeply inside you as he could manage and shortly thereafter, you were graced with warmth and butterflies as his hot seed flooded your cunt. The deep, broken moan that fell from his lips was unlike anything you'd ever heard from him before, primal and satisfied like he'd never had an orgasm quite like this. With stilted movements he continued to fuck his seed into you for just a moment until he was absolutely positive you'd drained him dry, and only then was he able to will himself to pull out.

"Jesus, sweetheart, you drive me crazy," He huffed, catching his breath as he reached forward with his thumb and caught a stray globe of pearly white that was threatening to slip out of you, pushing it gently back into your sensitive pussy. "Can't waste a single fuckin' drop, now can we? Not 'til you're good 'n knocked up, huh?"

"E-Eds," You whimpered, jolting beneath his touch and finding yourself unable to do much more than make grabby hands at him, craving his affection.

Flopping to the bed on the other side of you, his lips brushed over your sweaty temple as he soothed, "M'right here, princess, m'not goin' anywhere."

Steve was kind enough to allow you a moment to come back to Earth before reminding you of his presence with a soft touch to your thigh. "Are you ready to go again, sweetheart?" He asked, kind words juxtaposed by the absolute carnal hunger in his eyes, pupils blown wide as he soaked in the pretty sight of Eddie's seed leaking from your cunt.

Just the sight of him hovering over you, careful hands spreading you open by your shaking thighs was more than enough to reignite the flame in your core, bringing a renewed wave of need. You nodded lazily, reaching for his hand.

Steve laced his fingers in yours. "Use your words, princess."

"I-I'm ready, Stevie," You sighed with a sweet smile, your hips working off of a mind of their own as you bucked gently toward him. "Want your cum... n-need it so bad..."

You almost could have sworn you saw his eyes roll back into his head in pure bliss at the sound of those words leaving your lips. In no need of any further convincing, Steve softly kneaded your quivering thigh in his large hand before taking his woefully hard cock in the other, lining himself up with your entrance in a way which took special care to push any stray seed of Eddie's back into you. Your head fell back with a quiet whine, already sensitive from having came already, but equally so your mouth was watering and you could hardly think coherently through the thick fog of need that clouded your fucked out brain.

Steve drove into you as carefully as he could manage in his eagerness, cognizant of your sensitivity but all too anxious to give it all to you. As he bottomed out inside of your slick cunt his eyes screwed shut, almost overwhelmed by the feeling of your cum-soaked walls pulling him in.

He groaned deeply, hips snapping impatiently forward. "S-Six..." He muttered, perhaps to himself, but the utterance did not go unnoticed by you or Eddie.

"Huh?" You mewled, squeezing his hand as you rocked on the bed. "Stevie?"

"Six," He said more clearly now. "I've always wanted six... six cute little terrors, and you're gonna be their mama, huh?"

"Six?" You gasped, but were quickly subdued by the pleasure of his thick cock rutting deeply inside of you, threatening closer to your cervix.

Eddie chuckled. "We could handle it. I mean, we've had plenty of practice."

Now it was you squeezing your eyes shut, head lazily shaking back and forth on the mattress. "Uh-uh," You moaned. "T-That's... s'too many..."

"Jus' think about it," Steve grinned. "Three boys, three girls. Toy cars and princess tea parties, road trips in Eddie's van..."

"S'too much," You slurred, though at this point neither Steve nor Eddie could tell if you were still referring to the six kids thing or if you were just getting overstimulated. They silently figured both were possibly true.

Eddie smoothed your hair away from your forehead. "Doin' so well for us, princess. Just a little longer, m'kay? Stevie's gonna take good care of you."

Tears pricked at your eyes as your second high of the night continued approaching all too quickly. Every last movement Steve made pushed you closer and closer to the edge, beckoning you to finish once more, and it felt so horrifically good that it almost hurt. You could hardly think straight, unintelligible moans tumbling from your lips as you squeezed Steve's hand like he'd disappear if you let go.

"Don't fight it," Steve said breathlessly, squeezing your hand in return as an acknowledgement of your inability to speak up. "Just cum for me, honey, just let go and cum for me..."

His words alone sent shivers down the length of you that glittered and bloomed at the base of your spine and brought your legs together, inadvertently pulling him deeper into you as you cried out and gushed over his hard cock. Your whole body shaking, you hardly even noticed that your free hand was reaching for Eddie's.

"Aww... you're okay, you're alright," Eddie cooed, taking your hand while Steve continued to rut into you, though it was evident he wasn't far from his end, either. "You still with us, pumpkin?" Eddie checked in.

It took you a second to fully process what he'd asked of you, but once you did, you nodded hazily.

"That's my girl, all fucked out and dumb," He praised. "Aren't you just the cutest, hm?"

Eddie brought your hand to his lips, pressing a sweet kiss to your knuckles, and when you pulled his hand towards yourself he expected you would return the affection-- instead, you took his thick middle and ring fingers into your mouth as if to pacify yourself.

He nearly came again at that motion alone.

Steve, who watched this exchange occur with lust-blown eyes, drove into your cunt hard, white knuckling your hips as his jaw dropped in a jagged moan and he emptied his seed as deeply inside you as he could physically manage. For a moment he couldn't bring himself to pull out, rocking into you just a few more gentle times as if to fuck it further in. You were a quivering, whining mess at the hand of his ministrations.

Once he had properly descended back to Earth from his high, Steve leaned down to kiss the blushing bridge of your nose, and then Eddie's ringed knuckles that rested just before your lips. You blinked absently, tears bubbling in your lashes, but even so you couldn't help but smile at how sweet they could be in the aftermath of acts that would reasonably deny you entry into heaven.

"You're so good for us, sweetheart," Steve mused, steadying you by your waist as he unsheathed himself from you, slowly so as not to waste any of their seed. "I can't wait for us to have our own family."

You sucked softly at Eddie's fingers, gazing up at Steve with hazy doe eyes that wordlessly pleaded for him to join you on the bed. Typically he would make you say what you wanted out loud, but neither of them felt the need to bother tonight. After all, you were gifting them something they couldn't get from anyone else, something they only wanted from you.

Catching his breath, Steve brushed his hair away from his face and laid on the other side of you, drawing your shaking body into his warm chest. Eddie scratched your back lovingly as Steve played with your soft hair.

A few moments of comfortable silence passed while you all regained proper consciousness, but that silence was broken by Eddie.

"I hope it’s a boy.”

"A boy?" You gasped, turning over your shoulder to look at him with raised eyebrows. "Like there aren't enough of you already?"

#venustext #sintext #stranger things #steddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #steddie x reader #steve harrington x reader #eddie munson x reader #steve harrington x eddie munson x reader #steddie smut #steve harrington smut #eddie munson smut

1K notes · View notes

steddieunderdogfics · 17 days

Text

This week’s writer spotlight feature is: @thefreakandthehair! With thirty-nine works in the Steve/Eddie and Stranger Things tags on Archive of our Own!

In an underdogfics first, we have TWO nominators!

Our first nominator recommends the following works by @thefreakandthehair:

this is my month, I can feel it. october, baby!

never been afraid of any deviation.

scar-crossed lovers.

the answers are all inside of this.

Our second nominator, @sidekick-hero, recommends the following works by @thefreakandthehair:

over the hills and far away

meeting you was coming home.

make no plans and none can be broken.

rounding third, sliding home.

what's mine is yours (to leave or take)

Lex's brain is full of very creative scenarios, reading her writing is like reading an anthology of short stories but it's with all of your favorite characters! You get to see what they'd do in this AU or that AU, I love the exploration. It's like she's made a stew and it's simmering on the stove and you realize you're so hungry for stew as soon as you see it. <3 -- anonymous

Lex writes characters that come to life on the page while you're reading her stories. It makes it so easy to get invested in them, to feel with them and root for them to get their happy ending. She's one of these authors I would follow anywhere, any trope, any setting and universe, I am here for it. So I think more people should get to find her stories and be treated to the magic. -- @sidekick-hero

Below the cut, @thefreakandthehair answered some questions about their writing process and some of their recommended work!

Why do you write Steddie?

How can I possibly give just one reason! These two burrowed themselves into my brain like little gerbils with no hope of ever getting them out. I mean, was I supposed to hear ‘dontcha big boy?’ and be normal about it? But in all seriousness, they’re two sides of the same coin and those oppositions in character are super fun to play with!

What’s your favorite trope to READ?

It was tough to choose, but friends to lovers keeps coming up!

What’s your favorite trope to WRITE?

If I have to choose a particular trope, hurt/comfort would be the closest fit, but in the sense of healing past hurts together as a unit.

What’s your favorite Steddie fic?

This question sent me into an existential crisis and the best I could do is narrow it down to three, and even that was nearly impossible. In no particular order: We’ll Know For The First Time by KikiZ; carve your name into my chest by hexiewrites; and more recently, Among the Wildflowers by ParadimeShifts.

Is there a trope you’re excited to explore in a future work but haven’t yet?

Rivals to Lovers in my football AU! I’ve been so excited to get moving on that one.

What is your writing process like?

Oh, I wish I had a better one. I start with a skeleton outline, pop on some music, and then pick and choose which part of the outline sparks joy in that moment. I rarely, if ever, write chronologically so I just write what feels good in the moment and then go back with a scalpel to create connective tissue.

Do you have any writing quirks?

Definitely writing out of order, I think! And if there’s one thing about me, it’s that someone is gonna have an introspective moment looking up at the stars. Someone told me it’s like my calling card and they’re not wrong.

Do you prefer posting when you’ve finished writing or on a schedule?

I like a bit of both. I like to post on a schedule for multi-chapter fics but only after it’s either completely done or mostly done so that there’s no pressure to it.

Which fic are you most proud of?

Over The Hills And Far Away incorporated some personal bits of my past that were equal parts cathartic and difficult to write at times, so I’d have to say that one! It’s really satisfying to take experiences that you regret or that didn’t end the way you’d hoped and give them a different ending in fiction.

How did you get the idea for never been afraid of any deviation?

The Eddie Month prompt for that day! Me and my co-mod for the event, nostalgicbones, included Bad Reputation by Joan Jett as a prompt and as I was listening to it, it got me thinking about how Eddie is someone who cares for those in less than ideal situations— maybe even to the point of weaponizing his own bad reputation to protect someone. In this case, that was Steve!

When writing the answers are all inside of this, what was something you didn’t expect?

I didn’t expect it to become multiple chapters! That one is part of my So Much For Stardust series (that I haven’t forgotten about, I’ve just been busy with big bangs) so it was based on The Pink Seashell interlude from the album. I still don’t know exactly how a 1-minute interlude turned into a 15k multi-chapter fic, but it was super fun to let go off the rails!

What inspired scar-crossed lovers?

Also a So Much For Stardust series fic, the first one in the series, actually. I heard Heaven, Iowa for the first time and wrote this based on that song in a day. My brain just kept rotating it around like a rotisserie chicken until I wrote it.

What was your favorite part to write from scar-crossed lovers?

This is ironic because I’m not an angst-writer by nature, but writing about the slow deterioration of Eddie’s van as a symbol for the passage of time was really fun to do. Bittersweet, but it was one of those things that I didn’t realize I was doing until I was in the middle of it and once I realized, I just carried it throughout!

How do/did you feel writing never been afraid of any deviation.?

Excited! It was the first time that I wrote pre-s4 steddie (which is wild that in two years, I just wrote that for the first time last fall?) and it was so fun to do!

What was the most difficult part of writing the answers are all inside of this.?

Probably balancing the kids’ voices in the first chapter while still creating tension between Steve and Eddie.

Do you have a favorite scene and/or line from any of your fics?

It isn’t one of the fics listed here, but in no better version I could pretend to be tonight, I loved writing the line “Something about Steve feels like home, and Eddie is only familiar with houses.” Hurt/comfort, my beloved.

Do you have any upcoming projects or fics you’d like to share/promote?

I’m planning on taking a break from big bangs for a bit to focus on some super neglected WIPs, so there are a few upcoming fics I’m excited about! My Football AU, an ASMR Artist!Eddie x Insomniac!Steve AU, and I’m working on a fic called Pickup Note with sidekick-hero and firefly-party that I cannot wait to dive into fully.

Outside of these questions, Is there anything YOU would like to add?

Just thank you so much for all that you do with this blog! The ship truly exploded overnight and there are so many incredible stories that I’ve completely missed just because they’ve fallen through the cracks. I really appreciate what you’re doing here and the undertaking that it’s been!

Thank you to our author, @thefreakandthehair, and our nominators, anonymous and @sidekick-hero! See more of @thefreakandthehair works featured on our page throughout the day!

Writer’s Spotlight is every Wednesday! Want to nominate an author? You can nominate them here!

#steddie #steddie fic recs #steve harrington #eddie munson #steve x eddie #stranger things #steddieunderdogfics #writer's wednesday #writer's spotlight #steddie writers

93 notes · View notes

berenwrites · 2 months

Text

Always and Forever - Stranger Things - Steddie - G

Rating: G | cw: none | tags: fluff, very light angst, Corroded Coffin, rockstars, touring

Prompt: Love is going out of your way to do something you know will make them happy (@forgottenkanji)

A/N: Written for @steddielovemonth day 29. Sorry I disappeared from this challenge halfway through. We lost one of our kitties (she was 14 ½) and I just kind of lost the impetus, but I figured I had to write something for the last day at least. No beta today because it was a last minute thing.

Also on AO3 soon | All My Other Stranger Things Fic

Always and Forever: Love Finds a Way

Steve stared at the phone for a long time after he put it down with the usual ‘I love you’. He spoke to Eddie every day after he got home and before Eddie was due on stage with the rest of Corroded Coffin. The three-month tour was nearly over, and it had done so much for the band’s popularity. Usually, Eddie sounded excited on the phone, even though he professed to miss Steve as much as Steve missed him.

Tonight, hadn’t been like that.

All Steve had been able to hear was the strain in Eddie’s voice. Oh, Eddie had tried to cover it with his usual exuberance, but Steve knew his boyfriend far too well. Something was wrong.

Before he could talk himself out of it, he picked up the phone again. He rang through to the band’s hotel, but this time he asked for a different room number.

“Hello,” came the rather disgruntled answer after a couple of rings.

“Gareth, what’s wrong with Eddie?” Steve asked without beating around the bus.

“Steve?” Gareth asked, although Steve was pretty sure it was just a stall.

“Gareth,” Steve said in a tone that usually had the not-kids-anymore kids jumping to do whatever he was telling them to.

There was a sigh from the other end.

“He’s having nightmares again,” Gareth finally said after a few moments silence.

“What? Why?” Steve asked.

“There was an incident at one of the venues,” Gareth revealed. “Nothing major, just some fans managed to get backstage and thought it would be hilarious to try and scare the big bad metal band. They had these demon masks and party poppers and hid in the green room. Security got rid of them, but it spooked all of us a bit.”

“If I ever get my hands on those assholes, I will fucking kill them,” Steve growled out, mind jumping to the nail bat he still kept under the bed.

The Upside Down was closed off, there hadn’t been any trouble for three years, but he could never quite shake the need to have a weapon to hand. He could only imagine what it was like for Eddie on tour in strange places. After all, Eddie had nearly died.

“They were just stupid kids,” Gareth did his best to sound soothing, but Steve was pretty sure they were actually in agreement.

“Why didn’t he mention it to me?” Steve asked.

“Probably because he didn’t want to worry you,” Gareth replied. “We’ll make sure he’s okay, Steve,” Gareth promised. “We love him too.”

“Yeah, I know,” he said, taking a deep breath. “Thanks. Don’t tell him I called, okay? He’ll only worry about me worrying.”

“No problem,” Gareth replied. “Sorry, I have to go, the van’s waiting downstairs.”

“Knock ‘em dead,” Steve replied, “and thanks again.”

“See you in a couple of weeks,” Gareth said, and the line clicked off.

Putting the receiver back in the cradle, Steve stared at the phone for a little while longer. It was as he picked it up for the third time, he realised he had made the decision before he had even put it down the first time.

He didn’t stop moving until he was in sitting on the plane. He’d let Robin and Dustin know he was going and asked them to pass on the information. Robin had told him to ‘go get his man’. He’d packed a bag and called a taxi to the airport, barely pausing to make sure he had anything but his wallet. Luckily the girl on the ticket desk had taken pity on him and found him a not completely terrible flight across the country. Staring out the window, all he could think about was Eddie.

By the time he reached the hotel it was the early hours of the morning. He didn’t need to ask reception because he already knew the room number, so he headed straight up. When he stepped out on the right floor a guy in a black suit lurking in the shadows gave him a look. Apparently, someone was taking security seriously now. Corroded Coffin was what some publications liked to call an over-night sensation, even though they had been working hard for several years that didn’t seem to count. You couldn’t turn on a rock station without them coming up. They deserved to be looked after.

Also apparently, someone had briefed the security guy well, because he glared at Steve for a few moments and then appeared to relax. How security knew what he looked like he decided not to ask.

Walking quickly along the hall he got to Eddie’s door. The first thing he noticed was the sound of an acoustic guitar. Not really a surprise after what Gareth had told him. When Eddie couldn’t sleep, he always retreated to his music.

Lifting his hand, Steve knocked.

The guitar playing stopped.

Steve knocked again when no one answered the door.

A second later, the door was yanked inwards, and Eddie was staring at him as if he didn’t quite believe what he was seeing.

“Steve,” Eddie said, eyes big and round.

“Hi,” he replied and gave Eddie a little wave.

“Am I dreaming?” Eddie asked and sounded just a little afraid Steve wasn’t real.

“Nope,” he said, reaching out and touching the side of Eddie’s face.

Eddie almost clocked himself on the side of the head with his guitar, clearly forgetting he was holding it as he tried to cover Steve’s hand with his own. At which point, Steve took the guitar and gently shepherded Eddie back into the room. Once the door was closed, he put the guitar down, dropped his own bag and crowded into Eddie’s personal space.

“Missed you,” he said, taking Eddie’s face in his hands.

The were dark circles under Eddie’s eyes and his skin was pale, but he was just a beautiful to Steve as always.

“Missed you too,” Eddie replied, a tiny smile quirking his lips as he drank Steve in with his eyes. “How?”

“Need you to be happy, Eds,” he said, leaning forward so their foreheads were touching. “That’s all that matters.”

“But…”

“No buts,” he interrupted. “Need to hold you and chase the nightmares away.”

“Who told you?” Eddie asked, but there was no heat to his tone even as he wound his arms around Steve.

“Twisted Gareth’s arm,” Steve confessed, wrapping Eddie in a tight embrace. “Knew something was wrong on the phone earlier.”

“Not as good an actor as I think I am, huh?” Eddie said into his shirt.

“Only to me,” Steve assured him, “and well probably Wayne.”

That startled a laugh out of Eddie, but he didn’t move from his position in Steve’s arms.

“God I love you,” Eddie said.

“Me too,” Steve replied, “always and forever.”

When Eddie had gone off on tour it had seemed like such a big thing, the first reality of the rockstar lifestyle. Steve had worried it would pull them apart, but what he’d realised during the earlier phone call, was it was all irrelevant. All the mattered to him was Eddie. Everything else was just details to be worked out.

He didn’t have a plan. Hadn’t had more than the sure and certain knowledge he needed to get to Eddie. He would work out what to do next when he woke up in the morning with Eddie in his arms. That was the important part.

All My Other Stranger Things Fic

#stranger things #stranger things fanfic #fanfiction #steddie #steve harrington #steve x eddie #eddie munson #eddie lives #post season 4 #steddielovemonth #eddie x steve #steddie fic #steddie fluff #steddie ficlet

96 notes · View notes

skepsiss · 11 days

Note

Post season 4 steddie fic with Steve helping Eddie recover? Like after hospital and he's technically "healed" but he's having trouble. Learning to walk again, shaky hands, sharp pains, things like that

I love them sm

I love them too, anon. This premise is like so many of my story premises for them, so I will try my best to keep it short cause I can see this getting way out of hand, oops. Lol. **Note, you can send me steddie prompts too! Anyone can** (tumblr keeps messing with this post and putting the read more WAY farther down. Forgive me) The idea behind this is they're not together, and neither of them quite knows that they have feelings for the other. Sort of... the blooming of a crush. Early, early stages of Steddie. -- "I can do it," Eddie said harshly as he attempted to pull himself out of the chair he had been lounging in. Steve stood there, arms hovering around the perimeter of the armchair, as Eddie struggled to stand. Maybe Steve had been a bit too attentive as of late, but Eddie had only been home from the hospital for a little over a week. After the accident, recovery hadn't been easy for Eddie--or Max for that matter, but while Max was still in hospital recovering, Eddie had been discharged back to the care of his uncle. Of course, Wayne was ecstatic to have Eddie back home, but with hospital bills and having to replace half of their trailer, Wayne didn't have a lot of time to spend at home. The Party had been volunteering around the clock to check in and help Eddie, but Steve had noticed that Eddie allowed very few of them to actually help him. Steve was one of those people, and even then, it was a fight. Eddie did not in fact 'do it,' as he tried to support his weight on his arms and stand. Instead, he managed to get up and then promptly collapse to the side, clinging to the armrest to stop himself from hitting the floor.

"Hey, woah--" Steve breathed, hunching to catch Eddie by one of his elbows.

Eddie snatched his arm away, looking frustrated and embarrassed as he kneeled on the ground. "Eddie, just let me help," Steve encouraged, sounding a bit exasperated as he tried to look Eddie in the face. "Don't mother-hen me," Eddie huffed, obviously trying to contain his emotions. He sounded on the verge of yelling, or like he was about to start weeping, but Steve tried to ignore that. He didn't need to embarrass Eddie any further. "Can I at least grab your cane for you?" Steve asked, sighing as he stood back up. Eddie took a moment, and then nodded, breathing out a gruff 'yeah,' without looking up. Steve moved to the door and grabbed the cane that Dustin had brought over a few days ago--one The Party had decorated and glued a dragon's head to the top of to make it 'cool.' Eddie had liked it, but he still didn't seem keen to use it.

Steve handed Eddie his walking stick and he grumbled before attempting to get his feet under himself again. "Just let me help," Steve said quietly, not stepping forward like he had before, but still standing there expectantly. "I need to be able to do it myself--" Eddie grouched, barely managing to get up onto wobbly knees and stand. "No you don't," Steve scolded, "not this early on---Eddie, you were in a hospital bed for over a month, you don't have the strength to do it by yourself." "Elaborate way to call me an uncoordinated nerd," Eddie huffed, obviously trying to inject some levity into the conversation.

"That's not what I'm saying," Steve sighed, keeping close attention to Eddie as he slowly started to pivot. "Just let me---" Eddie started as he tried to take a step forward and wobbled terribly. Steve was at his side instantly, catching Eddie around the waist and arm, stopping him from hitting the ground again. Eddie stilled in Steve's arms before Steve heard a small whine escaping him, that eventually turned into an angry snarl. "Don't---just--" Eddie complained, trying to pull away again, but not having the footing or the strength to break Steve's grip as he jerked back. "Just let me do it--" The threat of tears was evident again as Steve saw the frustration well up in Eddie's eyes. He didn't want to force Eddie, but this was getting ridiculous. "Why is it so important that you do it? I can help, Eddie. That's why I'm here, just let---" "Because you're not always going to be here!" Eddie snapped angrily, cutting Steve off. He looked away again but stopped struggling against Steve's grip, instead standing there with his face turned toward the ground like a dejected child. "What're you..." Steve trailed off, trying to grasp at Eddie's meaning. He didn't like how emotional this was making Eddie, and he didn't like that he wasn't able to help him. Whether that was with walking or feeling better. "You're not always going to be here..." Eddie repeated, his tone much softer as he continued to hold onto Steve, still unable to stand on his own.

"We'll... I'll be here for as long as you need," Steve tried, still not understanding what Eddie meant. "No--you... how long is it going to take for me to be normal again? A month? Five? What if it's never? What if I don't get better? You're not always---I'm not going to make any of you put your lives on hold so I can stand up and go take a fucking piss," Eddie gritted out, his voice getting tight at the end, his emotions obviously raw. Steve quieted as he stood there, understanding what Eddie meant, but not agreeing. He had to imagine that being immobilized by an injury would drive him insane too, and he understood to a degree how deregulating it was not to be able to do everything he demanded of his own body. Recovery was slow, and hard, and Eddie wasn't going to have an easy go of it, but pushing himself wasn't going to help.

"That's stupid," Steve said bluntly, watching as Eddie looked up at him, completely surprised by his words. "You almost died, Eddie. No one other than some action hero from a bad B-movie is going to recover that fast. You're just going to make it worse. You have to rebuild the muscles, man. Learn to walk properly; there isn't a point in doing it if you're going to teach yourself to do it wrong, and then have to correct yourself over and over. You'll probably hurt yourself. It'll be painful, man." Eddie seemed shocked silent by Steve's words, still hanging there as he stared. "Isn't it the same with music? You practice and practice the same string over and over again until you get it right? And then you have to practice the right way or you're never going to do it?" Steve asked, watching Eddie inhale unevenly. "Eddie... none of us are going to abandon you, that's not what we do. I'm not going to make you do this by yourself." Eddie looked away again, a choked-sounding laugh escaping him as he let his hair tumble in front of his face to hide his emotions. Steve didn't stare, instead trying to look across the room to give Eddie a bit of privacy. He knew this wasn't easy, and the emasculation of being unable to do anything by yourself had to suck, so Steve tried to preserve as much of Eddie's dignity as he could manage. "Yeah... like learning a new chord," Eddie swallowed, his voice sounding rough.

He took another beat before trying to stand up on his own again, leaning heavily on his cane, but not letting go of Steve's arm either. "Going to ruin your summer--I don't want to be a burden," Eddie breathed, obviously trying to sound a little jokey, despite his words. "You're not a burden," Steve replied easily, shifting to stand beside Eddie to help him walk toward the hall of the trailer. "What else am I doing with my summer? Swim? Actually, might be good to get you to swim. Low impact, but great muscle strengthening. Probably be good for you to swim." "I can't swim," Eddie laughed, his tone bittersweet and laced with a much deeper emotion. "I'll teach you," Steve offered, not putting too much stock in his own words. "I used to teach kids to swim all the time during the summer back in '83 and '84. It's easy." Eddie went quiet again as he took careful step after careful step down the hall toward the washroom. "Yeah... okay," Eddie mumbled quietly as he leaned on the door handle and breathed hard from the effort of walking just that short distance.

"Okay?" Steve repeated, "Hallelujah, he compromises." Steve said sarcastically as he helped Eddie slide the door aside. "Man, shut up," Eddie grouched, but he sounded charmed by the gentle tease. "What're you going to get mad about now? Not holding my dick while I piss?" "Grow up," Steve retorted, trying to sound friendly. Eddie laughed and Steve helped him as far as the sink before letting go. "Don't fall over, and don't try and stand. Just sit down, you're still recovering, man." "Don't tell me how to use the toilet, Harrington. You're not my nurse-maid," Eddie grouched, able to wobble from the sink edge to brace on the back of the toilet. "You're lucky I'm not, probably would have sedated you by now if that was the case," Steve teased again, getting another small laugh from Eddie before he turned to leave the room. "Holler if you need something." "Harrington..." Eddie mumbled, and Steve paused at the door as he held it open. "Don't... thanks... thank you." "Don't worry about it," Steve smiled, "any time man... really. Any time, I don't mind hanging out with you at all." Eddie glanced over at him, and Steve flashed him another smile before sliding the door shut and walking back down the hall. He leaned there, waiting for Eddie to call him back over when he needed him. None of this was easy, and he didn't blame Eddie for having a hard time with it. He wanted Eddie to get his freedom back as soon as possible, but he truly didn't mind hanging around with Eddie whenever he wanted him there. He liked it, actually. He liked feeling needed and helpful, and Steve liked the idea of teaching Eddie to swim. He owed a lot to Eddie, and he had meant it when he said he wasn't going to abandon him. A month, five, forever... Steve didn't plan on abandoning Eddie for anything.

#eddie munson #steddie #steve harrington #stranger things #my_writing #mini ask fics

83 notes · View notes

trashmouth-richie · 1 year

Text

♡ ziggy, 31, she/her, your cool older sister, writer, ♉︎ , mashed potato enthusiast, i like to laugh..a lot. dm or slide into my ask box I love chatting and simping over the hot boys (eddie, steve, argyle— occasionally jonathan and billy, + always hopper) of Hawkins

♡ this is an 18+ only blog, minors will be banished by the power of 3

♡ latest works blurbs: love’s never meant much to me

cold shower 18+

the raven told me of you 18+

♡ latest works series: open arms 18+

♡ popular works (series): honey i’m home (roommate!eddie) 18+

requests: closed

asks: open

tag list: comment on this post to be added

𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

ao3

♡ pls support writers with reblogs + comments

i do not give anyone permission to copy, steal or repost my works on any other platform. i do not give permission to put my work into AI systems of any kind. copyright @trashmouth-richie

LATEST WORK ·˚ ༘

OPEN ARMS: escaping Hawkins was impossible, but he did it. when a ghost from your past shows up unexpectedly, bringing with him old memories and holding up a mirror to the train wreck life you’re living… you find it hard to trust him again.

*new* HIDE + SCREAM : Hawkins Annual Halloween Festival is in town, and this year you and your friends were lucky enough to work the event. But when some of your co-workers are missing, and a trail of blood leads to the woods behind the festival. Your friends work together to find out what’s going on. A killer is on the loose but who could it be? Or is it the town’s spooky secret of what really happened at Hawkins Lab?

LILITH : a series of blurbs about crazy!reader x crazy!eddie.

LIE TO ME: lovesick! Eddie *new!*

SERIES ·˚ ༘

TWINFLAMES : (ongoing) Eddie Munson x Fem!Reader —the annngst, the smut, NO VECNA, it’s gonna be a ride (15/??) (on permanent hiatus)

HONEY, I’M HOME desperate for a roommate, you place an ad in the paper. Eddie x Fem!Reader (enemies to lovers, menace!Eddie )

DO YOU LIKE THE WAY THE WATER TASTES? a day at the pool with your best friend, his gf, and his best friend Eddie— who has a crush on you.

HEATED taking the back roads to Indianapolis was Eddie’s idea. the day trip there was Steve’s. But when Wayne’s borrowed truck grinds to a halt on the hottest day in September, the tension and the boys’ tempers aren’t the only thing to rise.

ONE SHOTS ·˚ ༘

FORTY THREE BELOW *new* blizzard au, reader is fighting a cold

COBBLER *new* blizzard storm with a crabby eddie

TWELVE HOURS *new* smutty 12 hours of bf! eddie worshipping you until christmas

DIFFERENCES *new* a blurb about the way Steve & Eddie fuck you

IT’S 3 AM *new!* [early early morning smut with Eddie]

LEAVE ME IN THE DARK *new* [eddie angst: before & after s4]

CONFESSION *new!* [smut] eddie x fem!reader

LANDLORD! MEAN! OLDER!EDDIE [smut]

SOMEONE LIKE YOU [steddie angst]

LETTING SOMEONE GO *new!* [angst]

RUN

HELLFIRE THANKSGIVING [smut]

BAD DATE CHRONICLES

PREP SCHOOL [smut]

WANTING YOU

AT THIS MOMENT, YOU MEAN EVERYTHING steve x reader smut

more fics under the cut

MINI SERIES ·˚ ༘

WE’RE THE LAST IN LINE [on Hiatus]

MINI MINI SERIES ·˚ ༘

TEASING

CHOKE ME, BITE ME

QUEEN OF THE DAMNED eddie x fem!reader { corruption kink }

ANSWERED ASKS ·˚ ༘

VALENTINE’S [fluff]

LITTLE MUNSON [fluff]

UNO

ICE ICE BABY

WHEELS ON THE BUS

KITCHEN SEX steve x fem!reader

DESSERT

FERAL + BREAD

GLASSES + LIGHTS

BEST FRIENDS

BILLY X EDDIE X YOU

ROOF SEX : Eddie x Fem! Reader

LET’S NOT KEEP SCORE *new* coach! steve x fem reader

#eddie munson #eddie x fem!reader #eddie x you #eddie munson smut #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson x reader #ziggys masterlist

1K notes · View notes

hbyrde36 · 8 months

Text

Shelter in Place (Pt. 1 of 2)

a Steddie fic AO3 link

Written for @thefreakandthehair - Lex’s Spicy Six Summer Challenge!

My prompt was : Hurricane

WC: 6,648 Rating: E (for smut in pt. 2)

Summary:

When a major Hurricane is projected to hit Hawkins (technically it’s more like the remnants of a hurricane, but the residents of Hawkins don’t really know the difference or care), Dustin is worried about his new friend and DM, Eddie Munson, who lives in a trailer, a structure not known for its resilience against severe weather. He invites the older boy to ride the storm out with him and his mom at home, unaware that she has made arrangements for them to stay with family that live far away from the storm's trajectory. Dustin doesn’t want to leave his friend high and dry, enter everyone’s favorite babysitter: Steve Harrington.

Notes: Yes, there really was a hurricane called Bob in 1979. Not Robert. BOB. (followed closely by tropical storm Claudette, both made at least some sort of appearance in or near indiana.)

I had to do a quick google search to make sure hurricanes even happened in that area of the country. They do, sort of, but only like every 7-10 years. I live in a coastal town and we get at least one hurricane a year and it just did not occur to me that this is not a thing in some places🙈.

‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

Steve was nearing the end of his shift at family video, alone because Robin could only work part time during the school year, when Dustin called.

He sighed into the telephone, leaning heavily on the counter as he listened to the kid prattle on at 100 miles an hour about some kind of emergency . Steve had panicked for a second, until Dustin explained that it wasn’t a code-red emergency, just a regular mundane one. He could have cried in relief. It’d only been a little over two months since their last run-in with the Upside-Down, and if he was honest with himself, he still wasn’t 100% back to normal from Starcourt yet. He wasn’t sure he ever would be.

Dustin proceeded to go on and on about his new best friend and fellow D&D nerd, Eddie, and Steve tried to listen, he really did, but he had no idea what the hell any of it had to do with him. Then Henderson finally dropped the bomb.

“You’ve got to be kidding me. Are you really asking me to spend the Hurricane babysitting Eddie ‘the freak’ Munson?” Steve sputtered.

“It’s not babysitting, he’s older than you!”

“He is still in high school though.” Steve smugly pointed out.

“Don’t be an asshole, not everyone is good at school.”

Ok, that was..fair, but Steve still didn’t feel like getting roped into this. “Why can’t he stay at your house again?”

“Were you even listening?” Dustin scoffed. “My mom got too nervous, something about a tree falling on the house back in ‘79. She wants us to evacuate and stay with family for a day or two. I already offered Eddie someplace to go, I can’t take it back now! C’mon Steve, the trailer park isn’t safe, that's why Max and her mom are staying at Lucas’, remember?”

Steve tapped the receiver against his forehead and counted to five. This kid and his fucking tone. “He really doesn’t have anywhere else to go?”

He was sure Eddie didn’t like him either, there's no way the guy wanted to be stuck with him alone, for god knew how long, anymore than Steve did.

“No, and please don't tell him I said anything, and don’t laugh, but I think he’s kind of freaked out about the storm.”

Steve softened, in all honesty he was too. “I wouldn’t laugh about something like that, Henderson. I'm not a total dick.”

Steve was 12 when Hurricane Bob made landfall in Hawkins, the first major storm he had ever seen. Being so far from any coast, It wasn’t common for Indiana to experience tropical storms. Typically, they only had to deal with minor bad weather from the remnants of them as they dissipated . He had ridden it out alone, having finally hit the age where his mother deemed him old enough not to need a babysitter overnight, unless she and his father planned to be gone for longer than a weekend. He told himself they would have come home to be with him if only the flights hadn’t been grounded. He knows better now, and even back then, he hadn’t truly believed it.

He'd been prepared to go through this event in much the same way, except now he was grown and could drink himself through the nerves, and the boredom of a power outage, if he wanted to. He would prefer to have company, but the kids needed to be home with their families, Robin was out of town, and Nancy… wasn’t an option. They were fine with each other when the shit hit the fan and all, but they weren't exactly friends. Besides, she was still with Jonathan, even if he was 2,000 miles away with his mom, brother and El. It would just be awkward.

“So, can he stay with you?” Dustin asked again, bringing Steve back to the present. All of the kid’s cocky tone and kidding was gone for the moment. He really was worried about his friend, Steve realized.

“Does he even know it’s my house you're inviting him to? I wasn't exactly a nice guy for most of high school.” Steve was breaking. He would cave. He knew it.

“I'm sure it’ll be fine, we talk about you at Hellfire all the time and he's never said anything. Just give him a chance. Who knows, maybe you’ll come out of this with a friend who’s actually your own age.”

“Hey, I have Robin!” Steve protested.

“You need more than one friend, Steve. I’m gonna call Eddie and tell him the good news. Is it okay if he comes right over?”

He still hadn’t exactly said yes, but they both knew he would.

“Yea.. that’s fine. I get off work in fifteen minutes”

Steve had only just gotten home himself when the doorbell rang. Here we go , he thought.

“You don’t have to do this y’know.” Eddie grumbled the moment the door opened. Somehow making it sound like he’s the one being put out.

Steve groaned internally, cursing Dustin for volunteering him and his house for this. He wanted to agree with the guy, would be happy to slam the door in his face even, but Dustin would be pissed if he didn’t at least try to play nice.

“Come on in, Munson. I’ll show you where you can put your stuff.”

Eddie followed him wordlessly through the foyer and up the stairs, eyes darting around nervously the whole way. He looked so out of place in Steve’s boring upper middle class house, all ripped black jeans, rings glinting on every finger, and a leather jacket. He stood out, demanded to be noticed, just like he always had in school.

Steve showed him the guest room and pointed out the main bathroom down the hall, before ducking into his own room for a sorely needed after work shower. Apart from his gruff greeting, Munson seemed a little more subdued than he had been expecting. He supposed it was a lot, not only the nerves about the impending storm, but being in a strange house with someone he barely knew. He should really take it easy on the guy.

Not long after he’d shut the water off and ran a towel over his sopping hair, there was a knock on Steve’s bedroom door. What could Eddie possibly need already? Couldn’t it wait until he got dressed? He huffed, tying the towel securely across his hips and threw open the door.

Eddie stood in the hall with his arms crossed defensively over his chest, still looking back towards the end of the hall as he spoke.

“I know you’ve led a pretty privileged life here, Harrington, but there's things you’re supposed to do to prepare for a hurricane y’know. Meaning you do them before the bad weather hits. I don’t see a single flashlight, or bucket and…”

He turned mid sentence, trailing off as he finally caught sight of Steve standing in the doorway, dripping wet and in nothing but a towel. Eddie turned bright red and quickly looked away, mumbling apologies. It was ridiculous, Steve thought, it was no different than the locker room at school. Guys saw each other in just a towel all the time, sometimes less. Maybe Eddie was shy or something.

“Give me a few minutes to get some clothes on and we’ll sort it out.” Steve muttered.

Eddie nodded too fast, and too many times. Steve shook his head, backing up to close the door. He may have shut it a little on the harder side, not quite slamming it the way he wanted to, but it was loud enough to signal his annoyance.

As Steve descended the stairs ten minutes later, he remembered what Dustin said, and his own thoughts about Eddie’s predicament. He found the other boy in the kitchen, rooting through the fridge and decided to let it go, and approach the situation with as much kindness as he could muster.

He plastered on his brightest customer service smile. “Alright, so tell me about this preparation you want to do.”

Eddie did not extend the same courtesy, and gave him nothing but bitchy side-eye in return.

“You should know this stuff, Harrington, it’s survival 101. Basic shit!”

Steve looked skyward, praying for patience. “Okay, we’ve established that I'm an idiot. Why don’t we move on from that for now, and you just tell me what we should be doing?” He was proud of himself for saying it very evenly, and with hopefully no indication of how irritated he truly was.

Eddie hummed, considering him for a moment. “Fine.”

He grabbed Steve by the wrist and pulled him towards the back door, pointing through the glass. “All that shit out there? The chairs, the table, the goddamned potted plants? Projectiles, all of them. They need to get put away in a shed or secured or something.”

Steve blinked.

That.

That made perfect sense.

Maybe he was an idiot. He hadn’t even thought about it. All he had done in anticipation of the storm was to stock the fridge with beer. Eddie seemed to see Steve come to the realization, and his frosty demeanor thawed slightly.

“Why don’t you take care of the outside and I'll start filling the bathtubs with water. Do you have any buckets?”

“In the garage, under the workbench. What’s that for?” He was genuinely curious now.

“If the power goes out, so does your water pump.” Eddie began, matter-of-factly. “You fill the bathtubs so you have some water to wash with and flush toilets. That’s what the buckets are for, easiest way to top up the toilet tank. Speaking of water, we’ll want to fill some pitchers or something from the sink too, for drinking or cooking.”

“Okay. Thanks, um, for explaining all of that.”

Eddie gave him a thin-lipped smile and curt nod before setting off to start his tasks.

They did have a shed, which was mostly empty, Steve came to find. It didn’t take him long to put every loose item from around the outside of the house away. Clouds started rolling in as he finished up, and there was a bit of wind stirring, but nothing crazy yet. Satisfied that he’d done an adequate enough job, he went back in to see how Eddie was making out.

Steve had to give it to the guy, he was not shy. The kitchen looked ransacked. Every drawer and cabinet was wide open. The countertops were littered with random candles of every shape and size, lighters, a few books of matches, batteries, two flashlights, and several large plastic containers which Eddie was already in the process of filling with water and placing in the freezer.

He stared wide-eyed at the display, a little in awe of it. He wasn’t used to being ready for the bad things. Usually disaster struck first, and then Steve scrambled to keep everyone safe. He liked the idea that, at least in this particular scenario, there was something he could do to prevent problems instead of struggling to solve them later.

Eddie finally noticed him and followed his line of sight around the room. He grimaced, looking bashful for the first time. “Sorry, I just..”

“It’s fine, really. Thank you for doing all this.” Steve said, wearing his true smile for the first time. He walked around the room, closing the various doors as he contemplated what to make for dinner. Eddie’s eyes tracked him the whole time, like he was waiting for Steve to snap at him.

He pretended not to notice and dug into the fridge. The decision about food was made easy when he noticed the steaks he had taken out to thaw sitting on a shelf. He’d been too tired to cook after his shift the night before, opting instead to shove a handful of pretzels into his mouth and collapse in front of the T.V.

Steve took the plate of meat out and set it on the counter along with two beers. He popped the tops off the bottles and handed one to Eddie who accepted it with a blank stare.

He pulled the big cast iron pan off the rack and placed it on a burner to start heating up while he gathered the rest of his ingredients. He lined up the butter and herbs to the side, so they’d be ready when he was. There were still a few pre-cooked potatoes left over from earlier in the week, so he got those out as well and started a second pan on the stove to warm them up. He didn’t feel like fussing with a vegetable so…

“Okay, what the fuck is happening right now?!” Eddie snapped, interrupting Steve’s train of thought.

“Hmm?” Steve hummed, beer bottle pressed against his lips.

Eddie gestured in his general direction, as if it was obvious.

“Um, cooking? Shit, do you not eat red meat? I should have asked, I can figure something else out if..”

“Cut the crap, Harrington!” Eddie shouted. “I bossed you around, made a huge mess in your kitchen, hell, I've been outright rude to you since the moment I walked through the door and you haven't said jack about it! You thanked me, twice! What gives? Why are you being so nice? You’re supposed to be an asshole!”

“Oh. I’m not.. I mean, I'm trying not to be that guy anymore.”

Eddie narrowed his eyes. “Even if that were true, like I said, I know I've been a dick. You’d be well within the rules of polite society, or whatever the fuck, to call me out on it.”

“Honestly, man, I know you’re in kind of a weird situation being here, and I was just trying to give you a break.”

“Oh.”

Eddie was quiet and still for a long moment before abruptly upending his beer, drinking it all in one go before immediately swapping it for a full one.

Steve snorted. “You okay?”

“Fine, just, y’know, having my entire world view turned upside down. Not something I wanna deal with sober.”

Steve laughed a little harder than the situation probably deserved, but Eddie had, albeit inadvertently, made the most ironic choice of words. If the guy only knew.

Eddie pulled himself up to sit on the counter, watching intently as Steve tossed their steaks into the now screaming hot pan.

“Where'd you learn to cook?” Eddie asked. The, be cause didn’t your rich-boy mommy always cook for you , went unsaid. The other boy’s version of being nice, Steve assumed.

“Trial and error mostly, and don’t tell anyone, but I watch a lot of Julia Child reruns.” Steve grinned and threw a wink over his shoulder.

Eddie sucked in a small breath and his cheeks turned the most adorable shade of pink. It reminded Steve of how the girls at school used to look when he’d flirt, before he’d lost his touch anyway. Wait, why was he thinking the word adorable in the same sentence as Eddie Munson?

Steve shook himself and turned his attention back to the stove, concentrating on not overcooking anything, instead of trying to figure out why he was suddenly so nervous.

As they sat at the dining table and ate together, Steve kept having the strangest feeling that this was a little like a first date. He didn’t know what was wrong with him today. This was Eddie Munson, he barely knew the guy, and they did not like each other. Except, maybe now they were getting over that? Also, Eddie was a guy, and although Robin coming out to him earlier this summer had opened his eyes more to the possibility that some people weren’t straight, he just didn’t see that for himself.

“So, how did King Steve wind up tethered to a gaggle of middle schoolers anyway?”

“Former King.” Steve corrected, but not unkindly. “Babysitting, sort of. Not that they need that anymore but, yeah.”

“Why’d you stick around?”

Steve shrugged “They’re good kids. Dustin’s like a little brother to me.”

Eddie chuckled. “I get that. There’s just something about him that makes you want to take care of him.”

“I know right!? It’s the eyes or something, like he’s a lost puppy.”

“Oh he would hate that comparison. You’re not wrong though.” Eddie agreed, pointing at Steve with his fork.

“How are they handling being freshman? I remember it being rough even for me and I wasn't..” Steve cut himself off, realizing too late that he was about to put his foot in his mouth.

“A nerd?” Eddie finished for him with a raised eyebrow.

Steve winced. “Sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it, Harrington, we know what we are.” Eddie grinned. “I think your boys are doing alright, for what it’s worth I'm keeping an eye on them.”

Steve smiled, it was worth a lot actually. The more he got to know Eddie, the gladder he was that the kids had found him.

“You said boys, does that mean Lucas wasn’t able to get Max to join your game?” Steve asked.

“Is that the angry red-head he’s always pining over?”

“That would be the one.”

Eddie frowned. “No, she’s not in Hellfire, but she is my neighbor. Is Max one of your kids too?”

“Not that she’d ever admit it but, yea. She’s had a rough couple months. You remember Billy Hargrove?”

“Of course I remember that cocky prick. Not to speak ill of the dead or anything. why?”

“He was Max’s step brother.” Steve explained. “They didn’t like each other much, so it’s complicated, but I’ve been worried about her.”

“Damn. That’s tough. I’ll see what I can do to look out for her around the trailer park.”

“Thanks.”

By the time they finished up dinner it had started raining, and the wind was really picking up speed. Steve could feel himself getting tense. It didn’t matter that he had faced far scarier things than this, he still had to keep reminding himself that it would be okay. He was an adult now and he wasn’t alone.

He was pretty sure Eddie was having some of the same anxiety and was just trying to hide it. What they needed was a distraction. They might as well make use of the electricity while they still had it.

“I brought a few movies home from work, they’re in a bag by the front door. You wanna pick something and I'll grab a couple more beers?” Steve asked, as he cleared their plates.

Eddie groaned. “Fine, but there’d better be something besides Fast Times or The Breakfast Club.”

“Okay first of all, The Breakfast Club just came out on tape, it’ll be weeks before I can get my hands on it, and what’s wrong with Fast Times?! It’s a classic!”

Eddie just shook his head and went off in search of the bag.

They met back up in the living room a few minutes later. Eddie was pulling videos out of the bag, a stunned look on his face.

“Okay, I can admit that maybe you don’t have completely abysmal taste in movies. I mean, Footloose isn’t exactly my thing, but who can resist Kevin Bacon? And all three Star Wars? Steve, you're practically begging me to have a marathon and I can't resist.”

“I’ve actually only seen the one, but I liked it a lot.” Steve admitted. “Dustin’s been on me to watch them all, so I figured this was as good a time as any, at least until the power goes out.”

“It pains me to ask, but which one have you seen? Please don’t say..”

“The one with the teddy bears!” Steve said gleefully, knowing exactly what he was doing.

Eddie raked a hand over his face. “Forget everything I said before, you are the absolute worst.”

Steve tossed a pillow at him. Eddie fell dramatically off the couch and the two of them burst into giggles like children. A warmth started to grow in Steve’s chest. Maybe Dustin was right, maybe he would come out of this with a friend.

They made it through the first movie and another six pack before Steve called for a break. The storm was now fully raging outside, the wind strong enough to rattle the windows and the T.V. was no longer providing enough distraction. Eddie agreed and started looking through the board games hidden in a cabinet next to the entertainment center.

“This is the one!” Eddie exclaimed triumphantly, returning to the couch with his choice.

“Battleship?” Steve questioned.

“What’s wrong with Battleship?!”

“Nothing at all. I was expecting you to make me play scrabble or something I would be equally terrible at.”

Eddie beamed. “This is way more fun, especially if you provide your own sound effects.”

They took a few minutes to place their boats. True to form, Eddie made a big show out of ensuring that Steve didn’t peek, placing a half folded checkerboard on the table between them as a privacy screen. Although Steve was pretty sure he only did it to make him laugh.

After a few misses (both of them), and a hit (Steve), Eddie became unusually quiet. Since they had broken the ice in the kitchen, he had been keeping up a pretty regular stream of chatter, even during the movie, peppering in fun facts and trivia. Which, come to think of it, usually bothers Steve when Dustin does it, but for some reason with Eddie he didn’t seem to mind.

He was about to ask if anything was wrong, when Eddie finally spoke up.

“Hey, um, I just wanted to thank you for letting me stay here. Sorry, I should have said that hours ago, but I was too busy being a jerk.”

“It’s fine. You had every reason to think I was still the same asshole I used to be.”

“It’s not that, well, it was a little bit that, but also - I don’t know if you remember ‘79? I had just moved here to live with my uncle Wayne not long before, and he got stuck at work when the storm hit. He couldn’t even call to tell me what was going on because the phone lines were knocked out almost right away. I know it was scary for a lot of people but being in a shitty fragile trailer for it, and all alone, as a kid? It was fucking terrifying. So, thanks.”

Steve felt his eyes well up a bit, imagining little 13 year old Eddie all the way across town from 12 year old Steve, completely unknown to each other, but sharing such a similar experience nonetheless. Without thinking, he placed his hand over Eddie’s where it sat on the table, and squeezed.

“I remember. My parents were away then too, like they are now. The wind was so loud, sometimes it would whistle through the attic. I remember thinking it sounded like there were ghosts having a party up there. I hid in my closet with a toy flashlight the whole night. Believe me when I say, I'm glad you’re here.”

It was Steve’s turn to blush for once when he realized their hands were still touching. He took his hand back slowly and cleared his throat. Eddie did the same, hands twisting together to play with his rings.

“I think that’s why I was so intense earlier. When Wayne finally got home and saw how freaked out I was, he took the time to explain what to do if it ever happened again. I guess I really latched onto that lesson.”

Thunder cracked suddenly and loudly in the distance, making both of them jump, and breaking whatever somber spell had fallen over them with a fit of nervous laughter.

For over an hour they went round after round, as the rain continued to beat against the windows, and Steve couldn’t believe how much fun he was having playing a dumb kids game. While they did, Eddie told him about how he’d met the boys on the first day of school. How he’d noticed Dustin first, because of his Weird Al t-shirt, the one Steve had tried to talk him out of but the kid insisted was cool. The way he knew instantly that he would be taking him and the others under his wing.

Steve shared too, though he had to skirt the truth quite a bit. He talked about showing up at Nancy’s with flowers ready to apologize for something he didn’t even do, when he got cut off by Dustin and roped into looking for his missing cat.

“It was all downhill from there. Suddenly I'm chauffeuring 6 kids to the arcade every Saturday and giving hair tips before the snow ball dance.”

“No shit? That kid really must be something if ‘the hair’ was willing to give up his secrets.”

One minute they were laughing and sharing a smile over the game board, and the next, the lights blinked, sending Steve hurtling straight back to that night in the Byers living room, the first time he’d been forced to fight for his life.

Steve froze, unable to reconcile the reality in front of him and his memories for a brief moment. The lights flickered a few more times and he snapped back to the present, rushing, not to the kitchen where all the candles and flashlights were (where Eddie went), but to the front door where he kept his nail bat hidden in an umbrella stand. He made it back to the living room, heart pounding and breath coming in short gasps, at the same time Eddie did. The other boy’s arms were full of candles and the two flashlights. Their eyes met across the small space for only a second before the lights finally went out for good.

The next thing Steve was aware of was Eddie’s voice trying to talk him down from what he slowly realized was a panic attack.

“You need to relax, Steve, you're hyperventilating. Take a deep breath. Come on, breathe with me slow, in and out.” Eddie spoke from a few feet away, hands out in front of him, as if he felt the need to show they were empty. Steve didn’t understand, but he did his best to follow the directions, finding it difficult to stay focused.

Eddie’s gaze kept flicking from Steve’s face to his right hand, and back again. He looked worried. Steve didn’t like that, he preferred it when the other boy smiled at him. He followed the path of Eddie's eyes when he could, and finally realized the problem.

He dropped the bat instantly and stepped away from it, wrapping his arms tightly around himself as he once again tried to breathe normally.

Eddie approached then, using gentle hands to guide Steve back to the couch. He must have finally felt safe now that Steve had dropped his literal weapon!! Oh god, what the fuck had he been thinking? The more he leveled out the more embarrassed he felt. How was he ever going to explain this? Eddie must think he’s a total psychopath now.

The room around them glowed with the light of a dozen or more candles. When had Eddie managed that? Steve couldn’t remember.

When he finally caught his breath and the shaking in his body had subsided, Steve dropped his head into his hands. Everything was fine, everyone was fine. He shoved down the need to race upstairs and find the walkie talkie Dustin had given him.

“Mind telling me what that was all about?” Eddie finally asked.

“Nothing!” Steve snapped, immediately regretting it.

“See, Harrington, here’s the thing. People don’t usually react that way to lights blinking and shit. Normally, I'd let the lie go, because we don’t exactly know each other that well, but, explain to me why I saw Dustin, Mike, and Lucas react almost the same goddamn way when the lights were on the fritz at the school last week? Those three were so on edge that day, I thought they were gonna piss themselves when their characters stumbled across a demogorgon.”

At the mention of the monster he had just been thinking about, Steve snapped his head up to look at Eddie. He expected to find annoyance, or even anger on the other boy’s face, but all he saw was concern. Steve hadn’t known about the incident at school, none of the kids told him. He assumed they were coping better than he was, that maybe because they were so young they were able to bounce back, but it sounds like they have all just been pretending too.

He didn’t realize he was crying silent tears until Eddie laid a hand on his shoulder. At the contact, the dam broke, and a sob was torn from Steve's chest. He felt, more than saw, Eddie's arms wrap around him, holding him tight, and sagged into the embrace. He’s only ever let it all out like this with Robin, and that was different. She’d been there with him in the trenches, at least this last time. She understood. Eddie didn’t even know him before today, not really, but still he was there and really seemed to care. Steve wasn’t used to that.

“What happened to all of you?” Eddie asked, whispering the question into his hair.

Even if he wanted to, Steve couldn't tell him. They signed paperwork, threats were made. Though, did he really need to be worried about that still? The lab didn’t have much of a presence in Hawkins anymore, and after Joyce blew up the gate at Starcourt, it seemed like this whole Upside-Down mess might finally be done for good.

Steve realized with a start that he’s trying to talk himself into it, he wants to tell Eddie, but he’s so scared. It’s not even about the NDA’s anymore, but about opening himself up to another person and being rejected for it. He doesn’t know why he's comparing this tentative friendship with Eddie to when he dated Nancy. It’s not the same, of course it’s not, but still, he remembers how refusing to talk about what happened, how pretending everything was okay, was a big part of what ruined their relationship, and he doesn’t want that to happen here. Still, he hesitated.

“We’re not supposed to talk about it.” Steve answered, pulling back from the hug, though he didn’t really want to.

“You may not know this about me, Harrington, but I'm pretty good at keeping secrets.”

“I think, I would actually really like to talk about it if I could. The only people I have now are the kids, but it feels wrong to burden them with that. I mean, I have Robin but..”

“Buckley too?”

“Yea.”

“Is that why you two are attached at the hip all of the sudden? Some kind of trauma bond?”

Steve nodded, keeping his mouth firmly closed. It was taking everything he had not to spill his guts when he looked into the other boy’s deep brown eyes. How was Eddie having this effect on him?

Eddie considered him for a long time before finally nodding to himself and blowing out a long breath. “I can’t believe I'm going to offer this, but what if I tell you something of mine, one of my secrets, first. Then you’ll have leverage or whatever, to prove I won't tell anyone what you tell me?”

Honestly, Steve was more concerned about Eddie not believing him than about him blabbing, but it’s too good an offer to refuse, and now he’s desperate to know what Eddie's secret is.

“Ok.”

“Now, I’m only telling you this because if you are as close to Buckley as I think you are, you’ll be cool with it. But if it's not.. cool, please just dont tell anyone, ok? You can kick me out or whatever, but I'm not really looking to get murdered before my 21st birthday." Eddie looked nervous suddenly, and it filled Steve with guilt. He should stop him, tell him he doesn’t have to say this, whatever it is.

“I’m gay.” Eddie tossed it out there and very clearly seemed to be bracing himself for the worst.

Steve gaped at first, but pulled himself together quickly, folding his arms around Eddie the same way he had just done for him. “That’s…really great, man. Thank you for telling me.”

Eddie relaxed in his hold, and Steve decided he wouldn't let go first.

Eventually, Eddie pulled back with a smirk. “So, it's great, huh?”

Steve rolled his eyes, but he knew if there was more light in the room Eddie would be able to see that he was blushing furiously.

“I can’t believe you told me that just to make me feel comfortable sharing. I don’t know what to say.” Steve admitted.

Eddie shrugged. “I figured it was a big enough thing that you would accept it in return for telling me what your deal is. Besides, I was pretty sure I could trust you.”

“You can.” Steve quickly assured him.

“So, tell me.”

Steve’s stomach dropped. He’d never given the whole spiel alone before, or really at all. After her baptism by fire, he’d slowly told Robin about their previous battles in bits and pieces, whenever they shared a sleepless night, and even then, Dustin had come along later and filled in some of the gaps.

“You might not believe me.” It probably sounded like bullshit, or like he was trying to get out of their agreement, but Steve had to say it.

Eddie was not deterred. “Try me.”

There’s nowhere to start but the beginning, Steve thought, and took a deep breath.

“Do you remember when Will Byers went missing a couple years ago?”

“Of course. The boys talk about him almost as much as they talk about you. He moved to California right?”

“Yeah. We’ll get to that, but there's a lot to cover before that part of the story.”

Eddie leaned back into the couch, getting comfortable and waving a hand to encourage Steve to carry on.

He began in fits and starts, and confused the timeline at least once when he described the events of 1983, but the longer he spoke the easier it came. Eddie was attentive, but didn’t ask any questions, and didn't interrupt until he mentioned the fight with Billy Hargrove when he defended Lucas, and even then he only gasped. Eddie patiently let Steve get his story out however he needed to. When he got to Starcourt, and the torture he endured at the hands of the Russians, he heard Eddie sniffle and looked up to see tears shining in the other boy’s eyes. Eddie reached out for Steve's hand, and didn't let go.

“El took it really hard. Hopper had really just become her dad and then she lost him. Joyce took her in and moved the four of them to California for a fresh start. It’s hard to have them so far away, for the kids especially, but I know Nancy misses Jonathan too. I don’t blame her though, Joyce, she's doing what she can to protect her kids and I can respect that. At this point, I'm just trying to figure out how to live again, for the third time, now that it’s all over.”

When Steve was finally done, Eddie still remained silent. It made him squirm, desperate to know what he was thinking.

“So, on a scale of 1-10, how much of that did you believe?” Steve asked when he couldn't take it anymore.

“Every word.” Eddie said, sounding completely serious.

“What?!”

Eddie turned more fully to face him and took Steve’s other hand, now holding both of them, in both of his. “Steve, you’re traumatized enough that I would have probably believed if for that alone, but honestly the dead give away was the detail. No offense, but I don't believe you are creative enough to have made all of that up, and all the D&D references? There's no way you know that much about the game. No way.”

Steve cracked a smile. “Oh yeah? Is that all?”

Eddie returned the smile but his eyes looked sad. “I remember all those times you got your pretty face bashed in, Harrington. This.. explanation, almost makes more sense than the rumors. Jesus, you’re still carrying some evidence of what was apparently Russian fucking torture. I..”

Steve surged forward abruptly, barreling into him. “Thank you for believing me.”

Eddie laughed, and they were pressed so close together that Steve could feel the low rumble of it in his chest. It made him shiver.

“Henderson is going to be so pissed that I told you.” Steve joked.

“He doesn't have to know that you told me. I was serious before, I can keep a secret.”

Steve shook his head. “It might be good for them to have another adult around who knows. We’re awfully short of them these days.”

“And you're sure it’s…over?”

“Pretty sure, yeah. El doesn’t have her powers anymore, so she can’t open a gate, the lab is gone, and we destroyed the one at Starcourt so…”

Comically, the lights that had been off for over two hours chose that exact moment to flicker on and then off again.

“Well, I'm never going to sleep again.” Eddie declared.

“Welcome to the club, Munson.”

They spent the rest of the night lying together on the couch quietly listening to the wind and the rain. For the first time for Steve, and he suspects for Eddie also, the sound was soothing and not fear-inducing. Their hands had remained clasped long after they were done talking, and as the hour got late, and they sunk further into the couch together, their arms and legs became intertwined too.

At some point, Steve realized Eddie fell asleep. He let himself gaze at the other boy in a way he never would have allowed himself if he was being watched. He looked so pretty like that in the candlelight, face relaxed. Very gently so as not to wake him, Steve pushed a bit of his hair back, admiring the way Eddie's long dark eyelashes brushed his cheek. Something seized in his chest and Steve sucked in a sharp breath. He’s never looked at a guy like this before, never felt this way about another boy. He should probably be freaking out about that a little more than he was, right?

He paused to look inside himself, and tried to drudge up the panic he thought he should feel in this moment, but found very little. He’s liked a lot of people in his life, and felt like he could always find something to love about a person, something beautiful or interesting. It didn’t matter if they were a girl or a boy. He just always assumed when he liked a boy it was in a friendly way. Maybe he was wrong.

He smiled to himself, realizing that Robin was going to be so mad that he’s accepted this new thing about himself so readily and completely without her assistance. Steve looked down again and found Eddie still fast asleep. He leaned down to press the lightest kiss on his forehead, before carefully extracting himself from the couch to blow the candles out. He didn’t want to move but it was too dangerous to fall asleep with them lit. When it was done, he didn’t even consider going up to his bedroom, instead he curled back up beside Eddie on the couch and let out a contented sigh.

And maybe the peace he felt in this moment was temporary, maybe he’ll panic about it later when he does tell Robin what he’s realized, but for right now he’s just happy to lay there, gazing into the face of the pretty boy who, in the course of one evening, had wrapped himself tightly around Steve's heart.

Part 2

#lexssummerfanworkschallenge #steddie fanfic #steve harrington #eddie munson #dustin henderson #stranger things #steve x eddie #steve harrington/eddie munson #steddie

238 notes · View notes