#off screen ronance implied

[dragonmama76]

Where We Fell In Love Matters

Written for @thefreakandthehair 's Summer Spicy Six Fanworks Challenge, my prompt was "rocking chair." Length: 3.5k, Rating: T

Also Posted on A03

Now 2023

“Ooof” Eddie puffed out as he lowered himself to the porch rocker.  Glancing over at the other chair he stretched out his legs and started rocking.  “Sorry, I’m late, Stevie.  Your grandchildren are running me ragged.  But I’ve got them set up with a movie and popcorn and I think they’ll stay put for now.  I remember the kids used to be a handful, no rose colored glasses here, but this generation is something else entirely.”  Feeling familiar eyes on him he continues smirking, “They are a bunch of nosy, mischievous brats who never do what they are told….”

“Grandpa Eddie!!” a small voice cries out, “Thas not true!  I’m notta cheevius brat!  I’m your little man!  You SAID!”  

“So I did, little man.  And seeing that I just set you up with a very cool movie, what may I ask what you are doing out here?”

“Auntie Robbie said not to come out ‘cause this was your special time with Grandpa Steve, but I wanted to come out to have special time with Grandpa Steve too! So I sneaked”

“Oh you did, did you?”  Eddie sighed and rolled his eyes in the direction of Steve’s rocking chair, but gathered the curly haired monster up into his lap and started them rocking.  “Well, I suppose I could share just this once.  I was just telling Grandpa Steve how much fun we had today.”

The little body settled into the warm lap and snuggled his head to Eddie’s chest.  “Mmmmm…we went mini golping!  And you won and you didn’t let ME win.”

“Golfing, yes.  And I don’t let anyone win.  I’m the best at mini golf and no one can beat me.”  Eddie grinned into his curls.

“Daddy says you never let him win either when he was little like me, but he says now if he wanted to he could beat you good.”  Eddie laughed out loud.  “Maybe he could and maybe he couldn’t, but I didn’t see him out there trying.”

“How come you and Grandpa Steve have special time every night?”

Eddie paused and looked at the boy.  It seemed like he was here to stay, so he began, “Have you ever heard the story of how your grandpa and I fell in love?  It started with a couple of rocking chairs….”

Then 1986

Steve was bound and determined to get Eddie up and outside.  The man had been staying with him for a few days after the hospital fast tracked his discharge.  The professionals reasoned he was awake, eating and drinking normally, could walk at least a few steps on his own, and (the real reason, Steve supposed) Eddie made the staff uncomfortable being a murder suspect and all.  The sooner he was out, the happier they would be.  That was all well and good, but the apartment Wayne had found for them was up on the second floor and there was no way Eddie could navigate the stairs yet.  Steve was in Eddie’s hospital room visiting when all this went down and shocked even himself when he insisted Eddie come home with him.  He was still waiting on Family Video to reopen so he had the time, his government payout had just come through, so money wasn’t an issue, and his parents were out of town indefinitely so he had the space.  Plus, his house had more than one guest bedroom including one on the first floor.  Steve made his case and all parties readily agreed to his idea.  

It wasn’t exactly what he expected.  Eddie was not a great patient.  When his pain levels were low he was great company and Steve was enjoying getting to know him without the oppressive weight of the upside down hanging over them.  They talked about music and movies and the kids and while their opinions didn’t always line up, they both enjoyed bickering like two little old ladies.  But Steve could always tell when the pain was bad because Eddie would shut down and refuse to leave his bed.  He wanted to respect Eddie’s boundaries as a guest in his home, but he also felt a keen responsibility for his well being.  Fresh air was what Eddie needed, so fresh air would be what Steve would provide.   

“C’mon Eddie!”  Steve was using his most persuasive tone in order to cajole the man into taking a few steps out onto the front porch where a double rocker packed with pillows and blankets waited for them.  It was just past sunset and the sky was still pink and creamy.  The street was quiet and the air was starting to cool down from the thick heat of the day.  

“Now listen, Eds, we’re going to sit out here for one hour every day and relax and get some fresh air.  If you want I can read to you while we’re out here or we can just talk or whatever, but you’ve got to get some exposure to the outside.  Hardly anyone ever drives by so you don’t need to worry about being seen and even in the unlikely event someone does see you and says something, I’ll be right here to protect you.”

“Fine,” Eddie groaned and then brightened, “And I can smoke?”

“Not a chance, man.  You quit in the hospital so no reason to start back up now.  If you’re good when we go back in I’ll make your favorite dinner.”  

“Mac and Cheese and hotdogs?”  Steve knew Eddie needed more fruits and vegetables in his diet, but he was dealing with a man who had the palate of a stubborn six year old so they were working up to more healthy stuff.  It wouldn’t hurt to skip the veggies this once.  

“Yup.  Now you get settled in all comfortable so we can enjoy our hour.  Do you want me to grab your book?”

Resigned to his fate, Eddie arranged the pillows so they would support his back and sides and tentatively leaned back.  “Yeah, okay, this is okay I guess. No book, we can just rock and talk.” 

Smirking, Steve carefully dropped down next to him so as not to jostle the pillows and gently set them on a back and forth motion.  Eddie closed his eyes and sighed with pleasure and Steve couldn’t resist  glancing over to appreciate just how pretty he was when he was relaxed like this.  It wasn’t particularly concerning to him that he thought of Eddie that way.  Steve had known for years that he found both men and women attractive, but growing up in Hawkins he had learned early on to keep those kinds of feelings to himself.  Even when his platonic soulmate, Robin, had confessed her affinity for the fairer sex, Steve had kept his secrets.  He knew she would encourage him, but he wasn’t ready for that kind of push.  Although, the more time he spent with Eddie the more he wondered if a push wasn’t exactly what he needed.

Steve relaxed back into his place next to Eddie and couldn’t help letting loose a small sigh of pleasure when Eddie leaned into him.  His heart felt like it might beat out of his chest, but he willed his breath to slow so as not to startle the injured man.  They rocked together slowly and allowed the fresh air to wash over them like a gentle calming wave soothing their hurts and calming their souls.  

It worked so well that Eddie allowed Steve to bully him out to the rocking chair every evening to watch the sun set.  His healing wasn’t linear, sometimes he walked and sometimes Steve had to pick him up and carry him out.  But without fail their bodies fell together in comfort and somewhere along the way, hands reached out to clasp and there were soft hesitant touches.  They never spoke of it inside the house.  Each night they came in feeling shy and a bit wary of the other as they fled to separate rooms until it felt normal to be together again, laughing and teasing and bickering.  

Eventually Eddie recovered enough to move back home with Uncle Wayne.  Steve was happy he was doing so well, but if he was being honest with himself, he was sorry to see him go.  It was selfish, but his feelings for Eddie had only grown and having him around made Steve feel like maybe he could keep him all to himself forever.  Not that he had confessed any of that to Eddie.  Especially when he didn’t know if his feelings would be returned.  So instead he helped pack Eddie’s things in the morning and drove him to the apartment Wayne had set up for them.  They lingered at the door neither wanting to be the one to say goodbye until Wayne yelled at them for letting the bugs in.  Steve managed to croak out, “Well, don’t be a stranger.”  And Eddie looked at his feet and managed a, “Yeah, you too,” and shut the door.  

That first afternoon without Eddie around felt so heavy.  Steve felt inexplicably restless and spent the day washing the guest room sheets and cleaning the bathrooms trying to keep busy.  It still wasn’t enough to fill the emptiness inside and out but he pressed on.  When the sun began to set, Steve found himself almost unconsciously grabbing a pillow and throw blanket.  When he opened the door, to his surprise Eddie was headed up the porch stairs and as Steve’s heart fluttered, Eddie settled himself in the rocking chair with a shy smile.  “I’m not late, am I?  I didn’t want to miss our rocker time.”

“Is that what we’re calling it now?”  Steve grinned as he slid into the chair next to Eddie.  They rocked in unison in the quiet afternoon, hearts lighter as they leaned towards each other exchanging stories of how they had spent their first day apart.

When the hour was up, Eddie reluctantly stood and stretched.  “I’ll head out, I guess.”  

Steve found himself trying to stall, “I’m making dinner, did you want to come in -”

“I promised Uncle Wayne I’d be back for our first dinner in the new place.”

“Of course, sorry.  Tell him I said hi.  I’m so glad you both have your own space back and everything,” Steve mumbled looking everywhere but at Eddie.

“Hey, sweetheart,”  Eddie reached out and gently cradled the side of Steve’s face, “It’s okay.  I’ll - I mean if it’s okay…I’ll be back tomorrow?  For rocker time?”

“Yeah?” Steve breathed out.  “I mean, if you want.  I’ll be here.”

“Me too, baby.  It’s the best part of my day.”  and with that Eddie gave Steve’s shoulder a quick squeeze and bounded down the stairs to his van.

Steve watched him go and when he turned the corner he bolted back in the house and dialed Robin.  When she picked up the phone with a quick, “Hello?” Steve took a breath and confessed, “I’m having a bathroom emergency.”  Robin snorted and snarked, “I’m not really up to hearing about your digestive issues.”  Steve felt like screaming, “Not that kind of bathroom emergency, I mean OUR kind of bathroom emergency.”  Ever since they had been brought together by Russians and truth serum, their deepest confessions had been whispered or sometimes shouted in the comforting privacy of a bathroom, whether in one of their houses or the employee bathroom at Family Video.  “Oh, shit!”  Robin stammered, “Okay, your place or mine?”  “Mine if you can get a ride, yours if you can’t.”  “Uh…I can get a ride.”  Robin replied in a strangely vague way, but Steve couldn’t be bothered to work out her deal as he was too far gone in his own.  They hung up and Steve sunk to the floor. 

When Robin knocked and Steve opened the door he glanced out to see Nancy, Steve filed that info away for later, pulling out of the driveway.  He wasn’t sure what that was about, but today was about him.  Without speaking he pulled Robin into the downstairs bathroom and fully sat in the tub.  Robin perched on the side and waited calmly for Steve to speak.  If it was a red alert kind of emergency, she knew he would have just said so, so she could afford to be patient.  They were safe in the bathroom now and it would come out eventually.  

“Uhhhh….” Steve began.  “Ever since we came out of the Upside Down I’ve sort of been dealing with developing feelings for someone.”  

“I know.” said Robin and to Steve she sounded…sad? 

 “You do?”  he looked up, a little alarmed at being so obvious and so oblivious at the same time.   “I mean I barely knew it myself until today.”  

“Really?”  Robin asked incredulously, “It’s only natural that fighting Vecna together would bring it all back…”  

“Back?” Steve wasn’t sure what was happening, “I barely knew Eddie before everything happened.” 

“Eddie??” Robin shrieked.  

“Who did you think I was talking about?  He’s been living in my house!  I haven’t even really seen anyone else for weeks.”  

“Nancy!  Obviously!”  Robin shouted. 

 “How is that obvious?  Nancy is old news.  I mean, I’ll always love her but not like love her, love her.  That’s over and done.”  Steve shook his head.  “You know what she did to me.  I forgave her but I would never set myself up like that again.”

“Okay….okay.  I just need to reorient myself.  I thought we were going to have a very different bathroom conversation.  Eddie?  EDDIE?  I thought you liked boobies.”

“I do.  But I also like not boobies. Bisexuality is a real thing you know.”

“Is it?”  Robin asked hopefully.

“Of course it is.  Look at Bowie.  It’s why I keep saying you have a chance with Vickie.”  Steve felt like Robin’s reaction to his coming out was not exactly what he had been hoping for, but he also didn’t know what he wanted from her.  Recognition?  Excitement?  A medal?  He saw a flicker of something across her face and then it was gone.  

“So you’re definitely not still pining for Nancy?”

“No!  Why are we still talking about Nancy?  This is my big bathroom confession and I feel like maybe you are focussing on the wrong things?” 

 Robin schooled her face and got with the program. Placing her hands on Steve’s cheeks she smooshed them together.  “Look at you!  My sweet bisexual baby is having a crush.”

This was more of what Steve had expected and he huffed out a laugh.  “Might be more than a crush, Robs.”  Steve blushed and Robin gaped at him.

“Okay, then.  Well.  You’ve got to go for it.  Turn up the Harrington Charm and don’t suck this time.”

Steve ran his hands through his hair. He could do this.  He was Steve fucking Harrington and he could do this.

The following afternoon Steve spent making sure his hair was perfect, but not too perfect.  He threw on what Robin had called his slutty polo - just a touch too small so it hugged his chest and his arms, and the jeans that cradled his ass just right.  He gave himself several pep talks and was waiting on the porch when Eddie pulled up.  Steve didn’t have to overthink the wide grin that spread across his face when Eddie got out of the van.  That man was so pretty it should be illegal.  Ripped jeans and a band tee were his standard uniform, but in Steve’s mind, no one wore it better.  

Eddie seemed to sense the subtle change in the air and when he got to the rocker his gaze flicked up and down and he let out a breathless, “Hi.”

Steve’s grin widened and he shifted a little to let Eddie flop down next to him.  The rocker started it’s slow movement and Steve bravely reached over and grabbed Eddie’s hand.  He began toying with his rings and making small circles on Eddie’s palm with his thumb.  Now that he was here, some of Steve’s resolve began to crumble and he felt shy and unsure.  What if he was reading this wrong?  What if this was an insane error in judgment and he was about to ruin everything he and Eddie had built up between them?  He couldn’t look at him.  Couldn’t stand to see rejection, or worse revulsion on Eddie’s face.  

A finger under his chin lifted his face up to where Eddie was waiting, mouth a little open in surprise.  “Stevie, sweetheart, what’s going on in there?  I can hear you thinking from here.”

“I, um, I’m just glad you’re here, Eds.  I miss having you around and I’m so happy you still wanna come back here and spend time with me.”  Steve’s voice caught a little.  Damn it.  He was doing this wrong.  He had meant to be bold and brave and he was too in his head.  

“Hey, hey, hey I’m not going anywhere baby.  I always want to spend time with you, that’s why I’m here.”  Eddie’s voice was low and reassuring and Steve was grateful for the opportunity to collect himself and start again.

He inched himself closer to Eddie and slowly raised his free hand to tuck one of Eddie’s curls behind his ear.  His thumb drew a gentle line down Eddie’s jawline and he heard a sharp intake of breath.  “Eds, tell me if I’m reading this wrong and it’s totally fine.  Nothing has to change.  But - I really want to kiss you right now.  Is that okay?”

Eddie placed a firm hand on Steve’s chest and he felt his heart drop and his vision blur.  Stupid.  He was so stupid.  “Wait,” Eddie managed.  “Just, can we back up just a little?  Because my straight best friend wants to kiss me and I’m not totally sure what to do with that.”

“Uh,” Steve stammered, “Not straight?  Um, bisexual actually.  It’s okay if it’s a no though, just I know I’m not cool and I used to be a huge asshole back in high school so -” 

Steve was forced to stop as the hand on his chest fisted his shirt and pulled him so close that he and Eddie were breathing the same air.  “Yes.”  Eddie said.  “Yes I was an asshole?” Steve was having a hard time following what was happening.  “Yes, kiss me.”  And then it was happening.  

As first kisses go, this should have been unremarkable.  A gentle meeting of lips, Steve’s hands coming up to cradle Eddie’s face, tilting his head so they slotted together seamlessly.  Instead it was extraordinary.  It was brief, but charged with so much emotion it left Steve gasping for air, a whimper in the back of his throat.  “Okay?” Eddie whispered.  “More than okay,” Steve managed to say, bringing him back a second time firmer and more sure of himself.  

Now 2023

“Is this a kissing story?”  interrupted a suspicious little voice, “Mama says kissing stories aren’t propriate for me.”

Eddie jumped, having gotten lost in the swirling memories, he had forgotten about his little captive audience.  He grinned.  “Your beautiful Mama is always right and we can absolutely skip to the end past the kissing parts.  Okay?”

“M’kay!” agreed curly locks.  “Was that the falling in love part?  Did you have a true love's kiss and live happily ever after?”

“Sort of,” laughed the old man, “Never let it be said that even true love is an easy path to happiness.  There were plenty of times we argued or hurt each other's feelings.  Sometimes we didn’t even like each other very much.  But we made a promise.  You know what that promise was?”

“Was it sittin’ in the rocking chairs?”  Eddie bounced the boy up and down on his lap and smothered him with kisses, “You are my most brilliant grandchild, you know that?  Yes!  No matter what was happening with us, as long as we were both home, we sat in those damn rocking chairs and talked about our day and our family and everything we loved.  And you want to know a secret?”

The child rose to his knees in Eddie’s lap and put his ear right to Eddie’s mouth.  “Yes!”

“Even if one of us wasn’t home, the other went and sat in their own rocker and shared all about their day.  Do you know why?”

“Why?” the child’s eyes were open wide.

“Because rocker time is magic.  No matter where we are or what is happening, we can talk to each other here in these rockers when the sun is going down and the air is sweet and we always hear each other.”  Eddie’s eyes were shining now with memories and longing.

“So even though Grandpa Steve isn’t here you can still talk to him and he hears you?  And that’s why you come out every night to have special time with Grandpa Steve?”

“That’s right, little man.  And sometimes when it’s quiet and still I can hear him talk back.  Want to try?”  Eddie looked down at the child with a gleam in his eye as his youngest grandson struggled to stay still.  “Can you hear him?”

“What is he saying?”  the little boy whispered, eyes wide, mouth open.

“He says………TOSS MY GRANDCHILD IN THE POOL!”  Eddie shrieked and raised his hands as his little man screamed with joy and took off across the lawn.  Hell, his Son and Daughter in law were going to scold him again, but it had been worth it.

Before leaving to chase after the boy, Eddie turned to the empty rocking chair, “Sorry to abandon you early tonight, my love.  But I told you your grandchildren were a menace.  I don’t know who they get it from.”  As he stood to leave he felt a breeze like the whisper of a caress against his cheek.  “Love you too, Stevie. See you tomorrow.”

#LexsSummerFanworksChallenge #steve harrington #eddie munson #steddie #falling in love #coming out #grandchildren #off screen ronance implied

[indiemovies]

IT’S BEEN SO LONG I’M SO SORRY

nancy being the gun in her own metaphor…. yeah. truly. barb was really serving her purpose as a catalyst character (no hate to barb ofc! and it’s only because nancy was so emotionally tied to barb that the role worked but yknow. for what we saw of barb on-screen she was acting as a catalyst and a drag-both-wheelers-into-this kinda thing). on the other hand, it would’ve been an amusing sit-com style show if they added some element of nancy having no idea what’s going on. her and steve and maybe jonathan knows? but they Can Obviously Tell something’s up when their little brothers are visibly hiding something -> something turns out to be a small girl who was raised in a lab and has superpowers. mike making up the stupidest lies and nancy not buying them for a second but then again, who goes from “my brother and his friends are being weirder than usual” to “well damn ig they’re hiding the existence of a hellscape parallel universe”. tangent over lmao but you get the point !!

scuse you the writers are lit rally hinting at ronance becoming canon have you not seen these absolutely and completely real script moments . picture below. (/j but i wISH they would drop anything. one line,, one thought,,,, pls)

THAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT RONANCE PART I THINK. nancy must come to the terrifying realization one day that she has friends again and. it sounds funny but god you know she would Freak Out over the idea of letting another person get close to her. but robin calling her up from family tree video to tell nancy about something that really, truly, could not have waited to be told. and nancy, smiling fondly the whole time and doing her little phone cord twirly thing !! and robin makes fun of nancy’s driving skills but only from a safe distance outside the car, and nancy narrows her eyes from behind the wheel of her very crookedly parked car and says “shut up”. gay. 

SOMETHING OF A DYNAMIC GOING ON THERE INDEED!! they have the brain and willpower to pull it off

OH MY GOD YEAH. the byers-hopper family… is one of those families that’s been hit so many times and they’re going to brave the apocalypse together as a family. and they’re warm and cozy like home-cooked meals and old lamps and blankets piled upon the couch. and then the wheelers are trying so hard to live the stock photo family life… ted wearing his stupid dress shirts from his rocking chair and reading the newspaper 24/7… the kids are all gay and they must know but none of them are ever going to say anything…. quite literally a nuclear family. the wheelers have literally modeled themselves after the thirty-second scenes in tv shows of “happy average suburban families” and that’s all they know how to do now

HADHSKFJSKF OHHHHH. god it was really a robbery. ronance supremacy but the s1 monster hunting trio vibes were unmatched. they would have been so good together. screw the duffers and their insistence that nancy is a simple minded teenage girl when it comes to high school boys. the fruity four from the upside down yeah sure!! but ALSO. the return of stoncy. 

yeah !!! i can’t quite pinpoint why it’s so central to her character, whether it has something to do with the roots of her journalism passion or not, but it’s been a recurring pattern for nancy to be drawn to the people who can understand without having to be shielded from the full truth. perhaps there’s some wheeler family thing going on ? the wheelers have virtually no communication skills but it sure would help if someone who you get close to is also aware of the lurking danger and :sparkles: shared trauma :sparkles: yknow. the mike point is so good and,, clearly they don’t talk about their feelings and fears with one another. but especially on nancy’s end because what could she possibly say to her younger brother that wouldn’t essentially imply she was upset that his best friend was alive while hers wasn’t? 

YEAHYEHAYEJSHF. she’s so intricate and now it’s such a connection. nancy wheeler brainrot. instead of brain there is nancy wheeler…. i love talking about her with YOU <3333

OH TRUE . they all need a metaphorically through shaking up and down. that house. that house!

and woah! me reveal?? probably unnecessary and i def could’ve just copied the link to the original post over but no matter the deed is done! please ignore the fact that i still have not nancy wheeler ified the blog i will eventually get around to it! besides tumble mobile phone browser logged out is really an experience <3

HEYYYY sorry for the late reply teehee

LOL i love the idea of nancy being in the dark for longer. i think it would literally drive her up the walls crazy until she figures it out and the notion of her figuring it out completely independently from everything else is pretty funny and would be an interesting concept!!! also the thought of if in season 1 nancy and mike had more interactions after both of them knowing about the supernatural but knowing the other knew and so they're both being dodgy and so weird lol

#REALSCRIPT but i'd literally believe it.....when they were walking in the upside down i just KNOW nancy was so mad at robin for running ahead and leaving her in an awkward conversation with her ex!!!! also they are definitely the kind of couple that locks eyes when someone around them is being annoying/awkward...having a silent conversation and slightly rolling their eyes and laughing about it later.........bitchy gfs!!!!!!!

NANCY HAVING TO REALIZE SHE HAS FRIENDS AGAIN AHHHHH it's so true and i think it would stir up such an interesting mix of feelings for her. like i love the scene where she's being questioned at the trailer park and everyone shows up and her face kinda collapses in relief!!!!!!! it makes so much sense why nancy would be the most on the fringe of everyone that remains in hawkins at the start of s4 (other than max) bc she pulls away and seems to think she doesnt know how to be a friend to anyone anymore. like even before s4 her quote "isn't it weird we only seem to hang out when the world's ending?" applies to her relationship with like everyone!!!!!

also robin making fun of nancy's poor driving and nancy is just like you do not even have a license. them fighting over what music to play (nancy wins like most of the time)!!! them always arriving earlier than everyone else bc nancy is very careful but she's also a total menace on the road. car hijinks!!

there is something so special and important to me about the thought of jonathan and will being secretly jealous of mike and nancy because they never have to worry about bills or money or college or whether their dad is going to be normal-terrible or scary-terrible. all the while mike and nancy are secretly jealous of the byers (and now byers-hoppers) because there is such an easy affection, communication comes so natural to them they dont even have to always put it to words, just an overall feeling of loving and safety and closeness that could not be more nonexistent in the wheeler household. and, like you said about nancy and her communication skills, that's a part of why nancy is so guarded, she just doesn't know how to be close like that with people. or maybe she does, or she did once, but it doesn't come easily. but by the end of s5 will have that beautiful found family and so many people in her life that she can be open to AND THAT WILL BE HER HAPPY ENDING NOT BORING MARRIED WITH CHILDREN I BELIEVE IT......

we are going to get stoncy next season steve and jonathan are going to fall in an upside down hole and robin and nancy have to figure out a way to get them out (i keep saying this)

as a fellow nancy brain rot haver did you also go through the 5 stages of grief when that supposed script leaked and it seemed like she was into the idea of 6 kids + rv life......IDC ABOUT SHIPS the complete character assassination that entailed i needed to lie down. also i was thinking about what an exhausting hiatus it was going to be if i had to defend her nonstop for the jonathan who? of it all. (side note that script being fake is so hilarious whoever wrote it is so nasty for "jonathan who?" and "i hate who i am" LOL)

HIIIIII BTW IT IS SO NICE TO KNOW YOU!!!!!!!!!!!! did you know that collectively we have written ~10k words just about nancy wheeler. new dsm entry just for us

#WE'RE CRAZY BUT WE'RE FREE #answered #anonymous #nancy wheeler