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blushweddinggowns · 1 year

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Now with Part 2!

Steve didn’t have the best track-record when it came to relationships. It’s not that he had a problem getting into them, he just had an issue staying in them. Or more accurately, getting someone to want to stay with him.

Nancy was the worst example of that by far, but even before her, there was a trend in Steve’s life. People broke up with him, not the other way around. And he knew why. Steve wasn’t stupid, or at least, not as stupid as people thought he was. He knew he was clingy, he knew he fell in love too fast, got intense too fast, he was painfully aware of the fact.

And he wasn’t going to go through it again. Robin had been the last straw, in both a good and a bad way. The romance aspect was obviously shot to shit immediately, but at the same time, she was the one person in his life, who wasn’t a literal child, that didn’t think he was too much. She was the one person who loved him back unconditionally, all of his clinginess and care one hundred percent accepted.

And Steve would take it. He got lucky enough to get someone to want to be in his life while knowing the real him, why push? A platonic soulmate was probably more than he deserved anyway. So Steve accepted the fact that this was it. Maybe down the line, he’d do what his parents did, get married for convenience instead of love. Have kids, the whole normal life shebang. But for now, he was happy to keep all that crap away from him.

But then came Eddie Munson.

Stupid, reckless, annoying, adorable Eddie Munson. Eddie Munson who almost died protecting Steve’s favorite child, Eddie Munson who had the prettiest eyes in the state of Indiana, Eddie Munson who ended up being the sweetest, funniest person Steve had ever met. Eddie Munson, who latched onto Steve with lightning fast speed, and made him feel like his life had fucking color again.

They became fast friends, half because experiencing hell together was a really great bonding experience, and half because Dustin refused to hang out with them separately now that their weird jealous feud was over. The little shit was obviously trying to play as a friend matchmaker, and it worked to Dustin’s delight.

Despite all their differences, Steve and Eddie just clicked. On the surface, they couldn’t be more different, but underneath it all, they were eerily similar. Both had shitty parents who hated them, both were fucking terrible at academics and would side-eye each other when one of their genius friends went on a smart person rant. They were both snarky shitheads who could make the other laugh like no tomorrow. They both wanted out of this shitty town, but were too afraid to leave their friends behind. And they just…liked each other. A lot.

Steve could, and had, spent hours talking to him on the phone, about anything and nothing. And as embarrassing as it was, falling asleep on there together was not a rare thing for either of them. Soon enough, they were almost attached at the hip. Even at work they couldn’t stay away from each other, either Eddie was loitering on the Family Video floor chatting up Steve, or Steve was impatiently waiting in Eddie’s passenger seat as he did a drug deal. And it was all so fun, just being with him. Steve kind of felt like he was on top of the world.

But then it happened. He didn’t know how it happened, but it happened.

One second, they were on their way to the movie theater, arguing about what they were going to see, and the next Steve realized it. He stared at Eddie, still in the middle of his rant on how The Fly was going to be so much more memorable than Stand by Me.

An uncomfortably familiar feeling was building up inside him. Familiar but different, more intense than anything he could remember. But he still knew what it was. It was that horrible, fluttery feeling he had with Nancy, but worse. Because with Nancy, Steve had been trying, he had worked to impress her, had opened himself up on purpose to get his heart broken.

But with Eddie? It felt like he was taking a piece of Steve without permission. He hadn’t even thought about it when he opened up to him, he just did it. He never pretended with him, he was just his bitchy, overly attached self, and Eddie had never had a problem, if anything he encouraged it.

In hindsight, Steve had never had a chance.

He was in love with him. He was in love with him and he wanted to puke. He had Eddie take him straight home after that, with a half truth about feeling like shit. And then he had to wave him off from trying to take care of him, the ass. Like making Steve fall in love with him wasn’t enough, he had to genuinely care about him too? It just made him feel worse.

He had called Robin immediately, because what else could he do? He told her the whole shitty story, and like the angel she was, she talked him through it, sexuality crisis included. She made the argument that if he could fight demons with his bare hands, than he could more than handle being gay for one dude. Which...maybe wasn’t the most sound reasoning, but it worked.

They developed a system, Steve could whine and cry to Robin about his hopeless infatuation, and hang out with Eddie like nothing was wrong. And when Eddie eventually moved on with a girlfriend, Steve would just lock himself in his room for two weeks and cry like a loser until he got over it. It was a good plan, and he felt like he had everything under control.

Until he didn’t.

It was another Friday night, and Steve was always over at Eddie’s on Fridays. And Saturdays. And Sundays. And occasionally on Wednesday and Thursday. Almost always on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Okay, so he borderline just lived there when he wasn’t working, but so what? Eddie always seemed happy to see him, and Wayne didn’t mind. He was reading a comic on Eddie’s bed, while Eddie was fiddling with his guitar, staring into space.

“Hey Steve?”

“Hm?”

Eddie was quiet for a second, pausing before asking, “Why don’t you date girls anymore?”

Steve was only half-listening, still engrossed in what he was reading, “Don’t really have the time.”

“But you do have the time. Like…now is the time. You can tell me if I’m the one getting in the way of that.”

Steve shrugged, flipping the page, “You’re never in the way. I just like spending time with you more than random girls, y’know?”

He could hear Eddie put down his guitar to join Steve on the bed, his voice a little shaky, “Steve, if I ask you something that’s, uh, kinda out there, will you promise you won’t be mad?”

Steve rolled his eyes, impatient as he re-read the same part over again, "If it’s quick, I’m getting to the good part here dude.”

Eddie took a deep breath, voice soft as he asked, "Are you in love with me?”

Steve could feel his heart stop in his chest, and for a brief second, he couldn’t help but wonder if this is what a heart attack felt like. His head shot up, comic forgotten, eyes wide as he stared at Eddie’s questioning face. His mind was racing too fast to form a coherent thought. How did he figure it out? Was Steve that obvious? Was…was he mad? Would he be mad? Would he hate him? Call him a queer and kick him out of the trailer? By the time he thought of the simple answer to just deny it, he had already been staring at Eddie with his mouth hanging open for a full minute.

The window for believability was definitely closed on that front.

The whole thing felt unfair. He…he had tried this time. Really, really tried to not let his stupid feelings come into play, but here he was again, caught and about to get his heart smashed to a thousand pieces.

Eddie was still waiting for an answer, tense as he searched Steve’s face. Steve licked his lips, opening and closing his mouth like an idiot before managing to squeak out, “I’m sorry.”

Eddie was still staring at him, expression unreadable as he asked again, “So…you are?”

Steve looked away, staring back at his stupid comic book as he nodded, vision blurring. Christ, he was going to cry. Eddie was going to scream at him, or never talk to him again, or god forbid try to be understanding while shutting it down. He’d have to watch their relationship slowly dissolve while Eddie kept a healthy distance away, probably take the time to fall for some pretty girl who wasn’t a clingy and annoying fuck like Steve was.

He froze when he felt Eddie’s hand on his chin, forcing his head up to meet his eyes. This was it, the end of everything. He could barely fucking see with all the tears in his eyes, but then Eddie was wiping them away and he was…smiling at him?

“Thank God,” Eddie breathed, leaning in until their lips touched. They were kissing. Eddie Munson was kissing him. And even through his shock, Steve was damn sure kissing him back.

Eddie was trying to talk to him, pulling away to get a few words out before going right back in to press their mouths together, “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do this.”

Steve was the one who had to pull away, as reluctant as he was he had to make sure he wasn’t dreaming here, “Y-you’re not mad?”

Eddie seemed to vaguely understand that they still needed to talk, but that wasn’t stopping him from kissing every other part of Steve’s face, “Why would I be mad?”

“Because…” Because I’m a guy? Because you could do better? Because I’m a suffocating freak who already takes up most of your time? “Because I’m me?”

Eddie rolled his eyes, “Oh no, the man I’m in love with is himself. Whatever will I do?”

Steve froze for the second time at that, a smile slowly spreading over his face, “You love me?”

“I love you, you love me, and I would really appreciate it if we could just make-out on my bed now that-”

Eddie didn’t even get the full sentence out before Steve was on him, tackling him on the bed to smash their lips back together.

And sure, Steve was still scared shitless about the possibility that Eddie would wake up one day and realize he could do better, but for now? He’d take it.

#steddie #steddie ficlet #steddie fic #stranger things #steve harrington #eddie munson #you'll pry my insanely long posts out of my cold dead hands #Yes Steve #you are that obvious #might do a part two to counter all the negative Steve self thoughts #this one's forever kiddo #but can you blame him?#nancy did a number on the boy

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matchingbatbites · 1 month

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Everyone loves rockstar!Eddie and groupie!Steve, and I think a good inverse of that would be actor!Steve and personal assistant!Eddie who are suspiciously close, but no one really questions it.

Eddie doesn't mind playing the part if it means getting to jet around the world with his beautiful boyfriend for filming and promo tours, and along the way he learns he's surprisingly good at the job.

When people ask Steve why he brings his personal assistant to red carpets and premieres, he just shrugs. "It's part of his contract."

#their relationship is kind of an open secret in the industry #and the only reason they're not loud about it is because eddie doesn't want it to reflect negatively on steve for casting and such #this was inspired by a Very Specific Thought i had after watching that kiss scene from finalmente l'alba #stranger things #steddie #steve x eddie

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morganbritton132 · 1 year

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Eddie decides that he wants to do a whole Day in the Life of a Middle School Math Teacher thing when Steve gets the go-ahead that Eddie can come talk to his class. Steve thinks that’s dumb because it’s not like he has an interesting life.

The first video in the series starts the night before. Eddie is filming Steve while they get ready for bed (mostly removing the five hundred pillows Steve insists they need

on their bed) while he warns Eddie that these kids are not like The Party. Middle school kids have not developed empathy yet and they’re mean in like, an accurate way. It’s like having 16 to 22 Erica Sinclairs every class period.

It then cuts to the morning where Steve is lecturing Eddie on the do’s and don’t’s. DO encourage students to find safe creative outputs to express themselves. DO talk about your struggles in school and how you overcame them. DON’T tell them about the illegal shit we used to do. DON’T antagonize student athletes and, for the love of god, DON’T climb on the tables. This lecture spans every room in their house as they both get ready.

The second video is filmed inside of seventh grade English teacher, Mrs Casal’s Honda Civic. Steve doesn’t drive anymore and Eddie insisted on joining his teacher carpool, a decision he has come to regret and Patty Casal drives like she wants them all to die. He’s squeezed in the back between Ozzy and another teacher that keeps fussing with his jacket collar.

The whole video is just zoomed in on Eddie’s face while you can hear four middle school teachers telling the most batshit insane stories you’ve ever head. The caption is: Why am I having RV flashbacks?

The third Tiktok is just Eddie filming Steve reviewing the last test with the students before Eddie’s Q&A. The text overlay says, “Why is this so hot?” Hot for Teacher is playing.

Eddie doesn’t actually film his little Q&As with Steve’s classes because it feels weird to film kids he doesn’t know, but a lot of the students do so videos go up on Tiktok of Eddie answering each question sincerely while still maintaining his usual chaotic Eddie charm. A student called his music old and Eddie flipped backwards off his chair, grabbing his chest, “You wound me! Rock n Roll never gets old and it never dies!”

He does talk about the hurtles he had to jump to get into the music industry, how his uncle bought him his first guitar and that he had to teach himself because they couldn’t afford lessons. He talked about school and his three repeats of senior year. He talked about how Dustin and Nancy sat down with him and worked out a way to teach him that actually worked. One student asked why he was with a math teacher when he could be married to a celebrity and Eddie tells them, “Don’t let the dorky sweater fool you. Mr H, over there is a total bad A S S. Coolest guy I’ve ever met. He’s saved my life.”

Someone does try to ask about the murder allegations but Steve shuts that down so fast no one dares to try again. It gives Eddie the worst case of heart eyes ever seen by man.

Steve’s class before lunch asks Eddie if he wants to eat with them and he says of course. It’s only by good fortune that one of the students catch on video Steve calling ‘Mr Munson’ back to his desk and then tells Eddie that if he climbs on a table, Steve will give him detention.

Eddie does, in fact, stand on the tables. He gives a big dramatic lecture about forced conformity but instead of talking about jocks and basketball, he talks about instagram and Tiktok and how it’s constantly hounding kids into looking a certain way, acting a certain way, and it’s destroying creativity. And that’s what’s killing the kid’s.

And Steve does, in fact, walk into the cafeteria mid-way through this speech. He lets him get through the important bits before calling out for Edward Munson to get off the table.

Someone post this whole speech on Tiktok and Eddie duets the video from detention because Steve was not kidding.

<- Last Post | Next Post ->

#Eddie after Mrs Casal hits a curb on the carpool home: Babe you know we could get you a driver #Steve who taught Robin to drive and regularly gets driven by her: what are you talking about?#I think Eddie would take offense to people saying you shouldn’t do stuff because it’s ‘cringe’ and how originality is just cut out of #everything now in order to get popular on social media #like Eddie likes posting to Tiktok but he’s not blind to the negative impact it has #eddie munson #steve harrington #steddie #eddie munson tiktok saga

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florallylly · 3 months

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eddie munson being his eloquent dungeonmaster self and then steve harrington pops his head through the door to see if the kids are still in there. eddie munson suddenly stuttering and "he grab he sword"

#steve harrington #steddie #eddie munson #tbh steve was too distracted bc it's negative degrees out and the shitheads left him waiting for almost half an hour #gareth immediately clocking the change in eddie and his head spinning to find steve

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bejeweledbaby · 1 year

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stop making nancy the villan of steddie fics <3

#it’s weird that she’s so villanized just to get steddie together #all these characters have done shitty things #you can’t forgive one character & not the other #just my opinion really :)#also robin as well?#i’ve been seeing an influx of fics where she’s put in a negative light #to make way for eddie as steve’s true companion/soulmate i guess?#platonic love & romantic can peacefully coexist #steddie #nancy wheeler #stranger things #robin buckley

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rebelcthulhu · 2 years

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*kicking in the duff bros door* RISE AND SHINE SAMMY!

#my entire purpose in life at this point is to manifest negative energy on those fuckers #im over it #eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #steddie #eddissy #stranger things #the duffer brothers

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allyricas · 7 months

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oh my god i could write a whole fucking essay on why both jon x nancy and steve x nancy should not be endgame! and it's not about disliking any one of them, rather seeing the various reasons each pair shouldn't stay together.

okay, come here: jon and nancy are very cute together. they have a lot of undeniable chemistry and similar interests and goals at the start of season 1. it's pretty clear that despite being with steve, nancy is attracted to, or at least intrigued by, jonathan from the start. he fucking took inappropriate pictures of her and she was not offended.

(we could argue this is because the duffer bros are men thus do not really understand how a teenage girl would react to this but that's a rant for another day)

i think jon and nancy are right-person-wrong time-terrible situation. despite the mutual attraction during season 1, they truly fall for each other during all the drama of will being possessed and the mind flayer. there is genuine love, but also trauma bonding.

the issue arises in the core of who they are and what they want out of life. nancy does not understand jonathan very well. jonathan does get her, i think, but doesn't necessarily like her priority on her career. we see this with the whole newspaper dilemma/argument. nancy is headstrong and determined, both good qualities, but she struggles to see how it could affect others at times.

jonathan might feel pressured to take care of will and stick by his family, but he cannot bear to lose them either. he needs will and his mom close after everything that's happened over the years. this means the idea of going away to college sounds terrifying to him at this point in his life. i also think the way he met argyle and went stoner boy is a huge relief for him. he can relax and get high, but wants to be with his family.

oh, but nancy. nancy wheeler. for all that she seems dainty and soft, she is truly a fucking badass. she is not afraid to fight for what she wants or what she believes in. she sees her traditional, nuclear family and she wants so much more. she wants a successful career. she wants to investigate and know the truth. she does not want to be in hawkins. she wants to rise above what society says a girl can be.

she doesn't want to break the glass ceiling, she wants to fucking shatter it. she is nearly cutthroat in her pursuit of what she wants and thinks is right.

she lost her best friend on the night she was losing her virginity to a boy she didn't love. i do not think nancy loved steve, sorry. i think she wanted to and thought she was supposed to but didn't. and this is not meant in a derogatory way towards nancy. she never had to love steve.

so I think there is an element to nancy where she feels she needs to be in a relationship because she's supposed to be, it's what girls should want. she should be jealous of robin because steve used to be her boyfriend. she should stress over her relationship with jon even though he's in california.

i think it's why we see her side of the weird energy with steve in season 4. she is very analytical with things, and she's considering what she is supposed to want, not necessarily what she actually wants which very well could be neither of the boys if she was honest with herself.

nancy needs a partner who is okay with her prioritizing her career, who has their own career, and is okay with needing personal space and not necessarily wanting a family. someone who understands nancy's desires and dreams, recognizes how she needs to find the story and investigate and reveal the truth, that she will do whatever it takes to be successful and she deserves to! that she can have all this and love, but that it won't look like what society said was acceptable for a women in that time.

nancy would be so, so unhappy with steve. she was unhappy with him the first time they dated. she stuck it out it because it felt like a slap in the face to losing barb if it didn't work. but nancy knew deep down it was bullshit. she might have drunkenly spewed those words to steve, but they were just as much about her.

so yeah, nancy and jon without all the trauma, could have been happy. and who knows, maybe in the future they could work out. nancy and steve, trauma or no trauma, would not work. he straight up said he wants a big family. he wants the house, the kids, and a partner to come home to. that is a nightmare for nance. her face said it all in the rv.

“It’s silly but I always had this dream that I’d have this really big family. I’m talking like a full brood of Harringtons, like five, six kids. And every summer I figured all of us Harringtons, we would pack into something like this and just see the country. You know, the Rockies, Grand Canyon, maybe Yellowstone. End up in some beachside town in California, spend a week parked in the sand. Learn how to surf or something.”

we can argue whether steve's parents are just a little absent or like fully negligent assholes but either way, he wants what he didn't have. wants to create his own family and do it the right way. he wants a big family with lots of people to nurture and love. i don't even think nancy would necessarily want to take her spouse's last name whereas steve would very much want that.

steve's desire for family is intrinsic to who he is. it's why he carts around dustin and the kids. why he worries for them and throws himself into danger for them despite barely knowing them in season 2. it's why robin made her way into his heart so easily. steve wants to be loved, wants to be needed and does want to love others in return.

he may not seem to have big aspirations in terms of college or a career but what he does aspire to is just as important as any other dream.

it's interesting that he doesn't just say he wants a big family but instead, makes sure to emphasize that he wants a big family that are close and spent time together. he wants to cram the whole gang in a damn winnebago and travel together. his dream is no less important than nancy's but it is totally incompatible.

i think steve regressed in season 4 because he was scared. the idea of fighting vecna and not having someone to love romantically made steve fall back on his old feelings for nancy. because steve said himself he was over her. he'd been dating. actively trying to find someone.

it was the circumstance that led to the weirdness between them.

if you follow me, then you know steve harrington is like my ride or die. i think he's maybe my favorite character of all time. so true, i do not want to see him with someone who called him bullshit and was obviously moving on emotionally with another guy while still dating steve.

(i personally don't think she cheated on him, but considered that moment the break up. even if it she did cheat on him, i love nancy. she was a teenager who'd lost her best friend and was dealing with a ton of shit and it doesn't make her bad even if she had cheated.)

all three deserve happy endings that suit who they are and where they are it. i really hope that we get to see that reflected in vol. 5.

#please do not take this too seriously as i am just rambling after a poll over whether st*ncy or j*ancy should be endgame #and like the answer is neither #i am not really sure how i should tag this because it does talk about these pairings i don't want to put in the tag as its sort of negative #but its also not like an anti post because its more character analysis of why each pairing shouldn't be endgame #nancy wheeler #steve harrington #jonathan byers #stranger things meta #also i only used canon for this so no steddie/ronance ramblings lol

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flowercrowngods · 2 months

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shit man the internalised aro&demi-phobia is so good at keeping me from writing arospec visibility week ain’t it funnnn

#i hate this i hate this i hate this why does my head frame aro buckingham as something bad in a companion piece to my steddie tattoo shop a #like all the negative thoughts i have are internalised arospec phobia #‘don’t make it demi and have it look like aro ain’t valid or like it’s a hurdle or just one step to overcome’#‘don’t make the women aro when you make them men be allo lesbians aren’t companion pieces to gay men’#‘don’t make it aro that’s lame don’t make it semi that’s cheating’ hdhdhdg i am soooo in my head about this #:(

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monophobix · 2 years

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BASIC. AO3. ETIQUETTE.

obsessed steddie fans i’m looking at you. not only is it literally against ao3’s terms but your fucking up your own community by spamming this bullshit, the number of fics DOES NOT MATTER. what matters is writing fun fics for you and others to enjoy, not clogging up the steddie tag with bullshit so actual steddie reading enjoyers can’t actually find decent writing.

#harringrove #steddie #stranger things #ao3 #negativity #it’s basic respect jesus christ #steve harrington #eddie munson #billy hargrove #harringroveson

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toburnup · 1 year

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Is there anything you read in Steddie fics and think “uh no I don’t wanna read this”?

I am so interested in what people like cringe or like what will stop them from reading a fic.

hmm. there are things that aren't steddie-specific - poorly formatted, wildly dramatic or flowery writing, no build-up before smut. ooc dialogue. i'm pretty picky about summaries. a bad summary is such a turn-off that i won't read further even if the concept sounds good.

for steddie fics... it's hard to think of anything that would make me immediately NOPE. there are a few things that didn't bother me before, but now i find... a bit tough to get through.

the big one for me is overuse of nicknames. once or twice is fine, but sometimes it's almost constant and it takes me out of the story 😭 i especially struggle with reading 'eds'. eddie is short enough imo. sometimes it feels like nicknames are used in fanfics to create intimacy between people, but i think it's become oversaturated.

the other steddie-specific thing is when steve is written as overly sensitive and sweet. i'm a simple guy! i like my steve a bit mean and my eddie obnoxious. ik lots of people love saccharine!steve but i like it when sweet moments are slightly hidden. caught between two words instead of spread out over whole paragraphs. that kinda thing.

and there are some fic premises i don't read even if they're written well, but that's for another post.

#vio answers #these are just. my personal taste #on fanfiction #steddie #negative post #just in case anyone doesn't wanna read this kinda thing but also. i like being a bit negative <3

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fandoms-in-law · 4 months

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Different Lives

Summary: Prince Steve is being forced to go to camp by the king in an attempt to make him learn his duties. Eddie has been talked into going to camp by his band. What happens when their camp places are reversed.

Authors Note: I think this is the longest fic I've written in one day for a while. My brain is tired and you're lucky I didn't just write out conversations with no tags or indications over who was speaking cause that's how todays started off being. I could've left the camp leaders the same as in the film, yes, but Jason being trapped in the same way clive was in the film was just too funny to miss

/\/\

Steve had always expected that going to summer camp would be fun. In all the films and stories it was a reward or adventure for the kids, a good thing in the views of all children. As his mother explained going to Camp Royalty it definitely didn't sound like a good thing.“We just think this will be good for you Steve.”

“Don't coddle the boy, Alison. This camp will give you the skills to take to work and you will have to impress the people you work under because I'm not helping you more than that. This is your last chance to prove you are worthy of your title.” King Richard of course made it sound even worse than his mother had done and the only reason Steve wasn't arguing over going more was that he hoped being away from his parents he could actually make it enjoyable.

“Yes Mother and Father. I understand. I'm not going to disgrace the kingdom at summer camp.” The promise was one he'd recited a hundred times at least, practically every time he went anywhere he had to reassure them and usually still managed to fail in some way that never got explained.

“You better not.”

/\/\

It was kind of amusing to watch Gareth try to find an argument that would work. In all honesty that was the main reason Eddie wasn't already agreeing to going to Camp Rock.

“Eddie, we need a break man. Let's just try this Camp Rock and see what it's like, make friends with some new musicians.” Gareth complained. It was definitely the truth, even Eddie was feeling worn down and as if they needed more friends into music than the four of them.

Still he pointed at the calendar, and the other reason he wasn't accepting the idea immediately. Every time they changed plans and had to reschedule anything they pushed that onto him, claiming it was the front man's job to do, rather than one of theirs, or even Seymore's as their agent. “We've already booked tour dates for that week. Do you want to be in charge of rescheduling it all?!

Jeff snatched the calendar from his hands and replaced it with multiple envelopes that were clearly fan mail from the doodles on some of them. “I'll do it. Hell I bet some of our fans would thank us. There've been a few fan letters that ask if we're okay or mention how stressed our recent albums have seen.”

“Fine, fine. Guess I'm overruled. Just book the camp tickets. I'll be there.” The pout and crossed arms was easy to do, and Eddie hoped enough to get him some more leeway in what he took part in at camp.

/\/\

Steve could manage this. In fact it was better than anything he'd hoped would happen because at Camp Rock there was no Princess Nancy or her brother ready to let their parents and by connection his own anything he did that she didn't agree with. As soon as Barb offered to let him stay instead of fighting for a transfer unless Camp Royalty requested it he jumped at the choice but now he had to find a place with the Camp Rock kids and the two ladies entering the room he'd been directed to stay in.

“They're allowing mixed gender rooming now? Who are you? And why are you dressed so... so like a prat?” The first woman was immediately in his face, looking him up and down and clearly judging him.

“I'm Steve, a prince apparently caught in a system mix up which swapped my camp around.” It definitely wasn't the time to bow, or kiss her hand, but he hold his hand out to shake as he introduced himself.

While his hand was taken it was used to spin him around and carry on watching his expression. “You know what the normal people in your kingdom live like?” she asked.

“Planning to find out after camp. The King has dictated that I get a job and I'm going to do everything I can to ensure it's not one he decides. But before we carry on talking might I know the names of the lovely ladies I'm addressing?” The explanation was probably too much to share, but it at least seemed to pass whatever judgement had been directed at him

“I'm Robin, Vickie is the one still hovering in the doorway. Do you know when you have to go and save some tragic princess? Also why can't the princess be the one to save you?” Laughing at the questions was easy. Steve had heard that a lot of working people, even up to the Lords and Ladies that sometimes visited believed the fairytales were actually true.

Now he shallowly bowed, marking Robin his equal if she knew anything about bowing etiquette. “Delighted to make your acquaintance. Also, those are myths and I think the media prefer to twist any story so the man is the hero. It's annoying. Princess Nancy is far more likely to save someone than I or the commoner she's recently made the acquaintance of.” The formalities felt stilted but necessary, especially given how unusual and uncomfortable he was to realise he was indeed staying in the same room as these girls. It was a situation he'd always been warned against allowing to happen.

“Dingus, we're going to have to get those manners dropped and quick. Come gossip. Vickie, get over here and join in.” Robin used the hand she'd never dropped to drag him over to one of the beds, hand waving rapidly to beckon Vickie over.

/\/\

So far Eddie thought Lady Chrissy was pretty cool but Jason was definitely a social climbing creep to some degree. He also wondered if he could convince Gareth to book there next trip to camp to be for Camp Royalty to deliberately cause chaos here. The other campers his age had all turned away from him or iced him out of their conversations when they weren't acting too good to look where they're going and frankly Eddie would be calling them out on it if he wasn't definitely outnumbered.

Now there was another possible issue considering the room he'd been directed two had quite definitely got two children already settled as if it was their own room. Eddie might not have been to camp before but he was pretty sure they usually separated the kids and teens by age range.

“Are you sure Will is going to DM for us when we get back? Nancy only just introduced you two.” At least that sounded like the kids didn't think they were above having some normal fun.

The second kid rolled his eyes exaggeratedly, “Lucas, the Byers have been close advisors to our family for generations. They're one of our connections to our people. If Will has said he'll DM and help teach us DnD then he will.”

“Or I could. You know, when Jason told me I could stay here, I wasn't expecting to be rooming with children.” Eddie offered, alerting the pair to his presence and shaking his head at their momentary frowns over his different style to everyone else in the camp. At least they were quickly replaced by curiosity from the second kid and a serious nod from the first, seemingly called Lucas.

Lucas was the one to reply also, “It's a ridiculous supervision thing they brought in last year. Apparently if a King requests that their child learns more responsibility while at camp they're asked to supervise some of the younger campers. You however do not seem royal.”

He couldn't resist looking down at himself and circling as if to find out where the suit all the other men were wearing was before grinning, “Because I'm not. There's been a system mix-up with Camp Rock. I'm Eddie, and you are?”

“Prince Lucas and this is Prince Michael. I assume you have headphones even if you weren't informed that whichever prince you've swapped places with was acting as a kid supervisor.” Lucas countered, and Eddie definitely understood that it was as much from an assumption that Eddie would want to play his music as well as that they wouldn't be changing anything on how they behaved at camp for him.

Michael however was staring at him with the unmistakable gaze of a fan and darted to his bedside table to grab a magazine with Corroded Coffin on the cover. “You're Eddie Munson! Will you sign my magazine? Can you teach me how to play guitar? Have you ever smashed a guitar on stage? I saw it in a movie once and it looked like so much fun. Call me Mike”

“Was going to say yes, but if you're wanting to try smashing a guitar lets stick with no. Nobody gets to hurt my sweetheart.” Eddie was very quick to pick his guitar case back up and move away from Mike, smile definitely forced as he refused the request.

/\/\

“Oi! Princey! Where the hell is Eddie?” The call made Steve pause and turn from where he'd been following Robin to the dance class. Vickie was meeting them there after stopping in wardrobe for a bit.

He knew it was him being called to but had to frown at the question, trying to remember if he'd met an Eddie yet. “Who's Eddie? I'm not sure I've met an-”

The man who'd yelled was already coming closer, followed by two other guys. “The guy who is actually meant to be at this camp. Why'd you swap places with him?”

“The guy from the dock?” He guessed, remembering the person who'd bumped into him definitely had a style similar to the group he was talking to, “I think that might have been the name the doorman for Camp Royalty was calling when I was trying to get on the right ship to come to camp.”

One of the other men looked sceptical, looking Steve up and down as if he'd be able to spot a lie. “You mean you had nothing to do with this and are just as confused over why your here as Eddie definitely has over being there?”

“Guess so. I'm Steve, who are you three?” He shrugged, then held his hand out to shake, this time having it properly shook. At least Robin's reaction was a thing only she seemed to do.

“Jeff, Gareth and Grant, three quarters of Corroded Coffin since apparently our singer and lead guitar is at the wrong camp.” Jeff gestured to who he was introducing and stepped back so Gareth and grant could also shake his hand.

Since they still didn't seem entirely happy, Steve soon stepped back again, “I feel like you want me to apologise for a mistake the camps made.”

“Ah – Um, you have a point there. We're just a bit annoyed since this was meant to be a trip for us all to relax.” Gareth seemed to want to protest before nodding at his point.

A cough coming from behind him made Steve glance over his shoulder to see Robin waiting for him to follow her again. “Okay, well... Robin and Vicky have convinced me to tag along to some of the activities so I'll probably see you later?”

“Later Princey” Gareth called, turning to wherever they'd been going before again.

/\/\

Eddie had struggled to believe the unicorns were really. He'd doubted half of the things included as activities could actually be necessary for royalty to learn, but this, seeing sceptre training actually including magic was what finally made him comment on it to the kids he was basically trailing around camp. “The sceptre thing isn't just a legend? That could make for some awesome stage effects.”

“Exactly! Erica has been trying to argue that her friends should get them too but for some reason the world's countries agreed to keep this magic hoarded for the royal families.” Lucas nodded rapidly. Mike had wandered over to one of the older kids when she waved and was yet to return. Lucas didn't seem concerned by it and so far every interaction Eddie had had with the teens closer to his age had been negative at best.

“Can I try yours?” He asked with a cheeky grin.

“No you can't. The way you've latched onto the kids you're meant to supervise is unnerving some of us. What are you doing here still?” And there was Mike back again, just behind the princess pushing Eddie's hand down as if he'd have taken it from Lucas without permission.

Eddie met her gaze directly, gesturing around them. “Waiting for Lady Chrissy to get Camp Rock to transfer me mostly. Who are you and why get angry when you and all the other royals our age have scorned me to the point these two are the only half decent people here?”

“Princess Nancy. We weren't scorning you.” She seemed so certain of her words that Eddie could hold his scoff back.

Lucas looked like he would have scoffed too if he hadn't been trained differently already. “You really were, Princess Nancy. Everyone has been scowling at him, and scoffing anytime he shows his passions for music and storytelling. You keep lecturing Mike and I about not judging those who aren't in the royal life but have been doing just that ever since Eddie ended up at our camp. Are we only meant to accept the Princess Wheeler approved commoners?” He stated, clearly referring to connections that Eddie only had vague ideas about based on things Mike and Lucas had already said around him.

“Lucas, that's not true. I'm just trying to look out for you.” Nancy's tone suddenly gentled but her actions were still speaking more than loudly enough for Eddie and Lucas

“Then you should have spent time with us, with Eddie over the last 2 days, not just glared before coming over with accusations.” Lucas stated, before handing Eddie his sceptre. “This is how we do the rainbow display.” He began instructing, clearly ending the conversation with Nancy by turning his back to her.

/\/\

Eddie had tried. He had tried to get involved and join in, especially since the competition had been announced and Lady Chrissy had seemed so delighted by his singing during one of their small conversations about failing to transfer him to the correct camp. The issue was it seemed that none of the royals involved in the acapella choir was prepared to actually accept that he knew how to sing.

Eddie hadn't meant to storm away and he was sure that once he calmed down he'd go right back to keeping an eye on the last half decent royals present But for now he was walking and smiling at how much he could relate to the song he could hear.

“That's a great song.” The words left him without thinking, and it was only when the song broke of that he realised the singer was someone walking around the lake similar to himself.

“Sorry, I wasn't expecting anyone to be out here.” The singer said, one hand coming up to adjust his hair.

Eddie nodded, understanding exactly what he meant, “I know what that's like. Getting so lost in music is wonderful, especially when you're upset. Why do I recognise you?”

“Are you the man from the dock? Just before I was called for the wrong boat?” He asked in reply, squinting a little as if that would help his memory.

“And I got on the wrong boat cause Jason was yelling my name. I'm Eddie.” The agreement came easily, now smiling and holding his hand out.

It was taken and shook easily. “I'm Steve, and yeah, your band told me. Gareth apparently thought you swapped with me as a prank until I explained the mix-up.”

“Bet he wasn't the nicest before getting told that. He's only confrontational when annoyed or worried and my disappearance probably had him feeling both.” He laughed, already having imagined their reactions since he realised a prince must have ended up at Camp Rock.

Steve smiled back easily, “It wasn't so bad and we got it cleared up fairly quickly. Why are you out here?”

“A Princess Nancy has decided I'm, I don't know, grooming her brother or something. Did you know your parents had you set to be supervision for a couple of camp kids?” Eddie stated, smirking a little when Steve clearly recognised the name.

The reply confirmed that connection, with a small roll of his eyes. “No, but I can believe that. Was it Dustin or Lucas rooming with Michael? I never got told if all three were allowed to go this year.”

“Lucas. They're pretty great kids, especially with how hostile the rest of them are.” Eddie couldn't help but grin. Looking after the pair was reminding him of his days before quitting school to focus on his band when he'd try to look out for younger kids who didn't fit in.

“Royals don't much like change. It's scary if something disturbs their views of superiority over the people they rule.” Steve offered a commiserating smile.

“That explains why I'm sending them insane then.” Eddie's replying grin was full of mischief. He thought that going back to camp knowing there was at least one prince he could get along with would make getting the rest to question their views more worthwhile.

/\/\

“Metal is what we're best at.” The argument didn't seem to have a point to Steve but Grant was repeating the comment for the third time since a few of them had mentioned feeling unhappy with their song choice.

Robin was shaking her head, pulling out a board and starting to right pros and cons columns out. “It's a niche. The royals aren't going to go for it and we need the song to be liked if we're going to win.”

“Steve literally just said it was a good song.” Gareth pointed out as if that would convince her to let them stick with the Corroded Coffin song

Vickie immediately stepped up to back Robin's argument for changing songs saying, “And you started this practise claiming his songwriting was metal even if the song itself wasn't in that style. Why can't we sing one of his?”

“Robin, we're the ones who know how to rock a concert or have you forgotten how big our band actually is?” Gareth stated, gesturing between the three band members.

“Yet you're learning along with the rest of us.” Vickie stated.

Robin quickly added onto that with, “Experience does not mean you know this camp or Camp Royalty's tastes to win the competition and I'm not throwing it just because you want to play a metal song that's not even a camp original.”

“Steve, do you want us to use one of your songs for the competition?” Jeff finally sighed, looking over to him and making him blink at apparently being given the power to choose what they played.

“If you think it could help you win then sure?” He replied, uncertain if this was some sort of test, “Which one though? I've not had the chance to play much of them before.”

“Which makes it even more impressive how metal they are. The one from this morning was pretty great actually.”

“Everyone okay with that being our song choice?” Vickie asked, looking around the room.

“Agreed.” was chorused back to her.

/\/\

Eddie had actually been getting into the song. It was fun even if he'd had to fight to get them to change and only managed with with Lady Chrissy's intervention. If they wanted to win the competition then he'd do his best to help.

Unfortunately that didn't seem to be how any of the rest of the choir was taking it, proven by Nancy coming over to him when they took a short break. “Mike and Lucas aren't here, you can stop showing off now.”

“Two things: 1st Lady Chrissy literally asked us to highlight my voice in our entry.” He began, getting a goblet of water that he'd insisted be provided if they were to practise outside for hours. “2nd It's not showing off, it's showmanship which is necessary when performing. You're the one desperate to win but if you want me to just mimic you, then I shall.”

Princess Nancy scowled, folding her arms and visibly settling in for what she wanted to be a one sided argument. Eddie copied the gesture and waited for her to speak.“That's entirely not what I meant.”

“That's entirely not what I meant.” He recited the words back in the most dead inside voice he could achieve.

“I'm just saying we work as an ensemble, don't you know how to work with other people.” She scowled, a finger coming up to gesture before she caught herself.

“I'm just saying we work as an ensemble, don't you know how to work with other people.” He intoned, maintaining near perfect stillness, even as he watched Lucas and Mike come over to them.

Mike was already snickering when he asked, “Why is Eddie coping everything you say?”

“Just what have you been lecturing him about this time?” Lucas was quick to correct the question, knowing it would be a reaction to something.

Eddie relaxed into his normal posture again. “Oh just that I've been showing off and taking over. Maybe she'd be happier if I just got out of here.” As he said the words he suddenly thought that was a great idea.

“Eddie? You're joking about that, right? Eddie?” Mike sounded uncertain, gaze following as Eddie just grinned, turning and walking away, ignoring the attempt to call after him.

He was just close enough to hear when Lucas replied, “I don't think he was joking about it.”

/\/\

For saying this was Camp Royalty and should definitely have some decent security, Eddie found none as he headed into Lady Chrissy's office and dialled the number for the bands agent, impatiently listening to it ring. “Come on, Seymore, pick up.”

“Hey, Metal is here to stay, but I am out! Leave a message-” Getting the voicemail recording was soon overshadowed by hearing Jason coming through, talking aloud to himself.

“Camp Royalty has got this in the bag! Poor Barbara Holland, what are you going to do when you have to close your camp and leave? Don't care! Why Lady Christine, of course I'm not the most intelligent man in the world, top 5% maybe.” Jason singing love songs to himself as he left the office was an image that would stick with him. Now Eddie wasn't one to judge anyone's music taste, but he would judge the type of simping that Jason seemed to do every time Lady Chrissy did anything.

/\/\

“You two up to invade Camp Rock and snatch Prince Steve to plan to save both camps?” Eddie announced as soon as he was back in his room, getting a visibly fretting Lucas and Mike spinning to stare and run over to him as if checking he was actually there.

Mike's expression twisted with distaste a moment later, at a guess when everything Eddie had said registered, “Steve was meant to be our supervision? I am so glad this mix up happened. Hang on, what's going on with the camps?”

“Prince Steve is nice. Just because Nancy was just as judgemental towards him as she's been to Eddie this week doesn't mean you need to complain about him for all eternity. Focusing on the issue though, we'll help.” Lucas shook his head, admonishing his friend slightly before refocusing, “What's going on?”

“I didn't hear all the details but there's some kind of bet which means whoever loses this competition has to close down.” Eddie gave the shortest explanation he could, already sure he'd be repeating it all night and trying to herd his sheep out of the door.

Thankfully they easily went, only glancing at him to know the way to walk, “Let's go then.”

/\/\

“Eddie, Twerps, What's going on?” Steve barely glanced at the kids before focusing on Eddie, concerned.

Once again Eddie decided to avoid giving a full explanation to them, his mind still trying to plot the evening the way he would a D&D game, “Nothing good. You said the rest of Corroded Coffin is in Camp Rocks band? Can you take me to them so we explain this just once.”

“Sure. We've got a rehearsal soon anyway.” Steve nodded behind him, only smirking as the kids and Eddie dodged behind and around things to try and stay hidden as they followed him.

/\/\

“Eddie Munson!” Everyone waiting in their practise room gasped, hands going to their faces to enhance the drama of the moment.

Steve looked them all over unimpressed before saying, “Why are you acting surprised? Gareth, Jeff and Grant have all been practising with us from the start. Wait, why are you three acting surprised too?”

“Felt like it. What's going on that you only sneak into the right camp now?” Gareth shrugged, straightening and looking Eddie's expression over as if it would tell him everything about what was happening.

/\/\

All of them were exhausted. They'd rehearsed late into the night, straight after about a million arguments because Princess Nancy and the other royals weren't ready to just trust, in their words, a washed up wannabe rockstar and a couple of kids barely trained in the royal life.

And then to perform with as much energy and in the moment adaptions as the merging of their two groups took left Eddie impressed they were all still standing at the end of their performance. It really made the show unpredictable and difficult to be unable to perform all together even once before the actual show.

He was only just following the argument going on between Lady Chrissy and Barbara Holland, and really wished he could believe it wasn't a scheme entirely motivated by Lady Chrissy wanting to shut down Camp Rock.

Steve nudged his arm as he twisted his sceptre to point at the floor under the feet of their camp leaders, making Eddie realise they'd stopped atop one of the platforms. He hoped Steve had also included something to prevent them from just walking out of that area and back onto the stage to carry their argument on. “Bold move.”

“Honestly, I can cope with the music but their arguing would give me a migraine.” Steve muttered back, frowning at Jason's appearance on stage.

“I'm pretty good at head massages if that'll help.” Eddie offered quietly, leaning into his space and finally letting himself flirt a little. Here on the stage, with Mike and Lucas in the audience and his band all around him he finally felt safe enough to do so, even if the royals that were only just beginning to accept he wasn't horrible could be watching.

Steve wrapped an arm around his waist, whispering, “I bet we could both do with a few massages after this is all over. Want to visit my kingdom before you get back to your tour?”

“I think I can schedule that in.” He agreed, turning at the collective noise of disappointment to see Jason now gloating on the stage. “But I guess we didn't manage to save the camps even with you shutting Chrissy away.”

With a sigh, Steve pointed his sceptre back at the area Barbara and Chrissy were shut in so he definitely had ensured they'd remain there.

Nobody was expecting the pair to be cuddling, pecking at each others lips as they were raised back to stage height.

“I'd say that might be hope for us yet.” Steve smiled, distracting himself and Eddie by pulling the other into a kiss a little deeper than the ones their camp leaders had been sharing.

The distraction was broken once again, this time by Jason screaming “I BRIBED A JUDGE FOR YOU!”

There were at least 3 glows of sceptres being activated in the vague direction of Jason, enough that Eddie doubted he'd manage to escape the stage platforms for at least a day without help.

#stranger things #steve harrington #eddie munson #robin buckley #nancy wheeler #steddie #nancy wheeler negative #mike wheeler #lucas sinclair #barbie rock 'n' royals #background Barb/Chrissy #background appearances of Chrissy Barbara and Jason

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steddieassheg0es · 1 year

Text

Steve is used to being appreciated for superficial details. The things that have nothing to do with him really.

He doesn’t think he’s ever been liked for anything that makes him him. Even Nancy, for all that they care for each other now, had only really wanted to rebel in the way that only cool, well off kids can. She wanted the hot boyfriend who she could drink with and have sex with and feel a little less like the girl from the cul-de-sac. Steve was just the body attached to that goal.

Tommy just wanted his status. The right hand man to the King. Never mind that none of the people who fawned over him knew the first thing about him. All that mattered was Tommy was cool by association.

His father…well his father wanted Steven Harrington III. The trust fund kid, Stanford legacy, heir to his prestigious business. The man who would marry the perfect trophy wife and have the perfect life. When that all went up in flames, he wanted Steve to shut up and stay out of the way. Try not to be an even bigger disgrace to the family name.

His mother was too drunk to remember he existed half the time. He preferred that to the cold indifference when she was sober.

The kids might actually like him by now. He’s not really sure. He knows he loves them all dearly. He’d give his life for any of them, nearly has a few times. But mostly to them he feels like a human shield. Good to take the hits and keep on taking them. Maybe a bit of comedic relief. You can always count on Steve to say something dumb and lighten the mood.

(When he’s being less self pitying, he knows that’s not exactly fair. He remembers the surprisingly heartfelt “If you die, I die” from Dustin in the Russian elevator. Though he also remembers the unintentionally overheard “No one is around. Why do you think I’m with Steve Harrington?” from the same kid just the year before. So maybe they do like him now, but being freshly graduated from highschool and entering the adult world to have the only people who even remotely like you as a person be a group of children is a bit depressing. The thought that they’ll grow up and learn better, move on and leave him behind…)

It’s not until Robin that he feels really seen. It’s an unexpected friendship born from a silly little crush. Though when he really thinks back he’s not sure he ever actually had a crush on her. The truth is far more pathetic. He just hadn’t realized friendship could be like this. The only love he’d known before was romantic or almost fatherly and protective. A grown man who didn’t know friends could actually care for each other.

He’ll forever be thankful to have Robin, treasures their platonic love more than he can say. He knows deep down though that once she graduates she’ll move on to bigger and better things.

No one stays around for Steve Harrington. No one loves Steve Harrington. Steve Harrington is bullshit.

Even more pathetically, Steve is still a romantic at heart. Desperately needy. He longs to be loved, to be desired for more than his body.

Not that he doesn’t like sex. It’s just that he’s had enough shallow flings to last two life times. A few moments of pleasure followed by days of feeling hollow. Women who want to see if the rumors of his skills in bed are true, who want to claim a night with King Steve, who want to be seen with someone sexy on their arm. Want to tick him off their checklist and never look back.

They don’t listen to him. They couldn’t care less about his likes or dislikes, his dreams, his fears. Mostly they chat about themselves or if they’re a bit more polite they might ask him about his former glory days. Spend enough time in public to be sure they’ve been seen with him then take him home. Rinse and repeat.

So he gives up. He’s tired of shallow and can’t seem to find anything else, so what’s the point?

When the world doesn’t end for the 4th and 5th time Steve figures it’s the final nail in that coffin. How can he ever hope to find someone who will look past the noose-like scar around his neck or the chunks of flesh missing from his abdomen? It’s not like he can tell anyone. NDA’s aside, who would believe him?

At least his circle of age appropriate friends has grown. It’s not how he’d have liked to meet Eddie or Argyle, or get closer to Nancy and Jonathan, but he’ll take what he can get for as long as he can get it.

There was a moment where he thought maybe Nancy finally did love him. But once the adrenaline faded, so did the hope. Both because he could see she was only reaching out to him as something safe and comfortable, but also because he was doing the same. He’ll always have a deep love for her, but there’s truly no romantic feelings left there.

Nor are there between her and Jonathan it seems. Which becomes a weird bond for the two men, their once love for Nancy Wheeler. They understand each other better now, and adding in Argyle and his zen like energy and never ending weed supply they provide the most laid back company he’s ever had.

Eddie…he’s not sure what to think of Eddie Munson at first. He's known of him by reputation for a while (and he flinches at the thought that that goes both ways), but gossip does him little justice.

Eddie is vibrant. Steve never really understood when people would say someone could light up a room until now, because Eddie does. He’s so kind despite everything this town has done that by all rights should have snuffed that out. He’s funny, incredibly smart, and beautiful. Not just physically, though he is, but he has the most beautiful soul.

So really, it’s no surprise that Steve falls head over heels for him.

—

The day Eddie kisses him, his heart breaks.

He’s too needy to say no to this, to anything Eddie’s willing to give him. It just hurts to know that Steve’s done it again somehow, lured someone in close with his looks. Like the light of an angler fish, shiny and pretty and distracting from the grotesque thing behind it all.

He’d thought maybe they could be real friends. No one loves Steve but maybe Eddie could like him.

“Stevie?”

He blinks back into reality. “Hm?”

“You wanna say something? I just kissed you and you haven’t said or done anything and I’m kind of freaking out here.”

“Oh. Uh…right. Sorry. You just caught me off guard.” He smiles, because he’s desperate enough to soak up any bit of affection he can get, even if it’s empty. “You should try that again, I’ll get it right this time.”

His smile widens, more genuine, at the sound of Eddie’s laughter as he does what he’s told. Feels it against his grinning mouth. Wonders if he can swallow that sound, keep it with him forever. Something to hold onto when Eddie inevitably grows bored with him.

He waits for the escalation…and waits…and waits. But while Eddie does pull Steve into his lap, his grip stays firm and still on his waist. Never pulling Steve into motion, never wandering to touch. He gently sweeps his tongue across Steve’s lips, waits for permission to enter, then seems content to continue making out.

Not that Steve’s complaining. Actually there’s nothing that he loves more than kissing. He’s just…confused. Everyone he’s ever been with has always seemed to view kissing as a necessary part of dating or the unavoidable first step to a hookup. Never something to enjoy just for the sake of it. They always pull away first.

He considers moving things along himself, but hesitates. If he thinks about it, it’s possible this is Eddie’s first kiss. Small town Indiana probably doesn’t provide much opportunity for gay hookups. Maybe he’s just not quite ready yet. It’s not like Steve wants to rush things along. The sooner Eddie gets it out of his system, the sooner he moves on. And the last thing Steve wants to do is push him. Steve can wait. He’s very good at being patient. And if he’s Eddie’s first, well, he wants to make it special.

He refuses to let himself think too hard about that. His first time was hardly anything noteworthy, he hardly remembers the girl. Eddie’s more cautious than he was, especially with being gay, but that just means he trusts Steve to keep a secret. It doesn’t mean he’s special.

No one loves Steve Harrington.

—

Steve just gets more confused as time goes on.

Things have changed between them, just not in the way he was expecting. Eddie is unbearably sweet to him. Not that he wasn’t before, but it’s different now. He calls him “sweetheart” and “baby” and “angel”. Holds his hand any time they’re alone. His kisses, while they do occasionally have some heat behind them, are most often soft and gentle. When they watch movies on his couch he pulls Steve against his chest, sometimes lays them down and curls himself around Steve, always holds him close.

He doesn’t even pull away when his uncle walks in the door, tightens his grip when Steve tries to the first time. Mr. Munson (‘It’s Wayne, boy. Mr. Munson was my father an’ he was a mean son of a bitch.’) just smiles at them fondly. Like he’s happy to see his nephew wrapped around another boy, wrapped around Steve.

More confusing than anything is that after weeks, he still hasn’t pushed for more than kissing. Steve’s felt him hard against his thigh when they’re pressed in close, but Eddie just politely shifts his hips away. Says nothing, does nothing about it.

Doubt begins to swirl in Steve’s mind, poisonous. If sex is the one thing he’s good for and Eddie doesn’t want it, what does that mean?

Is Eddie just too nice to tell him the truth?

He wouldn’t be surprised. Steve may not be anything special, but that wouldn’t matter to Eddie. Eddie is good, and kind, and wonderful. He would hate to hurt anyone.

The question is, is Steve deplorable enough to take advantage of that? To take and take until even Eddie has nothing left to give?

He’s really not sure.

—

The day it all comes to a head is really nothing more worthy.

It started like most days this summer have. The Party is gathered at his house, most of them enjoying the pool. Only he and Nancy refuse to go in, choosing instead to watch from their lounge chairs side-by-side. Nancy seems to be watching Robin in particular, which is interesting.

Steve of course only has eyes for Eddie. Who seems pleased by it, preening under the attention and showing off.

Eventually he drags himself up out the pool (and if Steve appreciates the flex of his arms and chest that is his business), and he surprises Steve by flopping down in front of him, Steve’s legs bracketing Eddie’s.

Steve laughs and shoves him, complaining about getting wet, but his mind is racing. They haven’t exactly told anyone besides Wayne about whatever it is they’re doing. All intimate touching behind closed doors. Eddie’s a tactile guy though, and no one bats an eye at him sprawled across Steve while he chats with Nancy.

He’s so lost in thought he doesn’t notice when Nancy leaves to sit by the pool and dip her legs in while she flirts with Robin. Doesn’t notice Eddie looking over his shoulder observing him. Stays unfocused until Eddie shifts, pressing his back to Steve’s chest and resting his head on his shoulder.

“Penny for your thoughts pretty boy? You look so serious.”

“Hm? Oh, no it’s nothing. You know me, not much going on in my head.”

Eddie frowns instead of joining in his laughter like he expected. Like everyone else does.

“Don’t do that, I hate that you let everyone joke about you like that. Because I think you genuinely believe it. You’re not stupid, Stevie. If you don’t wanna talk about whatever you’re thinking about that’s fine but don’t say that it’s nothing or that you’re dumb.”

“I am, though. It’s ok Eddie. I know I’m not…you don’t have to pity me so if that’s what this has all been about it’s not necessary.”

“Pity? I don’t…what what is all-“

Eddie’s cut off by Dustin excitedly bounding up to them, eager to share an idea he had for their next campaign. He gives Steve a significant look that tells him this conversation isn’t over before he indulges their favorite gremlin.

Steve wasn’t sure he wanted to pick this up later though. On the one hand he didn’t want to be the reason Eddie was miserable, feeling stuck with him. It’s just…he thought he had a little more time.

So he does his best to drag the day out as long as possible. With the kids being out of school it’s easier, he’s charmed all of their parents enough that they don’t have a curfew when they’re with him.

As the afternoon sun dips lower towards the horizon he wrangles them all out of the pool to eat. Dustin unwittingly kept Eddie engaged while he manned the grill so he didn’t get a chance to corner Steve while he was away from the group.

Now Eddie sits beside him, lets his hand rest on Steve’s knee as the kids thank him and dig in. He allows himself this moment of happiness. Everyone he loves together (almost, Joyce and Hop are taking advantage of some alone time), filling their bellies with food he’s prepared. The ever present protective anxiety in him settles.

He glances over to see Eddie watching him with the softest smile.

“What?”

“Nothing, just…you. Proud mama hen.”

He can feel his cheeks heat, which only makes Eddie’s smile widen. “Shut up.”

Once everyone is stuffed to the gills they all change into their pjs and descend to the basement for a movie. They sprawl about on the couches and nest of blankets on the floor. Once Steve gets the movie set up and makes sure no one wants anything, Eddie shoves Mike to the floor and pats the seat next to him, ignoring the younger Wheeler’s protests.

As soon as he sits Eddie quickly tugs his legs into his own lap. When he tries to pull them back, Eddie holds him still by the ankles.

“Nuh-uh. You’re staying right there, big boy. You’ve been playing host all night, and you’ve done a wonderful job. But now you’re going to relax. If anyone needs anything they can help themselves.”

The kids all shush them as the movie starts so he just lays back and accepts it. Might as well soak up this last bit of affection while he can.

—

Of course, he can’t make the night last forever.

Eventually the movie ends and everyone starts filtering out. Nancy and Argyle divvy up the kids to chauffeur then everyone says their goodbyes.

Robin hesitates at the door, her gaze searching. He can feel Eddie’s presence behind him as he conspicuously lingers, clearly not intending on leaving with everyone else. Steve’s not sure what his face is doing but it’s enough for Robin to be concerned.

“You good, dingus? You want to do one of our parties tonight?”

He wants so badly to say yes. To use her as a shield to protect his heart. But he knows he can’t delay the inevitable much longer.

“Nah, I’m all good. You can go hit on my ex to your heart’s content.” He grins as she sputters before stomping off.

He takes a deep breath to steel himself before he turns to face the music.

“So…”

“What did you mean, earlier? When you said ‘if all of this is pity’?”

Well then, they’re jumping right into this it seems.

“Look, I…I get it, ok? I know I’m not the person people love. I’m the one night stand or maybe a fling. What I don’t understand is you apparently don’t even wanna fuck me. So just because everyone else is gonna leave me, you don’t have to stick around. It’s not your responsibility. I’ll be fine. I’m always fine.”

“Oh sweetheart…there’s so much to unpack about what you just said, I don’t even know where to start.” He looks like he’s in physical pain, Steve wants to reach out and soothe. Before he can, Eddie is invading his space, reaching out to hold his face. “Baby…how can you not know that I love you? Fuck. You’re everything.”

“You…what?”

“There aren’t enough words to describe how I feel about you. I could write a million songs and it would barely scratch the surface. And I’m not even close to the only person who loves you. Every person that just left this house adores you. Why would you ever think they don’t?”

“I’m not-I don’t…my own parents don’t love me. No one loves me. People always leave me behind.”

“Fuck your parents. Fuck every idiot you knew in high school. And I love her, truly, but fuck Nancy Wheeler. Listen to me, we all love you and none of us are ever going to leave you. Even if they move for college or jobs or whatever they’re not leaving you. And I’m not going anywhere without you. If you don’t love me…or if you stop wanting to be with me, you’re never getting rid of me. Understand?”

He doesn’t realize he’s crying until he feels Eddie’s thumbs stroking the wetness away.

“You really love me? You’re sure?”

“So fucking sure, sweet thing. God I’ve been infatuated with you since the day you verbally eviscerated Tommy Hagan in the cafeteria. But I was gone for you the moment I opened my eyes in the hospital and saw you there. I’d have told you right then but I didn’t want to scare you away. I couldn’t believe it when you kissed me back. Never thought I’d be so lucky, I just couldn’t hold it in anymore.”

Steve feels a sob tear out of his throat as he shoves himself into Eddie’s arms, burying his face in the curls against his neck.

“I love you, Eddie, so much. God I love you, I love you, I love you..”

Eddie shushes him, holding him close and stroking his back in big soothing circles. He cries like a summer storm, intense but brief, then sags once it’s all out of him. He’s suddenly exhausted. Somehow Eddie seems to sense it.

“C’mon princess, let’s get you to bed, hm?”

They make their way upstairs, both of them brushing their teeth and stripping down to their boxers. When they crawl into bed, Steve nestles himself into Eddie’s side and wraps himself around him. He can feel his doubts trying to claw their way to the surface but tries his best to shove them down. He may not understand it, but he trusts Eddie not to lie to him.

“You still awake baby?”

Barely. “Mhm.”

“There’s something else you said…about me not even wanting to fuck you?”

“Oh…it’s ok if you don’t. It’s just usually all people want from me so when you didn’t go for it...”

“Seriously, fuck those people. But that’s not…of course I want you, pretty boy. I just didn’t want to rush you. I know you’re not exactly inexperienced, but I’m pretty sure I’m the first guy? Even if I’m not…baby, I want you so bad it makes me dizzy, but I could spend the rest of my life kissing you and die happy.”

“Yeah? So if I said I never want to…”

“Then we never will. I’d never pressure you.”

“Well I do. Want to.” He hides his burning face in Eddie’s chest. “You’re so fucking hot, shit. You are the first guy though. Not the first I’ve ever noticed but I’ve never been interested enough to go for it. So taking it slow might be a good idea. And I…I really like kissing you.”

“I really like kissing you too, Stevie. Can’t get enough of that pretty pink mouth of yours.” His reply is cut off by a jaw cracking yawn. “Alright sweetheart, time for all the pretty boys to get their rest. I’ll be right here when you wake up.”

Realistically he knows it’s going to take a long time for his insecurities to fade, but as he drifts off to sleep he lets those words sink in to his heart and for the first time in his life he feels loved.

Shout out to my beta reader @conversationswithamillennial ❤️❤️❤️ You’re amazing.

#steve harrington #eddie munson #steddie #my fic #steddie fic #stranger things #stranger things fic #implied ronance #not actually unrequited love #negative self image #hurt/comfort #steve harrington needs a hug #eddie munson loves steve harrington #my writing

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