#Eddie has been embarrassing himself on the job since DAY ONE!

[housewifebuck]

Eddie Diaz in every episode: ↳ 2x01

[inklessletter]

The first time Steve hears Eddie singing that song, it's nothing but a absent-minded humming while he's doing something else. Writing something down, he thinks, for the campaign, probably.

Steve knows that song, that's why he smiled when he heard the soft, muffled tone falling out of Eddie's throat. Steve's heard Will singing it, and it's so painfully Jonathan, that song wears his signature all over. Maybe it's because it's The Smiths, and The Smiths is Jonathan.

Steve holds a smile and keeps himself busy, away from Eddie's eyes, because of course, that's what he does. No need to cause a scene, he could go on with his day without Eddie asking him "why are you smiling like an airhead?" Nah, thank you very much.

It's not his music scene, but Steve admits that it has been a favourite since it came out. It was just so goddamn relatable. He first heard it when Nancy dumped him, and sometimes, when he was working at Scoops, he could hear that song coming from the rock station Robin liked, coming from the backroom. No surprise she likes that song too.

Those were dark times for him. Summer job at Scoops, that is. It was a disappointment after another; no university, no high school anymore, no girlfriend, no status to hide after, no friends but the kids he drove all around Hawkins (and yet, three weeks away from Dustin, who was the only one who actually went to see him without asking for anything in return), the most embarrassing dry spell and having absolutely zero idea of what to do next. And that song just randomly filled the air and he indulged himself for two minutes to sulk on his own misery and he felt surprisingly less depressed right after.

So, yeah, that song holds a special meaning for him, a soothing balm for his broken heart, a good nostalgia from his darkest period.

And it comes back to him, from Eddie's voice, and it comes to stay the rest of the day. The rest of the week.

It makes him sad. A good sad, Steve guesses.

He's not really better than a couple years ago, but he's less scared, which is undeniably a victory.

He lets out a sigh and walks away from Eddie, leaves him there, happy and focused and begging.

Steve comes to notice that Eddie sings that song a lot, and he's making it his business not to ask, not to sing along, not to say or do anything that may reveal that Eddie's version of that song is becoming so fast the best he's ever heard.

The day the older side of the group go to see him play with his band, and at some point, he just sits and grabs an acoustic guitar and sings it, that one song, the world turns around. It's hard to keep a straight face, and to breathe regularly. A prayer, a begging in form of ballad, the room is in respectful silence, or if there is any background noise his brain makes the greatest job ignoring it.

Feels Robin's hand slipping through his palm and lacing fingers, but he doesn't look at her.

He can't.

His lips, disloyal and treacherous bastards, shape the last sentence of the song.

Lord knows it would be the first time.

The last chord fills the negative space and the bar noises are there again out of the sudden, and some of his friends are shouting nice things, and Eddie is graciously discarding the acoustic guitar and grabbing his sweetheart again and Steve is hoping to go unnoticed when he wipes his face in a quick movement.

He knows Robin sees it, but she says nothing, merciful and elegant.

The gig goes on for a couple of more songs and it's far too soon when Eddie is there, letting himself fall on the stool next to him, all pleased and content and full of black smudged eyeliner and Steve knows he has to say something to him, so he opts to go with, "I really like that song."

It doesn't need any more saying, because Eddie grins and fucking bites his bottom lip, and looks at the floor like it's the most interesting thing in the world, leaning on the bar next to Steve, and Steve knows, he just knows Eddie knows which one he's talking about.

"Yeah. I bet you do."

He doesn't tease, doesn't go with the rancid bUt YoU lIsTeN tO tEaRs FoR fEaRs In YoUr CaR aLl tHe tImEeE shit like the kids like to whine. He doesn't pretend not to know which one he's talking about. Steve smiles at him, buys the guy a beer.

"So, Robin told you? About, uh, about the song."

He tries a bit too hard to look unaffected, but the label of his cold beer bottle has seen better days. Steve feels Eddie going still and turning his head to face him, wielding such soft, almost pitiful expression that makes Steve's inside go still, lungs not working, muscles tense, blood frozen in his veins, and somehow scalding in his cheeks. He dares to look at Eddie, who whispers, "She did not."

The time stops, or so Steve thinks, when he turns his head to look at Eddie, not really moving an inch.

The question goes unspoken.

The answer is one second too long of both their gazes taking residence in the other guy's lips.

And the song comes alive in Steve's mind, and his lips move again.

So for once in my life

let me get what I want

Lord knows, it would be the first time

[starryeyedjanai]

@eddiemonth prompt: magnetic | kinktober prompt: sex toys sex shop worker eddie ficlet | rated: mature | read on ao3

Eddie's a little bored.

Applying to work at a sex shop was thrilling when he first thought about it - it felt a little risqué, helping people find cool new ways to have fun in the bedroom and having little anecdotes to come home and tell Chrissy or the band about.

But sometimes it's just really fucking boring actually.

Checking people out is still just checking people out like he would at a grocery store - with the sometimes added detriment of them being super weird or embarrassed to be buying whatever they're buying, some guys getting aggressive or defensive about their purchases.

And restocking shelves is still just restocking shelves regardless of the fact that he's putting dildos on the shelf instead of something else.

It's slow in the mornings on the weekdays that he typically works, and today, his coworker called out so that makes it even worse.

The best, or most entertaining, part of the job is observing people shop and trying to guess what they're gonna buy based on appearance alone. When he has coworkers working alongside him, they always play this game and see how close they get.

But today, he's alone and bored out of his fucking mind.

He's restocking some lube just to be doing something when the bell over the door dings, letting him know a customer just walked into the shop - the first one of the day.

He keeps shelving the lube from the box in his hands and hears the customer approach after a minute. He's expecting them to either try and get his attention or to retreat to a part of the store where there are no employees - people are sometimes weird about being perceived in a sex shop even if it's by the people who work there.

Instead he hears a voice he hasn't heard in years, a voice attached to a face that still haunts his dreams - his first crush, his longest lasting crush, inopportune as it was considering it was on one of the most popular guys at his school.

He hears Steve fucking Harrington's voice say, "Uh, 'scuse me, just need to grab this," and a hand - one veiny, hairy hand - reaches by him to grab one of the bottles of lube he just placed on the shelf.

Eddie looks over his shoulder and - god, Steve is just as devastating now as he was in high school, his hair tousled and perfect, his pretty face dotted with moles that Eddie wants to map out with his tongue.

Steve smiles and nods at him in acknowledgment and moves along to whatever his next item is, leaving Eddie to spiral in his thoughts as he moves to the cash register to ready himself for whatever items Stevie-boy brings up to the counter.

In his many, many fantasies about him, he never really struck Eddie as someone who bought or used sex toys.

The rumors in high school would have him believe Steve's a god in bed without the assistance of toys anyway. It's been years since they graduated, so maybe he's expanded his horizons or his girlfriend is into them or something.

Or maybe he's delving into kink the way straight boys sometimes do. Walking into a sex shop like they own it, thinking that buying a pair of fuzzy handcuffs and a bullet vibrator makes them the pinnacle of BDSM, a dom who doesn't even know what half the letters in that acronym stand for.

He's going through what Steve could be looking at based on where he sees him in the store on the antiquated security cam feed on the computer. He doesn't seem to be looking at the wall of BDSM for dummies in any case.

He got the lube Eddie was shelving- a water based one. And he's in the anal toys corner of the store.

Well, he'll be damned. Either Steve has a girlfriend who wants to try anal and he's looking for a beginning plug set to help her along or he wants to try anal.

Interesting.

The Steve Harrington of Hawkins High in Bumfuck, Indiana probably wouldn't have been caught dead in a sex shop and here he is, some odd years later, looking at butt plugs and flared vibrating dildos from what Eddie can tell from the grainy video feed.

He almost wants to go over and see if he can help him, learn more about what he's looking for, but hearing what his old crush gets up to in bed might spark a whole new set of fantasies for Eddie to revisit and can't put himself through that.

Especially with this new image of Steve he has in his head - the same lips he's fantasized about kissing a million times before, but on a face that's only gotten better with age. He's lost some of the softness in his face, his jaw strong and still so pretty to look at.

He was magnetic in high school, drawing Eddie's eye every time he walked into a room, his embarrassing crush making him glare at him more than anything, but now? Looking the way he looks now? He's a goddamn force of gravity and Eddie wants to get pulled into his orbit.

He wants to strike up a conversation, wants to talk to him, but he doesn't think he could handle walking up to Steve and learning what he likes in bed, so he just waits for him to get done shopping and watches him walk up to the counter.

Steve sets the items down on the counter and Eddie looks down at them, feeling a flare of heat spread through his body at the items before him.

"Hey, I know you from high school. Munson, right?" Steve asks, pulling Eddie out of his stupor.

"Yeah, uh, hey. Steve. I- Eddie," he says intelligently.

"Right," Steve says, pushing the lube forward trying to prompt Eddie into action.

He grabs the lube and can't seem to help himself when he says, "You know, this dildo isn't really for beginners. Unless you know what you're doing and have a ton of patience and, well- you are buying lube, so that's good-"

"I'm. Not a beginner," Steve says, interrupting Eddie's spiel.

"You- what?" Eddie asks, his brain still a little fried from seeing Steve fuckin' Harrington walk up to the counter with two bottles of lube - he went back for a second - and an anal dildo with a girth that's not dissimilar to Eddie's fucking fist.

"I'm definitely not a beginner. That's kind of a rude assumption, don't you think? Aren't you supposed to be impartial to what customers buy?" Steve asks, the grin on his face betraying the words coming out of his mouth.

"Uh, fuck. Fuck. I'm so sorry. I really shouldn't have said anything," Eddie says, cringing at himself. He normally wouldn't have said anything, but then again, he normally isn't face to face with the guy he's had more fantasies about than he can count.

"It's fine. I mean, you knew me in high school and that guy wouldn't have any clue what to do with this," Steve says, gesturing to the box with the dildo in it on the counter. "Luckily I'm not that guy anymore."

"Yeah, lucky," Eddie says wearily, grabbing the box and scanning it.

He wants to ask, 'So you know what to do with it now?' and then 'would you want to show me?' But both of those things would be wholly inappropriate to ask a customer so he clamps his mouth firmly shut, rolling his lips between his teeth.

The look on Steve's face says he knows what Eddie's thinking even without him saying it - the small smirk on his lips when Eddie looks up after finishing ringing him up is annoyingly attractive.

He tells him his total, running on autopilot and trying so hard not to think about Steve straddling the dildo he's bagging up for him and sinking down on it, eyes rolling back at the stretch. Fuck.

Steve hands him his card and Eddie swipes it and waits for the receipt to print before he hands it back to him along with his receipt.

Eddie's opening his mouth and putting his foot directly in it again when he says, "Good luck with your, uh. Jesus christ - please ignore me. I seem to have forgotten my brain to mouth filter at home today."

Steve laughs and asks, "Do you have a pen?"

"Uh, yeah," Eddie says, fumbling with the pen beside the register before holding it out for Steve. Their fingers brush as Steve takes it from him.

He turns the receipt over and writes something down on the back of it. He slides both the receipt and the pen back across the counter.

He says, "You seem like you might need some lessons in keeping quiet instead of running your mouth. I have a few gags that you might like. If you're interested."

Eddie's mouth drops open and Steve smirks at him. He grabs his bag from the counter and taps his knuckles against the counter.

"See you around, Eddie Munson," he says, walking away. He turns around when he gets to the door and finds Eddie still gawking at him. He waves at him and Eddie, in his stupor, manages to wave back.

Steve pushes the door open and leaves, the bell dinging again.

Eddie wheezes out the breath he was holding. He looks down at the receipt and finds a number scrawled on it.

He scrambles to pull his phone out and enters the number into his contacts.

He texts the contact saved as STEVE FUCKEN HARRINGTON 🍆🥵🔥 immediately, not giving a damn about how down bad that might make him look.

[try-set-me-on-fire]

Tagged by @eddiebabygirldiaz for seven sentence Sunday! Here’s uhhhhh more than that from a buddietommy vacation threesome fic-

The day is hot enough that Buck is curled up like a bug on the dock between them. He’d stayed in the water longer than Tommy or Eddie had, and had swum out further than either of them, so when he’d crawled back up onto the old wood planks he’d chugged an entire water bottle and promptly passed out. Eddie glances down at his bare torso, just starting to get a little pink.

“Should probably get sunscreen on him again.”

Tommy snorts as he leans backwards, stretching out to grab the spray can. “And you’re worried you’ve forgotten how to be a dad.”

“Fuck off,” Eddie says as Buck, still asleep, makes a similar sound when Tommy mists him all over with cold sunscreen. “It’s been months, man, that’s so long for a kid, who knows what he’s even into now-”

“Minecraft, right?” Tommy says as he smooths his hand over a few places the sunscreen pooled on his boyfriend’s back. “Wasn’t he on a video call with you and Buck about it for like three hours on Friday? Something about- uh- command blocks?”

Eddie is mildly impressed Tommy remembers the word — maybe — because he certainly doesn’t. Buck had only been slightly better at following along than he had as they’d squinted at the probably impressive pixels on the laptop screen. “I don’t know, I just feel like…” Every morning, still, he wakes up and thinks he needs to get Chris’ breakfast started. Whole parts of his being are wired around taking care of his kid, but since he’s been gone Eddie has been trying — in fits and starts and most of the time guiltily — to figure out what the rest of him is for. It’s part of what got him into the whole mess in the first place, chasing after the dreams of a 19 year old who got those dreams from his parents. A nice wife (but they never liked her, did they) and a good job (but firefighting is too dangerous, isn’t it) and a picket fence (one closer to home, Eddie, you’ve gone too far away.) So he owed it to Chris, owed it to himself, to figure out what the fuck he actually wants, so he doesn’t keep twisting himself into knots and taking out everyone around him when the line breaks. He’s not sure he’s any closer to whatever that is — other than it’s unlikely to include a wife of any kind — but in the time he’s taken trying, what if other things got lost in the upheaval? “I keep thinking I’ll just- not remember to do something. Forget how field trip permissions slips work, or not know what shoe size he wears, or- I don’t know. Anything. I won’t pack his lunch and it won’t be the end of the world but he’ll be hungry that day.”

Tommy leans back on his palms and looks across at him, quiet and thoughtful for a few moments in that way he has, like he’s thinking through every possible response before he speaks. He is, maybe; he’d confessed to Eddie that he’d spoken too quickly when he was younger, is embarrassed about a lot of the dumb shit he’d said, so he tries to take his time with his words now. “Eddie. You took us up here this weekend to check and make sure this place is accessible to take your kid to this summer. And- I get that’s a big thing, a big gesture, and maybe you’re worried about messing up the small stuff, but… You’ve still got his favorite kind of jelly in the fridge that nobody else eats. You love him, and he knows that. You’re gonna do fine.” He shrugs. “And he’s almost fourteen, if you forget to hand him lunch he’s gonna let you know.”

Eddie huffs a small laugh. “Yeah, I guess he will.” He groans a little, shaking his head. “Fourteen years old, that’s fucking crazy. I don’t feel old enough for that to be true.”

Tommy rolls his neck so it audibly cracks. “Yeah, yeah, you whippersnapper.”

Eddie grins at him. “You feeling the exercise, old man? Need to go lay down?” He cackles and leans away as Tommy grabs the can and sprays a burst of sunscreen at him.

Between them Buck grunts at the commotion, and rolls towards Eddie. He presses his face into the meat of his bare side above his trunks, and wraps his long arms around his torso. Eddie glances up at Tommy, who just looks fondly amused. “Uh. Wrong guy, there, bud.”

Buck stills, and then pulls back a little to squint up at him. Eddie’s not particularly ticklish, but something like goosebump are shivering across the skin of his stomach where Buck’s forearm rests against him. He has to actively try not to shudder as Buck pulls back and rolls the other way, Eddie watching hypnotized as he gives Tommy the same treatment. Buck presses a little kiss onto Tommy’s hip, in the spot he had just been cuddled into on Eddie, and Eddie’s mouth goes dry.

Tommy lets out a little breath, and Eddie doesn’t think he’ll be able to use the sun as an excuse for how pink he’s gotten as his eyes snap up to the other man’s face. Except- he’d been expecting a raised eyebrow, a flat mouth, some visual indicator of disapproval, that this is one step Buckandeddie too far, that all the rest of their codependent lives have been fine, a platonic kind of care built over years of being there for each other through the worst of the worst, but now the uncomfortable answer to what Eddie wants, the uncomfortable answer he’s been trying to avoid because it's something he cannot have, has been found out and the messy insides of him will have once again ruined something good. But what he finds is a tiny little smile and heavy eyes that-

Well, they don’t look disapproving in the slightest.

“You guys hungry?” Buck mutters, words muffled by Tommy’s skin. “We should go start the grill.”

Tommy’s little smile gets wide and lazy, eyes still stuck on Eddie. “I could eat,” he says.

Tagging @iinryer @shitouttabuck @butchdiaz @chronicowboy @homerforsure @rewritetheending @bigfootsmom if you have anything you want to share!

[lexirosewrites]

I keep trying to send you something for SS but it keeps getting reformatted and an error comes up. I'll try to send in multiple parts.

I'm sorry that this took so long to answer, but I was trying to find the best way to post your submission because all three posts came in formatted a bit wonkily and I wanted to make sure everyone could read the full story properly, so I put them all here as text in order to make it easier to follow! Hopefully that works easier than linking all three posts together💛

⬇️ NSFW steddie ficlet below

PART 1

Here's a little something for Slick Sunday O!S A!E: Steve hasn't gotten off in a while. It's not for lack of desire, he's been woefully single but honestly too busy to do much about it. The issue really has been he hasn't really felt like getting off solo. The few times he's tried lately, mostly when he's in bed for the night, didn't really go anywhere. He'd take his cock in his hand, dip his fingers in his pussy for some slick as lube, determined to rub one out but after a few minutes his erection would flag and he'd just give up and go to sleep.

Until today, where he's finally horny enough that he's SURE he could get off, and he wants to SO badly. unfortunately he's currently at work and he can't go anywhere because it's a busy day, he's by himself and has to man the register.

And technically he needs to walk around and organize things but he's staying put behind the register because he's hard as rock, and his boxers are slick soaked.

He's so embarrassed and he glances at the clock willing the customers to leave. He's panicking during transactions sure they all smell his desire, and even if they can he knows it's socially impolite to point it out. He hopes his blockers are doing a good enough job he needs to switch them out soon.

PART 2

Finally the store is empty and Steve is about to turn the sign so he can go on his lunch break, finally, and speed on home for a change of underwear and quick crank.

But the front door makes a little digital bells sound, indicating someone else has arrived. nononono go away GO away GO AWAY!!!!!!

Steve glances up to see it's Eddie and he's half relieved and half nervous. Relieved since it's Eddie, whom he’s been crushing on for quite a while, and nervous because he's SURE he won't be able to leave anytime soon since Eddie tends to stick around when he comes to visit Steve at work. He's sure to want Steve to walk around with him and Steve really wouldn't be able to hide behind the counter anymore.

"Hiya Steeeevie! You guys get any new worthwhile flicks?"

"Uh maybe. Check the new releases."

"Haha well yeah I'm going to, just wanted to know if you have any recommendations!"

"Nothing comes to mind, sorry."

"You're sweating, somethings up with you. You alright?"

"Fine, uh. I'm fine AC's been on the fritz. I'll go check the thermostat in the back."

"Ah that sucks. I'll go with you, see if I can tinker with the unit and get it working better!"

"There's no need. someone will come tomorrow."

"Good :Eddie sniffs the air: oh wow. it smells SO nice in here today."

ohcrapohnomyblockersarewornout!

"Oh uh..."

"Wait, it's. It's you. You smell great Steve, wow. I don't usually smell you."

"My uh, blockers must need to be switched out, thanks for letting me know. I'll go in the back real quick and do that" It's a plausible excuse but embarrassing enough he won't be followed.

Steve starts toward the back room determined to reapply his blocker patch and will his erection to flag before he has to face Eddie, again.

"Oh! I'll just wait out here you go replace your patch and I'll get out of your hair soon I promised Wayne a movie night."

Steve, not knowing what to say, rushes into the back.

PART 3

"Go down, go down. please. Eddie's right outside"

Oh Eddie's right outside?

It's like his cock is mocking him the way it does a desperate little twitch at the thought of Eddie standing outside the door. Beautiful, Eddie with his soft doe eyes, and his cropped top, showing off the trail to what is probably a huge alpha co— Now's not the time for horny thoughts!

"Uh Steve? you alright in there? you've been in there for a little bit?"

What if Eddie was waiting outside the door and thinks he's rubbing one out in here?

Oh no! oh no!

If anything it just makes Steve gush even more.

Imagines Eddie asking if he needs a hand—

"Fine!!! I'm fine!"

But the door handle is turning, and Steve curses the lack of locks.

Steve automatically turns around to wave him off.

They meet eyes and Steve can tell the moment Eddie sees his bulge because Eddie stops short and his eyes bug a bit, and he instinctively sniffs the air around him(This is it! this is when Steve finally dies of embarrassment, he just knows it!!!)

"Oh man you're soaked. Do you have a change of clothes in the car, I could get for you?"

"I don't, l used them when we decided to go swimming last week. I'm just going to go, uh die of embarrassment be right back."

"Don't be embarrassed, you don't need to be. I shouldn't have come in without knocking. I've been there before, pent up and no way to get rid of it, l once popped a boner in the middle of a grocery store. I was terrified the staff would think I was into cauliflower. "

Steve can't help but scoff a little laugh at Eddie's nervous ramblings.

"Cauliflower huh? Would have taken you for more of a cucumber man"

SHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUP

"Well yeah I guess don't want to be too predictable, and that's just low hanging fruit, well, vegetable really. Uh Why am I still standing here? You're sweating so bad, you smell fantastic wow. I'm just putting my foot in my mouth here."

Steve stares at him blushing "You think I smell good?" he giddily asks.

"You smell fucking amazing. And just look at you. You're packing some serious heat there, huh? Um, not to be too forward but wouldyoulikesomehelpwiththatSteve?"

Steve nervously smiles and asks for clarification "slow down a bit. what did you say?" please be what I thought you said!!!!

Eddie gulps but steps forward into Steve's space.

Gulps and takes a deep breath through his nose, his pupils dilating. "I said, would you like some help with that,omega??"

Steve gulps and feels himself start to gush even more, slick trailing down the inside of his thighs, Eddie seems to notice the way he glances down hungrily.

"PLEASE! :Steve clears his throat: I mean. Yes! I would. I really would. Let me lock the front door."

[psychotic-nonsense]

Not sure if this is anything, and feel free to critique or add on or clarify and all that, but...

A few weeks post-Starcourt Steve, absolutely wrecked by the Russians and Billy. He's healing, little by little, but he knows he needs to put his pain aside to help out The Party. Especially Robin, who has not been coping with the trauma well. She's taken to spending the night at Steve's most of the time, and they help each other manage. She's not the best with physical comfort, nor is Steve with verbal comfort, but they're managing.

Yet despite the constant offers of help, Steve always refuses to "ask for too much" and often downplays his pain, forcing a smile to keep anyone from worrying. He's bottling up everything - probably handling it worse than Robin, even though he insists he's used to it and knows how to fix himself. Every day he gets a little worse, and every night he brushes off help.

It's during one of these late nights that disaster finds them again. It's Steve and Robin in his living room, and they're just about falling asleep on the couch when the ground begins rumbling, hard. An earthquake, shaking Hawkins and getting the entire Party in a frenzy. The radios are blaring with the kids' voices and Steve's trying to get Robin to stop screaming into the walkie, when suddenly there's a hole opening up in Steve's living room, and the earthquake stops. Steve and Robin go quiet, and the kids are urging for a response as they all rush to meet up at Steve's.

But he and Robin can't speak, too busy staring at the hole. One that looks way too similar to the Gates... but it glows blue instead of the usual red. Steve, ever the protector, is carefully stepping around the hole to grab a fire poker for defense. The second he does, the Party bursts in, just in time to watch the hole suddenly crack open further, sucking Steve in and closing itself behind him-

As Steve Harrington lands in the bedroom of Post-ST3-release 2019 Eddie Munson.

Eddie's living rough, bunking in his childhood friend Ronnie's basement. An orphan, can't hold a job, in his second senior year of high school purely because he knows he has nothing else to do after it. His only source of comfort so far has been DnD - either the DM hosting he does at the local library for the other poor lost suckers, or the one Netflix show with its elements that has captured his heart.

Eddie's a pretty big Stranger Things fan - it has its faults but is otherwise a really fun and interesting show - but ever since ST2, he's especially been a Steve Harrington fan. He feels like he goes mad just thinking about the implications of what that man has gone through, what all those kids have been through, and how Steve has put aside himself to focus on the kids. How much Steve has changed, and how under appreciated he is.

Since binging all of ST3 the day it released, Eddie's had a field day on breaking down this newest reformation of Steve. He adores Robin - clocked her as a lesbian from episode 1 - and loves that Dustin and Erica have been bringing out his bitchy side, while still keeping him in check. The Russian torture and strange parallels with Billy have made him cry on more than one occasion, and Steve's half-high speech in the bathroom legitimately felt like Steve finally acknowledging his change, even if for but a moment.

Ronnie's teased Eddie way too much about his "obvious crush on Joe Keery" but this feels way too personal for him to just be crushing on an actor. This is Eddie falling for the Fallen King of Hawkins himself, and it's much more embarrassing. Steve Harrington becomes his muse in every form of art; drawing, writing, character inspiration and improvisation. The Duffer brothers aren't the greatest at the rest of the show, but they've damn well got this guy down.

Hell, Eddie was halfway to crossing the last personal barrier to outright obsession (x Reader fanfiction) when the earthquake hit. In hindsight it wasn't the worst thing in the world, but Eddie had never experienced one before. He immediately dove right under his bed, covering his ears and curling up in a ball like a coward ("Nancy Wheeler would be ashamed," his weird ass brain supplies). He hears rumbling, things falling over, wood splintering and the world seemingly cracking apart all around him-

When a body suddenly lands hard on his bed with a loud scream of fear, cutting off as the whatever it is rolls straight off to the floor, and the world gives one final strain before going completely silent.

Terrified, Eddie's eyes are shut tight, cowering as the body on the floor just a foot away from him groans and gasps for air. It takes a sudden hiss of pain for Eddie to finally, carefully, crack one eye open.

Only to come eye to eye, through the gaps of his bedsheets, with the very muse he'd just been thinking of. Steve Harrington.

There's an immediate scramble of panic; Eddie bashing his skull into his bed frame trying to get out and away from the obvious hallucination, while Steve wobbles on his feet to defend himself against this strange humanoid Upside Down monster.

"What are you?! Where am I?!"

"What am- Are- You- No, you're not real- JESUS H. CHRIST MAN, GET THAT AWAY FROM ME!"

"I don't know what you're talking about, but you're gonna see how real this is if you don't tell me what's going on!"

"You think I know?! You fell into my room!!"

"Yeah, from your Gate!!"

"WHAT FUCKING GATE- WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?"

"I DON'T FUCKING KNOW!!"

That gets them both to shut up, just staring at each other. Eddie pressed up against the wall in fear with his hands up and out wide, Steve with the fire poker pointed straight at his neck and his hand held up cautiously. Eddie sees it, smells blood in the air, and ignoring everything, reaches out for it. Steve jabs at the air with the poker, but it's halfhearted, his energy clearly draining, too exhausted with the whole situation to try much further. Finally his arm drops, but Eddie doesn't move, watching Steve's face crumple in a way that aches everything inside his heart.

"Where am I...?" Steve pleas, tone just as desperate as the one from the Russian bunker, even when lacking its power.

Eddie fumbles for the words, but eventually just sighs. "Somewhere you wouldn't believe, my friend."

High and complacent on adrenaline and shock, Steve and Eddie just move in silence. Eddie grabs a wet cloth to clean the blood, Steve cutting off a bit of his sweatpants to use as gauze. It's just a gash from falling with the fire poker, nothing drastic, but the two stare at the cut in Steve's palm, easier to see than the one who's hand is on theirs.

Introductions are exchanged when they can finally stop shaking, and Eddie somehow drops the bomb on where and when Steve is, and what his entire existence is to this reality. Steve has a very brief existential panic attack about it, but is strangely comforted by Eddie's confidence about it all - "Even without El's powers, those kids are smart as hell. They'll figure out a way to make their own Gate and get you back home."

Then Steve just spends the next week or two in a reality almost 40 years in the future, where he and his entire existence is a sci-fi TV show. Some funny exchanges I've been thinking of:

Steve: Wait, so we're characters in a show, right? That means we have actors.

Eddie: Oh, uh, yeah, you do...

Steve: ...Think I could see them?

Eddie: Uh- Sure, I guess? Not sure what you're expecting, it's a live action thing, they look just like you.

Steve: Never getting used to your future phone... Huh, Joe Keery? Looks like a cool guy- woah, is that what my hair looks like short??

Eddie: Yup, again, literally just you.

Steve: Funny how we both have the most basic names too. Steve and Joe? Like, look at Dustin's actor, what kind of name is Gaten?

Eddie: Rude, the guy plays your little brother.

Steve: Quit bringing your fake show theories into my actual life.

Eddie: It's true though.

Steve: ...Yeah.

----------------

(Steve goes crazy after a few days of being locked in, and begs Eddie to take him out to "see the future." While they're walking around town, a group of girls suddenly freak out and rush them)

"It's Joe Keery! Guys, look it's Steve Harrington, from Stranger Things!!"

(Eddie's halfway to panicking, but Steve immediately handles the situation)

Steve: Sorry to disappoint, ladies, not him. Don't worry though, I've been getting that a lot since the show came out.

"Oh God, I'm so sorry! Hope we didn't make you uncomfortable, mister..."

Steve: Mark, and not at all! I get asked this a lot too, but do you girls want a picture? For bragging rights, getting to meet "The Steve Harrington?"

(They agree, Eddie takes it for them, the girls go on their way)

Eddie whispering: That's gonna be everywhere in 5 seconds, I hope you know.

Steve whispering: Eh, it's a crowd my actor didn't have to deal with. Besides, felt pretty good.

Eddie: Familiar experience?

Steve: For a better reason.

-------------

Steve, showing Eddie's laptop screen open to the FunkoPop website and the Scoops Duo, halfway to tears: They make figurines of me and Robin?

Eddie: Yeah, of all you guys. I've got a little Dustin on my desk.

Steve, beginning to cry from how adorable he finds it: YOU DO?

---------------

(Ronnie comes back from work early while Steve and Eddie are talking in the living room. Eddie freezes as Steve makes eye contact, and Ronnie just stares)

Ronnie: Um, hi?

Steve: Oh, hey! You must be Eddie's roommate, nice to finally meet you! I'm Mark.

(That allows a breath to finally enter and escape Eddie's throat in a bit of a laugh. Steve's really leaning into this Mark persona)

Ronnie: Ronnie, and likewise... Sorry if I'm acting weird, you're just a really good cosplayer. Thought you were actually Steve for a second.

Steve hesitantly: Nah, just a doppleganger.

Ronnie, shrugging and walking away: Well okay then, I'm way too tired to talk much more. Eds, just keep your nerd shit out of the sink-

Eddie: And stay quiet, yeah yeah, go rest, breadwinner.

(Ronnie goes upstairs, out of earshot)

Steve whispering: What's a cosplayer?

Eddie, suddenly also very tired: Tell you later.

I'm thinking that Eddie had sketchbooks, notebooks, and Word Docs absolutely stuffed full of ST character evaluation, which he immediately hid upon Steve's arrival. Maybe Steve gets bored when Eddie's out for whatever reason, and snoops around. That's when he finds it all crammed at the back of Eddie's closet. The kids, Nancy, Jonathan, Robin, Joyce, Hopper, hell Billy and Murray are in the pile. Drawings of them in their adventures, active and mundane alike. Pages upon pages of character description, Eddie's handwriting gushing about the parts of the show and characters he loves, hates, wishes was fixed, all of it.

But the part that gets Steve is one specific sketchbook and notebook, both dubbed the Steven Soliloquy. It's the same type of information as before, but only about him, and it's filled to the brim. Eddie talking about his development, his change of heart, the complete shift that Nancy and the Upside Down and the kids allowed him to have. The affects of his trauma, and how much he stuffed it down in favor of everyone else. Talked about his relationships, ones he cherishes, loathes, never thought of or never got the chance to make. Talked about "AUs," alternative realities where he got everything he ever wanted. Eddie's words, his sketches, devolve into adoration-fueled envy, wishing he could be near such an amazing man, that he was strong enough to be such an amazing man. How much his heart aches for Steve.

And if this were a normal situation, Steve would be uncomfortable, creeped out. But knowing the context of it all, Steve can't help but be enamored. That his family's journey, his entire story of survival - even when fictional to Eddie - is so valued makes it all feel a little more worth it. That there was someone out there during all of their terror, rooting for their victory, crying with their pain, screaming with their fears, understanding them because he lived through it all right beside them.

Eddie finds Steve in his room later that day, surrounded by those books. Staring at what Eddie considers his WIP magnum opus; a half-finished colored pencil recreation of the Last Supper with the entire Party, including all of the people they lost, happy and healthy. Eddie's two seconds from apologizing for how creepy it all must be - seeing how many of those books are open - but then he sees the tears in Steve's eyes. Gratitude and adoration and care, all bundled up and very suddenly staring right at him with the widest smile he's seen.

They talk about it. Eddie finally admits his minor obsession with the show, and how much they've helped him come to terms with being a self-dubbed loser. He honestly gushes way too much about what he owes to them about his life, but Steve listens to it all with complete adoration. At the end of it, Steve asks Eddie about the possibility that they've been adamantly ignoring for Steve's entire stay: actually watching Stranger Things.

And that's how they spend their last week. Starting from season 1, they sit in the living room and binge the entire thing. Steve learns an entirely new perspective about his family's adventures, not only from the show's canon, but from Eddie's theories and rants in between monumental moments. Eddie holds his hand during the scenes that focus on his worst nightmares; the Demogorgan in the Byler home, the breakup, his fight with Billy, the Russians. Steve provides his perspective on how he felt during it all, finally admitting to the pain he's gone through instead of just focusing on the others hoping it'll all go away.

Not sure where exactly it goes from here. Maybe some codependency grows between them. Maybe Steve falls a little in love. Maybe they just stay friends, the only ones who understand each other aside from their Platonic Soulmates.

Maybe, when another earthquake finally hits, opening up a Gate in Ronnie's backyard, Steve and Eddie finally must go their separate ways. Eddie promising to keep watching over them from across the realm, Steve promising to make a happy ending for their story.

Or maybe, Steve can't help but see what little Eddie has, how special Eddie actually is, and offer to bring him along. Into the very show he loves so much. Maybe Eddie convinces Ronnie that he'll be okay, swearing to be entertaining should he join the show in an important way, and making her swear that if he doesn't survive to bring him back in as much fanfiction as she can write. Maybe Eddie enters Hawkins, Indiana, and becomes a bit self aware about being in a TV show. It takes a while for everyone to warm up to the future man - and for Eddie to get used to Midwestern US in the 80s - but he becomes a close member of the Party quite easily. Maybe his involvement in season 4, his death, is avoided, and maybe it's not.

But his adoration for Steve Harrington never goes away. Not in canon, or in fiction.

[munson-blurbs]

Oneforthemunny's Summertime Writing Game

Thank you @oneforthemunny for organizing such a fun writing game! This is one of two collabs with @corroded-hellfire; the other will be posted on her blog soon!

Eddie comes home to see you sunbathing…topless ;) Janitor!Eddie x Fem!Teacher!Reader

Warnings: smut (18+ only, minors DNI), oral (m! and f! receiving), cum eating, semi-public acts, kinda subby Eddie (more simp than sub tbh), reader wears a bikini (all bodies are bikini bodies and I will run up die on that hill)

WC: 1.7k

Summertime as a kid is great. Summertime as a teacher is complete, utter bliss.

You’re laying stomach-down on a beach chair in your backyard. There’s a glass of lemonade, ice melted from the sun, on the snack table beside you. The yard is slightly shaded by the overgrown oaks, but with your level of relaxation, you might as well be on a tropical island surrounded by palm trees with a frozen strawberry margarita in your hand. 

While you’re off until early September, your sweet husband isn’t so lucky. Custodial staff still has to report to work, albeit only for half a day, because of summer sports practices. Eddie had been grumbling something about setting up the goalposts for the boys’ soccer team, though you hadn’t heard his full complaint since you’d been half-asleep this morning.

It’s just past noon now, which means he’ll be home within the next ten minutes. You grasp at the swimsuit ties at the nape of your neck and around your upper back, loosening them and tossing your bikini top into the grass below. 

Eddie’s van rumbles into the driveway shortly after that, tires crunching over gravel. You shift your weight slightly so that your chest is pressed into the rubber straps of the chair, shielding your exposed nipples.

“Baby?” you call out once you hear his door slam shut. He walks over to the gate separating the front yard from the back and unlatches the hinge, closing it gently. He stops dead in his tracks when he sees you, sans top, splayed out before him.

You turn your head to face him, smiling as his eyes widen in surprise. “Can you put more sunscreen on my back?” you ask, voice sugary sweet. “I don’t wanna burn.”

“Um, yeah, sure.” He takes the bottle next to you–just the drugstore brand, but it gets the job done–and squeezes a dollop of lotion into his calloused palm. You press your legs together, making room for him to straddle your body with one thigh on either side of yours, groin nudged close against the curve of your ass.

You can feel him getting hard through his coveralls, and he shifts slightly to try and adjust himself without smearing lotion on his work clothes. He grumbles a muted “fuck,” under his breath, assuming you can’t hear him.

“Eds? You okay?”

He clears his throat, embarrassment creeping into his voice at being caught. It seems absurd that he’s still so modest about getting turned on when he thinks he’s not supposed to, and you have to bite back a giggle. 

“Mhm. Just makin’ sure it’s even and…stuff.” 

Once you hear him close the cap on the lotion bottle, filled with chagrin as his hands leave the canvas of your skin, you flip onto your back and give him the perfect view of your bare breasts.

Eddie’s Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows thickly. “You want me to p-put some there, too?” he stammers, starting to reach for the sun lotion again.

“Mmmm, no.” You grab him by the collar of his coveralls and pull him in for a kiss, parting his lips with your tongue as his body practically collapses on top of yours. 

He braces his palms on the edge of the chair. “Baby, baby, baby, what’re you doing?” He’s breathless as you roll your hips up towards him, creating the delicious friction that you both crave.

You give him a playful pout, jutting out your lower lip. “Am I being too subtle?” Eddie’s eyes follow your hands as they make their way down to your swimsuit bottoms and his jaw goes slack as you shimmy out of them. “Are my intentions clearer now?” 

A sound resembling a growl sounds from deep in his chest as he practically tears the zipper off of his coveralls as he struggles to get them off. Giggles spill out of your lips as you watch him finally toss the offending material in the same general direction as your swim top. He’s left above you in only his undershirt and boxers.

“Be a good boy and take that off for me, hm?” you purr. Eddie feels a shiver go down his spine at your words and he quickly nods his head.

“Yes, ma’am.”

The white t-shirt and blue boxers soon go the same way as the coveralls and your husband’s body is hovering over yours. 

“That’s my good boy,” you praise him.

Eddie scoots down a bit, lips pressing against the skin of your neck, then your chest and stomach. 

“Can I taste you? Please?” he mumbles into the skin just above your belly button. 

“Of course.”

There’s no hesitation between your response and Eddie lifting your legs over his shoulders and licking a stripe up your heat. Your hands grip the sides of the lounge chair as your back arches. Eddie knows your body like the back of his hand and how to make you squirm right away. 

You’re pretty sure your lip is going to bleed from how hard you’re biting down on it as Eddie sucks your clit into his mouth. Large, calloused hands run up the outside of your thighs and rest on your lower stomach. You can feel more than hear the soft moans coming from your husband as his tongue moves down to prod at your hole.

“Shit,” you murmur under your breath. The sounds coming from between your legs are obscene but only make it even hotter. 

Eddie lets one of his hands come back down your body and he slips two of his fingers inside of you. The movement of his digits pumping in and out of you starts off slow at first, then picks up speed. It’s impossible to keep your moans to yourself at this point, just trying to keep quiet enough that any neighbors that are potentially outside won’t hear. 

“Close. Fuck, I’m close.”

The feeling of his tongue flicking over your clit joining the motion of his fingers has your muscles tensing, your legs tightening around his head as you feel your pleasure hitting its peak. One hand reaches down and tangles in Eddie’s curls, fist tightening and giving a small tug on the roots. 

“Eddie, Eddie, Eddie,” tumbles out of your mouth as the wave crashes over you, causing you to clench around Eddie’s fingers. He doesn’t slow down, just keeps working you through it with both his hand and mouth. 

Once your body relaxes back against the chair, Eddie pulls his fingers out and pops them into his mouth. His eyes close as he savors the taste of you on them. When his eyes open, it’s just in time for you to pounce on him. 

“You’ve had a hard day, baby,” you coo, wrapping your hand around his hardened length. Pre-cum pearls at the tip, dripping onto the flesh between your thumb and forefinger. “Let me take care of you, hm?”

Eddie just nods and whimpers, throwing his head back as you sink onto your knees in the freshly-cut grass and give him teasing kitten licks. 

“‘S that enough?” Of course it’s not; you know it’s not, but you love keeping him on edge.

“M-More. Please, need more,” he stammers out, legs quivering slightly. His quads flex as he tries to steady himself.

You indulge him, taking him fully between your lips. You swirl your tongue around his achingly sensitive tip, sucking sloppily. Drool runs down your chin but you make no attempt to wipe it away. He loves the way you so easily wreck yourself on his cock. 

“Feels s’good,” he groans, going weak in the knees when your hand attends to the part of his shaft not in your mouth. “Oh, fuck, that’s it. My beautiful girl.” His whines are loud, too loud considering the proximity to the nosy couple next door. They’re supposed to be at work now, but you never know who could be listening. 

“Shh, gotta keep it down,” you remind him, and he lets out another strangled whimper at the loss of your warm mouth. Pinching his inner thigh in retaliation, you say, “you want our neighbors to know that I’m sucking you off?”

Eddie shakes his head, curls rapidly brushing against his shoulders. “N-No.” Well, yes, he thinks, but he doesn’t dare admit it. 

You cup his balls, rolling them in your open palm while continuing to blow him, all too aware that you’re pulling the trigger. 

Sure enough, his throaty grunts punctuate the still summer afternoon. “Baby, mmm, fuck!” he manages through gritted teeth. You take him deeper, nose nestled in the unruly thatch of pubic hair adorning the base of his cock, doing everything you can to ward off your gag reflex.

“M s’close, shit, please let me cum on your tits,” he pleads, sounding as though he’s on the verge of tears. “Please, baby, I’ll do anything to cum on those perfect tits.”

You unceremoniously release him from your warm, wet mouth and jerk him a few times until he spills onto your chest. Thick white ropes of his spend now adorn your breasts as he stands there, breathless, his softening cock still in your hand. You take your pointer and middle fingers from your free hand and swipe at the cum, bringing them into your mouth and swallowing with a triumphant grin.  

You reach for your discarded swimsuit top, wincing when you try to fasten the ties. “Ouch,” you mutter, “feels like I did get a little burned on my back.”

Eddie’s eyes remain trained on your chest; specifically, the spot where you’d missed a bit of his cum just below your left nipple. He feels his cock start to twitch with the beginnings of another erection. “We have after-sun lotion in the house,” he finally says. “Get on the bed and I’ll give it to you.”

You throw him a wink, following his gaze to wipe off the cum before cheekily licking it from your finger.

“Oh, I bet you will, big boy.”

--

[spookysteddie]

Between The Bookshelves

18+ Minors DNI

Pairing: Eddie Munson x fem!reader (Slightly modern AU cause I just cant help myself)

Content Warnings: bullying, Eddie kinda threatens to punch Dustin, mutual pining, Eddie talks bad about himself, slight self loathing, a mention of vomit (no actual sickness), public displays of affection, kissing, kissing in public, implications of sex, swearing.

A/N: reupload due to a formatting error 🥰

…

Everyone said being friends with Eddie Munson was social suicide. That talking to the “freak” would ruin a person image, and furthermore, their life.

It was quite ridiculous. Sure, Eddie did a good job of making fun of himself, therefore making it harder for anyone to realistically bully him. He took the story in his own hands, something you thought was sweet. And to be perfectly honest, you thought he was cute. Of course that was something you kept to yourself… sort of.

Eddie’s yelling is what pulls your attention that day at lunch, “THAT’S WHAT’S KILLING THE KIDS!” He lets some cheerleaders walk past him, smiling at them warmly. You cant help but laugh. Not at him, per say.

Your friends sneer, looking at him like hes not more than dirt on the bottom of their shoe, “he’s sincerely so annoying. If he didn’t fuck around, he might actually be cute.” Piper has a habit of hating anyone who is different from her. That wasn’t unusual.

But that also wasn’t how you rolled. Sure, you were friends, but it didn’t mean you condoned that behavior. “Piper, don’t talk like that. You just don’t like him cause he’s different and loud.” Now its your turn to roll your eyes at her.

“Why are you sticking up for him? Do you see the way he acts? He’s just as much of a bully as the basketball players are.” Jason mutters from beside you. It was frustrating talking to people who couldn’t accept that someone is different from them.

So, you get up, tossing the rest of your uneaten lunch in the trash and deciding to take a walk. You couldn’t stand your friends, but you also didn’t want to drop them. Making friends wasn’t easy and the last thing you wanted was to be eating alone at lunch. So, you dealt with it. They never said anything to anyone they disliked so you figured they wouldn’t be that bad.

You wrap your arms around yourself, walking deeper into the woods. You couldn’t wait to graduate, leaving Hawkins behind to go to a college in a warm climate.

You hit something hard, making you let out a small yelp.

“Oh! I am so sorry I wasn’t… paying attention.” Eddie Munson is staring down at you, holding your arms and keeping you steady.

You laugh awkwardly, your face growing warm from embarrassment, you should’ve been watching where you were going, “N-no I should be sorry. I wasn’t paying attention.” You can practically feel the lightening coming from the spots where he is holding you.

And you’re almost sad when he lets go, immediately missing his heat as he steps back, “have nothing to be sorry ‘bout sweetheart. I’m the one who needs to be more careful. Don’t wanna mark up your pretty skin.” He shooks you a wink and a little smile. And it’s then that you realize just how devastatingly beautiful you find him?

“I- I better get to fourth period. Ms. Carlisle will kill me if I’m late.” You mutter, your eyes barely meeting his, arms still wrapped around yourself.

“Be safe out there sweetheart, there are some scary men in this school.” He laughs a little, awkwardly tapping your shoulder in a friendly way. You know he’s referring to himself, but little did he know, you didn’t find him scary in the slightest.

…

It’s been close to three days since Eddie’s little encounter with you in the woods. And he hasn’t stopped thinking about you since. Of course, he hasn’t stopped thinking about you since fifth grade when you gave him a Valentine with his favorite candy at the schools Valentine’s Day party.

He knows it’s stupid, he just doesn’t care.

Well, that and the fact that he knows you could never like someone like him. Because, frankly, being friends with him equaled social suicide. And dating him? Practically the end of the world. And he couldn’t lie, that knowledge did kind of hurt him. But he would never show it, nor tell anyone. He only had a few months before he was finally out of that shit hole they called Hawkins high.

But, he couldn’t deny the electricity he felt in his finger tips as he steadied you. It wasn’t anything he’s ever felt before but it damn sure was something he wanted to feel again.

“Dude what is wrong with you today?” Dustin hits his elbow off the table, nearly making Eddie smack his face.

Jokingly, he punches Dustin in the arm, “nothing? I’m just super stressed about passing. S’all.”

They all know that’s bullshit, “Dude you’ve been staring that they girl over there like a god damn stalker. You like her or somethin’?”

He knew he could easily lie. In fact, that’s exactly what he should’ve done. But he doesn’t, knowing Dustin would eventually draw it out of him. “Okay kind of? But I barely know her. And besides, she wont like me back so I’m not worryin’ myself with it. Frankly, I wanna get the fuck out of this school.”

That was the truth. He needed out, and he needed it now. But he wouldn’t drop out. No way. He swore he’d never be like his father and he meant it. He was graduating even if it damn near kills him.

Dustin looks over at Mike, rolling his eyes and muttering a “he’s as oblivious as we thought.”

Eddie rears back, a little shocked, “I am not oblivious?”

Mike nods, taking a sip of his drink, “yes you are. She’s been sneaking look at you all lunch. And she looks away every time you guys lock eyes. Theoretically, you guys should just kiss in front of the entire school. Be less painful to watch then this…” he waves his hand around “this pining shit.”

Alls Eddie can do is blink at them, truly stunned that he was caught staring by his friends. And here he thought he was slick.

“Did you knuckleheads not hear a god damn thing I said?”

Dustin shakes his head, “we heard you. Just go get her number! She’s a girl. She isnt going to bite you… Well she might but only if you ask really, really nicely.” He flutters his lashes at Eddie, creeping in closer and grinning wildly

Eddie squints at him, “get away from me before I knock ya teeth out.”

“You’re a dick,” but he laughs anyway, knowing Eddie would never.

…

It’d been nearly a week now since you ran into Eddie. And since then, he’s done all he can to avoid you. You figured it was because he didn’t like you. That was until you caught him staring at you from the lunch table.

You also may have overheard the conversation. The tables were close enough.

And now, you had made the executive choice to get his number, maybe even invite him on a picnic.

“E-Eddie!” you call out to him, stopping him before he can get in his van.

He turns around, that devastatingly beautiful smile appearing. It nearly knocks you to the ground.

“Sweetheart! Hi. What can I do for you?” His voice light and sweet.

You cant help the shyness that creeps in. You always got nervous when you talked to others, more so people you didn’t know. Rejection wasn’t something you liked. Rocking on your toes, you take a deep breath, trying to remain cool, calm and collected.

“I, um…” you start quietly. “I just wanted to give you this… you don’t have to do anything with it. I mean, if you throw it away that-that’s your prerogative. But, um, if-if you didn’t do that… then feel free to use it!” You cut yourself off before you can ramble further. Piper told you that it’s annoying and unattractive which is the last thing you want to be to Eddie. You shakily hand him the paper, watching him open and smile at it.

“Aw, is this your number?” He’s not infantilizing you as he says it. He genuinely seems excited, though you can tell he’s trying to keep those feeling reigned in.

You nod, happy that he took it and didn’t reject you… yet. “It is. We should hang out sometime. Maybe see a movie or get ice cream.” You shrug, “ya know… whatever you think is fun.”

He smiles wider, making his eye crinkle a little. It’s cute. HE’S cute. And you knew that he could break your heart. But it didn’t matter. He could chew you up and spit you out and you’d thank him.

“I’ll let you know when I’m free.” And before you can answer, he hops in his van and drives away.

You take it as a win, for now.

…

Eddie cant deny the feeling inside his chest. It’s a mix of anxiety and pure delight. You actually gave him your number. AND invited him to hang out. And all he said was “I’ll let you know.”

“Idiot. You should’ve made plans right there. You’re such a pussy.” He berates himself as he drives.

Truly, he didn’t understand how someone like you would want to ruin her life with someone like him. I mean, its not like he was actually going to do something extravagant in life.

Or well, that is according to his teachers.

But that didn’t matter. All Eddie knew was that you gave him your number and, to him, it didn’t seem like a pity action. To him, it was genuine and insanely cute how nervous you were. It was then that he decided he was going to get you to stick around for as long as you’d have him.

…

Were you terrified he wasn’t going to call you? Yes.

Were you scared giving him your number was a mistake? Absolutely.

Did you lie awake all night waiting for him to call you? Maybe. Jury was still out on that one.

You looked over at your alarm clock that read 3:03 am. The witching hour. You couldn’t help but feel slightly embarrassed, feeling like you possibly read the situation wrong.

But you felt the electricity in his touch and the emotion in his eyes. Those are things you cant fake.

The ringing phone pulled you from your spiraling. You were quick to answer, praying it didn’t wake up your parents.

“Hello?” You answer, keeping your voice slightly quiet.

“Sweetheart, hi! Its um, its Eddie.” You could hear the nervousness in his voice. Kind of like he had been fighting with himself on if he should call you or not.

You cant help but grin, it may be late but he did call you, “well hello there! I thought I’d maybe written my number down wrong or something.” You giggle a little so he knows you’re joking with him.

“Now that would be funny. But, um, I know it’s late and we have class tomorrow but I didn’t know if after you wanted to maybe get smoothies? I know you like reading so maybe go to the book store? If-if you want?” Nerves clear in his voice.

The gesture was sweet, making little butterflies in your stomach. You, hanging out with Eddie Munson? A dream come true, honestly.

“I’d love that! Maybe I can convince you to read a book with me, like a little book club or something like that.”

He laughs, the sound washing over you and settling deep in your bones. You could listen to that sound on repeat; bottle it up and keep it for a rainy day. “We’ll see.” So not technically a no. Again, you’d take it as a win.

…

Eddie spent that entire school day distracted, nerves eating him up inside.

What if you didn’t like him?

What if you thought he was too weird?

What if you ran away screaming?

What if-

“Earth to Eddie? Hello?!” Dustin snaps in his face, drawing him out of his self loathing.

“Don’t snap at me like that. S’rude.”

Dustin rolls his eyes, “you’ve been bouncing your leg for the last twenty minutes, staring at the lunch table, looking like you’re about to vomit…” His eyes grow big with realization, “Which means you asked out y/n, huh?” Now hes giddy, staring at Eddie with those big eyes.

Eddie waves a hand, trying to pretend like it wasn’t a big deal, even though to him it was, “if you must know, yeah. We’re hangin’ out after school.”

Mike perks up, grinning at his friend, “oooooh, look at you go! Where are you taking her?”

Eddie grumbles a little, but he deny it kind of makes him happy his friends care. Kind of being the key word. Mainly because, he didn’t want them to do something to fuck up his chances with you. He already knew the ‘risk’ you were taking by giving him your number. He didn’t want you to slip through his fingers before he even had a chance to hold you.

“Were getting smoothies and going to the book store.”

The table is quiet for a minute, everyone staring at him before they all burst out laughing. He knows they aren’t necessarily laughing at him, but it does make him feel a tiny bit annoyed.

“You cant be serious? You don’t read.” Dustin says between laughs.

Eddie rolls his eyes, “just because I don’t read the books this prison makes me read, doesn’t mean I don’t like it.” He shrugs, “I read magazines all the time.”

“That’s not the same.” Mike teases.

Eddie shrugs, “whatever. That’s what she likes so that’s what we’re doing. I’ll make sure to come back with a detailed report considering you all got your noses in my… dating life.”

The table laughs some more before Eddie swaps the topic. But his mind is still occupied on one thing.

You.

…

“Ready to go, sweetheart?” Eddie comes up next to you after the bell rings, letting everyone go home for the day.

You grin up at him, enjoying the way his eyes light up when you’re around. “Absolutely! I’m so excited. My favorite author just released a new book so this is perfect timing! It’s a continuation of a series I already read and I’m pumped for the new one.” His attention makes you ramble, meaning you’re nervous. You mentally slap yourself, not wanting to scare him away on the first… whatever this was. Date? Friendly gesture?

He opens the door for you, letting you climb in before coming around to his side. “Well that sounds very exciting and I cant wait to hear all about it.”

…

You sip your smoothie as you peruse the aisles, scanning the shelves for the book, “this one?” Eddie holds up the book you’ve been lookin for, triumph on his face.

You grin, skipping over to him and gently taking it from his hands, flipping through. “Oh my god that’s the one! You’re amazing!” You get up on your tiptoes and kiss his cheek before you can think about it.

You pull away, realizing what you just did. You can feel your face get warm, Eddie’s growing red from a blush.

“I’m amazing? Nah, you are.” He gets closer, boxing you in against the bookshelf. No one was around, you knew that, but you can’t deny the excitement of someone seeing you two. Obviously nothing nefarious was happing, but the point stands.

“You-you are amazing too. So s-sweet.” Your eyes shift between his lips and his eyes. Gods, you wanted to kiss him. You’d wanted to kiss him for so long. And here he was, so close you could feel his body heat sinking into your bones. His smell engulfing you. It made you dizzy, but you didn’t want it to stop.

“Me? Sweet? According to everyone else I’m mean and scary.” You know he’s teasing, but the soft flash of self doubt flashes in his eyes, leaving just as fast as it came.

You shake your head, trying to swallow the knot in your throat. It didn’t work. “You’ve never been mean and scary. Always been so kind and sweet. Perfect.” Your voice comes out embarrassingly breathy, quieter than you wanted it to.

Eddie didn’t seem to mind. In fact, it only served to bring him closer to you, his lips inches from yours. You silently begged for him closer. For him to close the gap and just fucking kiss you already. “Perfect? No ones ever called me that before.”

You nod, “perfect. Just so, so perfect.” You decide to take the lead, closing the gap between you and him, brushing your lips over his to test the waters.

You feel his breath hitch before he melts into it. His hands wrapping around the back of your neck to hold you in place. The kiss is sweet, his lips soft and plump against yours.

Of course you’d been kissed before, but this kiss? This kiss felt like coming home. A feeling only talked about between the pages of your books.

He deepens it, tongue softly running over the seam of your mouth begging for entry. And the second your grant it, he’s exploring your mouth. You aren’t sure why, but you can feel the emotion in it. The way he’s holding you, like you’re sand that’s going to slip away when the tide comes in.

But you wouldn’t. Not unless he asked you to.

He breaks the kiss, panting slightly. His lips swollen and beautiful. “Wow” is all he can say as his eyes find yours.

You nod, “wow is right.” You don’t really know what else to say.

You can his mind working, trying to think of something to say. And then, “why me?” His soft voice almost too quiet to hear.

“Because you’re uniquely you.” You know it sounds cheesy, but it’s the truth. He deserved to know he was appreciated. “You make the bad days good. I’m always laughing when you’re around. And you’re just incredibly kind.” You shrug, “I wish more people got to know you like this.”

A soft smile pulls at the corner of his lips, “wanna know a secret?”

Your eyes get big and you nod quickly at him. If there was one thing you loved, it was secrets.

“I’ve had a crush on you since our fifth grade Valentine’s Day party in Ms. Kathys class.” You watch his cheeks go pink at the admission.

A small giggle bubbles in your chest, “I asked so many people what kind of candy you liked because I wanted you to notice me. I sort of had a crush on you too. And it never really went away.”

He kisses you again. This time its short, just a peck, but to you it’s just as sweet as the first one. “Maybe we can act on our crushes. Actually date.” He laughs awkwardly, “make our fifth grade selves proud?”

“Eddie Munson are you asking me to be your girlfriend?” You smile so big at him, the butterflies filling your veins when he smiles back.

“I am. I think we’d be a good match. Plus, I want in on this book club. The back of this book seems very interesting.” He wiggles his brows and your face grows hot at his implication.

“Then lets get two and head to my place. We can start the first ones.”

He smirks, kissing you once more before taking your hand, “I couldn’t be more excited.”

[sidekick-hero]

When I open my eyes to the future I can hear you say my name

(steddie | explicit | wc: 5151 | cw: none | written for @steddiemas prompt smutty sunday kink discovery | tags: modern au, PWP, Porn with Feelings, established relationship, mirror sex, fluff, this is very soft)

Summary: "Beautiful," he whispers again, and Eddie grabs his hand and brings it to his lips, kissing every fingertip before taking two of his fingers in his mouth, sucking them gently while holding Steve's gaze.

The light of the setting sun has almost disappeared, leaving a dim twilight that barely illuminates their bodies. Steve doesn't think he needs any light for this, he knows Eddie's body by heart, all his senses so attuned to him that the absence of one of them wouldn't make much of a difference. But then he happens to look past Eddie to the ceiling, and what he finds there makes his heart stutter in his chest.

A full-length mirror adorns their ceiling, reflecting their image perfectly.

He can't believe he hadn't seen it before, too caught up in his husband it seems. But now that he's seen it, he can't look away, can't stop drinking in the way they look in the faint light that still filters in through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Getting away for a weekend of wellness at a spa has been the only thing that has kept Steve going for the past couple of weeks. He loves his job, he really does. But teaching a bunch of middle schoolers only to come home to his own little tornado of a four-year-old has taken its toll. Eddie isn't much better off, as he's been working extra shifts at his uncle's garage on the weekends since Wayne sprained his hand, and that, on top of his tattooing job, has left his husband exhausted as well.

The spa had been Robin and Chrissy's wedding anniversary gift, and Wayne's gift had been to take care of April while they were gone. Everyone thought it would be Steve who would have separation anxiety, that he’d be the one unable to relax knowing he was away from his daughter for three whole days.

But it's Eddie who is on the phone with Wayne once again, asking how their little love bug is doing. It's the third call since they got here two hours ago and Steve would be annoyed that his husband spends all his time on the phone instead of on him, but it's incredibly cute to see this overprotective side of Eddie. As Steve mellowed over the years, Eddie became more anxious at times. Steve had once asked him where the devil-may-care guy had gone, and Eddie had looked at the sleeping bundle in his arms and then at Steve with so much naked love that Steve had felt tears well up in his eyes. Eddie had told him: "This guy has something to lose now, and that scares the hell out of him."

"I trust you, Uncle Wayne. It's just..." He sighs and rubs a hand over his face. "I'm being silly, aren't I?" Eddie laughs at himself, obviously embarrassed. "Yeah, you're right, I should. Give April a kiss for us. Hear you tomorrow, okay? And call us if - fine, jeez, okay, I'll -" Eddie stops, pulls the phone from his ear and stares at it in disbelief before looking at Steve with the most offended expression on his face. "He just hung up on me! Can you believe that?"

Steve chuckles before clicking his tongue in mock offense. "He did now? Wow, so rude."

"Somehow I get the feeling you don't take me seriously, oh love of my life."

"What gives you that impression, oh light of my days and nights?"

They smile at each other, their faces glowing, and Steve wonders if you could die of happiness. Then Eddie grins, mischief in his eyes, and before Steve knows what's happening, he's running to the bed where Steve is lying and pouncing on him. The impact pushes the air out of him in a loud huff.

"Get off me, you barbarian."

Eddie cackles maniacally on top of him. "Barbarian, really? Is this some secret fantasy of yours, Stevie? Me ravaging you like a barbarian?"

Shaking with laughter beneath him, Steve shakes his head. "Not really. I saw you cry when you watched Babe with our daughter, who, I might mention, didn't shed a single tear. I don't think I'm buying the barbarian."

Eddie's hips settle between Steve's legs and he leans on his elbows next to Steve's head. He looks down at him and gives him a gentle kiss on the nose before snarking back at him. "Oh, excuse me for teaching our daughter that it's okay to have feelings and show them freely, Mr. Macho Man."

Instead of answering with words, Steve shows Eddie freely how much he feels by capturing his lips in a soft kiss. He takes his time, just pressing their mouths together in a silent sign of affection.

It's been a while since they've had time to indulge each other since they adopted April two years ago. Steve wouldn't trade their little girl for anything, but sometimes he misses the days when he and Eddie would spend all day in bed, fucking for hours and then falling asleep on top of each other, sticky and gross, only to wake up and do it all over again. Nowadays it's mostly quick fumblings in the dark, like teenagers still living under their parents' roof.

As usual, Eddie is on the same page as he is, his hands cupping Steve's face as he begins to move his lips languidly over Steve's, adding just a hint of tongue to ease the glide of their mouths against each other. It's Steve whose patience finally runs out, too eager and hungry to taste the man he's been with for almost a decade.

They kiss like this for what feels like hours, licking into each other's mouths, spit-slick lips coming together again and again, only parting for much needed air before finding each other again like magnets. At some point Steve's hands find their way under Eddie's shirt, gently tracing the muscles of his back, enjoying the feel of his soft skin under his fingertips. It makes Eddie sigh contentedly into his mouth and relax further into Steve's body. Everything around them has become soft and hazy, the sun just setting outside, bathing the hotel room in a warm orange glow.

Steve's eyes have been closed until now, just surrendering to Eddie and their kiss, but the changing light makes him open them. The sight that greets him takes his breath away.

"You're so beautiful," he tells Eddie, their lips just inches apart as he gets lost in the warm amber of his husband's eyes in the low light of the dying day. The smile he receives in return wrinkles the skin around those beloved eyes, and he drowns in the love he finds in them.

Holding Steve's face gently in the palm of his hand, Eddie traces the arc of his cheekbone with his thumb and brushes his nose against the other before capturing Steve's lips in another kiss.

"I love you, Steve Harrington-Munson."

"I love you more."

"I had to fall for a competitive ex-jock who always has to have the last word, huh?"

"Sounds like a you problem, dear."

By now they're both smiling so big it hurts, and finally the laughter bubbles up from their chests, mingling between them, filling the room with the sound of their happiness.

As it slowly fades, silence falls around them again as they look into each other's eyes, understanding passing between them without the need for words. The energy shifts from joyful and light to something heavier, thicker, as Eddie sits up and pulls off his shirt, revealing miles of pale skin adorned with tantalizing black ink. Steve reaches up to trace it reverently, as if he hasn't seen it a million times before.

"Beautiful," he whispers again, and Eddie grabs his hand and brings it to his lips, kissing every fingertip before taking two of his fingers in his mouth, sucking them gently while holding Steve's gaze.

The light of the setting sun has almost disappeared, leaving a dim twilight that barely illuminates their bodies. Steve doesn't think he needs any light for this, he knows Eddie's body by heart, all his senses so attuned to him that the absence of one of them wouldn't make much of a difference. But then he happens to look past Eddie to the ceiling, and what he finds there makes his heart stutter in his chest.

A full-length mirror adorns their ceiling, reflecting their image perfectly.

He can't believe he hadn't seen it before, too caught up in his husband it seems. But now that he's seen it, he can't look away, can't stop drinking in the way they look in the faint light that still filters in through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Noticing the shift in Steve's attention, Eddie follows his gaze and turns to see whatever it is that has Steve so enraptured. His gasp is loud in the silent room as their eyes lock in the mirror, both their face taking on similar expressions of wonder and hunger at the picture before them. The picture they make.

"Fuck, Stevie, look at you. All laid out for me," Eddie breathes, his voice full of wonder. He sounds like he's never seen Steve disheveled and wanting before. In fact, he sounds just like the first time they made love so many years ago.

Without tearing his eyes away from where they are locked with Steve's in the mirror, Eddie's hand finds the bulge in his pants and begins to slowly massage it. It draws a needy moan from Steve, his hips bucking against the hand on him, and Eddie moans in sympathy as he feels the hot, hard flesh twitch. "You don't even know what you're doing to me, do you? Fuck, Stevie, baby, I got an idea. Trust me?"

Steve knows the tone, has heard those words more than a few times and it always ended with both of them worn out and deeply satisfied. Leaning up on his elbows, he gently bites Eddie's nipple to show him he's in, and his cock twitches again under Eddie's hand in eager anticipation. "Always. What do you want me to do?"

When Eddie tugs at the hem of his shirt, Steve instinctively lifts his arms, the dance of getting each other naked a familiar one. After quickly turning on the bedside lamp next to them, Eddie's mouth finds his again and this time their kiss tastes of excitement and hunger.

Whatever Eddie is planning, Steve can't wait.

He wants to watch them kiss in the mirror, strangely drawn to the image of them together, but the angle is all wrong and it's not worth breaking their kiss. But when their mouths part and Eddie begins to lick and suck and bite his way down Steve's body, Steve can't help but follow his movements in the mirror above them. It’s strangely mesmerizing to watch bruises bloom on his skin wherever Eddie worships his body with a single-minded determination he usually reserves to playing his sweetheart.

When he reaches the waistband of Steve's jeans, Eddie stops, his chin digging into the soft flesh of his stomach as he follows Steve’s gaze to where they are watching them in the mirror. “You like watching yourself while I get you off, don’t you, sweetheart.” It's not a question.

It's silly, but Steve feels called out by it, like he's been caught doing something naughty. It’s even worse that the feeling makes his cock twitch. It seems that being with Eddie, who's a kinky son of a bitch, has rubbed off on him. In more ways than the literal one.

It sounds defensive when he replies. "Who says I don't like watching you?"

Instead of answering right away, Eddie starts sucking another bruise in the supple flesh above his waistband, and Steve can't take his eyes off his own face in the mirror. His cheeks are flushed, his eyes dark and shining in the lamplight, his mouth slightly open and panting, his lips swollen and wet from their shared spit. His hips keep shifting under the attention and the heat pooling in his stomach is quickly spreading.

The smug smile on Eddie's face as he catches Steve's eyes in the mirror tells him that Eddie knows exactly how turned on Steve's right now. "You can look at me anytime you want. But the look on your face right now, so needy and wanting. You don't usually get to see that, isn’t that right?” Eddie teases him further by biting his hipbone and another moan falls from Steve's mouth.

The smirk on Eddie’s face looks even better in the mirror. “It's hot, I know it is. That look on your face haunts my dreams since I first saw it, love. I get it.” And then, as he unbuttons Steve's jeans and slowly pulls down the zipper, his voice takes on a deeper tone as he commands, "Keep watching.”

So Steve does. He watches as Eddie pulls down his pants and underwear in one swift motion, watches as his own heavy cock slaps against his stomach, already so hard and leaking even though it has barely been touched. He marvels at the sight of his tanned skin flushed with arousal, the shifting of the muscles beneath, the fine hair dusting his creamy thighs, the thick bush of coarse dark hair around the base of his cock. It's mesmerizing, the rise and fall of his chest, the way his body shifts under Eddie's eager hands and a thick drop of pre-cum forms at the tip of his cock, catching the light before dripping down onto his stomach, adding to the small pool already gathering there.

"Beautiful." Eddie's voice is reverent as he says this and his broad hands slide up Steve's bare thighs to his hipbones, almost worshipful. Then he leans down, nuzzling the hot flesh of Steve's cock and sticking out his tongue to lap up some of the wetness gathered under the head before taking him into his mouth. It draws a moan from Steve, his hips bucking involuntarily at the sensation of wet heat around the sensitive flesh.

Eddie chokes around him, obviously not expecting the way Steve shoves himself down his throat with the motion. But instead of pulling away it only spurs Eddie on and he slides down further, taking Steve deeper and deeper until his nose is buried in the thick patch of dark hair at the base of his cock.

Overwhelmed by the sensation of Eddie's mouth on him, Steve moans brokenly. It's not the first time, hell, it's not even the hundredth, but seeing it in the mirror above and feeling it at the same time has him shaking with need. Eddie swallows around him and Steve feels his throat tighten with the movement, a long fuck followed by Eddie's name the only reaction he allows himself. Part of him wants to move, to slide in and out of Eddie's throat, to fuck his mouth like he would his ass. But a bigger part of him wants to let Eddie take control and just watch, like a voyeur of his own pleasure.

He never thought that watching them fuck in a mirror would be like this. To be honest, he never even contemplated it before, and if he had, he would have thought that he would be into it a normal amount. But normal is the last thing he feels about the whole thing.

Then Eddie finally starts to move, slowly bobbing his head on Steve's length, his tongue sliding up and down the underside of his cock. Eddie is on his stomach between Steve's legs, his hands on Steve's thighs for balance, and Steve marvels at the broad expanse of his back. It's mesmerizing, the way his shoulder blades move as he goes up and down, making the dragon tattooed on them look like it's moving, ready to take flight. Or the way his hips keep shifting, the muscles in his ass clenching subtly as he humps the bed to take some of the pressure off his own cock. It's watching himself that's new and exciting, but he'd be lying if he said that watching Eddie pleasure himself from this angle didn't add fuel to the fire in his veins.

Every time only the head of Steve's cock is in his mouth, Eddie looks up at the mirror and his eyes find Steve's. The dark brown of them is almost completely swallowed by his pupils, like the inky black eyes of a demon, and the lock in them is wicked. He knows exactly what this is doing to Steve, can feel it in the way Steve's cock twitches and his balls are pulled tight against his body, already as close to coming as a virgin getting his first blow job.

And that's when Eddie suddenly pulls away from him.

Steve is not proud of the whimper that falls from his throat, but he was so fucking close, his pleasure about to peak with surprising speed. But now, as the air of the room hits the wet skin of his spit slicked cock, his climax is already out of reach.

With gentle hands rubbing up and down his thighs, Eddie soothes him. "I know, baby, I know. But as much as I love you coming down my throat, I want you to see how beautiful you look when you're coming on my cock."

"Oh God."

"Thought so," Eddie chuckles. "I'll be right back."

True to his word, Eddie only gets up from the bed to shed his remaining clothes, presenting Steve with even more pale, inked skin and the mouthwatering sight of his hard and heavy cock before he walks over to their unpacked bags to rifle through them. As he squats down to do so, Steve gives him a low and teasing whistle and Eddie looks at him over his shoulder with a lascivious wink before turning back to the task at hand. Steve still clocked his goofy grin which matches the one on his own face. He never had a lover he could laugh with as much as with Eddie, no matter how kinky or filthy they fucked.

Seconds later, Eddie finds what he's looking for: a bottle of lube. Before Steve can blink, Eddie is back between his spread legs, but instead of resuming his earlier position, he shuffles forward on his knees and hooks his arms under Steve's thighs to lift them onto his own, Steve's ankles crossed behind his back. The heat in Eddie's eyes as he sees Steve splayed out in front of him sends goosebumps up and down Steve's body.

Even after almost a decade, Eddie has this intense way of looking at him, like he would devour him whole if he could. Like he's never wanted anything more in his life than Steve, and Steve has no idea how to live without that feeling. He hopes he never has to find out, and that even when they're old and having geriatric sex, Eddie will still look at him like that.

Steve is so lost in the look on Eddie's face that he doesn't even notice his husband opening the bottle of lube and coating his fingers with it. It's only the slightly cold sensation of the lube-slicked fingers as they tease his rim that alerts him to the next phase of Eddie's plan.

"As much as I love to have your eyes on me, I need you to look up in the mirror. I want you to see what I see every time I get to have you like this."

As always, Steve can only comply when Eddie's voice gets like this, his voice soft and deep, but also firm. Knowing exactly what they both need. It's not that he's always in charge, quite the opposite. Often it's Steve who takes him apart, who uses his voice as well as his hands on Eddie until he's a needy mess writhing on the sheets. But God, he loves it when Eddie takes over and allows Steve to give up the tight grip on his self-control and just let Eddie take care of him.

In the mirror he sees himself spread out on the sheets, his thighs hugging Eddie's sides and his own hands on either side of his head. His hair is a mess and he sees his face slacken with pleasure as the first two fingers enter him at once. The angle of his hips doesn't allow him to see where Eddie's fingers disappear into him, but he watches in rapture as they slide in and out. It's the same heavy feeling as when he watched Eddie swallow his cock and he felt the wet heat engulf him at the same time.

"I never told you this, but this is my favorite part. Don't get me wrong, I love everything we do, baby, even just kissing you makes me feel so happy and alive every time. But I could play with you like this for hours, making you come on my fingers over and over again and never get tired of it."

Eddie does that sometimes, just lets his mouth run wild, saying the dirtiest and sweetest things, often in the same breath. Steve lives for these moments, feels himself clench around the fingers inside him in a mindless search for more sensation, more pleasure. He knew it when they went on their first date, and he never changed his mind: Eddie Munson would be the death of him one day.

"Do you know that the first time I fingered you, I realized that I loved you and that I wanted us to be forever? Don't look at me like that, I know it's not the most romantic thing to say, but it's true," Eddie tells him, kissing the inside of his thigh tenderly before pushing another finger inside him. "It was when I felt your pulse beating against my finger inside you. It felt like your heart was beating only for me, and I never wanted it to beat for anyone else, never wanted to go another day without being allowed to feel its rhythm against my fingers inside of you, or my hand wrapped around your wrist, or my head against your chest. That's when I knew I felt forever about you."

It's strange to watch his own face as he takes in those words, the way his eyes grow even wider, his expression softening. He watches as his hand reaches for Eddie's, the one not three fingers deep inside him, and Eddie takes it, lacing their fingers together.

"I feel forever about you too, you know that, right? Fuck, Eddie, if we weren't already married, I'd ask you again right now."

Eddie pulls their intertwined hands to his mouth and kisses the simple platinum band on Steve's finger. "And I'd say yes and do it all over again, right down to our first song being an Ed Sheeran song, you musical heathen."

He finally tears his eyes away from the mirror to look directly at Eddie so his husband knows he means it when he says, "Then let's do it. Eddie Munson, will you marry me? Again?"

Eddie laughs, the sound bright and full of joy. "Only you would ask me to marry you while I'm three fingers deep in you, Stevie."

"That's not an answer."

"Yes, you crazy, wonderful man. Of course it is." Eddie laughs again, delirious with happiness, his whole body shaking with it. Steve feels it everywhere they touch, especially deep inside him, and it rekindles the hungry flame of desire.

"Then show me you mean it."

Pulling his fingers free, Eddie wipes them on the sheets before placing his hand right next to Steve's head. Then he moves their still joined hands to the other side and leans down to capture Steve's lips in a deep, searching kiss. It's as if he's pouring all his love, all that he's just said to Steve, into the way he kisses him. The new position puts Eddie almost completely on top of Steve and he can feel how hard Eddie is, leaking all over himself and Steve as their cocks slide against each other.

Steve thinks they're going to fuck just like that, Eddie making love to him while holding his gaze, sharing their breath and feeling each other's hearts beating against their chests.

They don't.

Instead, Eddie slides off him and settles down on his back next to Steve. He reaches for the lube again and coats his hard cock with it, obviously trying not to get too carried away with it. Steve wants to replace Eddie's hand with his own, but this is Eddie's show and he'll let him run it.

When Eddie is done, he slides his arm between Steve's back and the bed, his hand curled around Steve's waist, pulling him closer.n"Lie on top of me, Stevie. Your back to my chest so you can watch yourself fall apart on my cock."

Eddie Munson will be the death of him.

Steve does as he's told and gets into position, his back against Eddie's chest and his head resting on Eddie's shoulder. Eddie places his feet on the bed, his bent legs spreading Steve's on either side. They've never done it like this before, and as Eddie slides into him in one smooth motion, Steve wonders why. It's so good, the way Eddie stretches him from that angle, the slight sting of too much soon replaced by white-hot pleasure as he's filled so deeply.

He feels Eddie's hands on his body, one cupping his aching cock, the other gently pressing down on his throat. Steve moans softly, overwhelmed by all these sensations hitting him at once and he doesn't know what to do with himself. The way he's spread out on Eddie's lap, he has no leverage to move his hips, to take more than Eddie is willing to give, and he whines under his breath when Eddie doesn't move.

"Open your eyes, sweetheart."

Steve hadn't even noticed that he had closed them, too lost in his own pleasure. So he does as Eddie tells him and opens his eyes, his gaze finding the reflection in the mirror in an instant.

The sight takes his breath away and the moan that falls from his throat sounds choked.

"You're so fucking beautiful, Steve," Eddie marvels as he finally begins to move, slowly beginning to fuck into him, his eyes drinking in the sight as hungrily as Steve's. "You had to see this to believe me. Every love song is about you, every poem, every love story. The great masters couldn't dream of painting something as breathtaking as you, every marble statue pales in comparison to your beauty."

"Eddie," Steve gasps. He wants to say so much more, but he feels that nothing is as important as that single word.

After that, no more words are needed between them. Instead, Eddie kisses his temple as his hand on Steve's cock begins to pump his shaft at the same languid pace as his hips continue to move. It's the sweetest torture.

Steve's face is contorted with pleasure, his mouth open and panting. His skin is flushed, glistening with a thin layer of sweat that reflects the lamplight in a way that makes his skin look almost golden. The muscles in Eddie's forearm keep flexing, moving under the inked skin as one hand presses against his throat and the other slides up and down his cock.

It almost feels like there are two people fucking him, two people stroking him, two people choking him. The one he feels doing all these things and the one he watches doing them.

It’s overwhelming in it’s intensity, the single hottest thing he’s ever felt.

Eddie's hot breath fans across his face and as much as he tries to take it slow so he can make Steve fall apart first, the gasps and grunts that come from him tell Steve that he won't be able to hold back much longer. Which is good, because Steve doesn't know how much longer he can do this before he loses his goddamn mind.

"I'm so close, baby, fucking me so good. Looking so good. Want you to fill me up." Steve doesn't even recognize his own voice when he adds, "Please."

It's the please that pulls a deep moan out of Eddie, and Steve knows he's playing dirty, because Eddie can never deny him anything when he begs like that. He's only using this power for good though, because Eddie is just as desperate to come as Steve is. He can feel it in the way his hips immediately pick up speed at his words, his hand on Steve matching the new rhythm.

"I can't wait to marry you again," Eddie croaks after a few more thrusts, his voice choked with emotion. Those words and the way Eddie says them, combined with the way he's so full and the hand on him feels so good, is enough to throw Steve over the cliff and he comes in thick spurts all over his own chest.

It seems to go on forever and Steve forces himself to look, to keep his eyes from closing from the pleasure. He's never seen himself come like this before and it's probably a sign of how vain he is, but the sight is so fucking hot. More cum keeps dripping from his cock, helped by Eddie's hand milking him almost dry until it all becomes too much.

Beneath him, Eddie is now chasing his own climax, his hips losing all rhythm as they slam into him as deep as they can. The hand on his cock has let go as soon as Steve's moans of pleasure have become painful from how sensitive the flesh has become, but the one on his throat remains, pressing down harder. He keeps grinding inside Steve, small movements matching the breathy grunts in his ear, until Steve can feel Eddie tense and the warmth of his cum filling him.

Then Eddie sinks into the mattress like a marionette whose strings have been cut. His body is limp and his face contented as he tries to catch his breath. When his legs give out, he stretches them with a groan and it causes him to slide out of Steve, a small trickle of cum dripping out and onto him.

Steve is just as content and exhausted, every muscle in his body relaxed and he's probably getting heavy where his body is trying to sink into Eddie. He looks a mess, his face red, his hair as wild as Eddie's unruly curls and his chest smeared with his own cum.

Steve has never felt more covetable. Never felt more loved, and all thanks to Eddie and his uncanny ability to know exactly what Steve needs even before he himself does.

Squirming on top of Eddie until he manages to get off of him and curl into his body with an arm and a leg thrown over him, Steve nuzzles into Eddie's neck. He gets a lingering kiss on the top of his head for his trouble and they both sigh happily in unison.

After a few more minutes of shared silence and bliss, Steve can't help but ask in a quiet voice, "You meant it, didn't you? About marrying me again?"

He can hear the smile in Eddie's voice as he answers. "Oh baby, I'm actually one step ahead of you. There's a ring in my pocket waiting to be put on your hand if you want it. You just beat me to the proposal, you competitive ass."

He feels like he's glowing with happiness as he laughs in delightful surprise at Eddie's words. "You love my competitive ass so much you're marrying it again."

"That I do. Happy anniversary, Steve."

"Happy anniversary, Eddie."

[lawrites]

Riddle to Solve

BTAS! Riddler x Named Female Reader

1.5k words: Reader hasn't seen Edward Nygma since they both lost their jobs at Competitron. Suddenly seeing him after two years forces a lot of unresolved feelings to come to the surface, for Eddie and Luna both. Did your feelings for each other matter then? Do they matter now?

This was made as a swap with an anonymous Discord friend <3. Their OC is named Luna, but this fic is first person and could be read as a "named" reader.

CW: suggestive thoughts from the rizzler, hurt/comfort, edward nygma being arrogant as per usual

“L-Luna?”

You turn, recognizing that voice almost instantly. “Eddie?”

The both of you stare at each other for a moment, almost making sure the other is real, before mirrored wide grins split your faces. The heart in your chest beats faster as you realize the expression is his genuine, real smile, the one only you could pull out of him. He's truly happy to see you.

Your bodies approach each other quickly, drawn like magnets. Your momentum almost makes you look like you are going in for a hug, your arms swinging forward…but you stop just shy of touching the other. 

You both sit in silence for a moment, taking the other in up close. A slight blush makes its way onto your face, but you can't help it. He looks good. His ginger hair is more loose than it had been when you had last seen him at Competitron. Fluffier, more free…it makes your hands twitch with the want to bury themselves in the shining, copper locks. His face remains as handsome as ever, with his adorable button nose, but his clothes…

He always wore a striped shirt with suspenders when you had worked with him. Cute, but more apt for Wall Street than what you expected of him. This outfit…your mouth goes dry when you take it in. 

A dark green sweater adorns his slight torso, loose on his body but tucked into tight grey slacks that match his long overcoat. The lines of his clothes highlight his tall, lean body. He looks professional for the most part, aside from the purple driving gloves. You do your best to contain your thoughts about those before making eye contact with Ed once more. A feeling of satisfaction spreads through your body when you realize that his cheeks are reddening just as yours are. 

Ed is embarrassed about his own blush, if he could be frank. It started when he caught you just as you were walking away, recognizing your shape from behind almost instantly and calling out to you. While he doesn't want to admit that that was his reasoning for recognizing you, can you blame him? 

He had to wait behind you in enough queues, see you bent over enough desks in those tight skirts you wear, that he has an entire section of his mind dedicated to fantasies about your ass. Some days he had to actively keep himself from reaching out, winding his hands around you, and bringing you back against him just to feel that delicious curve. He kept it secret, of course, he did his best to keep things professional when you worked with each other.

But after the initial onslaught of familiar thoughts…Edward was blinded by the glow of your smiling face again as you turned, and that handily won out over anything else in his mind. Your gorgeous, dark hair was up in a ponytail today, shining in the sunlight and swinging behind you as you moved towards him.

He watched you adjust your glasses nervously with a blush after you stopped in front of him, and it filled his lonely heart with a glee he hasn't felt in more than a year. But he immediately chastises himself…he needs to do his best to keep distance from you. He still has plans he needs to fulfill, and he can't allow you to be involved. What if you were hurt, in the process? What if you saw what he's become in his exile? 

The voice that you remember being full of mischief, arrogance, and, dare you say it, warmth suddenly sounds distant and aloof. 

“Luna, it is…good to see you.”

Steadying yourself, you hold back your initial  reaction to his presence and instead analyze his words, his tone, and his body language. If that's all he has to say to you, after years apart, after radio silence…then you refuse to give him any reaction he may want. Your tone mirrors his-professional.

“Yes, Mister Nygma, it is nice to see you again after so long.”

You see how he goes almost stiff when you call him Mister Nygma, his back straightening and his eyes turning dark before his face becomes impassive. But, instead of letting him respond, you continue after a beat of silence, curiosity at his presence winning out over pettiness.

“What brings you to Gotham?”

His previous demeanor relaxes a bit, and he almost looks…nervous. 

“Oh! Well…I suppose I've always heard interesting whispers about this city. And with recent rumors I've been…drawn here for some reason. After everything that happened…”

He trails off, and you can tell his racing mind is reliving the trauma of losing it all in one day, just as you had. Competitron, as your former place of work, used to be everything to the both of you. Ed came up with all of the riddles, but you helped him with the art direction. Your mind would interpret his gorgeous thoughts into a visual reality, and the code you both worked on made it an actual reality, on screen at least. 

But then the layoffs started. First it was a few lower level people…and then a few close coworkers. And then…suddenly, you walked in one day and were told to pack your bags. Years of working for them, for giving it all to make the Minotaur game, and they just brushed you away. You still find yourself frustrated and angry about it, even after getting a new job. The only credit you received was a footnote at the end of the game. 

And Ed…well…it wasn't public news, but he gave Mockridge hell over both your sacking and the lack of royalties for your work. He was planning to sue them, for the both of you. And then…he was fired too. 

You heard the news and tried to call him, but he was just gone. And you haven't seen him for two years until just now, when Competitron has been rumored to be moving to Gotham. The coincidence is too much to ignore.

“Edward…”

He seems to startle at your use of his full name, something that you usually only did during arguments or serious conversations. 

“...I-I know that what Mockridge did to us hurt. I still have trouble getting over it, myself. But, don't let his heinous actions rule your life. I'm glad to see you, but if you're only here to harass our former boss-”

Ed stiffens again and cuts you off, “Well, I'm sorry that I can't get over that-that cretin taking credit for my work.” He spits out the words, moving closer to you almost in anger. 

You glare up at him, furious, now, “You mean our work. If you try to take even that from me after I lost my job and my L-” you stop yourself from admitting the truth of what you had felt for him, then. He notices your slip, but doesn't comment. “-my best friend…” your eyes are full of tears now. Frustrated tears. Dejected tears. How could he not notice you when you are right in front of him? What has blinded him for two years so much that he hasn't even sent a letter?

“...then I don't think we have anything else to discuss. I wish you well, Edward Nygma. B-be kind to yourself.” And you turn, prepared to leave. Two years apparently haven't changed your feelings towards him, if your racing, broken heart is any indication, but you've now realized you wasted that time pining for him after seeing him now. He is only focused on himself and what he lost…and maybe he always was. 

You are stopped, suddenly, from retreating by a gloved hand wrapping, gently, around your arm. “Luna…”

Chastising yourself for wasting even one more moment on someone who obviously won't even let you leave with your dignity, you freeze in place but don't turn. “I would prefer to go, Eddie.” You bite out the nickname that used to make him tease you, used to make him blush, even, just to get some petty revenge out of this horrid day. 

The hand on your arm trembles, and it makes you pause. You had planned to shake your arm out of his grasp and leave, quickly, to go cry in your apartment…but then you hear his voice once more. Quietly, almost whispering, Edward Nygma says, “Please.”

You almost collapse hearing the syllables leave his mouth, and turn to see the man that uttered them. In only the few moments between you turning to leave and his plea, Eddie was a changed man. His face is pale, and his expression looks pained. Green eyes that were closed off and arrogant are now surprisingly open, shining with an expression you can't name. 

“You did not deserve that reaction from me after all that we meant to each other. I'm sorry.”

Frankly? You are gobsmacked. Edward Nygma just apologized to you. At least he acknowledged and validated your feelings about his treatment of you…but it still feels like it isn't enough. “Eddie, I appreciate your apology, but I hope you can see that your behavior was not something I expect of a friend.”

You do end up wrenching your arm away from his grasp, making him wince. “If you want to come back into my life, after leaving me for two years-” your voice chokes out the last words, the reality of everything crashing in around you, “-and treat me like I was just a coworker, and not someone who you trusted, as I did you?”

A sniffle leaves you, trying to hold back your tears, “Then I would rather you save the honeyed, practiced words and just leave. I can't take you playing with my good will towards you, again.”

And as you are about to embarrass yourself and sob in front of him, emotionally confused, partly, but mainly sad…his arms bring you to him. You are enveloped in them. He keeps you there, for a moment. His steady breathing and calming, familiar scent ground you. And then, one of his gloved hands moves to the side of your head, gently leading you to look up at him, “No playing. No games. No riddles.” 

His green eyes are shining, “I am truly sorry. The moment you turned, I was reminded of the last time I had to see you go, the pain that came with it. I-I initially tried to push you away because I do have secrets, Luna.”

You try to talk, but he cuts you off, “I can't tell you about them…not now. But I can't let you walk away, again, either.” His expression is torn, his eyebrows furrowed and his eyes full of desperation for some sort of answer to his quandary. 

Both of you are dancing around your feelings, for now. But…you can tell he does feel the same, truly, he must. You can't leave the man you love so desperately confused. Your hand reaches up, mirroring his hold on you and gently making him look down, “Then…let's just get some coffee together.”

His eyes are full of hope, gleaming with affection at your answer, “Do you still like it the same way?”

You chuckle, “Of course, I haven't changed much since you last saw me.” You blush, again, worried that standing still would make him lose interest in you, somehow. 

He releases you, and you do the same to him, but he stays close. His eyes trace up and down your body, sticking to your chest for just a moment before meeting yours once more. “Oh I don't know about that…”

He chuckles, holding out his hand for you to take, a smirk adorning his face, “...you seem changed. More sure, more independent.”

You take his hand, and you begin walking together to the nearest cafe. He winks, “A most brilliant riddle for me to solve.”

[medusapelagia]

Harringrove Kinktober Day 30: Dirty talking

Rating: Explicit  Relationship: Steve Harrington/Billy Hargrove  WT: porn without plot, collaring (maybe), dirty talks, verbal humiliation, vague mention to attempted noncon, homophobic language, mild degradation WC: 1586

Billy sighs and sits on the couch he and Steve have bought from the thrift store. It’s an awful orange but it’s comfy and big enough to be used for an adult to sleep (who is usually Eddie or Billy himself) that's why they bought it in the first place and then put it in the middle of their little living room.

Fuck.

He is still dirty from grease and oil from work and Steve will scold him as soon as he will see him, but he is so fucking tired that he doesn’t give a shit.

It doesn’t matter if he is the more experienced mechanic at work, they always look at him with disdain since Steve brought him lunch at work one day and they kissed, thinking that no one was seeing them.

Billy quickly found out that they weren’t as lonely as he thought and even if no one dared to call him a fairy after he broke Jackson’s nose, everyone started to treat him differently and give him the shittiest job.

Not that Billy could really complain, even if their apartment is small and in the worst neighborhood, they barely made enough to afford it so he can’t put up a fight and risk losing a certain income.

Fuck them.

Fuck them all.

“You ok?”

Billy turns toward Steve, who has entered the living room with two bags full of groceries and Billy hasn’t even noticed.

“Long day.” he tells him, without going into details.

Steve nods and says nothing about the fact that he hasn’t even showered and he is sitting on their couch with his work clothes on.

“You ok?” Billy asks back and Steve nods, while putting away the groceries but doesn’t look at him, so Billy gets up and turns Steve’s face until they are looking at each other in the eyes “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“Don’t lie to me, pretty boy.” Billy scolds him, moving his thumb against Steve’s lower lip “You know that I don’t like it.”

“I’m fine, I swear.”

Billy gets closer, nuzzling his neck “Where have you been?”

“To the grocery store?”

“Liar. You smell of alcohol and cologne. Where have you been?”

Have you cheated on me? That’s the true question that Billy would like to ask, because deep down he knows that he is not enough for anyone, especially for someone like Steve.

“We went to have a couple of drinks. The guys and I.”

The guys. Steve’s teammate. Billy still can’t believe that Steve turned down a complete scholarship to live with him in their cheap apartment.

“Did you have fun? Did you meet someone?”

“Fuck you. You know I wouldn’t do something like that, do you?” Steve growls.

“Do I know?” Billy asks him with a smirk, grabbing Steve’s hair and making him expose his neck even more.

“Did you cheat on me? That’s what happened? Are you a little slut? Eager to get in everyone's pants?”

“Fuck you.” Steve repeats, his cheeks red with embarrassment and anger.

“Oh I will, but thank you for proposing.” Billy grins, dragging Steve toward the couch with no grace; Steve almost bounces on the couch, such is the force that Billy uses to shove him.

“What the fuck do you think you are doing?” But Billy is already straddling him, licking his face like a big dog and grinding on him, sending sparkles in their veins when their dicks collide.

“Billy?!” Steve asks, confused and aroused, but Billy doesn’t stop, he keeps licking, kissing, and biting every inch of Steve’s skin, he wants to mark him as his property, no one should ever get closer to him, he wants everyone to knows that Steve is already fully taken, that there is someone that is not scared to leave love bites on his skin.

“Billy…” Steve tries to protest, but his objections are weak and full of moaning.

“I want to mark you up, baby. I want everyone to know that you are mine. That I’m the only one allowed to do this.” with that he lowers himself, opens Steve’s pants, and laps at Steve’s dick teasing him.

“Fuck… Billy…”

Steve is a moaning mess under him by the time Billy finally takes him into the hot velvet of his mouth,

Steve tries to thrust into his mouth, but Billy’s tight grip on his hips makes it difficult so he has to accept that he has no control and all he can do is take what Billy is willing to give him.

Billy feels Steve’s muscles dart under his expert tongue, so he frees his dick with a loud pop, and Steve glares at him offended.

“What? You don’t want me to think that you are an eager slut, do you?”

But Steve at this moment feels exactly like an eager slut.

“Did you lose your words, pretty boy? Too many thoughts in that silly head of yours? Or maybe there is just one thought, uh?”

Steve nods “Come. Let me come. Please.”

Billy smirks “I love it when you beg, baby. Can you beg a little more for me?”

Steve will do whatever Billy asks him to so he starts a litany of prayers that are like music for Billy’s ear.

“So pretty. And you are mine. Tell me that you are my little slut.” he asks Steve, removing his pants and his underwear.

“I’m yours.”

“My what?”

“I… I’m your little slut.”

Billy grins and then puts his own fingers into his mouth, licking them until they are covered in spit, then he starts to circle Steve’s rim.

“Billy…” the boy begs him while Billy bends Steve’s legs toward his chest and Steve quickly grabs them, holding himself spread and open for his boyfriend.

“Billy…”

“My little slut…” he whispers again on his skin, penetrating him with a finger.

Steve jolts at the intrusion, but quickly accepts it and starts to push against Billy’s hand harder and harder.

“Tsk, you really are a slut. Should I leave you some money after I fuck you stupid? That’s what you are looking for?”

Steve shakes his head.

“No, what? Are you not a slut?”

“Only for you."

And damn if it doesn’t get exactly to the center of Billy's cold heart.

“I’m going to fuck you so good, baby.” he whispers on Steve's skin, then he spits on Steve’s hole and his dick before starting to thrust inside him slower but relentlessly until he bottoms out and his balls collide with Steve’s ass.

“So full…” Steve moans.

“Yeah? Is it nice?”

Steve nods, unable to talk and Billy starts to gently move in a rocking motion until Steve starts to beg for more.

“Harder. Harder.” he begs and Billy can’t really deny him anything when he is like that so he gives him what he asked for, latching on his neck like a vampire leaving dark blue hickeys around his neck.

“Mine…” he growls in his ears, before biting it playfully “All mine…” he whispers.

“All yours… your little slut.”

And the admission makes Billy come so hard inside Steve that he almost collapses against the other boy.

“My little slut…” he whispers in awe while he tries to regain his breath.

Steve lowers his legs and hugs him While Billy is still deep inside him holding him tight against his chest and letting the fast rhythm of his heartbeat be a lullaby in Billy’s ear.

“Now would you like to tell me what happened?”

“Why do you smell like alcohol and cologne?”

Steve sighs “I told you. I had a drink with the boys.” but that’s not the entire story, Billy can tell.

“What else?”

“Tommy… he… tried something.”

Fucking Hagan, always snooping around his boy “What kind of something?”

“Nothing you have to worry about. I handled it.”

“Steve. What kind of something?”

“He tried to kiss me, ok? So I poured my whisky on his stupid head and some of the drink spilled on me and I tried to hide the smell with some cologne. Not that it worked in any case.”

“I’ll fucking kill him.”

Steve chuckles “No, baby, you will not try to kill the son of the rector of the institute.”

“He can’t do what the hell he wants to do only because he thinks he is entitled to it!”

“And he will not. I’m not a damsel in distress, did you forget that?”

Billy did not. Steve is strong and fierce but he can’t hide his sorrow at the thought of someone like Tommy Hagan putting his dirty paws on Steve’s beautiful skin.

“You know what? I’ll put a fucking collar on you, with a tag that says owned by Billy Hargrove.”

“Oh, yeah, that will be absolutely a normal thing to wear in class.” Steve chuckles, but Billy is even more determined to mark him as his so he keeps leaving hickeys on Steve’s golden skin and when he finally feels satisfied Steve’s neck has a necklace of hickeys.

“You are a fucking beast.”

“And you are mine. My little slut.” he tells him, finally moving away, but Steve grabs his arm, kissing him deeply and whispering on his skin “Your little slut. Only yours. Forever.”

[dearmailman]

Hi 👋

Can you please write about baby Howdy being taken care of by Eddie and Frank please? (There is a criminal lack of baby Howdy in the wh agere community lmao)

If not that’s ok you enjoy your day/night neighbor!

🌸 anon

Thank you for letting me write this, genuinely, these three melt my dang heart! [art piece]

The soft scrape of a broom and a small whistling sweeps through the store as Howdy cleans up for the day. The windows were wiped down, the counter cleaned, and the stock re-stocked. With a few more sweeps and a dump of the dustpan, everything is well. Howdy all but collapses onto the stool behind the counter, smiling and wiping his brow with his sleeve. Tiredly he stares at the ceiling fan's spinning, top set of arms crossed and bottom set propping him on the counter.

He does adore his job - why wouldn't he? - but some days he just feels tired beyond belief.

The door dings and he sits up, grabbing his hat with a start, realizing he'd forgotten to flip the closed sign. And speaking of forgetting, Eddie walks up to the counter with a casual smile.

"Hiya Howdy!" he waves.

"Eddie, hello! I close at 8, did you forget?" Howdy is speaking slower than normal, and Eddie can't help looking at the circles under his eyes and the way his face sags. He smiles worriedly, tilting his head.

"Y' all good, neighbor?"

Howdy pauses, blinking unfocusedly like he just woke up. "Oh, I'm... Yes! Yes, I'm fine, Dear!"

"Y' look all... downtrodden or somethin'." Eddie reaches out a hand and touches his forehead. "Y'r all warm too- Howdy are you sick?!"

"No! No, caterpillars never get sick. I'm sharp as a whip, like always!"

Eddie looks him over, concerned. "Howdy... Y'know, it has been a while since you 'rested' proper." Eddie holds his cheeks gently. "You should let me call Frank over! We have missed babysittin'."

"Eddie, I-" Howdy's cheeks go blue and he looks to the floor. "I'd hate to inconvenience you, Ed!" His voice is putting on his usual tone, barely concealing how exhausted he sounds.

"Hm," Eddie frowns softly. It changes to a smile as he gets an idea. "How much would it cost?"

"Beg pardon?"

"Me gettin' to take care of my lil' bug for the night! How much?"

Howdy blinks and touches his chin, taking in the thought. He chuckles weakly, sighing. His top set of hands set against Eddie's own on his cheeks, and his bottom set rest on Eddie's shoulders.

"I dunno' Eds, what'd ya have on you?"

Eddie digs one hand into his pocket, and comes up with a few glittery stickers and a slightly melted chocolate bar. "Uhhh- I think I'll pay with a joke," he chuckles.

"Lay it on me!"

"Heh. Do you know why babies born on holidays are more likely to be little girls?"

"No, why?"

"Cuz there's no mail delivery!"

Howdy's nose scrunches and he snorts out a laugh that turns into a much louder laugh, covering his mouth with his hand and hugging his own stomach. "Mail delivery! Oh my!" He settles, looking much more relaxed as he lets himself lean on the counter. "Alright, alright. You can call up Frank."

Thirty minutes later, the three are together in the apartment above the bodega, Eddie and Frank fussing over Howdy. Frank picked out pajamas for him - green ones with red stripes on the pants. Eddie washed his pacifier since it was hidden in a drawer, and coaxed him through the embarrassment of using it.

Frank is laying on the bed with Howdy on his chest - which practically engulfs him under him. Eddie is making snacks for the three of them in the little kitchen. Frank lets out a breath, only frowning a little.

"Howdy, it's not good to strain yourself so much. You're only one bug, you can't work nonstop."

"Mm... Make me feel good to work though!" Howdy mumbles around the pacifier.

"I know you like having things to do with your hands all the time, but that's why you have these." He reaches to the bedside table and grabs a little tangle toy and a rubix cube, holding them up to him. "I ordered these so you don't feel like you need to work 24/7."

Howdy closes his eyes and presses his face against Frank's stomach. "Sorry, baba," he mutters.

"You're not in trouble, bug," Frank sighs. "Eddie and I love taking care of you, but you also need to care for yourself." He pets his hand through Howdy's hair, just soft.

"Who wants popcorn and candy!" Eddie calls as he enters with two big bowls held aloft.

"Eddie! Don't hold them that high, you'll fall!"

Eddie chuckles, and successfully makes it to the bed. It's a small one-bug bed, so they all have to squish together. Howdy's antennae point towards the candy, wiggling softly. "Y' hungry, lovebug?"

"A lil'," Howdy says as he pulls out his pacifier. "Only had breakfast."

"Howdy!" they both scold in unison. Howdy giggles, covering his face.

"Sorry pa, sorry baba."

"Well, at least eat now," Frank says, shoving the bowls towards him. Howdy nods and complies with no fight, grabbing food with all four of his hands and eating quickly.

"I feel like we need... Like a chore chart, but for takin' care of yourself."

"That's an excellent idea, Eddie. And I know you are already planning to craft it very pretty for him."

"O'course I am!" Eddie puffs his chest, grinning at Howdy. "I know this baby bug loves everything I craft!"

"I do!" Howdy says, excited by the idea as well.

Eddie digs in his pocket and pulls back out the three stickers. Little glittering hearts. He peels them and sticks them each to Howdy's cheeks with a 'boop!' Howdy smiles, and it's not exactly happiness. It's more of a release. Allowing himself to let go of the stress, and fully slide into regression.

He does get less talkative now, seeing as he regresses to around 2-3 years old. Eddie and Frank don't mind one bit, chatting and snuggling up to him while all of them snack. The sun goes down outside, and Eddie declares it a sleepover. All three pile close together in that little bed, Howdy sandwiched peacefully between his pa and baba.

sfw interaction only

[steddieas-shegoes]

Wrote this based on this post and heavily encouraged by @zerokrox-blog, so in celebration of finishing my paper, here is a 30 minute attempt at expanding on this particular brain rot

It’s like his brain can’t associate water with anything but death.

He knew Steve had trouble with water after everything, still does. He knew sometimes Nancy wouldn’t come to the pool parties at Steve’s house because she still saw Barb drowning in the deep end if she stared too long. He knew they all avoided the lake for obvious reasons.

His thing started with a sudden downpour. He thought it had to be just rain, right? He could just stay home if it looked like a storm was coming. Easy enough.

Until he had almost the same reaction in the shower the day after. Wayne had to come in and shut the water off, throw a towel around him, and sit on the floor talking to him for almost 20 minutes before he was able to dry off and get into bed.

They did manage to find a system that worked for the shower eventually, though it was embarrassing for Eddie.

Wayne would get the shower started while Eddie stripped off his clothes. He’d turn away while Eddie got in the shower, then sit on the toilet lid and talk to Eddie as he slowly wet each individual limb and scrubbed his skin with soap. He’d rinse the same way, flinching at the way the water felt hitting his skin.

Wayne’s voice did help though. He’d tell him stories of his childhood, of the adventures he’d go on with Eddie’s mom, of crazy things that happened at the plant. It was enough to get the job done.

Then he’d get out, wrap a towel around his middle, and kneel down next to the tub so Wayne could wash his hair.

If Eddie closed his eyes and Wayne kept talking, he could almost ignore the way the water felt. They only washed his hair once a week because it was such a hassle for both of them.

He’d tried everything.

Steve made some suggestions that helped him, most of which revolves around stuff he was already doing.

Robin even tried to come help wash his hair in the sink instead like she did for Steve, but he ended up smacking her hands away the second the water touched his head.

The kids found out by accident; a storm was rolling in right when Eddie was leaving to meet up for movie night at Steve’s. He called Steve and apologized a million times, Steve brushing it off like it was fine and he understood. Deep down, Eddie knew he did, but it still sucked.

Dustin called him 30 minutes later and talked to him about anything and everything for the next hour, saying he didn’t really want to watch the movie they picked that night anyways.

It was kind, but Eddie felt terrible taking him away from the group.

But the kids took turns any time they were all together and Eddie was stuck at home because of rain. They sometimes would pile into Steve’s car and come to the trailer, making sure they didn’t touch Eddie if they were wet. He wanted to cry at their kindness, but he held it in.

But eventually, he couldn’t take it. He felt like a burden. Everyone dropped everything to make him feel better or make it easier for him and it was too much.

He turned to the one person in the group who would look at this objectively: Nancy god damn Wheeler.

“There has to be a way.”

“Therapy might help.”

“I’m already in therapy. It doesn’t help with this. That’s more for like ‘kinda wish I died down there’ and not ‘it feels like water will kill me.’”

“Have you ever heard of exposure therapy?”

Since he was an uneducated idiot, no. He told Nancy he wasn’t sure that would work since he’d been forcing himself to take showers and wash his hair this whole time with no improvements.

“This is different. It’s more a controlled environment and doing small things to move back towards normal exposure to your fear. Like how right now you shower in a way that keeps your whole body out of the water. This would be like getting your whole body under the water for 30 seconds, then the next time a full minute, and keep going until you can do it for long enough to take a regular shower.”

“Okay but I have unmanageable panic attacks when I do that, Nance.”

He could hear her eye roll over the phone.

“When was the last time you tried? Who was there? What was your plan if things went bad?”

Eddie remained silent. She knew the answers to those questions.

“I thought so. I think I have a plan. Can I come over?”

“What, now?”

“Why not now?”

She really did not hesitate when she was set in her ways, did she?

“Okay, fine. Wayne’s not here though.”

“He doesn’t need to be.”

And that’s how Nancy god damn Wheeler first saw him completely, whole ass naked.

It was very clinical; She was basically a therapist doing her job for the entire thing. But it did leave him feeling quite awkward.

“I just don’t understand why I can’t still wear boxers or something.”

“Because you have to do the real thing from the start or it’ll take longer.” Nancy rolled her eyes. “I’m not attracted to you Eddie. You’re very handsome, but you’re not my type.”

“You’re not my type, either.”

Nancy smirked at him. “I know. Steve’s polos aren’t quite my style.”

Eddie looked away, face bright red. She clapped her hands after a moment to get him to focus.

“So for the first time, I’ll turn the water on and you’ll get in like you usually do. After a minute, you have to step backwards into the water so it hits your whole back. You have to stand like that for 30 seconds. Then you step back out. If you have to step all the way out you can. Okay?”

“No.”

“Eddie.”

“Okay! Fine!”

“I read a lot about this. I promise it’ll work if we keep trying.”

He stepped into the shower and let the water hit his toes. This part was normal. It wasn’t fine, but it was fine-adjacent. He was used to it.

“Ready?”

“No.”

“Eddie.”

Nancy’s sighing was slightly amused, so he knew he wasn’t in trouble, but he still felt the nerves eating away at his stomach.

“Okay. What’s the plan if I can’t do it?”

“Let me worry about it.”

Eddie took another breath, trying to work up the courage. He felt his heart racing and his breath coming in shorter pants the more he thought about the water hitting his whole body.

“Eddie. You can do it.”

“Okay.”

So he turned his back to the water, backed up one step, then two, then three. And water was hitting him.

It hit his shoulders, cascading down his arms and back, hitting his waist and rolling off his stomach down his legs. It was warm, but he felt his whole body shiver at the feeling.

He could hear Nancy counting distantly, feel her eyes on him through the crack of the shower curtain. He tried to focus on her voice, on the way she already had a towel in her hands for when this was over. How no bats were circling above ready to eat him from the inside out. How this water was nothing like the lake, it was clean and the light was on in the bathroom so he could see everything around him.

When she reached 30, he practically jumped out and landed in her arms, towel not quite covering her so she got soaked.

He didn’t have enough brain power to realize he was soaking wet, naked, and being held by Nancy god damn Wheeler.

He sobbed as she managed to wrap the towel around his back, shushing him and telling him to take a deep breath.

He did.

“Another one.”

Her voice was becoming less distorted. He could feel his chest heaving now instead of a dreadful numbness throughout his extremities.

“Good. You did it. You did great.”

He’d done it. He’d done the first step.

“Here, wrap this around you so you get warmer.”

She moved him back enough to wrap the towel all the way around his shoulders, like he was a child trying to cover his entire body in a towel after a bath.

“Thanks.”

His voice was broken and raspy, but she smiled at him all the same.

“Don’t thank me. I feel like I’m kind of torturing you.”

“I may be into that, Wheeler.”

She snorted. “Talk to Steve about that. Though I think he’s probably into the receiving end of that, not the giving part.”

Eddie choked on his next breath.

“You don’t pull your punches, do you?”

“Never have, never will.” She started moving back to the sink to grab his fresh clothes, a cozy sweater he may have stolen from Steve and the sweatpants he wore the night before. “Are you okay if I step out while you get dressed?”

“What? Tired of seeing me naked?”

“You’re insufferable.”

“You love me.”

Nancy smirked. “Yeah. We all do. That’s why I’m willing to stare at your naked ass to help you with this.”

She was trying to make light of the situation, but he couldn’t help but let out a small sob at the fact that he had so many people who loved him enough to do this.

“I’m good. I’ll be done in a minute.”

Nancy waited for him to throw on his clothes, some residual moisture making his shirt stick to him. He hated it, but tried his best to ignore it. Another step towards facing his fears or whatever.

Nancy was waiting in the kitchen, a can of beer waiting on the counter for him.

“Is alcohol the answer?”

“No. But you deserve to celebrate a milestone. Just this one though or everyone will think I’m a pushover.”

“God forbid people know Nancy Wheeler has a heart.”

She nudged his arm with her elbow, smiling proudly at him.

“Proud of you for this. I know I kind of made you do it, but you could have backed out.”

“What was the backup plan? What if I completely freaked when the water touched me?”

“Try again tomorrow.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s always it. We all have to face shit every day. Some of us are scared of water, some of us are scared of clocks, some of us are scared of dogs. Some days are harder and we can’t face it. But we try again tomorrow. And the next day. And the next. And eventually we don’t have to try as hard. And maybe eventually we won’t have to try at all.”

“Wise words.”

“I have those sometimes.”

They both laughed, but Eddie was drained. He felt the emotional exhaustion manifest in physical aches throughout his whole body.

He glanced at the clock and saw it was only eight.

“Wanna stay for a bit?”

“Oh yeah. No way I’m leaving you alone for at least another hour, Mr. Delayed Trauma Response.”

“Smart plan, Dr. Exposure Therapy.”

So they hung out, snacking on some chips he found in the cabinet that were borderline too stale to enjoy, talking about the next few days’ plan, and if he wanted anyone else to know about it.

“You plan on coming here every night for the next month or more?”

“I’m willing to. But I think it might help to rotate people. Robin would be more than willing. And…”

“Steve cannot see me like that. Not after the rain thing.”

“No offense, but if you ever plan to get anywhere with Steve, it’s gonna involve an emotional upheaval and nudity.”

“A panic attack in the shower? How sexy.”

“Steve will want to help.”

“He always wants to help.”

“And he’s been through this, too.”

“He could take showers, though.”

“But he isn’t gonna judge you. Neither will Robin. Or anyone else we involve.”

“No one but them.”

Nancy searched his face before nodding. “I’ll call them tomorrow. They have to understand the process. But I’m coming tomorrow again. You need a constant the first few times.”

“Was that in a book?”

“It was in all the books, actually.”

“How many books did you read?”

“Seven.”

“I just called you today!”

“Well I may have started a while ago. I knew you’d be ready eventually.”

Eddie shook his head in disbelief. “You’re something else.”

“So I’ve heard.”

When Nancy left, Eddie felt a little worried for a few minutes that he shouldn’t be alone. He thought about calling Steve, but decided he needed to try to face this part of the fear too.

He’d call Steve in the morning.

For now, he got in bed, pulled the covers over himself, and didn’t flinch when he heard rain drops hit the roof.

[turquoisevioiet]

jump into the heat

buck/eddie | rated: T | ~25k | WIP, done by Thursday

summary: post-705 spec fic. following yet another doomed day intended to be full of joy for the 118, buck and eddie try to figure out their lives, themselves, and each other. a bachelor party, a decision, a move, an awakening, a realization, an acceptance, and a happy ending

“It was just under 80s songs and– and the lady said it’d be good for us and not too hard to sing!”

“Uh, ‘sing’ is a strong word,” Hen mumbles. 

“You think you can do better?” Eddie teases.

Everyone turns to look at Hen expectantly, who just giggles to herself. “Yeah get at least one more drink in me and I’ll consider it.”

Calling her bluff, Buck gets up and heads to the bar to order a refill for everyone, because why not? The vibes all night have been good, including the harmless teasing of Buck and Eddie that resulted in them getting up on that stage in the first place. 

But as woman of honor, or best woman, or whatever title Hen had landed on in the end, it was absolutely her turn to embarrass herself a bit.

Stepping up to the crowded bar, Buck sees the worker who was setting up karaoke before is back tending the bar.

 “Hey! Crockett!” she exclaims, moving towards him.

“Actually, I think I might be Tubbs. Not sure though. Not gonna lie– wasn’t my idea,” Buck chuckles.

“Cute idea, regardless though.” She looks him up and down, hands on her hips. “Nice execution too, I’ve gotta say.”

Previously, he might have seen potential here. To flirt, or more. And his confidence and security in himself grows by recognizing he could still be attracted to her, and other women. But the part of his brain responsible for romance or whatever is occupied with his date for tomorrow, thinking about introducing Tommy to everyone in this new capacity, dancing with him, etc. 

That is to say, he’s kind of caught off guard by what seems like light flirting from someone else.

Until the bartender says, “Was it your partner’s idea? Adorable. Been together long?”

Then Buck is really caught off guard. 

“Uh… what?” he so eloquently asks, leaning further against the bar and clenching his hands on the edge.

His ears ringing means he misses the details of whatever she says next, something about how they sang to each other and something else about Miami and iconic queercoding, or something. 

He realizes this is the first time he and Eddie have been misconstrued as a couple since he actually could date dudes and it wasn’t some preposterous assumption. 

It’s by no means the first time overall though, and probably not the last, and he catches her tilting her head, looking concerned at his lack of a response. The last thing he wants is to be refused service because he got flustered for no good reason and seemed too drunk. So he rights himself and rallies.

“Sorry, yeah my friend Eddie– he chose the outfits. Anyway, that reminds me, I was sent to order all of us more drinks, so uh…” Buck trails off. 

She slowly nods, catching on and gives him an apologetic smile. “Sure. Same as you had before? I can check the bachelor party tab and bring those out to y’all.”

The crowd around the bar has only grown and it makes sense she’s trying to get out of this now awkward situation as quickly as possible. Buck nods and slowly backs away to let her do her job. 

He’s still trying to shake the interaction as he looks down at his hands fidgeting together and walks back in the direction of his friends. His first thought is to feel like a jerk for assuming the bartender was flirting with him when in reality she had assumed he was… well whatever she had assumed. His second thought is: what exactly did he feel… almost shameful about her assuming?

After his slip to Maddie about dating Tommy, Buck made the active decision to… announce this information when the time felt right with Eddie. And whenever the time felt right with other important people in his life, he was more than ready to… announce to them too. Somebody ashamed of themselves wouldn’t announce it like that, would they? 

But. What is the announcement in question? Hey I kissed someone once and hung out with them twice and I like them, isn’t something he felt the need to announce to his friends so hugely before when it was with women. Obviously it looks a little different, but it’s not like he changed as a person. 

And yet, how is he able to reconcile not having changed, but suddenly feeling as though he’s newly lying by hiding a huge part of himself?

ao3

[riddle-me-ri]

Scenario: (any riddler you'd think would fit) Edward and his best friend/crush are sitting outside of restaurant for lunch. As they are talking about jobs, how life has changed since they last saw each other and so on. Edward gets the hiccups, causing Y/N to laugh every time he tries to talk until Y/N gets the hiccups too.

a/n: so I’m not gonna lie when I first read this scenario my mind went straight to Young Justice Riddler lol, it just reads him all over lmao sorry for the awkward ending…I wasn’t sure how to end it lmao

Trigger Warning: none

Word Count: 595

Young Justice Riddler x Reader - A Date with the Hiccups

“There you are Eddie!” You quickly got up from your seat to greet your crus-friend. Your friend, Eddie.

Edward had reached out, surprisingly, in a text that he would like to catch up since he was out on parole. 

As much as you wanted to scold him for winding up in Belle Reve in the first place, but for now you can rejoice in seeing him. 

Edward almost passed out from the abrupt and overwhelming contact of your warm embrace. Your arms around his neck, your head nestled beside his. 

If death were to strike him he’d die a happy man. Although his heart kickstarted from hypothetical death when he panicked with what to do with his arms. Thankfully, you didn’t mind it when he settled for wrapping them up and around your back. 

“Uh…h-hey yourself!” Edward replied, hoping he didn’t sound as awkward as he felt. 

“It’s been awhile, huh?” I’m so glad you asked to meet up.” You slowly pulled yourself away and went back to your seat. You gestured for Ed to follow. 

“You know, you’re quite difficult to get a hold of.” You joked.

“Oh, uh…yeah…I know..I-I’m sorry…I-”

“Eddie…it’s okay! I was just messing with you…I understand why, but it does mean a lot that you reached out to me.” You said meaningfully with a sweet smile.

Whatever courage he felt that day to send that message. Edward hoped he could find it again to last through this dat-meeting…hang-out…visit.

“W-Well, I’m glad you agreed to come…I-I wasn’t sure you would.” He chuckled nervously.

“Of course, I would! And I did! Here-” You handed him a menu. “Now to enjoy ourselves!” 

Edward lifted up the tri-fold pamplet and sighed heavily behind it in relief. Then he allowed a goofy gap-toothed smile slip under the cover of the menu. 

After your food and drinks were ordered and arrived, Ed’s nerves had diminished some. 

Just some though, your cute smile and infectious laughs still catch him off guard. Especially when he realized that he’s the cause of them. 

In an attempt to not embarass himself, Edward took generous amounts of sips from his drink. 

“Anyways, enough about me…sorry, I didn’t mean to ramble Eddie. Have you been up to anything lately?” 

“Oh…uh…well…” he snatched his glass again and took more gulps. Noticing his drink is empty for the second time he chuckled nervously. 

All out of diversions. 

“Well, there is this new idea I want -hic-” Edward blinked in shock. He clamped his mouth shut for a moment and then tried to speak again. 

“I want to develop this-hic-” He brought his hand up to his mouth. 

“Uh…I’m…sor-hic-”

While Eddie was struggling with the hiccups. You were doing your best to not laugh out loud. 

“It’s okay…maybe you shouldn’t drink your beverage so fast…” You reached out to pat the back of his hand reasuringly.

Ed gasped at the contact which only caused him to hiccup right after. 

“Yeah…you-hic-have a point-hic-”

You couldn’t help but let a couple of chuckles out. He was just too damn cute for his own good. 

“Gosh-hic- I’m sorry-hic-...this is embarrassing-hic-”

Somehow through your giggles, you managed to get a few more words out. 

“It’s okay, Ed-hic-”

Your eyes widened. 

A beat of silence came over your table. Neither one of you is willing to talk first and endure more hiccups. 

You decide to take the hit. “Well,-hic-this is-hic-awkward.” 

Soon the two of you became a mess of chuckles and hiccups as you both tried to solve the conundrum that is your hiccups.

[the-one-where-casey-watches-tv]

9-1-1 episode 6.14 "Performance Anxiety"

You know what? I love this show. And I’m not embarrassed about it. But what is it about a network procedural that makes me feel the need to say that? Yeah it’s kinda silly and most of the things that happen seem pretty unrealistic, but it’s fun and heartwarming and genuinely diverse and unique. I’ve been watching this show since it premiered; I was drawn in by Peter Krause’s captain Bobby Nash (I’ll do anything for Peter Krause) but the quality of the show itself is what’s kept me along for the ride. I’m always impressed by a bold pilot, and I was enamored right away by the 118 pulling a newborn out of the wall after a secretly pregnant teen gave birth on the toilet and flushed it.

We’re now nearing the end of season 6, and this show is still taking me by surprise. Its characters, tone, and theme have remained consistent, but part of that tone includes zany 911 calls with twists I never see coming. What endears me to this show over say the Chicago franchise is the way it’s kept itself from descending fully into nighttime soap opera territory by maintaining a healthy balance between serious character-driven episodes and its trademark lighter, feel-good emergency episodes.

This week’s “Performance Anxiety” is a classic lighthearted episode that also capitalizes on the time we’ve spent throughout the series really getting to know the characters. It’s performance review season in LA, including at the 118. In between a dramatically heartwarming review at a bakery and a father-son breakthrough at a bodybuilding competition, Bobby gives the team evaluations of his own.

Of course, the 118 is a dream team, so the reviews are really a thinly veiled vehicle for Bobby to get evaluated himself- as Athena says, “the man craves feedback”. But Bobby is still wise, kind, and playful as ever in his dad-energy way and finds ways to help the team grow in ways beyond the job. Through his encouragement of Eddie to let himself have a life beyond Christopher and work, genuine no-notes praise of Hen, and gentle treatment of Buck post-lightning strike, we get a fun, rapid-fire sub-plot that lets us reap the benefits of the character development the show has been building from day one. And all through Bobby who, true to his own character, knows them better than anyone.

Despite Chimney’s near-perfect review, Bobby notes a lack of leadership and, in an ambiguous display of tough love, sends him back to the academy. There, Chimney is forced to step up as an instructor alongside Ravi (remember him?) who seems to be stuck in a rut of his own. They process some things together, and Chimney reveals that he started firefighting with his best friend, who he encouraged every step of the way. The friend died putting out a house fire, and Chimney vowed to never pull anyone into danger ever again. As he and Ravi talk through things, Chimney realizes that Bobby sent him here to do a little more than lead, and the end of the episode finds the two of them walking triumphantly back into the 118.

One could argue that Maddie’s split screen musical number with a panic-stricken caller was a little much. But if you don’t like that, I think the show’s already lost you. Would a 911 dispatcher get a round of applause from the rest of the call center after bursting into song with a nervous college applicant? It’s another one of those times where the answer is no, but isn’t this fun? And that seems to be the mantra of the whole show.

There’s not a ton of meat to 9-1-1, but I don’t want to sleep on these kinds of shows. It’s the only first responder show I know of to feature dispatchers so prominently and create such a well-rounded depiction of emergency response. And finding creativity within the procedural format is a different kind of creativity that I don’t think is inferior to the deep, heady streaming shows that I also love. Without procedurals, there’s no gems like House or Medium, and I think 9-1-1 is doing a solid job keeping the format alive and even doing it justice.

What do y’all think? Do you watch or are you too good for it? Have you seen the spinoff? As much as I love it, I will not set foot in 9-1-1: Lonestar, but if you’re obsessed with it maybe you can change my mind!