#She's spent a whole week after Eddie tells her and Steve what happened

[strangersteddierthings]

Eventually Eddie tells Steve about what happened, what his friends said

Steve shows up at Gareth’s with the nail bat

Hmm... politely disagree, nonny. Steve showing up with a nail bat is insulting, especially since he and Eddie are at a point where they talk about the things that upset them. Eddie would be furious if Steve threatened his friends with physical violence.

It's Robin who shows up with the nail bat.

[ladykailitha]

Across a Crowded Room

*grumbles* I can't believe this IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE CUTE AND SHORT! Not only has it gotten a little angsty in middle there, it's about to breach 10k words. And I'm not even CLOSE to the ending.

The fuuuucckkkkk.

I was meant to be working on other things. Like editing a story to be beta'ed so I can put it on AO3 for you all, extending Batshit soulmates because I was skipping over too much, and wrapping up Glitters.

Guess who did none of those things because this story consumed my soul?

ME!!!

I will be posting this on Saturday as it's not one of my regular WIPs.

Enjoy. *sniffs* I guess.

Summary: Modern, no monsters AU. After they all graduated from high school the older teens drifted to other parts of the country. And while Steve and Eddie have made short trips to see each other, usually with the whole, they really haven't spent much time in the same room in years.

That all changes when Eddie is able to spend a week in Chicago with Steve and Robin.

But when Eddie sees Steve for the first time in years, he gets scared. Will have the courage to walk across that crowded room to be with Steve?

@mira-jadeamethyst @rozzieroos @itsall-taken @redfreckledwolf @emly03

Eddie hadn’t seen Steve in years. After high school when they became friends through mutual parenting of six absolutely terrifyingly smart teenagers, they kinda went their separate ways.

Steve and Robin had gone to Chicago for college and Eddie and his band had gone further west to LA to try and make it as metal artists.

This is was the first time in a really long time that their schedules lined up. They talked all the time. Friends on all their social media. But they hadn’t seen each other since they said goodbye in Steve’s driveway four years ago.

Eddie was standing at the bar entrance where he was supposed to be meeting Steve, just staring at him.

God, he had been gorgeous in high school. Because of course he was. Captain of the basketball team, co-captain of the swim team, and the baseball team’s best hitter.

But he looked even more so now.

His honey colored, wind tussled hair had grown out a bit. A lock of hair flopped devastatingly in front of one of his hazel eyes. He had filled out some, once thin and wiry, now deep chested and toned. Even in the winterscape hell that was Chicago, Steve’s skin was warmly tanned.

He was laughing with a group of people and never had Eddie felt more out of place in his life, and that was saying something. He had been dropped off at his Uncle Wayne’s when he was twelve. Been nicknamed the “Freak”. And had always been flamboyantly himself: a big, gay, metal loving geek.

Eddie was about to turn around and go back the way he came when a familiar voice called his name.

He turned around and there was Robin Buckley. Steve’s platonic soulmate and best friend.

“Hey,” he croaked.

“Did you just get here?” she asked brightly.

Eddie nodded. “My flight was delayed three times. I haven’t even been to my hotel yet.”

Robin winced. “That sucks.” She looked at him more closely and he gulped. “You weren’t thinking of cutting and running were you?”

“Me?” Eddie said, dramatically clutching his hands to his chest. “I would ne–”

She raised an eyebrow at him, effectively shutting him up.

“I wasn’t gonna,” Eddie said mournfully, “until I got here. He just looks so happy. He doesn’t need someone like me coming back into his life like a wrecking ball.” He pulled out his phone and waved it at her. “Once I can get this charged, I’ll message him and tell him my flight got canceled and that’ll we’ll reschedule.”

She looked at his phone and then back up at him. “What happened to your phone?”

“My charging cable port snapped,” he grumbled. “And it died after the first delay.”

Again she winced in sympathy.

“You’re in love with him,” she said, “aren’t you?”

Eddie sighed and looked back over at Steve. One of his friends must have told a joke because Steve was laughing so hard his eyes were mere slits. He looked back at her and he sighed.

“The sky is blue, Midwestern winters suck,” he muttered, “and I’m in love with Steve Harrington.”

Robin rolled her eyes, then she got this calculating grin on her face.

“Uh oh.”

“I’ll tell you what,” she said slyly, “you let me do a little experiment with a small wager. If I win, you man up and tell him how you feel. If you win, you can tell him that your trip has been cut short and you have to go back in a couple of days and blow out his life again.”

Eddie pursed his lips and looked at back at Steve.

“What’s the experiment?” he asked.

Robin jumped up and down with glee. “I’m going to text Steve that I found you. You aren’t going to take your eyes off him the whole time. Then when I’m done, I’ll show the conversation.”

He licked his lips. “And what’s the wager?”

“You think he’s happier without you,” she said. “If that’s true, he’s not going to show a lot of excitement. He’ll be relieved and happy that you’re here, but no real enthusiasm. Right?”

Eddie just nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

“I know he’s going to flip out,” she continued with that sly grin. “He’s going to be jumping up and down and looking around for you, trying to find you in the crowd.”

“What if it’s somewhere in the middle?” Eddie asked honestly.

Robin cocked her head to the side. “Then you stay the full week and suss him out.”

Eddie let out a long sigh. “All right. You’re on.”

“Good!” she said. She grabbed him by the arms and moved him a little. “There. Now he won’t be able to spot you immediately.”

He had let himself be manhandled because he had long since learned that Robin could and would kick if he didn’t do what she wanted.

“Now, keep your eyes on Steve.”

Eddie scoffed. “Easiest thing in the world.”

Robin snorted and got out her phone.

He really wanted to look over her shoulder to see what she was typing because he was eaten up with curiosity about what she was sending Steve. But he did as he was told. He kept his eyes on the most beautiful boy in the world.

Steve pulled out his phone and then his head snapped up. He looked around excitedly. He started flapping his hands and talking animatedly with his friends. Eddie watched as he smoothed down his hair and wiped his hands on his jeans. He pulled out a breath mint out of his pocket and ducked his head when his friends obliviously teased him for it.

He looked over at Robin in shock.

“What the hell did you tell him?”

She turned her phone around and he read their conversation.

-Guess who I found by the door looking like a lost puppy?

-He’s here?

-Eddie’s here?

-Where?

-Why didn’t he text me? :(

-lol

-Calm down, I’ll bring him to you.

-The idiot’s phone died and his charger broke.

-I can’t be calm, how can I be calm? He’s here! He’s finally here.

“Oh.”

The little frownie face at the end of the “Why didn’t he text me?” message did Eddie’s heart in.

He cleared his throat. “Um...if I were to, say, I don’t know, go over there and kiss his lights out, would I get hate crimed?”

Robin laughed. “No. And there is no one in his friends that would be nasty about it either.”

Eddie nodded. “Lead the way.” He bowed and waved his hand dramatically so that she would go first.

“Nerd.”

Eddie cackled as he followed her to the table. Steve was on his feet the instant he saw him.

Eddie was a weak man. That had been pretty well established tonight. So he thought he could be excused when he picked Steve up by the waist and swung him around.

“Eddie!” Steve giggled.

Robin scoffed. “Gays are so disgusting.”

“Says the lesbian,” Steve said when Eddie had put him down.

“Lesbians are a different flavor of gay and thereby aren’t disgusting,” she said with a half shrug like it was a truth universally acknowledged or some shit.

He shook his head and turned back to Eddie, who had yet to let go of his waist. “I missed you, too, Eds.”

“I missed you so much, Stevie,” Eddie whispered back.

“Yeah?” Steve asked, hopeful.

“Yeah,” he breathed and lifted Steve’s chin. He pressed their lips together and suddenly Steve’s crowd of friends erupted into cheers.

Steve broke the kiss and stared up at Eddie in awe.

“Wow.”

Eddie giggled. “You like that?”

“Yeah,” Steve said, more than a little breathless. “You’re stuck now. That’s how I want you to greet me every time now.”

Eddie’s face split with a large grin. “You got it, baby.”

Robin cleared her throat. “May I remind you two that we are in fact in public?”

Eddie and Steve looked over at her and then back at each other. Robin isn’t sure who started it, but soon they both were laughing like children.

Steve introduced him to the small group of friends.

There was a sofa near the table Steve’s friends were sitting at so Eddie sat down there, so Steve could cuddle up on his side.

“How long are you in town for?” A punky Asian girl with pink and purple streaks in her short cropped hair asked. Steve had introduced her as Maria Nguyen. They had a couple of classes with each other.

Steve looked at Eddie as if he had been wondering the same thing.

Eddie chuckled. “That’s the surprise I was telling you about, darlin’. Me and the boys got a record deal and their headquarters and studio is right here in Chicago. So I will be moving to the fair Windy city.”

“You’re staying?” Steve asked, his voice rising with excitement.

“I’m in town for about a week to look for apartments and shit,” Eddie amended. “Then I will move here at the end of the month.”

“Holy shit!” Robin said, glaring daggers at him.

Steve picked up on the latent hostility, but Eddie shook his head and whispered, “I’ll tell you later.” He pressed a kiss to Steve hair.

“You have a band?” a large young man with freckles and braces asked. He had red hair and wire rimmed glasses. Steve said his was Jason, Justin...Jarren! That was it.

“Sure do!” Eddie said. “Corroded Coffin. Me and my three closest friends, besides Buck and Stevie here, have been out in LA playing our hearts out.”

“Buck?” Maria asked, rearing her head back.

“Buckley!” Eddie explained.

“So what kind of music do you play?” Jarren asked, leaning forward, very interested.

“Metal.”

Maria snorted. “Like that’s Steve’s least favorite kind of music.”

Steve sat up. “It is not! There are all sorts of music I don’t like. Metal can be good. It’s just the screamo shit I can’t stand. Corroded Coffin isn’t like that.”

“Yeah,” Robin agreed. “Hell, Steve would put pop music below metal and you know how much he loves Tears for Fears.”

Eddie groaned. “I still can’t believe of all the 80s bands out there to be your favorite you pick Tears for Fears!”

“What? They’re great.”

“Stevie, darlin’, love of my life,” Eddie said sweetly. “You cannot honestly tell me that their version of ‘Mad World’ is better than Gary Jules.”

“Wait?” Jarren said. “They did a cover of ‘Mad World’?”

Steve shook his head. “They sang it originally. Here let me show you.”

He pulled out his phone and handed it over. Robin, Maria, and Jarren huddled around the phone as they watched the video for it.

“That was trippy as hell,” Maria said, handing the phone back to Steve.

“I know, right?” Eddie said.

Steve rolled his eyes. “He does have a point regarding this one song. The original version is too fast for what the song is about.”

Eddie cackled with glee.

“I still maintain that Shout, Head Over Heels, and Everybody Wants to Rule the World are absolute bangers,” Steve huffed.

Eddie kissed his cheek and Steve blushed.

“Wait!” Jarren said, “Do my eyes deceive me or is Steve Harrington, the man, the myth, the legend, blushing?”

Steve rolled his eyes. “Not that again. I don’t believe it was ever a thing.”

Eddie sat up on the sofa, too and looked Steve in the eye. “What’s this, babe?”

“Stevie here made a girl come just by talking to her,” Robin said with a grin.

Eddie licked his lips slowly and Steve blushed deeper. “Did you now?”

“No!” Steve insisted. “That was just the excuse she used for running away after I badly flirted with her.”

Maria scoffed. “Dude, I was there, you did not flirt badly.”

Eddie pulled Steve close to his side and murmured in his ear. “I fully expect the full Harrington Charm experience, sweetheart.” His voice dropped really low. “Because I bet you could make me come just from the sound of your voice.”

Steve’s eyes went wide and he ducked his head.

Maria shook her head. “I can’t believe that King Steve got out rizzed by this swagless loser. How in the hell?”

“Maria!” Jarren hissed. “He does not look like a swagless loser. You take that back. He’s cool.”

Eddie turned to Steve. “Looks like you’re going to have to be the tie-breaker, sweetheart.”

“How’s that?” Steve asked. “Robin hasn’t said anything yet.”

“Ah, but that’s because I think I’m cool,” Eddie said holding up one finger, “and I know that Robin would vote for swagless loser.”

Robin snorted. “Damn right I would.”

“So it’s girls verses guys,” Steve said thoughtfully.

Jarren snorted. “More like lesbians verses the gays.”

Steve cocked his head to the side and then nodded.

“I dub thee my really cool metalhead geek!” Steve said solemnly.

Everyone’s eyes narrowed at him.

“Babe...” Robin said. “Did you just go down the middle of the road to avoid an argument?”

Steve batted his eyelashes at her. “Maybe...”

Eddie huffed and crossed his arms in front of his chest, pouting. Steve leaned forward and kissed the bottom of his jaw.

“How about my very cool, gorgeous, metalhead boyfriend?” he murmured softly.

Eddie looked down at him eyes wide. “Holy shit, you mean that?”

Steve nodded.

Eddie swiftly brought their mouths together and kissed Steve deeply. “That is acceptable.”

Steve giggled.

The night past in good company and drinks.

Eddie had duck out early because he still had to check into his hotel, but he kissed Steve goodbye and left with a spring in his step.

****

Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

Also, also. I forgot to mention that the title comes from a song by Counting Crows called Long December. So in my head I was singing, It's been so long since you came to (Indiana) I think you should!

Never mind they're in Illinois and the actual lyric is California.

Tag List: @spectrum-spectre @estrellami-1 @zerokrox-blog @gregre369 ​@a-little-unsteddie @chaosgremlinmunson @messrs-weasley @chaoticlovingdreamer @maya-custodios-dionach @danili666 @goodolefashionedloverboi @val-from-lawrence @i-must-potato @carlyv @wonderland-girl143-blog @justforthedead89 @vecnuthy @irregular-child @bookbinderbitch @bookworm0690 @anne-bennett-cosplayer @yikes-a-bee @awkwardgravity1 @littlewildflowerkitten @genderless-spoon @cinnamon-mushroomabomination @dragonmama76 @scheodingers-muppet @ellietheasexylibrarian @thedragonsaunt @useless-nb-bisexual @disrespectedgoatman

[hellfire--cult]

Edit of Eddie: pitifulbaby

Chapters: Masterlist (Go here to see list of chapters, plotline and general warnings.)

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Fem!Reader

Tropes: Enemies to Lovers, Non-Traditional Omegaverse, Slow burn, Modern!AU, Mechanic!Eddie

⚠️This chapter contains: Angst, fear of loneliness, family desires, mentions of nausea, slight insinuation of depression

wc: 7.3k

A/N: Sorry for taking so long! We're slowly arriving to the tension bbies.

Anyways, Enjoy! ❤️ And don't forget to always support me by hitting the reblog button or leave a comment!

Taglist is closed

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CHAPTER 14

It’s been… excruciating.

The past two weeks you spent them locked up and you have asked to work remotely at home. Your boss of course insisted that you need the time off, that she completely understood your position, and your emotions always come first.

You told her about Billy.

You told her how Billy was not in favor of Same-sex marriage, and adoption. He wasn’t in favor of Betas being able to be single parents either. If that information were to get out, the company would be targeted as unethical, and that’s not at all Liana’s principles. The company is completely in favor of the people’s wants and needs.

You really didn’t want to rat Billy out, because this meant that his opportunities would be lost, and it wasn’t done so you could spite him for his personal views. You just couldn’t keep working with someone who is against what your friends want, what your friends ambition to have. Jonathan and Steve want children of their own, and if the laws don’t let that happen, they will never have the family they strive for.

So Liana immediately called Ralph to look for another publishing company. 

At first, he was crazed, yelling at her through the phone until she finally told him she knew about Billy’s facade about the same-sex marriage riots. Ralph was silent on the other end of the phone, and in three days, the contract was done with, and the company had nothing to do anymore with Billy Hargrove.

Now you, it’s a different story. You’ve been miserable. You could feel him everywhere, remembering him on your bed, laughing with each other, smiling like idiots as you told stories about one another’s lives. How he would cook for you and sometimes spoil you with gifts even if you told him you didn’t need any of it.

You wished you hadn’t noticed certain things that didn’t sit right with you. How he acted with your friends at first, how he would scrunch up his nose when you told him things you liked and he didn’t. How jealous you found out he was when he met Eddie. How you fought sometimes for very stupid things, like him not looking after his mess, or not caring about your thoughts about his friends and still dragging you to hang out with them.

So you stayed in. You couldn’t even go to work because you couldn’t look at that stupid closet for a good while. The closet that started it all. You know you have to move on from this, but it’s not easy, not after what you’ve been through before. It’s hard enough to trust someone into your life that way, imagine being vulnerable and let yourself fall in love with them.

You’re glad those feelings didn’t reach Billy. The bomb exploded, a little anticipated thankfully.

You have also neglected the group, telling them you needed time to cool off, to let it all sink before trying to go to their house, or them coming over because you just wouldn’t be yourself, and you would put the whole group down with your mood. The last thing you want and need is to also feel like a nuisance with your friends.

So, better keep it to yourself. You will get through with it alone, like you always have, with everything. There’s no need to bother others with this, not with the mood you have been handling for the past few days. You didn’t talk with anyone, Robin, Nancy, Eddie, Jonathan… No one, not even a tik tok or meme. 

It was food, work, sleep, repeat. A shower here and there, and you knew it was wrong but it’s just your head playing a bad pass on you. You had been afraid of falling again, of it going wrong, but you thought it might be different, you really thought it would– Only for it to come crashing down as fast as it started.

How can you even begin to think that there is a chance everything will be fine later on? Will you ever find a destined one? If there is any at all? And with the laws, as they still are, your dream of a family is just– 

Your phone rang, taking your mind away from your thoughts. You didn’t notice you were staring blankly at the TV screen. You didn’t even know what was on, nor you didn’t care. You grabbed your phone to see Robin calling you, making you sigh. You slid the answer button on the touchscreen and put the phone in your ear.

“Robs–”

“I’m not getting a no for an answer. Get ready, get dressed, we’re arriving in twenty.” You straightened up in alarm, eyes widening in surprise. 

“What the fuck are you talking about, who is coming?” You were angry now because you didn’t agree to anything, you weren’t even asked to hang out, much less come to your house. 

“Steve, Eddie, and I. The rest had to do stuff, so we are heading over.” Your breathing caught in your throat as you looked around your spotless house. You needed to keep your mind occupied so you cleaned every surface possible. Still, you never agreed–

“N–”

“I said I wasn’t taking a no for an answer.” And just like that, the line clicked. You groaned loudly in anger as you paced around the living room, tossing the phone towards your couch. You love Robin. You love Robin. You love Robin.

But fuck, you wanted to kill her right now.

And bringing Steve and Eddie along? For fuck sake. You looked down at your clothes and then at your room. You could easily not open the door for them. You can easily drive them off like that because they wouldn’t stay outside more than five minutes if you don’t answer. Yeah, you can definitely do that…

“Ugh!” You grunted into the nothingness as you rushed into your room to throw on the first things that were decent. A pair of jeans and a black long-sleeved turtleneck will do. You combed your hair as best as you could, throwing on some mascara and eyeliner to not look like a corpse. You looked into the mirror and you winced as you barely recognized yourself.

You definitely looked as if a truck ran over you. The bags under your eyes, the tired overall look on your face. You sighed as you scanned your face with your hands and then you looked at your hands. They looked dehydrated, and your nails needed some caring that’s for sure. 

Did you really not take care of yourself the past two weeks? 

You didn’t even notice how dejected you looked. You didn’t even care of looking into a mirror, and now that you do you barely recognize who the woman is in the reflection. Fuck did this hit you bad… You grabbed your concealer and tapped a bit under your eyes, trying to conceal the purple hues under them, wincing when it didn’t do much.

Did you even have food for them? Drinks? Shit… Should you order some pizza? You rushed out towards your kitchen and opened your fridge to see there were two beers, some soda, water… Okay, not much but there are beverages. You closed the fridge to look into your cupboards, wincing when no snacks could be found. 

You groaned as you leaned against the sink. It’s not your fault, is it? You weren’t expecting them, so it’s not your issue if there are no snacks or things to satisfy their hunger. Yeah, it’s not. You never said yes. You let out a sigh out of your lips as you talked out loud.

“Alexa. Play whatever 80’s playlist there is.” 

And the sound of Michael Bolton’s ‘How Am I supposed to live without you?’ came on. You cursed at the sky and you really thought you were cursed. You rushed to your phone to see how long it’s been since Robin called you. Fifteen minutes, shit, they are–

And the doorbell rang.

Five minutes early.

You groaned with a sigh, taking a deep breath in as you looked at the front door. Were you ready to face your friends? Were you ready for them to see you like this? They have all messaged you in order to talk to them, to hang out, to even try to do a video call with them, but you always declined.

Even Eddie tried. He sent you a bunch of memes in order to try to cheer you up, but you never opened them. You just didn’t feel like laughing at all. He had messaged you as well, telling you that he would go to your apartment without your invitation, but he never dared to do so. It seems all of them got tired of you pushing them away. 

You walked towards the door and took a deep breath in as you unlocked the door, slowly opening it to reveal your three friends with a bunch of snacks, sweet and salty, and drinks in their hands. They stopped whispering to one another and turned to look at you and you noticed how Robin’s eyebrows twitched as you crossed your arms over your chest, a glare in your eyes. They were silent as you glared at the group for simply crashing without your consent until–

“You look like shit.”

Your eyes snapped towards Eddie and he had a cheeky smile on his face. You flipped him off as you walked backward to let them in. You heard a giggle coming from Robin and then their steps coming inside your apartment. 

Steve closed the door behind him and headed to the fridge to put the beers inside, already taking four out. Robin put the snacks on the counters looking around to see your house completely spotless and she sighed. She knew that whenever you were anxious or nervous you cleaned in order to keep yourself distracted.

Eddie though, Eddie was looking all around. It was the first time he came to your apartment, and it was very spacious, but his was even more. You didn’t notice when you came by to his workplace, but he lives above the shop. You enter his home through stairs that are on the back, going up towards the second floor. His was more of a loft-looking apartment, those that have brick walls and industrial stuff.

Your house was more modern-like, a little minimalistic but with plants all around. You were very fond of succulents since there are a bunch at the top of your fridge. His eyes then went towards your bookshelf, walking towards it to start inspecting your books.

“So, what are you doing here?” Your voice was angry, yet there was a certain feeling, emotion, that told them you didn’t dislike their intrusion. Robin shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest, Steve coming to stand next to her with the same stance.

“You expect us to just wait for you to talk to us? That can happen in a fucking month, and we are not gonna wait that long.” At those words, you couldn’t help but be mad.

“People need their own healing time, and you are invading it.” Your voice was cold, imperative even, and Steve’s head snapped towards Robin worriedly. Your best friend stood her ground as she stared at you, shaking her head.

“I wouldn’t invade it if you at least talked to us. I wouldn’t invade it if you at least came to work instead of working remotely, which by the way, fuck you for making me interact with other people!”

You wanted to laugh at your best friend’s exaggeration, but you had to focus on the fact you were angry at the invasion. You rolled your eyes at her and you walked to rest your hip against the headrest of your couch.

“You are still invading it without my conse–”

“Holy shit, you have Fifty Shades of Grey.”

Everyone’s eyes turned to the dark-haired metalhead that was still holding onto the bag of candies in his hand as he inspected your bookshelf. You raised your eyebrow at him, wondering what the hell he was going on about.

“So?” You asked him and he turned to look at you, holding the first book in his hand.

“Seriously? There is better erotica out there sweetheart.” You felt heat on your cheeks at the comment, it’s not like it was your go-to in the book genre… But the bookshelf is indeed filled with smut–

“Hang on, does Eddie Munson read Erotica?” You said mockingly and you heard Steve let out a snort of his, covering his mouth with his hand. Eddie turned to put the book back and a smirk was plastered on his face as he looked at you once more.

“Knowledge is in any form sweetheart.” More heat, that’s for sure. You felt it all over your fingertips even, and you shrugged it off with a roll of your shoulders. He turned to go over to the counter to finally place the candies there. He took a beer from the four that Steve had previously taken out and opened it. 

“Look, I know you don’t want us here, but we really can’t turn our heads and pretend you’re not okay.” Steve finally talked as he grabbed a beer and handed it to you. You could see the doubt in his eyes, the guilt of just barging in as they liked, and you could hear the slight apology behind his words.

You know that the rest would probably be here if they didn’t have work or other plans. You knew that. You gulped the lump in your throat that was already forming there because you had cried enough the first few days and you promised yourself you wouldn’t cry anymore. You were putting on a strong attitude even if you really didn’t feel like being that strong or confident.

You raised your hand towards Steve’s and grabbed the beer from his grip. It was a sign of acceptance that they were already here, and they wouldn’t go away any time soon. You opened your beer as you heard Steve opening his. You looked at Robin who was looking at you with sadness in her eyes and you sighed, shaking your head.

“I’m sorry Robs.”

Your best friend immediately rushed to your aid, wrapping her arms around you in order to pull you close. You felt your chest press on you because of the emotions you were suddenly washed over with. You didn’t know you needed an embrace until now, wrapping your arms around Robin made you feel the lump in your throat coming right back up.

You clenched your eyes tightly trying not to let the tears fall as you felt your heart tightening at the hug. You were immersed into your own sadness that you didn’t know how to get out of and probably all you needed were the people inside the room right now. The ones who care enough that they prefer to invade your privacy than to let you fall deeper into a hole.

Eddie was looking at you, inspecting your face as he felt the sadness radiating from you. Why are you holding back from crying? Why do you always try to keep a strong front? He knows what you’ve been through, and he knows it’s not something easy to let go, but they are here now to help you. You weren’t betrayed by your friends like you had in the past. 

His chest felt a little tight as he saw you hugging Robin and he looked at Steve who had the same worried look on his face, but he let a sigh of relief fall from his lips. They have been worried about you for the past two weeks, and even in the short period of knowing you, he had been too.

You pulled away from Robin and she immediately flicked your forehead with her thumb and index finger, making you wince and rub the area she hurt.

“What the fuck was that for!?” You yelled at that and she giggled at you, turning to go grab a beer for herself.

“For being a fucking idiot.” You rolled your eyes at her but a tiny smile spread on your lips as you took another sip of your beer. You looked up from the can, seeing Eddie looking straight at you, and that made your stomach turn slightly at the intense gaze. Your eyes snapped to Steve who grabbed a tube of Pringles and your mouth salivated at seeing they were your favorite flavor, doing grabby hands at it.

Steve chuckled at your reaction and he opened it for you first before handing it over to you. Still, before you could reach it, Eddie immediately snatched it away, putting his beer on the counter in order to stick his hand in and take a handful of chips, throwing them all inside of his mouth, and making you gasp in disbelief.

“You’re eating them all!” You groaned at him and he only sent a smirk your way, and he could see how your eyebrows were slowly knitting together in the middle of your forehead in anger and annoyance. Oh, he missed that face. It’s been a while since he last saw it. 

“You want some?” He pretended to hand the tube to you and you quickly moved your free hand to grab onto it, only for Eddie to snatch it back. “Too slow.”

“Eddie–” Robin was the one that talked now and Eddie looked at her still with a triumphant smirk on his face.

“Yeah?” And suddenly he was pounced over, your legs wrapping around his waist as you did a big jump, one arm wrapped around his shoulders as your other hand reached over to grab the tube of Pringles. He quickly raised his hand up, yelling at the sudden action, almost falling on his ass by the impact.

“Give me the fucking pringles Munson!!!” You yelled loudly and the arm that was around his shoulders immediately gripped onto the low ponytail, pulling on it, making him wince in pain.

“What the fuck Peach!?” He was trying to keep you two balanced as he thrashed all over the apartment while Robin and Steve started laughing hysterically and taking videos of the scene unfolding before their eyes.

“Y-You never EVER mess with her pringles. NEVER!” You wanted to laugh, you really did, but you wanted the fucking pringles that were on this bastard’s extended arm, out of your reach, so you pulled on his ponytail even harder.

His eyes snapped open at the sudden feeling he got, a part of him twitching that really shouldn’t, so he put you down and slammed the tube of chips on your chest.

“Fine, fine! Take your pringles, Jesus H. Christ!” He cursed and you just took the can in your hands and sent a raspberry his way, and the tight feeling he felt before evaporated just like that, a laugh escaping his lips at your childishness. 

You followed with a giggle and Robin raised an eyebrow up as she turned to look at Steve. He was already grinning, looking at her but the two of them didn’t say anything. Nothing needed to be said. They stopped recording the moment as you started stuffing your face with chips and Robin instantly yelled at your greediness.

Steve chuckled as he looked at Eddie, the smile turning into confusion as he saw Eddie looking at you with a puzzled look on his face, yet a smile was on his lips. Steve tilted his head, wanting to talk to his friend only for Robin to almost knock the small table that you left your beer can on before you jumped on Eddie, making him fumble forward to catch the can as quickly as he could.

The apartment was filled with laughter in a matter of seconds, of yelling and curses. The apartment that remained silent for over two weeks was now full of life you didn’t think you missed that much, and now having it, you’re realizing you were wrong. Now you wished the rest of the group were here. You really wanted the whole group together again.

You needed them. You needed these people who showed you time and time that they wouldn’t hurt you, never intentionally, and even accidentally they would ask for forgiveness. Like Eddie did. 

You looked at him as he now recorded Steve and Robin wrestling for a can of pretzels, claiming it was each other’s favorite, and you were just in a trance as you saw how he was laughing, here, in your house… That laugh you saw many times on Instagram stories when Nancy or Steve would post him. That laugh you never thought would ever be near you.

It was a nice feeling. It definitely was.

You were outside now, smoking a cigarette in the kind of warm weather despite the season. You let the smoke out into the air as you heard the sliding door of your balcony open and you turned your head to see who the visitor was.

“Well, Robin and Steve overdid it with the special Margaritas.” Eddie stated as he sat on the couch next to you, placing a beer on the small table in front next to the… Eddie grabbed the item and showed it to you with an eyebrow raised up. “A Mickey Mouse ashtray?”

You snorted and almost choked on your smoke as you giggled at that and gave him a nod.

“I thought it would be funny.” It was his turn to smile and shake his head as he put the ashtray back on the table, taking out his own pack of cigarettes so he could light one up. You leaned over to grab his beer and take a sip out of it, and he did not comment on that at all.

He never liked it when people touched his food or his drinks. He would always make a snarky comment about them getting their own, but he really didn’t seem to mind it when you took a gulp and put it back in its place for him to take it next. 

He took a deep inhale of the cigarette in his hand and he turned to look at your profile. You looked happy, yet that feeling of holding something back was still present in your features. His eyebrows twitched slightly as he looked away and into the sky.

“You don’t have to act tough all the time, you know?” You were taken out of your thoughts as you turned to look at him with a surprised look on your face. You shook your head at him, feeling your heart falling slowly into your stomach.

“I am not acting tough. I’m just slowly getting over it.” You looked forward once more, taking a drag of your cigarette, trying to hide the twitch that just happened in your eyebrow, but Eddie knew he couldn’t leave until you finally let it all out. You’ve been enduring it all by yourself the past two weeks, there was no need to do that when they were all here.

“Look, I told you I can read people like the palm of my hand, didn’t I?” He said and you surely remember that. You scoffed and looked at him, an eyebrow raised in confusion.

“Yeah, and I’m still wondering if you have a superpower or just a stalker.” He rolled his eyes at your joke and shook his head, taking a sip of his beer and handing the can your way. You took it in your hand and took a gulp as well, putting the can back on the table.

“I am just good at reading people.”

“Right, and I’m–”

“Changing the topic.” 

You closed your mouth and snapped it shut to be completely honest. He was staring at you, his eyes never leaving yours, and you felt an intense heat filling your entire body at the gaze, but it was a shameful heat. A kind of guilty feeling rising up inside of you that you couldn’t quite comprehend. 

“L-Look… how I handle my problems is my own issue. I take me time, I prefer to be alone so I can think–”

“Bad.”

Your eyebrows knitted together in anger as you look at him, putting your cigarette out in the ashtray in front of you both. You were becoming defensive, you knew that, but you don’t know why he is intruding so much in your life when he should just back away.

“I always solved my problems this way! And it’s–”

“That’s a lie.” He wasn’t looking at you, but your face was on fire from anger, from nerves, from an anxious feeling that was building inside your guts.

“Excuse me?” You were going to explode at him, you really were, but then his face turned to look at you after he put the cigarette bud out on the ashtray, and your anger evaporated from your whole body at the frown on his eyebrows.

“You didn’t solve it alone in your past.” 

Your heart was beating inside your chest, wanting to run out of your throat, and you could feel the blood rushing in your ears, and your hands started to become sweaty, extremely so. Your head turned, looking away from him and you wanted to run away because the lump in your throat was forming again. Fuck, it was happening once more.

“Sometimes I did.” That was a lie. That was a horrible lie. You always enjoyed the comfort of people, and the hugs they would give you in your moment of stress, of sadness, of anxiety. You always found stillness and calm when you talked to people about your problems.

Eddie was still looking at you with a saddened look on his face. He has been joking with you all night, trying to make you laugh, trying to make you forget… But he knew that you needed this. He knew it, and he wasn’t going to let you live this alone. If he knew something about life, it was loneliness.

“We are not like them.” His voice was calm but reassuring. You almost choked with those words and you gotta give it to him, he was one smart bastard. Your eyes were starting to burn and you needed to hold it in. You needed to.

“I know.” Was your short response, but Eddie didn’t hold back. He needed you to break.

“Then act like it.”

And that was enough for a tear to finally fall from the edge of your waterline and onto your cheek.

You were never alone in these moments. You always told Camila about your issues at work, about your heartbreaks, about your good moments, about your triumphs and your falls, and she had always been there. Always giving you a shoulder, always telling you that everything would be okay, always giving you advice and opinions on the issues you were going through.

You had someone to talk to, someone that knew you since little, someone that you thought would never, ever, not in a million years hurt you, harm you, or destroy you. 

And what if it were to happen again? What if you were to open up to people that would hurt you later on? People that might rip you apart without hesitation? What if you opened up only for a knife to be stabbed back into your mouth?

It was wrong for you to put them all in the same bag, but could you really blame yourself? Could you blame yourself for how hard it was for you to trust someone entirely? It’s not that you don’t trust them, you just don’t trust the future. You don’t trust that everything will be okay. You don’t trust that everything has a happy ending. You simply don’t trust, so you move on tippy toes in order to not step on glass. 

Robin was not like Camila. You knew that Robin would never do to you what Camila had done… but it wasn’t easy. It wasn’t. You wished it were. You wished you could see into the future to know that nothing changes, to know that you weren’t going to get your heart broken, but that was impossible.

How can someone trust another person as blindly as you trusted the one that hurt you?

“It’s not easy.” Your voice cracked. Fuck, it cracked. You took a sharp breath in, trying to calm down but he broke the dam. He broke it, and you were shaking trying to hold everything in, trying to tape it all back together.

“I know it’s not sweetheart… The last thing we want is to hurt you…” You didn’t miss the ‘we’. You didn’t miss how he included himself in that equation at all. 

And for some reason, your chest filled with warmth at that, but you couldn’t contain the dam anymore. You really couldn’t, and Eddie’s eyes almost widened when more tears slipped down your face, uncontrollably so. The last time he saw you cry he had to hold back, almost painfully, in order to not go after Hargrove to beat his face in. 

He protects his friends. Just like he punched that guy that tried flirting with Jonathan and groped him without consent. Like the girl that said nasty things to Robin at school and he dumped his drink all over her head. Like when he punched Steve’s father square in the face when he went to his house uninvited, only to see his father slapping Steve across the face after Steve came out as Bisexual.

He will always protect them, and now, you are included in that.

“I–” You had to snap your eyes shut as memories with Henry started coming back to your head, mixing up with the ones you have with Billy. You clenched your eyelids together as the memories turned painful with your resolve, with your heart. Eddie’s eyes twitched as he scooted closer to you but not touching you, even if he wanted to wrap his arms around you.

“You can do it, sweetheart.” 

And you finally let that sob out of your throat. That lump that you swallowed many times during the night, the lump of words that needed to be thrown out of your lips but did not have the bravery to do so. And once that sob was out, many more came out after, tears falling even when your eyes were shut.

He didn’t interrupt your tears, your sobbing, your crying. He didn’t interrupt you even when he thought you were running out of air, he just let you cry without invading your space. He let you finally break down in peace, in a safe place, and he is joyful that you find that safe place with him. He knows you are not being evil to Robin, he just knows how to read people and he knows what they sometimes need to hear.

You knew your face was a mess, your eyes were red, your nose was snotty, but you couldn’t help it. You were letting out feelings that you held in for the past two weeks. Feelings that you pushed to the back of your head because you didn’t even want to think about it, you didn’t even want to say them out loud, but they were a great fear. 

“I–” It was hard to talk, but you needed to do so. You needed to talk, to voice those fears out, to say what you are thinking, to say what you desire and what you are afraid of. Eddie noticed now that you were breathing irregularly, and even if he wanted to leave you alone, he didn’t want you to choke.

“Peach, I need you to calm down, slowly, you are choking on your breaths.” He now pressed a hand on your back, and you felt yourself feel lighter for some reason. Your sobs kept coming out as you took deep breaths in, but he was patient with you, guiding you every time you failed to take a long breath. 

You might have stayed like that for a whole twenty minutes but he never stopped rubbing your back, coaxing you into breathing, but he wasn’t making you stop crying. He wanted you to keep doing that but needed you to breathe properly. 

Your chest started going up and down slower and slower as time passed, a few sobs came out here and there, but the tears never stopped in quantity. They were waterfalls, just coming down and down, but you no longer cared. You didn’t.

And then Eddie finally saw your eyes again as you opened them. They were red, and glossy, your eyebrows were knitted together in the center of your forehead, and he noticed the pain that was being held inside of you. The grip on your back was a little harder now, but he reminded himself that he had to be gentle now, to push his own anger aside.

You looked out in the distance, and your throat was burning from all the sobbing, from all the crying, from holding that lump for so long, but it felt amazing. It felt as if a weight was lifted off your shoulders, of your head, of your body. But the weight in your heart was still there, and the only way to lift it–

“I’m scared…”

And Eddie’s ears perked up.

“What are you scared of?” And you took a deep breath in, and you finally opened your heart.

“All my life… I’ve always wanted kids. One, two… Maybe three.” A small smile appeared on your lips as you talked. “I know it’s cliché, but–”

“It’s not. It’s your dream.” Your eyes found his with surprise in them and he was looking back at you with an intense gaze you never saw from him before. You gave him a small nod and looked back down to your lap to continue.

“When I got together with Henry and when I got married… I was so happy, so excited. I told my mom how I couldn’t wait to start a family. Henry told me he wanted it too, that he always dreamt of being a dad.”

You cleared your throat as you felt another lump coming out thanks to the memories of Henry telling you all about the plans he wanted for his kids. Your mind was off again, lost in thoughts, and Eddie needed to get you out of there.

“He wanted kids like you…” Eddie pushed and you snapped back into conversation again, noticing you had stopped talking.

“Yes… He wanted them… Just not with me, it seems.” 

Eddie’s free hand turned into a tight fist, veins popping out from the strength. He can’t do anything about it, it was your past, it was done with, but the anger wasn’t any less. He really wanted to kill that man. He just wanted to rip his head off. 

“Peach–”

“And… with Billy– When I told him about this… He didn’t back away. He told me he wasn’t ready now, but that the idea didn’t scare him. That he always wanted…” A giggle escaped your lips as you remembered something and Eddie’s eyebrow raised up.

“What?” He was a little worried about your change in emotions, but maybe it was necessary for you.

“He told me he always wanted to name a kid of his, Eustace.” At that Eddie snorted, putting his free hand over his mouth as he shook his head.

“Okay, that is a horrible name. Poor kid.” He laughed and you didn’t hold back the giggle which turned into a sad frown as you tried to keep the sob in your throat. 

“Yeah…” Your eyes drifted down to your lap, and you noticed how you were fiddling with your fingers, trying to keep yourself moving in some way. You felt your stomach in a strange amount of knots, almost making you feel sick. “But now, I’m no longer with him.”

“Peach–”

“What if I never reach that dream of mine Eddie?” You were fully looking at him now, and his eyes almost widened at the fear he saw behind yours. Fresh tears slipped down your eyes as you shook your head at him. “What if it never happens for me?”

Eddie was speechless. He never expected to see you afraid of anything, much less about your own dreams and convictions. He was staring at you as you kept looking at him, letting him finally see the pains and the fears that always plagued your head, finally voicing out what you’ve been afraid of doing for the past weeks, for the past year.

“Sweetheart, I’m sure it will happen, you are young–”

“And what if it doesn’t? What if I get screwed over again and again?” You knew you sounded crazy but the what-ifs always tortured your mind. They were always like little knives trying to dive themselves into your scalp, twisting in order to get to your brain. 

“You don’t know that.” Eddie’s eyebrows pulled together in the center, slowly centering in the problem, realizing that… you had a reason to be scared.

“But what if!? I can’t– I won’t ever have children! And I don’t want to marry someone for the sake of it, I really don’t!” A sob escaped your lips, but you didn’t mind as you kept talking, “I can’t adopt on my own either because this fucking world sucks! Everything just fucking sucks Eddie!” 

And Eddie broke, his arms wrapping around your frame to pull you into him, your bodies twisting in order to face each other, but not uncomfortably. You welcomed the hug, your mind no longer in defense mode. There was no fortress now, the dam was broken, the armor you put on for the past year crumbled completely. 

One of his arms was wrapped on your shoulders to pull you into his chest, while the other stayed over your arm. Your hands went around his waist and found grip on his back, your face squashed in his chest while his chin rested at the top of your head.

And you cried.

And Eddie held you.

And you cried some more.

And Eddie never complained.

And you both had no idea how long you’ve held one another. You didn’t realize either how your cries made Robin and Steve sober up slightly and stand in alert at the door of your balcony while Eddie looked at them with a pained look in his eyes. You didn’t notice when Eddie shook his head towards them so they wouldn’t scare you away, so they wouldn’t stop you from crying.

Why with Eddie? Why did you break with him? How did he even manage to do it? Robin is going to be pissed at you again, and your mind was being evil to you because Robin was far from angry when she saw Eddie hugging you just now. She was relieved. She was relieved that she was hearing you cry.

You felt Eddie’s hand going up and down your arm, trying to calm you down, and your nails were digging into his waist, his hips, his back, trying to put your feet back into the ground, and he didn’t care. The pain that your nails caused him, he knew it couldn’t compare to what you were feeling right now. The fear, the sadness, the hopelessness of never getting what you most desire. 

That is something he knows perfectly well. For he has his own that he doesn’t know if he’ll ever get.

After a while your shoulders stopped shaking, your grip softened, and Eddie knew his shirt was drenched, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. Who would have thought the woman he couldn’t stand months ago was now crying onto his chest as if the world was going to end and she had tons of regrets about things she didn’t fulfill. 

You slowly pulled away from him and quickly wiped your face because you knew all your makeup was smudged. You must look like a mess but there was no energy in you to be embarrassed about this. 

But fuck if it didn’t feel good.

You felt lighter than ever. Way lighter than when you were with Billy even. A fear that had settled deep into your stomach and you never voiced it out for him. You sniffled and stared down at your lap, your breaths still coming out like sighs out of your mouth. 

You felt his bent index finger rest below your chin and he raised your head so he could look at your face. Your pupils clashed with his and your stomach did a jump. Just one jumpy knot. Your eyes were puffy already, your lips were still trembling, and you were sniffling nonstop, but Eddie didn’t look disgusted or thrown off. He looked calm, yet you could feel a certain empathy, a certain understanding from how he was looking at you as if he was saying a silent ‘I know how you feel.’

“You’re still young, we all are, and you don’t know what the future holds, so being afraid of it is useless and fruitless.” 

And your eyes were looking into his, and you could see how he was always trying to be strong too, even when he knew what the future held for him and his uncle. You realized that Eddie had it worse than you… because he knew. He knows how it will end, and he is the one telling you to not think about your uncertain future.

“I’m sorry…”

It came out of your lips naturally, feeling selfish again for not realizing sooner how your words might affect him. He only gave you a small smile and with his thumb, he wiped one of your cheeks from the stains of your tears. 

“Nothing to be sorry for Peach. It’s normal to have fears… but you gotta let life give you some surprises, okay?” Eddie replied softly, and you felt calm in his voice, in his touch and you only wanted to rest against his shoulder because tiredness was slowly consuming you. He seemed to notice and he rested his back against the couch and patted his shoulder for you to rest on him. 

You couldn’t bother to feel ashamed, bothered, embarrassed, you needed the cuddle, the snuggle, the touch. You needed to feel warmth again, to feel care from someone towards you, from someone wanting to make you feel better, to console you.

You don’t even remember when you fell asleep.

It wasn’t until the next day that you were in bed, waking up groggily still in the same clothes from yesterday night that you realized you slept the night away and you didn’t even flinch when Eddie or Steve moved you to your bed. 

You groaned as you got up from the bed, feeling your throat as dry as a desert, only to almost fall to the ground when your foot hit something on the floor. You looked down with a gasp to see Robin sleeping with her mouth wide open and the spare futon under her. You contained a giggle as you tiptoed to your desk and got a marker out.

You kneeled down next to your best friend’s head and you slowly drew a mustache at the top of her lip. You smiled at your work of art and straightened up in order to go to your kitchen, only to stop in your tracks when you saw Steve sleeping on your living room couch and then Eddie…

He brought the balcony couch inside to sleep in.

Your features softened at seeing his sleeping face, soft breaths coming out from in between his lips, blocking Steve’s loud snores away. He could have gone home instead of sleeping cramped and uncomfortable on your small couch. He stayed despite that and is sleeping soundly in your living room. 

Your heart gave one thump. Two thumps. Maybe three. 

An hour later you were making some breakfast. You took your time to go down to the street and go to the small market in the corner to get some eggs and milk in order to make some waffles in your waffle maker. You got some syrup and powdered sugar, then blueberries and some bananas. 

It seems the smell of food woke Robin up, as always, and you heard her walking out of the room groggily but with a pleasant voice coming out of her mouth.

“Mmm, that smells so–”

And you turned around just in time as she cracked up in laughter, pointing at Steve’s face. Steve jolted awake, shooting up on the couch with his hair completely disheveled, only to then start laughing as well as he saw Robin’s face.

“What the fuck is that!?”

“Me!? What the fuck is on your face Harrington!?”

“Can the both of you shut the fuck up?” The last voice said in a really gruff tone that if it weren’t for the situation at hand, your knees would have buckled. Steve and Robin turned to look at Eddie only to snort loudly and then laugh even louder than before, making Eddie raise an eyebrow of his.

“Dude, your fucking face–” Steve choked out and then he immediately shut up, face falling. He rushed to get up and run to the mirror that was in a column of your living room. He yelled when he saw that all of his freckles were now connected all over his face and neck, like a constellation of some sort, a few childish stars drawn here and there.

Eddie’s eyes widened when he saw Robin’s mustache and got up as well, rushing to the mirror alongside her to check himself out. He had small horns on his forehead and his eyebrows were filled and put in the shape of an angered frown. He straightened up and your three friends turned to look at you as you started whistling while turning your waffle maker.

“Does anyone want waffles?”

At the lack of response, you slowly turned around to find Eddie already towering over you and you choked on a snort, closing your mouth tightly because he just looked like a cartoon right now.

“You think it’s funny?”

“A little.” At your response, Eddie gave a nod.

“Steve, Robin. Pin her down.”

You ended up having your face drawn on. Your forehead had a small crown at the corner, your cheeks had two hearts and for good measure, Eddie put his own touch to it all and drew a dick in the corner of your mouth.

And you all ate waffles with drawings on your faces.

End of chapter 14

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[melwsnt]

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DOOR

After countless heated fights, you and eddie call things off, unofficially . All this time all you ever wanted was for him to chase after you...Until he actually does.

Obviously based on the other side of the door by Taylor swift 🤭

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A fortnight.

Two weeks since it happened.

Two hours every single night of sitting at your window starring hopelessely at the driveway hoping to hear the roar of his van you know all to well.

Two days of your friends trying their best to get you out of the house, while also trying not to pick a side.

And now two minutes of being back to that same window, starring at the curly metal-head you've been in love with for so long.

They say there is five stages of grief.

denial;

anger;

bargainign;

depression;

and acceptance.

You'd been grieving, but in denial for two weeks. And yet, seeing him standing here, in the drivway, in the pouring rain, ready to throw pebbles at your window,like you'd imagined, the denial didn't go away. It increased.

It was impossible in your mind that after everything you've endured with each other, he'd want you back. He fucked up, and yet you were set on yourself being the problem. You gave him too much shit for nothing, that's why he went to someone else. Though you never even let him explain the why as to he had been with another girl just minutes prior to your last argument.

It didn't matter. You were mad. Furious, even. But living without him was like living without the nececities you needed to survive. It was impossible.

He had tried calling so many times. But the only way you wanted him to chase you, was for him to show up at your door.

⟣⟢

TWO WEEKS AGO

Steve's parties always had the reputation of being the best, yet most of the people you knew had gotten their heart broken in that house. Steve included. Unbeknownst to you, tonight was about to be your turn.

You were looking for eddie, scooped the whole house, and yet he was nowhere to be found. Until eventually, the bathroom that was closed ten minutes ago was now unlocked. Letting yourself in, the sight in front of you was filled with disgust and pure anger and sadness. She had her lips on his. Moving in synch as if they fit better on his then yours did. All these years spent making fun of you at school, even making fun of him, and yet her mind had changed and she has gone after him.

The silence that filled the room was enough to kill someone. The buzz in your ears, the voices in your head telling you to get out of here before you threw up, or threw punches.

Your legs moved faster than your mind registered and before you knew it, you were standing in steve's room, hands on your stomach, tears pouring down your face.

The door opened, you could hear him sigh, before he could even open his mouth to say anything.

"Don't" You said, voice low, scared to choke on your own words.

"Y/n.” Eddie tried to take a step towards you, before being stopped again.

"I said don't. I don't wanna hear it. I've had enough of this."

"Can you at least let me explain? I swear it didn't-"

"If you're about to say it didn’t mean anything so help me god Eddie i will actually lose my mind. I said i don't wanna hear it. I just wanna be left alone. Leave, please." You said, your back still to him.

"I'm not leaving until you let me explain. I promise it's not what it looked like."

"Fine. If you're not leaving, then i'm out of here. I'll walk home."

“Please don’t-“

The slamming of the door cutting him off was intense, heads turned to you in the hallway, seeing your macara stained cheeks. Friends called your name, but it all seemed too far away for you to care. You just had to get home, and cry. Because it was over. You needed him, and frankly didn't know how you were going to survive this.

⟣⟢

NOW

You don't know how you even made it down the stairs to the door. Maybe it was still the denial kicking in, making you think you'd seen a ghost and were hoping he wasn't behind that door. Or maybe you wanted him to be.

Muscle memory opened that door before you could even think of doing so, and he was there,standing in the rain, one last pebble in his hand which he dropped the moment your eyes locked. Standing under the porch light drenched in water, waiting to say what you'd been waiting for.

"I'm gonna talk and i need you to not interrupt me. I'm so sorry. You didn't leave me any time to explain and i was so mad at first but now i get it. I can't imagine what it looked like and i'm sorry. But i did mean it when i said it wasn't what it looked like. I was just smoking and she came in, i told her i was with you, she laughed then kissed me and i was a bit drunk so it took me seconds to register. I know that's no excuse, and i'll forever apologize. But i can't keep going on without you. I know you, i know you've been waiting for me to come here. But i called a hundred times and never got an answer. I thought you never wanted to see me again. I'm sorry. I’ll do anything to make you forgive me." After rambling for so long and so fast, Eddie was out of breath. It took him a second to catch it, starring back at you waiting for you to either kiss him, or telling him to fuck off.

"Was she worth this mess? Do you regret it? because I’ve lost too much sleep over this and over you for us to have been a lie. I need to know this won't ever happen again."

"She was never worth it. You're the only thing in my life that's ever made sense and i'm sorry i fucked it all up. I swear, i'll never be this stupid again."

Arms crossed, cheeks still stained, a small smile made it's way to your lips.

"Good. Because i need you."

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

Haven’t been on here for so long because I had the worst writer’s block! Slowly getting back into it so this is a small one ( and probably bad let’s be honest) but I decided to start a Taylor series:) will be mostly for Eddie and Steve and song themed!! ( don’t hesitate if you have ANY request even if it’s not for Eddie or Steve, I can make some exceptions🤭)

I’m excited to get this actually started. 🫶🏼

[apomaro-mellow]

Part 6

When Nancy and Robin returned to his house, he told them that Jonathan had found Eddie. The two of them, along with Argyle, spent the night in case the two returned.

Neither of them showed their face.

The next day, Steve was alone in his house, waiting for one of them to come by or to call and explain what happened with Eddie. When it got past noon, Steve called Eddie's home. No answer. He held it together long enough for an hour to pass before calling the Byers-Hopper place. Joyce answered but said she hadn't seen Jonathan at all today.

Honestly what was worse than the not knowing was being confused on who he was more worried about, Jonathan, who had just kissed him for the first time, or Eddie, who had seen them kiss.

Steve busied himself with cleaning and exercising mostly. He thought about talking to Robin, waaay too much to have not called her at this point. But he didn't know where to start.

The day after Jon and Eddie went MIA, Steve officially out of things to clean and he was contemplating getting some kind of gym membership when the doorbell rang.

He answered it and Jonathan was there, asked if he wanted to go on a drive and Steve accepted.

It was rare that he was a passenger. He got to watch the town go by. It was five minutes into the ride that he realized he didn't even ask where they were going.

"We're doing this whole thing, because you don't wanna date anyone, right?", Jonathan asked.

"It's not because of that. I just didn't want Dustin hounding me about not dating Robin. And then it was about getting him to stop setting me up with anyone."

"So why did you choose me? Was it just because I walked through the door? It could have been anyone, right?"

Steve thought of who else could have walked through the door that he would claim to date on the spot just to trick Dustin. The list was short. Not Robin or Nancy. None of the kids. Argyle he had just met.

......Maybe Eddie?

"Whoever you just thought of, you probably should have picked him", Jonathan said.

"I don't regret choosing you", Steve said. "Or kissing you", he added quickly.

Jonathan bit his lip. Eddie and driven them back to his place the other night and they had talked until dawn. It was just before the sun rose, when the sky was its darkest that Eddie confessed.

"I've got the hots for your boyfriend, man."

A guy in a normal situation might show offense, or possessiveness, or something. But Steve wasn't his boyfriend. He shouldn't feel that way. Like he actually wanted Steve. Because that would be crazy, wouldn't it?

"I think you and Eddie should talk."

"Did he tell you why he ran off?", Steve asked.

"Yeah. But that's not for me to say."

Steve slouched a little in his seat. "Where are you taking us anyway?"

"I have no idea. I just couldn't talk in your house, man."

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

Nancy knew something was up. But she was also quite sure it was none of her business. Her two ex-boyfriends coming out as gay and dating each other was a shock to her system. But only because it had appeared to her that Steve and Eddie were the ones getting closer.

It was none of her business though. But whatever was going on was making things tense. It had been a couple of weeks since Eddie ran off in the night and he was acting like he hadn't.

It was probably no harm, no foul. He was safe and this wasn't a symptom of the Upside Down. But Nancy was never one to let things go.

And the New Year's party she was throwing was the perfect opportunity. Nancy had the house to herself. Mike was at his friend's party, her parents had gone to an office party and Holly was at a sleepover. She bulked up the guest list with some of her old girl scout buddies and some of then teens from her church (that lot could drink you under the table).

She enlisted the help of Argyle and Robin. It wasn't a complicated plan at all. She just needed Robin in on it so that she didn't release Steve at the slightest protest.

"Are we ready for this?", Nancy asked at around 11:15.

"As I'll ever be, shit", Argyle sighed.

"Nancy, you're sure this is going to work? Because it sounds like torture instead", Robin said.

Nancy looked at their quarry. Eddie, practically guarding the punch bowl, then across the room to where Steve and Eddie were sitting a respectful distance on the couch.

"This right now is torture."

So in a process that was quite surgical and precise, the three of them managed to get Steve, Jonathan, and Eddie into a closet and kept them locked in. The sounds of the party in the living room were a distant muffle.

Hopefully they could all ring in the new year as a group of friends refreshed. Instead of the stagnant air that had been around them.

Part 8 FINAL

Tag Team

@freddykicksasses @itsfreakingbats @thatrandombatgurl @loguine-linguine @cecinestpasunblog @aliea82

[elidoesntbreathwee]

giving steddie their rain kiss cuz they deserve it :D

It had been about a year since Vecna; since Steve and Eddie had met, since Eddie almost died. While Eddie and Max were in the hospital, Steve came almost every day, first checking up on Max, and saying hi to Lucas (who also came every day), then he would go to Eddie's room. Luckly for Steve, their rooms were very close.

Steve hadn't known Eddie for long at this point, it had only been a few months since they met, but they'd become so close in the short time that they had known each other. Maybe that's why Steve was there every day, maybe it was for a different reason entirely. All that mattered was that Steve would be there when Eddie woke up.

It took Eddie 3 months to wake up. It took Max 8 months. Steve was there for both of them when they woke up. Robin had also been with Steve when Eddie woke up, and after that, when Robin and Steve would hang out, there was a good chance that Eddie would be there too. The 3 went together most days to see Max. Eddie would read to her or play her favorite songs in the room while they were there since the doctors said that there might be a chance she could hear them.

Once Max woke up, the whole party spent a lot of time together. Dustin and Mike would tell her what went on at school while she was gone, Will told her about how they moved back to Hawkins (even though Joyce was VERY hesitant), and Lucas let her know some of the things that went on at the hospital. Everyone else listened as the boys recounted everything that had happed in those 8 months.

A lot happened in that time frame, but Steve couldn't help but focus on small things that a certain someone did and said. Steve couldn't stop thinking about Eddie. Even if it wasn't the biggest thought in his mind, Eddie was still always somewhere in his thoughts.

One night, about a week after the 1-year anniversary of Vecna (aka the 'earthquakes') and Steve and Eddie (and prolly the rest of the party) had been getting worse nightmares due to it being close to the time Vecna happened. Steve, Robin, and Eddie had been having sleepovers almost every night, because it helped all of them to know that they weren't alone when they inevitably woke up in the middle of the night, either in a cold sweat or screaming (or sometimes both). But one night, Robin was going over to Nancy's (wink wink) instead, which left Steve and Eddie by themselves in Steve's huge house (wink wi- imm sorry).

They weren't very awkward or anything, since they were friends, but they realized they hadn't hung out by with just the other in months. They took a bit to get used to it just being the 2 of them (things like say "hey Eddie" or "hey Steve" instead of 'you guys') and to decide what they wanted to do.

For a while they played Uno, then they got bored of it, so they put on a movie (Ferris Buller's Day Off, cuz i said so) and sat down next to each other on Steve's couch. If were being honest, neither of them were paying that much attention to the movie. Eddie got distracted by his thoughts and started messing with his rings and hair, and Steve got distracted by Eddie messing with his rings and hair.

You really can't blame Steve though, I mean, Eddie's the prettiest guy he'd ever seen, from his long, curly, dark brown hair to his pretty chocolate eyes, to his dimpled smile, his everything.

Steve hadn't realized he'd been staring for so long. Eddie was waving his hand in front of Steve's face, hope that he wouldn't start levitating soon.

"Steve? Steve, you here? Steve, what's wrong? STEVE!?"

"What? Huh? Did i miss something?" Steve's eye's moved around the room, forgetting that Eddie wasn't the only thing that exsisted

"Oh," Eddie sighed in relief. "Jesus H. Christ man, you scared me. I thought Vecna got you or something."

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you Eds" Steve looked over at the tv "Oh god, how long was i spacing out for? We're literally halfway through the movie and i only remember being 10 minutes in."

"Yeah, i don't know. I spaced out to."

"Do you wanna keep it on or find something different to watch?"

"Nah, keep it on. I know what happened while we were spaced out, it's fine." The two then turned back to the tv and focused for a really long time on it (aka 10 minutes) before Steve said,

"Y'Know, I kinda wish we could do this all the time, not just when it's nightmare season."

"Do what? Have sleepovers like we're 12 years old?" Eddie chuckled. "Honestly, me too."

"Yeah. If only, right."

"Mhm"

Then they sat through the rest of the movie. Weather they were paying attention is up to mystery, but the movie finished, and they were both still there, no broken bones.

After the movie, Steve let Eddie go shower, and made food while he was waiting. He made the food of Kings: pizza. Once Eddie got out, the two ate their pizza, then Steve got in the shower. By the time Steve got out it was 1:30 AM, so they both went into Steve's bedroom (there's a spare room, but the whole point of this is that they don't wake up alone. being in separate rooms wouldn't really make sense)

Usually Steve, Robin and Eddie all slept together in Steve's bed. Steve and Eddie on the sides, Robin in the middle, but Robin wasn't here tonight, she was probably snuggling up to Nancy (good for her, u go girl) so Steve and Eddie had to figure out how they were going to do things. Should one of them sleep on the floor? Should they lay like how they would normally, just with no one else in between them? Should they cuddle or spoon? Should they forget sleep in its entirety and stay up all night? Probably not that last one, but still, they didn't quite know what to do, so they just sat on Steve's king-sized bed (perfect for King Steve- not that he's that person anymore) and brought up possibilities of how they should sleep. They ended up sleeping how they would normally, just without Robin between them.

They feel asleep fairly quickly, both tired from the day's drama, but as expected, Eddie woke up after another nightmare. What Eddie wasn't expecting was to be cuddled up close to Steve. Steve had his arms wrapped around Eddie like he would never let go, Eddie's head close to Steve's chest, so close that he could hear Steve's heart beating. Eddie hadn't screamed when we woke up, just sweating and almost hyperventilating. Eddie had moved some to get closer to Steve, (which was kind of impossible since he and Steve were taking up only one person's space) which woke him up.

"Hey," Steve started sleepily, "You ok?"

"Just a nightmare, nothing unusual." Eddie said into Steve's chest.

"It's ok Eds, it's gonna be ok." Steve started rubbing circles on Eddie's back. "Just breath with me, mk"

"mk, thank you" Steve nodded. The two synced their breathing and soon fell back to sleep.

Neither of them woke up until the morning. It was 9:45 AM, and it was raining. Steve woke up before Eddie by 5 minutes, but he didn't get out of bed (mostly because he was still tangled up with Eddie) until Eddie woke up. He went downstairs to cook them breakfast, while Eddie packed up what little he had brought over.

The two ate breakfast, then it was (sadly) time for Eddie to leave. Steve didn't want him to leave, even though he knew he'd see him again that night, Robin would be there. He loves Robin to bits but he knew he would miss being alone with Eddie. If Eddie was going to leave, Steve just wished he could kiss him goodbye, like a housewife kissing her husband as he's off to work. There's no way Steve could ever do that, though, so as Eddie said goodbye and walked out Steve's front door, Steve felt like he wasn't complete, like a part of him had left with Eddie, even though he would see him again.

Steve wasn't usually impulsive, at all, but sometimes you have to step out of your comfort zone.

Eddie had walked far enough that he couldn't clearly see Steve's house anymore through all the rain. He already missed Steve, even though they'd only been apart for a minute or two. He heard something faint in the distance, coming from behind him though.

"EDDIE! Eddie, wait up!!"

'Steve' Eddie immediately thought.

"STEVE?!"

Steve came running up to him, and hugged him tightly around the waist.

"Steve, oh my god, this might sound weird, but i really missed you even though its onl-"

Steve kissed him. On the sidewalk, in the rain. Eddie put his arms around Steve's neck and leaned into the kiss.

"Sorry, i just couldn't go any longer without doing that..." Steve said, breaking the kiss.

"I'm glad you did, because i wouldn't have had the guts to do it first" Eddie smiled, and kissed him again, this kiss lasting longer than the first.

"Well, you should get home, and i should go back inside before we get sick." Steve said, sad to have to stop kissing Eddie, but he'll see him again tonight. Even though Robin's going to be there, there are always closets.

That night, the tree of them went to Robin's house. Robin didn't have as big a bed as Steve, so they always had to squish so they could all lay on Robin's bed. Robin was usually in the middle here too. Really the only time she wasn't was when they stayed at Eddie's and one of them had to sleep in the floor (which they took turns doing). This time though, when the three were ready to go to bed, Eddie and Steve laid down next to each other.

Robin started asking questions (as she should) about what happened when she was at Nancy's.

"Wouldn't you like to know." Eddie said with a smirk, Steve cuddling up to him.

"Yeah, actually, I would." Robin replied, trying not to sound mad or anything (cuz she wasn't) but not too soft either.

"How about you tell us what happened with Nance and then maybe we'll tell you what went on with us" Steve said.

"Fine." Robin sighed. "Well, there wasn't much at the beginning, just normal stuff, i guess. Later when we were watching some boring movie, she put her head on my shoulder, and i may or may not have panicked and forgotten how to move. Then when the movie had like, 30 minutes left, she kissed me. Ok? You happy now?"

"Hmmmm, i donno, kinda boring." Eddie said, fake yawning.

"OH COME ON? THE TRUTH IS BORING, NOW TELL ME!!" Robin was loud, but not screaming, just really, REALLY loud.

"Chill, Rob, Im kidding." Eddie cleared his throat. "We watched a movie, spaced out, got ready for bed, ended up cuddling all night, we both had amazing sleep, we ate food, then i left."

"What. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?" Robin tried very hard to controll herself.

"No, that's what happened" Steve said

"WHA-" Robin was cut off by Steve

"But it's not *all* that happened" Steve smirked.

"Ok? So tell."

"After he left, I ran after him, in the rain, and we kissed" Steve looked at Eddie and smiled.

"So, we all kissed someone, and now I'm inviting Nancy to come over right now."

"What? Why?" Eddie looked confused

"I wanna cuddle with someone too" Robin thought that was obvious.

Nancy *did* come, and the four of them were very squished on Robin's bed, which was something she did not think through before inviting Nancy. The four made room, though, by snuggling very close, which worked out for all of them, because who doesn't wanna cuddle.

The four of them did this at least twice a week now, even when it wasn't 'nightmare season'.

THE END :)

this took me, like, four (4) days to write, so a like would be very appreciated, and hey, if you're feeling SUPER nice, a reblog would be absolutely wonderful :)

[floosies]

Where the Boys Are

Mob!Steve Harrington x oc!fem reader

Fic warnings: violence, mentions of weapons, mentions of substance/verbal abuse, smut, cursing, angst, strangers to lovers (18+)

Part Three: Maybe I Know

She hadn't been to a proper party in a while. Of course she knew what she did want to wear her parents wouldn't allow, but thank goodness for layering. The last party she went to was a bore, her boyfriend spent most of it over a keg with his friends while she talked to Jenny the whole night. It came as a surprise that Suzie had gotten her parents to actually let her go out on a weekend, which simply made her more excited. They were entering adulthood now, they were being trusted for once.

They had planned the whole week ahead of that friday night, Everything and anything that could go wrong had been accounted for and it all felt so secure. Kevin had laughed at how intricate his girlfriend was being with this, but he'd known she was always like this. He knew his time was running out as the senior year continued, he had to break up with her sooner rather than later, but he wanted it to be amicable. She had been one of the few friendly faces he had come to know in Indiana. There was a lot of guilt, he hadn't been honest with her, the way she had with him, sure he knew the main reason he wanted to end things was his want of a more mature relationship, but he had also slept with someone else.

Only his teammates knew, it was at a party they went to in the summer. They were drunk and the girl called him cute, he shouldn't have followed her to the bathroom but the liquor in his system was telling him otherwise. The guys never spoke on it, deep down most of them were waiting for Kevin to fuck up, for the chance to arise where he would let it slip and they could swoop in to cheer up his girlfriend.

-

Friday night came as quickly as the week went, she had been planning this outfit for a while. While it was out of her comfort zone completely, she was hoping it would go well with her boyfriend. They were adults now, or becoming adults anyways and it seemed like the right time to reintroduce herself to everyone. Her boyfriend had called her parents saying he was on his way for her by eight. She did her best to make herself look 'presentable' in the way her parents were used to. Her lipstick and earrings that were going to be changed out were in her purse.

After hearing the honk from the car horn, Mia jumped downstairs, heart beating out of her chest. Her dad protective as always walked her to his car giving her boyfriend the usual talk. He promised once more to have her home on time and no funny business. As soon as the house was out of sight she took off her sweater and began putting her lipstick on. Kevin looked surprised as he saw her outfit, "aren't you gonna be a little too cold in that?" She frowned at him, "you don't like it?" He shrugged as he focused on driving, "it's cute babe I'm just saying we're going to be outside for most of the night." Her brows furrowed, "well you have your jacket I'm sure I could just borrow it babe." The tone in her voice sounding somewhere between a threat and an attempt at flirting. He nodded realizing this, "yeah of course."

Steve had no picture of her to give to Eddie, but Dustin said he knew well enough how she looked and he'd keep an eye out if anything happened. While Steve trusted the kid, he also knew he'd be tied up with his own girl so he simply instructed that at some point he pointed her out to Ed. Part of him just wanted to go and raise hell any old way but he knew where he wasn't wanted or needed. It was going to be another night playing cards with the old guys while the time passes.

-

As soon as the car was parked Mia ran out and went looking for her friends. She was going to need them to survive the night, house parties were always hit or miss. When she found them they went into action finding ways to make the night bearable. There were drinks flowing and the compliments came from everyone around her, but she still felt like it wasn't enough to get by and her nerves were getting the best of her. Suzie suggested something she never thought she would, "Dustin said one of his friends is working here tonight. Maybe just a little sedative couldn't hurt?" Jenny's eyes went wide and she playfully elbowed Suzie. "I didn't know you could be such a rebel." They laughed, but Mia agreed it couldn't hurt and they promised to be there if she felt sick at all.

They tracked down the friend, and she went on her way. He was leaning against a wall with a beer in one hand as he scoped the place. Ed hadn't heard anything from Dustin yet, he had no idea he was selling Steve's girl some pills. It wasn't until she was about to excuse herself when he came up to them with Suzie around his arm, "Mia! You finally met my friend Eddie!" She couldn't help the fear from showing on her face but he looked a little too buzzed too notice. Ed though looked mortified, it was too late to take back the stuff. She looked back at him, "yeah! I was just saying hi is all, no need to stand here when all the fun is outside!" She said hoping the moment would pass. Thankfully Suzie rescued her, "right?! Dustin i'm going to go with Mia to the bathroom! I'll be back!" The curly haired boy just nodded along.

Passing by a punch bowl Mia grabbed a cup of the red drink while throwing the pills back and hoping she could ease whatever she was feeling. Suzie watched somewhat amazed and scared, "easy there! I think you should have just taken one mimi!" She waved her off, "I'll be okay. I really need them right now and I also wanna go dance with Kevin." They went then to look for Jenny so that they could all go outside together.

-

After they had left Eddie punched Dustin on the shoulder enough to make the kid shout in pain, "what the fuck was that for?" His face suddenly sobering up as Eddie glared at him, "that was Mia?!" Dustin nodded not understanding, "dude I just sold her like two xanax bars!" Dustin now shoved Eddie, "why the fuck would you do that?" "Because I didn't know that was her!" They both got quiet, Eddie started looking around, "listen stay with your girlfriend and keep an eye out on them. If anything happens tell me so I can call Steve." Frantically Dustin nodded and ran off to find them.

Somehow they had convinced Jenny and the guy she was making out with to go dance with them outside for a while. Dustin had somehow found Suzie again, all that was left was for Mia to get her guy to agree. It'd only been about twenty minutes but maybe the liquor in the punch was causing for the pills to kick in, but she felt like she could do this. As she neared his friends near the kegs, she found him and went to hug him, "hey babe!" She could smell the liquor on him, it was heavier than his cologne. He pushed her off, "Mia I'm trying to relax right now, why don't you go back to your friends huh?" Her happy demeanor dropped, "what do you mean? I wanna dance with you!" He scoffed, "well I dont wanna dance okay. So just run off like you did earlier." He was never this mean, "i'm sorry I was just excited to-" "to ditch me." She shook her head, "that's not true! I just wanna have fun like you!" Trying to get near him again, he pushed her away again, her friends didn't know if they should step in yet.

She knew they were watching, she quietly asked him with tears now starting to pool "please don't be like this. People are looking-" Kevin shouted, "I don't care! Let them look! You always do whatever the fuck you want and I just have to be okay with it! You get to be a prude and tell me how to be a man. It's such bullshit." Mia had gone from sad to angry in a flip, "a prude?! Really?! You were the one who said we should give it time! I agreed with you! The only reason I have to tell you how to act is because you dont know how to fucking carry yourself! I do everything for you because you cant do it without me!" She could hear people reacting to them, but all she was seeing right now is anger. She shoved him back the way he had just a moment ago, there was a look in his eyes and before she could react he spat it out, "I can do just fine without you. I got mine anyways. What you wouldn't put out I found somewhere else! You're nothing special Mia!" The gasps were heard but she wouldn't cry even as close as she was to doing it, she wouldn't in front of him.

He looked proud of himself in that moment but if he wanted a low blow she would give him it, "you're a pig Kevin!" She turned away from him staring at the crowd, "also! The only reason he made it onto varsity is because I got you in there! I had my dad pay for funding on the condition you get in. They were never going to choose you! I mean look at you! Pathetic!" He looked wrecked, everyone else was either laughing or gasping at the scene. By then Dustin had ran a marathon getting on the phone with Steve and getting Eddie to come outside in case all hell broke loose. Her friends wanted to get her, but Dustin and Eddie both held them back not knowing what this kid was gonna do.

Kevin neared her, making both his friends and the other guys also take a step forward. He looked at her, anger coursing through him, "I'm glad I cheated on you. I should have broken up with you at your birthday. You aren't worth the trouble." His breath laced in beer as he spat on her shoes. It shouldn't have hurt, she shouldn't have let it, but she did. Before thinking it through she smacked him and ran off. He tried to run after her but Eddie and Dustin held him back. Her friends ran after her though.

-

Steve wasn't sure what he was expecting to hear from Dustin, he had prepared himself to feel some sort of anger or disgust at the idea of that prick kid being around his girl. However he wasn't prepared to hear about the scandal that was unfolding, without saying anything he took off to the address Dustin had given him, thankful it wasn't that far away from his place. He'd deal with the cops later, they knew his car well enough to know that if he was speeding there was a good reason and they'd be paid off regardless.

What he didn't expect was to almost hit Mia with his car. She ran into the street, tears staining her cheeks in black mascara. He put the car in park as fast he could and jumped out, "Mia what the hell! Sweetheart I could have ran you over what are you doing?!" Her eyes locked on him and the crying started up again. Her small arms wrapped around him, "Steve! I wanna go home!" She was shaking and all he could was hold her, his lips pressed on the top of her head, "I know sweetheart I'm going to take you home right now." That's when he heard her friends screaming for her. His voiced echoed loudly, "I got her! We're over here! She's okay!" Jenny and Suzie ran towards them their voice in unison yelling "Steve! Thank god!" Both girls hugging their friend, "oh my gosh Mia we're so sorry!" Jenny's voice said with a sadness. He needed to figure out what the hell happened.

Thinking as quickly as he could, Steve told the girls they could all wait in his car while they calmed Mia down. Suzie told him Dustin was on his way out of the party. When the guys came they huddled around Steve. The look on his face was usually how he looked after a difficult job. Eddie spoke first, "listen I had no idea it was her. She wasn't wearing anything you said she would usually wear-" "How much?" "Two." Steve nodded waving Eddie way, he would deal with him later. He looked over at Dustin, "what the hell happened?" That's when he explained everything. With every word Steve got more angry, he looked back at his car where the girls were huddled trying to calm her down.

He prayed the kid would try and come outside just to have a chance at handling him then and there. With a heavy sigh he focused in on the moment at hand and then gave the orders, "Eddie you're done for the night, let me clear this up and then you can head out man." He nodded moving slightly beside Steve. Then there was Dustin, "you did your job. You're doing good, listen take your girl and her other friend home." Taking out a couple hundreds he handed them to him, "drive safe kid." Dustin nodded and headed to get the girls.

The older guys followed behind him, back to Steve's car. The girls had gotten Mia to somewhat calm down. They didn't want to leave her though, but Steve promised them he would make sure she was safe. His eyes somewhat glanced at the shining silver from his gun that was on the side of the driver's door. Knowing there wasn't much else that they could do to protest, they listened and said their goodnights to their friend. As they left to Dustin's car, Mia's head perked up when she heard Kevin's voice yelling for her. Steve prepared himself, "Eddie stay near her. I'll deal with him-" Her small voice warned him, "Steve he's drunk please be careful." Steve calmed her, "I'll be okay honey."

She watched from the car window as they neared each other. If he was drunk, Steve had the upper hand, he was sure about it. This kid had no agility or strength in him. As soon as Kevin locked in on Steve he started his shit, "let me guess you came here to save her?" The older boy shrugged, "what can I say, she trusts me." He laughed, "you know she isn't gonna put out. I told you already-" "listen kid i'm giving you one chance to shut the fuck up. I don't wanna cause a scene at some random house full of kids." Kevin had guts though, he shoved Steve to which Steve responded by dropping him on the dirt. He fell hard enough to make him pass out. Steve fixed his hair as he looked at the kid, "I told you. One shot kid. You're fucked now." With that he walked back to his car.

Mia had seen everything, she didn't know what to make of it. She was still pretty out of it. She'd seen her dad get into a fight once, before her mother took her inside the house and upstairs to her room. She felt like she was back in that moment. Like a little girl unable to fight her own fights, but the way Steve looked at her made her feel like she didn't have to, as if he wanted to. Once in the car, he noted her shivering still and placed his blazer over her shoulders. He talked her through what would happen next, how they were going to get some food in her system and hope that the side effects from the pills would calm down before he took her home. Suddenly realization hit, she looked at him with fear in her eyes, "I cant go home like this! I really cant! My parents dont know I left the house like this!" Doing his best to calm her down, he promised her he wouldn't let her get in trouble. Should she have believed him? Maybe not but in the moment his voice sounded so reasonable she felt like she could trust him.

As he drove to whatever diner or drive in was open, Steve planned how he would handle this guy. What his boss would allow once he knew what the guy did to his daughter. He couldn't express it but the joy he felt about this was something he hadn't known when it came to the work he did. This was personal though, he looked down as he felt Mia snuggle into his side while he drove. It was like a dream, how it should be, how it was going to be from now on.

Series Masterlist

taglist (open): @xxhellfirebunnyxx

[taintedcigs]

LETS FUCKING GOOO. AND I CAN QUOTE THIS TIME. HEHEHEHHE!

He could’ve been the one for you if it wasn’t for Steve. He could’ve been.  You could’ve loved him. You could’ve. JUST BARELY INTO THE CHAPTER AND IM ALREADY THINKING ABT KILLINGMYSELF JESUS. FIRST OF ALL EDDIE SHE LOVES YOU OH MYGOD. OPEN UR EYES!'!!!!!

“She’s not some girl, she’s my best friend.” “And you have feelings for her,” he says, stating the obvious. Eddie licks his lips, he had never admitted it to anyone before, he had only admitted it to himself. He looks at him and nods weakly, afraid to say these words out loud.  SHUT UPPP. DIMITRI IS SO MUCH SMARTR THAN OUR LITTLE IDIOTS AND I LUV HES THE FIRST PERSON EDDIE CAN ADMIT THIS TO. BC LIKE ITS EASIER TO TELL IT TO SOMEONE WHO DOESN'T KNOW ANYTHING!!!

Then there is Heather. He is scared of Heather.  heather is a real ass bitch!!!

"You wouldn’t have left her for someone else, would you?” No, Eddie would never do this to you. Eddie would rather get his heart broken than be the one to break yours. “Never.” STOOOOPPP IM AVTUALLY CRYING. HE'S SO CUTE I JUST WANNA HUG HIM >:( NO ONE SHOULD GET THEIR HEART BROKEN. PLS STEDDIE X READER PULL THROUUGHHH.

“I’m pretty sure I failed math class because of her, she was always next to me – she always chose the seats next to me, I’m certain that she wasn’t even aware that she was doing it but she was there and I was there, and she was so focused on class while I spent the whole hour just staring at her. We weren’t friends back then but she always smiled at me even though we never really talked until last summer. We spent a night together after she had gotten into a fight with her boyfriend and then, she started paying more attention to me in school and then we became friends and then we got closer and closer and my plan to never catch feelings flew out the window,” IM ACTUALLY CRYING OVER THIS. OH OUR LITTLE LOVESICK PUPPY. I LUV HIM SSOO MUCH YOUR HONOR. UGH THEY ALL DESERVE TO BE HAPPY. IM GONNA DIE.

“The babysitter who is secretly dating both the mom and the dad,” he says with a smirk. LMAO. I THOUGHT THE DYNAMIC WOULD BE THE DUNGEON MASTER, THE QUEEN AND KING OF HAWKINS HIGH BUT IM LOVING BABYSITTER AND MOM AND DAD SO MUCH MOREEE

That night, he had put a ring on your middle finger, promising that the next one would be on your ring finger, only to crush your heart weeks later when he told you that he wasn’t in love with you anymore, that he fell in love with her. OH THIS STILL PISSED NE OFF SO MUCH YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS STEVIE!!! SMH MEN ALWAYS GIVING PROMISES AND NEVER FULFILLING THEM.

“Uh, well, Eddie rarely plays nowadays, he’s busy with work and the band but yeah, sure. You two should spend some time together.”  Steve raises his brows. Him and Eddie, spending time together? Eddie hates his guts. And, Steve doesn’t even blame him for it. But, he’s not a big fan of him either. Eddie has something that he wants back. EVERYBODY CLAM DWON EVERYBODY (ME) CALM DOWN STEDDIE X READER MIGHT HAPPEN. EVERYBODY. CALM. TF. DOWN.

“Maybe we can go back there sometime,” he whispers with hope in his heart.  “Yeah, maybe…” Though, while he sounds hopeful, you sound uncertain. And he knows, the reason isn't your past. But something, someone else. ANDY. YOU LITTLE MINX. HOW DARE U ENDIT RIGHT THERE OH MY FUCKING GOD

JDHGFDHJDFG IM SOOO. THIS WAS THE EPRFECT AMOUNT OF ANGST. I JUST CANNNOT WAIT FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER. IMSOSO EXCITED. TO SEE EVERYTHING UNFOLD. ESPECIALLY WSTEVE!S BDAY. AJHGRJHRG IM GONNA DIE.

ALSO IDK WHAT ELSE I EXPECTED FROM A RWYLM INSPIRED CHAPTER. BUT LIKE. I JUST THOUGHT WE WERE LISTENING TO TAYLOR SWIFT!!! I DIDNT THINK OF THE CONSEQUENCESSSS. PLS FIX THIS WITH LOTS OF FLUFF NEXT CHAPTER BFF.

I knew you'd linger like a tattoo kiss | part twenty five

Warnings: angst, mentions of heartbreak, mentions of unrequited love. love triangle. not proofread

Pairings: Steve Harrington x fem!reader | Eddie Munson x fem!reader

Summary: As the summer is starting to come to an end, you begin to understand your feelings a little more. While Steve and Eddie struggle with their own.

Word count: 4.8k

A/N: So, I know I said that this would be the birthday chapter but I decided to split it! Do the angst first and give you the fluff later. I'd need much more time to finish it and I really wanted to give you guys something, so here ya go, enjoy it. Next chapter is gonna be silly, it’s gonna be fun (after a little angst in the beginning hehe)

Also for those who forgot who Dmitri is, it’s ‘Enzo’ from season 4.

oh and also, listen to this one while you read this chapter :')

series masterlist

-

The strong smell of oil lingers in the air, loud noises fill the large hall, laughter and chatter from the break room, the music from the radio at the front desk, yet none of the sounds manage to distract Eddie from the storm that is taking place in his mind. 

Your words keep repeating themselves over and over again. 

I wish I met you first, Eddie. 

That night, he laid next to you and watched you sleep, thinking about your words, over and over again. He could not make sense of them. 

What does it mean? 

He could not even ask you what it meant, after you had said it, he was too shocked to even say anything, at that moment. He could only stare at you, his heart racing, his eyes wide as he watched you stare at his lips. His first instinct was to swoon over these few simple words, over the way you had looked at him, over the way you had showed up at his place because you missed him, over the way you rather wanted to be with him than at a party or somewhere else. 

I wish I met you first, Eddie. 

Does that mean that you would’ve been with him if you met him first? 

Does that mean that he would’ve been the one for you? 

Does that mean that you could’ve fallen for him instead? 

That he could’ve had a chance?

In some way, you must feel something for him. It’s something that he never fully allowed himself to question, if you have feelings for him or not, he can’t get his hopes up, not when it comes to you. You are too perfect, too out of reach. You love Steve, you still love Steve, he knows it. Yet, your words made him question everything. Your friendship, the intimacy, the lingering touches, the stolen glances, your affection. But, that is all something that has been there from the start. It has always been so natural for you to be so close with him. It’s not something new, it might not even be anything special to you. Eddie might not be anything special to you, not the way Steve is, at least. 

He could’ve been the one for you if it wasn’t for Steve. 

He could’ve been. 

You could’ve loved him. You could’ve. 

“What’s with that long face?” Dmitri asks, his voice thick with the russian accent that everyone keeps teasing him for. With a slap on Eddie’s shoulder, he snaps him out of his thoughts, “pass me the screwdriver, boy.”

Eddie nods, not answering the question. He reaches for the tool, he hands it to the older man. Dmitri looks curious as he eyes the expression on his face but Eddie knows that he won’t ask. He’ll wait for him to speak up himself. But, that is something that Eddie usually never does. He’s never one to talk about his feelings, to ask for help or even advice, until now. 

“Can I ask you something?” 

“Sure,” Dmitri mumbles, pulling away from the chevy, he flips the tool in his hand, leaning against the truck.

As Eddie thinks about the question that has been lingering in his mind, all weekend, he suddenly feels stupid. No answer will be one that he wants to hear. 

“Forget it,” Eddie mumbles.

Dmitri raises his brows. 

“Spit it out, come on.”

Eddie sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. He hates this. He hates talking about his feelings, but he needs to. 

“There’s uh, there’s this girl.” 

“Ah, I knew it,” he chuckles. “It’s always about some girl when someone mops around all day and looks like this.”

Eddie rolls his eyes. 

“She’s not some girl, she’s my best friend.”

“And you have feelings for her,” he says, stating the obvious. 

Eddie licks his lips, he had never admitted it to anyone before, he had only admitted it to himself. He looks at him and nods weakly, afraid to say these words out loud. 

“Yeah, but uh, she’s still in love with her ex boyfriend, who she’s friends with again,” he rolls his eyes. “Last Friday, she came to me, drunk and high and telling me how much she missed me and then she said something that’s been messing with my mind all fucking weekend!” 

Eddie isn’t sure why he is telling him all that. Dmitri is friends with Wayne, a colleague and not even someone he’d consider a friend. But, maybe that’s what he needs, to talk to someone who is not a friend. 

He considered talking to Robin but, knowing her, she’d only pick Steve’s side again and tell Eddie to take a step back. 

Then, there is Gareth, who would only tease him about his crush on you and not be of any help. 

Jeff would only give him false hope and encourage him to make a move on you, that is something that could potentially ruin your friendship, and that is something that is way too important to him. Chrissy would do just the same. The girl who had been snappy with him at first, won’t stop teasing him about his crush on you now. 

Then there is Heather. He is scared of Heather. 

“She told me that she wished that she met me first. What does it even mean? That we could’ve been something if we met first?” He asks, throwing his hands up as he voices his questions out loud for the first time. “We can’t be anything now because she’s already in love with him? Because she could never love me after loving him?” Eddie buries his hands in his curls, huffing. “Jesus Christ, I made peace with the fact I can never have her but fuck, she goes and says this.”

“You are way too negative, boy. Has anyone ever told you that? Who says that you can’t have her?” 

“I’m not negative, I’m just seeing things the way they are.” 

Dmitri shakes his head, scrunching his face up in disapproval. 

“No, you are seeing things the way you want to see them because you refuse to believe that she could ever love you,” he says, pointing at him with the screwdriver. “You see her words negatively without even knowing what she actually meant.”

Eddie shakes his head, stubbornly. 

“Tell me,” Dmitri sighs. “That guy, her ex boyfriend, did he break her heart?” 

“Fucking crushed it,” Eddie frowns. “He left her for another girl. She was – she was so heartbroken, I think she still is.”

He nods, “alright, well, she went through heartbreak and a lot of hurt. But, now she has you. Maybe, she loves you, maybe she is even in love with you but she’s scared just like you are. She’s scared of losing you as a friend, of getting her heart broken again, the trust isn’t there anymore after she’s been left for someone else. Maybe she wants to be with you but she is struggling. If she met you first, she would’ve never been with him, in the first place, she wouldn’t have gotten her heart broken, she would’ve loved you fearlessly and you would’ve loved her too, you wouldn’t have left her for someone else, would you?” 

No, Eddie would never do this to you. Eddie would rather get his heart broken than be the one to break yours. 

“Never.”

“See, things could’ve been so simple if she met you first, that’s what she was trying to say. But now, she has all these fears and all these trust issues and probably thinks she isn’t good enough – just what you are dealing with too, Eddie. I don’t know your girl but I’m sure she’s worth fighting for. And, from what Wayne told me about you two, you seem to make each other happy.” 

Eddie’s eyes widen, he is stunned. 

Wayne talks about the two of you? 

He doesn’t know how to feel about Dmitri’s words, knowing that they might hold more false hope than the actual truth for him. 

But, Eddie knows, he feels that there is something. And yet, even if, your feelings for Steve will always be stronger. 

“But she still loves him.”

“Was he her first love?” 

“Yeah.” 

“Ah,” he nods. “Well, you know what? First love is always gonna be something special. I would know.”

Eddie raises his brows at him. 

“I used to be married.” 

Eddie’s head snaps up, he looks at him in surprise, “wait, really? I never knew.”

Dmitri chuckles, shrugging, “well, it’s not important anymore.”

“Why aren’t you together anymore?” 

Dmitri sighs, he places the tool back on the table, reaching for the hanky in his pocket, he looks down at his oil stained hands and begins to clean them.

“Things just didn’t work out. She met someone else, fell in love and uh our marriage was just history.” 

“Oh,” Eddie frowns. 

“Yeah, and you know what? I hated her for a while, she hurt me. But I let go, I moved on and I accepted that I will always love her, despite how much I hated her for the first few months after she left. You can’t erase the past, we used to have something good before it all went wrong. She was special to me and even now, it’s something special when I look back on the good moments. But, never in a million years would I go back to it again or leave my girlfriend for her if she ever wanted me back. The past is the past. And first love is rarely ever true love.” 

Eddie understands what he is trying to say, yet somehow, he struggles to believe that you could ever move on from Steve. 

“Don’t give up, Eddie. She won’t always be hung up on him.” 

“Yeah,” Eddie mumbles. Though, he can’t help but struggle to believe it. Maybe it’s his stubborn mind that can’t let go of the idea of you being unable to let go of Steve for someone like him or maybe, he is just too afraid to get his hopes up only to lose not only his heart but also his mind at the end of it all. 

“Have you ever been in love? I mean, besides with her?” Dmitri asks Eddie, who furrows his brows and shakes his head. 

“Nah, not really,” Eddie mumbles, snorting as he thinks back to his younger self. The one who closed himself off completely, never letting anyone in to even see a glimpse of the real Eddie. “It was never for me, love. I mean, I had a few crushes here and there but it was never anything serious, you know? But shit, I always watched her when we were still in high school,” Eddie says, not even feeling the smile that is creeping up on his face as he thinks back to those days. “I’m pretty sure I failed math class because of her, she was always next to me – she always chose the seats next to me, I’m certain that she wasn’t even aware that she was doing it but she was there and I was there, and she was so focused on class while I spent the whole hour just staring at her. We weren’t friends back then but she always smiled at me even though we never really talked until last summer. We spent a night together after she had gotten into a fight with her boyfriend and then, she started paying more attention to me in school and then we became friends and then we got closer and closer and my plan to never catch feelings flew out the window,” he says, dramatically. 

Dmitri chuckles at Eddie, shaking his head. 

“What’s life without love, Eddie?” 

“Less suffering?” He mumbles. 

“Well, yeah. Some people get lucky though.”

Eddie fears that he won’t be one of those who will ever get lucky, especially when it comes to love. 

But maybe, maybe there is just the smallest sliver of hope inside of him. 

-

August is coming to an end, the summer days are slowly passing, fall is coming closer and so is Steve’s birthday. It’s tomorrow. It’s been a while since you had last seen him. It’s been a while since you had hung out with him in a group, let alone. The past few weeks, you have spent a lot of time by yourself, you needed it, you needed it to collect your feelings. Robin was right. 

Though, you could not stay away from Eddie for too long. He is your best friend, you can’t be without him and you won’t let your feelings ruin yet another friendship. 

Despite the distance between you and Steve, you made it a mission to go on a hunt for the perfect birthday present for him. It’s something that Heather rolled her eyes at when you told her about it, this morning. ‘Who in their right mind would buy their ex boyfriend a birthday present?’ She had asked, scoffing. Really, no one would do that, no one except for you. But you and Steve, you have a history that you can’t and don’t want to erase. Not only was he your best friend, once. He was also there when you needed him, when he didn’t even have to be there. 

He gave you a birthday present and he kept up the tradition the two of you had. 

You know that he isn’t alone anymore, that he has Dustin and Robin now, people who care for him, people who love him and won’t leave him hanging on a day like this, but you still want to do something that you used to do when you were still.. friends. 

“I’m telling you, y/n, the Star Wars movie collection would be the best decision ever!” 

Dustin exclaims as he walks through the downtown streets next to you. 

“Dustin, I know you’re a little Star Wars geek but there’s just no way that he will be happy to unwrap a collection of movies that he’s not even a fan of!” 

Dustin rolls his eyes at you, “listen, if there’s someone that can turn him into a ‘Star Wars geek’ then that’s you!” 

“But I’m not a Star Wars geek,” you mumble, furrowing your brows at the boy. 

“Then you and Steve can become geeks together,” he smiles enthusiastically. “You could have movie nights, just watch Star Wars together,” he winks. 

You shake your head at him. 

“I see what you’re trying to do and you’re really no help, Dustin.” 

“I’m not doing anything,” he feigns innocence. “You need a birthday present for Steve and asked for help, so that’s what I’m doing, I’m trying to help.” 

“Well, I was thinking I’d get him a cool bracelet–” “Boring!” He yawns. 

“Hey!” You frown, raising your hand, you ruffle his curls, making him groan in annoyance. 

“Stop!” 

You chuckle at him when he slaps your hand away. Pointing at you with a stern look on his face, “you really need to stop ruining my hair!” 

“Don’t worry, the Farrah Fawcett spray holds your perfect hairstyle together, Dusty bun.” You giggle. “How’s Suzie doing, by the way?” 

He rolls his eyes again, sighing, dramatically. 

“You’re like the older sister I never wanted.” 

You gasp, putting your hand over your heart, “ouch, I thought you liked me.” 

“I do, and I don’t even know why,” he jokes, giggling when you pretend to cry. 

“You only like me cause I drive you around when your mama Steve is working.” 

He laughs, throwing his head back. 

“If he is the mom, then what does that make you and Eddie?” 

You furrow your brows, looking up as you pretend to think, “hmm, Eddie is the chaotic dad and I’m uh, I dunno, the cool babysitter.”

“The babysitter who is secretly dating both the mom and the dad,” he says with a smirk. 

“Dustin!” You exclaim as you halt in your tracks, while he keeps walking, laughing when he turns around to look at you, he keeps working backwards. 

“You should’ve seen your face!” 

“Very funny!”

He stops walking when he notices something in the window at the video store, “ooh, look, Star Wars! I’m gonna check it out, you should too!” He says before he turns around and rushes into the store. 

You roll your eyes, groaning. You’re about to follow him inside the store, when your eyes fall on the couple leaving the restaurant across the street. Enzo’s. You have only been there once. Steve took you there on a date, it was an amazing night, you remember every detail of it. How he gave you the prettiest bouquet of flowers that you had ever seen when he picked you up, how he kissed you and told you how beautiful you looked when you wore a midnight blue dress, how sweet and nice he was, so different from the night before when you fought at his party. He was a gentleman that night, he held you softly, he kissed you gently, he held your hand at the restaurant and he only looked at you, not at the young waitress that kept trying to throw him glances. He only looked at you because you were the one he wanted. That night, he had put a ring on your middle finger, promising that the next one would be on your ring finger, only to crush your heart weeks later when he told you that he wasn’t in love with you anymore, that he fell in love with her. 

That night has haunted you for weeks and months after he had dumped you. Every night, you glared at the ceiling, thinking about the things he had said to you that night, the promises he made, the hope he gave, the love he gave. How you had sat there so pathetically in love not knowing that only days later he would meet her. 

You feel even more pathetic now because it still hurts, because it still shakes the ground beneath you, because it still feels like it just happened yesterday when you think back to that day. It shouldn’t hurt anymore, at least not like this but you get sucked back into the past so easily. 

All it ever took was to hear his name to feel the pain all over again. But months have passed, things have changed, you have changed and it all got a little easier. You’re even friends again. 

But now, it’s the memories, the one that you have locked away, the ones that are still holding you back. 

As you stare at the restaurant, realization floods through you like a cold wave that would make you gasp and shudder. 

You haven’t let go of them, of the memories, of the past, of the old him. Even after so many months, even after making yourself and everyone else believe that you had let go, you never really did. And that is the cause of all of the messes in your head and in your heart. The past keeps calling for you, the past keeps pulling you back. 

You feel stuck. You are stuck. You are still stuck in the past. 

It’s why you can’t move on, it’s why you can’t find happiness, it’s why you can’t find yourself in this timeline because you are stuck in a time that no longer exists. 

You never let go, you never let go of him, you never let go of the anger and the pain that is rooted so deeply inside of you. It’s not even his fault, it’s your own, because you couldn’t let go of all the memories you have made with him, good and bad. 

You have a second chance with him now, you gave him one, despite how wrong it was to do so, you gave him and your friendship a second chance because you did not want to lose him again. He is right in front of you and he is trying, he is trying to be good, he is trying to be your friend. Yet, you kept holding onto something that died a long time ago.

Dustin calls your name, but you are still staring at the restaurant. 

“Hey,” Dustin waves his hand in front of you, watching you in concern, “you… okay?”

You snap out of your thoughts, blinking. You clear your throat, looking into Dustin’s worried eyes, “y-yeah!” 

He looks back, checking out what you’ve been staring at for so long. 

“You uh, don’t plan on buying him a restaurant do you?” 

You crack a smile, shaking your head at the young teen. 

“Come on, I gotta show you something, you’re gonna love it!” He grins as he grabs your hand and drags you into the store, pulling you away from something that had thrown your world upside down, yet again. 

-

The window is open in his room, the cold breeze kisses his skin, distant thunder crashes through the sky but lighting is yet to be seen. The room is silent, as is the rest of the house, as always. Steve is sitting on his bed, his eyes keep flickering back and forth between the watch on his nightstand and the telephone. 

He is waiting, waiting for something that might not happen this year. 

It’s almost midnight. It’s almost his birthday. 

He is willing you to call. He needs you to. He needs to hear your voice, it’s been too long since he had last heard you, since he had last seen you. You had distanced yourself from everyone for a moment, but especially from him. Robin had told him that you needed it, that you needed some time to yourself. And while he understood why, he still felt sad when you stopped showing up at Scoops Ahoy every lunch break. 

He glances at the watch. The clock strikes 12, but the phone isn’t ringing and he fears that it won’t at all. He knew it wouldn’t. He knew you wouldn’t call. Yet, he can’t help but feel disappointment sinking through him. This will be the first year without a call from you at midnight on his birthday. 

He closes his eyes. 

His parents aren’t here, and they won’t be when he wakes up in the morning. They won’t be here, he already knows it. Despite the promise that they had made, he knows they won’t show up. And this time, you won’t be here either. 

For the first time in a while, he feels like crying again. 

It’s 12:01 when the shrill sound of the ringing telephone almost makes him jump up from his bed. He opens his eyes, staring at it for a second before he picks up the phone with a pounding heart and hope in his eyes. 

“Hello?”

For a moment, he can only hear his racing heart and silence on the other line. 

“Hey.”

It’s you. 

You called him, after all. 

“Happy birthday, Steve,” you whisper in a way that mends his hurting heart in an instant. 

He blinks the tears away that have threatened to fall just seconds ago. 

“T-Thank you, Dolly,” he whispers. “I didn’t think you’d call.”

“I always call.” 

“Yeah, but.. things are different now. I’d understand if you didn’t call,” he says, though he wanted nothing more than to hear your voice. For weeks, he had craved to see you, to hear your voice, to feel your presence. But especially tonight, because this used to be something special to you and him. 

You are quiet. For a long minute, you don’t say anything. Steve can tell that you are struggling. 

“But we’re friends, right?” 

“Yes, we’re friends,” he whispers, sadly. 

He pictures the look on your face, right now. He thinks that it matches the sad one on his.

“I missed you,” Steve whispers. 

He can hear your breath hitching in your throat. 

“I missed you too.”

That alone, is enough to make his heart flutter in his chest. You missed him.

You clear your throat. 

“S-So are you throwing a big party tomorrow?” 

Steve lays back, letting himself fall into the soft pillows. 

“No, I think I’m done with those.” 

There haven’t been many parties that ever brought him anything good. Most of them ended badly for him. 

“Oh, but you always used to throw birthday parties.”

He can hear the frown in your voice and he can’t help but smile at that. 

“I’m getting old,” he jokes. 

You laugh at his words, not knowing that the sound of it causes his heart to beat wildly. 

“Oh yeah, you’re such an old man, Harrington,” you tease. “How’d you manage to keep the good looks?” You ask with a giggle. 

His eyes widen and his cheeks heat up. He can feel the blush on his cheeks now. 

“I uh– well, I eat healthy and I work out,” he mumbles, scrunching his face up. 

“You work out, huh? Just when you leave the basketball team, you start working out even more.”

He chuckles. He raises his hand towards his hair, running his fingers through it. 

“Well, I get bored after work and when Robin and Dustin aren’t around to be little shitheads, I use the gym that my dad built for no reason. That old man never uses it.” 

You snort. 

“You should start playing DnD with the guys.” 

“You mean with Eddie?” Steve asks, rolling his eyes. 

“Uh, well, Eddie rarely plays nowadays, he’s busy with work and the band but yeah, sure. You two should spend some time together.” 

Steve raises his brows.

Him and Eddie, spending time together?

Eddie hates his guts. And, Steve doesn’t even blame him for it. But, he’s not a big fan of him either. Eddie has something that he wants back. 

The thought of spending time with him seems like something out of a fever dream. 

“I think you’d actually get along if you both tried.” 

He frowns at your words, shaking his head as though you can see him. 

“Uh, yeah, I’m sorry but no.” 

“You’re both so stubborn, I swear. Trust me, you’re not that much different from each other – Eddie also loves KFC.” 

Steve snorts at your words, rolling his eyes. 

“Did it traumatize you when he took you to KFC for the first time? You know, cause you always hated it so much when I took you there?” 

You giggle. 

“Oh, it was so traumatizing, Steve. I almost had a panic attack.” 

“Always so dramatic, honey,” he says so naturally. 

“You know me.”

You are both smiling, both laying in your beds as you talk on the phone for the first time in forever. This used to be a regular thing a long time ago.

“How are you?” He asks the question that has been lingering on his mind forever. “I haven’t seen you since we met up for lunch.” When Robin had crushed the ‘date’ that he was looking forward to. 

“I’m... good.” 

“Are you?” 

“Yeah,” you whisper. “I’m good.” 

Steve had wondered what went wrong. That day you had met up with him, you seemed so nervous, so anxious and worried. He could not ask you back then, he didn’t want to pressure you. And then, you and Robin had disappeared. When she came back without you and she told him that you needed some time to yourself, that he should stay away from you for a little while, he couldn’t help but feel sick with worry. 

“Robin said you needed some time to yourself, are you okay?” 

“Yeah. I-I uh, I just needed to be alone for a little.”

“Oh.” 

Alone. Alone but with Eddie. 

“So, what are you doing for your birthday if you’re not throwing a party?”

“I’m gonna have dinner with my parents.” 

“Oh! They’re gonna be there?” You ask, surprised. 

“Yeah,” Steve says, knowing that they won’t be there. He wishes you would be there. He wishes that he could spend the day with you. But he can’t ask, knowing that you will say yes only because you won’t be able to say no. 

“That’s nice, Steve.” You say. In a way, it sounds like there is something else you want to tell him. 

“Yeah..”

“D-Do you remember when we went to Enzo’s, last year?” You ask after a beat of silence.

“Yes, of course, I remember,” he says so simply, like he didn’t crush your heart weeks after giving false hope and promises he never kept. 

You’re quiet, again. And despite not seeing you, he knows that you’re sad when he feels his heart clenching. 

“It was.. one of the best dates I’ve ever been on, Steve.” 

Your voice has changed so suddenly, it sounds sick with sadness. 

He remembers it, he remembers it just the way you do. 

Right now, he wants nothing more than to go back to that night, just to see you smile again, just to feel your touch again, just to be with you again. He wants to go back to a night where you had still loved him, where he hadn’t ruined anything yet. 

“Maybe we can go back there sometime,” he whispers with hope in his heart. 

“Yeah, maybe…”

Though, while he sounds hopeful, you sound uncertain.

And he knows, the reason isn't your past. But something, someone else.

-

taglist for friends and mutuals

@taintedcigs @hellfire--cult @mysticmunson @littledemondani @wroteclassicaly @succubusmunson @trashmouth-richie @xxhellfirebunnyxx @corrodedcorpses @corrodedseraphine @somethingvicked @sherrylyn628 @take-everything-you-can @nemesis729 @chrissymjstan

[shichey97]

Long Live 5

It takes a few days for our son to want to finish the story. I understood completely. It’s not easy to learn how your dad died so I just let him process and take his time to get to where he was now. He asks for the next chapter at bed time that night and I nod, grabbing the book and sitting down to read it to him.

Chapter 5: Breaking the News

She took a deep breath and knocked on the door of Gareth’s house where she knew the rest of hellfire would be. She had broken the piece of her arm that formed her shoulder joint so she had surgery and a sling, but today was Gareth’s last day in town so she needed to tell them in person while they were all together.

Mr. Emerson opened the door and smiled, “He’s in his room with the others.” He said letting her in and going back to what he was doing.

She walked to Gareth’s room and knocked on the door before walking in, “Hey guys.” she said softly. “I need to talk to you. “Holy shit. You’re ok.” Gareth said, sounding relieved. “Where’s Eddie? Is he ok?” Gareth was worried especially after he gave up Dustin, but her standing in front of them had to mean that they’re all ok.

“So we all know that Eddie didn’t kill Chrissy.” She started slowly, explaining everything that happened over the last week. Starting at the beginning and going until Eddie played master of puppets, “We were supposed to leave that place once the bats started coming in, but Eddie cut the rope and ran out of the trailer. He…he was attacked and when I found him he was hurt so bad. He didn’t make it and I couldn’t bring him back.” She said as she wiped her eyes as her voice cracked. She was trying to stay strong for the guys. “I held him in my arms as he died. It was…quiet. He could barely speak when he asked me to say I loved him.”

Jeff just stared at her his eyes quickly losing focus; he didn’t respond or move. He couldn’t believe Eddie was dead; to him there was no way someone larger than life could die quietly. The world should’ve stopped or…or something. Anything. He flinched at Gareth’s tone when the other curly haired guy spoke.

Gareth stared at her as she talked before shaking his head, “No. he’s not dead. You’re mistaken.” his tone sharp, angry, and holding pure denial. “I don’t know why you’re lying, but it’s not funny.” when he used her whole name her body jerked like he had slapped her. “Eddie isn’t dead. He…He can’t be.” When she reached for the drummer he hit her hand away. “Eddie didn’t die. Not like that. Not at all.”

“I checked. I had Harrington check. Gare, I’m sorry.” She said quietly and the drummer sat down running a hand through his hair before he picked up the dragon statue on his bedside table and chucked it at the wall. “My best friend can’t be dead!” he yelled before he sank to the floor and pulled his legs up to his chest before hugging them. “Leave.” He says weakly, barely holding it together. She stood and walked out to her car before she climbed in and sobbed leaning against the wheel as she did. She didn’t know what she was going to do. It was so hard to breathe let alone exist right now. She had lost her soulmate and now she was losing herself. She wasn’t sure how long she sat there before driving back to the trailer where they had spent their last night together. Eddie’s room wasn’t destroyed by the gate so she went through the second door and began cleaning things out to take with her to Steve’s house. She couldn’t just leave his things there since it was all she had left now.

She heard Wayne’s truck and stepped out onto the porch just waiting for him to get out. What she didn’t expect is the gruff old man to hug her tightly as if he didn’t need any comfort and she needed it all. She hugged back as best she could with her shoulder messed up and buried her face in his shoulder.

“I’m so sorry, Wayne.” She sobbed holding onto him as she felt weak and like she would pass out any second. She wasn’t sure if the pain she was feeling was in her head or if her body was having a physical reaction to her heart being broken, but her whole body hurt.

“Why are you apologizing to me? You’re the one that lost your other half.” he said as he rubbed her back gently. He wasn’t sure how he was feeling. “Let’s get his things out of here.” He said once she had calmed down.

It was 3 weeks later, when things had finally started to calm down, that the government gave the official story that it was an earthquake. They were allowed to bury their lost loved ones of the bodies that could be found. They wouldn’t let Eddie be buried in the Munson family plot but the cemetery caretaker and grave digger felt bad for Wayne Munson so they placed a head stone at the base of a tree that simply said “Edward Wayne Munson Now At Peace. 1965~1986.”

She knew Eddie wasn’t there, but she called Gareth and them to let them know he had a headstone and then the day came for his funeral. She put on her black 50s inspired dress. It was pure cotton with a gathered flared skirt and wide lapel. She was wearing his necklace with his ring on it as she got in Steve’s car. She had made a call two days ago. Now it was time to see if it made a difference. She pulled at the dress around her stomach since she felt bloated and uncomfortable today. She stood with Wayne and the group. Jeff and Grant were there as well. Everyone was somber as they stared at the headstone.Then Dustin knelt and put a hand on the stone before closing his eyes. Steve knelt behind him and put a hand on his shoulder as he bowed his head. This led to a scene out of a fantasy as everyone else kneeled and she smiled with a wet laugh. 

She never laughed at inappropriate times, but here she was laughing and crying, “He’d say you’re being dorks.” She says sniffling. She shook her head before wiping her eyes. “I think you should say some words, Uncle Wayne.” She said looking up at him

He nodded and looked around as everyone stood, “I have no idea what to say. I was there when Eddie was born because my brother wouldn’t be. His mama, Liz, gave him my name as a middle name because she said I was the only man that he could count on. He was my boy instantly. He never stopped being mine. Just because he was my nephew doesn’t mean he wasn’t. I should’ve told him that. I hope wherever he is he’s with his mama. He moved in with me just 2 years ago and things were smooth. I know that everyone here meant something to him as his friends and for Eddie his friends were everything to him.’ Wayne nods, “Thank you for helping me honor my boy.” That’s how the funeral went: people talking about their memories with him and things like that. She just listened with a proud smile until Dustin looked at her and told her it was her turn.

“A month ago, the day before Chrissy died, Eddie and I got married. I didn’t think that was going to be our last day together. We all know he was larger than life. He always had something to say, some snide remark to get the last word.” She laughed softly. “I don’t know what to say. All I can think of is a line from a poem. It goes, ‘This is the way the world ends; not with a bang, but a whimper’ I never understood the line before, but I do now.” She looked at them, “I wish I had something uplifting to say; some words of wisdom to impart, but I don’t. All I know is Eddie loved all of us with his entire being. He was charismatic, talented, and beautiful and I’ll love him for the rest of my life.” She noticed Al Munsons standing a little bit away and gave the man a nod before looking down and returning to Wayne’s side.

Over the next seven weeks she was throwing up, feeling tired, had major heartburn, and was growing nauseous at random things that never affected her before. It was one of those cases where Robin was holding her hair back and rubbing her back when she paused, “dear. When was your last period?”

She groaned, rubbing her stomach, “I’ve always been irregular.” she said softly.

“That’s ok. I think you need to schedule an appointment.” Robin said softly and rubbed circles in her lower back. “You’ve been nauseous, having heartburn, and throwing up. Not to mention you complained that your shirt was hurting your chest earlier.”

She paused and looked at her, “I can’t be…”she said quietly. “We were careful when we had sex.” she ran through each time and then she froze. “Three months ago. We didn’t have a condom and he…” she groaned. “Shit. shit. Shit. I can’t have a baby without a father.They’ll call them a bastard.”

“Honey. You need to breathe and schedule an appointment. Perhaps in Indianapolis?” Robin said as she watched her face.

She nodded and squeezed her eyes shut as another wave of nausea rolled through her. “What do I do? Steve may not even want a baby in his house.” There was no giving the baby away or getting an abortion in her mind.

Robin nodded and rubbed her back, “Steve loves kids, but you need to confirm it and then talk to him…maybe take him with you.” she suggested and looked at her. “Is everything ok?” Steve asks, knocking on the door. “Do you need anything?” “A pregnancy test.” She said and stood to rinse out her mouth and then she opened the door. “Can you go to the pharmacy and get a couple? I’ll give you the money.”

“I got it.” Steve said with a nod before leaving for a pharmacy. “I’m keeping Munson if I am pregnant.” She said as she sat on the tub and lifted her shirt to look at her stomach. She poked her stomach with a slight frown. “Is there a little one here?” She says quietly. “Are you a gift from your daddy?” She asked and talked to her stomach and Robin while she waited for Steve.

“Ok I got you 3 different tests. The woman said one is a cassette test, one’s a strip test, and one’s a stick test.” He shrugs and holds up a plastic cup, “She said you’d need one of these.”

She stood and took the bag, “Thank you, Steve. I appreciate it.” She is speaking quietly because she's so nervous. No she's terrified, but she watches them leave and shuts the door before doing what she needs to.

It's an hour later when she comes out of the bathroom looking pale and shaky. She was on the verge of a panic attack because she didn’t know how she was going to be a mother. She sat down and put her head on the table causing Robin to start rubbing her back.

“Are you?” Steve asked, watching her with worry on his face as he looked between Robin and her. He didn’t know what to do with himself so he stayed seated and waited for her to gather herself.

“Yes. I’m pregnant and probably close to three months if I remember my sex ed right.” She said quietly as she lifted her head. “I want to keep it. I understand if you don’t want a baby here, I’ll see if Uncle Wayne would want us to live with him.” She said and watched Steve for his reaction.

“You and the baby are welcome here for as long as you want.” Steve said, shaking his head slightly; he wanted her to know she had a home there. He felt partly responsible for the fact that Eddie was gone so maybe he could make it easier on her.

“Thank you, Steve.” She said and sighed, grabbing the phone to make an appointment to confirm with the doctor. She’s on the phone for maybe 30 minutes and then she gets off. “I have an appointment at 8 in the morning.” She says softly.

“I’ll take you to the appointment if you want.” Steve suggests and she nods. “Ok.” He adds.

At 4 and a half months they confirmed that she was having a little boy. At 6 months Dustin left them in a tragic accident. At 7 months she decided on a name for him. At 8 months Steve agreed to be on the birth certificate so the baby would have two parents legally and if anything happened to her the baby would go to him. At 9 months the baby was born healthy and with a scream that would make Eddie proud.

“Welcome to the show, kid. You’re in for a treat.” She says as she holds him close to her chest.

[stillintoeddie]

sowing the seeds of love | eddie munson

warnings: angst, hurt, strong words, panic attack, breakup (steve and reader)

disclaimer: i love steve i just needed some drama that’d make sense. don’t attack me xx

it all happened so fast that you don’t even know what to think. what to do. all you know is that you don’t wanna look at steve right now. or ever again. 

‘y/n just listen to me!’ steve shouted as he ran out after you. you were supposed to meet up with him after work so you went to his apartment and you just walked in. without knocking because you never done that with him, he always kept telling you to just walk in. but this time you wished you knocked. ‘baby, please!’ 

‘do not fucking call me that, harrington!’ you finally yelled back, turning around to face him. ‘i am not your fucking baby! apparently i never was. i was just distraction from nancy, wasn’t i? well good because now you have her all for yourself!’ 

‘ba- y/n it’s not like that, listen-’ 

‘no, i will not be listening. and do not even try to excuse yourself in any way. honestly i don’t care that you did that. you seemed off for months now, i knew there’s something in the air.’ you said, struggling because there was this arching pain in your throat. you were trying so hard not to cry. ‘i just don’t understand why didn’t you tell me.’

‘i love you, y/n,’ he said as he walked up to you. but you backed off. 

this was the first time he said that. he never said anything about love before. at least not to you. and the truth is, you don’t know if you loved him. you had a crush on him. you had feelings towards him, but you’re not sure what it was.

‘you might love me, but you’re not in love with me, steve.’ you said and finally let your tears out. ‘and it’s not your fault. i’m not mad. you cannot control who you love. i’m just upset that i wasn’t good enough to make you forget about your ex. i’m just hurt that you kept lying to me about your feelings when in reality you were still in love with nancy.’ 

‘i’m so sorry.’ he said and you smiled through the tears. ‘i am so fucking sorry-’

‘it’s okay, just... i don’t wanna see you right now. i’ll come back to take my stuff next week.’ 

this was the last thing you said to him. 

you spent the whole week in your house telling your parents you’re feeling sick, you’ve not left your room once. then the next week you finally had to go to school but you were ignoring everyone there. barely listening in class, not coming to lunch where you usually met up with your friends. it was weekend, your parents weren’t home because they left for a wedding of a relative you didn’t even know. robin was checking up on you every day since she was your only close friend. of course you had friends at school, especially in the hellfire club since you were one of the members but you didn’t think you were that close to any of them. but you were wrong.

on a sunday evening you heard a knock on your door. you didn’t expect anyone and robin said she’s gone for the weekend so you were really confused who was that. you were hoping it wasn’t steve, because as much as you’d like to take him back you know it’d be bad for both of you.

you got up from the couch, in your dirty pj’s and glasses on your eyes. hair in bun because you didn’t even have the strength to wash it, or wash yourself. 

‘eddie?’ you said as you opened the door. he was the last person you expected to see today. ‘what are you doing here?’ 

‘i heard about what happened,’ he said and let himself in. 

‘oh yes, come on in. right. sure.’ you said sarcastically and locked the door. ‘eddie-’

‘and you were ignoring me at school.’ he interrupted you and kept talking. ‘didn’t come to the club, didn’t see you at lunch. and since you were ‘sick’ i didn’t wanna bother you but after i heard what really happened i came here to check up on you.’ 

‘i’m fine, eddie-’

‘you’re fine?’ he asked as he pointed at your tv and messy table in front of it.’have you eaten?’ 

‘jelly beans. yesterday.’ you said quietly. ‘drank a bit of coke, too.’ 

‘sweetheart, you gotta eat.’ he said as he walked up to you and you threw yourself into his arms and started sobbing. ‘i am gonna literally kill him on the spot.’ eddie hugged your body close to his as you started crying harder. ‘come on, let’s go sit down, shall we?’ you didn’t reply. ‘y/n?’ he looked at you and your face was so red and you were clearly shaking. ‘oh my love, come on. breathe.’ he made you look up at him and focus on his face. ‘yeah? in and out.’ he was breathing with you. ‘good job, sweetheart. you breathin’ alright now?’ 

‘yes, i’m so sorry-’ you started but he stopped you right away.

‘you have nothing to be sorry for, alright? you’re hurting. it’s normal.’ he reassured you as you both sat on the sofa. ‘listen, don’t take it the wrong way but when was the last time you showered?’

‘eddie!’ you laughed and hit him on the shoulder. ‘wednesday. i really didn’t have the strength to even change my clothes.’

‘no it’s understandable, don’t worry. why don’t you take a shower and i’ll make something to eat, hm?’ he asked and smiled at you. you looked into his huge, beautiful, brown eyes and forgot about the whole world for a few seconds. ‘y/n? are you listening?’ 

‘what? oh!’ you blushed. he caught you staring. ‘of course, sorry i zoned out.’ you stood up and were about to enter the bathroom when you heard eddie calling your name again so you turned around.

‘take a picture next time, it’ll last longer.’ and as he said that, you rolled your eyes and closed the bathroom door. you stripped from your old, stinky clothes and finally turned the shower on. the water was so warm against your skin. it felt so good. 

eddie was in the kitchen, preparing some mac&cheese for the both of you. he wasn’t much of a cook but this was the meal he was best at. while the pasta was cooking he cleaned up the living room and put some music on. you loved abba and even tho he wasn’t a fan of music of this kind he enjoyed it if you did. 20 minutes passed and you finally walked out of the bathroom. clean, smelling like flowers. you walked through the living room and smiled when you heard chiquitita in the background and your favourite candle was put on the table next to two empty plates.

‘what did you make?’ you asked as you walked to the kitchen.

‘jesus christ, y/n!’ eddie jumped, not hearing you coming. ‘you almost gave me a heart attack and made me spill the drinks.’ 

‘sorry,’ you giggled and looked around. ‘so?’

‘mac&cheese, your favourite. and green iced tea, here you go.’ he gave you both mugs as he took the pot where mac&cheese was. ‘sit down. i’ll be back in a second.’ 

‘okay,’ you said as you sat down. chiquitita ended and the next song called lovers (live a little longer) was on. another one you liked. you looked around as you didn’t see eddie anywhere. did he leave? before you could stand up you saw the front door open and you saw eddie with a little flower bouquet. ‘eddie?’

‘i forgot to take it from my van,’ he said as he sat down next to you. ‘i thought you’d like it. sunflowers, your favourites. thought it’d make you feel better.’

steve never gotten you flowers. especially not sunflowers.

‘eddie, you didn’t have to.’ you said and felt tears in your eyes. ‘you’re gonna make me cry again!’ you sobbed as you sniffed the flowers. ‘they’re beautiful, thank you.’ you gave him a little shoulder squeeze as you got up and put them into the flower flask. 

‘every pretty girl deserves pretty flowers. especially when the ex boyfriend couldn’t do the job properly.’ he said and you laughed a bit. ‘let’s eat, shall we?’ 

‘thank you eddie,’ you said as you took the first bite. ‘this is fucking amazing.’

‘why thank you, sweetheart. i tried.’ he smiled back at you. ‘now tell me, how are you really feeling?’ you sighed as you looked at him. ‘oh no, i’m sorry. do you prefer not talking about it?’ 

‘no it’s not that. it’s just i don’t understand this. i don’t feel mad, i should be mad. but i’m not mad. i was upset, i still am. but not at steve, at myself. that i’m not lovable enough and-’ 

‘hey, y/n. no, do not say that.’ eddie interrupted you and looked straight at you. ‘you are not the problem here. you are not “not lovable enough” you are more than lovable. it’s steve’s fault he doesn’t know what he wants. he shouldn’t get with you in the first place. he hurt you, badly. that is not okay. do not blame yourself. you are lovable. more than you know. i-’ he said but he stopped. ‘your friends love you. and you will find someone who will love you and you will love them.’ 

you were looking at him the whole time, holding your tears in. you didn’t wanna cry more. his eyes were so beautiful. 

your friends love you.

but do you? you thought. 

‘you’re an amazing girl and anyone would be lucky to be with you. to be loved by you. steve is an idiot for letting this go.’ he was rambling like crazy. but you didn’t mind. 

his words were running around your brain. he made you feel emotions no one ever did before. not even steve. 

‘thank you eddie,’ you said finally after a few seconds of silence. ‘thank you for being here. for me. for making this food and cleaning my mess up.’ 

‘anything for my favourite girl.’ 

my favourite girl. 

the truth is. you really wanted to be his favourite girl. 

a/n: if you want a part 2 lmk x

[alchemistc]

catie's steddie fic masterpost (updated 8.21.22)

Roll For Initiative - Words: 5076 Chapters: 1/1 Rating: Teen and Up

Eddie writes an NPC into his summer campaign when Gareth fucks off a week before it's supposed to start and he realizes all his bosses are too overpowered. If he modeled the whole damn character after his best friend/current crush/future heartache Steve Harrington that's his business.

Feat: The Party, Good Uncle Wayne Munson, handwavey D&D mechanics, references to Eddie as Kas the Betrayer

He nearly gets away with it, is the thing. Three sessions in and the kids haven’t realized the BBEG isn’t the tarnished knight with the swooping hair and the stupid dad jokes they groan at every time. They still think the wizard leading them towards imminent destruction is on their side, and as his reluctant hero of an NPC warns them to be wary even Will the Wise rolls his eyes and misses the opportunity for a perception check that barring a Nat 1 would have, at the very least, told them that one of them wasn’t to be trusted. He’s not even trying that hard to hide the incredibly obvious parallels – the courtship the knight had once had with the sister of Wheeler’s paladin, the reluctant way he continuously steps in when the party gets themselves into a hairy situation, the incredibly obvious boner Eddie has for this stupid character he’s created solely for the purpose of a reveal he both does and does not want them to discover early on.

falling in love in reverse - Words: 3702 Chapters: 1/1 Rating: Teen and Up

Steve Harrington spent over three months trapped in a time loop trying to save Eddie Munson's life. Now every time he looks at Eddie, Eddie is desperate to know what the fuck happened to make Steve look at him like he hung the moon and the stars.

“Did you, uh… did you sing to me, once?” Eddie asks, sitting on the hood of Steve’s car and staring up at the sky so he doesn’t have to pretend he isn’t desperate for everything promised in the eyes that haven’t left Eddie since Eddie woke up in that hospital bed. It’s just –Time loops, and the King of Hawkins High going back over and over and over again just to stop Eddie Munson from dying, and – “Fuck,” Steve says, and Eddie doesn’t remember, but there’s a song that won’t leave his head, and the voice is soft and warm just like the way Steve smiles at him and – “I didn’t think you remembered any of it.”

35. live like there's no tomorrow - Words: 2105 Chapters: 1/1 Rating: Mature

follow up to falling in love in reverse

He recalls broken fractals of time, on occasion – when Steve runs a hand through his hair, or digs his teeth into Eddie’s hipbone, or when Eddie catches a glimpse of him pouring coffee into one of Wayne’s novelty mugs. They’re not memories, not quite, because Eddie never lived them – they died with the Eddie who died each night, but somehow Eddie-97 has them stored somewhere in the depths of his brain and sometimes they leak out. The faucet drip, drip, drips, vague flashes of not-memory, and he’s glad, actually, that he fell in love with Steve in the right-side up, because now the not-memories are a balm, a reminder, a glimpse into all the idiosyncrasies that Steve fell for.

**Added 8.14.22**

7. nothing here is promised - Words: 2260 Chapters: 1/1 Rating: Teen and Up

follow up to falling in reverse

The fact of the matter is, no version of Eddie Munson ever had more than a few days with Steve Harrington, and most of that time was spent running for their goddamn lives. The fact of the matter is Eddie on the worst day of his life wasn’t a man Eddie was sure he could replicate outside of those loops, and he couldn’t for the life of him understand how Steve had fallen, why he’d decided to keep at it, what he expected out of Eddie now that the loops were done and they were all alive.

**Added 8.14.22**

11. tell me when to start - Words: 3465 Chapters: 1/1 Rating: Teen and Up

follow up to falling in reverse

"You wanna talk about it?" “I don’t really know where to start,” Steve tells her, and she nods against his shoulder. “Twenty questions?” It’s a stupid game, but when the words don’t come it’s a good way to ground them, a good place to start, so Steve nods his head and releases a shuddering breath. “How many loops?” “Shit,” Steve says.

***Added 8.21.22***

27. tell me what you like - Words: 2372 Chapters: 1/1 Rating: Mature

follow up to falling in reverse

Eddie’s spent a month trying to wheedle a fucking hobby out of Steve, so Steve doesn’t misinterpret the question – whines, a bit, closes his eyes against Eddie’s focused gaze, thrusts his hips up looking for friction, and Eddie uses his free hand to shove Steve back to the mattress. They’ve played a version of this game before, but it’d taken Eddie far too long to realize he could use this particular brand of people-pleasing-Steve to edge a fucking personal interest out of Steve.

***Added 8.21.22***

86 & 87. taste like hope - Words: 2312 Chapters: 1/1 Rating: Mature

follow up to falling in reverse

Dying sucks, is the thing. He’s not dead, had never been dead, not really, but there were ninety-six times he sort of did die, and every memory of it makes him achingly aware of how much he wants to live, reminds him of all the reckless risks he’d taken in his life before Chrissy Cunningham died on the ceiling of his trailer. Cold fingers snag against his own and Eddie sighs, twists himself and curls his legs under him so that he’s facing Steve, criss cross applesauce on the bed with Steve blinking blearily up at him.

***Added 8.21.22***

2. all of this has happened before (all of this will happen again) - Words: 2835 Chapters: 1/1 Rating: Teen and Up

follow up to falling in reverse

"Was there a question in that ramble?" "Fuck you, too, Harrington." Eddie blinks, the edges of a mercurial thought picking at the dark corner of his mind, and slides a contemplative look Steve's way. "Steve." It gets him a pleased hum from low in Steve's throat. "I don't wanna say the words, yet," Steve says, and it sticks in Eddie's throat, the acknowledgement that everything Steve's been dropping, Eddie has already picked up on. And Steve knows it. Which. Sure, yeah. Steve isn't exactly the most subtle person in the whole world, and Eddie is the opposite of subtle. "Besides, I remember you saying something about already being six miles in. That's double what you never ran for Coach. I'm optimistic about my chances."

*Added 8.9.22*

introduced me to my mind - Words: 16033 Chapters: 2/2 Rating: Teen and Up

The fall of '86, Eddie packed his shit in his van and left Hawkins behind. There's a list of reasons why - the government hack job of a cover-up splitting the town into wide eyed admirers and pitchfork critics - the diploma burning a hole in his pocket - the itch for somewhere he can meet likeminded people other than Robin Buckley. And Steve. He'd be lying if he told anyone the biggest reason he left wasn't Steve goddamn Harrington.

“Eddie,” Wayne says, and Eddie fights the urge to scream, or laugh, or cry. “I’m not running,” Eddie tells him, even though that is a fucking lie. “You should call him more,” Wayne says, and Eddie rubs the meat of his palm into his eyeballs until he sees stars. Doesn’t think about what ‘call him more’ means in context – do they talk about him?

i used to - Words: 4526 Chapters: 1/1 Rating: Teen and Up

follow up to introduced me to my mind

The summer of '92, Tommy Hagan runs into an old friend.

“Shit, sorry!” the kid says, skidding comically to a halt as Tommy goes crashing into the side of the truck bed. “For fucks sake, Henderson, what the hell is wrong with you?” Tommy lets the kid pull him up, still muttering apologies as the strangely familiar voice of the interloper nears, still yelling. “Harrington?” Tommy says when he finally rights himself, and Tommy’s pretty sure he knocked his head but it sure as shit looks like Steve Harrington – in essentials, at least. He’s grown his hair out, and dropped the hairspray routine, but the acne scars and the broken line of his nose and edges of his frown are familiar. He looks like he still works out, and Tommy unconsciously sucks in his gut. Fuck, he should probably hit the gym this summer instead of lazing on the lawn drinking his weight in beer.

*Added 8.9.22*

strangers with memories - Words: 3438 Chapters: 1/1 Rating: Gen

follow up to introduced me to my mind

She’s two weeks into the routine when she happens to see a familiar figure cutting across the strip mall across the street. Wide shoulders, wiry arms, that tapered waist and the nonexistent ass, he’s gesturing and throwing his head back to talk to someone behind him and Carol forgets, for a moment, that she stopped talking to Steve Harrington long before high school was over. He looks good. He looks happy. He looks like exactly the type of distraction that could fill the last three weeks of her summer vacation. Of all the townies she might consider hooking up with to fill the time, Steve Harrington is the least embarrassing.

Carol Perkins is stuck in Hawkins the summer after college.

**Added 8.14.22**

several ways - Words: 2649 Chapters: 1/1 Rating: Teen and Up

follow up to introduced me to my mind

There’s a clear delineation between those attending on behalf of the publisher and those attending on behalf of Will Byers, so she supposes it’s divine intervention that she even notices Wayne Munson when she steps outside for a cigarette. He’s in a button up and a pair of well tailored slacks, a tie loose around his neck an a cigarette dangling from his lips, leaned against the rail of the balcony watching the cars drive by below. She watches the play of the twinkling Christmas lights blinking on and off across the street flash across his face, and thinks about turning around and leaving. She’s met him three times, none of them pleasant encounters, and she can’t imagine he has anything more to say to her than she does him. She’s still deciding when he turns his head to look at her – unsurprised, like he’d noticed her at some point during the evening already. “He doesn’t know you’re here,” he says, taking another drag. “If that piece of shit husband of yours is with you, best keep it that way.”

At an event celebrating the ten year anniversary of a book she's never heard of, Steve Harrington's mother catches a brief glimpse of the family he's made for himself.

don't go on the patio (beware of the pool) - Words: 3970 Chapters: 1/1 Rating: Teen and Up

Robin gets a front row seat to the Steve and Eddie experience and works through a few hang ups of her own in the process.

“Hey, what is it called if I like people without boobies?” And that is – well that’s just not fair, is it? Because Robin had spent years fighting herself about it before she was willing to even entertain the idea that she was super not into boys, and even now she panics if some one so much as hints about a predilection that might not be super straight, and Steve is just looking at her with earnest eyes like one cuddle with a dude while some shirtless actor on the TV beat some commies up is all it took for him to come to terms with his sexuality and how is that fair? “Do you want to tell me something?” “Yeah, but answer the question first.”

[spaceoddball1969]

Falling for the Freak - Eddie Munson Fix-It Fic Chapter 22

Hello all! I hope you are doing well! We are threw the thick of it! From here on out we are focusing on Eddie and the reader’s relationship because let’s be honest, that’s why we’re all here. I am really excited to start writing this part of it. I really don’t know how long I’m gonna keep writing, just because we have gotten through all the content that I pretty much wanted to cover in terms of it being a fix-it fic. But I’ll keep writing as long as you all want to read. :D Also I’m pulling too many hours next week and am working on moving out so I cannot promise any kind of regular posting schedule. But since we’re through with the nasty stuff, nothing too big or cliff hanger-ish should be happening in this fic. We’re just here to enjoy Eddie being adorable with his favorite lady.

CHAPTER SUMMARY: Eddie and the reader are in recovery in the hospital. The California gang arrives in Hawkins and introduces themselves to their new party members. (Friends I am so excited to start writing for Joyce you have no idea. I have literally been in love with her since day one.) It’s gonna be a pretty chill chapter - not gonna lie - just kinda wrapping things up before we get into the fun fluffy stuff.

DISCLAIMERS/WARNINGS: I no longer have to make any disclaimers about content belonging to the Duffer Brothers! This is all original from here on out and wow am I excited! In this chapter there will be fluff, a bit of angst, language, and a bit of ptsd between the reader and Eddie but nothing too heavy.

Chapter 22

It was a slow recovery for Eddie and I. When I finally met with a doctor, I was informed that my wounds were severe. Whereas most of Eddie’s wounds were to his torso, the sides of his stomach and his chest, mine covered my legs, arms, and back. They mostly covered one side of my body as I had curled in a ball on the ground when the bats attacked. I had surface level scratches on most of my body, but there were several bites and deep scrapes along my left arm and leg. My back seemed to have received the deepest of scratches, making it difficult to lie comfortably in my hospital bed. There were stiches all over my body, making me feel like a ragdoll who had been played with too roughly. Upon being X-rayed, I learned that three of the fingers on my left hand had broken when I had shielded the onslaught of bats flying at me and Eddie. 

Of course, the doctors attributed my wounds to broken glass flying at me when Eddie and I had gotten in a “car crash” during the almost Earth quake that had occurred in Hawkins the night we went to the Upside Down. Only he and I knew better that our wounds were from something much worse.

On my fourth day in the hospital, I was told that I could leave to finish my recovery at home. After returning home to my aunt’s house, I had to make a few phone calls to my professors to tell them that I had been in an accident and would be needing extensions on all assignments for the rest of the semester. Aunt Claudia begged me to drop my courses, but I couldn’t afford to lose that much money, so I decided to tough it out.

My parents came to visit when they heard what had happened. They stayed with us at Aunt Claudia’s. They were both incredibly worried, especially when they found out that my boyfriend was technically being detained for questioning by the Hawkins police in relation to three murders. 

Yes. Only three murders. Thankfully, by the grace of God, Nancy, Robin, and Steve were able to kill Vecna before he could reach Max. She was still in rough shape though, so she was spending some time in the hospital to make sure she was ok. I visited her each day I spent in the hospital and while she seemed deeply shaken by the whole experience, it seemed like she would survive just fine. Especially since Lucas made sure to visit her everyday for hours.

My parents decided to stay for a while with us in Hawkins. As happy as I was to see my parents, I couldn’t help but wish they would leave a bit quicker. I wanted to see Eddie. I wanted to make sure that my friends were ok and safe. I really wanted to meet Eleven, who had rolled into Hawkins with Mike Wheeler, Jonathan and Will Byers, and Jonthan’s friend Argyle. Also new to town was Joyce Byers and Police Chief, Jim Hopper, who had mysteriously returned from the dead. Even though everything with Vecna seemed to be over, it felt like there were still so many questions I wanted answered. I mostly wanted to know how we were going to prove Eddie’s innocence.

---

Two days after I returned from the hospital, I received a call from Hopper. He asked if I was alone if he could pick me up. I told him that Dustin was home with me and he still agreed that Dustin would come with us. Within twenty minutes, I saw a beige Hawkins PD truck pull up in front of the house. I opened the door before Chief Hopper could knock. 

He was tall and strongly built. His head was shaved and he had a scruffy beard appearing on his chin. Chief Hopper’s face was haunted and hardened. I didn’t know yet how he had managed to rise from the dead, but it seemed to have taken a toll on him.

“Y/N?” he asked.

“Yes,” I said. I felt incredibly small standing in front of him.

“Come with me,” he said. “We need to talk,”

Dustin and I rode in the front seat of the police car with Chief Hopper. I was intimidated by the man’s strong presence and was silent the entire way there. Dustin only chimed in a few times to mention something to Hopper but other than that the ride was quiet. We drove out to the edge of town where the trees were thick. Hopper eventually pulled over when we reached a small wooden cabin.

On the porch stood a girl with a shaved head. She was probably around fourteen and was incredibly beautiful. Standing with her was a tall and rather skinny young man with curly black hair. Before I was introduced to them, I knew that this was Mike Wheeler and Eleven, the girl with super powers.

I approached them with caution. Chief Hopper introduced us and then we all went into the cabin. When I walked in, I saw Lucas, Steve, Robin, and Nancy sitting on the couch. A woman probably in her forties was standing by a boy with a bowl cut who sat in one of the arm chairs in the living room. Sitting on the floor with the boy was clearly his brother. They looked too similar not to be related. The chief introduced me to the Byers. I took a seat on the arm of the couch and Dustin sat on the floor by Steve. Chief Hopper stood so all of us could see him.

“Here’s the plan,” he said. “And we’re not negotiating. This is what’s happening. We’re all going to agree to it and then we’ll never speak of it again.”

We all nodded.

“With some help from a few friends, I think we’ve built up enough of a case to prove that Jason Carver had a screw or two loose and that he would have been capable of murder. He was the strongest to come out against the supposed devil worshippers of Hawkins. I think it’s plausible that maybe he got a little too hot headed when he found out that the leader of the Hellfire Club was dealing drugs to his sweet and innocent girlfriend. Maybe he got jealous, maybe he was upset with Chrissy for getting into drugs, enraged possibly. He sneaks into Munson’s trailer, attacks Chrissy, Eddie escapes before Jason can come after him. He realizes that Eddie looks like the culprit, decides to take down Fred to prove that Eddie’s guilty. Maybe Patrick figures out what’s going on and confronts Jason, Jason gets mad, knows Patrick will rat him out, so he takes his last victim before killing himself at the Creel house,”

“Wait,” I said, “killing himself?”

“Didn’t you hear?” Lucas asked. “Jason showed up at the Creel house when Max and I were there. He tried to kill me. He lost his balance when we were fighting and fell out the second story window,”

“Oh my God,” I said.

“He’s not around to say this is a cover up, and it’s the only way I can think of to prove Munson’s innocence,” Hopper said.

“Jason was crazy,” Robin said, “but can we really frame him for murder?”

“Do you want Eddie to go down for something he didn’t do?” Dustin asked. “Jason would’ve killed Lucas if he got the chance. It’s not crazy to say that he would have been capable of murder like this,”

“Besides, this is what we’re doing,” Hopper said. “No if ands or buts. I just want you all to know the story before it gets out and Munson is released from the hospital.”

“Eddie’s being released?” I asked.

“He should be as free as a bird by this evening,” Hopper said. “We’ve got the evidence, or at least we can make the evidence strong enough against Jason. Most importantly, we can prove that your boyfriend is an innocent man,”

“Oh thank God,” I said.

“Don’t go thanking anyone yet,” Hopper said. “He may be innocent by law but I don’t know if this town will ever accept him again. You better buckle up if you’re planning on staying with him,”

“Because they were so welcoming before all of this happened,” Dustin said.

“I’ll stand by him,” I said. “I don’t care what this town says about him. I know the man that I love. And he’s good and true. He saved this town,”

“Then let’s get this settled and get him out of the hospital,” Hopper said.

---

I was still in recovery myself, but I would have been damned if I wasn’t there to see Eddie walk out of the hospital a free man. I waited outside for Wayne and Eddie to come out the front doors of the hospital. When they did, I saw that Eddie was in a wheel chair and that Wayne was carrying a pair of crutches for his nephew.

“Y/N,” Eddie said, a smile growing across his face when he saw me.

“Hi,” I said, leaning down to kiss his cheek. “How are you?”

“I’m free,” Eddie said.

“He’s high on morphine,” Wayne mumbled.

“That I am!” Eddie called.

“They gave him some pain meds before he left so that the transition home wouldn’t be too bad,” Wayne said. “But he’s been saying the weirdest shit, about bats and the underworld,”

“Upside Down!” Eddie yelled.

“Shhh, baby,” I said and leaned down to whisper in Eddie’s ear. “Seriously you have to stop talking before you out us,”

“What?” Eddie asked. His eyes were cloudy when he looked at me. “You are gorgeous.” he said.

“You’re beautiful too,” I giggled.

Together, Wayne and I helped Eddie into the car. When we reached Forrest Hill, we got Eddie into his room and I tucked him in bed. As we passed through the living room, I couldn’t help but check the ceiling to make sure the gate was gone. Sure enough, the ceiling was flat and clean as if nothing had ever happened. I guess when Vecna died, all of his gates closed. I still had chills standing in that room though, and quickly shut myself in with Eddie in his bedroom.

He lay sleepily on his bed, his hair a mess and the blankets tangled around him. I crawled in next to him but was scared to touch him in case I were cause him any pain. Eddie’s eyes were closed but he reached out to grab my hand. He held it tight in both of his. 

“I am really fucking high right now,” he said. “How many pills did they give me?”

“I don’t know,” I said. “Your uncle just said they wanted to you to be able to get here comfortably,”

“Well I am floating on a cloud right now so I would say I’m pretty comfortable,” Eddie giggled. “You should join me. Come get on my cloud,”

“I’m right here with you,” I laughed.

“Oh,” Eddie said. “Yeah, I guess you’re already on the cloud,”

“Eddie,” I said.

“Yes?” he asked.

“I want you to know that I’m going to stick with you,” I said. “No matter what. We may be through the immediate dangers, but I mean for the long haul. I’m with you,”

“Even if I lose my cloud?” Eddie asked.

I smiled at his ridiculousness. “Even if you lose your cloud,”

“Wow,” Eddie said. “That’s serious,”

“Yeah,” I said. “I love you,”

“I love you too,” Eddie said. He turned his eye towards me, his eyes now open. They were still hazy but I could see more of his normal glance in them. “I love you.” he said again. “I love you, I love you, I love you, help, I don’t think I can stop saying it. I might have broken. I love you,”

We both started laughing but it caused too much strain against our stiches. We groaned together at the pain and started to laugh at that.

“God we are fucked up,” Eddie said.

“At least we have each other,” I said.

“That’s true,” Eddie said. He looked at me again. “I love you, there it’s out of my system,” he said.

I smiled “I love you too,” I said.

Eddie and I stayed in bed for the rest of the day. We eventually fell asleep together. When he woke up, he was much thinking much more clearly. He gave my shoulder a slight shake to wake me up. There was concern in his eyes.

“Did you really mean it when you said you’re here for the long haul?” he asked.

“Of course,” I said. “I’m here,”

Eddie nodded and then laid back down. “I’m not going anywhere either,” he said.

He moved closer to me and wrapped a banaged arm over me, asking if it hurt too much for him to do that. I told him it was ok and we fell back asleep. I had never slept that deeply in my life. I felt like I could rest in that bed for a lifetime.

Previous Chapter: Chapter 21

Falling for the Freak Taglist:

@dilophosaurusatenewman @efvyqrs @babeyglo @aestaethicvante @kbakery @aereth @livlaughquinn @kaqua @starryeyedkoko @paintballkid711 @cryuki-patootie @lorrainlikesprivacy @possiblyexisting @beepisbeep

[starkerforlife6969]

Tony Stark’s Home for Wayward Monsters

irondad and spiderson fluff

Tony’s life isn’t normal. He’s always known that. Hell, he’s Ironman. He’s been to outer space. Seen planets, defeated monsters, and when his own little boy gets bitten by a radioactive spider, honestly-

It’s all part and parcel of his life.

Peter Stark is the cutest little six year old in the world, as far as Tony and the other avengers are concerned. He’s so tiny, with the chubbiest cheeks and angelic chestnut curls and he bounces around and climbs up ceilings and makes little web-hammocks in the corner of rooms and often scares the life out of his old man by poking his little head down from the ceiling and Tony jumps so hard he nearly breaks his leg.

Peter is also the sweetest thing in the world. He’s such a good kid. Kind to a fault, and Tony would destroy everyone if Peter so much as grazed his knee.

Peter eats all his vegetables and gets excited by homework and is patient and adoring when watching Tony in lab- all big deer eyes and enthusiastically asking if he can have a go with the radioactive goo now, please daddy?

Natasha strolls in after picking Peter up from kindergarten one sunny afternoon, and Tony sips his coffee, frowning at the look on her face. She looks happy. That’s never a great sign-

And then Peter walks in-

He’s got a gigantic husky in his arms. The dog is bigger than him, seriously- but Peter’s strength- Christ- and that dog is all teeth and scabbed fur and-

“Daddy! Daddy! Look, Auntie Nat and I found a puppy!” says the big ball of fur with legs.

Tony stands, immediately wanting to yank Peter away from the dangerous canine, but the husky is apparently very content to be petted as Peter sets him down and then throws his arms around him in a bear hug.

The husky hooks its giant head over Peter’s shoulder- surrounding the boy- and bares his teeth as if Peter’s his young and Tony is the threat when-

Natasha takes pity on him, and hoists Peter easily out of the dog’s hold, and into Tony’s arms.

Peter giggles delightedly- dog fur all over his clothes. “Can we, daddy? Please! Please, please! I’ll look after him, I promise!” And his eyes are so wide and so earnest and-

Tony can’t say no.

***

But he taught his son a lesson that day. He taught his son that scared things, with too many teeth and not enough love, are to be brought up to the penthouse for their new home.

Peter, not two weeks later, comes in with Bruce (who was on pick up duty today, not like it’s a chore, though) and a man smeared with dirt and one very shiny metal arm.

“Daddy!” Peter announces proudly, “this is Bucky!”, and he tugs ‘Bucky’ (who looks so terrifyingly like an assassin that Tony briefly considers suiting up) into the penthouse.

Bruce looks utterly dazed.

Bucky looks frightened.

Ginger- the ferocious, but in actuality adorable, husky, rushes over to lick Peter’s face, and then nuzzle like a cat between Bucky’s legs.

Bucky relaxes, just a little, and pets the dog’s head.

“He was lost, daddy! And he doesn’t have a home!” His little face looks utterly-heart broken, and Tony stares in disbelief.

“I…” Bucky shakes his head, and tries to gently extract his fingers from Peter’s little hands, and looks very confused when the grip doesn’t come away. “I…He found me- I was- in an alley, and he said- something about-“

“A feeling,” Tony sighs. Peter’s ‘spider-sense’. A sort of extra-sense that tells him when something wrong is happening close by. “Listen, Peter- I’m sure Bucky here has-“

“Nowhere to go.” Peter pouts firmly, looking up at Tony with wide-eyes that glimmer with betrayal. “We’re gonna…he’s staying, right daddy?” He whispers, and Tony looks down at his little boy and-

Gives Bucky a guest room.

Just for the night.

***

Three weeks later, Bucky - the winter soldier- is firmly a part of the family. He takes Ginger for walks and has nightmares which make him stay up late at night with Tony in the lab, talking in hushed tones about Hydra, and giving information that’s vital- incredibly vital- to tracking down the last remnants of them.

Steve had taken one look at him and Tony had groaned.

Steve’s eyes had gone immensely blue and his jaw had dropped and Bucky had blushed and-

Tony had pinched the bridge of his nose and poured more coffee, before making Peter another blueberry pancake.

*** Peter is a few days before his seventh birthday, when he comes home with an astounded Clint, and a man with long black hair and angry-defiance in his eyes.

Peter is also dragging a huge hammer in his free hand.

It’s leaving a dent in the floor.

Tony stares.

And then sighs.

So Loki is a god, who Peter and Clint had stumbled across on their way home (maybe Tony should switch Peter’s school) and found Loki crying and trying to lift this hammer.

Peter had thought he’d needed help- and lifted it in one easy motion and now-

His seven year old is heir to the throne of a planet he’s never heard of.

“Cool,” Clint grins, ruffling Peter’s curls as Loki sulks in the corner, “make me a Duke or something, yeah, Petey?”

Peter shakes his head solemnly. “That would be abusing my powers.”

Tony can’t help it- he laughs. But he waggles a stern finger at Loki. “We are not keeping him.”

Loki gapes indignantly. Peter scrunches up his tiny nose in confusion. “But he’s hurt- and we…we help people when they’re sad and lost, don’t we, daddy?”

Bucky doesn’t meet Tony’s eyes, and Tony sighs.

*** It turns out though, Loki only stays for a few months.

And it’s a shame, really, because- goddamnit, the snooty prince was starting to grow on Tony.

Loki could conjure allusions- beautiful and intricate- and had spent a great many hours showing Peter little stories in the air- looking pleased at Peter’s effusive praise over Loki’s talents.

Loki could shape-shift- into anything- but mostly a pretty pony that Peter would ride around the penthouse.

Although, Loki sometimes stared at Tony’s arc-reactor for a touch too long, like he wanted to steal it and its power-

But then Peter would ask for some hot chocolate and tug on the end of Loki’s green robes and-

The god would settle back down.

But then in a hail of thunder and lighting, there’s another god landing in his living room- yelling with joy over having found his brother and his hammer and the new heir to the throne-

And Tony finds himself with the newest member of the avengers.

*** Bucky’s packing to move in with Steve when Peter’s eleven.

Tony muses over how different the penthouse will be without him-

And that’s when Peter comes home with a homeless man.

“He’s not homeless, dad,” Peter rolls his eyes, dragging in the sweaty wreck of a human being in behind him, “he’s got a symbiote.”

“It’s a parasite!” The man chokes desperately, looking like he’d love to run out, but his limbs keep jerkily propelling him forward. “A parasite!”

“Don’t call Venom that!” Peter scolds, reaching out his hand to pat some black goo on Eddie’s arm. “He’s much more than a parasite.”

“Yes, little spider,” croons a hissing voice that Tony- Tony cannot be dealing with this shit right now. “The spider understands. The spider would make a good host. But not better than you, our dearest Eddie-“

Tony hoists Peter up into his arms, settling him on his hip and shaking his head at Eddie (who he’s starting to recognise as that reporter who went missing) and saying firmly: “Ground rule: No using my son as a host.”

Eddie scrubs his face deliriously, and Venom asks for chocolate.

***

On Halloween night, Eddie comes back complaining about the taste of blood in the back of his throat, but his arms are cradled protectively around Peter who’s cuddled into his chest- supported by a tangled mass of black lines.

Tony looks up from his work and jerks to his feet- rushing over to his son.

“Some dude- tried to grab him.” Eddie whispers, and Peter is still crying a little, and Tony holds him tight- heart pounding. “We- I- We- we ate him.” Eddie mumbles. “Sorry.”

Tony decides right then and there, that Eddie might be his favourite... monster?Stray?

Tony spends the whole night eating chocolate with his son, praising him, telling him how kind and good and amazingly brave he is, and Ginger snuffles into Peter’s neck until the boy starts smiling again- wobbly and cautious.

Thor and Loki visit as soon as they realise what’s happened.

They bring a ship full of Asgardian gold.

Bucky comes too- and tells Peter about nightmares and how to make them go away.

Tony thinks there might be a thing to having a home for Wayward….monsters? Strays? Alien-people?

*** When Peter’s sixteen, he brings home a stray in the form of a boyfriend, and Tony is saying no before they’re even introduced.

“Dad,” Peter grins, rocking on his heels excitedly. “This is Wade-“

“No.” Tony says, but he has a horrifying feeling he’s already lost, because Wade is smiling like he won the lottery and- “No.” Tony says again, horrified.

Maybe he will send Peter to be the Asgardian King after all.

At least there won’t be any Wade Wilsons in space.

(Tony says yes, 6 years later, when Wade asks for permission for Peter’s hand. He also blasts him right in the chest with his gauntlet and Wade lets out a little ‘oof’. “You treat him right.” Tony says, though he’s said it before, and Wade has never ever treated Peter wrong. “It’s not just me who’ll destroy you- there are-“

“I get it, I get it. A whole universe of people on Pete’s side. Damn, your son’s really good at making alliances. You know he met some woman the other day? We were walking along and he got this feeling, so we went over to an old blockbusters and this woman named Carol was-“

“No.” Tony says, walking away. “No.”)

[i-usedto-ship-them]

Gallavich Week: Day 5: Family

This is post season 8 but none of the gay jesus stuff happened and Ian didn't get arrested.

********

Ian was lying awake at 2 am not focusing on anything in particular, just starting at the ceiling. Thoughts came in waves to him. Right now, he was thinking about his brother, Carl. Carl had left a month ago for his second year at military school and his crazy girlfriend, Kassidi has permanently moved into his bed, saying that she trusts Carl to come back to her. Something about a gut feeling that he wants to come back. Ian, Lip and Debbie had all taken turns on trying to convince her to go back to her home, that Carl wouldn't come back in the middle of term for her but she wouldn't budge. Frank thoroughly enjoyed having her around because her rich dad sent her money and she got them stuff from that money, even stuff for home like groceries. Ian thought it was weird that she was staying even when Carl wasn't around but she said this was her family since Carl was her husband. Ian and everyone knew she was crazy but he realized she lived in fantasies. When Carl was here, she lived in the fantasy of having a perfect family and such and now that he'd left, she latched onto the next best fantasy she could think of, wife waiting for her husband who was away in military.

Ian remembered when he wanted to join the army and then he did; then he ended up as a dancer in a gay bar and then Mickey brought him back. The waves of thought always brought Mickey's memories with them.

He heard a noise outside his room. It was Xan, he guessed, Lip's violent fuck buddy, Eddie's niece. Lip had brought her home about the time Carl left, thinking she could have Carl's bed but with the whole Kissidi being a new Gallagher thing, Xan was sleeping in Ian's bed and Ian was sharing with Lip in what Fiona's old bedroom. Xan's mom had left her with Eddie and disappeared and after a while, Eddie had left Xan in the garage and left her without anyone to look for her. It was good of Lip to bring her over and it also gave him some purpose. Besides, her responsibility helped him to stay away from drinking. But every night she woke up and did God knows what, probably drank some water, used the toilet or something. Ian knew she wasn't very comfortable with them and that she missed her Mom but they couldn't do anything about it.

It seemed that the Gallagher house was once again, full of kids. Franny, Liam, Xan, Kassidi, they all created the noise and racket that was characteristic to his home. He remembered so many random people had lived in this house besides the Gallaghers. There was Fiona's boyfriend, Jimmy/Steve/Jack whatever his name was, then they had Sheila Jackson live with them for a while, Mandy used to live with them too when Lip wasn't such an asshole to her. Then there was the crazy Sammi. Ian thought that was the crowdiest his house had been besides the day care hours. That time, Carl had a girlfriend who had about 10 siblings and they all lived in the living room, Sammi and her fat son was there and Mickey was there. Mickey was always there, through all of it. Ian remembered that first night he'd spent here. He had been cold to Mickey. Asked him to sleep on the floor which Ian remembered left him in shock when he agreed. Ian remembered Mickey taking care of him in this house when he was sick. If he had not been there, Ian would've turned into Monica. Junkie, always leaving, doing crazy things and dealing drugs or blowing men to make a living. Probably he was Monica when Mickey was with him. He loved Mickey, very much, but this stupid Monica virus made him feel so lost and it made all the other feelings so numb that he was willing to push his only stone away. He felt horrible thinking about that day, Mickey had came running from all the way to his house just to make sure he was okay, and he had hurt him. Not once but even after he was thrown in prison, Ian had hurt him from the outside. Ian had managed to keep all memories of Mickey locked away in a dark corner of his mind but ever since those 3 days with him, on the road to Mexico, those memories had exploded, and it was impossible to put them back now. They never stopped.

It had almost been a year now. A pretty uneventful year for Ian. Most of it was spent trying to get Trevor back which hadn't worked properly since he was now seeing someone else. One thing that Ian did besides his work was do things for the shelter kids but he kept his distance from the youth shelter ever since that day Trevor introduced him to Brendon, some old friend of his who had moved away a few years ago but now came back and was living with Trevor. Ian gave up on him after that. It was no use anyway, Mickey's departure and Monica's death were the two things that ruled his mind. Even after a year, he couldn't stop thinking of the last kiss he had had with Mickey at the border. He was sure this was the end for them, realistically. But somehow Mickey's eyes said it wasn't and it didn't really feel like the end to him either.

The next morning, he went downstairs. kassidi was making banana pancakes. Xan came down and pilled a plate for herself. Ian poured himself coffee. Lip came down and got a plate of pancakes for himself, too. Debbie came down with Franny, talking loudly about her new job which was full of middle aged men. She and lip continued talking about something or other that Ian wasn't paying much attention to. He was a bit tired because of the small amount of sleep he had gotten last night. Fiona came through the front door after about 15 minutes with a lunch bag to take Liam to school with her. Ian hadn't noticed him coming downstairs for breakfast. Fiona didn't like Kassidi but she kept that to herself since she didn't live there anymore. Ian ate his pancakes in quiet, not participating in the morning activities like throwing Frank out of the house because he started bothering Xan, asking about her family which she was visibly uncomfortable about.

He hadn't been this disinterested in anything since that time when he came back from the hospital with bipolar disease. He remembered he felt like a zombie back then and then to make himself feel less like a zombie, he had punched Mickey and had one of the best sex ever. He smiled at the memory and it hit him how much he missed his ex boyfriend. In that moment, he realized none of the people in this house made me feel like the way Mickey did. Yes they were his family, he cared about them a lot and loved them dearly but none of them was Mickey. No one could ever be like Mickey. No one could ever talk like his eyes did and no one would ever love him like he did. This thought scared him. He wondered what was the point without him? What was he doing with a normal life, a job, a family if he couldn't have love and he couldn't feel. Fucking around wasn't enough to fill the gaping hole Mickey had left in his heart. In that moment, he realized, he can't wait anymore. He had to go and find him. He had to look for him because there was nothing else that made sense to him.

So he got up, went to his room, packed his stuff, and his meds (yes. Meds are important, he thought, he can't loose himself when trying to find his purpose, it wouldn't help.)

He rushed downstairs and was about to leave when Lip called from the kitchen.

"Where are you going? I thought your shift started at noon?"

Ian turned around to face his brother. He should tell him before he leaves or they'll think he wasn't taking his meds again and had Monica-d them.

He hesitated but then found the courage and said, "I'm going to Mexico. To find Mickey."

Lip laughed. Yeah it was stupid but there was no other option.

"You're going to Mexico? And where exactly would you find Mickey in the whole place?" He said with a smirk and that signature Lip look that screamed 'you're dumb.'

"I don't know," Ian looked away. "But I'm going. At least i know where to start."

"Ian don't be stupid. Come on, get inside."

"I'm not being stupid. Maybe I am. I know. But i don't have any choice. I need to find him. I can't live like this!" Ian said, almost pleading his brother to understand.

Lip looked at him carefully then said, "alright, let's go upstairs and talk. Okay?"

Ian realized Kassidi and Xan were watching them. He didn't wanna go and 'talk'. He wanted to leave and he wanted Mickey. But he agreed to Lip, hoping maybe he could get him to help.

He walked upstairs slowly behind Lip and sat on the bed.

"Are you okay?" Was the first thing Lip said. Ian rolled his eyes and gave the answer his brother wanted to hear.

"Yes. I'm taking my meds regularly and I've also packed them here. I'm not Monica."

Lip nodded, "No, I know, man. But why Mickey, all of a sudden?" He asked and raised his eyebrows.

"I want him. My life is pointless. He was here and everything was fine. I was happy. And now I don't even feel like going out or doing anything at all. He's the only reason." He finished, finding himself pleading again, his eyes getting red at the edges and his voice was desperate.

Lip thought for a long moment, "you really wanna find him?" He looked concerned and not entirely into it, but he wanted to help his brother.

Ian nodded and buried his face in his hands.

"Alright, then," he clapped his hand on Ian's back, "then let's find him. Okay? But you don't need to leave like this. We can make a plan. Look for some places he might be and then you can leave. With a plan. Okay?"

Ian looked at him, thankful for understanding and relieved that finally something in his life made sense.

*******

Ahhh if only the Gallaghers were as supportive of them. Also, sorry for crap writing.

[argylemikewheeler]

hey! idk if this prompt has been done/ won’t work, but i really just want pure unadulterated fluff between the twins richie and mike and them just lying around talking about life and trying to figure out how everything got so bad and just having brotherly moments and loving eachother like the soft boys they are

(this definitely works and i loved writing this)

The June before Will was taken lost, in the woods, The Wheeler’s sent only one of their twin sons to a family member in Maine. Richie had been having problems focusing– and much to a bigger complaint, keeping his mouth shut– and another parent in the neighborhood told them about a specialist in Derry to try and help him with his Attention Deficit Disorder, which Mike always thought was fake; that was just Richie.

Mike had never been away from his twin for longer than a few days, and he had his own reservations about the idea, while Richie was always screaming about how much he hated seafood. He was sent away later that week. By the time he returned the following December, he was a different brother than Mike had sent away.

Richie never slept well as it was, always up and reading or writing or telling jokes to Mike in the middle of the night, but since he had returned, he was restless. He turned over on his bed countless time, his quiet mumbling and groaning keeping Mike up. Their parents never suspected anything, Richie still able to keep his energy levels up to eleven and bouncing around the house, nearly breaking everything like he used to and proving their plan had failed. Mike had heard all the stories though. First, in Richie’s sleep, the boy muttering names that Mike remembered from letters, postcards, and phone calls. Eventually he got the full conscious story, trading his own adventure with Will and even introducing him to Eleven. All Richie kept saying is how much he fucking hated clowns.

Richie was asleep at the desk in their shared bedroom. Mike had been up in their room a moment before, stepping out to grab his campaign planning notebook, when he returned to find Richie asleep on his own hand. His face was slowly slipping out of his grip and his glasses were being pushed up by his knuckles. Mike sat on his bed and wrote quickly, letting Richie get the sleep his body had been begging him to get for the past month.

As if struck by lightning, Richie seized awake, gasping for air and screaming. Mike looked up slowly, finishing his sentence and not at all scared anymore.

“You okay?” He asked, placing his pen down. He spoke gently, knowing Richie was still waking up.

“Yeah.” Richie sighed, adjusting his glasses. “Peachy.”

“You’re safe here.” Mike assured him, although he had traded one evil for another.

“Yeah, I know.” He said, placing his glasses on his head to rub his eyes. “I just shouldn’t have made friends. I should have just been like you and shut myself up in my room for a year and played with myself.”

“Fuck you, Richie.”

“Believe me, there wasn’t any of that in Maine.” He said, situating his glasses back on his nose. “Apparently the impending fear of death really limp-dicks the whole town.”

“You are disgusting.” Mike said, rolling his eyes. “Forget I tried to be nice.”

“Aw, come on, Mike and Ike! Don’t turn sour on me!” He said, standing and flopping onto Mike’s bed. He was on his stomach, elbows on the bed and holding his head up as he peered into Mike’s notebook. “What are we drawing today?”

“I’m writing, Richie.” Mike explained, hating to disappoint Richie and his belief that the only thing teenage boys should be doodling in notebooks are “twigs and berries”.

“Anything steamy, loverboy?”

“No.” Mike laughed. “But it is to cheer Will up after everything. He always loves long campaigns.” Mike had been trying to make one long enough to last every day of Hanukkah coming up; even though Will would be home at night for his family’s celebrations, during the day Mike wanted him to be well occupied and happy. “He’s coming over all next week.”

“Oh yeah. That’s right. I have to call Stan after the first night.” Richie said. “Typically, I don’t call after the first night at all, amirite!” Mike rejected Richie’s high-five and continued to write in his notebook. Richie’s arm slapped down on the mattress, a quiet grumble proclaiming Mike a “fucking square”. Mike laughed quietly to himself as he attempted to draw an illustration to his idea beside the bullet point; Will was really far better at it.

“So how is everyone else?” Mike asked. “Bill? Bev? The gang?”

“Still s-s-stuttering.” Richie replied, resting his head on Mike’s outstretched leg. “Bev’s better. Last I heard she was calling her aunt to move across town. Eddie’s arm healed nice.”

“That’s good.” Mike said, nodding along. “He deserves having use of both hands back.” He laughed, remembering the stories Richie told of Eddie struggling to open his pill bottles and hold pencils.

“Yeah, my right hand’s getting pretty tired.” Richie said, snapping his fingers and pointing at Mike as he laughed

“What does he see in you again?” Mike asked, looking up from his work. “I mean, seriously?”

“Sorry not all of us have swing set fetishes, Michael. Some of us find love in crack houses.” Richie pretended to whip his hair back. They both began laughing before Richie placed his head back on Mike’s leg. Mike placed his book next to his face so they could both look at the pages at once. Richie was quiet and watched Mike scribble across the lines. “How the fuck did we get like this, Mike?”

“Like what?” Mike continued, poking his brother’s nose with his pen. “You’re always like this. Not even Mom and Dad’s attempted normalcy therapy did anything.”

“Let me make the jokes there, Michael.” Richie deadpanned.  “I meant like this.” He flopped his arm over Mike’s book and the other over the edge of the bed with an exaggerated sigh. “Fucking comparing the well-being of our friends because they are always, somehow, inching towards the goddamn grave.”

“I blame you.” Mike teased. “You’re the one who became besties with something that eats children.”

“I guess you’re right.” Richie sighed, settling his face in Mike’s leg. “I wish they never sent me up there sometimes, you know?”

“I know what you mean.” Mike agreed. Every time he saw Will suffering, he wished he had won the argument with his parents and played for another ten minutes, maybe then Will would have missed crossing paths with the Demogorgon and he wouldn’t have nightmares that consumed him even when he was awake. “But it happened, for better or for worse, I guess.” Mike closed his book and placed a hand on Richie’s head, smoothing out his hair. His fingers kept getting caught in his curls. “I mean, you made friends, right?”

“Yeah.” Richie agreed, reaching up to take his glasses off. He placed them on top of Mike’s book. “I guess so.��

“I mean, Eddie’s pretty cool, right? You won’t shut up about him long enough to brush your teeth.” Mike teased.

“Your point, wise ass?” Richie asked, squinting and looking up at his brother.

“You’ve got some things to be happy about, right?” Mike shrugged. “Six things, technically.”

“Ugh, do you have to be so right all the time?” Richie groaned, closing his eyes. “Just be bleak about something for like, a fucking day, Mike. Jesus.” Mike laughed again and kept smoothing Richie’s hair. There was so much of it, but so little style.

“Oh! You know what I’ve been forgetting to tell you about?” Mike gasped, already beginning to laugh softly. “The week we spent hanging out with Steve Harrington.”

“Steve?” Richie echoed. “Isn’t he the guy with hair like a rooster?”

“The very same.” Mike agreed. “He and Nancy had a thing for a while. So he was around a bit. Being semi-helpful.”

“He got the shit kicked out of him, didn’t he?” Richie guessed, chuckling. “That guy looks too pretty to fight.”

“First a rooster, now he’s pretty?” Mike laughed, grabbing his brother’s head and shaking it back and forth jokingly.

“Well, cock and pretty are synonyms, right?” Richie laughed, reaching up to grope at Mike’s hands, trying to loosen his grip. “Come on, that’s funny, Mike!”

“How did Aunt Ruth not actually kill you last summer?” Mike asked, finally releasing Richie’s face and letting it rest back on his leg. “I mean, she doesn’t even like it when Mom says ‘God’ in the house. Let alone you talking about genitals every few minutes.”

“I mostly stayed at the arcade, honestly.” Richie confessed. “I’d go from school, to therapy, to the arcade, then roll into bed long after they had gone to sleep. I just avoided them the whole time.”

“You did?” Mike asked, placing his hand back in Richie’s hair. Aunt Ruth always called every other week and told stories about Richie’s progress and his behavior around the house. Mike didn’t know it was all a lie. He had assumed Richie had told him everything.

“Yeah, I was only going to make them miserable.” Richie didn’t seem to be upset by the truth about himself. He shrugged and closed his eyes again, looking like he was ready for another promising nap. “But, between Stan and Bill I always had somewhere to be.”

“Why didn’t you tell Mom?” Mike asked. As much as Richie kept saying he didn’t like eating seafood and would “starve” if he went to Maine, Mike always knew there was a grain of truth to his strong refusal to go. Mike just didn’t think it had anything to do with feeling like he didn’t belong with his own family.

“Right. Like I’d tell her that her own sister thinks I’m a fucking nudge.” Richie laughed coldly. “And you’re going to tell her you had a goddamn government grade mutant in the basement because she could find your friend in an alternate dimension.”

“That’s different.”

“It’s the exact same.” Richie countered. “Mom would laugh at both things and tell us we’re crazy and to shut up– or at least she says that last part to me.” He cracked his eyes back open if only to roll them before closing them over again.

“Well now you’re home.” Mike soothed, petting Richie’s hair again. He was hoping he’d fall asleep again, even though Mike was losing feeling in his leg from Richie’s weight pressing on his knee. He wanted his brother to get some sleep. Maybe being next to him would ease his panic that he had been left in that weird well-hosting house.

“Hey, Mike?” Richie mumbled, words slurring with sleep.

“Yeah, Rich?”

“‘Re you gonna get mad if I drool on your leg?”

“No.” Mike laughed, carefully opening his book and picking up his pen. “I won’t be mad.”

“Okay okay cool okay.” He mumbled, curling his legs into his body and settling his head against Mike’s leg. “Cool.”

“Hey, Mike?” He said again.

“Yeah.”

“Thanks.”

“For what?” Mike asked as if he was asking a child. He laughed at the innocence in Richie’s voice as he tried to write again.

“Thanks.” Richie repeated. “Thanks, Mike.”

“Okay, you better stop talking before you embarrass yourself.” Mike shushed his brother, keeping his hand in Richie’s hair but stopping the movement. “Get some sleep, Rich.”

“Be here when I wake up?” Richie asked, his hand reaching up and grabbing Mike’s resting in his hair. Mike couldn’t go anywhere with all of Richie’s weight resting over his leg, but he assured him he would be. “Okay.” He said with a sigh, his body falling lax as he sighed. “Don’t do anything weird.”

“Does that mean I can’t draw on your face?” Mike giggled, dragging the cap of his pen over Richie’s cheek. “I can draw a pretty wonky looking flower.” Mike pretended to already be drawing, sticking his tongue out of his mouth with faux concentration.

“Yeah, no.” Richie said, fingers curling around Mike’s hand. “Your flowers always look like weird vaginas.”

“They do not!” Mike argued, gasping.

“Yeah, they do. You wouldn’t know, of course.” Richie laughed, peeking through squinted eyelids again. “But they totally do. Don’t.”

“Fine.”

Mike sighed and let Richie feel accomplished by his insult, eyes closing again and his body leaning into Mike’s legs. He’d get some deserved sleep, and Mike could get some peace and quiet to finish his campaign. They’d have a few moments away from their family, people clueless to their secrets. They’d have a few moments to be kids, just two regular kids enjoying winter break. They’d be normal again, just for an hour. They’d be average. Except one of them was getting a weird-looking flower all over his face.

ao3

[hotdogjumpingfrog5]

It’s Strange - Chapter 10

Previous Chapters: Chapter One, Chapter Two, Chapter Three, Chapter Four, Chapter Five, Chapter Six, Chapter Seven, Chapter Eight, Chapter Nine

~

June 30th, 1986

Mike, Dustin, Lucas, Max, and Eleven had gotten together that day, and would be seeing each other a lot more now that summer has arrived.

They were riding their bicycles to the tiny playground in Hawkins, which was surrounded by woods.

Hopper trusted Eleven enough to go out too, so she was content and excited about that.

Will was the only one absent from the group, since he was having epileptic seizures the past few nights, and was in the hospital since that morning, when Joyce booked an appointment with the neurologist

“So, is anyone nervous for high school in September?” Dustin asked the group

“Not me,” Max laughs, “I’m in an all-grade school.”

“I think we should be fine, Dusty.” Mike said

“Yeah, as long as you don’t do that thing with your teeth.” said Lucas

Dustin does that usual cat impression, purring.

“Seriously man, don’t do that.” said Lucas

“So, El,” Mike changed the subject, “Are you planning on coming to high school with us? We could see each other more and everything!”

Eleven looked at him, then down

“I don’t know…” she responded, “I will have to convince my dad. Hopefully next year.”

“So what’s everyone’s plans for Fourth of July?” Mike had asked

“I don’t know about you guys, but Steve and Johnathan gave me and Will extra tickets to see The Clash in Boston!” said Dustin

Mike and Eleven and Max and Lucas already planned a double date for going to see the fireworks later that night on the Fourth of July.

The two couples were also planning on going to Derry’s Fourth of July fair. It ran from 11:30 - 6 pm, and Mike had convinced them to go around 11:30 or 12. Mike didn’t want to bump into his brother Richie, and he knew the losers were not planning on going until around 2:30.

“Seriously Mike, how come you’re always trying to separate me and Richie?” Dustin groaned, “If it was Bill or Stan you wouldn’t care!”

“You’re not even going to be in town!” Mike responded, “But you know what he’s like. He’s my brother, and I don’t want him to embarrass me in front of you guys or any of the other losers.”

“Well…he’s not that bad.” said Lucas

Max nodded in agreement with what Lucas and Dustin said.

“Not happening, guys.” said Mike, “We’ll meet up with Bill’s group some other time.”

The five of them had spent the rest of the overcast afternoon on their bikes, talking, planning stuff, and talking about high school.

A car had pulled up to the dirt road parking lot of the playground.

The five of them were the only ones in the park, they figured people thought it was going to rain, all because it was cloudy.

All of them had noticed the people in the car were just sitting there. Not getting out, and it didn’t look like they were planning to leave any time soon.

Neither of them could tell if they were males or females, since they were to far away.

But they all felt like the car of 2 or more people were watching them, but they had decided to ignore them.

After about 5 minutes, the car had honked

They looked over, and noticed a girl step out of the vehicle, the driver of the car. All the while calling out “Hey! Excuse me!”, followed by three other girls leering out behind her.

Neither of the five knew what to say, and were just confused. They watched as they slowly made their way over the swings they were hanging around

“Hi there..” the leader sighed in a high-pitch voice.

“Um, hello?” Lucas responded

The leader of the pack looked like she was unsure of what to say, all the while the other three girls behind her glared over at them.

The five of them knew that these girls were giving off a creepy vibe, and didn’t really look like girls when they glanced at them a second time.

“Sorry, I was just thinking for a minute,” the leader responds after several moments of awkward silence, “Hi Max, I take you’re Billy’s sister?”

“Not by blood, thank god.” Max grumbled

“Let me introduce ourselves.” said the leader, “My name is Hillary, and these are my friends Catherine, Bethany, and Victoria.”

“And you’re telling us this because?” Dustin wondered

“Because I can.” “Hillary” growled whilst shaking, “I’m sorry about talking to you that way, we just wanted to ask about dir -”

“She” looked over at Mike, studying him

“Hey, do you have a twin by any chance?” “Hillary” had asked

“Yeah, unfortunately. Why?”

“Nothing.” she glared over at him, and “her” expression changed when “she” said “Just wondering, that’s all.”

Mike stared down, avoiding direct eye contact with these sketchy looking girls.

“About the directions,” “Hillary” changed the subject, “Can you point to us Hawkins High school?”

The five of them awkwardly pointed the direction, then the four “girls” turned back around, making their way back to the car.

“Thank you!” the leader called out, and they had gotten into their car fast, while the tires screeched down the dirt road, a belch could be heard from their open windows.

Mike and the rest of them waited until the car was out of sight, and walked up to the parking lot, just wandering up there from curiosity.

That’s when Lucas noticed something on the ground

He picked up the piece of paper, all crumpled up, while Max looked over his shoulder

“Oh. My god. Mike! Guys!” Lucas called out

“What is it?” Mike asked, while everyone huddled over Lucas

What read on the note was the following:

Leave clothes over by school. Next time leave them by open field at Hawkins. Away from Derry. Ask It’s partner in crime, to not strike those fag kids until school starts. We got most of them. But the job is not done.

“Holy shit, those clothes we found last time…” Dustin shuddered, “I saw - Did any of you -”

The group seemed to know what he was talking about. All of this sounded sketchy, and they all had seen a man with a suit before, but were unable to see his face.

Eleven’s nose had began to bleed

“El, are you okay?” Mike wrapped his arm around her, comforting Eleven

“We need to tell dad about this.” Eleven croaked

Neither of them bothered to question, as those girls they had just witnessed seemed sketchy, as did the note.

~

July 4th, 1986

The losers had met up around 2 pm to go to Derry’s Fourth of July fair, they had a long day ahead of them.

Beverly and Ella had dropped over to the pharmacy to pick up Beverly’s aunt’s prescriptions earlier, around noon before they met with the rest of the losers. Keene’s Pharamacy was the only other thing open on the Fourth of July.

“Here for the prescriptions, ladies?” Mr. Keene had asked

They nodded, then he had disappeared in the corner

“You know girls,” Greta spins the chair facing the two of them, “I’m surprised you allow yourselves to hang around with those other boys. They will take advantage of the two of you, but you don’t seem to care, too bad. Beaverly and Ellie -”

“Don’t. Call me that.” Ella glares, emotionless

“Aww, you are just like Eddie.” Greta chuckles, “All timid and everything. I feel sorry your mom turned you guys into losers. Makes me so sad.”

Beverly shook her head in disbelief

“Bet you guys, Beaverly and Ellie, are having lesbian sex every night. Just saying.” Greta says with a smirk

While El fumes silently and sighs in disbelief, Bev sighs and takes a deep breath, neither of them wanted to mess with Greta in any way. Besides, they knew they wouldn’t have to see her scary dirty looks in high school as much, anyway.

Instead two of them walked slowly away, browsing random items while ignoring her lude comments.

“Mrs. Marsh?” Mr. Keene calls out

“Thank you.” Beverly said with a smile

When they walked out, they glanced over to find Greta looking up at them, while mouthing “Later, losers.”

“S-S-So g-g-guys, are an-n-ny of you n-n-nervous for h-h-high s-school?” Bill had asked the group, while they were all sitting on the grass, which was onlooking the Derry town fair.

“Not if we all stick together.” said Stan, “I’m just glad I passed grade 9 with an 92 average. My father was really proud.”

“I passed with 54 in history. PE was good, rest were 50′s and 60′s.” said Richie, “Got kicked out of almost every class every week.”

“Well Richie, maybe if you paid attention in class and didn’t draw dicks on the board you could’ve done a whole lot better.” said Eddie

“Y-Y-Yeah R-R-Richie, that’s n-n-not g-good. Get B-B-B-Ben to h-h-help you in h-h-high school w-w-with the h-history.” Billy advised

“Do you know if you’re coming to Derry High with us?” Stan looked over at Mike (Hanlon)

“I don’t know, I’m hoping next year for grade 11, I still haven’t asked my grandfather.”

Eddie’s mind wanders off, his mind zoning out of the conversations between them, glancing off and watching others at the fair.

He looks over at the trees, and watches as the leaves gust in the summer breeze

Eddie notices something that stands out; a shadow in the woods standing still, and not moving. Almost as if he/she was watching people.

But for some reason Eddie felt as if It was watching them. But, he tried to ignore whoever was in there. However, that feeling was just too intense to ignore for long.

“Eddie…”

Now he thought his mind was playing tricks on him, and shook his head, but couldn’t help but glance over.

This time Eddie had seen something over the man’s head, while It or whoever It was waved at him. No one else at the fair seemed to notice, even though he was now in plain sight.

Eddie had jumped and let out a yelp, making Stan and Bill jump.

“Uh…guys…” Eddie stammered

“W-W-What’s w-w-wrong E-Eddie?” Bill asked, concerned

The rest of the group had looked over at him

“Look over there! In the woods, can’t you see -”

His jaw had dropped when he saw the man, or whoever It was was no longer there

They had all had given Eddie a confused look, looking in the same direction, also not seeing anything

“What the fuck are you talking about, Eds?” Richie came over

“Nevermind, nothing. And don’t call me Eds.”

“Seriously Eddie Spaghetti, are you okay?” Richie patted Eddie on the back

“You look like you had seen a ghost.” said Stan

“Probably did.” Ella chuckled, Beverly laughing quietly at what she said

“Shut up, El.” Eddie said, annoyed

“Y-Y-You k-know, we’re all a b-bit n-n-nervous, but I g-g-guess that’s why w-we’re the l-l-losers.” said Bill

The gang hand nodded in agreement

“Speaking of which, this reminds me of two years ago, when our group of me, Bill, Richie, and Stan gotten bigger. We had all gotten together and even told each other what we were afraid of. I guess now that we’re all back together, and my sister joining us, we should tell each other that stuff again.” said Eddie

Bill nodded, and agreed to speak first

“I h-have the f-f-fear of d-d-dead G-Georgie.” he looked down, “M-M-Mike, r-remember that n-n-night you s-stayed over I h-h-heard G-Georgie even though he w-was….fast asleep.”

“Yeah, that was weird. I didn’t hear anything though. I’m still afraid of fire. And I still get scary memories from that fire me and my parents were in.” Mike sighed

“That painting in my father’s office…” said Stan, “I asked him to take it down, it was just too much. Don’t want to talk about that fucked up painting. But I guess I also have this fear of drowning.”

“Diseases, but you all knew that.” Eddie scratched his head

“Luckily I’m living a much better life, I don’t have to come home in fear of seeing my father,” said Beverly, “But blood…I just can’t stand it. Or the sight of it.”

“Clowns. Clowns are scary.” Ella muttered, “And spiders. Can’t stand either one.”

“Oh my god, I hate clowns too!” said Richie, “And werewolves. They’re scary.”

“I know this sounds silly, but mummies are terrifying. Sometimes I see my dead father. I saw something in October, I didn’t tell you guys, because I thought you were going to think I was crazy,” Ben huffed, “But I saw this guy, this thing. It called my name and waved when I was in the library. Then it was gone. It had something over It’s head and was wearing a suit.”

To Ben’s surprise, no one laughed about it, not even Richie. Their expressions were a lot different.

Eddie was now getting another asthma attack, while Richie and Stan comforted him for a few seconds

“That’s what I just saw.” Eddie said after catching his breath, “Just then.”

That’s when the rest of the boys in the group exchanged weird expressions, they each had seen something weird in the past ten months or so.

Well, all six of them had exchanged looks. The only ones who hadn’t were Beverly and Ella.

“Yeah, we didn’t see anything. Not yet at least.” said Beverly

“Shit. You guys are girls. You’re the only ones who hadn’t seen anything.” Stan gulped

“Fucking hell, the one time I wish I was a god be damned girl!” Richie groaned, breaking the scared vibe

~

It was now mid July, and Johnathan had invited Nancy to come over to his house that night, since Joyce and Will would be gone for a few days into town, spending time together.

Johnathan and Will got along well with their mom, and the three of them were extremely close, though Johnathan was starting to want to do some stuff on his own, since he was the oldest.

He had sat down and thought about his brother Will. Johnathan didn’t want anything bad to happen to him, and though Will’s seizures haven’t been that had recently, it still makes Johnathan and Joyce worried about him.

A knock could be heard at the door, interrupting his thoughts

They had greeted each other, and hugged

Nancy sat down on the couch, huffing; the ‘I’m so glad to be here’ type of huffing.

“You good, Nance?” Johnathan had asked

“Yeah, I’m so glad we’re spending a few nights with each other, and I don’t have annoying ass twin brothers annoying the hell out of me. We are both brother free this weekend.” Nancy smirked

“Yeah…” Johnathan said while looking down

“You alright Johnathan?”

“Yeah. I’m just…worried about Will.” he sighed, “I know I shouldn’t be, but I am.”

“How is Will anyways?” Nancy asked, “He seems to say the least out of Mike’s friends, besides Eleven.”

“He’s good, he’s had seizures, but nothing serious in a long while.”

“That’s good, yeah I wouldn’t worry about it too much.” Nancy convinced

They had grabbed some food from the kitchen, and even ordered a pizza for the night.

By the time the clock had hit 8:30 pm, they were already cuddled under a blanket on the couch, while watching Footloose. Johnathan wasn’t into those types of movies, but knew Nancy was.

During the ending credits, the pair of them performed a steamy makeout session on the couch, laying under the blanket with their clothes slowly falling off.

“Do you know what time it is?” Nancy giggled

He looked up at her

“12 am?” he smirked

“Mhmm.”

“I’m always glad when it’s the two of us.” said Johnathan

“Oh yeah, do you know what Steve and Emma are doing tonight?” Nancy asked

“Definetley not together like we are, that part I know.” Johnathan chuckled, while sitting up

“I haven’t even told Ems this, but I think Steve is after her.” said Nancy

“Well yeah, it’s quite obvious.”

“She does not appear to feel the same way,” said Nancy, “Well, not yet at least.”

“Seriously what is it with Steve?” Johnathan snickered

“You’re a guy yourself, you should know what goes on in that brain of his.”

“Well Emma either doesn’t feel the same way or can’t tell, and the way Steve looks and tone around her makes it quite obvious.” Johnathan responded

“Does he not relaize that she is Eleven’s sister? Aka 007?” said Nancy

“I think that’s what he’s going for.” said Johnathan, “If you know what I mean, the quiet and mysterious type.”

~

It was a foggy afternoon in Hawkins, on July 26th

Mike, Dustin, Lucas, and Will had gotten together in the Wheeler-Tozier basement to play a few games, including one of Dungeons and Dragons.

They planned to go outside after dinner

“You know, I kinda like that it’s just us guys hanging out.” said Dustin

As they were in the middle of Snakes and Ladders, Richie had somehow snuck downstairs and scared the four of them with one of his creepy masks, and sneaking up yelling “BOO”

“Are you fucking serious right now?” Mike said, annoyed, “You are such an idiot, go back upstairs! You’re not in our group.”

“Why don’t you make me?” Richie smirked

Mike rolled his eyes, and was about to get up and push him back upstairs, but then Will did something unusual

“Go. The fuck. Away from us.” Will demanded

They had all looked at Will, whose expression was angry, and he doesn’t normally respond like that

Richie pushed back up his glasses

“Yeah, sure. Fine I guess.” he said as he made his way back upstairs

However, Will’s expression was still emotionless

“Will, you okay?” asked Mike, “Don’t mind Richie, he’s an idiot.”

Will nodded, slowly, still with the same expression on his face.

“Honestly Will, is everything okay? You never act that way.”

“I’m fine.” Will smirked in a creepy way, “Can we go outside after this game? I feel really hot.”

While Mike still had his hand on Will’s, Dustin and Lucas had given each other concerned looks

They both turned back around to look at Will and Mike, and brushed it off

“Oh yeah, that reminds me, when are we meeting up with the rest of the losers?” Dustin said, changing the subject

“Uh, I don’t know,” said Mike, “We’ve all met up two or three times this month, but maybe soon. Eddie comes up here frequently, and so do Bill and Stan sometimes. I get to see them a bit more because I have an annoying as hell twin.”

“Sometimes me and Max hang out with Ben, Bev, Ella, and Stan. When we get the chance.” said Lucas, “All six of us went bird-watching in the forest behind Stan’s house last week, it was really fun. More fun than I thought, actually. Doesn’t always have to be 14 of us, because each of us will want to do different things sometimes.”

“Yeah, that’s true.” Mike agreed

“You telling Rich to not hang out with us doesn’t stop me from seeing him and Eds every week or two.” said Dustin, “Just saying.”

Mike gives Dustin that ‘Really Dustin?’ look, but doesn’t care either, since the strange kids and losers were all basically a family.

The four of them had decided to take a ride on their bikes through the forest, wandering anywhere.

Will was on the back on Mike’s bicycle, while Dustin and Lucas were riding right next to each other, following Mike

They found an opening in the woods, where they began to built a fort out of loose branches and sticks.

They had done this for about 35 minutes, the occasional giggle coming out of Will, but they didn’t think much of it.

After finally settling in their fort, they talked about everything and anything.

“I bet it’s weird that a bunch of us 14 and 15 year olds are out here in the woods doing this, but what the hell, it’s fun.” says Mike

“Your birthday was last month.” said Lucas

“Yeah, in the middle of studying for exams.” Mike rolls his eyes

“Well I have an early one, 3rd of January,” says Lucas, “So I’m technically the oldest in the group. As Dustin is the youngest.”

“So what mine’s in October, big whoop. Will looks younger than us, but really he’s second oldest.” Dustin looked over at Will, who wasn’t looking at the group

“I can’t believe we have over a month before we start high school,” says Mike, “Better make the best of it, some of us will probably be working next summer. Our mom wants me and Richie to find something next summer, in order for us to ‘build character’, so I guess -“

“G-Guys?” Will stammers, looking off into the woods

“Yeah, what’s wrong, Will? Everything okay?” Mike asks

Will did not respond, but pointed in the woods.

“What is he pointing at?” Lucas wondered

“Clown.” Will chuckled, “Over there.”

Mike, Lucas, and Dustin were now slightly worried, although none of them felt like they were being watched, until now.

“I’m sure it was just your imagination,” Mike said nervously, while patting Will on the back

Will shook his head

Mike remembered the clown he saw in the backyard on April Fool’s Day, when Richie had seen something else. He was hoping It wasn’t the same thing. As a matter of fact, remembered that Richie and the rest of Bill’s group had defeated the so called “clown” that was murdering people in the Derry area who summers ago. Two summers ago. Almost two years since Mike and the rest of his friends and defeated the Mind Flayer. 1984 was a weird year, first Richie and his group got rid of clown, then Mike and his group had defeated the mind flayer. Mike couldn’t believe it was almost two years ago already.

Now Will was acting strange, and giggling creepily rather than fearing. Well, he was for a few seconds, but acted like a completely different person, almost as if he was under possession.

Then, he had come out of it, and the rest of them didn’t know what to do next.

“W-What happened?” said Will

“I don’t know,” said Mike, “But we should probably head back, it’s getting late anyways. I’ll bring you back home?”

“Sure.”

Dustin and Lucas didn’t even question or complain, they were getting chills up their spines and wanted to head home too.

~

Next Chapter: Chapter 11