#a bit of mungrove

[runraerun]

Find the Word

How it works: Search for the words assigned to you in your latest WIP(s) and post snippets that include those words! Then choose four words & tag others to do the same!

I was tagged by the wonderful @medusapelagia ! Thank you for thinking of meee🥹💕

My words were: holiday, sun, breath, & family

Holiday: (from an upcoming chapter of Easy as 123) (Harringrove)

Billy wasn’t stupid, despite what Neil had tried to drill into his head. On the few occasions he was home for a holiday or a birthday or some shit, he had seen the signs. He’d watched the way Susan gave Neil a wide berth when she passed him by, how her hand shook all the time, how she only ever wore long sleeves now… she was Neil’s newest outlet for his rage. The shiny new scapegoat that could be blamed for everything bad that happened in his goddamn life. God forbid his dad ever take responsibility for his own shit. No, it was always someone else’s fault.

Sun: (from my Eddie Big Bang) (Steddie)

Normally, Eddie would take the opportunity to gawk at Steve’s divine, shirtless form, but in this moment he’s a defeated man. Beaten down. He doesn’t deserve to look at those hairy, sun-kissed pecs.

Breath: (from an upcoming chapter of Bonafide Lovin’) (Mungrove)

Eddie sucks in a quick breath, frustration boiling over, “I just… I just don’t get why you won’t ever let me return the favour—it doesn’t gross me out or anything. I like dicks! And, just so you know, I don’t care if you’re like, small or anything, I won’t judge, I just—”

Family: (from an upcoming chapter of Easy as 123) (Harringrove)

“You can tell me,” he prods, “c’mon twerp, spill.”

And apparently it’s all she needs.

“Danny O'connell said we weren’t a real family today at school,” Maxine whispers, like she’s nervous how he’ll will react.

Billy feels his heart sink. “What?”

—

No pressure tags: @stervrucht @dame-zoom-a-lot @camaro-and-smokes @weird-an @fkinkindagauche @bigdumbbambieyes @dragonflylady77 @ihni @sleepy-steve and literally anyone else who wants to participate. ◡̈ I never know who to tag because I don’t want to annoy yoooou

Your words, should you choose to accept, are…🥁🥁🥁🥁

• Knees • Morning • Exhale • Crush •

[praxisia]

Eddie manages to hook his band up with a gig that’s bigger than their usual ones and he decides wearing eyeliner to the show would be a good idea rrrrright up until he’s in the bathroom of the venue hurriedly trying to apply and reapply eyeliner because he’s never actually done this before and it keeps coming out looking worse and worse.

Billy finds him looking like an overgrown, anxious raccoon and Eddie is on the verge of freaking out because it looks soooo bad and it feels so weird on his eyes, but he can’t really get it off either. He’s gotta go big or go home and right now going home seems like a really good option.

Billy pulls him away from the mirror, plucks the pencil from Eddie’s hand, and makes him sit on the toilet. He wipes off as much eyeliner as he can get and Eddie is bouncing his knee because it’s still not coming off, oh god.

“Shut the fuck up and hold still,” Billy mumbles as he grabs Eddie’s, like, Entire Lower Jaw in his big ass hand and just sort of gently manhandles his face and starts reapplying the eyeliner.

Billy’s just standing there, calmly telling Eddie to look down at the floor or up at the ceiling while he manipulates his face with steady hands. Eddie can’t really do much other than clench his fists and focus on the feeling of Billy’s warm hand clutching his face while he tries his best not to blink or twitch.

After a couple minutes of tweaking and smudging and redefining the lines, Billy let’s up and let’s Eddie look in the mirror. And it looks good.

It’s smoky and cool rather than crooked and smudged, and it makes his eyes pop nicely. It looks good and he looks hot. He FEELS hot.

He turns around and thanks Billy. Billy offers him the pencil and he rejects it because eyeliner is Evil and he doesn’t even wanna look at that stupid pencil. “But thank you, again. Seriously.”

Billy pats him on the shoulder like it’s really no big deal and tells him to break a leg, then leaves him be.

His face still feels warm from where Billy had been holding it by the time he walks out on stage. He’d been thinking that maybe eyeliner isn’t so bad, not if he can get Billy to do it for him again. He’d been thinking about the implications of what it means that Billy is apparently so good at using makeup. His eyes catch Billy’s in the crowd, and he thinks about how good Billy would look with dark, smoky eyeliner.

It’s hard not to get a little worked up thinking about how much better he’d look, a little dazed with eyeliner running down his cheeks a bit after he’s been fucked good and hard.

[boffeeceans]

Eddie has definitely kneed Billy in the nuts in his sleep at least once

[robthegoodfellow]

Chapters: 7/8 Fandom: Stranger Things (TV 2016) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Billy Hargrove/Eddie Munson Characters: Billy Hargrove, Eddie Munson Additional Tags: Looney Tunes References, Billy Hargrove Lives, Eddie Munson Lives, Well Depending on Your Definition of "Lives", Certainly They Are Walking Talking Fighting Crime, In the Upside-Down Tho, On Account of Their Bods Being Toast, Might Find a Way to Reverse That, For Now I Just Want Them to Rig Vecna w/ Dynamite and Smash Him w/ Anvils from the Sky, Eddie Munson in the Upside Down, Billy Hargrove in the Upside Down Summary:

Eddie wakes up in the Upside-Down and is promptly ushered into Billy Hargrove's manhole.

@mungroveweek (day 7 finally)

[ashwhowrites]

Can I request an Billy x reader x Eddie fic where either the three of them fight and then make up or Billy made Reader cry and Eddie got mad at him, and he then fixes it? I would love to see more of Mungrove x reader!

I hope this is what you wanted and you enjoy it!! Thank you for requesting 🫶🏻Mungrove is getting very fun

2 boyfriends but 1 girlfriend

If there was anything that was a promise when dating Billy Hargrove, it was jealousy. Billy was popular with everyone. The boys idolized him, and the girls crawled at his feet. Billy was a loyal partner, Eddie and Y/N knew that. But Billy never was shy from the attention on him. He loved it. He loved being chased and all the girls swooning at his feet.

It didn't really bother Eddie. Eddie was never bothered by much, he shrugged everything off and moved on. He and Billy barely ever fought about it. But Y/N? She couldn't just shrug it off. It bothered her all the way into her skin and bones. Billy never saw the issue as it wasn't like he cheated. But to Y/N, being involved in flirting felt like cheating.

Saturday night meant date night. It turned out that having to compare three schedules was difficult. Billy always had basketball practice after school, Eddie had his campaign and band practice, and then Fridays were basketball games and singing gigs. But they all vowed that Saturdays would be their day.

It was late May and the weather was getting hot. Billy wanted to take a road trip off to the beach, so they did. The drive didn't feel that long once they pulled into the parking lot.

"We'll go grab a spot, and you unpack the car," Eddie said as he grabbed Y/N's hand. They ran through the hot sand and threw down their towels.

Y/N was basking in the sun as Eddie took dives in the water. She laughed behind her sunglasses as Eddie tried to do tricks for a rating. Usually, Billy would be with Eddie, both boys trying to one-up each other.

"I'M GONNA CHECK ON BILLY, DON'T DROWN," Y/N yelled as she stood up. Eddie gave her a thumbs-up before diving into the water once again. That boy loved to be in the water.

Y/N put on her sandals and began to walk towards the parking lot. She wasn't sure what took Billy so long, but she had a good feeling of why once she caught Billy with his sunglasses on the bridge of his nose and his pearly whites on display.

Y/N walked up slowly, hearing Karen Wheeler flirting with her boyfriend. Billy was leaning close to her, making her laugh.

"Um, babe? You need any help with the stuff?" Y/N asked, she didn't want to sound rude or bitchy. She was more nervous and uncomfortable with the tight feeling in her stomach.

"Got it all handled, sweetie," Billy said, popping his gum. He didn't bother to look behind him at her, his eyes on Karen only.

"Eddie is starting his tricks and waiting for his competition." Y/N hinted she hoped he'd care enough to look at her this time.

"I'll be there in a minute," Billy said, his tone a little angry. Y/N gulped, she did not want to make him mad but she wanted time with her boyfriend.

"Will you be done soon? We've been here for thirty minutes and you know Saturday is o-" But Billy cut her off. He whipped around and his icy blue eyes glared at her.

"I said in a minute. I'm in the middle of a conversation, we have the whole godamn day for you to be on my ass." He snapped, and Y/N nodded. She bit her lip as she felt it tremble. Billy turned back to Karen and Y/N began to walk away. She sniffled as she tried to keep her tears back.

"Clingy one I see," Karen mocked, Billy let out a big laugh.

"You've got no idea."

~

Eddie was back on his towel when Y/N made it back, without Billy.

"Hey sweets, where's Billy? Does he need my help?" Eddie asked, pushing his sunglasses into his hair. He squinted as he looked over at Y/N.

"No, he's fine," Y/N said, her voice shaky as she sat on her towel.

Eddie frowned hearing her voice, he was quick to move his towel right next to her. His wet body against hers as he threw his arm over her shoulder.

"What's wrong?" Eddie asked, he saw his reflection in her sunglasses as she turned to look at him.

"He's too busy to join us because of Karen Wheeler." Y/N sighed, but Eddie knew there was more.

"I'm sorry he's being a dick," Eddie said, his lips pressed against her shoulder.

"Do you think I'm...clingy?" Y/N asked, she pushed her sunglasses into her hair as she looked into Eddie's eyes. His frown deepened as he saw her watery eyes.

"Not at all! Why do you ask?"

"Karen made a comment about it, and Billy laughed and agreed. It hurts when he flirts with every girl that breathes. It makes me insecure. Why am I not pretty enough to keep him from looking at other girls? He never looks at other guys." Y/N ranted, salty tears ran down her cheek.

"Oh, darling. I can't make an excuse for his dumb actions. But I promise you, you are enough. You are pretty enough, smart enough, funny enough, and everything more." Eddie said softly, he wiped away her tears.

"I'm going to swim for a bit." Y/N said, she gave Eddie a soft kiss then left to head into the water.

Eddie flicked down his sunglasses and went right after Billy.

Just like Y/N said, Billy was talking to Karen without a care in the world. Eddie walked up to the car and grabbed a water bottle out of the cooler.

He cut in between Karen and Billy. His back to Billy as he glared at Karen through his sunglasses. He handed her the water with a smirk. "Since you are so thirsty, here's water. Now beat it."

Billy chuckled from behind Eddie as Karen walked away.

"My oh my, someone is hot when they are jealous." Billy teased. Eddie turned around and flicked Billy in the forehead.

"I'm not jealous. I'm pissed off at your attitude towards Y/N." Eddie argued.

"I didn't have an attitude. I asked her to give me a minute." Billy defended. He finally grabbed the stuff from the car and began walking towards the beach.

"I don't give a shit if you asked. You ditched us on our date so you could talk with gross Mrs. Wheeler. You know I don't care about flirting because I know who's dick you'll be sucking on. But it's different with Y/N. She gets insecure and you make her upset." Eddie explained, helping his boyfriend carry everything down into the sand.

"Why is her being insecure my fault? We all knew I was popular with the ladies." Billy scoffed.

Eddie waited until Billy dropped everything on the sand before he punched his arm.

"What the hell!" Billy growled as he rubbed the sore spot.

"It's your fault because she doesn't think she's pretty enough to keep your eyes on just her. News flash Hargrove, if you want to soak in all the attention from the "ladies" then don't be in a relationship." Eddie said, another punch at Billy's other arm.

"DAMMIT!" Billy yelled as he felt another bruise forming.

"That's for making her cry. If you don't see what I see in her, then maybe she isn't meant to be yours, just mine." Eddie glared.

"What? You are gonna take her from me?" Billy questioned. He had to admit, the thought made his stomach hurt.

"No, but I'm going to stop trying to make you a good guy."

~

Billy sighed as he walked into the water. His eyes take in the gorgeous girlfriend of his. Her warm skin and the bright color of her bikini. Water dropped down her hair and created droplets that ran down her back.

She didn't turn around and he kept walking closer. Once he reached her he wrapped his arms around her waist.

His mouth was against her ear, as his chin rested on her shoulder. Her skin was warm from the sun.

"I talked to Eddie. And I'm really sorry I upset you." Billy said softly, he squeezed her body as the waves brushed against his legs.

"It's whatever, Billy. I'll get over it like I always do." Y/N sighed. She groaned when Billy turned her around, now face to face as she held back her tears.

"No, I mean it this time. I'm done with the games and the flirting. Eddie and I don't see it as a big deal, but it means something to you. It hurts you and makes you question yourself. Which I never want you to do. I've been a dick and not appreciating you the way I should be. I'm incredibly lucky to have you as a girlfriend. " Billy kissed her neck, and she tried not to melt.

"My sexy and gorgeous girlfriend," more kisses, "who puts up with me when she shouldn't have to," more kisses, "loves me when I don't deserve it," more kisses, "and truly the only woman I'll ever love." The final kiss landed on her lips and she happily kissed back. Her arms were thrown over his shoulders as his tongue moved inside her mouth.

"Can you forgive me?" Billy whispered against her lips. His blue eyes were nervous and guilty.

"Yes but I swear you flirt with one more girl and I'm going to have Eddie truly kick your ass."

"He wishes, baby." Billy chuckled before kissing her again. His hands landed on her ass as his tongue entered her mouth once again.

~

"Great. Now I got a hard on." Eddie groaned as he used Billy's towel to cover his swim shorts.

@bmunson86 @mxcheese @ladymunson @michaelfuckinglangdon @z0mbie-blah @biittersweet @mirrorsstuff @somethingvicked @micheledawn1975 @ago-godance @magnificantmermaid @tlclick73 @hargrovesswifee @cityofidek @silky-luxe @lokiofasgard616 @loving-and-dreaming @eddiemunsonsbitch69 @thegemaqua @ashlynnkennedy @strangerthingsstories5255 @harringt8ns @pleasinghellfire @whoscamila @stusdollface93 @gretavankleep37 @bellaisswagger @arlxt

[luckylocus]

mungrove first meet

Figures that the first interesting person Billy meets in this town is the local drug dealer. Presumed drug dealer, maybe retired drug dealer? Well that's what he's here to find out. He just wants a break from this place, with its stupidly boring people and lack of things to do. A house party of some fellow high schooler is the most interesting thing he's seen since they arrived last week and when he asked when the next ones going to happen, the people around him told him this one was an exception. Cause it was Halloween. If that was the best party they can muster up Billy's future possibilities for entertainment are looking rather bleak.

When the guys from the team described Eddie Munson they made him sound like some kind of loser, nerd, pariah. Yet Billy's first impression is just a regular metal head. And fuck, that would mean there is at least one person with a decant taste in music around. They also called him various things ranging from menace to a devil worshiper. If the people around here really think listening to metal music means you are evil Billy sees tough times ahead for his remaining time in this shithole before he can jump the ship and head back to California.

The weirdest thing the guy did was smile a bit too wide. And not wear a jacket in october. Now that doesn’t bode well for the temperatures to come. Shit, he really needs some distraction as soon as possible or he might just go insane.

Billys sits himself opposite the other and damn the bench is cold as well. Slightly moist also. He really hates this shithole.

“You still selling?” he asks. 

The guy stares at him with intense dark eyes, still smiling. “Oh yeah definitely.” Munson smiles even wider. “But if I sell to you, that solely depends on you, new kid.”

Kid. Jesus Christ. Maybe the guys on the team were described him accurately after all. “What's that supposed to mean?” He demands.

“Easy. Flattery does work on me. If you act with basic decency you get what you want for the regular price. Be nice to me and get a big discount. You keep acting like a disrespectful asshat and you’re not gonna get anything at all.” 

Huh. Unexpected. Tommy H said this guy is a rude asshole. But Billy could totally see this being an eye for an eye kinda deal Munsons got going. And Billy does understand the fun in pushing people to do shit they do not want to do. Dude is the most compelling person he’s interacted with in weeks. 

Billy also heard some very specific rumors about the guy and it helps that he's better looking then most of the cows in this town even with their layers of makeup on. He leans his head a bit to the side and smiles. If pretending to be nice will get him weed for cheap and puts him on the good side of the local drug dealer he can swallow his pride for one conversation.

[billyharringson]

Haven't done one of these in a while but here's a snippet of a Mungrove fic I'm currently writing.

--

“Am I the big bad criminal that kidnapped you? Did I steal my pretty little prize off the street?” Eddie stroked a firm hand down Billy’s arm as he spoke, tangling their fingers together before bringing Billy’s hand to his lips and kissing the back of it, just below a golden ring that Billy hadn’t noticed before. “Probably should have taken this off if you wanted to play that, don’t you think, baby?”

Billy stared at the ring, nestled securely on his left ring finger, and he knew, somehow, that if he took it off there would be a patch of skin lighter than the rest. “Are we... married?”

Eddie took a step back, his smile disappearing. “Okay sweetness, I'm gonna have to call a halt to this, you’re scaring me a bit. You...you don’t seem like you’re acting.”

[flayedintheusa]

Bark, Bite

Based /loosely/ on this amazing ficlet by @pervcola

Requested by @hawkinsmutt (Tysm!♡)

nsfw Mungrove ; neither are nice and both are into it

“Leveled up, huh?” he leers, and Eddie rolls his eyes.

“What is this, Galaga? Get the fuck on with it—“

He grunts, wind pressed straight out of his lung when Billy’s palm slams against his back and his chest against the wall. “If you’re not careful I’ll think you’re tryna impress me,” he smirks, hot against his ear. “The fuck is this? Demon Dior?”

“I somehow doubt you’re very easy to impress, big boy,” he bites, shaking off the grip on his shoulder just for his thick knuckles to dig into his hair and press his face against the tile. “Jesus, watch it—!”

“Which is it, freak? Watch it or get on with it?” he drawls, his tank of a body crowding fully against the angle he’s bent Eddie into, slotting himself right against his ass and keeping him still.

It’s not like it’s been a long time, or anything. Sure felt like a long time, doing this weird fucking dance since they’d first crossed paths here in the second floor boys room across from Chem Lab. Billy’d called him a fag for looking at his dick at the urinals, though his derision seemed to be substantially lacking. Like his gusto and enthusiasm were currently residing other places than the desire to act Hefner-straight in front of Eddie Munson. His albeit bold confirmation of his fag-status to the new blood (and, interestingly enough, a lack of argument on the new import student’s part) proved to be something almost potential.

He’s got eyes. He’s a red-blooded, natural-born, all-American male. Of course he know’s Hargrove’s hot. Hot and packin’, which is just great for his sanity and closed-door fantasies.

He’s good at making shit up. Does it for fucking fun and entertains D&D campaigns for hours based solely on this imagination of his.

But he’s not making it up when he catches the gold-skinned Californian glancing his way. Definitely not making it up when they cross paths and he hits him just a bit too hard into walls and lockers. Definitely not making it up when his lip curls over names and insults but lies flat over that slur, licked over like a remedy Eddie wants to fucking bite.

And he’s definitely not making it up when it’s only been a week and a half and every goddamn time he walks into the second floor restroom, Billy’s there shortly after. Never long. Never without contact. Some kind of contact.

So he lit up a smoke there and sat on the sink and waited, and lo and behold. Billy comes for him.

“Get on with it,” he answers in a growl, tile warmed by the skin of his cheek.

“You get off on this, huh?” he asks like it’s funny, when he’s the one dropping spit to coat over his just as solid and intrigued cock. “Fuckin’ dudes in public like some pervy fag?”

“Think you got that backwards,” he says tightly, fist clenching against the wall before punching his rings against it at the burning stretch of him sliding steadily in without prep or lube or care really, fuck, that’s good—

“Dunno what you’re fuckin’ talkin’ about—“ he grunts, cut off with a bitten moan when he’s balls-deep. Hips flush. Eddie’s a bit wild, a bit into that— words that hurt and things that hurt haven’t always ended up hurting, for some reason. The fire at being split open on Hargrove mingles with flames of pleasure, mixed-signals setting his brain to stupid and his body alight.

“Fine, you’re totally not fucking a dude in public like a pervy fag, now would you fuck me in public already?” he snaps, still winded.

Billy doesn’t care about him. He’s not asking him to. So it’s no surprise that he sets a quick, brutal pace.

It’s fucking great, actually, but he’s not gonna, like, tell him that.

“God, you sound like a goddamn whore, Munson. Been waiting for me to fuck you up here with the door unlocked since you dropped your jaw for me a week ago? That’s fucking pathetic—“

His chest is tight, smashed against the wall, hips out for him to bruise and pull as he wants. His skin feels tight, too; words settling over him like taunting ribbons tattooed into his body.

He makes a choked sound when Billy grinds in deep, pulls his hair back so his jaw lifts from the wall and he has to bite his tongue not to moan for the whole floor to hear. “You always this desperate for it? Stakeout the urinals like a slut to find your next dick to mount?”

Jesus fucking Christ.

He can taste copper pooling under his tongue, panting through his nose and a broken sound clawing up his throat when Billy laughs and grinds against his prostate perfectly. Like he knew just how to find it, the fucking hetero poser.

Eddie pushes back on him, chokes up tight and Billy swears, letting go of his hair to dig into his side. He’s just gotten new ink there this weekend, and the sting makes him gasp, slap his hands to the wall to ground him, almost smash his head into tile at how fucking phenomenal that is. Not to mention the way he flutters around the massive cock inside him, making Billy choke a ‘Fuck— goddamn, fuck—‘ quite eloquently.

“‘M not fuckin’ touching you. Get a hand on yourself,” he demands between breaths, and Eddie shifts a forearm against the wall as Billy jostles him on his thrusts, just rams it home, tightens on his side and the hand he’s pumping himself with isn’t even really necessary with all of that snowballing him right over the peak.

He bites his groans into his arm, teeth sunk into the leather of his jacket. Billy, for all his posturing, isn’t as careful about his sounds. Eddie feels his hips jerking, pressed up against him until they still and he’s coming deep inside, hot and twitching and biting into his neck like a goddamn asshole vampire— fuck— Jesus, it hurts and Eddie loves it, shit—

He pulls out with a chuckle and a soft groan. His neck is wet. There’s definitely blood.

“You’re fucked up, Munson,” Billy says as his belt clinks, denim sliding back up over his hips.

Eddie slides his own jeans back up and swipes at his neck, fingers glistening bright and red back to him. He huffs a laugh and says “Pot, Kettle” as he swings close to the other boy when he passes to the sink, making Billy bow back as if his proximity is distasteful. He slips his hand up rapidly to squeeze Billy’s jaw, smearing his blood along his cheek and into his stubble.

“What the fuck, you fucking queer?!“ he hisses, fisting his jacket and slamming him against the stall beside the sink. “I’ll kick your ass Munson, got a whole damn bedpan with your name on it,” he promises.

Eddie smiles at him. His glare deepens. “Aw,” he coos. “Look at all that bark to go with this bite.” He thumbs a cigarette out of his pack and flicks it at Billy.

He puts one on his lip and snaps it lit with a wink and a salute before slipping back out into the hall.

[find on ao3 for chapter updates]

[strangerthingsfanworkrecs]

Podficcer Highlight: Socknonny

This week, we're highlighting @socknonny! All recs this week will be for her work.

@socknonny writes and creates podfics for the Stranger Things fandom, specifically Harringrove.

@ihni recommended her as her go-to pod-ficcer.

"Well they've read a few things I've written and I LOVE the way they read fics. I was hooked after they worked their magic on a poem I wrote, But really everything I have heard by them is so good. Their voice is so good and calming, and clear (to one whose first language isn't English) and easy to follow and understand.

Ihni highlighted her podfic, Notes.

Socknonny answered some questions about her creative process, inspirations, and work under the cut

Why Stranger Things?

I’ve played D&D since I was a teenager, and always love a good horror/suspense, so the show itself was well up my alley from the start. But in terms of fic creation, it was Billy that drew me to Stranger Things. He’s an angry, traumatized metalhead, dealing with his issues by lashing out at anyone who gets too close, and I could relate to those feelings even if I couldn’t relate to the actions themselves.

What's your favorite ship (platonic or romantic) to create for?

It’s Harringrove for this fandom, but I’m a multishipper at heart and I love seeing any number of combinations. I thoroughly enjoy Steddie, Mungrove, and all three of them together (can’t remember what we’re calling that? Metal sandwich?). I also enjoyed some Keg boys when that was popular (Tommy, Steve, Billy). 

What's your typical writing process like?

Depends on if it’s fic or OF. If it’s fic, I find it a bit like poetry. I’ll have a feeling I want to illustrate, and I’ll kind of just sit down and meander through some scenes, led purely by vibes. I’m usually trying to explore some aspect of character, or sift through different situations to understand them better. I like to hear the character’s voices in my head as I’m writing. If it’s OF, I’m quite regimented these days. I plot out story beats, climaxes, character arcs, etc, and then dictate out a first draft (it’s much easier than typing for me). Then I have a whole set of worksheets I created to go through and edit. 

How did you get started with PodFics?

I…. honestly can’t remember? Oh wait, yes. The first podfic I ever recorded was on my phone and it was a little tumblr ficlet for a different fandom. It had a really lovely response, with the writer inspired to make a part two, and so I kept going. Like with all fandom stuff, it was the community aspect that made it so wonderful. You’d narrate something, and people would chime in with commentary and share it around. Even if it’s only one or two people, it always gives me such a boost and I just want to do more.

What's your typical PodFic process like? Is there a tool you especially like?

Before I begin a project, I need to play around with voices a bit. I’ll adjust each voice according to different variables (how fast/slow, how nasally, how rough, what emotion/tone?) until I get one I like, and then I can start. I do a small singing warmup before recording, and then I can usually only get through about 30 recorded minutes before I’m fidgety. Editing afterwards takes about double the recorded length, for now. But I’m hoping to improve that as I get better at breath control and don’t need to edit out so many mouth clicks!

Is there a tool you especially like? 

I often use Audacity, but I think Studio One has a better sound? I’m still working it out!

What has been your favorite project so far? Why?

Aaahhhh that’s so hard! For my fics, I probably enjoyed Ride the Lightning the most, because it’s one of the few times I wove spice into the plot, and so felt I could really dig into it. But I also reeeeally loved making ‘two-faced son of a bitch’, because it’s weird and emotional and poetic, which is my jam. For podfics, I would genuinely pick ihni’s Notes. I know ihni recced it here, so it feels like I’m following that, but I really loved recording that one. It has lovely emotion in the words, and because it’s a poem I got to put soothing music to the back of it. It’s one I can happily listen to again, which is kind of rare with my podfics. Even my later ones, I know I would record them better/different these days and so I struggle to listen.

What has been your hardest project so far? Why?

I wouldn’t say I have a particularly hard project, but I had a hard period when I was experiencing undiagnosed asthma and allergies. My voice stopped sounding right, and it was too hard to record in a dusty cupboard, so I had to stop altogether. I’ve sort of got that under control now though! 

Have you ever had a creative block? How did you get over it?

Oh definitely. But imo creative block is just a problem you can’t identify yet. There’s something wrong with the work, and you need to sit on it for a while until you can resolve it. Which is frustrating at first, because your taste is better than your skill! You can see the problem, but you’ve no idea how to fix it. But I find the more you write and the more comfortable you get with your own style, the less of an issue those blocks are because you start to pick the problem apart with more intentionality. It might still take weeks or months to fix, but it doesn’t worry you the same, I feel, because you know it’s just part of the process.

Is there a big source of inspiration for you? Books? Art? Games?

Music and Science :D I love flowing through the emotions of a song, like ‘the price we pay (the promise we made)’ or using the same root inspiration as the jumping off point for a story. And I also love reading scientific articles or non fiction books, and discovering something interesting about the natural world, and then incorporating that into a ‘what if’. Even if that ‘what if’ is just a very small component of world building, like that species of flower that’s shaped/colored to attract a bee that went extinct ages ago. That could be magic, you know?

Is there an upcoming project you're particularly excited about?

I haven’t been active on this account for a while, so I don’t have anything big planned, but I would like to come back and finish my Billy x Dean crossover. I had just committed to continuing it when Destiel went canon, and ended up just kind of staring at the screen like, well what now XD Even though I’m a multishipper and it doesn’t bother me, that time was so wild it felt strange to continue. But I think I’m ready now.

Is there anything we didn't ask that you'd like to add?

Not that I can think of! Thanks so much for inviting me to chat here :) The questions were brilliant and I had a lot of fun thinking them through. And thanks so much to ihni for nominating me!

[lostlimerence]

Wanting to enjoy a bit of steddie fic (just like I do harringrove, mungrove and harringroveson) but the prevalence of Billy hate/2D evil monster, villian or evil ex-Billy in a good chunk of them has really turned me away from the ship as a stand-alone….

[gonegrove]

Billy and eddie in full PPE staring down a hoarder house like “ah fuck”

Cleaning up a gunshot suicide and Eddie’s like “oh yeah this tooth got distance” to Billy who’s just found a piece of skull + scalp behind dresser

I’ve actually looked into crime scene cleaning before bc I think it’s neat (which is how we got here ig) and I promise you the coroner would probably not miss a foot especially more than once.

Thinking about mungrove working as crime scene cleaners for some fucking reason

[pinkkinoko]

A note I hope you read

Hello everyone! How are you doing? I have passed a little over 500 followers on here, I couldn’t be more grateful for all of you. Every lovely Billy fan out there, every kind mungrove lover who’s jumped into my inbox, who’s added notes on my posts, I could name you all individually, even those who know nothing of stranger things! I could shout out those special people who have influenced me in such a deep and impactful way, but I think you know who you are, trust that the gratitude I have expressed to you is genuine. There are many things I could share to celebrate 500 followers, like make a big art piece, or open up a poll, I could even try my hand at a giveaway, but those don’t feel like things I would do. I am, naturally, a very private person. I like to keep facts about myself to a minimum, I like to separate my online persona from my real life, and sometimes I think I may come across as a bit professional or insincere when I interact online with you all, but know that I only do that because it’s what makes me feel safe, and my affection for you is earnest. So, in celebration of what you have given me, I want to share a small part of myself with you.

Dear Billy, and truly mungrove, fandom,

Do not let someone tell you that you cannot ship something, or that you cannot love a character. Yes, I have indeed made my own posts and remarks about disliking certain dynamics or ships, but to truly hate someone for what they love isn’t in me. I’ve seen how horrible people can be about ships, about characters, and especially in the Billy and stranger things fandom there’s been such an intense amount of vitriol poured out, perhaps that is also why I like to keep my own details private. But whether you relate to Billy’s story, or to Max’s experience, or even if you just think Billy’s really damn attractive, I wish dearly that you know it is never necessary to explain yourself. I’ve been on tumblr for so long now, I have seen how much things change and I wish you know to never let something you love become something you hate because of others. You have all made my experience as a creator so very fulfilling, and I wish only to do the same for you.

A few months ago, I lost my own Billy, perhaps someday I will have the heart to sit at their grave and read my own letter. You never know who is affected by the things you write, the notes you post, or the comments you send. Be kind to those around you, be loving, and if all else feels impossible, simply be respectful. Some people may never understand what it’s like to resent someone so strongly and yet love them so dearly, to see how broken they are and still be cut by their shards. As I’ve said before, you can love characters for any number of mundane reasons, they are fictional; sometimes they are conduits for healing, sometimes objects of desire, sometimes they are simply intriguing.

I wish to be here for you all for a long time to come, and even if we someday go our separate ways, I wish you’ll take this as a fond memory. Thank you, for coming along with me this far, for in some way showing me that the small dream I saw as a child of doing something with my art was not impossible, and for allowing me to give the Billy in my own life some form of happiness they perhaps could never find.

All my love,

-PK

[boffeeceans]

"Billy is a cat" "Eddie is a dog" they're both birds.

Exempla one:

[ashwhowrites]

Hi! Can I request a Mungrove x Reader fic with 1 from angst and 16 from fluff from the prompt list?

I hope this is what you wanted and you enjoy it. Thank you for requesting 🫶🏻

"What’s the point of trying if it just proves that I’ll never be good enough?”

“I never thought I could miss someone this much,"

Enough

Y/N and Billy graduated, which left Eddie behind to repeat another year. The three have been dating for a while and got used to being together all the time. But now the summer is over and Eddie had to return to Hawkins High.

Eddie was jealous and upset that Y/N and Billy got to stay together while he was left out. Y/N and Billy missed him too, upset that they had to wait to see Eddie until the school day was over.

Billy was worried about Eddie being left to the wolves but believed he'd stand his ground. Y/N was more worried about the girls, but Eddie reassured her there was no one else.

She wished she could believe that. Eddie had been in school for three months, and all Y/N heard about was Chrissy Cunningham.

It made Y/N's blood boil. Chrissy had years to get to know Eddie, but she waited until Y/N was no longer around. That was snake shit and broke every girl code rule ever made.

Billy was always collected in himself when it came to jealousy. And he never saw Chrissy as a threat, until Y/N got all the ideas in his head.

It was routine for Y/N to drop Eddie off in the morning and for Billy to pick him up. Y/N clenched her teeth every morning because Chrissy would be waiting at the front doors.

Billy began to notice that Eddie would talk all the way with Chrissy to his car. It was like she was attached to his hip. But Billy bit his tongue, something he learned from their girlfriend.

Billy's knuckles were white as he listened to Eddie talk about Chrissy the whole drive. Eddie didn't notice, so lost in talking as the short drive home came to a stop.

~~~

It didn't end with Chrissy, soon he was making friends with all the popular kids. Billy and Y/N wanted to be supportive, but they couldn't help but notice he was changing.

Eddie never cared about being popular, that's what made him unique. Y/N didn't care if he was popular or not when they first got together. Billy was popular but he learned not to care about it once he fell in love. Once Billy was off the market, his time was focused on his relationship. The three got to be in their own little bubble.

But Eddie popped it so he could escape.

~

"Any word?" Y/N sighed as Billy walked to the seat across from her.

The two waited at the restaurant for Eddie but lost hope.

"I called his house, Wayne said he was out with friends. And he's not with us, so I'm guessing he's with..." Billy trailed off as Y/N's frown deepened.

"Chrissy and his new friends" Y/N snapped

"He'll come around. Let's order and have fun. It's date night, and I am the best at date nights." Billy said with a wink

Y/N laughed and agreed. She flipped open the menu and the two began talking like nothing was wrong.

That was the first time Eddie ditched and sadly wasn't the last.

~

"If we wait any longer we'll miss the movie" Billy groaned. He leaned against the wall in the theater as they stared at the doors.

"I know, babe. But maybe just another minute?" She asked. Her hand slipped into his as she squeezed it.

"Like I could ever say no to you" Billy teased, leaning down to press a short kiss against her lips.

"If he's not here in a minute, we'll go," Y/N said as she pulled away. She smiled, but they both knew it was fake. Her eyes went back to the door, waiting and waiting.

But he never showed.

~

Y/N and Billy lost count of how many times Eddie didn't show up for dates. At this point, they expected it. Their relationship of three was really just a relationship between the two.

Y/N was hurt beyond anything. She felt replaced as the special girl in Eddie's life. She felt like she couldn't compare to the pretty cheerleaders Eddie was spending all his time with.

Billy was pissed. He wasn't too upset about being ditched like she was, he had his girl and he'd make the best of it. But what made him mad was watching Eddie hurt Y/N. Billy tried his best to cheer her up and distract her. But how could he make her feel better when he wasn't the one hurting her. Billy promised to kick anyone's ass that made her cry, he just never thought Eddie would become his target.

~~~

Y/N sat silent as she drove Eddie to school. He was going on and on about his new friends and all the things they did together. She could feel her heart shattering more and more. It was like he had no idea how much he'd been missing in their relationship.

~

Before Eddie could speak a word when Billy picked him up, Billy spoke first.

"Tonight you are staying home. Y/N and I are coming over because we need to talk."

Eddie felt a nervous chuckle leave his lips

"What's going on?" Eddie asked

"We'll talk when I grab her," Billy said

The car ride was silent as they pulled up to Y/N's house. She hugged herself in Billy's sweater as she walked to the car.

She slid into the backseat, a small hello from her lips.

Eddie got more nervous as no one spoke, just the radio playing.

They pulled up to the trailer and all walked inside. Billy had his arm wrapped around Y/N as he led her to the couch. Eddie stood in front of them as he looked confused.

"Okay, what's going on? You guys are freaking me out" Eddie sighed, his eyes looking between his partners.

Y/N took a deep breath, clenching Billy's hand.

"We need to talk about the way you've been treating this relationship." Her wet eyes looked up at him.

"What do you mean?" Eddie asked

"You've been ditching us for weeks because of your new friends. It's okay to branch out, but you need to put time into this relationship too." Billy said, trying to stay calm for Y/N's sake.

"Are you guys seriously jealous of this?" Eddie scoffed

"Not jealous, but Eddie you haven't spent any time with us unless it's driving you!" Billy explained

"I can admit that I'm jealous of Chrissy but more hurt that I haven't had any time with you," Y/N said, blinking away tears.

"Why would you be jealous of her?" Eddie asked, his voice was snippy and short. She could tell he was starting to get defensive.

"You're replacing me with her!" Y/N argued, standing up. Annoyed that he clearly didn't see the big picture. Billy quickly stood.

"Oh don't be dramatic. I am not" Eddie denied

"Don't call her dramatic!" Billy stepped in, starting to get angry.

"She is! I hang out with Chrissy and all of a sudden I'm a bad guy? It's jealousy, plain and simple. I'm not replacing her." Eddie fought, and the two boys were head to head. "Do you have a problem with it? Or is it her?" Eddie's head nodded towards her but his eyes stayed on Billy's glare.

"What is wrong with you? Spend a few weeks with those assholes and think you can treat our girlfriend like shit? If she feels replaced, then show her she isn't being replaced." Billy growled, his finger shoving into Eddie's chest, hard.

Eddie scoffed, "Out of everyone I thought you would understand. I'm popular, Billy! I don't have to have a target on my back or get shoved in lockers now that you two are gone. I'm standing my ground like you said!"

"Understand? I would never understand hurting Y/N the way you are. And I would never make her feel like anyone could replace her. You can stand your ground without treating us like shit, Munson." Billy said, shoving Eddie across the room.

"Okay, now. Let's just relax!" Y/N said quickly

Eddie panted hard as he charged at Billy, shoving him right back

"If you two wanna team up so damn bad, then why don't we just cut me right out." Eddie puffed

"Eddie, that's not what we are saying or what we want," Y/N said, standing in front of Billy. Her movement caused Eddie's eyes to drop down to her. His glare softened as he took in her sad face.

But he felt targeted by his own partners. He felt like he wasn't in the wrong and teaming up on him was unfair.

"We just want you back." She said softly, she reached to touch his face but he stepped back.

Y/N gulped at his reaction, nerves in her stomach.

"I think I need to think about some things," Eddie said, looking at her.

Billy sighed behind her, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Think about fucking what? Either you want us or you don't!" Billy's voice rose as he got angrier.

Y/N turned around and grabbed his hand. Billy looked down at her.

"Let's just go" she whispered, "we did all we could."

Billy could see in her eyes she had given up. She felt replaced and now she felt useless.

"Okay, we'll go," Billy said, giving her a small smile. He squeezed her hand and led them to the front door. Right as he opened it, Chrissy went to knock.

"Oh! I'm sorry. Am I interrupting?" She asked, her eyes looking from Eddie, who was running his hands over his face, to Y/N, who looked like she was going to burst into tears, and Billy, who looked as pissed as ever.

"Nah, my girl and I were just leaving," Billy said harshly as he walked past her.

Eddie bit his tongue, trying not to lash out at Billy's petty comment.

~~~

Y/N respected that Eddie needed time, so she gave him it. Billy wanted nothing more than to fight until it worked out, but he knew Y/N wouldn't like that.

It killed her to not be with him, but she was glad she had Billy during it. Someone to hold her and show her love. Billy missed him too. After the fight, he was more hurt than anything. He felt like they weren't good enough to choose. That Eddie's friends were more important.

Y/N struggled with that too. She already felt replaced by Chrissy and now she felt not good enough to fight for. She and Billy were really to forgive and forget, and Eddie still backed away.

Why weren't they good enough?

~

Eddie did what he said he would, he was thinking. But he didn't even know what he was supposed to be thinking about. He felt like he was up against a wall and needed to hit pause. His brain couldn't think straight and he didn't know what words he was supposed to say.

And with three days all alone to think, he had nothing. All he did was wonder what they were doing. Are they sad he was gone? Did they not care and go back to normal?

Then he would see Y/N's soft eyes begging him to do the right thing. And he can feel all the guilt eating him alive that he had no idea how to make her feel better. He didn't like Chrissy, and he never would. Y/N would always be the most beautiful girl he had ever seen and it would stay that way.

He didn't like that he got so mad with Billy. He didn't want to be in a relationship where it resulted in a violent fight. But Eddie felt like she was just Billy's girlfriend at that moment. He was protecting her...but from Eddie and that hurt. It was like she wasn't even his.

But he did that. He was so blinded by all the popularity and going out that he forgot about them.

~

Y/N walked into Billy's small house, sighing as she finished another work shift. It was day four without Eddie and it was taking a toll on her. She looked at the phone but knew it wouldn't ring.

She slipped off her shoes and began walking into the house. She walked to his bedroom, the door open as he sat at the edge of the bed.

"Billy?" She asked

He turned to look at her and her heart broke. She was quick to run over to him as his blue eyes were red and puffy. His cheeks were stained in tears that kept falling.

"Oh baby" she cooed, standing in between his legs as she wrapped her arms around his head. He took shelter in her stomach, wrapping his arms tightly around her.

She held him as he cried it out, her own tears starting to fall.

"It's okay to cry" she whispered

"What’s the point of trying if it just proves that I’ll never be good enough?” Billy cried out

Y/N bit her lip as she kept back a loud cry. Sniffling her emotions back she became the shoulder he needed.

She dropped to her knees, now holding his face as she looked into his eyes. She placed a soft gentle kiss on his nose.

"You are good enough, you're good enough for me." She whispered, using her thumb to wipe away his tears. "We're good enough for each other."

It was something they both needed to hear. Something they needed to begin to heal their own hearts.

"Let's go get some ice cream or something." She said, smiling as Billy nodded.

"If they don't have cookie dough I'm going to be pissed," Billy warned, but Y/N laughed. She took his hand and they both headed out to his car.

~

They arrived at the ice cream shop, hand in hand as they walked up to the counter.

Thankfully, cookie dough was available so Y/N didn't have to stop a fight from breaking out.

The couple sat in a back booth, she was tucked under his arm as she fed him spoonfuls of the ice cream.

~

Eddie walked into the small ice cream shop. Chrissy demanded he leave the house and dragged him here.

He looked at the flavors and could feel even more sadness in his heart as he saw the flavors his partners loved.

He settled for chocolate and slowly picked at the ice cream with his spoon as Chrissy led them to a table.

He knew Y/N didn't like the relationship with Chrissy, but Chrissy was all he had right now. And she was a girl and she knew how to give advice. She said she'd help him figure all of this out.

~

Y/N and Billy finished their ice cream. Both are feeling a bit better, just going out and being together. It wasn't the same without Eddie, but maybe that was what they had to get used to.

"Wanna go back to the house? I wanna sleep." Y/N yawned, Billy laughed as he ruffled her hair.

"Princess needs her nap," he threw away their cups and grabbed her hand. Helping her out of the booth as his hand slid into her back pocket.

They walked down the small shop, freezing as they spotted Eddie straight ahead...with Chrissy.

Y/N grew nervous, they needed to walk past them to get to the door.

"It'll be okay," Billy said

They started walking again, and right as they went to pass Eddie looked up.

All three froze as they stared at each other.

"Um hi," Eddie said, barely above a whisper

"Hi," Y/N greeted politely, she turned to Chrissy, "and hi to you" with a smile

"This isn't a date!" Eddie rushed out, standing up as he scrambled out of his chair. The chair scraped against the floor.

Y/N and Billy looked at each other, very unconvinced.

"Well you said you needed time, looks like you are spending it well," Billy snapped, with a smile on his face.

"I'm gonna let you guys talk," Chrissy said as she got up from her chair and left the shop.

"Can we talk?" Eddie asked, nodding to the open table

They sat down across from him

"It really isn't a date. I asked for time to think and I didn't even know what for. I just felt like I was running out of time to fix my mistake so I needed to hit pause and figure it out." Eddie explained

"I can understand that, it was a lot," Y/N said as she reached for his hand. This time he laced his hand with hers. The warm feeling of comfort flooded through his body. "But we are all in this relationship together. You could have told us you just needed a second to breathe. We would have stayed and talked it out."

"I know! I just panicked and made everything so much worse." Eddie sighed

"Then why wait that long? It's been four days, Eddie and neither of us heard anything from you. How do you think that makes us feel?" Billy asked

"Like ass? I'm sorry, incredibly sorry to both of you. I shouldn't have put you guys on the back burner just because I was getting attention elsewhere." Eddie started, his eyes moving to Y/N as he kept a grip on her hand. "And I feel like a dick for making you think Chrissy could replace you. Baby girl, no one would ever replace you. I love you so much. I'm sorry for not taking you in my arms that night and proving you have nothing to worry about."

Y/N smiled, the words were exactly what she needed to hear. "I accept your apology"

Eddie smiled and moved to Billy.

"I'm sorry I got so heated and up in your face. It just felt like Y/N was only yours. I know you were protecting her, just like I would have. But it felt like I was losing her to you. And I don't want to lose either of you. I love you and I'm sorry for hurting both of you."

Billy nodded as he talked. He understood what Eddie meant and he knew he could have reacted the same.

"I get it. It killed me to have to protect her from you. I love you and I don't want you to be the bad guy." Billy said softly, "I'm sorry for getting in your face and shoving you."

The boys smiled at each other and all was forgiven between them

"Let's go to my place? Maybe talk some more there?" Billy asked

They nodded and stood up.

~

A few hours passed and they talked everything out. They cried and laughed. But everything felt healed and Eddie was back where he belonged.

Y/N was smashed in the middle of both boys as they cuddled on the couch. Her head was on Billy's shoulder and her legs on Eddie's. Eddie's soft hands rubbed the skin as the movie played in the background.

"I missed this" Y/N said as she closed her eyes. Soaking in the feeling of being together again.

"Me too" Billy said

“I never thought I could miss someone this much," Eddie said as he looked at them.

Y/N looked over at him and sat up. She softly kissed his face.

"You don't have to miss us anymore"

[robthegoodfellow]

Chapters: ¾ Fandom: Stranger Things (TV 2016) Rating: Explicit Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson, Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington, Billy Hargrove/Eddie Munson Characters: Billy Hargrove, Steve Harrington, Eddie Munson, Robin Buckley, Corroded Coffin (Stranger Things) Additional Tags: Gay Billy Hargrove, Bisexual Steve Harrington, Bisexual Eddie Munson, Musician Eddie Munson, Los Angeles, West Hollywood, Future Fic, 1990s, Aromantic Character, Threesome - M/M/M, Bottom Billy Hargrove, Alternate Universe - No Upside Down (Stranger Things), Billy Ran Away From Home and Never Moved to Hawkins, Double Dating, Blow Jobs, Anal Sex, Copious 90s References, Soft Eddie Munson, Cocky Steve Harrington, Beach Offs, In the Sense of Hand Jobs Yeah But Also Just Being a Royal Bitch, And We Love It Yes We Do Summary:

Billy’s a go-go dancer allergic to rom-com scenarios. Steve’s a man with a plan and a crush. Eddie’s also a man with a plan and a crush. When plans and crushes collide, what’s a Billy to do?

[greyghoulclub]

Mungrove Summer Bingo - Cold Beverage

Written for @mungrovebingos

(You can’t say cold beverage to me and not expect me to write a coffee shop au)

Eddie didn’t even know why he was going to this coffee shop. He didn’t even like coffee! But he was still walking out with an iced caramel latte for the fourth time this week.

He knew precisely why he got the latte, it was because of the hot barista that worked there.

The guy was tanned, blonde, and had arms like a Greek god. He also had a little skull tattoo on his left shoulder, not that Eddie had been staring though. His name tag said ‘Billy’ on it, Eddie had found out one time when he was staring at the outline of the guy’s pecs and the guy had noticed so Eddie had to pretend that he was trying to read the name tag. Billy looked like he didn’t believe Eddie when he said that, which was probably fair in Eddie’s opinion.

Eddie went to sit on the bench outside of his record store, a little bit down the road from the coffee shop. Hellfire Records, it was called and they specialised in rock and metal music. They also had a small section dedicated to tabletop games like Dungeons and Dragons, and Warhammer 10k.

He stared at the coffee inside the plastic cup, the ice melting like his courage each time he tried to ask Billy out on a date. The words just caught in his throat, and he didn’t want to make a fool of himself in front of the crush he’d been nursing for a couple of months., more than he already did at least. He groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose, Billy probably thought he was a weirdo now. He was sure that Billy had known what his deer-in-the-headlights stare meant.

“C’mon man, you gotta do better than that,” he mumbled to himself, “What happened to the plan?”

The plan, the fucking plan, the little scenario that he had concocted in his head that he was going be so suave and charming and effortlessly ask Billy out on a date. But of course that didn’t happen. Whoever coined the term, bisexual disaster, they were most definitely talking about Eddie. He sighed and got up from the bench, now watery iced latte in hand.

He was hit with a blast of cold air from the AC as soon as he opened the door to the store. It felt refreshing after being out in the sun, and Eddie hummed in appreciation. The store's interior was a mishmash of a record store and a collection of concert memorabilia. Eddie had put up posters of concerts he had attended and his Uncle Wayne had given him some stuff from back in the 70s and 80s. They also had a frame full of ticket stubs on the wall behind the counter. The games section was to the right of the counter and the wall behind it was stacked high with Funko figures. He dumped his battle vest by the counter and stretched his arms up until he felt his shoulders pop. His assistant manager, Gareth came through from the back and immediately started grilling Eddie on his antics in the coffee shop.

“What do you mean that you froze up?! What happened to the plan?” Gareth asked incredulously, Eddie was sure if he wasn’t Gareth’s boss, he would be being strangled right now. He and Gareth had stayed up late planning the ultimate guide to asking out a hot barista. “So you’re telling me, you wussed out and ended up ordering a coffee that you don’t even like?” Gareth pointed towards the cup in Eddie’s hand.

“Uh yeah? What does it look like dude? I couldn’t not order something if I was there! I didn’t want to look like I was wasting his time!” This was true, mostly, what happened was that Eddie was a stuttering mess while he ordered the coffee.

Eddie was about to throw the cup away because he wasn’t going to drink it anyway but then he saw something written on the lid.

“Metallica rocks, - B”

He wasn’t sure how he didn’t notice it before, probably because he was trying to still look like he wasn’t feeling like a pathetic wet cat in front of Billy. But even that little reference to the fact he was wearing a Metallica shirt made him feel all gooey inside, because did that mean Billy thought he was maybe, just maybe, kind of cool? And then that meant, Billy was into metal which made him even hotter in Eddie’s opinion.

Eddie hadn’t realised he was staring at the cup until Gareth slammed his hand down on the counter bell. The sharp sound made Eddie jump and drop the cup, the coffee splattering on the floor in a brown mess.

“Dude! What the hell?” Gareth didn’t say anything but pointed to the front of the shop. Then Eddie’s heart leapt into his throat. Billy was standing outside, inspecting the window display. An approving look on his face. Eddie had a gut feeling it was because of the “Back to the 80s” special they had going. Gareth had said that an “80s slasher summer” was popular on TikTok at the moment. Eddie never really got TikTok trends.

Eddie made himself look busy by cleaning up the spilt coffee, hoping that Billy wouldn’t enter the store. Because Eddie wasn’t sure if he’d be able to speak to Billy if he did.

Eddie kept his head down until he had cleared away the mess, Billy was still outside looking at the records in the window. Eddie had two options, 1) keep himself looking busy inside or 2) go out and speak to Billy. He knew which one he wanted to do but was more likely to do the other. Or he could wait until Billy entered the store….

“I can feel you judging me Gareth.” He stated bluntly, knowing that the younger man was at the counter waiting to see what Eddie would do.

“Uh huh,” came bored from the direction of the counter. God, Gareth could be a little asshole at times.

The bell at the door rang as someone entered the store, both Gareth and Eddie turned to see Billy enter the store. Billy had his hands in his pockets, looking like he stepped out of The Lost Boys. Ok, the sleeveless muscle top was even hotter now that he wasn’t wearing an apron. Plus, a dangly earring that Eddie hadn’t noticed before.

“Uh, hey?” Billy waved a hand, probably feeling awkward since he had two pair of eyes on him. What was this a three-way Mexican standoff?

Something must be possessing Eddie because he felt like he was on autopilot as he asked Billy if he needed any help today and led him around the store. Billy was quiet and made little hmm-ing noises occasionally. Either Eddie was super fucking boring or he had a feeling that Billy was feeling just as awkward as him. If he was, he was better at hiding it because Eddie was making a goddamn fool of himself in the worst way.

They finished at the small games section, “Uh, yeah, that’s everything we’ve got. You can… you can, uh, ask if you need any help,” Eddie turned to leave Billy to his own devices when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to a pair of big and earnest blue eyes, Billy’s adam’s apple bobbed in his throat as he opened his mouth to speak.

“Eddie, I… I want to,” Billy stuttered in the middle of his sentence, he seemed to be kicking himself mentally for that.

“You want to what?” Eddie spoke quietly, not trying to get his hopes up but his traitorous heart was hammering his chest.

“I want to… no, I’d like to, I’d like to ask you out on a date?” Billy chewed at his bottom lip waiting for Eddie’s reaction.

Eddie felt like someone had turned his world on its head. Billy was asking him out? Oh my god! This was happening? Eddie hadn’t made a bad impression on Billy, to the point where he wanted to go out on a date.

Eddie must’ve been frozen on the spot because his lack of reaction made Billy curl in on himself. Oh god, Eddie come on! Pull yourself together, he thought to himself. Eddie’s seeming like a real asshole the longer he keeps quiet.

“If you don’t want to you can just say so…” Billy sounded so hurt, in turn that made Eddie feel even more awful for not saying anything. Eddie felt his face getting hotter and hotter, he had to say something now.

“Yes! I’d really like to go out on date with you, um, maybe we could catch dinner and a movie?” Eddie tried his best to be sauve, but it probably sounded more like word vomit. But Billy’s face was lighting up in relief, red blush dusting his cheeks.

“You want to? Is 7 tomorrow night ok?” Billy’s eyes were huge and his face was still full of disbelief, like he still couldn’t believe that Eddie had said yes.

“Yeah that would be great,” then Eddie did something impulsive and hugged Billy before he said that he had to get back to work. Billy had to do the same and left the record store looking the happiest Eddie had ever seen him.

Eddie hadn’t realised that Gareth was still there until he spoke, “Look at you, Romeo,” he then snickered when Eddie flipped him off. But even Gareth’s teasing couldn’t dampen Eddie’s mood. And if he spent the rest of the work day dreaming about Billy, that was his own business.