#also Max and Steve's relationship is cool

[spirit-meets-the-b0ne]

God I love Dustin Henderson so much man, I know Will is in love with Mike because only a deeply down bad homosexual would be able to say Mike “is the heart” when Dustin is alive and in the party. Dustin is the one constantly mediating in S1 between Mike and Lucas, he’s even insecure of his own newness to the group when he conciliates. Because even though the party are all HIS best friends he is able to rationalize why they might have a hierarchy based on seniority. Mike makes it clear that isn’t the case. It’s partly why Dustin is quicker to accept Eleven and partly why he’s so open to including Max “as the new kid” because that was him once. Dustin’s iconic “she’s our friend and she’s crazy!” Dustin and Lucas having parallel deviations from their code of honor in ST2 and Dustin being (so dramatic ik) literally ready to fall on the sword for his misdoings. Dustin basically involving Steve out of necessity but then cultivating that relationship to make Steve a good friend, Steve who had the shittiest friends in high school and attention for all the wrong reasons. Steve never had a true friend in his life and then some 12 year old basically gave him a crash course. In ST3 when Dustin earnestly challenges Steve’s socially conditioned need to be seen as cool only for Steve to become bffs with a band geek. A band geek who is also a lesbian that Steve would rather be seen as a rizzless hack of a womanizer than out her to anybody, even Dustin. All of Dustin and Steve. Dustin going from calling Steve a douchebag, to Eddie saying the kid worships him and thinks he’s a total badass. Dustin who in ST4 is once again demolishing social norms of high school vs middle school because FUCK, his friend is in middle school! His friend Erica, his comrade Lady Applejack, is a black girl in junior high and he dgaf what anyone thinks about it. ALL OF DUSTIN AND ERICA. Dustin teaching Erica to embrace her inner nerd, to Erica staunchly declaring “I’ve bled with him!” When asked if she knows Dustin. Dustin who is the FIRST person that Max goes to when shit hits the fan in ST4 because god damn dude Dustin is the heart. Dustin’s unwavering support of Eddie even when the evidence is stacked against him, Dustin always believed in Eddie Munson. Dustin is the only one who truly offers Wayne condolences. He is the friend of all friends. Dustin is constantly carrying the party through crisis and discomfort, he’s dedicated, he’s unabashedly caring, and he’s the character that is able to socially move across the board in every direction. I fuckin love this little curly haired drama king because these geeks would be LOST without him!!! If Dustin isn’t the heart; he’s the Central Nervous System, he’s the nucleus, he’s fucking vital to not only the party but every other tertiary character of importance. He’s constantly inspiring and providing direction. He’s a goofball, he’s wise beyond his years, he’s a lover and he’s a fighter, he always has a plan and he always has a bad idea, he’s the voice of reason and the resounding falsetto alarm of things gone wrong, he’s never done anything wrong ever in his life, one time something ate his cat but besides that. He’s my heart of the show damn it!

[solarmorrigan]

Balm to a Burn

For the @steddie-spooktober day 8 prompt: Bonfire Rated: T | Words: 716 | CW: mentions of PTSD | Tags: established relationship, Steve Harrington has PTSD, Eddie Munson loves Steve Harrington, Steve Harrington loves Eddie Munson, Steve Harrington needs a hug, and he gets one! Divider credit: @steddiecameraroll-graphics

“Hey.” Eddie reaches out and catches Steve’s hand as he moves by on his way to check what the marshmallow situation is like. “You wanna sit down for a minute? You’re making me antsy.”

Steve would love to, really, but the thing is, he isn’t sure he can. He’d tried taking up a chair in front of the fire at first, but that had made him antsy. He just isn’t sure how to explain it to Eddie.

He isn’t sure how to explain that the heat of the bonfire on his face, the flickering flash of the flames in his eyes, had taken him back to a different place entirely. How it had reminded him of ash and burning vines and the yips of demodogs echoing off of rotting tunnel walls. He isn’t sure how to explain that he’d tried going to a bonfire in the spring after the second coming of Upside Down Bullshit, a big to-do at the lake that had been attended by at least half the school, and he’d damn near had a panic attack the first (and only) time he’d gotten close to the fire.

He especially isn’t sure how to explain it when Dustin, Mike, Max, and Lucas all seem to be perfectly fine with the bonfire. They had, in fact, been among the voices begging Steve to help set it up.

He isn’t sure why he’s the only one with the problem, but he’s decided he doesn’t really want to examine it and had figured he’d just limit his time near the blaze, so he’s been up and about the whole night.

Stuff for s’mores, hot dogs, extra skewers, more drinks, more firewood, Dustin nearly flinging a burning marshmallow at Mike in his haste to make a point – there’s always something for Steve to do, something for him to attend to, so he doesn’t have to sit and face the flames.

Except now Eddie wants Steve to sit down, and Steve always wants to give Eddie what he wants; it’s a weakness he has no inclination to fix, even when what Eddie wants might be to Steve’s detriment. Eddie wants Steve to sit, so – Steve sits.

“Just for a minute,” Steve says. “I want to check if we have more marshmallows.”

“Baby, if you stuff anymore marshmallows into these kids, they’re gonna pop,” Eddie tells him. “Seriously, take a load off. Everyone is capable of getting their own drinks, I promise.”

Then he tugs on Steve’s hand until Steve is close enough to grab around the waist, and he pulls Steve right down into his lap. The camp chair squeaks alarmingly beneath them, but it holds up, and Steve tries to settle.

The thing about Eddie is that he’s fucking perceptive when he wants to be; he might not know why Steve has been anxiously pinballing between tasks all night, but the way he’s holding him says that he has noticed. He’s got his arms wrapped firmly around Steve’s waist, just heavy enough to be grounding, comforting, rather than binding. He slides his hands under Steve’s jacket and rubs a thumb gently against his ribs through his t-shirt. He presses a kiss to the side of Steve’s neck, soft and reassuring – letting Steve know that he’s here, and that he wants Steve to be, too.

Steve always wants to give Eddie what he wants.

So, Steve tries. He lets himself sink into the feeling of Eddie wrapped around him. He listens to the sounds of the kids bickering over the crackle of the fire, comfortable and having fun. He can feel the heat of the flames on his face, but he can also feel the kiss of cool, fresh air, rather than the fetid, ash-filled humidity of the tunnels below the town. He can smell clean woodsmoke, not the muted miasma of burning vines that had permeated the meagre barrier of the bandana across his face.

He lets himself sink into this moment, instead of being consumed by another, takes a deep breath, and sags back against Eddie.

“Doing okay?” Eddie asks softly, lips brushing Steve’s ear.

“Yeah.” Steve is surprised to realize that he’s telling the truth. “Yeah. I’m okay.”

Eddie presses another kiss in behind Steve’s ear and hugs him closer, sighing out his pleased contentment. “Good.”

[citrusandrottefruit]

Modern!Steddie (This is based on something I read a while back on Tumblr about Eddie becoming famous, Steve getting doxxed, and years later singing Hozier's Francesca to Eddie. I'll look for the fic, and if I find it, I'll put the link here.) EDIT: This is the fic here, guys. I recommend reading it. (https://archiveofourown.org/works/48091627/chapters/121266283)

Steve has always been one of the popular kids, but not the kind of childish villains you see in movies. No, he was popular because he was handsome, had rich parents, was charismatic, and was good at sports. He didn't bully other kids, but he wasn't interested in them either.

He never felt the need to seek out new connections at school, because he'd had Tommy and Carol for years, and anyone new who wanted to talk to him would come to him. He didn't have to work hard to make new friends.

His time was spent on sports and the friends he already had. The occasional girlfriend, too, because he'd always been a romantic at heart and a lonely kid. Being best friends with a couple would also make him feel like a third wheel a lot, so having a girlfriend and double dates seemed cool.

Then he got into a fight with Tommy and Carol after that graffiti episode in the movies and they drifted apart. Tommy wasn't mean about it, but he was resentful and hostile, because they were best friends and it always sucks to lose a friend to a boyfriend/girlfriend who you think cheated on them.

After a year, when he and Nancy broke up, he, Tommy and Carol didn't get back together, but they weren't hostile, you could tell they felt bad for him. Steve wanted to be friends with them again, he just didn't feel right crawling back with his tail between his legs and he also felt guilty that they never reconnected before. He didn't want it to seem like he only got back together because he was single.

He's still popular, but now his best friends aren't around anymore and he got cheated on by his girlfriend, but he feels like he deserved it (let's just say the story they made up about Barbara dying was real and the trauma grew into a monster and consumed their entire relationship). So he feels alone.

He has the kids. But Dustin thinks he's awesome and he doesn't want to be anything less, Lucas also sees him as a hero, willing to take a beating for him, Max looks up to him as a big brother. Will is Jonathan's brother and has traumas, so Steve would never dump his problems on the kid. Mike is Nancy's brother.

All of his real friends are kids.

So, Eddie. Steve isn't lonely around school, he still interacts with other students, he's friendly with the popular crowd, a lot of people like him. He just has these moments where he seems sad and then suddenly he seems super chill again.

Anyone who looks closely can tell he's got a problem and pretends not to, but it's not obvious. Eddie doesn't think much of it at first. He actually finds it amusing, because he has a lot of shallow and superficial ideas about popular kids who conform to the norm and who are well-off.

Eddie comes over when he sees Steve reading a DnD rulebook. He mocks it a bit, but explains a few things and Steve, who has always been a social butterfly and never cared much about sitting at the same table as some group in the cafeteria, sits down with Hellfire.

Not with the intention of being their friend, just because he wanted to ask them questions, take notes and move on with his life. A brief connection, a friendly interaction. No different from his relationship with most people who are part of his social circle.

But Eddie keeps pulling him closer, invites him to join the Hellfire Club. Steve declines, because he likes the stories and wanted to learn about DnD because of the kids, but he feels insecure about being a player, about roleplaying, he's afraid of making the wrong decisions and ruining something that seems to be so important to their friends (both the kids and Eddie).

Eventually, they fall in love.

Steve graduates without much distinction and Eddie barely makes it, but they are free from high school. While Eddie continues to play concerts at the Hideout with the CC boys, Steve works at Scoops Ahoy and makes friends with Robin.

So, when Eddie decides to leave, Steve asks them to wait a little, to save up more money, to get better organized. If they stayed for a whole year, Robin could even leave with them. When Eddie doesn't agree, he says they can continue their relationship long-distance. After all, it's 2010 and there's technology for that.

Eddie leaves anyway, believing that Steve will regret it and look for him, understand that leaving is the right choice and blah blah blah. Steve can't leave yet, because if he moves out, if he doesn't follow the path his parents have laid out, he'll give up any illusion of family he might have had. His car is in his father's name, he doesn't have much savings, he's still not open about being bisexual and he's terrified of leaving his entire life behind. It's hard in Hawkins, but facing the whole world, the uncertainty, not having a home to go back to… It scares him. Eddie doesn't understand, because if nothing else worked out for him, he could go back to Wayne and be welcomed with open arms.

One of Eddie's first hit songs is about a preppy, popular, charismatic kid who's the captain of the swim team and lives in Loch Nora who starts dating him in his senior year and gets stuck in a shitty job at the mall. It's easy to figure out who Steve is. People at school find out quickly.

I like to think Carol is the one who alerts him, goes to his job to tell him the rumors. Tommy goes with her. Although Carol is kinder and more open and Tommy keeps his distance, as if he might be infected, he also tells Steve to be careful, for old times' sake.

Either way, he becomes a target. The students tell their parents that they believe the hit song is about Steve. This story even gets around the church that his parents donate to and "attend" when they're around. His parents' friends find out. His business partners find out. His parents, too.

His parents suddenly move back home. It was a huge fight, with his mother accusing him of being possessed, suggesting a treatment to "cure" him. Mr. Harrington said it was due to a lack of beatings. Either way, it ended with him bleeding alone in the street.

A few days later, he and Robin managed to return to "steal" some of his belongings back, including documents. Other than that, he lost everything.

Mr. Wheeler didn't even want him to get close to Mike anymore.

For a while, he spends his days between the Hendersons' couch and Robin's bedroom floor, feeling like shit and listening to the music Eddie wrote over and over again.

After that, he sells his cell phone, his laptop, whatever he managed to keep. Robin also sells some of her things and the kids help with this small fundraising, selling cakes and sweets. Even Tommy and Carol seek them out, providing almost 50% of the money. That way, Steve is able to leave with a few months' rent saved.

Wayne also helped, because he knew that Eddie's music was responsible for this. Steve told him never to talk about everything that happened with Eddie, so Wayne kept it a secret.

I think Tommy, Carol and Steve could get back to being friends. Not the same as before, but they have lunch together every few months and they were the ones who helped Steve get a job in a new city.

A few months later, Corroded Coffin is well established, about to release its first album. Robin goes to college and Steve and she move in together.

That's when other people start to find out who Steve is too. It starts with a post on Reddit, people speculating about him, which is the central theme of several songs, although none are as explicit about his identity as the first. His parents receive some hate mail, they make a point of sending it to the Buckleys and Steve finds out. What hurts the most is knowing that his parents never gave him any of his belongings, but they found a way to let him know that people he didn't even know hated him.

He gets some hate messages too, because, although he deleted his old accounts, the new ones are easy to find through the profiles of people who knew him before all this. So, they're probably students from school, people know what Robin's social networks are, finding him.

There isn't much hate coming his way because he's careful to keep to the shadows, and thankfully the speculation about Steve Harrington being responsible for breaking Eddie Munson's heart doesn't go that far, after all, there's nothing to keep fueling those theories.

One of the things that connected Eddie to Steve was music. I like to think of Steve as a musician, like Joe Keery is. If Eddie can pour out his anger through music, he can also pour his heart into it. He writes Unknown/Nth and posts it to an anonymous YouTube account. He sings with an acoustic guitar, without showing his face.

For a while, this feels like closure.

Steve still gets hate mail sometimes, even though he deletes the old accounts and creates new ones. Everyone in Hawkins seems to know about him and Eddie. The kids, who hated Eddie for a while, have reluctantly started to admire him again. Steve reassured them about this, but they all remained bitter about everything that happened.

Steve, for his part, has vacillated between hating Eddie and hating himself. Most of the time, he still feels like he maybe loves Eddie a little bit, as if he’s stuck on that last day they saw each other. Sometimes he blames himself for making the wrong decision. Other times he thinks that if he hadn't stayed in Hawkins, Eddie might never have made it big.

His feelings for Eddie are complicated.

So, about 5 years after the breakup, there's a documentary about the beginning of Corroded Coffin. Something not produced by them. Maybe by a fan? Who goes to Hawkins, talks to people, tells them about Steve, exposes Steve and it goes viral on social media.

His life goes to shit very quickly. Eddie doesn't even notice at first, because CC is on a world tour and they never have free time. Meanwhile, Steve becomes well-known on social media and gets some hate mail.

Things change a bit when someone, seeing old photos of Steve, posts on Reddit that they have a crazy theory: there's a song they've been listening to for years, that's a lost gem in the depths of YouTube and they swear that's Steve Harrington, because the moles match and you can see a Hawkins High jacket in the background. It's a pretty crazy theory, so it doesn't get much attention, but the song gains momentum.

Eddie finds out because, once he learned everything that happened, he started researching everything about Steve, trying to measure how much he ruined his life.

Assuming people find out that the song is really about Eddie, I think he could become the target of hate, almost as much as Steve did, because Unknown/Nth is a powerful song.

That's what I've thought, for now. They get back together in the end because Eddie's actions had terrible consequences, but he never meant to hurt Steve like that and the biggest culprits for everything that happened are his parents. The hate from the fans wasn't that intense until the documentary, so it was hard to notice.

Anyway, they have a long way to go. A talk to clear up their last fight, a lengthy apology from Eddie, reconnecting with the kids, getting back to being friends.

It would be terribly sad and difficult. It definitely wouldn't be a fairy tale, but they could learn to trust each other. Eddie could earn Steve's trust, affection, and friendship, and one day they could be a couple again.

[steveseddie]

limited time offer

steddie | rated: t | wc: 2,3 k | tags: vol. 2 missing scene, pre-relationship, eddie munson needs a hug, hurt/comfort

click here to read on ao3

Steve starts doing headcounts. 

After what happened with Max at the cemetery, Steve starts going over a list of names in his head, checking off each of his friends once he makes sure they haven’t been taken by Vecna- like ticking off boxes on a very fucked up grocery list.

He starts with Max every time. By now she has probably noticed the way his eyes constantly dart to her or the way he visibly relaxes when he notices the headphones still hanging from her neck, but at least she hasn’t said anything about it. 

Next is Nancy- the sight of her eyes rolled back into her head still too vivid in Steve’s mind. Then is Robin, Henderson, the Sinclairs-

After Skull Rock, Steve adds Eddie’s name to the list. He doesn’t know if they can be considered friends yet but he is part of their group now and Steve isn’t letting anyone else from his group almost die again at the hands of Vecna.

It’s only been a few minutes since Steve last did one of his headcounts- sitting outside the RV making homemade bombs.

But as the battle draws closer, Steve grows more and more anxious about losing one of his friends so after toasting to killing Vecna slash Henry slash One, Steve’s eyes roam the field where they’re preparing for battle while going over the list in his head.

Max and Nancy sawing off shotguns. Check. 

Robin pouring gasoline into a bottle. Check. 

The Sinclairs building spears. Check. 

Eddie and Dustin building shields- and sparring? Check. 

Steve breathes a little easier after that. 

His eyes linger on the last pair. He can’t hear what Eddie is telling Dustin but he can see the way they’re both smiling. 

That is until Dustin turns his attention back to his shield and Eddie’s face crumbles, his smile disappearing completely as his expression turns anxious and terrified. Steve watches as he takes a few shuddering breaths, his hands flexing at his sides. Even from a distance, Steve can tell they’re shaking. 

Steve sighs. He knows how hard it is- being hurled into this interdimensional monster fighting bullshit. This is Steve’s fourth time dealing with it and he can’t say that it gets any easier. And for his first time, Eddie already had it worse than any of them. He’s been alone for most of it and he also has people coming after him on top of everything. 

This whole time Steve has been waiting for him to snap, for him to say fuck it and run off, for him to start screaming or crying but he hasn’t done any of that. He’s still here- scared shitless but here, trying to put on a brave face. And Steve knows all about that so he can see right through Eddie’s act. What he doesn’t know is what to do about it. If this was one of the kids or Robin or even Nancy, Steve would know but he hardly knows Eddie and he doesn’t know what he needs. 

He looks like he needs a hug. Steve saw Eddie’s face when Henderson hugged him at Skull Rock, the relief written all over it. When the kid pulled back, Steve felt the urge to walk up to Eddie and hug him next, even if the only contact they’d had at that point was when Eddie pinned against the wall with a broken bottle to his neck.

Steve wanted to hug him again in the Upside Down- every time Eddie flinched or curled in on himself when Demobats screeched in the distance or lightning painted the sky red, but Steve was half-naked, covered in blood and goo and he didn’t think Eddie would appreciate any of that. 

He wanted to hug Eddie at Max’s house- trap his hands between their chests so he would stop running his fingers through his hair, scrubbing his hands down his face, aggressively wringing his fingers together so hard his knuckles cracked, but Eddie might’ve punched him for doing it in front of everyone when he’s supposed to be cool and metal.

He doesn’t look cool or metal right now. He looks on the verge of tears and Steve is shaking with how badly he wants to walk over there and hug him, tell him that everything will be okay but Steve has a job to do. 

They all do. 

Eddie seems to realize it at the same time. After one last shaky breath, he goes back to his shield, leaving Steve with no choice but to turn back to Robin and focus on his own task. 

***

It’s not until they’re getting ready to leave that Steve does another headcount. 

Max and Erica are inside the Winnebago, loading it up with weapons and supplies.

Nancy and Robin are going over the stages of their plan to make sure they thought of everything.

Sinclair and Henderson are trying the walkies, checking the batteries and making sure they’re on the right channel.

Eddie is-

Steve frowns, his eyes roaming the field one, two, three times but he still doesn’t see Eddie anywhere. 

Panic starts bubbling up inside him at the thought of anything happening to Eddie. 

Don’t go there, Steve tells himself. Maybe Eddie needed to take a piss and went to find a tree somewhere. Maybe he just needed a minute away from everyone.

Or maybe Vecna got to him. Maybe it’s already too late and Eddie is the fourth victim and all they did was for nothing.

He tries to remain calm as he looks for Eddie but his heart is beating frantically. He checks inside the RV first and when he realizes he isn’t there, he goes around it, planning to go into the woods next if he doesn’t find him there either. 

But he does- he finds him crouching on the ground with his back against the RV, his face buried in his hands, framed by a curtain of hair.

“Eddie?” Steve asks warily, still unsure if Eddie might be trapped by Vecna.

But then Eddie jumps, whipping his head up and staring at Steve with wide, scared eyes. “Jesus fucking Christ, Harrington!” 

He holds his hands up in front of him. “Shit, sorry, I thought-”

“That Vecna got me?” Eddie scoffs. He taps his knuckles against his temple. “Nope, just me up here.” His hands fall to the space between his legs. They’re shaking. 

“Are you okay?” Steve asks, shoving his own hands in his pockets when he feels the urge to grab Eddie’s and hold them until they’re not shaking anymore. 

Eddie breathes out a humorless laugh. “Dude, I’m so fucking far from okay.”

Steve grimaces, ducking his head in embarrassment. “Right, of course, that was stupid.” 

Scrubbing a hand down his face, Eddie shakes his head. “No, not stupid, sorry. I’m just on edge, man. This whole monster fighting thing.” He waves his hand vaguely. “It ain’t for me.”

“I thought that’s what you did in that dorky game of yours,” Steve says, hoping to distract Eddie with a joke. 

Eddie snorts. “It’s really fucking different when you can actually, you know- die.”

“You’re not gonna die, Munson,” Steve says with a frown.

Eddie shakes his head repeatedly. “Oh, I have a baaad feeling, Stevie, a feeling that I ain’t gonna make it out-”

“Fuck that, man,” Steve hisses. The thought of something happening to Eddie or any of his friends making anger bubble up inside him. “You can’t think like that. We got this, okay?”

Eddie sighs, lifting his gaze to meet Steve’s eyes. “How do you do it, man?”

“Do what?”

“How are you so,” he gestures at Steve, “calm about this shit.”

“It’s not my first time,” Steve shrugs. “My first time I was scared shitless, but I made it out okay and you will too,” he says as confidently as he can, but Eddie doesn’t seem convinced. He’s no longer looking at Steve but down at his hands as he nervously wrings his fingers together, his leg bouncing rapidly. His hair falls like a curtain around his face but Steve can still see the tears gathering in his eyes. 

Eddie looks like he’s falling apart at the seams, and once again Steve wants to hug him. Only this time they’re alone, they’re not covered in blood or Upside Down goo and they’ve come a long way from Eddie trying to slash his neck open with a bottle so Steve thinks fuck it and takes a step forward. 

“Come here.”

Eddie’s head snaps up. He frowns. “What?”

“Get up,” Steve says. Still frowning, Eddie pushes himself to his feet. “Now come here.”

“Where?”

“Here.” Steve holds his arms open and Eddie’s eyebrows disappear behind his bangs. “I’m giving you a hug.”

“You’re- what?”

Steve shuffles his feet. He feels stupid, standing there with his arms open while Eddie stares at him like he grew a second head. The back of his neck feels like it’s burning, the heat slowly spreading to his face. “You- you just look like you could use a hug.”

Eddie breathes out a startled laugh. “Holy shit, this is by far the strangest thing to have happened to me ever, and considering the days I just had, that’s saying something.”

“Munson,” Steve mutters but Eddie ignores him. 

“Steve Harrington wants to give me a hug?” Eddie gasps, clutching his chest. 

Steve huffs. “Yeah, and it’s a limited-time offer so are you gonna come here or are you gonna be a dick about it?”

“Well, if His Majesty insists,” Eddie jokes with a hand flourish but his tone lacks any lightheartedness. He’s nervous, fidgety. Despite his words, he hesitates, shuffling his weight from one foot to the other. 

So Steve takes matters into his own hands. Literally. He closes the distance between them with two long strides, grabs Eddie’s shoulders and pulls him in.

Eddie goes stiff, and for a moment, Steve worries that he’ll pull back but then he lets out a soft noise and melts into Steve, shaky hands coming up to grab his waist. 

“You’re going to live, Eddie,” Steve whispers, one of his hands moving to cup the back of Eddie’s neck. He shudders in his arms. “We’re going to win and we’re all going to live, okay?”

Eddie tucks his face into his neck. It’s Steve who shudders this time. “If you say so, Stevie.”

Steve makes a stubborn noise. “I do,” he says, squeezing Eddie a little tighter. He ignores the whine Eddie lets out or how it makes something hot burn in his belly. He focuses on Eddie’s arms wrapping around his waist instead- like he fears Steve might pull away. 

He doesn’t.

“You just have to trust me, okay?” Steve says, absently playing with the hair on the back of Eddie’s neck, feeling him go limp in his arms. Pride surges through Steve at being right. Eddie clearly needed a hug. 

“Okay,” Eddie whispers, sounding a little more confident. 

Neither of them let go. They stay like that for a while, just holding each other, Steve’s fingers still moving in Eddie’s hair. 

“Steve?” Eddie says, breaking the silence after a few minutes. 

“Hm?”

“Thank you.”

“For what? You’re a good hugger, dude, I’m enjoying myself,” Steve teases but the truth is that he means it. He likes hugging Eddie, he wishes he didn’t wait this long to do it or that he didn’t need to let go of him soon, before their friends come looking for them. He knows what Robin will say if she finds them like this- she has yet to shut up about Eddie calling Steve big boy and how Steve momentarily forgot how to function because of it.

He forgets how to function now when Eddie giggles, his breath tickling Steve’s neck. “You keep surprising me, Harrington.”

“Get used to it, Munson,” he says as he finally, regrettably, pulls back. He keeps his hands on Eddie’s shoulders. “’Cause you’re stuck with me, man.”

Eddie blinks. “Really?”

“Yeah,” Steve says, squeezing his shoulders. He gets an idea. “After we’re done, I’m taking you out for a drink. I think we’ll both need one.”

A smile plays at the corners of Eddie’s mouth. He seems infinitely more relaxed now than he did when Steve found him. “What- like a date?” He asks, clearly trying to make a joke even if his eyes dart a little nervously over Steve’s face.

Already missing the way Eddie’s arms felt around his waist or how his fingers felt in Eddie’s hair, Steve stops himself from brushing it off as a joke. He can’t, not when the idea of going on a date with Eddie makes his stomach fill with butterflies. With a smirk, he shrugs. “Guess you’re just gonna have to live long enough to find out?”

A nearly hysterical laugh bursts out of Eddie but his eyes sparkle like the idea of going out on a date with Steve doesn’t make him want to run off into the woods. “Guess so, big boy,” he says, making Steve’s cheeks heat up. “Let’s go make that Vecna fucker pay then, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Steve agrees with a big grin. “Let’s kill that son of a bitch.”

And with that, they head back to their friends. Eddie isn’t okay, he probably won’t be until this is over but now there’s a spring in his step and his hands aren’t shaking anymore.

And when his eyes meet Steve’s on the rearview mirror as he drives them to the Creel house, Eddie gives him a big dimpled smile- the first one to reach his eyes since they found him in that boat house. 

Steve is happy to have hugged him. He can’t wait to do it again- because he needs it, because they made it or just because this time. And then hopefully many times after that. 

[sheisjoeschateau]

"Oh, so we DO love Steve..." | PART II

ALRIGHT, SECOND PART IS OUT. NOT WAITING. hope u like :)

⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆ SERIES MASTERLIST ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆

Steve Harrington x Bauman!fem!reader || enemies to lovers trope.

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT GIVE PERMISSION FOR MY WORK TO BE COPIED AND/OR REPOSTED ON HERE OR ANY OTHER PLATFORM, OR PUT INTO ANY AI PROGRAMS. THIS IS AN 18+ BLOG, MDNI.

An original fanfiction series, written by Misha St. James.

This isn't your first time meeting Steve Harrington.

You know him. And he knows you. Well, maybe. Who knows. You both run in completely different circles in high school.

While there's some very obvious tension amongst the love triangle (Nancy-Steve-Jonathan) you take a second to look over at the group of kids behind King Steve. There's a curly-haired kid wearing a cap, another kid sporting a bandana, and a redheaded girl. They give you sort of awkward waves, which you return with a tight-lipped grin.

"Sorry," Jonathan's suddenly saying. "Uh, you guys, this is umm -"

"Bauman," you interject. "Just...call me Bauman."

Steve is now looking at you, realizing. Recognizing. "Hey," he says. "Wait, aren't you in Click's class?"

You press your lips into a thin line, trying not to be totally off-put by him. And in truth, you weren't really. Steve had seemed less... douchey, since he started dating Nancy. You were grateful for that. No matter how doomed their relationship was, it seemed to help him get rid of his trash friends. God, Tommy H. and Carol and that Nicole girl were just toxic.

"Yeah," you said, reaching out a hand. "Nice to officially meet you."

Steve shook your hand, a bit sheepish. And still distracted with the fact that his girlfriend had shown up with Byers. Why was she with Byers? You felt yourself internally cringing, seeing how oblivious yet aware he was. It actually made you feel bad.

"I'm Dustin!"

You suddenly looked in the direction of a toothy-grinned kid smiling at you, and you couldn't help but grin back. "Hey, Dustin."

Lucas and Max introduced themselves, too. But then, you all heard sound coming from off in the distance. The lab.

So yeah, things took a pretty sharp turn from there. It's all kind of a blur, if you're being honest. Everyone began talking over each other, eventually gathering info as to exactly who you are and why you were here (at least the general just of it). They learned about Murray Bauman, and Steve's face just became more perplexed, the more that Nancy and Jonathan revealed what they had learned...together.

...yikes.

But the kids were also asking you a million questions, very curious about you. Max found you funny, finding you to have more cool-girl energy than Nancy, who just seemed too polished for her to know how to communicate with her.

Eventually, Nancy noticed the power back on at the lab and you all took off in that direction. Steve was arguing a lot with the kid named Dustin. Very brotherly. Low-key motherly. The toll gate wouldn't open, then suddenly it did open, and then next thing you know a car is racing towards you from the lab and it's got Jim Hopper at the steering wheel? He's throwing the door open, demanding all of you to get in.

As you all drive, you end up near the front of the car, squished between Steve and Dustin.

"Bauman."

You look over at Jim, surprised. But he's looking at you in the rearview with all-knowing eyes. "You're Murray's niece."

You nod. "Yeah. Jim Hopper, right?"

Jim reaches back to pat your knee, eyes on the road and still shaken up from whatever the hell they just escaped. "M'sorry, kid. Your uncle's been getting shit from me. I know he sent you. M'really sorry. I'll make it right with him after all this, alright? Promise."

You just nod, knowing there's really no time for any of that right now. Since you got in the car, you haven't even had time to notice how there is a woman (clearly Joyce Byers) in pure distress, along with another kid in tow and the limp body of another child that she's holding. Jonathan is reaching for him, riddled with worry. Is that Will?

Once you all make it back to the Byers residence, it's tense. Really fucking tense. Jonathan is knelt in front of the couch, voicing his regrets out loud as he stares at his brother's limp form. Nancy stands behind him, placing a hand on his shoulder. You're on the opposite side of the room, leaned against the wall.

Which is why you notice that behind Hopper, who's yelling into the wall phone, Steve. He looks...devastated. Hurt. Heartbroken.

...fuck, he looks heartbroken.

He walks past you, pinching his nose and sniffing once. He looks like he's really fighting off some emotion, escaping to another room. It makes you think about everything that went down at your uncle's bunker, and how maybe it was funny there...but it isn't here. Not now, seeing that this guy actually has some intense feeling for Nancy Wheeler. Intense love for her. Real love.

...but Nancy doesn't feel that same intense love for him.

...oh god, that's messy.

But all hell is breaking loose before you can linger on that for much longer. Suddenly, you're all devising a plan. It has something to do with dungeons and dragons, and Will being possessed, and getting him in a room that whatever monster is inside of him won't recognize. The you're all deciphering Morse Code, and it's a whirlwind from there.

And then you're all holding weapons, bracing fore an attack...when some young girl walks in. Who you come to learn is the infamous Eleven. Her hair grew back, and she looks ready to join a punk band.

Pretty bitchin' look, you gotta admit.

The kids introduce her to you, and she gives you a shy smile. Then you're all splitting up into groups, and you catch a brief exchange between Nancy and Steve. He's saying something to her about going with Jonathan, and it makes you tense for Nancy. You can't even imagine how she must feel, knowing that he sees it.

And honestly, the way that Steve talks is...so not King Steve. It's uncharacteristically mature. Secure, and assuring. Not that of the teen heartthrob and bad boy you've been going to school with. And when Nancy does go off with Jonathan, you see Harrington's heart shatter into a million pieces with just the look in his eyes.

You feel bad. You suddenly feel really bad.

But also, he had to have seen this coming. Right? Jonathan Byers was a good, decent guy, who'd been there for Nancy all throughout the hell of last year. Steve had come around, finally. But by then, the trauma bond between Byers and Wheeler was irreversible. There's no changing that.

But damn, unrequited love sucks.

You knew was rejection felt like, and you wouldn't wish it on anyone. Not even your worst enemy.

Out of guilt, you make some conversation with Steve. Given it's just the two of you with the kids left at the house, needing to wait things out, you both easily make conversation. It's a bit awkward at first, but oddly it finds flow pretty easily. Steve's still got his charm, although it's a little more grounded than before. It isn't forced, or laced with popular-kid attitude. That's refreshing.

As you both end up listening to the kids like the only two parental figures around, then end up having to fight off that psycho new kid at school named Billy Hargrove (who's actually Max's stepbrother?!) and patch up Steve's very beaten and battered face which somehow still looks pretty, annnnd wind up in a tunnel full of creatures (demo dogs? is that what Dustin called them?), then somehow survive all of that shit... you and Steve become pretty bonded, pretty quickly.

And when the worst of it is seemingly over, you end up helping Eleven get ready for the Snowball -- dropping her off with Hopper. He's grateful for your help, and after making amends with your uncle you two have gotten to know each other well, too. He likes you, appreciating your mature sense of self.

Joyce adores you already, being the kind-natured and loving mama-bear that she is.

And El? Well, she loves you. You're like a cool older sister figure of sorts.

You and Steve run into each other when dropping off the kiddos at the Snowball, making conversation about how crazy everything was. You talk about other things, too. Just mundane things, bouncing off each other well. But when Steve notices Nancy inside, he gets that sad puppy-dog look in his eyes again. Then, Jonathan's coming out of the dance with a camera. He clearly was the designated photographer for the night.

And he clearly has captured Nancy Wheeler's heart.

One night, after Jonathan and Nancy have started going steady and you're all on summer break, you're all over at the Henderson's house watching the kids. The adults are there, too, since Mrs. Henderson is out working overnight. Murray is pouring up drinks for the adults and teens, much to Joyce's disapproval. But he just goes about his business, clinking glasses. Hopper honestly looks like he could really use a fucking drink. Or 5.

You, Steve, Nancy and Jonathan all toast, happily. Chatting. Laughing. Making light of things.

...but that ends up being pretty short-lived.

Before you know it, you're in the kitchen helping clean up while Joyce gets the kids in bed and Hopper is on the couch slurring with your uncle. Steve had offered to help you, but Dustin insisted that he come see something in his room before they all went to bed. Nancy has left with Mike and Max, while Lucas is staying the night.

Welp. Jonathan walks in, drunk, telling you thank you.

It's sloppy, and it would be funny except for the fact that he is talking so fucking loud. He's just thanking you, and then Murray, over and over -- "...for meddling with'm love life because now, I'm dating th'most beautifurrrl girl in Hawkins. N'if'it weren't for y'two...I'd still'b pining o'r h-her."

...annnnd then he’s blabbering on about how you let him and Nancy take the bed. “Well’lmost… ha, w-we ended urp…takin’th…couch. Whischhh…you tol��us you’w’d…toHaLLy tAkE’stead.” Then he’s snickering, drunkenly. “Cuz’you toooootally wanted us to doooo itttt. Schhhhhhayin that — m’not the safe one. That’m — I’m the one’th Nannnncy l-loves. Not…S-Steve…”

You just chuckle nervously, giving him a pat on the shoulder. And you just keep washing the dishes when he gives you a tight hug from behind, stumbling a bit and making you almost drop and break one of Mrs. Henderson's very cute plates.

Right on cue, Steve rounds the corner, having heard it.

All of it.

And now that Steve has gotten wind of the fact you played a huge role — along with Murray — on why Nancy left him, he is totally pissed.

In fact, he’s livid. 

"Steve," you try, but he just holds up a hand, staring daggers at you.

"Save it, Bauman," he grits. "Save. It."

It causes him to have the utmost disdain towards you, border lining hate. It just festers over time, getting worse.

Something about that makes your stomach flip inside out with a horrible, upset feeling. Your guts feel knotted up, and if the reality of things weren't so bleak, you would laugh at the fact that losing Steve Harrington's friendship (let alone trust) would upset you one day, let alone even happen. You feel bad. You really do. But God, as time goes on... his entire attitude about it is insufferable. He isn't letting up any time soon. Not when you both meet up with the kids (because regardless of the strain between you two, you're both the parents now). It feels like two divorced parents, meeting up to share custody of the chitlins.

The only relationship to which Steve is committed, is the one that he shares with Miss Hatred. And you're her bitch.

...guess there's still some King Steve in him after all.

You knew King Steve. He was an ass. So you know what? Suck it, Harrington. Karma’s a bitch.

As time passes, you begin firing back at him - tired of trying to explain yourself, apologize or play nice. Steve wants to fucking play? Alright then. Game on, Harrington.

There's a whole upside down universe threatening to take over still? All good. Let's still brawl, Harrington.

The kids keep bringing you both around each other, and you're also working at a place inside of the same damn mall as Steve is for the summer? AWESOME.

LET'S GET READY TO FUCKIN RUMBLE.

So yeah, you’re totally involved in the whole mall ordeal with the Russians, bonding you to Steve and Robin, along with Dustin and Erica.

But despite that, Steve still resents you. So there is still rivalry between the two of you.  Hot and bothered. 

That said, despite his pure disdain towards you...it doesn't change the fact that you actually do begin to see him for the much better human that he is becoming. King Steve has fallen. No doubt. You see that. The way that he loves and cares the kids, especially Dustin. And the way that Steve reacts whenever Robin comes out to you both? He's an angel. Hell, he even fought the soldiers off of you whenever they decided to make you their torture-chamber play-thing. He definitely got mad at them for that one, but he also got mad at you for not going with Dustin and Erica before all of that went down. You both nearly strangled each other when attempting to hold the door shut, yelling at each other to run. Robin had finally joined you both, but still - neither of you budged.

Steve was a good guy. A nice guy, even. Just not to you, unless the moment called for him to be. Which was fine.

…but he’s still annoying. And apparently, he can hold a fucking grudge like no other. He’s a world class champ at that, come to find out. Gold star.

You're onboarded to help Hopper, Murray and Joyce with shutting the gate. It's a no-brainer. Steve looks a little miffed, seeing how the adults trust you like one of them rather than him. Even the way that Jonathan is so cool around you, and Nancy seems shy around you, it just...irks him.

When you manage to help Joyce close the gate, you witness the death of Hopper. And it kills you, along with your uncle. You ache for Joyce, unable to fathom how you'll have to bring it up to El.

But hey, you all manage to destroy the Mind Flayer. And when Billy is killed in the process, you tend to Max like a true older sister. She and Eleven have both come to look up to you as such, and Steve won't deny the fact that you're a saint with these kids. A real fucking saint. And if he's being honest...he's relieved to have a co-parenting partner.

But that is the extent of his gratitude towards you, which is strictly circumstantial. You make things convenient sometimes.

Hopper dying hits all of you hard. And you do everything that you can to help your uncle not drink himself to death. It's the only reason that you don't regularly visit the Wheelers in California. Your uncle is a wreck. Hopper was the only man who truly felt like a friend to your very lonely (by choice) Uncle Murray.

Steve does single you out to ask how you're doing, knowing that witnessing Hopper's death was tragic. But you just tell him that the real concern is your uncle and Joyce, insisting that you will get by. Steve seems hesitant at first, knowing that you're not fine. He might hate you, but he still cares about a party member who got put through hell.

"I'm alive, Steve. So I need to carry on. For everyone's sakes. I'll be alright."

As time goes on...

You and Steve give Robin very conflicting love advice, when it comes to her crush on Vikki.

"VIKKI LIKES BOOBIES."

"Christ, Steve," you're groaning in the backseat. "Stop being such a damn teenage boy."

"I'm almost 20, Bauman," he scowls at you in the rearview mirror.

You make a face, exaggerating feigned apology. "'Scuuuuuse me."

Man, he could not hate you more. Steve is sure of that. You are the worst. Why are you here. You are just the worst. Every time he looks at you, all he sees is Murray Bauman but as a much hotter 19-year-old girl with way more better comebacks and select timing.

AND NO, THAT IS NOT A COMPLIMENT.

!!!!!!!!

Next thing you know, Chrissy Cunningham has been found dead in a trailer that belongs to Eddie ‘The Freak’ Munson. Who, according to Dustin, is not only still in high school — he’s also friends with them? Yikes. But Dustin swears that he’s not a murderer.

You choose to believe Dustin. Much to Steve’s chagrin. In his mind, any chance that you get to disagree with him, you will gladly fucking take it. He is really committed to you being his enemy.

And you know what? Fine. You can play. You've been playing.

Eventually, Nancy comes back into the picture.

And honestly? Watching her be all into Steve again? As if she isn't in a relationship with Jonathan still? That pisses you off.

Not because you’re jealous. No, no. Not that.

…yeah no, it’s not that.

Nah, it’s the way this girl just cannot for the life of her figure out what she is feeling. Dear lord, woman. Pick.

Eventually, you comment on this. But not until Eddie Munson is suddenly roped into y’all’s crew and you both strangely hit it off. You share the same taste in music. You both compare concert history, listing off you're favorites and randomly bursting into song. Very scream-o, metal music. Eddie thinks you're the shit, and you make him laugh a lot. He also makes you laugh a lot.

Steve hates that.  He really, really hates that.

But not because he is jealous. No, no. It’s not that.

…yeah, it’s definitely not that.

Nah, it’s the way you make friends with someone he isn't a fan of just to spite him. You know he doesn’t like Eddie. You know he feels replaced by Dustin for him. You’re doing this shit on purpose. He knows it. He just knows it.

Regardless, you both stand by each other throughout the whole Vecna ordeal. And Max?  She loves you. Trusts you. A lot. You also tell her not to give Steve so much shit. So he’ll give you that.

But that’s all he’s gonna give you. And even that has its limits.

Whenever you all find out that Max is cursed, the first person that Steve finds himself looking at is you. Because you're the co-parent. You've gotta help him know what to do. You feel the exact same way.

You both witness her possession in he graveyard. You both help calm the kids down, and each other. Whenever Max writes letters to each of you, she looks at both you and Steve for a long time. A really long time. It's very uncomfortable.

...then she's finally handing you both a letter, and the look she shoots you both afterwards in really unsettling. Like she knows something.

But what the hell is there to know? That you both can't stand each other? NEWSFLASH: EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT. So joke's on them.

...not Max though. She's in trouble. So she's allowed to know whatever the hell...that she...knows...?

You and Steve both profusely disagree with everyone about the idea of Max becoming the bait. In fact, it's the first time that you both are defending each other to everyone else. Whenever Max argues Steve, you tell her to listen.

"Steve has every right to be worried right now. We all do, Max."

She sighs, knowing that you're right.

And whenever Dustin tries to get quippy with you about stuff, Steve shuts him down real fast.

"Hey. Not cool. Bauman's in the right, check yourself."

Dustin also sighs, knowing that he's right.

Because you both know these kids better than anyone. You helped Mike ease up on Hopper, becoming that one older-sister figure he can actually go to and be normal around. Hell, he even hugs you. Mike never hugs anyone, except El. And Lucas? You and Steve are at every single one of his games, like proud parents. Will calls you whenever he wants to paint, knowing that you enjoy art. You've spent many nights painting with him, and even Steve will join with the other kids. They mostly just finger paint and bicker, but it's still lovely in its own sort of way. And then there's Dustin. The golden child, who both of you wanna hug and strangle at the same time. He is forever putting the two of you in close proximity, secretly loving the tension between the two of you. He figures that it's just because you both wanna be the favorite parent, and Dustin is too fixated on why Steve hasn't started dating Robin to even remotely suspect that you two could be an item.

There's a plan in motion now. It's in full swing, all groups peeling off. There's a new species added to the fucked up realm (the newly coined named for them is demo-bats) and you've somehow saved Steve's ass for the 3rd time. This guy seriously cannot catch a break.

But now, Eddie’s suddenly encouraging Steve to go after Nancy again. And damn, that bugs you.  It really motherfuckin’ gets under your skin. Because Eddie doesn’t know the full story about what went down between them. Not even close.

You can't help yourself. You tell Steve this, once Eddie walks up ahead. But of course, Steve is rebuking everything that you are saying.

And then he's telling you that Nancy is different, and -- “actually, things are better.” 

But you scoff at that, incredulously. And you're telling him to "wake up and realize that 1) she’s still with lover-boy Byers, and 2) you shouldn’t pine after someone who chose someone else over you."

You mean to say it kindly. Honestly, you try to.

But Steve doesn’t think so.  And he’s faster. He’s also cruel.

“Maybe that’s why you broke us up, huh?" Steve is firing back at you with all that he's got now. "Because you’re used to that. Being the second choice. Weren’t you Clark’s best friend? Didn’t he drag you along until he ended up picking Becky? Yeah. Thought I didn’t know that, right? Or how you hung out with some of the basketball guys and never once got asked out by any of them? God, it’s so obvious. Also, it’s pathetic. You clearly hate seeing anyone happy. So hey, guess what? You got your wish: successfully ruining someone else’s happiness. Bingo! Congratulations, you won.”

It hurts. It really does. It fucking hurts.

Still, you do try to reason with him. It’s a little harsh, you’ll admit it. You’re not exactly speaking to him sweetly. But you try.

“All my personal love life issues aside —" you start, bringing your voice down and speaking as level as possible. "...which honestly, I’ve never even had something worth labeling as love — Steve, YOU still deserve to —”

“To suffer,” he cuts you off. “Yeah. I know. And the fact you’ve not had love? That just further proves my point. You admit it and yet you’re still out to get me. Because you’re fucking miserable.”

Alright, you’ve had it.

“I’m miserable?” you ask, ready to fire back. “Steve. You’re the one letting your ex-girlfriend — who didn’t even properly dump you — toy with your brain again into actually thinking she’s gonna pick you this time. She doesn’t deserve that. And you certainly don’t deserve —”

“You deserve nothing.” Steve is seething. Then hissing at you, “You’re bullshit, Bauman. You and your whack job Uncle. You’re both bullshit.”

So you stop. You let it go.

You let Steve Harrington hate you and suffer his own misfortunes. And you pretend that what he said didn’t just shatter your soul into a million tiny pieces.  You nod at him, swallowing hard.

“My uncle is twice the man you’ll ever be. King Steve.”  

It’s a pathetic last attempt. And your voice feels small, tight. But standing up for your uncle is better than yourself at this point. You walk off, away from him.

And Steve doesn’t tell you to stop. He doesn’t tell you not to walk away. He lets you.

So he doesn’t see you cry alone inside of the upside down version of the Wheelers’ bathroom.  He doesn’t see your heart break in two, and he doesn’t see you bite back the sobs sinking your teeth into your palms.

[henry-fox-biggest-stan]

I have a very very clear vision of the st5 ending. Not particularly what I think is gonna happen, just what I think would be cool.

Prom, we all know this, except they don't go. They ditch prom, but still dance. Just at one of their houses (my guess is either the byers cause Joyce is great or mike's basement. Probably mike's basement cause safe space and all that). All the party is ditching together.

Under Pressure by Bowie is playing. The Can't we give ourselves one more chance? / Why can't we give love that one more chance? / Why can't we give love, give love, give love, give love / Give love, give love, give love, give love? / 'Cause love's such an old-fashioned word / And love dares you to care for / The people on the edge of the night / And love dares you to change our way of / Caring about ourselves part.

They're not dressed up, they're wearing comfortable clothing that you look at it and just think "this is so them". Everyone is dancing with everyone. Not just byler (and lumax is max wakes up) but also will and Dustin. Mike and Lucas. Max and el. Mike and el. Max and dustin. Will and el. Dustin and Lucas. Max and will. Lucas and will. El and Lucas. Max and mike. Dustin and el. Max and dustin. Etc. They're changing partners and having a wonderful upbeat time.

Camera goes changing from shot to shot. We see jancy (maybe college, maybe another place), we see robin (perhaps rockie). We see jopper. Maybe they're dancing in the kitchen, maybe there cooking together, maybe they're sharing a smoke. Steve either with robin (if she's not with Vickie) or somewhere idk. Karen, maybe preparing dinner humming with holly on the table. Etc etc. Maybe Suzie is also there, or the camera pans to her on her house, also having a good time on her own.

I know you all want byler prom but aside from the fact that it's the 80s (so if they wanted to dance together they'd still skip) I just don't really want that. If we get it I'll be super happy but I don't think it's the best decision.

The show is after all about love, but not necessarily romantic. We saw it in S3, prioritizing romantic relationships over friendship is shitty. It's about the love the byers have of will that saved him, the love of his friends that saved him. It's about mike jumping off a cliff for Dustin and Lucas desperately trying to save max despite the fact that she broke up with him. It's about robin laughing after coming out to Steve, about Nancy crying over barb, about the mall scene with el and max, about dnd nights. Idk. I just think ending the show with only romantic moments when we have seen in s3 that friendship should not be casted aside feels kinda cheap. Obviously byler would still dance but it would be a contrast with snowball (heteronormative, dressing up in clothes they either don't like (mike) or doing their hair in ways thats just not them (dustin), everyone in pairs).

This is our last dance / This is our last dance / This is ourselves

Dark screen.

Under pressure

Credits roll in.

[certifiedlovergirlsstuff]

hey!! happy celebration time bestie :) sorry this took forever, i got sick but i'm here now!

i was thinking it would be cute to do a blurb for steve based off these grumpy x sunshine prompts: (i love sassy steve, he's my fav)

having the habit of hugging them randomly

^ and when u forget to hug then, they just stand there like an npc, too cool to ask for that hug.

or they pull you into a hug without any words and wouldn't show u their face after

i feel like steve would get this attitude probably bc you're in front of the kids or something and he doesn't wanna beg for your hello hug but he also doesn't want to go without it. you can decide if they're in an established relationship or not <3 congrats again on 500!!

riley i hope you enjoy this cause i wrote this in two days. both times while at work. completely forgot the grumpy x sunshine part, but i feel you could see hints (let me know if you want a rewrite)

pairing: steve harrington x fem!reader wc: 969😏

masterlist / steve harrington

you and steve are friends who’ve kissed a few times. twice while drunk, one at a house party and another while at a surprisingly packed hideout where eddie’s band played. there were three other times where you kissed but both of you were sober and it was broad daylight hours. however, the two of you weren’t a couple. haven’t really chosen when to have a proper discussion or just blatantly ignoring how both of you are just waiting for the next time a kiss could happen.

yet, when it comes to hugging, you and steve are a gross couple in love. always holding onto each other for a time that isn’t considered a friendly passing hug. sometimes you’ll hug steve from behind as a ‘sneak attack’, other times it’ll be a side hug with your arms around his waist and one of his thrown over your shoulder while waiting in a long line. or it’s where you crash into steve chest seeking his warmth as a safety blanket, even could be where the two of you are full on cuddling while taking a nap on his king bed.

hugs are something steve fully expects to receive whenever the two of you are in the same room, within reach or quick steps. so when steve sees you walk into his backyard for this pool party the kids forced him to have, he’s completely frozen when you walk past him and throw your open arms around dustin first. dustin doesn’t deserve to be in your arms first, that’s a steve harrington only privilege. but he allows it since it’s the twerps birthday.

steve just stands back by the loungers, watching as you sway the boy side to side, almost throwing the both of you to the ground. the two of you laugh and steve swears he gets a bit tipsy from the high pitched lilt.

you pull away from dustin and turn on a 180 to then pull bright cheeked max into a sisterly embrace.

“what the fuck?” steve grumbled to himself. his eyes never leaving as you pull each kid, one by one into a firm hug. and when you’ve given will the last one of the group, steve expects you to come find him next, but no. you see nancy and bounce over to her.

“mad your girlfriend ignoring you?” steve startles at the voice of robin appearing beside him. she was unbothered while picking chips off her paper plate. “jesus, gotta put a bell on you.” hand over his heart while side eyeing her.

“i’m not a fucking cat, drill bit. you're just lost in that smooth brain of yours while creepily staring at y/n. might finally put that restraining order on you.” sentence punctuated with her loud chewing.

steve rolled his eyes, “she wouldn’t do that. and she’s not my girlfriend. she’s a girl who’s a friend.” his quiet tone showing his real emotions on that claim.

robin hummed, “yeah. a girl who’s a friend that you’ve kissed five times and been to chicken to do shit about.” he glared at the accusation. she then pointed a salty finger across the pool, “who’s also giving eddie a nice hug and you're over here standing like a tree waiting for her to take the initiative.”

steve whipped his head at robin’s pointed location to see eddie with his right arm casually holding your waist as your left is over his shoulder. steve could only see the mesmerized grin of eddie and it’s making his head fuzzy.

there was a slight shove at his shoulder and it forced him to once again glare at robin. “dude!” she rolled her eyes, “stop being wuss and get your girl. it’s not that hard, you both like each other already. act grossly coupley in public, that’s why you’re always ‘oh, not dating’ bullshitting to strangers.”

“robs, it’s just… i’m- im scared…” steve trailed off while turning his eyes to the ground. robin’s hand touched his shoulder and she asked, “of what? there just needs to be proper communication and everything will come together.” robin squeezed his shoulder before boldly stating, “she loves you. and you love her. be in love together.” and she walks away leaving steve by his porch door.

that is until there’s two arms sliding around his waist from behind and something laying along his spine. he automatically raises his hands to fold over yours, ruffling your arm hair from his back and forth motions.

“was wondering where you were?” your voice is muffled by the way you're pushing your left cheek into steve’s skin.

he turns his chin over his shoulder, “i’ve been here the whole time. thought you were ignoring me.” trying to play the last part off as a joke, but he really did think you were ignoring him.

you gasped and moved to stand in front of him, “never. just wanted to save the best for last. and also i wouldn’t have to let you go after i got to everyone else first.” making your point while rewrapping yourself into steve. his own arms resting over your shoulders with his cheek laying on your head.

“i love you.” he blurted with such an ease that steve was a bit shocked that it was such an easy and true statement.

a dreamy smile on your lips as you replied, “i love you too, stevie.”

and his heart jumped a little faster, both from your silky voice and you possibly saying it in a different meaning, “no, not as a friend.”

“i know, stevie. i love you both as a friend and more.”

steve lifted his head away from your skull and you tilted your head up. the two of you stay held together as infectious smiles grasped at your lips and childish giggles spilled free.

-

[morganbritton132]

Idk if you’ve mentioned it before but what is everyone in the Party’s jobs?? We already know Erica is a kickass politician and Lucas is the family embarrassment doctor but what does everyone else do besides bug Steve lol?

Also is Dustin still with Susie or did that ship sail away in the EMTTS?? <333

So, fun fact about me: I am not a big fan of future AUs. I don’t particularly like reading them and I’ve never written one prior to the Tiktok Saga. I think the problem I have with them is that it’s really hard to determine where a character should be thirty-odd years down the road. How or why a one-off post about Eddie being bad with technology turned into all this, I do not know.

I don’t have everybody’s job picked out because I don’t really think about it until it’s relevant to the story, but luckily, I do spend way too much time thinking about this AU so I have few that haven’t been mentioned.

The ones that have been mentioned: Steve is a teacher, Eddie’s a musician, Nancy’s a journalist, Jonathan’s a photographer, Lucas is a doctor, and Erica is a senator.

I think Argyle owns a very successful marijuana dispensary in California where him and Jonathan live and it gives him the freedom to travel with Jonathan when he goes out of town for business. Argyle just has the vibe that should not be working a nine-to-five. Also, I think that Argyle as an old man stoner with long completely gray hair is just so cool.

Robin is also a teacher, but she teaches at a university in the linguistics department. She spoke four languages when she joined the party, she now speaks nine. She’s written a book. She has a kickass rating on Rate My Professor. She’s likely the front runner to take over the department once the current dean retires next year.

I really like the idea of Max becoming a physical therapist. She had a long road to recovery after Venca and spent over a year in physical therapy just learning how to walk again. She knows what it’s like. She knows when and how hard to push her patients, and she’s good at the job. This also makes Max a doctor so Erica includes Max when she says that Lucas is the worst Sinclair.

I’m less defined on what kind of careers that Will, Mike, and El have. I just haven’t found a job that I’m like, yes, that makes perfect sense for that character. I do think that Will has a career where he can be creative and that he’s successful, I just haven’t narrowed it down to what exactly he does.

Mike and El, on the other hand, I have no idea. I mentioned before that Mike had a band that opened up for Eddie on CC’s first national tour and I imagine that he did one summer or during his gap year before college (if he went to college). El, I like to think, travels a lot and has got to see the world and be free of the responsibility of saving the world. But those two, I think, are tough to pin down to a specific career.

Now, for Dustin.

Dustin has had a very successful career as a researcher and his career has taken him all over the world. Now what exactly does he research? That’s up to you. This man is a scientist and that’s all Steve and Eddie can tell you about Dustin’s job because it’s just over of their heads. He loves it and that’s all they need to know.

Dustin and Suzie are currently not together. They have dated off and on since they’ve known each other and have always split on good terms. It has just always been the wrong time for them because when they’re together, they’re great. They hit it off and decide to start dating again, and then they just get busy. They’re both top of their field and work crazy long hours all over the world, and the cost of that is their relationship.

I think they both kinda know that one day, they’ll meet up at the right time, but for now, they’re good friends and they date other people. Steve thinks that they’re soulmates and he’ll randomly give Dustin an update that Suzie is single again. Dustin is always like, “How do you know that?”

“We’re friends on Facebook.”

[artiststarme]

What If Steve Were To Leave Hawkins?

Part 1 of 20

As Steve drove down the highway, he pondered his decision once more. Admittedly, leaving Hawkins may have been a bit of a drastic decision. But what other choice did he have? For months after their last encounter with the Upside Down, he waited for anyone to need him or reach out to spend time with him and he was left disappointed every time. Steve knew it would only be a matter of time before they outgrew him. As soon as the kids entered high school and made friends with Eddie “the Freak” Munson, he knew he wasn’t needed. 

Why would he be? He didn’t know how to play Dungeons and Dweebs and he couldn’t help with any of their homework. Looking back, that’s why Steve had been so jealous of Munson in the first place. He knew he had a lot more in common with the kids and was actually cool. Way cooler than who Steve pretended to be. He knew deep down that he was only kept around to babysit or chauffeur people around town. 

He wiped an unsteady hand under his eyes to get rid of the watery tears leaking from his eyes. He had no right to be upset when he had seen this coming for so long. After the Upside Down, he had briefly thought that everything would be alright. Once Eddie had his name cleared and had been released from the hospital and when Max had woken up, things seemed to be ok. Steve had checked in on Max and driven her to physical therapy when her mom wasn’t around. He had hung out with Eddie on multiple occasions either smoking and listening to music in Eddie’s trailer or having the older teens over to his house for movies and drinks. Steve had thought that they had become friends and was happy to have a friend his age outside of Robin. 

However, it had only lasted for a few weeks before Eddie started declining his invitations to hang out. Robin became busy with Vickie, Nancy and Jonathon were busy with each other, and the kids all had their own relationships to worry about. Things got lonely again at Steve’s empty house. Everyone stopped reaching out and Steve didn’t want to bother anyone.

Even when people were around, Steve was still lonely. Vickie and Eddie visited Robin at work on shifts they shared. If Steve tried to join in on the conversations, he either third-wheeled awkwardly or caused the conversation to shut down completely. It was always easier to hide in the back rewinding tapes or in the aisles organizing films than to try and infringe upon anyone else’s visits. At Party meetings, Steve usually hung on the outskirts of whatever event was being celebrated. Hardly anyone ever sought him out and anyone that did always accepted his vague excuses to leave without question. Eventually, he stopped going to Party meetings altogether. It was easier to go to bed early than to intrude on the Party that didn’t want him there. 

When the older teens were set to graduate in June, Robin asked Steve if he could organize a graduation party at his house. He of course accepted. He would do anything to make his friends happy. So, he called off of work the day before their graduation to set up his house and organize everything. He went to the actual ceremony and cheered on each of his friends as they walked across the stage. The kids were also in attendance and loudly cheered as Eddie finally accepted his diploma and flipped Principal Higgins the bird before darting off the stage. 

After their graduation ceremony, Steve drove Robin and Eddie to his house for the party. Before Robin’s friends from the marching band and Eddie’s bandmates from Corroded Coffin arrived, Steve gave them their gifts. He had gotten Robin a new pair of blue converse with a pack of sharpie markers for her to doodle on them with. He gave Eddie a new battle jacket with new pins and patches to replace the one he had borrowed and bled all over in the Upside Down. He gave Nancy a new notebook to use for journalistic purposes and gave Jonathon the newest album from The Smiths. All of his friends smiled and gave him a hug, or a peck on the cheek in Nancy’s case. Eddie’s reaction was the strongest, and most adverse, of them all. When he opened his gift from Steve, he blushed and stammered out a small ‘thank you’ before abruptly walking away towards Robin. 

Steve didn’t expect anything different from Munson. He realized that he had made him uncomfortable at some point over the two weeks they had been hanging out. He had tried to fix the issue but had come to the conclusion that Eddie was just faking being nice for the rest of the Party. Regardless, Steve didn’t hate Eddie even if Eddie hated him. So, he still got him a gift he would hopefully enjoy. After his negative reaction though, Steve wasn’t much in the mood to party and went to sit by the pool. At 1 AM when most of the partygoers had gone home, Steve went back inside to tell Robin, Nancy, Jonathan, Eddie, and Vickie that they were welcome to spend the night in any of the guest bedrooms. However, they all declined and went home with Vickie, their designated driver.    

Steve was left once again in a house too big for just him with a mess around him. He spent the early hours cleaning up red solo cups and a particularly nasty pile of vomit in the corner of his dining room. When he finally fell asleep, he was awoken by a vicious nightmare and remained awake until it was time to  get up for his morning shift at Family Video. 

Steve worked a double, working his morning and covering for Robin’s afternoon shift, half-asleep and on the verge of a migraine. He didn’t receive any calls of gratitude from any of the older teens or any social calls from the kids. 

His next week and a half passed in a bland routine. He woke up early due to nightmares, worked a shift or two at Family Video, went home, tried to eat a meal or two, then went to sleep before repeating. Things came to a head on a Thursday evening when Steve pulled up to his house after a long shift at Family Video to find his parent’s car in his spot in the driveway. 

He walked into his house with his head hanging low and a grimace on his face. His father was waiting in the foyer with a scowl set on his grim face. Upon visage of his son, he immediately started his typical barrage of insults and complaints. Why was Steve still working at a dead-end job making minimum wage? Why hadn’t Steve tried to apply to any more colleges? Why hasn’t Steve dusted the bookshelves or cleaned the curtains? Why was Steve such a failure? 

When Steve attempted to brush past his father to go to his room, he was slammed into the wall and held there by his father’s forearm. His father had told him in no uncertain terms that he wasn’t going to have some failure of a son living in his house. Steve listened to his father’s insults with his head leaned back against the wall and his eyes glazed over until his father released him and went back into his study. 

Steve entered his room with tears running down his face. He sat against his locked bedroom door with his face in his hands. What reason did he have to stay there; at home or in Hawkins? His mind immediately went to the kids but he hadn’t spoken to any of them since he had refused to let them rent an R-rated movie two days after the grad party he threw. He thought of Robin and Eddie who had been trying to make plans with him. Robin had invited him to watch movies in Eddie’s trailer a few shifts ago but Steve knew it was a fake offer so he declined saying he had plans. Eddie showed up the same shift and extended an offer of pizza and weed for that night but Steve knew it was only made out of pity so he declined and said he wanted to get to bed early. At each of his excuses, they had looked at him in concern but Steve knew they must have only asked him out of courtesy. 

Steve stood up from the floor with his mind made up. He took his pre-packed bags from under this bed and glanced around his room. There was nothing else he needed to take. His favorite clothes were already in the bags, as were the pictures of him and his friends and his few essential belongings. He waited for a few hours before making his way downstairs with his bags. What Steve did not expect was to pass his mom drinking a glass of wine in the living room. She stood from her spot and wrapped her arms around Steve. He couldn’t remember the last time she had hugged him. She told him to stay in touch and stay safe. He nodded wordlessly before he continued his trek to his car. 

Steve considered leaving a letter with one of the kids or even Joyce before he left. He would have told Robin of his spontaneous plans but she was out of town with her family visiting her ill grandmother in Cincinnati. He decided against bothering anyone and drove past the Leaving Hawkins sign without so much as a backwards glance. 

He didn’t know where he was going or what he would do when he got there but there was a sense of freedom that came with the uncertainty. He set his course north and drove until he saw the sun rising to his right. He stopped at a nearby motel to get some sleep. He was just outside of Chicago and decided to try his luck there for a while. It couldn't be any worse than it had been the last several months in Hawkins.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20: Epilogue

[lovelyatomicpeace]

Guiding Light

Plot: Steve suddenly lost his father and doesn't know what to do, but luckily y/n is there for him.

Warnings: Sadness, crying, comfort, flashback

A little ff that I created from an idea that came to mind. Enjoy ❤️

As the sun began its slow descent behind the treetops of Hawkins, the air filled with the cool bite of autumn, Y/n ran down the familiar road toward Steve's house. His heart was pounding, not just from sprinting, but from the weight of urgency and grief. The news of her father's sudden death had reached her painfully, like broken glass on a marble floor with which she felt all too intimate.

Steve and his father had never had such a close bond. Their conversations were usually abrupt, punctuated by misunderstandings and the silent tension of unfulfilled expectations. Y/n had watched from afar, every argument and every harsh word exchanged between them etched pain in her heart. She knew Steve needed her now more than ever. As she reached the front steps of Steve's house, she hesitated for a fleeting moment. She could hear the sound of muffled voices inside: friends and family gathered, each carrying the weight of their grief. But that was the last thing he thought about as he stretched toward the doorbell. She was not there for pleasantries; she was there to be his anchor. The door opened and there appeared Steve, disheveled and pale, his brown eyes wide and glassy.

Before she could even formulate a greeting, he collapsed in her arms, the dam breaking as he sobbed into her shoulder. It was the kind of heartbreak that echoed in the pit of her stomach; she held him tighter, feeling his tears against her neck, the tremors of loss shaking them both.

"I can't..." he gasped between breaths.

Y/N tightened his grip, cradling him as he cried. "It's okay, Steve. I'm here," he whispered, in a calm voice as if he could channel his pain through words.

The usually cavernous house was now full of people: friends and familiar faces were scattered, hushed whispers mingled with the subdued background of soft music coming from the living room. Lucas sat with Max, their usual quarrels absent. Dustin was solemn, preoccupied with scraping a nonexistent splinter in the sofa. Robin and Nancy clutched each other, offering silent support, while Jonathan and Will exchanged glances that said much about the pain they shared. Mike sat off to the side, fingers intertwined with El's, both looking lost. As the commotion hummed slightly behind her, Y/N guided Steve into the living room, away from prying eyes. The light filtering through the drawn curtains cast shadows but also warmth; it felt like a cocoon, a safe space in which to share his vulnerabilities. Gently, she led him to the couch, where they sank together, the outside world temporarily forgotten: one of his knees resting on the floor as he bent over her. She ran her fingers through his hair, reassuring him, rooting him on.

"I couldn't even say goodbye to him," Steve said in a choked voice, wiping away tears with the back of his hand. "We had to make things right-it was my last chance, and I blew it."

"You didn't ruin anything, Steve," Y/N reassured him, in a firm voice. "You loved him, even with all the hard things. That's all that matters now."

"Yes, but it wasn't enough," he murmured, lowering his gaze to the floor. "He never understood me. My whole life has been a struggle for his approval that I never got."

"Sometimes people are just ... complicated. Your relationship was not easy, but you still meant a lot to him. You were his son," Y/N replied softly. "You showed him love in the ways you could."

"Why did he have to be such a jerk to me?" he croaked, wiping tears from her face with the back of her hand. "He was so consumed with his life that he never stopped to listen ... to understand anything about it." Y/n nodded, her heart aching. She had witnessed Steve's struggles, his attempts to gain acceptance and recognition from a father who had inadvertently rejected him. The loss of a parent was complex enough, but when mixed with unresolved feelings, it turned into something even more bitter.

Steve stood in front of her, lost, remembering his last argument with his dad:

It was one of those stormy afternoons when the thunder rumbling overhead echoed the tensions brewing in the Harrington mansion. A heavy downpour painted its chaos against the large windows, mirroring the struggle that was brewing between Steve and his father. The opulent surroundings of the estate looked like a gilded prison. Steve stood defiantly in the spacious living room, his muscles tense with anger.

"Dad, I'm not going to trade school! You can't make me!" shouted Steve, the resolve in his voice trembling to the edge of desperation.

His father, Robert, sat behind a polished mahogany desk, his fingers intertwined under his chin. The man was the epitome of success, a tycoon respected and feared in equal measure. "I can and I will, Steven. You don't even want to follow in my footsteps. You want to waste your life chasing ... what? You want still to work for a stupid video store? You're not cut out for that."

"I'm not cut out for it either!" spat Steve, gesturing to the room full of memorabilia, awards and an expectation he couldn't stand. "I hate your idea of success. You want me to be your perfect little clone, and I won't do it! I refuse to be part of your empire!"

Robert's eyes squinted, his voice deceptively calm. "There are choices in life that shape your future, Steve. You think you have it all figured out, but you're just a child playing at adulthood. I have sacrificed so much for this family; the least you can do is live up to the legacy."

"Sacrifice?" Steve's voice cracked, the weight of lost years overwhelming him. "You never sacrificed anything for me! You were too busy building your empire to notice me!"

"Do you think this is easy? Do you have any idea how hard I worked?" retorted Robert, rising from his chair, anger exploding. "Look at you, look at what you are! A failure! You're a disappointment!"

Disappointment. The word hung in the air, choking, as if it had just settled in Steve's chest. That word shattered something deep inside him, igniting a longing for freedom he had never known existed.

"That's not true!" he cried back, hot tears filling his eyes. "You've never even tried to understand me. All you care about is your image, your successes! I don't want any of that!"

"I am your father! I'm trying to prepare you for life, and this is what you do? You throw everything away for ... you for nothing?"

Steve seethed with anger and pain, the mix of emotions contending inside him until he could take no more. "You know what? Maybe I don't need you at all!" he shouted before running from the room, tears streaming freely down his cheeks.

As he left the mansion, the storm was equal to the turmoil in his heart. He rushed out into the rain, letting the deluge wash over him. He could not face his father, the anger swirling in his chest was a tangible entity demanding to be released. It felt like the beginning of the end, a farewell to a future he had not chosen...

Suddenly y/n's hand on his cheek brings him back to reality. Steve looked up, searching her face for answers, something she could not give. "What good is love without understanding?" The question remained there, charging the air with a melancholy that enveloped them like a fog. Silence fell between them, filled only by Steve's occasional quiet sobs. It was then that she reached out her hand, placing it on his knee, a gentle but firm gesture. "I'm not going anywhere, you know that, right? You're not alone in this." Y/N says felt a chill run through her. "It's the only love we have," she said softly, and it's still valid." A faint ghost of a smile ripped through his tears as he wiped his face with the cuffs of his sweater.

"But I don't want you to feel like you have to put on a brave face," she murmured, her heart pounding. "It's okay to be broken. You don't have to go through this alone."

"I feel so lost," he confessed, her voice broken again. "What do I do now?"

"Take it one day at a time," Y/N replied, her heart breaking for him. "You let yourself grieve. You let yourself feel everything: the anger, the sadness, even the joy of memories. And when you're ready, you can start to heal."

Steve looked at her, and for a moment the heaviness lightened, if only a little. "Thank you, Y/N," he said, in a firmer voice. "You always know what to say."

"Not always," he admitted, with a sweet smile on his lips. "Only when it's about you."

"What if I can't get over this?"

Y/N leaned closer, their knees brushing. "You will, Steve. Just like you fought for everything else. You have friends who care about you, who want to help you. Lean on us." He nodded, but uncertainty hovered in his eyes. The truth was stark; he was afraid.

After a few beats, it was his turn to unleash his feelings. "And ... you don't have to pretend with me," she murmured, "about your father or how you feel. This is a safe place, okay?" He inhaled sharply, studying her face. "What if I want to pretend everything is okay?"

"Then we can pretend together."

A moment passed; their gazes met, understanding flowed silently between them. It was a moment of connection that was full of hope, even in the midst of pain. Steve's brown eyes shone with a potential nuance: something unspoken that hovered beautifully in the air between them. They stayed like that for a while: an embrace, a clinging to each other's presence. Outside, the world continued to struggle with the weight of their shared loss, but in those moments, they both began to feel a glimmer of warmth; a reminder that in the deepest despair, the bonds of friendship could shine brightly enough to illuminate the path ahead, even if that path was shrouded in uncertainty.

[findafight]

Jonathan’s line about Steve in vol 2 was so…. I don’t know. I mean yeah it straight up confirms that Nancy and Jonathan make fun of Steve behind his back, and like I get that I have never been in Nancy’s situation so obviously it seems more mortifying to me, but I would have felt so guilty in her place. I can’t imagine not shutting Jonathan up if he started shit talking about Steve. Like Steve would have been straight up unmentionable if I was Nancy. Idk.

I get that Duffers don’t treat their characters emotional lives seriously, but like. That’s why Robin being kind to Nancy in s5 despite Nancy’s uh.. well frankly appalling attitude towards Robin, makes zero sense to me. I really wanted Nancy to struggle being in Steve’s group. Not in the “she deserves it bhahaha” way, but like… Steve dumped his friends for her (which was good for him), and her expecting to get the same treatment and meeting Robin instead? Who actively dislikes her and for a good reason? Who is smart and cool and kind? That’s way more interesting than people kissing Nancy’s ass the whole season, while she is actively putting Max’s life in danger. Like, yeah in high school she is the chief editor of the newspaper, and at home she is the eldest sister, and with Jon she makes fun of Steve, and now none of these people are here, but Steve is here and so is his bestie. And Steve is as kind as always, but Robin dislikes her, and it is not just prejudice

Nancy Wheeler you wild girl! She has no guilt lmao She's like yeah steve was dumb and annoying and didn't enable my investigation, and jon goes yep, what an idiot. All while Steve is just like. bumpin around making friends with little nerds haha. Minding his own business blaming himself for the end of their relationship. You're right, it's kinda bonkers because even if we take the stance that Nancy didn't cheat (which I believe she did) like. she still had him as her second choice and as soon as he pushed back a bit and didn't give her the kind of support she wasn't telling him she needed (until talking about exposing the lab in the library where anyone could hear) she jumped ship and ran to Jonathan. Why would she want to talk about Steve? Why wouldn't she want to try to forget he ever existed as anything other than Mike's friend Dustin's older friend? Is that not weird for her?

(i think you might mean s4? but i can work with s5 too haha) It's so much more compelling to me to have Nancy and Robin at odds with each other because Robin is like a little guard chihuahua holding a grudge for Steve. She holds grudges so well let her do it more!! like jesus give him someone in his corner! And also for herself! She got so nervous and tried to explain and defend herself, and Nancy only really started to listen once they got into the hospital. Nancy has a not great plan that puts one of the kids in danger, one of the kids Steve is close to. (Max wrote him a letter!!) I think Robin would really see Steve's people as her people, even if she wasn't personally close to them she'd still feel comfortable around the younger teens because Steve is? Let robin be critical of this plan. Let her call it out or something. Give Nancy someone to push against, it's no fun if there's no resistance! I want Nancy to be the one wanting friendship with Robin, and Robin not being receptive to it. Nancy not having a relationship handed to her would be refreshing and I want to see how she'd try to win Robin's friendship.

Let Robin not want to work with Nancy because she's heard the rumours about how her and Steve ended, even though he only mentioned that he wasn't a good boyfriend ans wasn't what she needed so it didn't work out. Robin saw that one week Steve and Nancy had a fight, and a day later she was ditching with Jonathan? yeah something is fishy there to even the most socially oblivious person. Let Robin know Steve well enough that she knew he at least thought he was telling the truth but that there must have been more. Let Robin decide she was going to do the most cliche best friend thing and not be very nice to the ex that broke her bestie's heart.

ooooh anon what you're saying is so interesting because, yeah. Steve dumped Tommy and Carol for Nancy, and that was good for him, and then Nancy got with Jonathan who doesn't really have any friends in Hawkins. So she's always been her boyfriend's main person of similar age they're close to. But now Steve's got Robin. Who is funny and kind and weird and loyal and smart and sarcastic. Who is obsessed with Steve and who Steve is also obsessed with. And that, from a s5 stancy pov, is so interesting because now Nancy is now competing (in her mind) for her boyfriend/potential bf's attention with his best friend. Like Jonathan was focused on his family, obviously (and this caused strain for them too) but it's not the same socially as a best friend taking priority. Steve would still hold those relationships, because they're good for him and good for the others, and there's zero reason for him to abandon them this time.

I think Nancy would hate it. Like Steve would obviously give her tonnes of attention, but with him having actual close friendships not just with Robin but Dustin and Max (at least) too, she'd still feel like she was bartering for time with him. That is suuuuch a fun potential dynamic between nancy and steve and also nancy and steve's friends.

[farfaras]

I think I got an ex but I forgot him.

Part 1. Part 2. Part 3 (this is it.) AO3 link.

–

Their plan changed. Them planing to come out changed things, mostly the storyline they were going for. Jonathan realizing he was lonely and didn’t actually love Steve as a way to end the relationship seemed too gut wrenching for a baby gay to witness. So that was out.

The timing of them getting together would stay the same. But instead of those elaborate phases they planned, they would just take it one day at a time. Like normal couples would. When they decide to break up, they would just say they realized they work better as friends. Simple, easy.

Today was probably the hardest part of the plan. Coming out to everyone. Dustin actually convinced them, made them believe that the whole crew would be supportive. If anything went sideways Steve was definitely putting this on him.

They had get togethers almost weekly now. It was a comfort thing. Most of the time the brats used these gatherings to play their nerd game. The rest of them just hanging out. Steve only wished Mike took better care of his basement.

The party and Eddie were playing their game on the table. Steve made sure he sat down close to Jonathan, Robin on his other side. Eleven and Max were reading some comics in the corner, on a beanbag. They looked comfortable.

Steve was anxious. He didn’t know how Jonathan could take this level of anticipation and anxiousness. He was fidgeting almost violently, so Jonathan took his hand in his. Robin, who was in the middle of a rant, faltered for a second before going back to talking. Both Steve and Jon’s attention on her. Even though she was still talking, she looked Steve in the eyes and raised a single brow. He knew what she was asking. He hopefully telepathically sent the right message.

When the party announced that they finished their session for today, Mike rushed to get some drinks. Jonathan dropped his hand and resumed his previous position. Steve caught Will and Eddie curiously eyeing the movement, while Dustin was downright staring and not so subtlely hiding his grin.

Everyone was chatting amongst themselves, when Mike returned Jonathan cleared his throat. “Uh, guys?” His voice was slightly louder than it normally was. Also firm. “We have some news.”

Mike raised an eyebrow. “Who’s we?”

Steve spoke up. “Me and Jonathan.”

“Unexpected but welcomed duo, huh.” Robin tried to lighten the mood. It was like every time someone heard the word news they assumed the worst. Steve gave her a grateful glance.

“It’s nothing bad, don’t worry.” Steve reassured them. They seemed to relax at that, nodding and giving them their full attention. Jesus, their faces were earnest and curious. Steve didn’t know if he was gonna survive this. He turned to Jonathan. “Should you tell them or do you want me to do it?”

Jon gave him a small and teasing smile. “I’ll tell them. You got the worst of it already.”

“Hey! What the fuck? I thought we were cool, Jonathan.” Dustin protested when he heard Jon. And that reaction just proved his point.

Jon just stared blankly at him. “Someone just spit it out already.” Mike said, rolling his eyes like the impatient little shit he was.

“You just don’t know how to wait, huh.” Lucas shot back.

“Shut up.”

“Grow up, Mike.”

“Oh, please…”

Eddie’s voice cut through the argument dryly. “Kids! Please, just stay quiet so they can say what they need to.”

Jonathan muttered a quiet thanks before taking a deep breath, probably mentally preparing himself. “I’m just gonna say it.” He looked around, then directly at Steve, before addressing the whole group again. “Steve and I are dating.”

It was like Steve was able to watch all their reactions in slow motion. He mostly just felt Robin’s, her gasp and the way her neck almost fell off from how fast she turned to them. Eleven just nodded and went back to reading, he supposed they haven’t taught her all about what the world thinks about homosexuality? Max’s was kinda scary, she just smirked as if she was going through all the new material she had to tease Steve in her mind. Mike and Lucas both raised their eyebrows, they were comically up. Will’s eyes sparkled and widened at the revelation, he was surprised too. And Eddie was almost unreadable. His mouth slightly opened and he looked shocked, frozen.

Mike broke the silence. “There’s no way.”

“It’s true!” Dustin looked ready to defend them if anyone had something even remotely weird to say.

“You knew?!” Lucas almost shrieked.

“I did.” Dustin looked so proud.

Steve didn’t want to look at Robin right now, he had absolutely no idea how she might react. Or if she was gonna be mad about not knowing first. He felt a hand in his that wasn’t Jon, so he looked up to find Robin softly looking at him. She squeezed his hand. “Thanks for telling us, both of you.” She directed this to Jonathan, too.

“It’s kinda weird that you both dated the same girl,” Max started. “But I guess you’re cute, or whatever.”

“Cute or whatever.” El repeated. Still not paying much attention to them.

Steve laughed. “Thanks?” “I guess.” Added Jon.

The only ones who haven’t said anything were Will and Eddie. The rest of the room put their eyes on them.

“Oh. Um. Even if it’s kinda unexpected, that’s great.” Will nervously said. He looked around. “Right?” A chorus of yeses and rights filled the room. Steve could breathe easier.

“Yeah, great.” Eddie muttered. “We’re all happy for you guys.” His smile was small, almost subdued.

“Okay, now that that’s over,” Jonathan tried to end this conversation, the kids wouldn’t have that though.

“Wait! I have questions!” Lucas of all people exclaimed. “When was this?”

“Uh– well. We got together a few weeks ago. If that’s what you were asking.” Steve answered.

“When?”

“Like 2 weeks after.” Jon replied. They didn’t need to say after what, it was implied.

They answered all their questions with their planned answers.

Who made the first move? Actually Jonathan because Steve wanted to go at his pace.

How did they get together? Jonathan asked him after they came out to each other.

Were they in love? (This was El) At that, they got caught off guard, they didn’t expect someone to ask that. “We haven’t been together for long, El.” She didn’t seem to understand but left it alone after Max said she’d explain it to her later.

Everyone, like Dustin said, was supportive. Which they were grateful for. And Steve was also super happy for Will and Robin to see that their friends would support them too when they decided to come out.

Steve just didn’t know why Eddie was so quiet all of the sudden. He wasn’t like that, which made Steve worry he was actually not all that okay with this. He didn’t want that to be the case, he didn’t think that was the case. But people could surprise you sometimes.

Steve and Jonathan were holding hands while they answered questions. Whenever Steve chanced a glance at Eddie, he looked like he was staring at their hands but quickly redirected his gaze to something else. Steve felt uneasy.

All too soon it was time to go. Everyone was climbing the stairs, Jon was pulling his hand to get out of the basement. Eddie was still packing some of his stuff. Steve stopped walking. “Go ahead, I’ll catch up with you outside.” He told Jon and pressed a kiss to his cheek. He just nodded and left the basement. Now it was just Steve and Eddie.

“Hey, Eddie.”

“Yeah?”

“What’s up with you?” Steve hadn’t known Eddie for long. But during these last months they had developed a friendship, so Steve thought he knew Eddie an appropriate amount to know something was off.

Eddie’s eyes were slightly more open than usual. “Nothing’s up. Why do you think that?”

“Well, you were awfully quiet at the end there. Not really like you, is it?” Steve went up to Eddie so now they were standing in front of the other.

“Yeah, I’m just kinda tired you know.” He was looking down at his feet.

“You’re not… uncomfortable, are you?” Steve was scared that he might regret asking that. But the way Eddie wasn’t even looking at him right now, made it hard.

Eddie’s eyes widened and worry splayed over his face. “No!” He loudly said. “Not at all, please don’t think that.” He sighed. “I really am just tired, Steve. I promise.”

Steve nodded, maybe he was being paranoid. “Okay, I just. Well, I was worried for a sec.”

“I’m sorry.” Eddie moved his hand, like he was gonna rest it on Steve’s shoulder but then he aborted. Okay, that didn’t really help his case, but Steve wanted to believe him. “I know how I could’ve come across. But I’m happy for you, Steve. Um, both of you. You deserve it.” He smiled and didn’t give Steve time to respond before he bolted.

When Steve stepped outside, Eddie’s van was already gone. Will, Jon and Robin were waiting for him by his car.

“Just ‘cause you’re the boyfriend now doesn’t mean I’ll give you shotgun privileges, Byers. I hope you know that.” Robin deadpanned.

Jon put his arms up, innocently enough. “I didn’t expect you to.”

“Good.” Robin narrowed her eyes at him. “We’ll have to schedule our shovel talk, by the way.”

Will cackled while they all climbed into the car.

The ride was short, or more like it felt short. Steve didn’t even feel like time was passing with his friends making him laugh and happy.

He dropped off Jon and Will first. Jonathan gave him a peck on his cheek as a goodbye before he and Will entered their home.

Robin was awfully quiet when it was just the two of them left. She was unbuckling her seatbelt to get out when she decided to say something. “I could’ve sworn it was gonna take you longer to figure out your sexuality.” She looked at him, fondly. Steve was expecting a lot of things, but not that. “Even if I wasn’t given an exclusive, I’m happy for you, Dingus. Hope he treats you well.” She got out of the car with a salute, the dork.

What did Robin mean by all that?

-

This was like a whole other level of fucked up. The universe really liked to just tell Eddie “fuck you!” whenever it wanted. And this moment felt like it was up there, in the top 5.

It was one thing to have a crush on a straight friend, who was so unattainable that he didn’t even need to worry about ever bringing it up, outside of his mind. Steve was a great friend. Which just made him crush harder. It was so easy to almost, not completely, ignore it. Eddie had it all mapped out, he was gonna pine from afar until Steve got a girlfriend. Then he’d make himself get over him. He knew it wasn’t gonna be easy, but he had to. For his sanity.

Leave it to Jonathan freaking Byers, to throw that down the drain.

Eddie was well aware how bad his reaction was to the whole thing. He didn’t want Steve thinking the worst of him. He tried his best at reassuring him that he was happy for them! Even if he wasn’t at all. But at the end of the day, Eddie figured he’s still a coward. Because he ran so fast at the first opportunity he had to get out of there.

He supposed that now that Steve was taken, he still would have to get over him.

But it was so much worse now.

Steve being straight kinda softened the punch of any unrequited feelings Eddie had. He had to accept the cruel reality of Steve never even being able to return them. And he was sure he could live with that.

What he wasn’t sure he could live with is Steve liking guys, but still not liking him.

He bitterly wondered what could Jonathan possibly have that he didn’t. Which wasn’t fair at all because it wasn’t his fault that Steve would choose to date him instead of Eddie. Eddie even liked Jonathan.

This was gonna be torture. But Eddie knows that he was still gonna suffer through it. There wasn’t anything really, that could keep him away from Steve.

[i-promise-i-am-not-on-drugs]

Hi! This is my presentation post! I will update it from time to time! ^^

✴✳✴✳✴✳✴✳✴✳✴✴✳✴✳✴✳

— I am a teenager (between 15 and 19)!! Please don't ask me to send you money to help you with what you're going through, I will not be able to help you. It will only make me sad and uncomfortable, and make you lose time that you could use by asking the same thing to someone who can actually help you, and I will block you, I'm sorry.

And I've just been asked that so just to be clear: No, I am not interested in any kind of "sugar relationship", thank you very much. (*traumatized crying*)

— Please do not interact with me if you are racist, homophobic, transphobic or a terf, if you willingly body shame people, if you are sexist, if you promote any kind of non con/illegal-relationship, if you are a nsfw-only account, if you are a Trump supporter, or if you don't like to see the most random post at any time of the day. Once again, I will block you.

— I am genderfluid! You can use any pronounces while referring to me, but I do have a slight preference for they/them. :)

— Also, I mostly go by Eleana online, but I like to be called Len too. Or by my url idc. :3

— I do not have the energy to find the exact label for my sexuality, but I like to think of myself as queer and demi romantic! ^^

— I am mostly active in the following fandoms: The Goldfinch, Stranger Things, and Bungou Stray Dogs.

— I like to post some writing prompts that I make when a cool idea tickles my brain but my lazy ass can't bring itself to actually do something with it. :3

— Most of my posts/reposts are absolutely random and probably a bit confusing lol

✴✳✴✳✴✳✴✳✴✳✴✳✴✳✴✳✴

Here are some of my favorites ships in...

... Stranger Things

— Byler; Wiseheat; Miwi / Will x Mike (they need to be romantic and fucking cheesey.) (/hj)

— Jancy / Jonathan x Nancy (both platonic and romantic)

— Lumax; Mucas / Lucas x Max (slight preference for romantic, but platonic is cute too)

— Elmax / Eleven x Max (both platonic and romantic)

— Elumax / Eleven and/x Lucas x Max (both platonic and romantic)

— Rokie / Robin x Vickie (preference for romantic)

— Ronance / Robin x Nancy (slight preference for platonic)

— Steddie / Steve x Eddie (both platonic and romantic)

— Duzie / Dustin x Suzie (both platonic and romantic)

— Stobin / Steve and Robin (ONLY PLATONIC!!! They're my favorite duo!! :D)

... The Goldfinch

— Boreo / Boris x Theo (definitely not platonic, maybe not romantic either, but a secret 3rd thing) (they're soulmate)

— Pippadore / Pippa x Theo (only platonic.)

— Hobie x Welty (both platonic and romantic)

... Bungou Stray Dogs

— Soukoku / Dazai x Chuuya (both platonic and romantic)

— Shin Soukoku/ Atsushi x Ryūnosuke (also both platonic and romantic)

— Fyolaï / Fyodor x Nikolaï (both platonic and romantic too)

— Rampoe / Rampo x Poe (preference for romantic but platonic is cool too)

— Higugin / Higuchi x Gin (again, both platonic or romantic)

— Tachigin / Tachiara x Gin (platonic or romantic too)

— Kousano / Kouyou x Yosano (both platonic and romantic)

— KyouKenji / Kyoka x Kenji (both platonic and romantic)

— Atsulucy / Atsushi x Lucy (slight preference for platonic but romantic is cute too)

✴✳✴✳✴✳✴✳✴✳✴✳✴✳✴✳✴

Some random things about me! :D

— I absolutely loooove music. It doesn't have to be any specific kind of music, I could listen to pretty much anything and I'd be happy, because it's music.

— I am a cat person, and I'd like to adopt one or two when I'll have my own place!

— I never actually dated or really had a "crush" on anyone, but that doesn't stop me from being one of the biggest longing romantic person that I know!!

— I'm a fucking Drama Lord. >:)

— I am currently hyperfixing on Finn Wolfhard's acting. And by that, I mean that I discovered him by watching "The Goldfinch", and seeing more of his acting is the only reason why I watched "IT", "The Turning", and "Stranger Things" even thought I usually really hate horror/action shows.

— I am an extraverted introvert!

— People say I look mean or scary, but really I just have a "do-not-come-near-me-or-I'll-bite-your-head-off" resting face.

— My favorite love languages are physical touches and words of affirmation. :)

— My memory works in a really strange way: I can remember word by word some parts of books and their entire storyline when I've read them years ago, but it took me 7 years to know the birthdate of a friend of mine that I met when we where both three.

— I sometimes have an hyperfixation on a random thing for months and then suddenly loose any interest about it for literally no reason at all.

— And (you probably guessed that by now) I tend to overshare things about myself when people let me. (⁠•⁠ ⁠▽⁠ ⁠•⁠;⁠)

✴✳✴✳✴✳✴✳✴✳✴✳✴✳✴✳✴

You can also find me here! ^^

AO3 →

SPOTIFY →

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And that's pretty much it! Wow I'm actually impressed if you finished to read all that lol--

Thank you for being here, I love you! (/platonically) ^^♥

[steddieasitgoes]

@steddiemas Day 6 Prompt: Baking & Cookie Decorating

Tags: Gingerbread Competitions, Banter, Holiday Fun, Steve Harrington Is A Little Shit, Eddie Munson Is A Menace, Competitiveness, Dustin Henderson Is A Little Shit, Established Relationship, Secret Relationship

wc: 2062 | Rating: G

Read on ao3 | ao3 collection

When Eddie first brought up the annual Forest Hills Gingerbread Competition, Steve thought he was exaggerating. Hawkins is a small town and he’s pretty sure he would have heard of such an event if it existed.

It also doesn’t help that Eddie has a tendency to exaggerate just about everything. Steve still hasn’t forgiven him for the time he walked in on him distraught on the floor because  Bradley’s Big Buy was out of Honeycomb Cereal for the second week in the row. The urge to call his own Code Red and ring Eddie’s neck had never been stronger.

The Forest Hills Gingerbread Competition is a big deal though, judging by the bustling activity he finds when he turns into the trailer park. It’s not unusual to see so many people out and about — no matter the hour Steve drops by, there’s always someone out smoking or playing with a dog or sometimes even doing laundry. What is unusual though is the sight of nearly every resident out and about.

The picnic tables that are usually scattered around the park have all been pulled together in the hub. Even with them all pulled together, there’s not enough space. Steve spots at least four or five fold-out tables in the mix. An assortment of chairs circle the tables which are all stockpiled with various gingerbread pieces and frostings.

Steve whistles, shaking his head as he b-lines for Wayne in the crowd. “Eddie wasn’t exaggerating about this event.”

“Not one bit,” Wayne says, offering Steve his version of a smile. “Braggin’ rights are on the line.”

“Screw bragging rights. I’m here for the $200!” Max chimes in from across the yard.

“$200? You said it was only $100!” Dustin squawks beside her. “If it’s $200, you owe us more than $25!”

“I didn’t know you four would be here,” Steve deadpans, crossing the short distance to their table. His delivery may be dry, but he can’t deny the warmth blossoming in his chest seeing Max, Lucas, Dustin, and El gathered around a table for something fun for once. He’s not going to tell them that though.

“Boyfriend duties,” Lucas smiles as Max rolls her eyes.

“Are you here to help us too?” El asks.

“Oh, uh, not I’m here to—“

“Steve! You made it!” Eddie shouts appearing behind Steve like some sort of magician. He slaps a hand on his shoulder and leaves it there. To the kids its innocent — one they’re used to thanks to Eddie’s affinity for touch. What they don’t see is Eddie’s thumb massaging soothing circles into Steve’s shoulder blade.

“I’m sorry, you asked Steve to be on your team? He can’t even build legos and those stick together!” Dustin scoffs, shaking his head in that judgmental way of his. “I would have been a better teammate.”

“Hey,” Max scolds, elbowing Dustin in the ribs. “Don’t make me regret choosing you.”

“Yeah, Dustin,” Eddie says, sticking his tongue out. “Don’t upset the team captain who picked you. Besides, building a team is all about balance. Sure, Steve can’t build for shit—“

“I’m right here,” he whines.

Eddie’s thumb digs deeper into Steve’s shoulder blame, soothing a knot he didn’t even know existed as he resumes his lecture. “But he’s going to make up for that in other ways. Like decorating! Right, Steve?”

“Uh…”

The only time he remembers decorating cookies was when he was eight and his grandparents came down to visit for the last time. His Nonna had sat him on the kitchen counter, handing him freshly cooled cookies and a bottle of icing, telling him to go wild. And go wild he did. So much so that a blue food coloring stain was permanently inked onto the wood table for three months until his parents finally replaced it.

He’s not sure that’s what Eddie is looking for when it comes to decorating, but he’s in too deep to back down now.

“Yeah, I’m a great decorator.”

“Now if you’ll excuse us, we have some gingerbread houses to build,” Eddie says before steering Steve away from the kids and back to the table where Wayne is.

Since they’ve been gone, Wayne’s organized the pre-cooked gingerbread pieces. They’re stacked by size and kind. A giant bowl of white frosting sits in the middle, two pipping bags are already filled, and a dozen smaller colored icing bags line the table along with copious amounts of candy.

“So, what’s the verdict?” Wayne asks, snubbing his cigarette out in the red ashtray at the very end of the table.

“Mr. Moore brought in another ringer,” Eddie seethes, collapsing onto the bench next to Wayne. “You know Flora? She works at the bakery on Main. Well, apparently she’s close friends with Moore all of a sudden.” Eddie rolls his eyes. “She’s practically a professional! It should be illegal!”

“Well, that ain’t seem fair, but nothin’ we can do ‘bout it,” Wayne says, patting Eddie on the shoulder. “‘Less you wanna get disqualified again.”

“Again?” Steve asks, brow raised.

“It was one time four years ago and it was a bad call, okay!”

Unfortunately, Steve doesn’t have time to ask Wayne for the details because an older lady is shouting into a megaphone she doesn’t need judging by her shrill voice. “You have two hours to execute your build,” she hollers before sounding an alarm.

As soon as the alarm sounds Eddie and Wayne are off. They work in total tandem, a practice duo who clearly have done this before. Eddie hands Wayne pieces of the gingerbread and he coats them in icing with all the careful, practiced ease of a construction worker assembling a real-life house.

They’ve got a real rhythm going, one that Steve’s hesitant to interrupt as they start assembling the second level based on Eddie’s blueprint castle he sketched out days ago.

“Can you pass me the 2x5?”

Instead of asking questions and distracting Eddie from the moat he’s assembling, he blindly reaches for one of the pieces in front of him.

“No!” Eddie scolds, glaring at Steve. “That’s a 2x3. I need that one.”

Caught off guard, Steve drops the 2x3 on the table causing it to break in half. If Steve thought the glare he got from Eddie a second ago was bad, this one is even worse. The apologies fall from his lips faster than he can comprehend as he gently hands Eddie the proper gingerbread piece.

“Why don’t ya let your boy handle fillin’ the moat,” Wayne suggests, glancing up from the angled roof he’s currently assembling.

Eddie hums in agreement and hands Steve a pastry bag full of icing, instructing him to fill in the moat and make it look like moving water. It sounds easy enough, but Steve quickly learns that everything is challenging when it comes to gingerbread construction.

He manages to get the front proportion filled before an air bubble forms in the bag and a giant blob of blue shoots out onto the moat. A second later the entire bag explodes with a loud pop that has Dustin and the rest of the kids snickering.

“Dammit, Steve,” Eddie groans, reaching for napkins to clean up the mess. “Don’t make me kick you off the team!”

“I’m sorry, Eds,” Steve says, trying his best to help mop up the mess he’s made while still salvaging the blue icing. “Maybe the kids were right. You should have picked a better teammate.”

“Hey, now,” Wayne scolds. “None of that. S’your first gingerbread build. S’hard thing to do. Eddie’s first year was a disaster.”

Wayne mumbles something else after, but Steve can’t hear him over Eddie’s interruption.

“Wayne’s right,” Eddie says, turning to give Steve an apologetic gaze. “M’sorry. I just really don’t want to lose again this year.”

Steve may not know a thing about gingerbread houses, but he does know a thing or two about wanting to win. That one little sentence is all he needs to hear to tap into his competitive side. If winning is what Eddie wants, then dammit he’s going to help them to victory.

With thirty minutes left, things are tense. Teams are bickering, gingerbread houses are starting to fall, and the wind is picking up sending candy bits all over the place. Steve can tell the pressure is getting to Eddie who alternates between crafting his detailed gingerbread villagers and shouting orders at Wayne and Steve. His complaints over Steve’s candy placement are background noise at this point.

The roof is barely holding it together and Eddie’s shouting about how Ms. Sanders clearly sabotaged them by giving them a broken icing recipe. A bit of quick thinking on Wayne’s part and a slight change to Eddie’s original design keeps the thing together.

With the structure saved, Steve lets his attention drift away from the cobblestone street he’s assembling with rock candy and glances up at Max’s table. El’s arms have turned a shade of green he didn’t even know existed. Dustin’s face is more frosting than skin. And he’s pretty sure Lucas’s arm is stuck in the middle of the gingerbread house Max is shoveling frosting onto. It’s obvious they’re struggling, but Steve can’t bring himself to care. Serves them right for being assholes to him earlier.

He’s considering taking a page out of Dustin’s playbook and going over there to gloat but decides against it. There’ll be plenty of time for all that when they get crowned the winner in a few short minutes. Turning back around, he finds Eddie kneeling on the bench, tongue sticking out and trapped between his lips. He’s the picture of concentration as he slowly lifts a gingerbread flag to the top spire of the castle.

It’s almost completely secure when a gust of wind rips through Forest Hills, sending a round peppermint soaring into the air. Steve watches as it glides in the breeze until a second gust picks up whirling it straight at Eddie until it smacks into his eye. He wobbles on the bench, hands searching for purchase but there’s no use. His body lurches forward and in an instant, he falls directly onto the castle.

Steve doesn’t think he’s ever going to forget the sound of a hundred pieces of gingerbread crumbling at one time. 

“No, no, no, no, no,” Eddie groans, burying his head in the crumbled remains of the castle.

“Christ,” Wayne swears, reaching for his pack of cigarettes. He lights one with ease, exhaling smoke into the air before reaching his free hand out to pat Eddie’s back. “S’okay boy. Least we got closer than ever before.”

“Wait,” Steve says, tearing his concerned gaze away from Eddie’s crumpled form. “This happens every year?”

Wayne nods, a gruff laugh escaping his lips. “Your boy always comes up with great ideas, but tends to crack in the final moments.”

“I don’t crack,” Eddie whines, pulling himself from the wreckage. His eye is already turning a light purple shade from wear the candy collided and the rest of his face is littered with icing and cookie crumbs. “It was the wind's fault.”

“This year, but last year you started celebratin’ too soon and—“

“We don’t need to relive the details!”

Before they can argue, an alarm blares and the older woman from earlier is shouting to put the gingerbread down. There’s a round of applause and lots of moaning and then everyone is up and moving.

“Come on, gotta check out our competition,” Wayne says, peeling himself up from the bench.

“What’s the point? We’re clearly not winning.”

“Definitely not,” Steve agrees, gazing around the structures on some of the other tables. He’s two seconds away from joining Eddie in embarrassed shame when he lands on the disaster mound of gingerbread on Max’s table. Maybe it’s mean, but he really can’t help but laugh. “Look on the bright side, Eds. At least ours isn’t the worst one.”

“Steve,” Eddie sighs, yanking his head up from the table. “Have you seen our wreckage? We clearly are the biggest losers. I mean look at—“

Before Eddie can finish, Steve grabs his chin and forces his head to turn in the direction of Max’s table. It takes a second for Eddie to recognize what he’s staring at, but when he does, his beautiful laughter spills out of him until he’s doubled over on the table again.

“You know what,” he wheezes, gripping his eyes. “You’re right. At least we’re not losers like that.”

“Want to go make fun of them?” Steve asks through his own laughter.

“Absolutely!”

[apomaro-mellow]

Stonathan Fake Dating 1

Eddie was sure he'd been caught. That he'd been way to obvious about his crush on Steve. Maybe it was calling him 'Stevie' too often, even when he was arguing with him. Whatever his tell was, Dustin had caught on. That had to be what the 'lovebirds' comment was about.

But then why did Dustin look like he was the one who was caught instead?

"Dustin, you need to watch what you say", Steve said slowly. Too slowly. Like he knew exactly what Dustin was referring to. Oh god, did Steve know how he felt?

"Wait, what's going on?", Mike asked.

"Dustin knows something and he's not telling us", Lucas said.

Mike shook his head. "There's no way he'd keep a secret after what happened last time."

"How dare you lecture me?", Dustin gawked.

"How dare you keep secrets?", Max shot back.

"It's not my secret to tell."

Will jumped on that. "So there is something. Told you, Mike."

Eddie felt the walls closing in. The kids were about to know and Steve too if he didn't already. "Okay, okay. Maybe the person this secret belongs to isn't ready to tell everyone."

"OR", Dustin looked Eddie right in the face. "Maybe that person should realize everyone here is safe. And that we'll all be there for them if they-ahem-come out and say it." He then turned his very pointed gaze towards Steve, who then looked to Jonathan and what the fuck?

Jonathan looked ready to jump out of his skin but then Steve gave him his best puppy dog eyes and Eddie was ready to jump out of his own skin. What the hell was happening right now? Then Jonathan let out a sigh and nodded.

"Okay, we're gonna need everyone to not freak out", Steve said.

"Who's 'we'?", Mike asked.

"The secret that I've been asking Dustin to keep...is that me and Jonathan are dating."

That got the typically rowdy teens to shut up and at this point Steve thought he deserved a medal for accomplishing that three times. Turns out all it took was coming out as gay. Who knew?

"You're gay?!", Mike squawked first.

"And dating my brother?!", Will added.

Eddie felt like the floor had disappeared. He was going through the stages of something but he couldn't figure out just what. Steve was gay. With Jonathan. He was gay with Jonathan. Steve was gay and he was being gay with Jonathan.

"Guys, be cool", Dustin said. "Steve finally found someone. Now he doesn't need to go around town dating anything in a skirt."

"Question", Lucas held up a finger. "Steve is in fact a total skirt chaser. And Jonathan is not a skirt."

Steve looked lost for an answer. Eddie finally came up for air but was still short of it when he squeaked out, "Some like both." When all heads turned towards him, he cleared his throat to get back to his normal register.

"Some like both", he said again, shoving his hands in his pockets, lest he start biting his nails.

Steve then snapped his fingers. "You know! I actually have an uncle like that. He had a girlfriend one year and a boyfriend another." Steve didn't mention how he didn't see that uncle often nor what his parents thought of that situation.

"I'm still kind of stuck on the why", Will said. "And also the when?" He thought back to the talk he and his brother had at the end of the world in a pizza kitchen.

"There's...it's a lot of details", Jonathan finally spoke up. "But it's all true. Steve and I are a thing." Taking the lead, he reached out for Steve's hand, which he took.

To all the young eyes, any awkwardness was brushed off as two freshly minted boyfriends who had just revealed the heavy truth of their relationship.

And since they didn't quite know how to talk about it just yet, a movie was picked, and the night went on mostly as normal. The only change was that Steve and Jonathan sat closer than usual and Steve eventually put his arm across the back of the couch.

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

Eddie was going to lose it. Scratch that, he was already losing it. And his poor victim of the evening was his uncle.

"So lemme get this straight", Wayne said, glass of oj in hand. "Your dream boy became available then unavailable in about 5 seconds right before your eyes?"

Eddie collapsed onto the couch, jostling Wayne just a bit but the juice managed to stay in the glass. He let out a groan muffled by the cushions.

"How's the boy he's with now?"

Eddie moved his head just enough to speak clearly. "He's....fine."

"He a weirdo like you?"

"No. Well, yes, but a different brand", Eddie said. "Guess Steve likes the...loner, short, straight hair, perfect nose, sad eyes, artistic type."

"Sounds like you're sweet on this guy too", Wayne pointed out.

"I get it. Jon-boy's a catch. Just wish I knew I had a chance before I lost it."

Wayne patted Eddie's head. He had to listen to Eddie wax poetic about Steve for some time now. He didn't think it would end happily, given their society. It wasn't the first time Eddie had his heart broken. Hopefully he got over it quickly.

[speedystarshine]

Various TOH characters x readers (General HC’s)

Characters: Eda, Lilith (Platonic), Darius, Adrian, and Steve.

Eda

H-Hot...bird woman..

She is so amazing we love her

She will definitely get you anything at the drop of a hat

No, she doesn't pay for it.

Sometimes when she's bored she'll drag you around town to find some mischief to cause or something to do

If her and Lilith ever get into a fight, you are the barrier. Every. Single. Time.

"Y/N, can you tell my darling sister to stop leaving apple blood cartons everywhere?"

"Y/N, can you tell Lilith to mind her damn business?"

Y/N: *eye twitch*

If you know about the curse she'll appreciate any support you give, even if it doesn't look like it.

Will use Harpy form, especially if she knows it flusters you- poor owl beast is so done.

She is very protective of those she cares about, so she'll deffo bail you out if you happen to get in trouble. She'll feel so bad if it's because of her shenanigans 😭

She likes to drag you into her nest randomly. In her mind, pretty things in nest. Y/N = pretty thing, pretty thing = in nest. Don't say anything about it, though, she'll get so embarrassed-

Lilith (Platonic)

Cool history nerd aunt? Hell yeah!

Definitely overloads you with random info at any point of the day. She cant help it, especially if you get her started on a topic thats special to her.

She'll talk for hours then, not that you mind :)

She does really appreciate it if you listen though, and even more if you engage and back up points.

Is definitely the type to cringe you out, especially in front of your friends. She's cool like that, even though you hate it-

If anything happens to you or you get in trouble, she gets so worried about you!!

I feel like she's the type of person where panic makes her do smart stuff quickly, so she'll instantly patch you up with care if you do get hurt.

I feel like because of her, you'd have a love-hate relationship with Hooty?

Like, you would protect each other to the max if needed but they totally team up against you all the time and it's so not fair >:(

Darius

Ah yes, our favourite peacock.

He treats you like royalty, so be aware of that.

Spa days? Spa days. You keep laughing whenever he puts on a face mask and he gets grumpy about it-

He acts like he's above it but let's be honest, he would totally love to gossip with you.

He somehow knows about everyone and everything in the castle so watch your back if your trying to hide anything from him (he tries not to peep if it's like, a surprise for him but he probably already knows)

You two shovel talk Adrian, it drives him mad 😭

You know if you get into an argument and your parents leave a bowl of fruit or something as an apology?

He definitely brings a mini abomination to bring you something.

He will eventually apologize face to face, but who likes confrontation? Not him.

Co parenting Hunter co parenting Hunter CO PARENTING HUNTE-

Is super worried abt you after the day of unity, and immediately seeks you out (and vice versa).

Adrian

I'm just gonna be upfront. He's draining, but that's the fun of it! (Or not.)

He is 100% catboy confirmed.

He doesn't even bother with the whole "I act like I don't care but actually do" thing he's just super clingy and has no shame <3

He's also super p(r)etty, and can get jealous quite easily. Make sure to give him lots of attention!

Surprisingly doesn't shovel talk Darius, he has some semblance of respect for him, but he just hates everyone equally. Apart from you! (And Terra. She absolutely terrifies him, don't leave them in a room together)

Take everything he says with a grain of salt though, he twists his stories a lot.

E.g: Someone accident tripped him up? It was attempted murder. They tried to break his neck and-

He is a dramatic person, but what do you expect?

The type to just flop onto you and go boneless after a long day, no matter what your doing.

Also treats you like royalty! Just... In his own way.

Steve

Steve! Everyone's favourite demon/ex-scout boy!

He is so affectionate, but in an awkward kinda teenage way.

He buys you flowers.

Gives the best advice? Y'know how you can no what something tastes like just by smell and sight even if you've never had it? Like that but with advice.

He talks about you all the time to Mat!! He's super happy if you two get along, since you are the most important people in his life.

(if you don't though, immediate deal breaker. His little brother is so important to him, so sorry..)

This is random, but he has an obsession with candles.

One time you told him all that smoke wasn't good for the environment, so he bought "bio-degradable" ones from a certain pig at the night market..... He's trying I promise 😭

Motorcycle rides? Hell yeah! He won't ever say it (unless it comes up ofc) but his favourite rides are where there's not really any destination in mind, and your just driving around because.

He somehow is friends with everyone on the boiling isles? Don't be surprised if you see someone who you'd never expect to see talking to him.

The goodest boy ever. Treat him right!