#and steve and argyle are vibing its a good time

[upside-down-low]

omg but imagine eddie finding out… that jonathan plays guitar and then they have a jam session and smoke weed while playfully sniping at the other’s music tastes

[plinfaaa]

STRANGER THINGS SEXUALITY HEADCANONS BECAUSE ITS MY GOOD RIGHT 🗣️🗣️🗣️ + YAPPING!

I am so tired rn. I'm having a German exam on Friday and my ass is sitting here writing down shit for yall because WDYM I ACTUALLY HAVE PPL READING MY SHIT? TYSM FOR THAT BTW 🫶🫶🫶 THIS WILL ALSO BE A SHIT TON OF YAPPING BTW!

~~☆

Mike: Okay, so I guess atp we all know that this guy is just a closeted Homosexual. He tries so hard to hide the fact he's gay, he's failing miserably. And he is VERY confused by his feelings thorwards Will.

Will: Openly gay. I don't have to say anything else. We all know he is yearning for Mike. We all know he always had been.

Lucas: Bi. As a preteen he was kind of simping for a random basketball player. Later in life he realized that might've been a little more than just that.

Dustin: Straight Ally to bi-curious. He is pretty sure he is into girls but he prolly wouldn't say no to trying. ALSO CAN WE PLS APPRECIATE HIS AND SUZIES RELATIONSHIP? Bros live SO FAR away and try EVERYTHING to communicate with each other.

Eleven: I am actually SO TORN. I am 100% she is Asexual. Kissing, cuddling, holding hands, being cheesy is a 100% yes for her. But anything more is gross. Also I am a Lesbian El truther. Cuz Lesbian and Gay pairings are ALWAYS fun (Syd and Stan IANOWT). But also just because I personally think that she was just so incredibly attached to Mike, she didn't even rlly knew what love even means. Mike was the first boy her age she got to know. Ofc she had to be with him. Now the hard part. I am unsure wether Aromantic or Demiromantic El. I do belive in independent partnered El. BUT ELMAX. God they got me going FERAL. Either way she's on the spectrum!

Max: 100% Bi too. I love Lumax and Elmax, both is PERFECT. Max never thought about her sexuality much. She fell for Lucas, realized girls where cute too and just vibed with it. She and Robin probably had a talk about that when Robin outs herself. And they are very casual about it!

Suzie: Straight Ally! The sweetest and kindest soul. She will listen to everyone's pains and relationship struggles, sit there akwardly and then yap to cheer them up. She is probably bad with comforting. (Actually I just realized as I'm writing this that Autism makes sense for her! And now I'm HAPPY about that.)

Nancy: Bi panic in person. Her relationship with Steve was merely to fuck around (haha literally.) and be rebellious. Her relationship with Jonathan wad more and really serious. But you are on my blog and therefore you KNOW what I'm gonna scream for. RONANCE. After sorting things out with Jonathan, they both decided to part. She was akward around Steve but only because she started falling for his bestie. And god she loves Robin sm. She was so afraid of getting attached but SUPRISE SUPRISE. She did.

Jonathan: Straight Ally(???) I actually never thought much about him even tho from season 1-3 he was one of my ultimate favs. He just decided to be single for some time after Nancy and him broke up and he's happy about it. He goes back to California (after thinking about it for a long time because he wanted to be there for Will. But after Byler sorted it out he could leave peacefully.) Anyways, he and Argyle just keep vibin, he gets a photography job and maybe eventually after a break another girl.

Argyle: Pan. Oh GOD I LOVE HIM. I just know he and Jonathan did things when they were high. (Jonathan actually told Nancy and apologized like 500 times but she didn't mind a lot). He hooks up with random at times. Not in a bad way. He is a mindful person and makes sure everything is safe and protected. He has a few girlfriends from time to time. Some boyfriends here and there. Just happy to be there! He just wants someone who doesn't care about him being a stoner.

Steve: Bi panic in person #2. This man was convinced he was straight until he met Robin. She talked to much about herself that Steve probably realized at some point that guys are actually kind of hot. And some of his 'idols' where maybe small crushes. I am not OBSESSED with Steddie. But I don't hate them. I don't really care about them. But Steve will be happy, doesn't matter if a girl or guy!

Robin: Canon Lesbian. God I love the way she found out in rebel Robin. And over the time, when she grows closer with all of the party she eventually gets less closed up and pretty loose with the topic of her being a Lesbian. The second person she outed herself to was Nancy (under tears and sobs because she's so in love with her.) And then strangely enough Mike because she noticed the akward pining for Will and decided to talk some sense into him. Her first real crush and gay awakening was Tammy, which is canon. She liked Vicky in a way. It was a complicated in between after she met Nancy. But since she was with Jonathan, she tried to get rid off her thoughts with focusing on Vicky, But as the upside down got worse and she spend much more time with Nancy she was convinced she wanted her more. And luckily these feelings where mutual. Also rip Robin, you would love Chapell Roan and Billie Eillish.

Eddie: I think we all are convinced that he is gay. He cared about Chrissy but didn't know her close enough. He always liked boys and was okay with it. He immediately knew what Robin is and was honestly just vibing. He had a girlfriend (which made him realize he likes boys) and a secret boyfriend before. And once the party is so comfortable and Robin outed herself to all of them he followed to make her feel less akward which leads into everyone outing themselves. Because fruity people attract fruity people.

Vicky: I honestly don't know enough about her atp. I think she's Bi. Or maybe a little confused about all this esp when she met Robin? I like Rovicky. Not more than Ronance, but it's cute and I honestly only want Robin to be happy ):

Joyce: Straight Ally but like the biggest in history. She kissed Karen before (cuz I say so.) She always knew that Will was gay because of the way he interacted with Mike. She is so gentle and careful about it. Educating herself, asking questions if confortable. She just wants to protect. That's why she is also do incredibly nice to Robin, because she knew her parents won't give her unconditional love so someone has to.

Hopper: Straight Ally but very confused about everything. He doesn't get the whole lgbtq thing. But as soon as Will officially outed himself, Hopper made such an effort into educating himself to not say anything wrong. And when El outed herself he spit out a very smart sounding scientific definition and El giggled.

Murray: Gayest character in this show. Bro is like gayer than Will atp. He wanted Alexei. He loved him and sobbed for months straight. Thats it. A miserable sad gay man.

Special Guest: KAREN!!: I am very deep in this fandom since August 2023. ADHD does fun things and made me read too many things. And from all these times on Ao3, Tumblr, Pinterest or the part in Rebel Robin where Robin realized that everyone is just trying to fit into society and be perfect in a way, I've been growing VERY fond of the closeted Lesbian Karen headcanons. She liked girls so much, she know she did. And she decided to not embrace it or even try to. She just adapted into that sad tradwife life and decided to make everyone satisfied. She was very happy when Nancy brought home Robin and Mike brought Will. She is so proud of her children expressing themselves unlike her. Also how tf did she pick Ted? The laziest, stupidest and most gross mf ever???

So uhhh- Robin is projecting... If you have anything you want to see from me. If you want moodboards, drabbles, OS, headcanons or whatever, PLEASE REQUEST THEM. I'm so desperate. I do all Finn Wolfhard and Maya Hawke fandoms cuz that's my thing >:)

[teddywesworl]

ok y'all said you want director's commentary so I'm gonna start by saying a couple things about 🪑 since it recently celebrated 2k kudos

🪑DIRECTOR'S COMMENTARY LET'S GO

1.

A fun fact about the poems at the beginning of each chapter is that I took two of the poet's classes in college, and she might be solely responsible for convincing me I was a good writer and should pursue the skill. I don't know how she'd feel about me using her poetry to thematically frame an explicit fanfic, but that's neither here nor there.

As a poet, she (I'm not naming her here in case she might possibly name search on tumblr, lol) is obsessed with transformation and with the discord between the material and spiritual self. Blackberries, Brambles in its entirety goes as follows:

Akhmatova wrote, "O look!—that fresh dark elderberry branch is like a letter from Marina…" And she was right, branches criss- cross, words sharpen. We lop them down, fit them into envelopes. But I forget: you don't do letters: Too much tangled in thickets and desperation. Did I say envelopes? I meant elevators. See, I've snagged favourite sweaters in high rises, snarled hair in hedges, given up skin scrapings for blackberries, tongueburst, the sweet stain, explosion under light canine pressure. Don't you just wish you were a dog sometimes? No panic. Romping through brambles. Even in delirium, near death, Akhmatova remembered. Her bitter friend had been dead a long time. Love. Don't think I'm thinking about you. Anything but you.

Akhmatova here being Russian poet Anna Akhmatova, and the Marina in question is Marina Tsvetaeva. You can go on as much or as little of a research spiral about them as you like; many of the layers of this poem are in the reference to Akhmatova and Tsvetaeva, but I was mostly interested in the commentary on the cost of pleasure. I've snagged favourite sweaters in high rises, snarled hair in hedges, given up skin scrapings for blackberries. What are you willing to pay for happiness? Wouldn't it be nice not to think about it? Wouldn't it be nice not to be afraid to pay?

2.

Obviously the other major literary framing device is A Room With A View. The movie, specifically, but obviously the Forster novel as well. A Room With A View is about the clash between tradition and modernity, familial duty vs. adventure and romance, etc. etc. etc. And like, listen, the Duffers have not put this much thought into Steve Harrington, but his arc, despite them, is that of the ultimate privileged 80s all-American masculine symbol taking a slow, deliberate turn toward Otherness. He was supposed to die a static character. He did not, and now we're all writing fic about it.

I probably didn't need to have Eddie literally whack the point home with a hammer with the you're Lucy line in chapter 2, but here we are.

3.

The other bits of ~Art~ in the Steve chapter are Elton John's The Fox and Bruce Springsteen's The River. As follows:

But if you’re wily, you will leave them lying, snared up in the traps that they set for you, Elton sings. And it’s an evergreen affair— Steve lifts the record out and replaces it with The River. Springsteen sings, you're walkin' tough, baby, but you're walkin' blind and that’s not really better.

The Elton John record, you may recall, was a compromise between Eddie and Nancy. The inclusion of these lines in particular was very vibes-based, but hopefully the vibes are semi-coherent. Snares. Traps. The hunter, the fox. Btw the next lines after these are:

As temptation taunts the fox Into the hunter's waiting lair

Which, okay. Teasing out the vibes just a little. Argyle interprets Nancy as Lucy (and implies, without meaning to, that Steve is Cecil--a character that represents old money and tradition and duty and, like. Being trapped). Nancy would probably also view herself as the titular Fox. And Steve has bought into this line of thinking! He sees himself as the snare! He has internalized the idea of life with him being a trap! He is Bullshit, etc.

Eddie complicates this self-concept. Through him, Steve becomes the Fox and Lucy. Temptation taunts the fox into the hunter's waiting lair, after all. And, you know: 🪑🪢

(The Springsteen lines are just. All Steve.)

Ok I have to go feed some horses. More.... later. eventually.

[thatgirlwithasquid]

Clearly I am holiday obsessed rn 🎄 What do you think the Stranger Things characters favorite holiday songs are?🤔

oooooo fun question!!!

Steve’s is, without a doubt, Last Christmas by Wham! The second I saw this ask it immediately came to mind for him. Nancy angst? Cheesily singing it to Billy despite the fact they’ve been happily together for three years? Take your pick. Either way he belts it out any time it comes on and Dustin HATES IT

Heather and Carol put on an absolute Performance together any time All I Want For Christmas by Mariah Carey comes on. They are personally behind it being blasted nonstop in stores in the run up. Workers hate them, they are having the time of their lives.

Jonathan’s is Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree by Brenda Lee, partially because it is also Joyce’s favourite. There’s a lot of pressure on both their shoulders looking out for each other and Will, but every year they end up pausing their decorating for the holidays to dance to that together cause they both love it and some of that stress falls away. Sometimes Will even joins in and its just the three of them taking turns to twirl each other in their living room. A Byers Christmas isn’t complete without it.

Chrissy likes Baby It’s Cold Outside. She finds it fun and charming. Eddie diligently sings the other half of her duet whenever it comes on to save Chrissy’s lungs (platonically or romantically idc)

Eddie’s is Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! I cannot articulate why aside from the content has similar vibes to Baby It’s Cold Outside and I think it’d be cute for them to kinda match. They matched each other’s freak, they matched each other’s Christmas energy. All is as it should be.

Jason says that his is something suitably christian like Mary’s Boy Child by Boney M., but it’s actually something poppy like Santa Tell Me by Ariana Grande. He will be teased by his friends when he finally admits it, but it would suspiciously start being played more for him either way.

Argyle’s is Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) by Darlene Love because it’s pretty and chill and vibey and I say so lmao. Idk, I just think he’d like it.

Tommy’s is Santa Baby, but he’s the straight guy who bends the lyrics to be Santa Buddy when he sings it. Depending on how drunk Carol gets, there’s a good chance she’ll yell at him to ‘suck it up and fuck Santa already’

Robin likes Fairytale of New York and makes Steve badly sing it with her. She sings Shane MacGowen’s part and Steve does Kirsty MacColl’s. The drunker they are the more they laugh at getting to insult one another throughout their rendition.

I’m not so sure about Nancy (she’s not exactly my fave so I don’t have a clear idea about anything to do with her 😅). Maybe Happy Xmas (War Is Over)? That just feels like something that would get played in the Wheeler house.

[stevesbipanic]

Yaaayy I'm so happy for you for reaching 5k B!! I wanna bake you a cake and send it to you <3

May I request nr 23 for the celebratory prompt? And it's your story so please pick whatever vibe you wanna go with (I guess you'll probably wanna do angst so feel free to make it angsty as long as it ends in happy teeth rotting fluff so I won't cry too much plz 🙃)

Thank you, Anna! For now, I will enjoy this delicious virtual cake 🎂

23. Buying a House

Home had always been a tricky thing for Eddie, good kids had homes, kids with parents that loved them. Eddie didn't have a home, he had a house, sometimes a trailer, for a few months it was just a car, there was that bad weekend it was a curb and that time it was his dad's scary friend's couch, no home though.

When he showed up on his uncle's doorstep, his uncle had told him to "make himself at home", Eddie didn't know how to do that. Eddie kept waiting for him to be sent back, for his uncle to get sick of another mouth to feed, to get sick of sleeping on the pullout and take back his bedroom. A few months later on his tenth birthday, his uncle took him shopping claiming his bedroom needed to feel more Eddie. That night as he fell asleep looking at his new posters and the slightly worn secondhand books the room felt a little more like what he imagined home felt like.

Steve hated the word home. Home was what his parents would call out when they bothered to come home to get clothes under the guise that they were here to see him. His house wasn't a home. Steve wasn't as stupid as Tommy and the other kids thought he was. He knew homes weren't supposed to feel cold no matter the time of day or year. Homes weren't supposed to echo with a single pair of footsteps. Home was for a kid with a family, and Steve didn't have one of those.

Steve got to feel at home in fleeting moments as he got older. He got to pretend he had a home at the Wheeler's with Nancy. He got to pretend his house wasn't always empty when the kids would spend weekends running around its halls and splashing in the pool. He got to feel a little warmer in his bed when his best friend who always felt the closest he ever got to a home slept in his bed to ward off nightmares. He got to feel home settle deep within his heart when Eddie would give him the soft smile reserved just for him across the room.

After months of scrimping and saving, two lost boys got to hold the keys that would unlock their home for them. Home was now the flowers Steve had planted with El on the front porch. Home was the framed drawings of the party Will made that littered the hallway walls. Home was the basketball hoop Steve had set up on the driveway to practice with Lucas. Home was the photo album on the shelf filled with pictures of their family that Jonathan had made them. Home was the collection of books that Nancy had salvaged from Eddie's trailer. Home was the guest room that quickly became Robin's room. Home was the box of parts that Dustin kept next to the TV. Home was the recipe book that Argyle swore by on their kitchen counter. Home was the skateboard that often rested by their front door when Max needed a night to breathe. Home was the double choc chip icecream in their freezer solely reserved for Erica. Home was the quilt on their couch that Joyce had made them. Home was the couch that Mike had cried on when he asked Steve how he knew he liked boys. Home was the barbeque that Hopper would grill at in the summertime as the kids splashed in the blowup pool.

Most importantly home was the other boy in their arms every night. Home was the twin heartbeats and soft breaths that reminded them they were alive. Home was early mornings and late nights and cloudy days and heatwaves. Home was dancing in the living room and falling asleep watching movies.

Home was Eddie and Home was Steve.

Prompt List

[weresilver]

Can you feel it?

What is this? A brand new fic for @eddiemonth? And so soon after?? (shut up this feels soon)

This is day 06, crush, and is in the same continuity as day 5. Named after Mansionair's Astronaut (Something About Your Love), that like. Please listen to them. They are a whole vibe, I love their music.

Warnings: None, this is just even more fluff. Extremely sappy get together. Steddie. I should start calling this section, like. tags or smth.

Wordcount: 2968

If he were to be honest with himself, Eddie hadn't expected to keep this monster hunting party in his life, not for long. He expected everyone to go on their way, while he was fumbling just to get out of the town.

Well, some people did go their own way. Older Byers was off to college in California with Argyle, after some extensive talk with his family and with Nancy, and Nancy herself was off in Boston.

But everyone else? Well, the kids had to finish high school before going anywhere, and Robin had decided to take a gap year that was about to end. And Steve…

Between joint recoveries and sharing almost the same group of people (and eventually truly having all the same friends), they had spent a lot of time together. They had become friends, good friends, not necessarily by choice, but the truth was that Eddie wouldn't change it for the world.

But sometimes, it was nice to just… exist. To be able to not think about the feelings he’d realized that were growing not too long ago. About how, even though he’d only noticed them recently, the feelings hadn’t been really new. About how it looked reciprocated, sometimes.

Eddie expected to hear about Steve’s plans to get out of town any day now, maybe tag along with Robin, so why do anything about the something that was brewing, right?

Deep down, Eddie knew Steve wouldn’t leave before the kids’ senior year started. At the earliest. Eddie felt pretty much the same already, after knowing them for only a little over a year. According to Robin, they did have that effect somehow.

(Something about how young they all were to have been at the whole supernatural thing for years.)

After dropping El and Will back home, he’d driven himself to a secluded little clearing, having to go the long way around so he’d actually be able to drive his van into it. But it was worth it, it’d always been worth it.

Eddie grabbed a few of the blankets stashed at the back of his van and threw them on top of it before climbing up himself. Setting up his little makeshift bed up there was a quick process; a couple of blankets to make the roof a little more comfortable, and the rest bunched together into a pillow.

It wasn’t particularly good, but it was part of his summer routine at this point, so he settled down, lying on the roof of his van. He watched the clear, evening summer sky fade into night, watching the stars come out slowly and then all at once as the animal sounds faded and changed to accompany the sky.

Some birds — owls, if he had to guess — and bats were flying overheard, occasionally cutting his vision of the stars and changing the tracks of his thoughts; the song he’d been working on, the campaign Will wanted to run for Hellfire next, Robin’s entirely too chaotic packing process, and how that girl might have surpassed him in terms of organizational chaos. At least Eddie could find his shit in half the time it had taken her to find the shoes she was taking with her.

The crunch of steps on fallen branches drew him out of his thoughts, making him turn in its direction.

“Jesus, how far is this place,” Eddie heard in a very familiar grumble. Steve was closer than he probably expected to be, and it didn’t take long before Eddie could see him on the treeline. “Uh… Hi.”

“Hi,” Eddie returned, waving at him from where he lay with a grin. “Funny seeing you here.”

Steve rolled his eyes and walked closer. He was wearing some ridiculous yellow shorts and what looked like an old NASCAR shirt, color and design faded with time. It was a little different from what Eddie was used to; more relaxed, like he didn’t have anyone to impress. Which was good, Eddie didn’t need to be impressed by style.

(Eddie knew, objectively, that Steve genuinely enjoyed the polos and all that, but it was still nice to see him in something else. Something softer.)

“What are you doing out here?” Steve asked once he was close to the van, just enough to still be able to see Eddie.

“Looking for Scorpius,” he stated simply, gesturing for Steve to come up. While Steve climbed to the roof of the van, Eddie adjusted the pillow of blankets so they could lie side by side. “What are you doing here?”

“Well, I was expecting to find you in the trailer,” Steve started, leaning back on top of the blankets on his elbows with a frown on his face. “Wayne directed me over here.” Steve looked around, frowning even harder when he glanced at the ground. “You said you’re looking for scorpions?”

“Scorpius, not scorpions,” Eddie corrected softly, turning back to the stars. “The constellation.”

Steve let out a soft “Oh,” turning to glance at the sky before lying down and making himself comfortable.

Eddie had the vague knowledge that Scorpius was closer to the horizon line, but he’d have to drive up to Hop’s old cabin and the nearby hill to actually look for it, and he just… didn’t want to go that far.

(Didn't really want to be looking over all of Hawkins.)

“What’s the story?” Steve asked after a couple of minutes spent in silence. When Eddie turned to look, Steve was already watching him, his little smile illuminated by the moon. After a beat, he added, “Constellations have those, don’t they?”

Eddie nodded, struggling a little to find his words with the way Steve was looking at him. “It’s uh…” He cleared his throat and turned back to the sky. “It’s the scorpion that killed Orion.”

He could still feel Steve’s eyes on him, waiting for more.

“Orion was a hunter, the best one humanity had to offer,” Eddie started, gesturing to their surroundings as if it could encompass every person in the world. “But he was just a human, you know? And if even the gods of ancient Greece were flawed, imagine how bad a human could be.”

He glanced at Steve, finding all of his attention still focused on him.

“His flaws are not really the point, though.” He shook his head, continuing the story. “At some point in his life, Orion was hunting with Artemis, the goddess of the hunt and wild animals, and… Well,” he grimaced, “He claimed to be able to hunt every animal on Earth.”

“To the goddess of the hunt?” Steve questioned with that particular tone he had when he thought something was stupid. “Rather arrogant of him.”

“Yeah, but Artemis was fond of him.” Steve raised an eyebrow at that, but it took Eddie a moment to realize how his words could be taken. “Not like that,” he added, chuckling. “Artemis was a virgin goddess, none of that.”

Steve hummed, his expression betraying his surprise. “Good for her.”

Eddie blinked at Steve, at this tone of awe that he had.

“Where does the scorpion come in?” Steve asked, a little furrow appearing between his brow that Eddie wanted smooth out, though he had a story to finish.

“Right,” Eddie sighed out, turning once again to the stars. “Gaia, the personification of the Earth itself, didn’t like Orion’s claim.” He paused, then added, “She’s the mother of all life, so.” He gestured nonsensically upwards, finishing his story with as much a deadpan tone as he could muster. “She sent a giant scorpion to kill him.”

“A giant—” Steve burst out laughing, shaking his head in some kind of attempt to regain his composure. “Sorry, I’m sorry, just—”

“It’s kind of a silly conclusion?” Eddie asked with a smile on his face as well as in his voice. Steve nodded, taking a deep breath to calm himself down. “Greek mythology is kind of… Dramatic, like that,” he explained with a shrug. “Orion’s hubris got him killed by a giant scorpion—” Steve snorted, but reined himself in quickly— “And they were both raised to the sky as constellations as a warning against humanity’s arrogance.”

Steve hummed, gaze unfocused when Eddie looked at him. “Where are they, then?”

“Uh…” Eddie blinked and turned to the sky to blink some more. “Orion is not visible this time of the year, and Scorpius is closer to the horizon,” he said, raising his arm to point in the general direction he remembered the constellation being.

Steve hummed, but didn’t say anything, letting the silence and the warm evening air envelop them. Eddie expected it to grow awkward, for Steve to say something, for himself to end up fidgeting. Instead, it was easy to just exist together like this, lying side by side and watching the night sky.

“Are you okay?” Steve asked, some indeterminate time later. Eddie could feel Steve move about, slowly as to not risk falling off the side, and settle on his side, holding himself up on his elbow. “El was all…” He gestured toward his face. “All frowny, and she only does that when she’s worried. Dustin also said you seemed down.”

Eddie sighed, wishing those kids paid just a little less attention. “I’m good,” he said, keeping his tone light. “Just thinking, you know?”

“About?”

“What happens now, I guess?” He hadn’t meant for it to come out as a question. “We got a couple more practice sessions before Jeff and Arnie are going back to college.”

“Gareth’s not going anywhere out of state, though, right?” Steve asked with a thoughtful little frown that Eddie couldn’t resist smoothing out with a finger this time. It earned him a soft laugh and a smack to his hand. “You guys can keep Corroded Coffin going?”

Eddie shrugged as much as he could while lying down. He tried that once, making it on his own, but it didn’t seem as worth it now.

“Think I’d rather not split the band,” he said, grimacing and knowing that Steve would pick up the story he wasn’t telling.

“So,” Steve drawled, eyes narrowed at Eddie like he’d be able to figure out whatever was going on in his head. “The plan is just to wait?”

Honestly, Eddie hated that idea, but what else could Corroded Coffin do? “Sure.” Steve eyes narrowed further, going unfocused again. “What?”

“The kids will be starting their junior year,” he stated.

Eddie hummed to let Steve know he was listening, but he had no idea where the guy was going with this.

“You should come to Indianapolis with me,” he announced.

Eddie blinked at Steve, processing his words for a moment. The offer seemed to come out of nowhere. He expected Steve to leave Hawkins at some point, he’d been preparing for that news, and now it came with an offer to tag along?

“I don’t really have any plans yet,” Steve continued, probably taking Eddie’s silence as hesitation. “We’d have to look into places, and Indianapolis is just an hour away, but it should be enough for a fresh start, right?”

Eddie nodded, a little numbly. “You, uh…” He shook his head to dislodge his surprise. “I think Gareth’s going to community college in the city, actually.”

“Is he, now?” Steve raised an eyebrow, looking unimpressed and not surprised.

“Right, you two talk a lot now.” It was still rather amusing that the two of them hung out so much, even without Eddie. “Will?”

“Of course it’s about Will,” Steve scoffed, waving a hand in a flourish. “It’s why he picked Indianapolis. But don’t change the subject,” he added with a smack to Eddie’s arm.

“Alright, alright!” Eddie laughed, rubbing his arm. He’d have rolled away from Steve if it didn’t mean rolling off the roof of the van. “I guess Indianapolis is pretty good…”

Steve beamed at him, a smile he’d been seeing more often as the time passed. Usually, Steve was being a little shit when he smiled like that, but sometimes, he just seemed… happy.

“You could, I don’t know, teach kids how to play the guitar.”

That made Eddie laugh, surprised at the suggestion. Not that he necessarily disliked it.

“Who’d even let me?” He asked. “Maybe I’ll find work at a record store, that seems more likely.”

“If you want to, I’m sure you could find something.” Steve shrugged, that grin not fading from his expression. “Who says you can’t do both, anyway?”

And… Well, Steve had a point. Maybe he could find a store that offered lessons?

“Why are you asking me to go to Indianapolis with you?” The question was asked before Eddie even processed that it was something he wanted to know. He grimaced as soon as it was out. “Not that I don’t want to, god knows I wanted to be out of this town three years ago now, but just— I thought you might tag along with Robin?”

Steve’s expression softened, a serene smile replacing the wide grin. “I thought about it. Robin’s going to Indianapolis University anyway, though, and…” He gave a one-shouldered shrug. “I think I’d like you there too.”

“You think?” Eddie questioned with a raised brow. It was easier to tease and joke than really look into that sparkle of mirth in Steve’s eyes and hope it meant what he wanted it to mean.

Steve shook his head, sending his hair all over the place. “I know. Got used to your noise, Munson.”

“Well, I’m making your life interesting, so you’re welcome.”

They were both smiling when Eddie finally let himself look Steve in the eye, finally relaxed enough even though he hadn’t escaped thinking about Steve, or his actual presence. It was fine. There some tentative plans to get out of Hawkins, together, and maybe Corroded Coffin would forever be a high school band that didn’t really go anywhere — Eddie was only starting to be okay with that idea, though — but that didn’t mean he couldn’t do something else with music.

Steve laid back down on the van after a moment of silence, turning his gaze to the sky. Like this, they were touching pretty much from shoulder to knee, and Eddie was trying not to move too much, conscious of the warmth radiating from Steve.

Steve, on the other hand, didn’t seem to have the same hang-ups, nudging Eddie’s hand until he could take it in his own.

“This okay?” He asked softly, not turning his head and not seeing Eddie already looking at him. Eddie squeezed his hand and intertwined their fingers as response. “I wasn’t planning on talking to you about Indianapolis tonight, you know?” His admission was soft, barely above the ambiance of the woods at night. “I was just gonna keep you company.”

“I’m glad you did.” Eddie let himself take in Steve’s face and what freckles he could see in the dark before turning away. “Easier to think I can actually get out of here when I have a tentative plan.”

“You can, Eddie,” Steve said, firmly squeezing his hand. “I meant it, I’d really like if you came to Indianapolis with me.”

He could feel Steve’s eyes boring a hole into the side of his head, and he refused to loosen the hold on his hand. Eddie sighed, turning to face Steve’s small, determined frown.

“Sometimes,” he started, hesitating before pulling their joined hands closer. “I kinda wish you were still some degree of asshole.” Steve frowned, ready to interject, but Eddie continued before he could. “‘Cause it would make getting over this ridiculous crush so much easier.”

Steve pulled their hands closer to himself this time, and Eddie could see him pursing his lips. He’d been paying too much attention, enough to know this was Steve trying to rein in one of those rare, goofy grins that had been one of the things that made Eddie fall in the first place.

“What if,” Steve started, slowly letting the grin take hold, as he started absently playing with the one ring Eddie forgot to take off before climbing up the van. “I don’t want you getting over this ridiculous crush?”

Eddie blinked at him — he felt like he’d done that a lot tonight, almost constantly surprised by Steve despite how close they’d gotten. Maybe that’s why he hadn’t seen this coming, too close to see what, eventually, might become obvious in hindsight.

“You mean that?”

Steve’s grin came out, full force, in the face of Eddie’s soft tone. He slowly brought Eddie’s hand closer and pressed an oh so soft kiss to his knuckles.

“I mean it.”

Eddie didn’t really know what to say to all that, the smooth jerk knew it and could probably see the blush undoubtedly rising on his cheeks. But there was one thing that he needed to double check.

“You know I’m—”

“Asexual?” He filled in after Eddie cut himself short. “Yeah, I do.” Steve was back to messing with the ring on his hand, looking at it with an expression Eddie still hadn’t figured out. “And I think…” He paused, frowning a little. Eddie kind of wanted to bite him. “It might apply to me too?”

Eddie rolled closer to Steve and pressed a kiss to cheek, feeling the heat rising the longer he stayed there.

“Thanks for telling me,” he mumbled against Steve’s cheek. He pressed another quick kiss before settling back down. “Feels good to know, doesn’t it?”

Steve’s laughter was light, giddy. He rolled onto Eddie this time, hugging him as close as possible.

“It really does.”

Eddie knew they would talk come morning, and they would define just what they wanted and were to each other. But for now, cuddling and laughing under the night sky with ridiculous Greek stories was all Eddie wanted to be doing.

[heartbreak-sandwich]

Unexpected Talents: Stranger Things Boys Edition ✨

Argyle: He has an amazing talent for visualization. He's always helping Joyce pick out colors for paint, curtains, rugs, and trim. He can design any room or space with whatever you happen to have on hand, and he will maximize its potential while creating a classy atmosphere that you didn't even know was possible with the items you provided. He really knows how to create a vibe and is a true interior decorator. He brings a spark of California luxury to every place he designs, and he is always asking Jonathan for advice on personal touches he can add as a nice surprise for his clients.

Billy Hargrove: It's no secret that Billy is absolutely obsessed with his appearance and doesn't care what anyone thinks when it comes to experimenting with looks. He is a fashion master. He's great a creating an outfit and pairing pieces for the perfect aesthetic. He knows how to use a sewing machine, repair and modify clothing, and he's always gifting everyone clothes and accessories and warning them not to make too big of a deal about it because it was "just something he happened to notice," but he's always obviously excited when he sees his friends arrive in one of his creations or gifts.

Eddie Munson: Spending much of his time alone and enduring many late nights after playing with his band, Eddie has learned to be a chef of epic proportions. He values the taste of good food, and he is well acquainted with his kitchen. He can grill, fry, bake, and make just about anything from scratch, including some extremely complex and tedious recipes. He is always presenting the group with homemade desserts and insisting that everyone join together for Sunday dinner, which he, of course, makes himself. He is always insisting that Argyle and Jonathan show up early to help him set the table and choose the right colors and dishes to compliment his meal presentation.

Jonathan Byers: Jonathan is quieter than most in the group, but we also know that's because of how observant he is. He remembers everyone's favorite color, food, song, and activity. He is the best party planner anyone has ever known. Everything he incorporates into the events, whether they be a surprise birthday party, an anniversary party, or a holiday celebration is uniquely personal and thoughtful. Everyone is always asking him to be the brains behind these operations, and every Byers event is captured in the sweetest photos that Jonathan gives away to the partygoers as gifts.

Steve Harrington: It started with a houseplant Robin was going to throw away. Steve decided on a whim to take it home and see if there was anything he could do for it. After a little bit of research and some basic chemistry advice from Dustin, he concocted the perfect fertilizer recipe and realized he had quite the green thumb. He now has a beautiful garden that completely covers the spare areas of his yard, and he spends his time growing fresh vegetables for Eddie's meal experiments and gorgeous seasonal flowers for Jonathan and Argyle to use in decorations. You can almost always find all of his friends with a fresh flower in their hair or pinned to their collars.

***I am SUPER in my feelings after making this. I love these dudes so much, and continuing them on as people makes me so happy. I hope you liked these, and feel free to add or request more if you'd like!!

[hairstevington]

flowers and ink (final part)

Eddie Munson x Steve Harrington

Summary: Eddie and Steve are happy. Chrissy and Robin are happy. Jonathan meets Argyle. Everyone is happy!

Part one, part two, part three, part four part five part six part seven part eight link to Ao3

Word Count: 1100

Warnings: So sweet you'll get a cavity tbh, Jargyle (because why not), they are idiots one last time, also more Gareth!

Author's Note: Awww, it was emotional to close this one out! Thank you to all who have read and followed along. I can't believe this was only going to be 2 parts at first. I am a FOOL with Steddie brainrot. Until next time!!

Steve wasn’t sure what he was expecting when Eddie said he’d gotten him a gift, but it sure as shit wasn’t this. 

“Oh, my god,” Steve said, holding it up to see it in all its glory. A t-shirt with words printed over a rainbow across the chest: Steve & Robin - Not dating, just gay and codependent. 

“Obviously, I have one for Robin too,” Eddie said, tossing Steve a second shirt. 

“Oh, my God!” Steve repeated, laughing this time. It was perfect and so incredibly weird. He couldn’t wait to model them with his best friend and take the most ridiculous not-couple pictures of all time. “This is - I mean, Jesus! I love it, but would you let me be the impressive one for once?”

Eddie looked Steve up and down, then smirked. 

“With those abs? Don’t worry, you’re still the impressive one here.” Steve blushed, then sat up in bed so he could put the shirt on, but Eddie stopped him. “Woaaaah there, what are you doing? You can’t cover up, I’m enjoying the view.” Steve rolled his eyes.

“You’re not going to let me use the gift you got me?”

“Not yet,” Eddie replied. “I’m actually kind of regretting the whole thing now. You should probably never wear a shirt ever again. Can I have it back actually?” Steve chuckled, then smacked Eddie playfully on the arm.

“No way.”

“Steve, you wound me," Eddie joked. "But fine, as you wish."

Eddie and Steve had been official for 2 months at this point, and everything was kind of perfect. They each continued to work their respective jobs, and with their added happiness came enhanced customer service. 

Bob was happy - both for Eddie’s shift in demeanor as well as for the business. They were doing great! Plus, he got bonus points as a step-dad for introducing Will to Eddie and the shop. Will came to visit a few more times, and this time he got to talk to Steve, too. It was clear that seeing a happy gay couple was important for Will. He hadn’t seen much of that in his small town, so seeing Eddie and Steve be so grossly into each other was refreshing. 

And gross.

But mostly refreshing!

One day, Will’s older brother dropped Will off at the shop, introducing yet another cool person into the friend group - Jonathan. By then, Eddie had succeeded in making Argyle his friend, and the two of them spent many nights smoking and watching those stupid stoner comedies together in Argyle’s weird, confusingly giant house that he somehow lived in. 

Seriously, how did the guy have a house like that already? How did he have the money to travel so much with Chrissy? Her show was good and all, but it couldn’t possibly be getting her that much income. 

In any case, Argyle and Eddie were buds, so Argyle also happened to be around when Jonathan walked into Ink About It. 

The bromance between Jonathan and Argyle was pretty much immediate. Eddie would have felt mildly jealous about it if he hadn’t noticed some very familiar (aka queer) vibes between the two. Perhaps Will wasn’t the only Byers grappling with their identity, that's all Eddie was saying - but it was just speculation. Eddie kept his mouth shut (except to Steve, obviously, who fully agreed). In due time, as with anything else. 

So then they all hung out - Chrissy, Jonathan, Argyle, Steve, Eddie, and Robin. They’d formed quite the friend group - all of them getting along with each other beautifully. Argyle even hosted a road trip with the squad in his giant pizza van (???) so that they could all surprise Gareth at a Corroded Coffin show.

That night was epic, and it finally cemented Robin and Chrissy as girlfriends.

After their date, they’d both been super into each other - undeniably so. Yet, because Chrissy was so often moving around, they’d decided it was best to just stay friends. 

Yeah. Eddie and Steve knew that wouldn’t last very long. 

It still lasted longer than it should have, and the pining was rampant. Every time they all hung out, the two women wouldn’t stop staring at each other, cracking jokes, and giving everyone else in the room ample opportunities to share knowing glances…

And then they went on the road trip, and they got super drunk, and Robin tended to speak a lot more freely when she was intoxicated. 

She professed her love to Chrissy on the dance floor. 

It was a bold move, but it paid off. Chrissy and Argyle extended their stay in Hawkins, and Robin and Chrissy became an official couple. 

Coincidentally, that night was also pretty huge for Eddie and Steve. Firstly, because Chrissy and Robin had dropped the “I love you’s” before they had, which felt kind of ridiculous, considering Eddie and Steve obviously loved each other. 

“The fucking lesbians stole my thunder!” Eddie yelled from the bar, watching Robin and Chrissy hug each other on the dance floor.

“What are you talking about?” Steve asked, amused at his boyfriend’s antics.

“Ladies and Gentleman!”

Gareth’s voice boomed from the stage. The band had taken a quick break, but were back on. Eddie grinned, then grabbed Steve’s hand.

“Come on,” he said. “Let’s get closer.” They wandered through the crowd (past Chrissy and Robin) as Gareth continued. 

“We’ve got a surprise for you all. You see, my boy Eddie Munson requested we play a special song tonight. So, this one’s for you, Flower Boy. Lord knows we wouldn’t play this for anyone else.”

Before Steve could even process what was happening, the band began to play. It wasn’t metal, it was -

“I Melt With You,” Steve said once he recognized it. “I love this song.”

“Iiiiii know!” Eddie responded, laughing. He pulled Steve into him so they could swing along to the music. “This was my whole master plan. Was gonna have them play this and tell you I loved you and it was going to be this whole beautiful moment but then Robin-”

“Eddie,” Steve interrupted, laughing. Eddie’s jaw dropped, and then he facepalmed. 

“Oh my god I totally just said it without meaning to,” he said. “I’ve been holding out for WEEKS and -”

“You’ve loved me for weeks?” Steve asked, touched. 

“Well, yeah,” Eddie replied. “Duh.” His eyes bugged out on that last word, his voice taking on a goofy, boyish cadence. Steve smiled.

“You’re so ridiculous,” he said, shaking his head. “And I love you too.”

“Yeah?” Eddie asked, grinning.

“Duh,” Steve replied, attempting to mimic Eddie’s response from before. “Robin didn’t ruin your big plan, by the way. That was all you.” Eddie chuckled.

“You still love me though,” he said. Steve nodded, and then they were kissing. 

I’ll stop the world and melt with you.

Yeah. That song pretty much said it all.

Everything felt just right🌹

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

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[duck-in-a-thrift-store]

Alright we've finally reached the basement and backyard! This one might be extra long because there's a lot to cover

(image credits to/designs made using the app HomeByMe from Dassault Systèmes SE)

I don't think you can tell from the picture but there's a retaining wall across the front due to the hill that butts up against the front of the house, as mentioned in the last installment. There wasn't a front yard in the last part bc I imagine they're kind of right on the road (sort of like the og full house) and the driveway wraps around one side and down from the road in front to the garage in the back (I had already added a lot of extra space and stuff to this level and the app was starting to get a little glitchy so I decided against expanding the area further lol)

So anyway, the basement is where a lot of the various practical function type rooms are; we've got the laundry room in the front, the kitchen and the dining room on the right, etc.

There's the garage, please ignore the car that's in there as there weren't a lot of options and I know that one little minivan (I think it was a minivan?) is definitely not going to cut it for a household of this size but they didn't have any actual vans and I didn't have space to include multiple cars, so just use your imagination and picture that there are two more cars parked outside along the driveway or smthn (I'm thinking Steve has his car but he mostly lets Nancy or Jonathan drive it since his vision is starting to get worse, Eddie has his van, and Argyle still has the surfer boy pizza van bc he got to keep his old job but got transferred to a new location. Don't question the logistics of that it's not important)

You're probably wondering what the hell a "dog room?" is. I couldn't think of a better name for it, but basically I decided they should have a dog and that they adopt a stray they find, and this is the room where they keep the dog stuff. He's got a bed and a crate and his bowls in there, and it's also where they keep his food and all the other dog-related supplies. There's a door giving direct access to the yard from this room, and a hook by the door to hold a leash. All that said, the dog doesn't end up actually being in this room all that much besides when he eats, since everyone takes turns letting him sleep in their rooms and he's pretty much glued to his humans' sides when they're home

Beside the dog room is the aforementioned laundry room. I haven't decided for sure yet whether each person is responsible for their own laundry or if there's a designated laundry-doer (as well as other assigned chore roles) so we'll have to come back to that later

Next is the kitchen, and I'm following the lead of what seems to be majority consensus in fandom that Steve is a good cook, so he's usually the one making family meals in here. Also, El frequently sneaks down into the basement for late night eggos, and Will- who had become familiar with this habit of hers during their time in Lenora- sometimes accompanies her (trust that this au will have some strong willel sibling vibes bc its one of my favorite underexplored tropes in canon)

The kitchen is connected to the dining room; they're not actually separate rooms there's just a sort of mostly-for-aesthetic-purposes divider between them. The dining room is where they sit when everyone shares a meal or when they have company over for dinner, otherwise people just sort of take their food wherever they want if they're eating alone. They eat dinner together most nights

There's a door from the dining room out onto a patio, which is fitting since the patio is pretty much just a smaller, outdoor dining room (that's a picnic table in the middle). They grill sometimes but also just go out there to eat like, pb&js and chips in the warm sunlight and fresh air. It's also a place to sit and dry off or hang out after a swim, and the lower end has a pool shed where they store stuff like floats and nets and salt bags

Past the pool shed is the actual pool, which is an emotionally weighted part of the setting for several characters. El doesn't like the pool very much and mostly avoids it at first, but eventually she grows to love swimming (this au is also going to involve a lot of reclamation of things formerly tied to trauma). Steve on the other hand has very mixed feelings about the pool which he mostly tries to ignore. Mike tends to get weirdly clingy when Will wants to swim and always insists on going with him

Next to the back door is the external stairs to the deck on the first floor, and right inside the door is another mud room (don't ask me why they need two I didn't know what else to put in the space ok? Besides maybe it's just a matter of preference, some people prefer coming in through the basement and some prefer coming in through the first floor). Further in is the living room, which is sort of a more formal/intimate gathering space in some ways compared to the den upstairs; the den is for friends and neighbors, the living room is for family, if that makes sense? Or just for more "serious" company or family meetings

Back out into the yard, there's the gardening/tool shed, where Argyle likes to build birdhouses and the original party likes to tinker with old electronics, and where they keep the supplies for the greenhouse right next to it. They started growing their own fruits and vegetables out of necessity at first, back when everyone was nervous to leave the house, but now its use is mostly split between what Steve grows for use in the kitchen and Eddie & Argyle's home-grown weed

I think that's just about everything. The next installments will most likely be about roommate pairings and more in-depth bedroom designs

[thestobingirlie]

the closest any of the kids would get to seeing the older teens as a parent figure would be them jokingly calling steve mom/dad. like in reference to the scene in s2 where steve has the towel on his shoulder and hands on the hips, or when he tells them to do something in relation to cleanliness/tidiness, like in s4 when he tells dustin to wipe his feet outside of the car. It'd just be them responding with "Ok, mom" and rolling their eyes.

At most they'd see them as an older sibling figure, but that would be mostly steve. because he's the one that's been there for them since s2, and lets them get away with dumb shit like sneaking them into movies. i could see dustin and erica seeing robin in a similar light, but that's about it.

The other older teens? they'd just see them as older friends, or as friends of an older sibling (or older sibling of friends). They definitely wouldn't have the relationships portrayed in a lot of fic (or even in the show, like how was dustin that close to eddie? it didn't really make sense. unless he was playing up his closeness to eddie to make steve jealous for some reason.)

the way some people write as if all the kids see eddie as an older sibling? like he was outright mean to lucas and erica in the first episode of s4, so they definitely wouldn't. will and el never have any canonical interaction with Eddie (probably don't even know he exists, unless mike mentioned him), and they have an actual older brother in jonathan. and some act like max had a sibling relationship with Eddie pre-s4, but she is shown to be indifferent to him. he's just an older guy who lives opposite her, and runs a club her friends are in. like, sure she noticed a couple of things about him, but its stuff that anyone would notice about the people that live around them, like his driving, or him having trouble with the police (her moms observation- "looks like that Munson boy's up to no good again"). even mike wouldn't see eddie as a sibling figure, maybe someone he looks up to/wants to be like, but not a sibling.

hell, ive even seen people try to push argyle as a sibling figure to the kids. he's only ever canonically interacted with will el and mike, and they're shown to be, at best, indifferent to him. at times, will doesn't really seem to like argyle that much. so he's definitely viewed as the older siblings friend (or friends older siblings friend.) someone they could cross paths with and have minor interactions, but have no real closeness or relationship outside acquaintances.

sorry for like the novel in your inbox, but god, I hate how some people treat the older teens as real adults when it comes to relationships with the kids, when they are still kids themselves.

i think the reason this happens so much is because people want to write close relationships between the kids and the teens, but only seem to know how to write familial relationships, so all the teens end up big brothers/sisters, even when it makes no fucking sense. like, they can just be friends, you guys know that, right?

and then, we also get the older teens being treated like parents. like you said, at the most the kids might make a couple stupid ‘mom’ jokes, but at no point would they seriously consider calling steve ‘mom’. they all have mothers!!!

when it comes to looking at the teens as older siblings. obviously nancy is mike’s sister, and jonathan is will and el’s (depending on the season for el, obviously). but other than that, i really think only steve slots into that role of older sibling vibes. i think robin would be like… step sibling lol.

i cannot see eddie as anyone’s older brother (and obviously i’ve already spoken about my issues with the dustin and eddie dynamic). mike might look up to eddie as a role model, but lucas would have a more complex relationship with him. for erica he’s just some guy that ran a campaign once, and the guy who was a bit of a dick to her brother.

i think will would think eddie was kinda mean, and it’d be a bit more complex with el. because while eddie does see himself as this saviour of the weird, he doesn’t like people that are weird in a different way to him. and as el hasn’t ever shown an interest in d&d, i don’t think they’d have much of a relationship.

and, obviously you can write whatever fics you want, but it’s always a bit weird to me when people give eddie and max this super close relationship with no development. max canonically struggles to let people in. just because eddie lives next door doesn’t mean they’re siblings.

also! this is just about eddie in canon, not if he’d survived and developed, because we have no idea was a post s4 eddie would really look like. and given that he didn’t really get an arc when it comes to the way he saw people that weren’t into d&d, it’s unlikely he would’ve dramatically changed.

i love argyle, don’t get me wrong, and i think el definitely thinks he’s funny. but, he’s just jonathan’s friend. like i said earlier, he doesn’t need to become sibling-like for the kids to like him.

yeah, i think making the teens all siblings/parental roles with the kids is weird. and it kind of gives this vibe that they have to be someone for the kids to look up to, they’re not an equal or a friend, they’re a caretaker. if that makes sense?

like, yeah dustin and steve have a brotherly relationship, because they like each other! they enjoy spending time together. they’re friends! but in a lot of fics so many of their interactions become steve taking care of dustin in some way, and it’s sad. let them hang out!

[symbioticsimplicity]

Baby punk El this and baby punk El that. I love her to death but she's blossoming into someone else. So what about baby punk Steve?

Imagine Steve who's grown so much he feels like he's outgrown most of his previous interests and likes. Its hard to really fixate on cars and sports when every time you look at a car you remember hitting Max's brother with one, and baseball bats will forever remind you of fighting with one. Steve isn't remotely the same person he used to be, so who is he now?

Imagine Steve trying on all manners different ideals and outfits, flitting from one friend's style to another as he tries to find where he fits.

Nothing really clicks though. Nancy is too similar to what he already was, Robin's style only really suits her, Jonathan's is kinda... basic, Argyle just isn't the vibe really, and the kids are still coming into their own too. 

That leaves Eddie. 

Eddie who Steve could not be more different from, ostensibly. 

But when Steve tells Eddie about what he's going through and what his goal is, Eddie takes him under his wing immediately. 

He starts taking Steve into more metalhead spaces, lets him get to know what the community is actually like (They're mostly old friends of Wayne's, a biker group he used to ride with that pretty much adopted Eddie when he was younger too. They're also largely responsible for how Eddie is today). Steve is surprised by how welcoming they are, and how easily he gets along with them all. Since he's still relatively young and new to the scene, he's the group baby for once. 

They become another pseudo family to him, though one that he doesn't have to constantly worry about protecting, rather one that protects him (Finally the baby instead of the baby sitter.) Especially after the night they got him drunk and he shared a "funny" anecdote about his parents forgetting him at home when they went on a two week vacation (They all silently agreed that if they ever meet the Harringtons, its on sight). They're the ones that help him really come to terms with how shitty his home life actually is, the ones that help him channel the anger that comes with that revelation.

Its still not quite what he was aiming for but he loves his new found family. And hey he does actually like this. Even some of the music, to Eddie's utter delight.

Steve slowly begins collecting bits of clothing that suit this new change in his life some of them he's stolen from Eddie and it makes him feel more settled in his skin.

But the first moment he finds what he's been looking for comes from what was supposed to be a joke.

One day when they're hanging out, Eddie sings David Bowie's Rebel Rebel to Steve, jokingly, but Steve immediately resonates with the lyrics. He begs Eddie to play him the whole song (he has a Bowie vinyl stashes under his bed, what kind of gay would he be if he didn't??) and when he does he wants to listen to it over and over again. 

He starts picking up bits of Bowie's style too. Starts using Robin's eyeliner to doodle a couple little stars by his eyes when she's around, sometimes he'll borrow Nancy's a lip gloss and dab a little bit on his lips. Eddie starts calling him "Pretty Boy" instead of "Big Boy", and Stevie instead of Steve and he loves it.

The second huge revelation comes when he sees an actual punk in real life. 

The spikes, the color, the attitude, the makeup, all of it calls to Steve like a siren song. It takes everything he has to calmly walk up to the punk in question and ask them about their style, about their scene. They happily explain (punks and metalheads are practically cousins, and Steve is dressed almost exclusively out of Eddie's closet that day) and Steve falls in love with it immediately.

Its such a good mixture of the bright, energetic style that’s Steve's underlying personality, along with the sharpness hes taken on since the Upside-Down invaded his life. Something about having spikes on his clothes is comforting to him, like having his nailbat close at hand without the implicit threat it carries. 

The first thing he does is transform his letterman jacket into a punk jacket. Eddie helps him design it, and its an elaborate testiment to the things Steve has done and has been through. The kids help make buttons and pins and patches for it too, each new one like a medal bestowed on him for his bravery and his service to them over the years. 

He then swaps out his running shoes for combat boots which take a little getting used to since they're heavy but it feels right. They sit tighter on him and he finds it reassuring. He could also knock out a fucking window with them, which he finds out by accident so that's a definite plus.

He keeps his blue jeans but stops replacing them when they rip and tear. Its part of the style and Eddie loves to play with the little bits of skin that peak through the holes. 

He starts wearing actual makeup here and there and finds that he really likes it. The eyeliner makes his eyes pop in a way that everyone finds distracting and its fun. Plus Robin and Eddie both sit in his lap when they apply it for him which is a bonus. 

The only thing that stays the same is the hair (give or take a couple streaks of color here and there). It suits him and the change in aesthetic doesn't really affect his hair. If anything it actually kinda makes more sense. He looks like a greaser but more aggressive and he loves it. (Steve might not have chosen to become a warrior, but its definitely a part of him by now, and a part that has kept his loved ones safe over the years. He can grieve what it cost him and still love it for what it gave him too.)

His parents however do not love it. Not that he sees them often enough to really care what they think anymore, but the one time they catch him home his mother nearly faints and his father gets so angry it takes Steve back to being a helpless child again for a moment. 

He accuses him of all kinds of things, (ruining their reputation, embarrassing them, disappointing God, you name it) but its not until he starts blaming Eddie for the changes to Steve's persona and attitude that he snaps. 

Steve lectures his father like he would one of his kids, because he's acting like one of them. He doesn't even realized he's gone into full Babysitter mode until he sees his Mother's face. He's just so used to being the mature adult in any given situation it came naturally. 

His mother to his endless surprise takes his side, tells his father he's clearly a grown man now and he can make his own choices. His father somehow looks even more shocked than Steve feels. 

Steve doesn't rekindle his relationship with them, but they have an understanding. Which is better than he'd dared hope they'd ever have.

Steve Harrington is a punk, and he absolutely loves it. He has a family of metalheads that adore him and herd of children are somewhere in the middle and forming their own identities. He has a best friend who makes up her own damn rules, and a handful of friends who probably wouldn't mind the rules even if they knew what they were. And he's got a boyfriend who's helped him grow into his favorite version of himself yet.

[nyxi-pixie]

double byler are so funny (this is actually not funny at all they make me sad) bc both pairs have relationships in which theyre very dependent on each other for emotional comfort so when theyre apart their relationships suffer pretty badly

both jancy and byler have been shown to have a bond based at least partially on shared trauma. w jancy murray even goes as far as to say its like the main reason they shld get together which. hmm. but yk more to my point. and byler constantly have heart to hearts because theyre each others emotional rock and this probably goes back further than UD shit bc wills been TraumaMan for his whole life (and feels mike is the only one who he can be emotionally vulnerable with without being babied or treated like hes weak-s2 kinda suggests mikes been there for him in Will Byers Trauma Times TM before). thanks lonnie😒😒

its v obvious w mike and jonathan actually bc neither of them seem to talk to anyone else about their issues. like will leaves and mike immediately devolves into isolating himself and straight up depression because clearly theres some family issues which prevent him from opening up abt his feelings (he hugs karen like 3 times in the whole show but he Never talks to her abt shit. despite her attempts to get him to open up that one time w her queer coded as fuck lil speech. anyway repressed lil emo mike only ever opens up with will. so no will=no talking abt emotions=unhealthy michael.)

and jonathan turns to weed (and argyle omg theyre bfs so true) because he wont turn to his family for support bc hes unhealthily selfless and doesnt want to burden them with his issues (likely due to the parentification. oh boy someone help him) but he and nancy understand each other bc theyve been through the same shit (which also means they dont feel like they burden each other bc like. u cant burden someone if theyre already sharing the weight yk?) but seperation=losing that support so their relationship, which relies so heavily on that mutual understanding, suffers.

nancy and will are doing a little better individually. because guess what: they have HOBBIES.(jon also does but he seems to have abandoned it. rip his i wanna take a pic era. and mike has d&d but in the between time between oh no wills gone and oh yay eddie my beloved, hes doing shit. and even w d&d his grades are still affected by his mental place and his rooms super messy so like. doing better but still not great.)

we see that wills super into art (which is known to be therapeutic so double woo points) again after doing it less in s3. and he seems to be specifically using it to deal w his sad gay feelings (channelling shit like the introspective king he is 🤩). also hes got people other than mike to offer emotional support. even with jonathan not available, he can still talk to joyce (st character with positive relationship w a parent❗holy shit how rare❗❗). also its will. if hes in his feels hes just gonna vibe with it. 'oh misery my best friend lets hang out for a bit 😍😍' (prolly bc jonathan put his whole jonussy into making sure will was okay w having emotions. as a part of his mission to spite lonnie. SLAY KING) compared to the wheelers who are like 'um what the fuck is an emotion ive never felt one i swear. wdym u saw me crying yesterday🤨?? no u literally didnt that was my evil twin😒.'

anyway that brings me to nancy. who. yk shes doing Okay. the second anyone brings up jon shes about to commit crimes against them so yk not totally good but coping. bc she kinda just full body throws herself at that school newspaper stuff so she has a distraction and its working okay. until her new friend-w-glasses-destined-to-die- horrifically, dies horrifically.

but then she has emotional support through surrounding herself w people who Get It. (woooo robins around and nancy feels comfortable for once!!!!) i mean shes also almost reverting to steve bc nancys trauma response is just 'i can only ever be emotionally vulnerable with romantic partners bc i havent had a friend since s1 and my family dont know shit abt the monster dimension (plus ted is actually just a cardboard cutout with a robotic voice box that blurts out 1 of 10 phrases on a timer). apart from mike. but idk hes busy crying over his bf and we can never open up to each other in a genuine way bc repression is the Wheeler Way To Slay' but yk shes at least partially coping.

but their relationships basically get totally fucked bc oh no if we cant have heart to hearts in physical proximity we are going to Die. also communication without magical telepathy through eye contact??? whos she??? (esp w byler. u cant have effective coded conversations over the phone. and theyve got all their other reasons for not talking: will doesnt wanna reach out first and have mike brush him off bc oh dear the 3x03 fight really fucked with him didnt it. and mikes desperately trying to call but for fuck sake how is their phone always busy. and he wont use letters bc idk hes too gay for that he keeps signing them w 'love mike. ps im in love w u in case u didnt get that😍😍😍')

and jancy. oof. jons like 'i have to appease literally everyone in my life apart from myself and i cant do that bc yay nancy means boo family and yay family means boo nancy so now i think i will have a crisis bc if im honest with her she will Hate me. yes i am so rational' and nancys like 'wtf is going on does he hate me or smthn. i am also totally rational' and they wont talk abt it bc theyre scared of pissing each other off. (and have no example of healthy relationships to follow)

basically. double byler are codependent in a way that isnt Necessarily unhealthy - in fact when around each other, they seem to do better Because of that reliance on each other. it allows them to be emotionally vulnerable in a way that they cant be w anyone else (even will who has like the most supportive family ever <3 still feels most comfortable being open w mike as evidenced by his talk w jon in s2).

BUT. seperation fucks over their relationships and their individual mental health. and thats where the unhealthy aspect comes in. bc over reliance on one person is gonna Fuck Shit Up. (it wouldnt be so bad if they still communicated regularly thru letters and phone calls but yk self hatred is a bitch and theyre all very insecure.)

[bullsandthebones]

my friends and I are talking about our headcanons for ST characters so, here's mine! some of these are just haha funnies bc I think they're dumb

Eddie:

-he/it

-very gay, very homo

-tries to explain it/its pronouns to Steve

-makes fun of Steve's hair products

-makes "ur mom"/" ur dad" jokes

-calls Steve to help him brush out his hair

-wears croptops

-trans ftm

-cannot cook

-fnaf lvr

-knows the lore of every analog horror ever

-loves walten files the most

-puts dice in his mouth. (we all do, cmon)

-has probably almost swallowed a die

-it was probably a d4

-hurt like hell

Steve:

-doesn't understand pronouns

-mentally blue screens when Eddie and Robin try and explain pronouns

-starts sobbing when neos get put into the mix

-defo himbo but very supportive anyways

-bisexual w/ a lean for the ladies

-has made one deez nuts joke and immediately regretted it

-sobs while brushing Eddie's hair

-has definitely tried on a skirt

-definitely cannot cook

Robin:

-she/they + any neos

-makes deez nuts jokes with Dustin

-canon lesbian, I would never change that

-hates tryna teach Steve about pronouns

-amazing cook, "yes chef" "thank you chef"

-can probably sew

-most definitely makes special clothes for her besties

-wears two different shoes

-cool bitch syndrome

-would probably be really good at ddr and fnf

Nancy:

-she/her 😐

-hetero 😐

-ally (talk valentina! ally!)

-loves Johnathan no matter what his genitals are <3

-can definitely cook

-secretly has read lotr

-probably ate sand as a kid

-if she was a dog she'd be a poodle.

-gets Robin fabric for her projects

Johnathan:

-trans ftm <333

-he/him

-definitely laughs at deez nuts jokes

-mmmm bisexual?

-maybe pansexual

-ooo definitely pansexual

-probably can't hold his liquor

-threw up the first time he hit a bong

-didn't know how to pack a bowl for a long time

-Argyle had to teach him

-actually cooks better when high

Argyle:

-I'll be honest, I haven't finished s4

-idk much about him

-probably he/they

-gives me pansexual vibes

-makes the most raunchy jokes

-has the weirdest cravings when high

Billy:

-"nor/mal"

-"okay but what's between your legs?"

-idfk, probably bisexual but he's got too much internalized homophobia

Dustin:

-wh/at

-por/que

-desperately trying to learn pronouns but he doesn't understand very well

-honestly? straight

-makes deez nuts jokes. it's the funniest shit to him

-has never cooked

-only uses the microwave

-ramen forever

-is quite literally the biggest ally

-the best guy

-the "bro code" probably doesn't matter to him

-will tell on you if you're cheating 👁👁

-feminist

Mike:

-dumb/bitch

-stupid/whore

-I hate him I'm sorry

-probably bi but like Billy, too much internalized homophobia

-misgenders people when they anger him

Lucas:

-I'll be honest

-I'm torn

-probably says pronouns don't exist

-but uses he/they

-straight?

-idk he's confusing

Max:

-non binary

-they/she

-bisexual and on the ace spectrum

-hates fem clothing

-is a bitch when you get pronouns wrong

-will fight transphobes

-probably would do softball

-that's a gay sport right?

-I'm pretty sure it is

-salty when they lose to Robin at ddr

-loves fnaf

-hates that Eddie loves fnaf

-probably more into gemini entertainment than any of the other analog horrors

-plays tlou religiously

-loves zombie games

Eleven:

-agender but is okay with she/her

-aroace spec!

-doesn't have a set sexuality, isn't sure on labels

-mimics Dustin's jokes

-Hopper gets upset at that

-doesn't understand video games but loves watching max play

-is actually pretty good at ddr

-I'm sorry, I love ddr

-has also put dice in their mouth

-Eddie dared them to

Will:

-doesn't have the energy to figure out gender labels

-doesn't care about his own pronouns

-call him whatever

-gay but,,, on the aro spectrum, probably grayromantic

-plays the dark pictures anthology

-loves little hope the most

-has tried to get others to play them

-failed

-wears two different socks

-is probably really good at kickball but he's too scared of getting laughed at

-me too man

that's uh, that's all. you're welcome.

[m0ssxz0mbie]

my thoughts on stranger things season 4, volumes 1 & 2

(there will be spoilers)

so, lets start of with my thoughts in basic form:

i hate this show yet love it at the same time.

lets first start with the positives.

Eddie; what more needs to be said? we love him. iconic. he was the best thing to happen in that season. Dad Eddie, Mom Steve, Son Dustin.

Steve: we always love Steve. he IS the mom. his growth, character development over the seasons. he’s our boi.

Max and Lucas; they are cute, they are my comfort heteros. i like how soft Lucas is for Max. they were cute.

Argyle; he is no thoughts only vibes. he is so valid. we needed him for how much angst there was.

Murray; weird uncle, but we love him. iconic as always.

now, the negatives.

the angst; what more needs to be said?

the queer representation? lacking. i was hoping it would be confirmed, like explicitly said that Will is gay, but that never happened. it was made to seem like him having a crush was a big deal, but if homophobic people cant tell its gay… you know that’s not representation. It would’ve been nice if he came out to Jonathan, which would be the rekindling of what once was their close relationship, but nO.

Then there was Robin. i feel like giving Vicky a boyfriend wasn’t needed cause in the end they were kinda fine? cause it made no sense in the middle of everything to add that extra angst for Robin, it was really out of place. and its also like,, why isn’t Vicky gay? it would’ve been so nice to see them get together and explore their relationship, the struggles and hardships, especially when Robin most likely wouldn’t tell her about the upside down, and having to keep that a secret. And also, if Robin gets a gf at the end of the serious that’s not real representation and just lazy writing.

Eddie’s death; WTF. bro he would’ve been such a cool character to the crew and i’m OFFENDED that the other potentially gay character was killed off. also he was just a good character. period.

Steve and Nancy’s relationship. Now, this isn’t just cause i want Steve to date Eddie- idk it just didn’t make sense to me. like sure he’s a changed person, and Nancy hasn’t seen Jonathan for a while,, but as soon as you have like,, the second issue in your relationship you think of leaving him??? for your ex??? and then when Jonathan asks if they good, SHE LIES. LIKE BITCH BE UPFRONT. now, yes Jonathan lied about his collage letter, and he should’ve also told her the truth, but lying about not getting accepted into a college i think isn’t as worse as telling your partner you still love them… when you clearly don’t. i feel like the tear in their relationship was just unnecessary angst again, i feel like Nancy and Jonathan are smarter than that to lie about those things.

Jason and his cunts; I HATE THEM. white men always gotta be ruining everything. i hate Jason so much. i still don’t know if that’s his actual name still, cause i wasn’t bothered to remember it.

tbh there is probably more, but this, along with other things thats happened yesterday have fucked me mentally.

am i still hoping for byler? yes. because its the LEAST they can do for their QUEERBAITING SHIT SHOW OF CHARACTERS AND REPRESENTATIONS.

i am a mess. fuck stranger things. fuck it.

[thatgirlwithasquid]

tag game: stranger things edition 👻

tagged by @ratbastardbilly and @intothedysphoria (ty guys xx)

1. ride or die ship (your otp): CUNNINGWAY!!! They’re my girls. Chrissy and Heather my beloveds. I have never been so hyped for a ship before and this is the first time I’ve put this much effort into one, but if I don’t advocate for this rarepair then who will? (the answer is bambi. bambi will. but whatever, you get the point)

2. most annoying ship: there isn’t really a ship i find WHOLLY annoying. stancy maybe. i also think jancy and mileven have ran their course and jopper gives me a lil bit of the ick. obvi no hate to the ships or those that ship it!!

3. second favourite ship: ima have to say harringrove, but there are others i like a lot too!!

4. favourite platonic relationship: heather, chrissy & billy. the chaos trio. more should be done with them <3

5. underrated ship: there are so many!! argyle/chrissy (which i am lovingly referring to as pompompinapple, just try and stop me)? byergrove (billy/jonathan)? calicheer (billy/chrissy)??? how can i possibly choose????

6. overrated ship: uhhhh this feels dangerous. but steddie. dont get me wrong, i love this ship, but the boom in works for them was INSANE cause i dont think they have TOO MUCH chemistry in canon (tho there 100% is a good bit and it makes sense)

7. one thing i would change in canon: the blatant lack of care the main cast have for characters outside their group. no empathy for billy, barely anyone looking into heather, characters dying that no one mentions again…

8. something canon did right: I really liked steve and dustin’s dynamic. like, a LOT. they cocked it up a bit in s4 for the sake of ‘haha, dumb steve’ but yeah. theyre sweet :)

9. a thing i’m proud of creating for the fandom: my sideblog @poolsidepanic . i know that its a niche ship but i hope i help other people who love them as much as me actually be able to enjoy their ship and not just… be disappointed when they come up empty handed. the art and little fics and such i make over there make me so happy <3

10. a character who is perfect to me (wouldnt change a thing): heather. sassy, bitchy, yet kindhearted lifeguard? yes. the only thing id change is the DISSERVICE THE DUFFERS GAVE HER WHEN THEY KILLED HER AND IGNORED HER EXISTENCE.

11. the character i relate most to the most and why: steve. just how he responds to the offhanded comments the people he cares about make to him, that they never seem to realise hurt.

12. character i hate most and why: neil, karen, brenner. no explanation needed

13. something ive learned from the fandom: idk. ive always wanted to be a positive person but seeing some of the toxicity in the fandom has made me really want to keep my little blog as positive and safe as i can for everyone. some things we see SUCK but if i can make someones day a lil better id like to? so not really a learn but an encouragement to be nicer wherever i can

14. three tags i seek out on ao3: i dont read a lot of st fanfiction, actually. i havent been in the mood for it for AGES!! but in general im a slow burn, hurt/comfort, angst kind of person. i love the occasional, agonising right person not enough time or some character bashing for the sake of compelling suffering (if done right!!!)

15. a song i strongly associate with my otp/favourite character: ooooh fun!!! ‘Groan’, ‘Wet’ and ‘Maggot’ by Dazey and the Scouts are so Billy. ‘Drunk Walk Home’ by Mitski gives me Chrissy vibes, and ‘Maggot’ again for her tbh (billy and chrissy, my sad beloved blorbos). there arent any songs i associate with cunningway yet tho 😔

tagging: @bigdumbbambieyes @hargrove-mayfields @billyhargrovesupsidedownshadow @every-dayiwakeup and anyone else interested in sharing :)

[lettercastauthor]

Spider-Barista: Part One, Pumpkin Spice Latte, Extra Whip

AU Summary and Warnings: Tony Stark survived the snap that killed Thanos and only lost his arm, Steve Rogers has returned from his brief time travel escapades after realizing he’s not as straight as he thought he was, and his feelings for Tony went far beyond friendship. Tony, Steve, Peter, Rhodey, Pepper, and Nebula are in a polyship and were living at Stark’s private New York residence located somewhere in the city “near all the action,” also close to Peter’s school. Peter, 18, is finishing senior year. Recently, Pepper and Morgan Stark have left for upstate New York to begin Morgan’s private school. Overprotective “auntie” Nebula joined them due to her own safety concerns, leaving the boys to fend for themselves. Unknown to everyone, Tony is having a secret sciencey-fling with Bruce Banner, kept private for shy Bruce’s sake. Aunt May is on a cruise in the Bahamas.

Tony has offered to pay for Peter’s college, but Peter is being stubborn and wants to earn it for himself, so he gets a job at the local coffee shop and quickly finds a love for the job. In fact, he loves it so much that he begins to neglect his Super-Hero duties. At first Tony is supportive of a break from the dangerous life of saving New York on the daily, despite Cap’s urging Peter to take on bigger baddies and hone his skills. But they both soon realize Peter’s interest in coffee is mainly tied to a cute customer who comes in on Peter’s every shift. Unbeknownst to Peter, this customer lives a double life. This will be a serial story, updated when I have time. There will be NSFW content, each section that includes NSFW content will be marked accordingly so the reader can choose to enjoy the story while skipping the lewd parts should the desire.

Everyone in this story is 18 or older.

Tl;Dr: Adult Tom Holland Spider-Man is working as a barista post-blip. He’s in a polyship with Tony, Steve, Rhodey, Pepper, and Nebula. He has a crush on one of his patrons and is neglecting his heroic duty. There’s NSFW stuff in here. 

Part One: “Pumpkin Spice Latte, Extra Whip”

Warm yellow sun pierced through the sepia tinted windows of the coffee shop. It was a nice clear day. The taxi cabs sat bumper-to-bumper, the people hurriedly walked the sidewalks like a fashion-show runway, carrying their coats over their shoulders on this uncharacteristically warm November afternoon. A flash of green dashed through the crowd of customers as Peter Parker raced round the back entrance of the counter to clock in. His apron whooshed around him as he stopped at the register, punched in his employee ID number, and jumped into the flow of things, watching the front door intensely as he worked the hot bar with lightning speed. 

Customers loved Peter. He was quick, he never messed up a drink, and he always served with a smile. Pete’s co-workers loved him because whenever he worked, everyone got higher tips. The manager liked him because he always showed up for every shift, but she felt he could be better at the cleaning part of the job; she made sure to mention that in his quarterly review. Right on time, five minutes after 2:00 p.m., Peter’s favorite customer walked in. He told all the customers they were his favorite, but this one in particular was actually his favorite. 

The bell chimed and a man walked in, brown coat draped over his arm, gray knit sweater hugging his broad shoulders and chest just tight enough to portray a hint of modelesque musculature. This was Jamie. Jamie always wore a steel-blue tie, pulled tight around his white collared button-up shirt. Today, he sported a pair of well-fitting khaki slacks, brown oxfords, argyle socks. Clothing tells you everything about a person in New York City. Jamie’s clothes told Peter this: that Jamie had a job in the city, a real job, the kind you do in an office that looks over the hustle and bustle of the commoner’s everyday lives. Or so Peter imagined. He looked like most New York businessmen, but to Peter he was the definition of heaven. He was also unattainable. Peter rarely worked the register, due to being what the manager called “too friendly.” All his chatting with the customers slowed up the line. Unfortunately, Pete’s normal position at the bar fixing drinks kept him behind a wall of glass and noisy machines. The barrier made it near impossible to communicate effectively with customers.

His only chance was at the passthrough area, where he would set each hand-crafted beverage and call out the name of the customer it belonged to. Jamie changed up his drink often, which both frustrated and intrigued Peter. He wanted to be able to make Jamie’s drink quick enough that he could have a second to drop him his number on a napkin, but by the time Peter learned Jamie’s drink (usually three or four shifts), it was usually too late. He’d switched it up again. But Peter liked that about him, too. Jamie clearly liked to try new things. It was a good sign. 

So, as Jamie placed his order, Peter rushed to fill it before the payment was even processed. Today, Jamie ordered a pumpkin spice latte with extra whipped cream. Pete lucked out. He could make that drink in his sleep! Since the seasonal drink made its yearly debut in September, he was making hundreds of these each day. As he steamed the milk, Jamie looked over and gave him an easy smile. The light danced off his brown skin, his eyes twinkled. Peter felt his cheeks tingle with blush as he returned the grin. Milk frothed and mixed with the pumpkin spice flavor, the drink was almost complete. The payment processor beeped its approval to Jamie, and Peter raced to put the extra whip and autumn seasonings on the drink, meeting Jamie at the passthrough counter and carefully putting the lid on the cup.

As Jamie reached for the drink, Peter slipped a napkin toward him. “Don’t forget your napkins, Mr. Jamie, sir.” He’d written his number on it this morning, in preparation for this very moment.

Jamie smiled again, “Thank you, Peter. I’d hate to get coffee all over my suit.”

“You’re welcome, sir.”

Jamie took the napkin and left without showing signs of having seen the number written on it. All Peter could do now was wait. Waiting was hard. The time ticked by slower than usual today, but finally it was closing time. Peter helped clean up the floor, sweeping, mopping, and wiping frantically. His co-workers joked about him having a hot date, but when Peter blushed they realized he might actually have a hot date! So they pushed him for answers as to who the mystery guy or girl could possibly be. 

“I don’t have a date, guys. It’s just that I - uh - I have school in the morning. You know, senior year and all. Gotta finish strong,” he said.

At this, Tammy the night shift manager, bursted out with her typical hyena-cackle laughter. “Okay, sure Pete, you have school on a Saturday. Dumbass, it’s Friday night. If you didn’t have a date tonight I would be worried. You need to loosen up, Peter. You can’t just stay single forever!”

Peter’s co-workers had no idea he was actually dating, like, five people, so he just grinned and laughed, “I guess you’re right! Well I have to go now, goodbye!” He clocked out and dashed out of the store as quickly as he came in. As he walked home, green apron hanging over his shoulder, visor flipped backwards, he turned on his phone and waited impatiently for the messages to load. One-by-one they came in.

Aunt May: “Just arrived at the port in Jamaica, having a lovely time on the cruise!”

Cap: “Peter, please remember to do your laundry tonight. Your room smells like feet.”

Mr. Stark: [sent you a picture message]

Ned: “LEGO building party tonight at Josh’s, are you coming? 10pm.”

Pepper: “Morgan says hi!”

MJ: “LOL You look so funny in that coffee uniform.”

But nothing from a mystery number that could possibly be Jamie’s. He responded to the messages somewhat halfheartedly, then descended the subway stairs to take the train home. Headphones in, he thought about Jamie’s smile as he was ordering. His chest felt tight again, blood pumping, music blasting. He daydreamed until his stop, then took the headphones out for his walk home. He entered the tall apartment building and took the elevator up to the top. Nothing but the best for Tony Stark and his family! The penthouse smelled of a home-cooked meal. It was Cap’s turn to cook, so they were bound to have a feast. Rhodey was setting the table and greeted him first.

“Peter! How was work?” He laid down the last fork at the big oval dining table.

“It was good, I made some tips today!” Peter put on an extra layer of cheer to compensate for the disappointment of not hearing from Jamie.

“That’s great, Pete.” Rhodey was Peter’s metamour, Tony being their shared partner. Occasionally there was tension between them. It wasn’t jealousy, but they were known for calling each other out on their bullshit, and Peter could tell Rhodey’s bullshit detector was going off.

But before Rhodes could say anything, Steve Rogers walked in carrying a turkey pot pie. His kiss-the-cook apron, denim cut-off booty-shorts, and crab-claw oven mitts really made for a unique kind of vibe far and away from the Captain America the rest of the world saw. The daisy dukes certainly showed off America’s Ass in the least wholesome of ways. Peter and Rhodey both gulped, eyeballing that thicc snack as Cap bent over the kitchen table and set it at the center. The pot-pie didn’t look too bad either. Both had been interested in Steve for quite some time, but were not sure how to approach that, since he was so newly out of the closet.

“Where’s Tony?” Steve asked, pulling the oven mitts off and reaching back to untie his apron.

“I don’t know, I just got home,” Peter shrugged, heading up the loft stairs.

Steve turned to Rhodey and asked, “What’s up with the kid? He seems off.”

Rhodey wrapped an arm around Steve’s waist and pulled him close, “Don’t you ever take that apron off.” He grinned, then released Steve and headed to the kitchen to grab the green beans and bread rolls. Steve stayed stuck there for a moment, trying to control the blush that spread across his face before going upstairs to check on Peter and find Tony.

Since Peter’s room was down the hall from Tony’s workshop, Steve decided to stop there first. He poked his head in and spotted Pete sulking at his desk, staring listlessly at his phone. Pete didn’t notice him, so he observed and admired for a minute before knocking and entering. “Hey Pete, don’t you have laundry to do?”

Startled, Peter jumped up and threw his phone under his bed. “Yes, that’s exactly what I came in here to do, laundry.” Frantically, he searched for the laundry basket. Unable to find it, he quickly picked up some of his dirty clothes and balled them up in a pile in his arms. Once his hands were full, he used his toes to pick up the boxers and socks that littered the floor.

“Pete…” Steve tried to get his attention.

“I know, Mr. Rogers it smells like feet in here…”

“Pete… well, I mean yes it does but Peter—” he stepped in front of the teen. “Peter, stop.”

“What?” Peter was clearly upset, though his face wasn’t visible behind the pile of clothing that filled his arms.

“Put the laundry down.”

“But my room smells like feet…”

“Peter.”

“Fine,” he dropped the laundry on the floor, then plopped defiantly on the bed. “What.”

Steve sat gently beside Peter. “Pete, you’re upset.”

“I am not upset, I’m fine.”

“Did you have a rough day at work?” Steve scooted closer, leaning into Peter. He smelled sweetly of coffee. Peter said nothing. “You can tell me, I’ll keep a secret.” He wrapped a reassuring arm around Peter’s shoulders.

The young man looked up at him, eyes red from both tiredness and emotions. “There’s a guy.”

“A guy?” Steve had only come out of the closet three months ago. He could feel the blush coming back to his cheeks. He glanced toward the door, secretly hoping Tony would come in and fix everything. Tony could always fix anything, especially Peter’s broken heart.

Pete sniffed. “He’s a customer. His name is Jamie.”

Suddenly suspicious, Steve perked up. “Is he the reason you turned off your police scanner and keep picking up extra shifts at the shop?”

Peter rolled his eyes and sighed. “You have no idea. How hot. He is. Like, he walks in the room and I can’t breathe. And he doesn’t even know I exist beyond that I am some guy in a green apron who works at a coffee shop.”

“I know what you mean, sport, but you so many of us here who adore you, you know?”

“I know, but…” Peter stopped and suddenly realized what Cap was insinuating, “Wait a second… Mr. Rogers are you saying you’re—?”

Just then Tony knocked on the door. “I hope I’m not interrupting.”

Steve stiffened up and suddenly there was a whole 12 inches between him and Peter. “Hey Tony! Peter had a rough day at work. I told him he needs to do his laundry… ah… dinner is ready, bye!” Steve bolted out of the kid’s room and down the stairs before Tony or Peter had a chance to respond.

“What’s his deal?” Tony asked, sitting down in the warm spot where Steve’s butt just was.

“I think… actually I really don’t know, Mr. Stark.” Peter stood to pick up his clothes.

“Hey, kid, come here for a second.” Tony pulled Peter back onto the bed and pinned him down, his mechanical hand caressing Peter’s cheek. Peter had a momentary flashback to that day but shook it out of his head. He focused on Tony’s piercing eyes.

“You are clearly not okay. And from what I heard, because you know I hear everything that goes on in this house, it has to do with some boy at work?”

Peter rolled his eyes. “It’s nothing…”

“Yes, that’s absolutely right, it is nothing. Hey. Look at me, kid.” He waited until Peter turned his head and made eye contact. “Whoever this guy is, maybe he’s cute. Maybe you even gave him your number on that little napkin from breakfast, but in the end when you’re like us, like you and me and Cap and Bruce, you just can’t date civilians. It never works out. They don’t understand the pressures of the job... or worse: they get killed. Ask any super hero you’ve ever met.”

“But you and Pepper—”

“Yes, Pepper is a special lady who also does the super hero things from time to time. Pep and I have a kid together, but there were years of turmoil before Morgan was born. Stick with what you have, dating outside our kind will only make it hard for you in the end.”

Peter sighed. “I guess… you’re probably right. He’s just so handsome, I… there’s something about him.”

“Pete, I’m not saying don’t go knocking on that door, I’m just saying… be safe about it.”

***NSFW INCOMING. Look for the 3 asterisks at the end of this passage if you wish to skip the naughty stuff.***

Peter glanced up at Tony, feeling flush. Thinking about Jamie, feeling the weight of Tony pressing down against him, it had all started to become a little too much. His hard-on strained against the fabric of his black work pants. “Tony, I…”

“I know, kid,” Tony went in for a kiss. They were still eager and new, Peter only having turned 18 less than three months ago, but the kiss was so familiar and comforting. Tony pulled back and smiled, unbuttoning Peter’s pants. “I don’t want you thinking about that guy anymore. It’s just you and me in here, alright?” He pulled out Pete’s member and rubbed a finger at the base of the head.

“Yes, Mr. Stark, sir…”

“It’s Tony.” He palmed Peter’s cock, then slowly stroked.

Peter could only whimper in response.

“Good boy.” He released Peter. “Get naked for me, I have something I want you to try on.” Tony left the room to grab the skimpy maid outfit from his bedroom closet while Peter disrobed and hastily threw his dirty laundry in a pile in the closet. 

As Peter cleaned, he muttered to himself, “I really should have listened to Cap and done this last week… Where’s that fabreeze?”

Meanwhile, Tony bumped into Steve on his way to their shared bedroom at the other corner of the massive loft. “Steve, what’s up with you today?”

“What are you talking about?” Steve feigned coolness.

“Do you have a thing for Pete?”

“Who? Pete? The kid? Nah. Not me.” Steve sped up, walking quicker toward the bedroom, but Tony caught up with him easily.

At the doorframe, he stopped him, cornered him, pushed him back against the wall. “Steve, I want you to join us.” His lips were so close to Steve’s. Steve quivered.

“Join you?” Steve chuckled nervously, turning red again. “Tony, even if I liked him, how could I handle both of you at once?”

“Yep, that’s it you’re coming with me.” Tony gripped Steve’s forearm tight with his bionic hand and pulled the protesting Captain back toward Peter’s room. The maid outfit could wait for another day, but breaking Steve in with another young buck had to happen someday... and today was as good as any!

By the time they entered the room, Peter had made it spotless. Not a single smell of feet to be found. Tony and Steve both knew he had probably just shoved everything in his closet, but the bed was made and the desk was cleared and the room smelled nicely of linen fabreeze. Peter was nude, sitting on the bed, waiting patiently for Tony to return with some outfit or other. He was shocked to see Steve Rogers standing in the doorway beside Tony, looking shyly down, cheeks frosted rose.

“Mr. Stark… you said you wanted me to try something on… D-do you want me to try on Mr. Rogers?” His voice broke a bit.

Stark sighed. “Kid, how many times do we have to tell you? it’s Tony. And Steve. And... there was a change of plans. Remember how I said it would be only you and me in here?” Pete nodded, swallowing hard as he saw Steve’s growing erection through the tight daisy dukes he’d donned to prepare dinner. “Well, now it’s you and me. And Steve.”

“S-steve, sir, I would love that... it’s just…” Pete had never seen Captain America be so shy. “I think your dick might ruin me…”

Steve glanced at Peter. Tony glared at Steve. “Say it, Cap. Go on! Tell him.”

“Peter.” Steve was looking at him lustfully, passionately now. “I want you. I want you to take me. I need you... I need you inside of me.”

Peter gave a breathy sigh. Partly from the way Cap’s words made his own dick throb, and partly from relief that he wouldn’t have to try to take the horse-sized dong that seemed to be endlessly growing in Steve’s shorts. He stood, approached Steve, and smiled. “I would like that very much.” He glanced over at Tony, unable to hide his surprise and apparent elatedness that Steve was in fact a bottom, and also that his dick really was that huge.

*** End NSFW Section***

So, that’s it for now! What do you think of part one? Do you like the partition for the SFW vs. NSFW content? What do you think will happen next? Part 2 takes place the next day. It will be coming soon! Probably tomorrow, or next week, depending on when I find time between work and school.