#appalachian wayne munson

[kitchen-spoon]

southern Nights

Pre Season 4 Steddie set Post Season 3:

After the mall fire Robin's parents take her out of Hawkins to go visit family in August so Steve is left to cope without her after spending nearly every day and night with her. So he turns to Eddie who he had been becoming friends with all summer leading up to the fire.

Eddie has to leave Hawkins in August too to go live out in Kentucky with his grandmother (Wayne's mom) at her farm until school starts back up again. He offers for Steve to come with him because he doesn't want to go alone and he knows Robin is leaving and doesn't want Steve to be alone.

Initially Steve being his stubborn self refuses but eventually he relents and agrees to come. They drive out together and once they are there Steve calls Robin Everynight after dinner while Eddie's grandma's cat Bruce sit in his lap and gets attention and pets.

It takes them about a week and a half to start fooling around together after all the tension they had been building at the start of the summer. It Happens for the first time after they smoke weed together on the porch and Eddie teases Steve about hogging the joint because he is spaced out and says "Never learn how to share baby?"

One Night Steve cuts Eddie’s because it was in his face all day and getting in the way and Eddie had been quietly grumbling about it at dinner. He does it at the kitchen table after dinner and its the first time they kiss without having sex. A few days later Eddie gives Steve a small stick & poke star in return.

Steve always insists on sleeping alone in the guest room even after they start fooling around. Eddie hears Steve’s screams when he has nightmares, he always waits until he hears Steve leave his room and go to the porch to check on him and sit with him.

Steve refuses to sleep with Eddie because he sleeps with a little stuffed lamb from his childhood and is embarrassed about it. It helps with his nightmares though. One night Eddie finds it and Steve gets really embarrassed and tries to hide it but Eddie doesn’t let him. They talk and Steve starts sharing a bed with Eddie and bringing the lamb (Cloud) with him. One night Steve falls asleep first and Eddie see’s how Steve rubs its ear against his lips to sleep.

Wayne comes down for the last week of their stay to help move his mom from the farm and back into her home for the winter.

One night Steve has a nightmare and wakes up where it turns into a panic attack. Eddie finds him kneeling on the lawn in front of the porch head in his hands rocking while he mumbles to himself barely breathing. It's when Wayne was coming so he pulls up and sees that and goes to Steve and recognises that it's PTSD. Steve is mumbling about a plan so Wayne plays along with it, assures him it worked and they are safe it's over.

While Wayne is there for the last week they try to be sneaky but he catches on and calls them out when he catches them being all sappy in the kitchen. Steve is cooking dinner and Eddie comes up behind him and wraps his arms around his waist and kisses him. Wayne *ahems* in the door frame and they split a part, Eddie is out to Wayne so he is more embarrassed but Steve is scared. Wayne is like calm down boy, I knew it the night I got here.

[werepuppy-steve]

me and @simplebtromance came up with the idea of having an appalachian (can be interchangeable with southern) eddie fest in august of 2025 and i thought that a poll would be the best way to gauge people's interest!

[patternscolorsflowers]

It has occurred to me that my hc of Wayne calling Eddie “darlin’” (which I have used in all my fics where Wayne is present) may be my greatest contribution to the ST fandom, and I’m overjoyed to see other creators running with what I started. 😭💖💖💖

[morganbritton132]

Eddie, posting to TikTok: Babe, repeat what you just said for me, please.

Steve, off-camera but audibly rolling his eyes: I said people have different life experiences. Not everybody was born in a ditch

Eddie: Like?

Steve: Like you???

Eddie: Yeah, that’s what I thought you said. I was not born a ditch. I was born in a valley in West Virginia

Steve: Wayne said you were born in a ditch

Eddie: Wayne lies

[whathehonestfuk]

Eddie has been aware of the upside down/monsters since 83 but he was raised by Appalachian!Wayne so he knew better than to get caught up in that shit

[blaqcats-fics]

I firmly believe that it's because of Wayne. There's like no way it's not because of Wayne.

Because like Wayne? That man is from the Appalachian Mountains. He's seen and heard some shit. Forget the Upside Down, forget Demogorgons. It has nothing on Wayne’s paranoia-fueled knowledge of Cryptids.

I firmed believe that Wayne was the one to tell Eddie all these stories to the point Eddie fell in love with the weird aspect, discovered DnD and fucking went from there.

I know full well that Eddie Munson has held a gun (not to harm a human, but to harm whatever cryptid decided to come after him). And Eddie hates guns, but Wayne made him paranoid with his paranoia.

So yeah Eddie’s been to the War Zone because Wayne dragged him there to help settle his goddamn paranoia.

I need to know why Eddie had been to War Zone once. Like this man cannoically isn't a killer, and in most of our head cannons he couldn't hurt a fly (unless in defense of his friends). So why has this man been to the most conservative gun crazy place on his side of Indiana? Not only did he confirm he had been there once, he alluded to the fact he knew enough about it to know what’s inside?

Did he go because of Wayne, his lovely conspiracy theory uncle? Did he go because he felt like he needed protection being queer in the Midwest? Did he go there by mistake thinking it was a completely different store? Did he go for D&D research? Either way, he definitely feels joy at being helpful and the chance to impress one-up Harrington.

I need answers. Why was this glorious little rat man we all love at this store?

[tartarusknight]

I'm just saying that Appalachian Eddie Munson would know how to swing dance and line dance... I'm just saying

[klausinamarink]

One Kid Gone, Another Up and Vanished (part 14)

getting back to the grove of writing and updating this on a reg. And look at that - an update in 2024! (jesus where did time go)

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 next: Part 15 | ao3

After startling himself awake for the third time in a row, Jeff groans in defeat as he kicks the blankets off him and makes his quiet way downstairs. He pauses once at the front of his parents’ bedroom door, wondering if he could sneak in under their covers like he used to do when he was little. Instead, he listens to his dad’s soft snores for a bit before continuing on.

The kitchen is quiet. Usually, the liminal solace eases him. This time however, it makes Jeff hyper aware of every sound in the house. Any tap on the window and back door spikes his heartbeat up to eleven. The darkest corners where he can’t see manifest the faintest shapes of teeth. His mind is starting to convince him that the monster is hiding right behind the kitchen island.

He quickly flicks the light switch on and the shadows retreat to their abyssal homes. Jeff does a swift lap around the island, sighing in relief when he finds nothing.

Jeff goes over to sink and fills up a glass of water. He drinks, drinks, and drinks.

After his throat feels no longer dry, Jeff places the glass down, a finger tapping on the rim. He’s too worked up to go back to bed and sleep. Thank god it’s the weekend. He can’t imagine trying to trudge his way to class and lunch while every empty seat that should have Eddie in it continues to haunt him.

“Fuck.” Jeff huffs, rubbing the side of his temple. Because right. While he had just found out alternate dimensions with man-eating monsters exist, Eddie’s still incognito.

He just wanted to find his best friend. How did Jeff’s life come to this?

Another realization strikes him. If Eddie doesn’t come back, then what will happen to the Hellfire Club? Neither Jeff or the other members are as great at DM’ing as Eddie. There’s also no chance of someone else in the high school with the same skills to bother joining. Even if they did, it wouldn’t be the same with Eddie’s love for dramatics and methods of setting the scene to further engage them. A club without their leader wouldn’t last long even with the members still onboard.

Hellfire would be gutted out of Hawkins High. Every brick made of Eddie’s blood, sweat, and tears would be smashed into dust and swept into the dumpster. It would be like Eddie had never existed at all.

Jeff buries his face into his hands, leaning over the counter. He breathes in and out as slow as possible. He is not having this breakdown at whatever-o’clock at night-

The floorboards creak behind him. Jeff spins around, his hand about to throw the glass at the noise. He manages to stop himself at the last second when he sees it’s just his grandmother.

“Jeffery?” She squints at him, her accent more clear with her apparent sleepiness. “Why, why are you up? You should na koimásai, óchi?”

Jeff chuckles, wiping his eyes in case a few tears welled up. He walks over to her, gently holding her arms. “Kala, Gigi. I was just thirsty.”

His grandma studies his face briefly before she tutted, “Trouble sleeping. Óchi kala.” She waves him off as she starts heading over to the cabinets, the kettle already set to boil. “Tea would make you better.”

Jeff’s not sure if his grandma’s famous dandelion-honey tea will be enough to erase the shadowy monsters and existential dread from his mind. But hey, what not?

—

El wakes up to the sun. It’s nice and warm on her face. She sits up from the ground, keeping her head up to have the sun still shining on her. But a cold breeze hits her and the nice warmth is gone. She shivers, sinking her head further into her jacket.

The pretty blonde hair gets into her nose and mouth. She spits it out but now it sticks to her cheek.

El stands up and walks over to the large water, close to where she had slept. She looks down and sees the same Pretty Girl. Except that her eyes are puffy-red and her face is dirty.

El takes off the hair and Pretty Girl does the same. Now she looks just like Eleven. A monster. Papa’s failure.

El’s face twists, remembering how scared she was the night before when Mike and Lucas started yelling at each other before Mike hurt him. While they had all ran into Mike’s house after she Felt Will and Eddie, she had ran away from them.

She doesn’t want to hurt them anymore. Staying with them will bring Papa to them. Or turn Mike into someone like that boy Troy.

She still has the walkie radio in her hands. She hasn’t turned it on in case Mike starts calling her. But she hasn’t checked in with Will and Eddie either yet. She’s scared of hearing the monster again.

Something dark and hazy flashes in her mind. For a moment, she’s at the Room and someone - not Papa - leers down at her. Eleven, what have you done?

Somehow, it terrifies El to her entire body that she screams. The water parts away in a rush as if it’s scared of her too.

—

The first thing Nancy does after waking up is flicking her eyes to the bedside lamp. She expects it to turn on and off by itself like some sort of morning alarm. But nothing happens. Nancy shuffles over and twists the tiny knob to the side, but still nothing. Seems that the power is still out.

Nancy looks down at Jonathan. He’s still sleeping where he lies on the floor next to the bed, a thick duvet over him with his jacket as a pillow.

After the combination of the Poltergeist-esque communication with his brother (the reality of that situation is now hitting her wow) and the hectic post-blackout assistance (which involved many candles and hurried transport of food in the fridge), Jonathan had been drained enough that he had just dropped to the floor like a stone. Her mom had only allowed him to sleep in Nancy’s room because he literally couldn’t budge. 

Nancy watches him for a moment while his shoulders rises gently up and down. It gives her deja vu, bringing her back to that morning in Steve’s bedroom. 

Oh god, Steve. Nancy didn’t mean to say any of that to him. It was just supposed to be a way to convince him to leave so Steve wouldn’t see Jonathan and get the wrong idea. But she got too stressed by his questions that her emotions got the best of her. 

Now, after seeing Steve’s crestfallen expression, Nancy will know better than to hurt him again. 

She rolls over to her back and stares up at the ceiling. Her mind buzzes with the renewal of every emotion from the past twelve hours. Fear. Curiosity. Irritation. Regret. All of them fill up the new hole in her chest.

But none of it is enough to drown her worries for Barb.

Tears sting her eyes again. Nancy quickly rubs them away, not wanting to dissolve into a sobbing mess again. It hurts when she demands herself not to think about Barb for a minute. She needs to distract herself. Preferably something safe. Like, like-

Checking on Mike.

Nancy slips out of bed, tiptoeing past Jonathan and into the sunrise-lit hallway. Mike’s door is closed but she hears a faint rustling sound on the other side. When Nancy lightly knocks, it stops.

“Mike?” She calls, quiet enough to not wake up Holly or her parents.  

She hears her brother groaning. Nancy rolls her eyes and lets herself in, expecting Mike to yell at her as usual. Instead, she’s taken aback by his silence as he stuffs his backpack with something that looks like an extra set of clothes.

“Mike?” When he doesn’t look up at her, Nancy steps closer. Mike’s hunched over and the corner of his eyes look red. Either from last night’s craziness or his emotional outburst. Maybe both. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Totally not because I can’t find Will.” Mike snaps with a swift zip of his backpack. His tone sounds too tired for a twelve year old. And something his answer confuses Nancy. Can’t find Will?

She thinks about to last night when the flashing lights in her room expanded to the rest of the house. Nancy had been terrified and too focused on Jonathan holding her that she’d barely missed Mike’s frantic calls. At first, she thought he was calling for their parents, but then she had heard him shout out Will’s name. After all the lights blew out, Nancy had nearly forgotten it.

Now that she thinks about it, she wonders if Mike had also found a way to talk to Will too. That might explain the behaviour of him and his friends from the past few days.

“Hey, if there’s any-” But just as Nancy sits on the bed next to him, Mike hops off. That’s when she notices that he’s already changed out of his pyjamas. 

“Wait a second. Mike, where are you going?” 

Her brother stops at the door’s threshold. He turns around and says seriously, “I’ve become the fugitive of the state. Tell Mom I love her.” 

“Wh- Mike!” Nancy jumps up to her feet but Mike’s already dashing down to the stairs. Frankly, she’s too taken aback about the sudden scene of normalcy to chase after him. 

She groans in exasperation as she returns back to her bedroom. This time, Jonathan is awake, rubbing his eyes and asking, “Whatz th’ time?”

“Morning, that’s what we know.” Nancy drops back on her bed. Her hand coincidentally lands on her notebook, left alone on the corner. She picks it up and flips back to the pages where she had transcribed Jonathan’s conversation with Will and Munson.

J: Munson? How are you here? EM: TAKEN TOO. DEMOGORGON. SCARY MOTHERFUCKER.

(At that, Nancy couldn’t help but laugh. That’s one way to describe the monster she and Jeff had fled from.)

J: Okay, did the demogorgon took you too, Will? WB: YES. J: When? WB: BIKING BACK HOME EM: IT HIT MY VAN

“What should we do now?”

Nancy glances up. Jonathan’s still sitting, picking at the skin around his thumb, not looking at her. “I mean, we know Will’s somewhere that’s not really here and Eddie Munson’s with him. But something happened-” he gestures to the nonfunctional lights, “-and now we can’t talk to them and find out.”

Nancy bites her lip. She doesn’t like this either, but it would be laughable to go to the police. Because what would they really do, even if they somehow believe the story? Shoot the monster and bring those two boys back? Yeah, very unlikely.

Thumbing through the pages with last night’s conversation, Nancy tears them out of the notebook. She hands them over to Jonathan, who finally looks up and slowly takes them. “Your mom is probably the only person who knows what’s going on. Give those to her. She’ll believe us.”

“And then what?” Jonathan mutters, staring down at the pages. “Knowing my brother’s alive is not enough.” He pauses, “Does Munson’s parents know about him?”

Nancy blanks. She doesn’t know Eddie Munson that much, save for his habit of walking on lunch tables and shouting at the popular students. Nancy used to find it funny, but eventually it turned into background noise.

Shaking her head, she asks, “Don’t you know Munson better?”

Jonathan sighs, rolling his eyes up to the ceiling. “Just because we’re both freaks at school doesn’t mean I’m friends with him. I know nothing about Munson other than he lives in Forest Hills trailer park. I don’t think he even has parents.”

He pauses, turning his gaze back at Nancy, “Wait, what about the demo-monster? We know nothing about it.”

“We do.” Nancy gets up, walking over to her bookshelf. “I’ve only seen the monster for a minute, but even if it’s not from our world, it’s still an animal. A predator. If we can at least guess its strengths and weaknesses,” she pulls out her animal encyclopedia. She hasn’t touched it since eighth grade, but it should still do, “then we hunt it and kill it.”

Jonathan stares at her. “How?”

“We can get hunting equipment. That should work.”

“But will that guarantee getting Will and Munson out?”

Nancy doesn’t know how to answer that.

—

Jim wakes with a startled gasp and a hand clamping over his neck. The side of it still pangs with the needle suddenly stabbing through the skin. Catching his breath, he takes in his new surroundings. He’s back in his trailer, now sitting upright on the couch as the morning beams through the curtains. Which means that, in between now and his baffling discovery at the Hawkins Laboratory, Jim had somehow made it home and blacked out.

Motherfuckers.

Jim rushes out of the couch and starts tearing through every inch of his place. Cuts through the pillows. Breaks more plates than necessary in the cabinets. Digs through the trash. Ruffles his bedsheets. The whole shebang.

It’s while he starts unscrewing the bulbs of his lamps that a knocking bangs on the front door. Jim freezes for a second, a sheet of sweat and fear dousing him. His gun is lost somewhere in the mess. If that’s the Lab folks again with that Brenner man again-

“Chief! You coming out?”

Jim shakes out a relieved sigh. It’s Cahallan.

He eyes at the lamp, wondering if he could still check it. He decides to leave it for now. Let the Lab listen to him like they want.

Jim finds his gun and checks through the peephole. Then he pokes his head out, glaring at Cahallan.

“Whoa, Chief,” Cahallan starts but Jim cuts him off with a (hopefully) very relaxed, “What’s up?”

As Cahallan stares at him, Jim notices two other men behind him. He relaxes when he recognizes Powell - who’s looking down like the dead leaves around his shoes are the Niagara Falls - and Conrad Smith, another officer at the station.

Cahallan snaps out of his stupor, shaking his head. “Remember Barbara Holland? A couple of those rangers went out and got a eyewitness who said she hitchhiked with a trucker somewhere west. Guess she did ran away after all.”

Jim nods, but his mind is already split between completing his search of the house and the goddamn state getting their hands all over Hawkins.

“There’s something else too, Chief.”

Jim barely resists an impatient sigh, “What?”

The men look at each nervously before Cahallan takes a breath and quickly says, “Will Byers’ grave was desecrated last night.”

Jim almost falls over at that, but he catches himself at the last second. He doesn’t hide his shock and disbelief though. “I’m sorry, what?!”

“We got the call just around ten last night.” Smith takes the reins to explain, “The grave was dug down to his coffin and the robbers broke it open.”

Oh sweet Jesus.

How Jim hasn’t collapsed to the ground yet, he chalks it up to his sheer force of will and the way his hand still grips on the edge of his door. He sucks in a deep breath, “Please tell me the kid’s body isn’t violated.”

Cahallan winces again, “Yeah, uh, we don’t exactly know.” At Jim’s bewildered glare, he quickly backtracks, “When we came over, the graveyard was swarmed by the state guys! They told us this was their ‘point of interest’, whatever the hell that means other than we should stay out of their business.”

A cold sweat drips down Jim’s neck. This definitely sounds like a government coverup in the making. Not to mention that if Joyce catches a wind of what’s going on… Jim’s not sure if he should pray for the state rangers from their inevitable fates.

Then another cold thought strikes him. What if the Lab already bugged her house? And Wayne Munson’s?

“Okay.” Jim feigns casual interest and clicks his tongue. “Well, if the case is going to be resolved by the state, then so be it. Now scram.”

Before he shuts the door, he hears Powell calling out to him. He glares out again, “What?”

Powell shuffles from foot to foot before finally piping up, “Am I still fired after the Munson kid is found?”

Jim slams the door.

He stays long enough to hear their mutterings and crunching footsteps as they walk away. Then he stomps back over to the lamp, digging his hand inside the cover. Something plastic touches his fingers. Jim immediately curls around it and pulls it out, barely catching a small snap as he does.

He examines the device closely. It’s a small black object that looks like some Lego pieces glued together with a couple exposed wires on the side. Jim doesn’t think twice about opening the window and throwing the thing out as far as he could without pulling a muscle.

—

It’s the crick in his neck that wakes up Wayne first. He slowly sits up from his uncomfortable position and rubs a hard thumb on the knot. As he does, Wayne presses a palm over his eyes, taking in the room with bleary eyes.

The living room’s the same as last time. The lights Joyce had reattached to the wall were sprawled across the table to the wall above the couch. Part of the old bedsheet, the alphabet hastily painted in black, had somehow fallen on his lap. Joyce herself is also sleeping, now lying on the couch instead of her stiff seating position from the last time Wayne had checked.

It’s surprising that either of them had slept after their grave discovery (no pun intended), especially after a frantic but thorough washing of their dirt-covered hands and disposal of the shovels.

He reaches over, nudging Joyce by her arm. It takes a couple tries but she jolts awake.

“Oh god…” She yawns with a crack of her jaw. Then she peers over at Wayne. “Had they said anything yet?”

Wayne shakes his head, picking up a string and letting it go so it clacks against the cloth. “I’ve actually fell asleep too, so I might’ve missed it.”

Joyce stretches her arms over her head as she sits up. She clears her throat and calls out, “Good morning, Will! Morning to you, Eddie.”

Wayne watches every lightbulb but none of them flickers. Joyce gives out a huff of frustration before she glances back at Wayne. “Coffee?”

“Best way to start the morning.” Wayne smiles. Joyces returns it, though smaller and strained. But just as she stands up, there’s a sudden knock at the door.

They freeze. Wayne whirls his head back to Joyce. Her face is pale with fear. When she catches his eye, she mouths questioningly, “Police?”

Wayne really hopes it’s not.

We got out of the grave fast. We ran back to my truck fast and quiet. I drove us out without a hurry just several minutes later so the ‘keeper won’t question it.

..Actually, looking back at it, Wayne might’ve been an idiot.

The knocking comes again. Persistent, louder.

Wayne stands up slowly. Joyce grabs onto his arm. “What do I do?” She whispers. He can already see her hand twitching towards a nearby hammer.

“Answer it.” Wayne continues when Joyce gives him a baffled look, “Whoever it is, they probably won’t leave until you open the door. Might be the police. Might be Lonnie or somebody else.” His hands goes on her shoulders, squeezing them assuringly. “But the second they start bringing harm on you, I’ll break their teeth.”

Joyce nods, sucking in shaky breaths. She pats his hands, letting Wayne to drop them as she strides over to the knocking door. Joyce pauses to shoot another look at him. Wayne nods back. Go ahead.

She jerks her chin up with a defiant glare. Joyce calls out as she opens the door. “Alright, I’m here! No need t-”

Chief Hopper immediately steps inside, silencing her with a finger to his lips and a notepad aimed at her.

Wayne blinks. Well, he fears the police would come, but not in this kind of manner he’s seen before. “Chief?”

Hopper turns to him, holding his shushing gesture while shaking his notepad at Wayne. They’re written in black pen, large letters saying DON’T SAY ANYTHING!

“Hop-?” Joyce starts to speak, but Hopper shushes her again.

Wayne and Joyce soon stand at each other’s sides, watching in complete bewilderment and dismay as Hopper methodically turns the house inside out. After what feels like hours later, Hopper finishes his bizarre inspection as he nods at them.

“You’re good, Joyce.” Hopper sighs, dropping to the couch.

“Hopper, what the hell?!” Joyce throws her arms up, stomping over to him. “You come in here, tell me and Wayne to stay quiet, and you tear the rooms apart? At this point, I might as well move out!”

“I know, I’m sorry.” Hopper rubs his eyes wearily, “I just needed to make sure they didn’t bug you.”

At Joyce’s sound of confusion, Wayne steps in and asks, “‘They’?”

If he’s puzzled by Wayne’s presence, Hopper doesn’t show it. Instead, he answers simply, “The lab.”

“You’re losing us, Hop,” Joyce crosses her arms, “What lab?”

Hopper tells them. For the second time, Wayne thinks that he’s just hearing a ghost story. Only this time involving a reckless breaking and entry of the Hawkins Lab and discovering something in their lower floors that sounds more like a newfound gate to hell.

“It was glowing red?” Joyce interrupts. The horrified disbelief on her face probably matches with Wayne’s.

Hopper nods, “Yeah, from the inside.”

“Like my wall.” Joyce murmurs. Catching Wayne’s confused glance, she explains, “That night when I spoke to Will and he told me Eddie’s name? Something came out of my wall in the room and, well, I couldn’t see it probably but it glowed red and scared me out of my house.”

“Eddie’s name?” Now it’s Hopper looking confused.

Wayne blows out a soft breath, “We- well, Joyce here had spoken to her son. Turns out wherever he is, Eddie’s with him too.”

While Hopper processes that info, Joyce frowns at him, “Do you think that, because of whatever the Lab has in their basement, it’s why Will and Eddie are not here?”

“Not to mention the state taking over Eddie’s case.” Wayne remarks pointedly.

Hopper runs a hand down his face, muttering curses under his breath. “Yep.” He makes a short but bitter laugh, “Actually, I figured that they had to be covering for something when I tried to get to the morgue, but too many rangers were posted there.”

“Because Will’s body is fake.” Joyce says.

“Exact-” Hopper starts to nod before shooting his head towards Joyce. A sharp pang of panic shoots through Wayne as he whirls at her. Joyce immediately clamps a hand over her mouth but the damage is already done.

The silence loads into the living room like bullets in a gun chamber.

“Joyce.” Hopper says slowly with a careful tone. His hands are carefully outstretched and open. “Joyce, what did you just say?”

Joyce looks at Wayne with barely-hidden panic and apologies in her eyes. He just squeezes her hand comfortingly. It’s okay, I’m not mad, He hopes she understands his silent message.

She squeeze his hand back.

“Joyce, I promise you’re not saying anything incriminating. I just want to you repeat what you just said. Just as a friend.”

Screw it, let’s rip the Band-Aid off. If the Chief of Hawkins Police can handle sneaking into a government lab by himself, then what’s worse than grave robbing with good intentions?

Wayne clears his throat, getting Hopper’s attention on him, “We already know about Will’s grave because Joyce and I dug it up last night.”

He keeps his own head up as Hopper’s snap towards him with saucers for eyes.

Joyce drops her hand from her mouth and almost-yells, “But that’s to check on who they actually buried! And you know what we found, Hop? It was fake. They literally made up Will’s body out of plastic!”

“I accidentally kicked the head off.” Wayne adds with a casual shrug. Not the best attempt to have the atmosphere light again, but sue him, he’s trying. “Bless the almighty above that there was only cotton stuffings instead of blood coming out.”

Usually, he doesn’t like watching the light be drained out of people’s eyes in real time. But this time will an exception because it’s actually kind of funny seeing Hopper go into some sort of existential crisis on the spot.

“Please don’t report this, Hop.” Joyce claps her hands together in a prayer gesture. “At least don’t tell anyone Wayne and I did it.”

“Oh, don’t worry…” Hopper barely mutters, his gaze now blankly staring at the table as if the object had just sucked his soul out.

“Hop?” Joyce leans in as if to poke him, but Wayne gently stops her. Shaking his head lightly, he says, “How about we fix ourselves some breakfast? I don’t remember the last time I ate, to be honest.”

They both stand back up, leaving Hopper on the couch. Wayne notes Joyce’s carefully-steeled face and nudges her. “You’re allowed to laugh, you know.”

Joyce quickly shakes her head, but he can see a smile already cracking through her face while she rubs over her arms. In fact, she looks almost a tad too gleeful, “I’m glad that I got to actually say that out loud.”

Then her face falls again to the chronic worrying expression, “I just hope our boys are doing okay right now.”

—

When Will stirs awake, the first thing he feels is Eddie’s heart beating against his ear from where his head had at some point moved on top of Eddie’s chest. Relieved, Will keeps his eyes closed, ready to continue sleeping.

And then he hears the raspy breathing.

Will sits up so quickly that, for a second, his vision turns black around the edges. Even in the dark, he sees Eddie rapidly blinking up with glossy eyes.

“Eddie?” Will places his hand on Eddie’s forehead, only to immediately pull it back. His skin is so hot that it burns through all of Will’s fingers. Oh no.

Will moves so he’s kneeling right beside Eddie’s head, already carefully brushing his hair away from his sweating face just like how Mom does it whenever he gets sick. The older boy trembles violently, either from the touch or the fever, Will doesn’t know. He tries to remember what Mom had always said on those sick days, finally settling on the most important question - “Are you feeling okay?”

Eddie answers with a small gurgle before throwing up over his jeans.

-

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[vyncentevelyn]

I’ve seen a lot of posts about what Eddie’s mom looks like, who would play her, etc. and none of them really clicked for me.

And maybe that’s because I’m writing about her. Maybe I’m too close to her.

But then it hit me. Rachel Weisz but with brown eyes.

This is Winnie Munson.

Look at them.

I mean. They are mother and son.

I just.

Look at them.

And then like here’s one with Wayne because why not.

Siblings. Sister and brother. Brother and sister. The Munsons.

[puppy-steve]

if yall wanna know what a true appalachian kitchen looks like for your wayne moodboards, look no further

this is my grandparents kitchen back in 2016. the only thing thats changed from then to now is they got a new(ish) stove.

[loudsnapdragon]

thank you to @dreamwatch for tagging me a in a little WIP Wednesday!🧡

some angsty Eddie pov, from a possible b-side to my Juno fic here.

His mama always sends him a handknitted toboggan for his birthday, or close abouts. It was November by the time it arrived this year, only two months late, wrapped up in brown paper and twine. Wayne called it handsome when Eddie pulled it over his head, the blue wool a little harsh against his dark hair but still charming in its way. He remembers her always being nimble with her fingers, whether it was knitting needles or the fine papers of rollie or the strings of that little old guitar painted silly colors.

It was a pretty thing, that guitar. A Rickenbacker acoustic with pink and blue daisies around the pick guard. It got her into a lot of trouble, that guitar.

There’s this old boozer off Main St. It’s where the plant workers go; Wayne and his buddies. Eddie only set foot inside once, twelve years old and fucking terrified cos’ he’d lost his keys, and the frozen trailer door wasn’t budging like it usually did when he shimmied the handle. Dragging his feet through the snow and biting his lip blue. Expecting the complete stranger he’d only recently been informed was his uncle, and the only living relative fit to care for him, to slap him backwards for losing the keys to the trailer Eddie’d no doubt already tarnished with his mere presence.

He remembers the shock of warmth when he walked out the cold of his first Hawkins’ winter and into the red carpeted bar. The way the glowing neons behind the counter were blocked out by the bartender towering over him, asking if he knew where he was. Eddie wasn’t one for biting his tongue, never has been, but he didn’t answer. Too distracted by the guitarist in the corner, twanging strings waving under his fat fingers. Odd music, not quite like home. Wherever that was. But it got the liquored up oldies at the bar waving their beers, cheerily mumbling along to the too-fast words.

Wayne spotted him soon enough. And cos’ he’s an old sweetheart, he barely bat an eyelid at his night ending early. Walked Eddie home and showed him the spare hidden in a knot in the punk wood under the doormat. Eddie sat up on the kitchen counter, cos’ he was small enough to do that back then, chewing on a fresh grilled cheese as Wayne pottered around the stove, making himself a black coffee to sober up before bed. With a decisive swing of his feet against the cabinets, Eddie decided the curiosity beat out the constant low-lying fear that he was impeding on Wayne’s everything, and asked after the music. It sounded like mama’s songs, he said. Back when she still played.

And Wayne sighed like a tire wheezing out the last of its air, the car crashing into the side of the highway. Made Eddie freeze his short legs, hanging perpendicular off the counter.

'Sorry,' he said.

'It’s alright,' Wayne said, putting down his coffee and helping Eddie jump down. ;Get to bed, and I’ll tell ya.'

He’d never had his own bed before. Always slept in his mama’s bed back in Virginia, and then, when he was with Teddy, it was the loveseat under the apartment window. Never any curtains, so the streetlights would bother him all night, morning sun waking him up early enough so he could dust down the living room, make Teddy a coffee, and then go about pretending he didn't exist. As was best to do when he was staying there.

But Wayne gave up the bedroom when Eddie moved in, telling Eddie to make it his own. He hasn’t got much décor to show for it; a snapshot of his mama above the bedside lamp; some rocks he’d found in the creek back home; the leather jacket Teddy had given him as way of an apology, too big for a child and falling apart at the seams.

Wayne pulled up the rickety chair to sit by the bed, like he’d be telling Eddie a fairy tale. But Wayne’s never been that fanciful, who’s got time for that, so it was a real story. More truth than Eddie had ever heard before.

A very pretty lady came rolling down the mountains to stay with her auntie and get her high school diploma. Hawkins’ High didn’t know how to comprehend her, this skinny girl with straw hair and strange words and a face that got Ted Wheeler nearly giving it all up just to take her to Prom. But Ted didn’t win her hand, cos’ the pretty lady had her eyes set on a life beyond the better-to-do suburbs. She wanted to travel to the real city, see the big wide world and where she fit into it. Poor as pieces she was, made ends meet with a job cleaning at the luxury motel off the highway, and on occasion singing a tune around town. Wayne always wondered after her, how safe she was playing her silly guitar in those smoky bars. He was ought to be graduating the same year as her, couldn’t deny he’d blush when she smiled so earnest in the hallways, like she’d never learnt the high-mindedness that Karen Childress got her kicks from. But where Wayne kept his distance, his big brother crept forwards.

Edward Munson has four years over Wayne, four years more than Eliza too.

When he’s older, Eddie will hear the odd story about Teddy around town. How he was a charmer, a crook, a cheat, but more often than not, how he was the handsomest man his dear mama ever saw. He found her playing guitar in that old boozer, watched her intently as he sipped on a whiskey he didn’t pay for, tipped her mighty with cash he won fair and square in a pool game against Lonnie Byers, or so he claimed. Teddy told that girl she had a voice made for the West, how her yellow hair would light up like golden sand under the sun.

Three months later and she was expecting, one month more and they were married, and she’d dropped out of high school. Another month after, and Teddy ran off solo to the coast, leaving Eliza on the Munson’s family’s doorstep, begging her mother-in-law to lend a helping hand. Wayne put in a good word for he, he swore he did. Told his mom that Eliza was a good girl who been screwed over by the slimiest Munson there was. But his mom had a soft spot for her eldest, and the besotted kindness didn’t extend to the witch who’d stolen him away.

So, Eliza went hitchhiking back to Virginia, her aunt having lost her wits and screeching that there was no hope for her left in Hawkins, and Edward Munson Jr. was born by a woodstove on the brick floor of his nana’s house in the mountains.

[andersonvice]

I’m actually working on my appalachian eddie fic who’s proud 😋

[werepuppy-steve]

the results from these polls were an overwhelming "yes", so now it's time to decide:

[formosusiniquis]

my @steddiesummerexchange gift fic for @oh-stars! I was so excited to work on this prompt: penpals through childhood until they both graduate -- road trip to meet one another in person. Epistolary fics are always a favorite of mine. oh-stars is such a brilliant writer and bright spot in the fandom, I was excited to be able to write a little something for her, I hope you like it!

October 13, 1976 Dear Eddie,

Mrs. Simpson says I’m supposed to thank you for volunteering to be my partner even though you’re a fifth grader. I don’t know why I should though since now I actually have to do this stupid pen pal project. I know she only paired me with an older kid cause she thinks I’m dumb. But thanks for the extra work I guess.

She said she wasn’t gonna read these before she sent them off, just that she was gonna make sure they were a page front and back like they were supposed to be. But I don’t really believe her. So I guess I should actually write this right.

Hi Eddie. My name is Steve Harrington. I’m 10 years old because I got put in Kindergarten late cause my parents were too busy in wherever my dad does his business stuff and my au pair -- that’s fancy for babysitter who lives in your house -- couldn’t do it. My birthday is in September, almost at the end (the 27th), so I guess that’s why it was okay. When’s your birthday (Mrs. Simpson says a friendly letter is supposed to ask questions.)

My favorite things are yellow and sports. I’m the best at red rover and kickball, Tommy says it's cause I’m the oldest and biggest in our class but he’s a sore loser and couldn’t even break through the girl side of the red rover line. Do you play games? Mrs. Simpson talks about your Hawkins like it’s on a different planet but you’re just in Kentucky. It’s right across the river. I’ve been there a couple times when Dad likes me and we’ll go watch Louisville play basketball. Basketball is my favorite sport but the only outside court is at the park and the big teenagers are always on it.

When you write back you can tell me what sports and games you like. Does your Dad ever bring you to Indiana to watch stuff? The Pacers only played okay last season and they lost to Kentucky in the playoffs. Is that who you root for?

Oh and I’m supposed to ask you about school since this is like homework. I kinda already did that at the beginning, remember. Do you like English or something? Is that why you asked for extra work? Or was your pen pal last year just a super dud?

That’s front and back now.

Sincerely (cause we aren’t friends), Steve Harrington

October 25, 1976 Dear Steve,

First of all I didn’t ask to have to write a letter to some fourth grader. I was told because I’m the only kid who didn’t do it last year that I had to be your partner. I do like English but extra work isn’t fun for anybody. I’ve never had a pen pal before so you’re the best and the worst one I’ve ever had. Are teachers allowed to call people dumb at your school? Mine just look at me like a really weird bug on the road or something.

Your teacher sounds like a real pain in the side, that’s what my Uncle Wayne would say. I think it’s cause he’s pretending he doesn’t know the word bitch. She talks about this Hawkins like it’s on another planet because it’s in the Appalachian Mountains and people think everyone here is stupid and marries their cousins.

Some of them are stupid but they would be like that anywhere it’s not because they live out here.

I’m actually from Lexington though so it isn’t even my Hawkins, but my Uncle Wayne lives here and he has to watch me for a little while.

You didn’t really ask me anything good about myself. I’m Eddie Munson, I’m going to be 11 when it’s my birthday this year (Halloween the coolest birthday cause everyone gives you candy). Red and black are my favorite colors. I don’t like any sports at all, they’re all stupid but everyone knows about basketball here, it's more important than church. Everywhere has games but when you get to fifth grade you learn which ones are for babies.

I like imagination games the best cause then I don’t have to worry about anyone else playing with me. There’s lots of woods here so I can go in them and hunt monsters or dragons or be an elf like in my favorite books.

Wayne’s looking over my shoulder and says I’m supposed to ask you a question. So what’s your favorite book? Do you like fantasy, that’s my favorite but the science fiction stuff with aliens is cool too.

I know you asked about my dad but since I live with Wayne I’m gonna use him instead. He hasn’t ever taken me to Indiana cause “his truck weren’t meant to leave these hills” whatever that means. He said he roots for The Colonels but he wishes your Pacers luck this season. What’s a Pacer anyway?

Do I have to ask you about school too? I don’t think this is homework for me more like extra credit. If you don’t like English what do you like? Don’t say recess or lunch those are cheating answers.

Not your friend either, Eddie Munson

Continue on AO3

[ridikkulusemily]

and when i'm back in hawkins i feel it

It was a totally normal day when Steve found out. It wasn’t supposed to happen, at least not this way.

Steve and Robin stopped off at a seemingly new coffee shop in their hometown of Hawkins, Indiana, when they came back from college for spring break.

“Mornin’ my darlin’s, what can i do for y’all today?” A faint appalachian accent said from behind the counter.

“Hey Skye,” Robin say, smiling.

“Oh hey, Rob, you didn’t tell me y’all were coming home,” Skye said, smiling at her girlfriend.

“Wanted to surprise you,”

“well colour me surprised, my dear, what can i get y’all?”

“iced caramel latte for me, with a bakewell tart and for Steven here, an iced americano with a chocolate chip cookie,” Robin tells her.

“that’s all perfect my dear,” Steve moves to pay, “Oh, don’ worry about that darlin’, don’t tell Eddie but its on the house, okay?”

Steve backs up shocked slightly, “Oh, well thank you, Skye.”

“it’s no problem,” Skye chuckles, “I’ll be right over with your order,”

The two go to sit at a table by the window, as the bell rang to signal the door opening, and a young child comes flying across the shop, running into Robin’s arms.

“Auntie Robbie!” The girl cries.

“Hey baby, how are you doing? Where’s pappy?” Robin asks the girl, who turns and points at an older man talking to Skye at the counter.

Steve follows their gazes and sees one of the only people he did not particularly want to see, Wayne Munson.

“Who is this?” Steve asks his sister.

“She’s my niece, Jamie Munson,” Robin explained.

“Is she Scottie’s?” Steve asked, as Skye brought her uncle and the drinks over.

“Auntie Skye!” the girl, Jamie, exclaimed.

“Oh hey there, darlin’, how you doin’? Havin’ fun with Pappy today?” Skye asks her niece.

“Yea! We had ice cream and went to the cinema! We came to see you and daddy!”

“Well that sounds like fun, your daddy’s in the back doing stock at the moment, I’ll see if I can get him to come out, yeah?”

“Yes! I want to see daddy,”

“Now I’ll see what I can do, but you just stay here with Pappy and Auntie Robbie, okay?” Skye tells her, kissing her on the forehead and waving goodbye to the others as she goes to the back.

“Steve,” Wayne’s gruff voice sounds from above.

“Hi Sir,” Steve replies as the man sits down besides Robin.

“Now, what have I said about callin’ me Sir? I do not care what happened between you and my boy, you call me Wayne, you got it?”

Steve smiles, having missed the old man, “How about Old Man?”

“Don’t push it,” Wayne says smiling.

“Who made you a granddad, Wayne?” Steve asks him.

“Well, I’m surprised you haven’t worked it out,” Wayne says, but notices Steve’s reaction, “or you have and you don’t want it to be true,”

“I think I have, how old is she?”

“Three next month,”

Steve’s face says it all, “i-I can’t do this,” He gets up and leaves, visibly panicking.

“Is he okay?’ Jamie asks quietly.

“He will be darling, he will be,” Robin mutters, hearing the BMW drive off.

Skye watches the whole situation, turning and walking into the back to get Eddie. Shortly after, the two walk over to the table.

“Daddy!”

“Hey darlin’, how are ya?”

“Good, daddy!”

“What happened over here?” Eddie asks his uncle and sister in law.

“Steve found out,” Robin says.

Eddie’s eyes widened, “You told him?!”

“Calm down, nobody told ‘im, he worked it out, and he left,” Wayne explained to his nephew.

“Did he go where I think he did?”

“Most likely, you know its where he goes whenever he panics,”

“Okay, I’ll be back soon, stay with Pappy and Robin, baby,” Eddie says before he runs off, to his van.

Eddie drives as fast as he can to Skull Rock, finding Steve’s car, not far from it. Eddie parked up, and jumped out of the van, running towards the rock. Steve was curled up under it, rocking very slightly back and forth.

Eddie kneels beside him, laying a hand lightly on his shoulder, “Steve?”

Steve jolts up out of shock, and looks up with teary eyes to find Eddie.

“Is she mine?” Steve asks shakily.

“I-I…” Eddie stutters.

“Is she mine?” Steve nearly shouts, starting to get angry.

Eddie nods, “She is,”

“Why? Why did you not tell me? And Robin kept it from me? Do the kids know?” Steve asks.

“I asked her to not tell you, for the same reason I didn’t tell you, and she fought me, but eventually she agreed not to tell you. And the kids know, again, they didn’t want to keep it from you but i made them. I didn’t tell you because well I didn’t know I was pregnant when we broke up, I didn’t find out until after you had gone, and I knew you would drop out of college to come home, and I did not want you to do that, I didn’t- I didn’t want you to ruin your life for me, and  I know you’ll say you wouldn’t have been ruining your life, but I know you would have felt it eventually, it was your dream to go to college…”

“It was my dream to have kids and have a family, I wanted a family with you, that was my dream. College always would have been second to that. I would be successful if i had kids and did nothing else with my life. You don’t get to make decisions like that for me, nobody gets to make decisions like that for me. Does she even know who I am?”

“She does, just not that you’re her father, I was gonna wait until she was old enough to understand. I was never going to make you out to be a deadbeat because that couldn’t be further from the truth,”

“You don’t get it, you still did. You still made me seem like a deadbeat, by not telling me. it makes it seem like I do not want to be in her life, when that is all I want. That is all I’ll ever want, and you don’t seem to understand that,” Steve was now stood, face to face with Eddie and pointing at him.

Eddie reaches out and pulls Steve in tight, not letting go for anything, “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I don’t expect you to understand, but now that you do know, I’m not gonna keep her from you, you can hate me all you want, but you will always be allowed in Jamie’s life, okay? I promise,”

Steve just cries, as he had been since Eddie began hugging him. The two continued standing there until Steve had eventually stopped crying and caught his breath.

“You should have told me, but I-I, I understand why you didn’t, however that doesn’t mean i’m not mad at you for it,”

“that’s fair, I mean, I need to get back to the cafe, but um if you want you can spend the rest of the day with Jamie? If you want?”

Steve nods agreeing, and follows behind Eddie, as they make their way back to the coffee shop.

“Steve? You doing okay now, man?” Robin asks.

Steve smiles eyes still red, “Yea, I’m good,”

“Hey darlin’, this is Steve, you know the man in all those photos around our house? Yea this is him, he said he’ll look after you for the rest of the day, until i come home, okay?”

Jamie smiles, “Yes!”

“I gotta go, but I’ll see y’all later? bye bye” Eddie says blowing kisses to his daughter, and turning back to finish the stock.

Steve sat down and finished his cake that was surprisingly left over, and then took Jamie out to the mall, while Robin and Wayne went home to the trailer.

The two had fun running around the mall, and Steve bought her some clothes and some toys, until she noticed the record store.

“Steve, Steve! Can we go there?” She asks, pointing over excitedly, “I want to get something for daddy!”

Steve smiles down at her, “Yes we can, come on,”

Steve takes her into the store and she finds the new album from Eddie’s favourite band, that he doesn’t have yet, and Steve bought that, plus a couple of other albums that he knew Eddie would never have copies of but he knows he liked them.

Jamie starts yawning as they leave the store.

“You tired?” Steve smiles as Jamie shakes her head no, “I think you are little miss, let’s take you home to Pappy’s okay?”

Steve takes Jamie home, and finds Robin on the couch watching their favourite tv show and Wayne in the kitchen cooking dinner.

“Hey y’all, Eddie and Sky won’t be home for another hour or so,”

“that’s fine Wayne, little Jamie here was getting tired so i thought I’d bring her home,”

“totally fine, Steve, join Robin on the couch, dinner is not long now,”

Steve did as told, and joined his sister on the couch, Jamie climbing onto his lap and cuddling up to him.

Eddie and Skye came home an hour later to find the three of them asleep on the couch, cuddled up together. Skye went over and shook Robin gently as Eddie went to do the same to Steve and Jamie.

“Hey guys, wake up,” Eddie whispers, as Steve opens his eyes slowly.

“Hey, what time is it?”

“5:30, we just got back,” Eddie tells him, “you wanna come back to mine, with Jamie?”

Steve nods, getting up with Jamie and taking her to the van. Steve put her into her car seat and went to grab the bags he had left in the back of the BMW. He put them into the back of the van and climbed into the car himself, leaving the BMW at the trailer as Robin had the spare key and can drive it.

Eddie drove them back to his house quietly. Steve left the bags in the kitchen for them to sort out in the morning while Eddie took Jamie upstairs and put her to bed.

The two men sat on the couch watching a movie that they used to love watching together all the time. They were sat close together, neither giving in to their impulses.

That didn’t last them long. About 30 minutes into the movie, Eddie gave in and straddled Steve’s lap kissing him. Steve kisses him back with the same vigour and runs his hands under Eddie’s shirt.

Eddie breaks away to pull his shirt and then Steve’s off, leaning in again to continue kissing. they continue this way for a few minutes, Steve going for the buckle on Eddie’s belt, whose hands go down automatically to stop him.

“not tonight, we need to talk properly before we do that,”

Steve nods, agreeing with him, and lays down on the couch, pulling Eddie down with him. Eddie buried his head into Steve’s bare chest and Steve buried his nose into Eddie’s hair. They fell asleep like this.

the next morning began with Jamie running down the stairs and jumping on the two on the couch, waking them up abruptly.

“Mornin’ baby,” Eddie says to his daughter.

“Mornin’ daddy!”

“Morning Jamie,” Steve muttered.

Eddie shuffled his way into the kitchen to begin making breakfast, Jamie following behind and hopping up into a chair at the table. Steve comes in shortly after, as Eddie is cooking, wrapping his arms around Eddie’s waist from behind.

“What are we having?”

“Bacon, eggs, and there’s some toast as well,” Eddie says, leaning backwards slightly into Steve’s chest.

Steve leans his chin on Eddie’s shoulder, “What’s the plan for today?”

“I’m not working today, and neither is Skye, so I’m thinking i’ll see if Skye will take Jamie for the day and we can talk? Does that sound okay?”

Steve nods against Eddie’s shoulder, “Sounds good,”

“Anyway, go keep Jamie occupied while i finish cooking,”

Steve pulls away from Eddie and begins chatting and playing around with Jamie.

Eddie smiles as he hears them and can’t stop smiling all throughout breakfast.

——

Once breakfast is over, Steve offers to wash up, which Eddie accepts the offer, as he goes to call his sister.

“Skye?” Eddie asks, as the call connects.

“Hmm?” Skye mutters back, tired.”

“Would you and Robin be able to take Jamie for the day?”

“Yeah, course, why?”

“Want to spend time with Steve, talk to him and stuff,” Eddie tells his sister, as he hears moving around in the background and then Robin’s voice down the phone.

“What’s Ed want?” He hears Robin whisper.

“He wants us to take Jamie so he can spend time with Steve and talk to him, he says,” Skye replies.

“Sure, ‘talk’,” Robin laughs.

“I can hear you, you know?” Eddie tells them.

The girls just laugh in reply, “We will take her, I know you both need to talk, just bring her over in an hour or so” Skye reassures him.

“Okay, see you in a bit,” Eddie hangs up and turns to Steve and Jamie, “Hey baby, you’re going over to see Auntie Robin and Auntie Skye today, okay?”

Jamie’s eyes lit up in excitement, “Yeah! Yeah!”

“Let’s take you upstairs and get you dressed, huh?”

Jamie nods and runs up the stairs, as Eddie turns to Steve, “You didn’t bring any clothes here with you did you? Left them in your car right?”

Steve nods, “Yeah, I didn’t think it through last night,”

“It’s fine, I’ll get her dressed and grab something for you as well after i get dressed, okay? I think I may even have some of your old clothes here still,” Eddie says, walking up the stairs to dress his daughter.

Eddie comes back down the stairs not long later, with Jamie, both in clean clothes and Eddie holding a pile of clothes that he drops next to Steve on the couch.

“I’ll be back in twenty minutes, get changed and we’ll talk when i get back okay?”

——

Steve stood the moment he heard the van pull up and opened the door as Eddie got out.

Eddie seemingly speedwalked into the house, pushing Steve backwards gently and closing the door behind him. Eddie walked forwards as Steve walked backwards, falling onto the couch and Eddie straddled Steve’s thighs and kisses him, deep and wanting.

Steve wraps his arms around Eddie’s waist, attempting to pull Eddie impossibly closer.

“Eddie,” Steve mutters.

That seemed to make Eddie come to his senses and he pulls away, “Steve, we can’t, we need to talk,”

“I-I know, I just, I missed this, I missed you,”

Eddie climbs off of Steve and flops on the couch next to him, “I missed you too, but we need to talk through everything before we do anything, no matter how much we both want to,”

“Eddie… I’m not mad at you, not now anyway, I was at first, but uh, I know you meant well. it’s like I uh I know why you broke up with me in the first place and I understand it now. I guess I just didn’t want to admit that you were right. I think if we did stay together, I wouldn’t like love you any less but I can’t guarantee that I wouldn’t like feel tied down or like resent you or even quit college. I don’t think I’m wording it right but I think you know what I mean,”

Eddie nods, “I know what you mean, I don’t ever want you to think that I broke up with you because I didn’t love you, it was honestly one of the hardest things I did. And i’ll be honest, I regret it, I’ve regretted it since I found out I was pregnant with Jamie, y’know I had to stop taking my hormones for the whole of the pregnancy and the year after too? I hated it, but it was worth it. It was worth it because it gave me Jamie, and I took that from you. And I’m sorry,”

“Eddie… no, don’t apologise. You were right to do it, you thought it was what was best for you and our daughter, and I mean, I’m here now, if you’ll have me, I want to be in her life, as long as you’ll let me,” Steve tells him.

Eddie shakes his head in disbelief, “ You know I don’t know what I expected from this but this was not it. I still love you, you probably worked that out, and i want you to be in Jamie’s life, and I want you to be in mine, if you’ll have me?”

Steve turns to Eddie taking Eddie’s face in his hands, “Of course I will, and I’ll do it properly, I’ll take you on a date, spend time with you and Jamie and everything. I will do it properly and treat you the way you deserve to be treated, okay? I just, uh,” Steve chuckled, “I don’t know how we’re, um, gonna explain this to Jamie,”

Eddie smiles at Steve, “She’s a lot smarter than we think, I think if we just tell her outright then she’ll probably understand,”

“I mean I’m not surprised, you may have failed senior year three times but you were a lot smarter than people gave you credit for, just not academically,” Steve tells the other man, chuckling slightly.

Eddie smiles looking down at the couch and picking at it slightly. Steve notices straight away and pulls Eddie’s hands up and away from the couch.

“You never could break that habit, could you, Eds?”

He looks up at the man sat in front of him, “Guess not, and I missed that,”

“Missed what?”

“You calling me Eds,” Eddie whispered.

“Everyone calls you that though?”

“It’s different when you do it,” Eddie mutters.

Steve smiled, “Yeah? What about my darlin’?”

Eddie mutters incoherently.

“Honey?’

Eddie whined.

“My baby?”

Eddie snapped and pulled Steve in again, Kissing him senseless and pushing him backwards into the couch again.

“I knew that would work,” Steve smiles, as Eddie pulled away to breathe.

Eddie pulled back even further, leaning down into Steve’s chest, laughing.

“I forget how well you know me,” Eddie says, still laughing.

“I mean, we were together for a long time, basically inseparable,” Steve chuckles.

“I didn’t realise how much i missed this, I don’t think I can go back to before, so I think you’re stuck with me Stevie,”

“That’s not the worst situation I’ve been in,” Steve laughs.

“Don’t I know it,” Eddie replies.

Steve sits up, Eddie still on him, “Get up we’re going out,”

“Where?”

“You’ll see,” Steve smiles, taking the keys to the van and leading Eddie outside.

——

Steve drove them to the diner on the outskirts of Hawkins, the one place they knew they could be together without having anyone harass them, and their favourite place to go to.

“You remembered?”

“‘Course I did, we used to love this place,”

“Still do, I bring Jamie here pretty frequently,”

“Still get the same every time?”

“Yea I do, chocolate milkshake and…”

“Waffles and loaded fries,” Steve interrupts.

Eddie laughs in disbelief, “Yes exactly that. How do you remember that?”

“Told you, I missed you,” Steve muttered.

The two of them spent the rest of the day there, laughing and chatting, until Robin, Skye and Jamie come scrambling in and pushing their way into the booth.

“Hi Daddy!”

“Hey, baby, what are you girls doing here?”

“We came to get food, and Jamie saw you through the window,” Skye informs her brother.

“So, anything happen between you two?” Robin teases.

Steve blushes and Eddie pulls his hair in front of his face. Robin and Skye’s eyes grow wide.

“Something did happen! Spill!” Skye exclaims.

Jamie was now climbing across Eddie to sit in Steve’s lap as Steve begins talking, “Well, uh, we talked and, well, we were kind of on a date before you all turned up,” Steve laughs, holding Jamie, who was now playing with his hand.

Eddie turns to watch the scene, smiling, heart warm.

Robin turns to her girlfriend excitedly, “See! I told you!”

Skye smiles back at her, lovingly, “Yes and I never said you were lying,”

“Still, I was right,”

——

They spent the next couple of hours there, exactly like a family. Until Jamie began yawning.

Steve carried Jamie out into the van, as Robin and Skye walked over to Steve’s BMW. Eddie followed the girls and grabbed Steve’s luggage out of the trunk.

“May as well take this, looks like Steve’ll be staying at mine. Can you let Wayne know I want to see him?”

“Sure, want to tell Scottie too?” Skye asked.

“Yeah sure, send them both over when you can,” Eddie chuckles, pulling his sister and her girlfriend into a hug.

“Night Eds,”

“Night,”

The two turn away from each other towards their respective cars. Eddie put Steve’s stuff in the trunk and climbed into the drivers seat.

“Home?” Steve asks.

“I like that, home,” Eddie smiles, starting up the van.

——

Eddie pulled up outside of the house and Steve picked up Jamie out of her car seat, taking her up to her room, while Eddie grabs Steve’s luggage.

“Eddie?” He hears as he drops Steve’s things in the living room, “Jamie wants you,”

“Give me a second, I’m coming!” Eddie says as he makes his way up the stairs.

“Daddy, I want you and Stevie to tuck me in!” Jamie says as her dad’s head pops around the door frame.

“Baby, you don’t need both of us,” Eddie chuckles walking over and helping Steve tuck her in, “Go to bed, goodnight,”

“Goodnight Jamie,”

“Night, night Daddy, Stevie!” Jamie says, closing her eyes.

The two men leave quietly, making their way downstairs, both smiling the whole way.

“I think I liked that a lot more than I should,” Eddie says to Steve, “Would it be weird to say that I think the only thing that would make it better is if she called you dad too?” He asks, hugging Steve from behind.

“I don’t think it’s weird, I mean it wouldn’t be wrong would it?” Steve says.

“I guess not,”

“Does today mean we’re officially together again? We never actually said,”

“Is that something you want?”

Steve turns in Eddie’s arms, “Are you crazy, of course I do,”

Eddie laughs as Steve scoffs at him and playfully slaps him on the shoulder.

“Yes, we can be officially together again, and we can explain stuff to Jamie tomorrow, yeah?”

Steve groans and faceplants into Eddie’s shoulder , “I forgot that was something we would have to do,”

Eddie chuckles, “Yeah we’re gonna have to explain, but she’ll probably understand, she is smart,”

“She is your kid,”

“She’s yours too, you may not have been here but she is a lot like you,”

“Even if she wasn’t, I’d love her all the same,”

“You love her?”

Steve smiles, “Yes, and I love you too, never stopped,”

It was Eddie’s turn to bury his face, this time into Steve’s chest, trying to hide his blush.

“Come on let’s go up to my room, don’t think my back can take another night on the couch,” Eddie says, once he regained his composure.

“I’ll meet you up there, just gonna grab my stuff,”

Eddie smiles at him, nodding as he turns back to the stairs and runs up them to his room.

Steve brings his stuff up and into the room, to find Eddie already in pyjamas, an old pair of Steve’s basketball shorts and an oversized band shirt.

“How many of those shorts do you have still?” Steve laughs.

“Like every pair I think?” Eddie says, and laughs at Steve’s shocked face, “What? They’re comfy!”

Steve rolls his eyes, “You said the same thing when you took them from me, four years ago!”

“And? They’re still comfy and they fit, maybe a bit snug, so i’m still wearing them,”

“A bit? Eddie, I think they’re more than a bit snug,” Steve laughs, “Not that I’m complaining,”

“‘Course you’re not complaining, now go get changed, I’m tired,” Eddie laughs, pushing Steve back towards his bags.

“Okay! Okay! Get in bed and I’ll be there in a second,” Steve tells him.

He hears Eddie walking while he gets changed, and turns to find him already tucked up in bed on his side, away from Steve.

Steve finishes getting changed and climbs in behind Eddie, leaning over him, “You haven’t fallen asleep already have you?” Steve whispers in his ear.

Eddie’s nose scrunches as he smiles, and he turns over to face Steve, “No but i’m close to it,”

“Alright then, come here,” Steve laid down beside him and held his arm out for Eddie, who shifted over and cuddled up close, laying on his chest.

Steve runs his hand through Eddie’s curls, waiting for Eddie’s breathing to slow indicating that he had fallen asleep. Steve followed shortly after.

——

Eddie wakes up to an empty bed and clattering around downstairs. He makes his way down slowly, not completely sure what he’s going to find.

He’s not surprised that he woke up alone as Steve had always been an early riser, he mostly wants to know why there’s so much noise.

“Daddy!”

“Huh-“ Steve turns towards the kitchen doorframe, pan in hand.

“What are you doing?” Eddie asks, seeing his daughter in an apron and his boyfriend with a pan of bacon in hand, still in his pyjamas.

“Making breakfast, was supposed to be done before you woke up,” Steve said.

Eddie walks over to him as he puts the pan down and pulls his face in for a kiss, “You never cease to amaze me,”

“Sit down, we’ll be done in a minute,”

Eddie did as he was told and a moment later food was laid across the table for the three of them to eat, bacon, eggs, toast, waffles and pancakes.

“You didn’t have to do this,”

“I wanted to,” Steve says, sitting down beside Eddie and planting a kiss on the side of his head.

“Are you two together? Like Auntie Robin and Auntie Skye?” Jamie pipes up.

Eddie turns to her, “Is that okay?”

The young girl nods.

“There’s something else we need to tell you, baby,” Eddie says softly, as she’s chomping on a pancake, “You know that I told you, you have another daddy? And that he loves you so much, he just didn’t know it?”

“Yea, why?” Jamie mutters, mouth full.

“Well that other daddy is Steve, and I never told him about you, which is why he ran off at the diner, he was upset at me for not telling him,” Eddie explains.

“Wait, Steve’s my dad?”

Steve nods, “Yeah, I am darling, and if it’s okay with you, I’d like to be around from now on,”

“Okay,” Jamie says, “but aren’t you at college with Auntie Robin?”

Steve laughs, “I am, I have a couple more months there but I will be around, I will call, I will come and visit, and I will be back in the summer, for good, okay?”

“Okay,” Jamie says, as she goes back to eating.

Eddie just laughs. He’s happy and feels like his family is complete for the first time in a long time.

[vyncentevelyn]

OK BUT I’M WRITING A FIC ABOUT EDDIE’S LIFE, SPECIFICALLY HIS MOM, AND I NAMED HER WINNIE AND TO SAY WHEN I SAW THIS I CRIED IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT.

Also this is amazing art and I love it.

eddie and winnie circa 1990

(steddie kid steddie kid steddie kid!)