#be sure to tell them Steve Horn told you about them

[rabid-dog-steve-horn]

Planet Trog Live with Kinetic Blue

[solarmorrigan]

You've Got Me

For the @steddie-spooktober day 16 prompt: "Would you please stop trying to scare them?" Rated: T | Words: 1430 | CW: references to PTSD, nightmares | Tags: established relationship, protective Steve Harrington, Eddie Munson being an asshole, just for a little bit though he didn't know any better, Eddie Munson is a sweetheart Divider credit: @steddiecameraroll-graphics

The ringing of the phone in the hall jolts Eddie from what had otherwise been a peaceful sleep.

He lies there a moment, attempting to parse out what the hell he’s supposed to do to make the ringing stop, when someone pats him vaguely on the chest and rolls out of the other side of the bed, telling him, “I’ve got it.”

Steve, Eddie’s brain supplies. Steve’s always been faster to wake, moving from dead sleep to motion in a way Eddie only manages after nightmares.

The ringing stops, followed by the sound of Steve’s voice, faint but audible through the cracked bedroom door. Eddie blinks at the ceiling, trying to kick his brain into gear. What time is it? What day is it? Who the hell is calling in the middle of the night?

Eddie turns to squint at the clock in the dark. It’s just gone three in the morning. It’s… October 30th? Something like that. It’s almost Halloween, Eddie knows that for sure – which is when it hits him.

Almost Halloween. Almost an anniversary.

He’d bet money it’s either Dustin or Lucas on the phone. Slight chance it’s Max, if she’s been shaken up enough. Doubtful that it’s Mike – he wouldn’t stoop to admitting he needs to talk to Steve in the middle of the night; he usually waits until morning to call, if he’s going to at all.

Eddie’s heard the full story of Upside Down Event Number Two, everything that took place around Halloween of 1984, and he understands the phone calls now. He understands the tension that threads through their little group around this time of year, even as they all try to enjoy Halloween. Even though he’d had no way of knowing at the time, he regrets it a little that he hadn’t taken it more seriously – how shaken up the kids had been that first year he’d known Dustin, Mike, and Lucas.

Eddie’s always loved Halloween; loves the aesthetic, loves the candy, loves the premise of running around and causing chaos in the night, loves everything about it, really. Most of Hellfire Club had been in agreement with him: it’s a holiday for misfits. He hadn’t been able to understand, then, what had gotten into his snarky, spitfire little freshmen – for a few guys who’d seemed like they’d be really into the holiday, they mostly seemed edgy about the whole thing.

And so Eddie had tried to get them into the spirit.

He’d done so by running a special campaign all through October, something filled with darkness and monsters to set the mood. He also may have done so by occasionally sneaking up on them and spooking them; he doesn’t really have an excuse for that one, they’d just been such easy pickings. He hadn’t understood at the time why.

He may have done this one evening after Hellfire, when Steve had come by to pick the boys up.

And instead of waiting in his car and occasionally beeping the horn impatiently, like usual, Steve had parked, gotten out, and marched right up to the drama room doors where everyone had been waiting.

“Go wait in the car,” Steve had told the boys, his tone harder than Eddie had ever heard it when they were in school together. “I’m gonna take a minute to catch up with Munson.”

The fact that no one had argued with him should have clued Eddie into how serious the whole thing was, but he’d mostly been distracted by what the hell Steve Harrington could have wanted to talk to him about.

“So, what have I done to earn an audience with the king?” Eddie had asked once the boys had gone.

Steve hadn’t taken the bait, only crossed his arms over his chest and answered, “Would you please stop trying to scare them?”

Eddie had blinked at him, surprised. “What?”

“Look, I know what you’ve been doing.” Steve had said, expression as stony as his tone. “Henderson’s been telling me all about your horror adventure or whatever it is, and he’s mentioned your little jump scares, too, and I’m telling you: you need to knock it off.”

At the time, Eddie had only bristled; people didn’t tell him what to do – especially not people like Harrington.

“They’re big boys, Harrington, I think they can speak for themselves if they object to a few jokes.”

“They shouldn’t have to,” Steve had snapped. “Just– those kids have been through some shit, okay? So maybe take that into consideration before you go jumping out of closets or whatever the fuck you’ve been doing.”

Eddie had not been jumping out of closets, for the record, but Steve’s words had given him pause. “What kind of shit?”

Steve had shifted, almost uncomfortably, but stood his ground. “You remember the whole mess with Will Byers?”

Who didn’t? That whole thing had been a trip and a half; kid goes missing, is found dead in the quarry, gets buried, and then somehow turns up miraculously alive and (mostly) well? It stuck out as an event to just about everyone in town. Eddie had nodded at Steve.

“Well they’re his best friends,” Steve had jerked his head back towards the car. “And we’re coming up on that time of year, so I think you’d be a little jumpy, too.”

It had been all the information Steve had been allowed to share at the time—stories of demodogs and junkyards and tunnels and Hargrove wouldn’t come for another few months—but it had been enough to make Eddie feel a little guilty.

This had only served to make him pricklier, and Steve had taken his sudden, stubborn silence as his cue to make an exit.

“Just think about it, Munson,” he’d said, before turning and heading back to his car.

Eddie had thought about it, and to his credit, he’d stopped with the jump scares and had mildly scaled back some of the gory details in his Halloween campaign, and the kids had come back around to themselves.

Now– now Eddie gets it.

He manages to shuffle himself up and out of bed with a sigh, willing some coordination back into his limbs as he struggles into a pair of sweatpants and stumbles out into the hall. It’s still dark, illuminated only by the kitchen light, but he can see Steve leaning against the wall next to the phone, the handset cradled against his ear with his arms crossed tight over his chest.

He must be cold. The hallway is chilly, and Steve hadn’t even paused to find pants before answering the phone; he’s standing there in just his boxers, but he’s talking calmly to whoever’s on the other end of the line.

“No, you guys did a shit job patching me up,” he’s saying, though he sounds nothing but fond as he does so, “but I’m tough, so I pulled through, anyway.” There’s a moment of silence as he listens to the person on the other end of the line. “You want me to come over there and prove it?” Steve finally offers in response – he sounds flippant, but Eddie knows it’s sincere, and he’s pretty sure whoever is talking to him will know it, too.

After another few moments, Steve asks, “You sure?” Then, “Okay. You have our number if you change your mind… Yeah. See you then, bud.”

“Everything good?” Eddie asks, holding out a hand as Steve levers himself away from the wall.

“Fine,” Steve answers, taking Eddie’s hand and trailing him back to the bedroom. “Henderson. Just a nightmare.”

Must’ve been some nightmare if he’d felt the need to call and make sure Steve was still alive at three in the morning, but Eddie keeps that assessment to himself. He hums in sympathy instead, leading Steve back to bed.

They settle in, Eddie on his back and Steve cuddled up against his chest, leeching whatever warmth he has to offer as Eddie strokes a hand down his back.

“You gonna be able to get back to sleep?” Eddie asks quietly.

The kids aren’t the only ones who have trouble this time of year.

“’m fine,” Steve answers, already sounding like he’s partway to sleep. “Got you, don’t I?”

Eddie smiles into the darkness, slowing the motion of his hand until he can cinch his arm around Steve’s waist and tug him closer. Maybe he hadn’t fully understood what they’d all been going through in the beginning, but he’s there now, and it seems like that must count for something.

“Whenever you need me, baby,” Eddie promises. “You’ve always got me.”

[steddiealltheway]

Thinking about Steve on this Mother’s Day.

He comes home and notices a familiar van parked in his driveway, but no one is in it. It’s strangely eerie, and Steve knows that Eddie usually waits for him, but maybe he’s in his backyard.

Steve goes to his front door and tries to unlock it but notices it’s already been unlocked. Okay. Time to get the bat.

He runs back to his car and grabs the nail bat out of his trunk. Maybe Eddie’s just playing a prank on him, but he can never be too sure. He makes his way back to the front door and slowly opens it.

Oh.

There are balloons covering his place and he can hear shushes and some giggles. “Hello?” Steve asks playing along a bit. But he also wonders who all is there.

“Happy Mother’s Day!” A chorus of people shout uncoordinated as they jump out from behind things.

Steve takes a moment to take in all the kids, Eddie, and even Robin staring at him in anticipation.

Steve doesn’t know what to do except laugh. He’s close to tears as everyone approaches him and Eddie decides to turn the moment into a group hug.

“How did you get into my house?” Steve asks as he squeezed in the middle.

Dustin replies loudly over everyone else, “Eddie broke into your window! It was so cool!”

As the group hug breaks apart with a few people - Max - pretending like they’re too cool for it, Steve makes eye contact with Eddie and who looks as proud as he was when he hot wired the RV. He’ll have to lecture him again about not breaking into his house, but that will come later.

“How did you guys get out of your own Mother’s Day celebrations?” Steve asks.

“We told them that we were keeping our gifts for them at your house and had to stop here before coming back,” Dustin says excitedly.

“Hey, Dingus, that wasn’t your plan. Stop taking credit for it,” Robin says looking like she’s holding back from hitting him on the back of the head. She turns to Steve and continues, “Don’t worry, the gifts stayed at Eddie’s house before being moved to mine after careful consideration.”

“I told Joyce what we were doing,” El says looking at Will with some concern before turning back to Steve. “But she made you a cake.”

“That’s where it came from?” Mike asks. “Shit, she’s gonna tell my mom. She’s going to tell all of our moms.”

“Shit! Abort mission!” Dustin yells and runs and hugs Steve. “Bye Steve! Happy Mother’s Day!”

The other kids run out the door saying quick goodbyes to Steve. When the door closes, Steve looks back at Robin and Eddie and asks, “Did they grab the gifts for their moms?”

Eddie and Robin look at each other then rush to the front door and open it in time to see the kids raiding Eddie’s van and getting their bikes out of the bushes they were hidden in. “I’m going to say yes,” Robin says.

“Be careful!” Steve yells as they bike away somehow managing to hold their presents and biking at the same time. As El climbs on the back on Will’s bike and they take off, Steve sighs, “When do I have to tell them they’re getting too old for that?”

“When you teach El how to ride a bike, Mom,” Robin laughs and nudges Steve. “But hey, I have to head out, too,” she hugs Steve and says, “Too bad there isn’t an Aunt’s Day.”

“I’ll drive you back,” Eddie tells Robin as she salutes him and walks to his car.

Steve does his signature mom stance and looks at Eddie. “Did you plan this just so you could break into my house?”

“Hey, who said I planned this,” Eddie says with a wide grin. “But if I did, then no, that was not the sole intention of this. Plus, Dustin was the first to say we should briefly celebrate Mother’s Day with you, so it really wasn’t all me-”

Steve cuts off Eddie with a hug. “Thank you,” he whispers as Eddie squeezes him a bit tighter. When they pull away they stare at each other for a few moments.

A loud car horn interrupts their moment. “Come on love birds, I need to go!” Robin yells.

Steve curses her under his breath then smiles at Eddie. “Better head out.”

“I’ll be back after I drop her off. And hey, there’s a surprise for you in your room. Happy Mother’s Day,” Eddie says with a bright grin and walks towards his car.

“Wait!” Steve says and hesitates as Eddie turns around, “Does this mean we have to celebrate Father’s Day with you?”

Eddie laughs loudly as Robin groans. “Absolutely!” Eddie replies as his laughter dies down and he gets in the van.

Steve waves at them as they take off. Once they’re out of sight, he takes off up the stairs to his room. He opens the door and spots a pile of poorly wrapped gifts on his bed then a note that says “CAKE IS IN THE FRIDGE” with a poorly drawn smiley face on it.

Steve takes a moment to collect himself and he whispers under his breath, “You’re not going to cry about this.” He pinches his nose and smiles as his vision slightly blurs.

Even with how brief the visit was, it absolutely made Steve’s day. “Happy Mother’s Day to me,”Steve laughs as a tear escapes down his face.

He really loves his kids.

[rigginsstreet]

just a little something for @harringrovelovefest but it doesnt fit any of the prompts lol

-

Billy knew dating a straight boy would bring nothing but trouble. Cyd had warned him enough back in Cali, told him how straight boys may be good for a one time fuck, get it out of your system, but that's it. Don't go try pursuing anything more, because it'll never be anything more.

And Billy had taken that to heart. The one time in his life he didn't feel the need to put his hand on the stove to test its heat, last thing he needed was some straight boy running scared, opening his big mouth to let the world in on Billy's little secret. Maybe he played with danger a little too much, but he also knew when to play it safe to save his own ass.

Which is why Steve Harrington had been such a fucking enigma.

Billy knew better, and yet he let himself fall for the king of small town America, the poster boy of Ideal Heterosexual Living. He was such a fucking idiot.

He'd gotten a few good months out of it, at least. Definitely some of the best sex he's ever had - once he taught Steve how to properly use his dick, anyway. And he's gonna miss having that asshole hanging onto his every word, clinging to him like another limb. That absence is gonna be a bitch to fill.

But Steve, apparently, is ready to go back to pussy, if the visual Billy's getting from the parking lot of Family Video is anything to go by. Can see clear as day through his windshield, into the store, how Steve is leaned over the counter, smiling all big and bright at some chick he thinks they went to school with.

Billy knows flirting when he sees it. Honestly, he just wishes Steve had the decency to not flaunt it right in his face. Could've taken her to the back and fucked her in private without Billy having to have this image burned into his brain.

Whatever.

He slams on his horn, finally alerting Steve to his presence.

Steve perks up at the sound of the horn. Billy's a little early to pick him up from the end of his shift, but only by a few minutes. Robin can clock him out, it won't matter.

"Gotta go, Shelly," he says to the girl on the other side of the counter. "But make sure to come back and tell me what you thought about Animal House. I'm telling you, it's a classic!"

Shelly laughs and agrees to his request before heading out, and Steve can't get out of the store fast enough. Yells his goodbye to Robin and runs out the door, panting as he plops himself into the passenger seat of the Camaro.

"Hey, tiger." He grins. And it's only now that he notices the voice coming from the radio. Just about the last damn thing he ever expected Billy to be listening to. "Is this Dolly Parton?" He wants to laugh, but the somber look on Billy's face and the next words out of his mouth have him refraining.

"My mom liked her. Got a problem with that?"

"Uh... no. No. Dolly's great."

Billy pulls out of the parking lot without a word. The track on the cassette changes, and the melancholic lyrics fill the silence.

When you love somebody With all your heart and soul And you want to keep them with you But you know they want to go What do you do? What do you say? When you know they want to leave As bad as you want them to stay

Billy's fingers tighten around the steering wheel. This song was always a bitch to get through, but it's downright torture right now. He thinks about changing it, but it would only draw attention. Best to just push through it, act like it's just another song. Keep his feelings down like usual.

Steve notices the shift, though. He also notices the way Billy's eyes have gone a little glassy, starting to fill up with tears.

He gets it. Billy's mom is a sore subject for him, and as he listens to the lyrics spilling out of the radio he can't help but to feel bad for his boyfriend. There's an ache in his chest like he's carrying Billy's emotions for him. He wish he could. Wishes Billy didn't have to feel a single bad thing for the rest of his life, he's already felt enough.

And then the chorus starts, and Steve's mind switches over to his own past woes.

And there's nothing quite as sad as a one-sided love When one doesn't care at all and the other cares too much It's a sad situation, I must say When someone wants to leave As bad as you want them to stay

Nancy feels like a lifetime ago. And he's over her, he is, but. Some wounds take longer to heal.

This song would've hurt more had he heard it back then, in the thick of it. But now he can mourn that period of his life for what it was and look at Billy and take pride in what his life is.

You know how much I love you But I know you don't love me And I know it's just a matter of time before you leave But I, do I stand aside and just let you walk away? But I know you want to leave As bad as I want you to stay

Billy wonders when the blow is gonna come. How long it'll be until Steve breaks the news. Will probably let him down easy, because that's the kind of guy Steve is. And Billy won't go down without a fight, because that's the kind of guy he is. Can't ever let things go without kicking and screaming.

Maybe he should end things first, beat Steve to the punch. Leave his ass blindsided, leave-

"Hey," Steve's voice comes gently, along with the hand now holding Billy's on the wheel.

They're stopped at a red light, so Billy chances a glance over.

And there's nothing quite as sad as a one-sided love When one doesn't love at all and the other loves too much It's a sad situation I must say

"I'm glad I have you." Steve smiles, all soft and sweet. Delicate, like he's stepping through a minefield. "I'm glad we have each other."

Billy's breath catches in his throat. Doesn't know what kind of sick game Steve is playing. But he's holding Billy's hand, and he's staring into his eyes, and he looks sincere.

His mom had looked sincere, too, all the times she told him she loved him. Look where that got him. People are sincere, until they aren't.

When someone wants to leave as bad as you want them to stay Oh, it's a sad situation I must say When someone wants to leave as bad as you want them to stay

"You can't-" Billy starts, choking on his words. "You can't leave me." His own honesty strikes him, but the words are out, and he figures it's time to lay it all on the table. "Or- if you are, just do it now. Don't string me along Steve, I won't- I can't-"

The light's gone green, but there isn't a soul on the road, so Steve doesn't feel guilty almost climbing into Billy's lap just to hold him as close as he can, kissing the top of his head, his cheek, his lips.

"I'm not going anywhere, blue." He holds Billy's face between his hands, forcing him to understand the weight of his words. "You're stuck with me, whether you like it or not." He shakes Billy's head for emphasis, eliciting a laugh from the both of them.

There's tears streaming down Billy's face, but it's relief. Maybe he jumped to conclusions, maybe he has to reel that shit in. He'll work on it.

"Yeah, okay." He sniffles. Doesn't make a move to get out of Steve's grasp. "You're stuck with me, too, though."

Steve beams. "Wouldn't have it any other way."

[storiesaplenty]

Jelly Bracelets (7)

Eddie Munson x f/Reader

Jelly Bracelets Masterlist

This has not been proofread. Please enjoy, though.

Warnings: swearing. Playing with boobs. Mentions sex, but nothing detailed.

Gifs & photos do not belong to me: 1st gif: @dixiedarky

WC: 753

©️ storiesaplenty 2024: Do not repost or translate my work. This is the only place I post my work.

Glittery Clear - wearer will let the snapper "feel up" or touch any body part

Eddie Munson may be the freak of Hawkins, but he is your best friend. Who is always willing to teach you new things, even when you get new bracelets from your cousin. Eddie will even go as far as teaching & showing you what each one means.

I am over at Eddie's place, helping him do his laundry.

He always puts it off go the very last minute, and right now he is wearing his uncle's clothes.

"You shouldn't put it off this long." I told him, as I hung up his jeans to try.

I may take his clothes back to my place and throw them in the dryer with my clothes.

"Thanks mom." He said sarcastically to me.

Just as we were about done, some dark clouds were gathering in the sky, making Eddie moan.

"Let's go to my place and dry this stuff. I have a load I have to put in the dryer."

Him and I quickly took everything down, and placing it back in the laundry basket just as the heavens opened up and it started to rain once more.

We got to my car, him throwing his clothes in the backseat as I started up the car.

He got in, joining me for the car ride back to my place.

The radio was playing, and I could tell he was upset about the music.

"You can change the station."

"Pfft, like any station around here will be playing my type of music. You know, the devil's music."

He made me laugh when he did the horn thing against the sides of his head and stick his tongue out.

"Hopefully I can save up and get a car with a tape player."

"Nah, your car is fine. Better than my van."

"That's because you need to get it serviced once in a blue moon."

Out of the corner of my eye I saw him just mouth 'yeah yeah.' and then look out the window, silence once more.

◆

I put our clothes in the dryer, and found Eddid in my room, not where I left him mind you.

I left him channel surfing in the living room, but right now, I found him at my dresser, with the top drawer open.

"Being a pervert again, Mr Munson?" I asked him as I leaned against my doorframe.

"Oh very much so." He turned around to face me, and my eyes widened when I saw what was in his hands.

It was the same bra I was wearing when I flashed him the other day.

"Okay, enough playing with my stuff, put it back Eddie." I tried to snatch the bra from his hand, but he took a step back.

"So which one are you wearing now?" He asked me, his eyes zoned in my chest."

"None of your concern. Give it back." I demanded.

"Come on, show me or better yet," He didn't even finish what he was saying as he snapped the glitter clear one, which I already knew what that one meant.

"Really Eddie? You want to feel me up?"

He gave me a small smile and shrugged.

"Fine." I closed the door behind me, not wanting to be interrupted by Steve or Robin when they come back home from work.

I took off my shirt, kind of embarrassed about what bra I am wearing right now.

It isn't one of my nice ones, and I was sure no one was going to be seeing it today.

Eddie's hands were on my shoulders, massaging them for a minute, and then his hands slowly slid down until they were cupping my breasts over my bra.

He wasn't squeezing hard, just enough for me to feel it, and all I wanted to do was moan, but I held that in.

"Can you take," I didn't let him finish as I reached up behind me and unclipped my bra.

He pulled his hands back just a bit to let the bra fall, which I tossed to the side on my bed.

The moment his hands made contact with my bare breasts, I gasped.

Eddie looked at me, his brown eyes wide as he heard me.

His hands squeezed them a bit, and closed my eyes, soft little pants falling from my lips.

"Who knew they were so sensitive." Eddie said to me.

I opened my eyes to watch him play with my tits.

I could feel myself getting wet, my pussy clenching around nothing and I wanted nothing more than to push Eddie on his back and ride him.

I have no idea how long he felt me up for, but he was the one who pulled away first, standing up and clearing his throat.

"I gotta go."

And he was out the door.

What hell just happened?

White (6) ♥︎ Glittery Pink (8)

[buckybuckyboo]

BUCKY GOING BACK ON ICE

Summary: Bucky doesn't trust his own mind and decides it's best he goes back on ice.

word count: 1104

"Are you sure about this?" Steve asks.

"I can't trust my own mind. So until they figure out how to get this stuff out of my head, I think going back under is the best thing" Bucky looks down to his lap "For everybody". He smiles at you. Tears in your eyes as you listen to him.

"How long do you think it will take?"

"We don't know for sure, could be days, maybe weeks". You start to cry not able to hold back the tears anymore. Walking over to Bucky and hugging him tight. You place your hands on his face looking into his beautiful eyes. "I love you. I will visit you every day"

"You don't need to do that doll, I'll be fine"

"I'm gonna visit you, There is not much you can do because you'll be frozen" you both chuckle. Leaning in and kissing him softly.

"Steve? Will you look after her for me?"

"Of course Buck"

Steve walks over to T'challa and they talk while you enjoy your moment with Bucky. You hug him tightly, tears streaming down your face.

"It's okay baby. I'll be right here"

"I know Bucky, it's just not the same but I understand why you have to"

"Thank you for understanding" He strokes your hair and kisses your forehead. T'challa and the others get everything ready for Bucky. You walk him over and watch him settle into his cryostasis chamber, kissing him one last time and stepping back beside Steve who wraps his arm around you.

"It will be okay Y/N, he will be okay"

"I know, I'm just gonna miss him".

Both of you watch as the chamber closes and in seconds he is frozen. You kiss the tip of your fingers and press them against the glass.

"Come on Y/N, let's go get a drink or something hm?" Steve smiles.

"Okay" You sniffle, never taking your eyes off Bucky till you're out of the room.

The next couple of days were tough. Not sleeping at night and just being worried. Every morning you wake up, get dressed, and ready for the day. Grabbing The Hobbit book and heading down to Bucky's chamber. Greeting everyone that was working and bringing them some coffee. Taking your seat beside him. They had given you a little speaker to attach to his chamber so that he could hear while you read to him. You weren't sure if he could hear but it didn't matter, you just wanted to be with him. Turning the speaker and mic on, you start to talk.

"Hi baby, good morning. Time for the next chapter! Yey!"

Sitting back in your chair and reading for him. When you finished the chapter, you started reading him some of the sports from the online newspaper and then any gossip you had heard around Wakanda.

"Where do polar bears keep their money? In a snowbank." He loved cheesy jokes so you looked some up on your phone.

"Why do cows wear bells? Because their horns don't work" You heard some of the people around chuckle a little.

"What did the tomato say to the other tomato during a race?"

"Ketchup"

You hear across the room.

"Hi Steve, dinner time already?"

"Yep! You ready to go?"

"Yeah one second"

Standing up, kiss the tip of your fingers and press them against the glass where his heart is.

"I love you, see you tomorrow."

Picking up your stuff and handing the speaker and mic back. When you approach Steve he takes your bag off your shoulder caring it for you and brings you to dinner.

"How many chapters did you get through today?"

"Just two. Then read him some sports stuff and told him any gossip I had"

"Gossip?"

"Not gossip just telling him what goes on around here"

"He has no idea how lucky he is" Steve smiles while taking a drink.

"I'm the lucky one, I just miss him"

"I know you do, how are you sleeping?"

"Not very well, Bucky is like my big teddy bear and it's not the same without him. But that's okay, it's just an adjustment for now"

"I'm proud of you Y/N, you're staying strong"

That makes you smile.

"Thank you, Steve, you can only cry so much" you chuckle.

"Would you like to watch a movie tonight? Might take your mind off everything for a little while"

"Sure! That would be nice. Thank you."

"You're welcome. You go sit and I'll clear the table"

You leave the table and wait for Steve to join you for the movie. Both of you having a nice night together.

"I better try get some sleep. Thanks for everything" Walking over and kissing his cheek.

"You're welcome Y/N. If you need anything just come get me okay?"

You nod your head to your room and get into bed.

The next few days played out the same, reading to Bucky and then dinner with Steve. Except one night you just couldn't relax, nothing was helping and you just needed your Bucky. Grabbing your pillow and blanket, you head out of your room and make your way to Bucky's chamber. You knew the passcode for the door and closed it behind you. Walking up to his chamber you smile "Hi baby, I'm not sleeping so well. I'm gonna stay with you tonight".

Setting your blanket and pillow down, you lay down while looking up at him. You drift off to sleep after a while. Maybe it was the best sleep you've had since he went on ice. In the morning as the workers started to come in and were shocked to see you asleep on the floor. They wait until Steve is notified and he comes to get you.

"Y/N" Gently shaking your shoulder. You slowly start waking up and see him.

"Steve?"

"Yeah doll, it's me. What are you doing sleeping here?"

"I couldn't sleep and I just needed to be with him. I'm sorry everyone. I know I shouldn't"

All the workers smile and tell you it's okay but you can't do it again.

"I told you, you can come to me if you need anything"

"You would have said no" You giggle.

"No more sneaking in okay"

"Okay Steve"

He takes you to get some breakfast and you both are joined by T'challa.

"I know I'm sorry it won't happen again I promise," You say quickly as he sits down.

"Thank you but I think it's time to take Mr. Barnes off the ice"

Almost choking on your drink "Really!?"

"Yes, I think it's time."

[thisapplepielife]

Written for the @steddieholidaydrabbles December challenge.

Best Part of the Day

Prompt Day 17: Platonic Stobin | Word Count: 1000 | Rating: T | CW: None | Tags: S4, Platonic Stobin, Ride to School, Pre-Steddie

Steve honks the horn, and sips from his mug of coffee. It won't fit in his cup holder, so he has to rest it on his thigh. He honks again, and a minute later Robin rushes out of the front door of her house, towards his waiting car.

Arms flailing, she screams, "Hold on, I'm coming!" 

It makes Steve chuckle. She's the one about to be late to school, not him. He's graduated. Family Video doesn't open for another two plus hours. He's got plenty of time to kill this morning, but he knows she doesn't want the tardy. He knows her like the back of his hand. The front of his hand? 

His whole hand. For sure.

Robin fumbles with the trunk, and he watches as she unlocks it. It was just easier to give her the damn spare key instead of him having to get out every morning and unlock it.

She finally piles into the front seat, with a huff, "What are we waiting for? You're gonna make me late, dingus!"

He rolls his eyes.

"Good morning to you, too," he says, handing her his mug of coffee. He might as well. She's gonna take it from him, sooner or later. She always does. He opens the console, and hands her the bagel that he's wrapped in a paper towel, before leaning to look back over his shoulder, reversing them back onto the street. 

He glances at her out of the corner of his eye, and she's alternating between drinking coffee, and eating the bagel. Getting sesame seeds all over the floor mat. He'll have to stop by the car wash and vacuum it after he drops her off.

"There's an away game tonight," she says, done with the bagel, and now holding his coffee in one hand, putting her mascara on with the other. He watches, not sure how she's doing it one-handed.

"Yeah, the kids have told me a thousand times, like I've somehow suddenly forgotten how a basketball schedule works since graduating," Steve says, annoyed.

"I have to ride the activity bus to the game, but if you can forge me a note again, I'll ride home with you. Dibs on the front seat," she says.

Steve laughs. He's been roped into taking Dustin, Mike and Max, and Dustin's gonna hate that she's called dibs, but fair is fair. Dustin can have the front seat on the way to Hartford City. 

They head down the highway, and Robin tells him about her morning. He nods, listens, and analyzes more about Vickie than he ever imagined possible. It's a ritual at this point. She pines. He gives advice she won't take.

They argue. They banter. 

Rinse, repeat. 

Day after day, morning after morning.

But it's often the best part of his day.

He's trying to explain exactly why she should just go for it, when Steve catches movement out of the corner of his eye, and realizes they're about to be broadsided by a van, that as far as Steve can tell, has no driver.

Steve slams on the brakes, stopping short as the van whips onto the highway from a side road, cutting him off. The driver's head just barely popping into view, mere seconds before he needed to make the turn.

"Watch it, asshole!" Steve screams, slamming his hand on the steering wheel. 

"Uh, Steve?" Robin says, and he turns to look at her, and she's wearing the coffee. Brown splotches staining her white blouse, running all over his leather seats. 

"Are you hurt? Did you get burned?" he asks, patting her arm down, like that'll help.

"Well, it doesn't feel great! But I think I'll live," she says. "But I don't have time to go back home and change, I'm going to be so late. Detention for me, yay," she says sarcastically.

"Take off your shirt," Steve says, and she cuts him a look, "Not like that, Jesus, Robin. I don't want to see your boobies."

He snaps his fingers, and gives her the hurry up motion.

So, she does, and he takes off his shirt, too, and stretches his hand out to offer it to her. She takes it, and slips it over her head. It's too big, but she says she doesn't care, because that's the style, apparently.

"Thanks, dingus," she says, and he slides his arms back through the holes of his vest. No shirt underneath. He looks ridiculous.

At the school, they both get out, and Robin digs out her notepad, and turns around. Steve lays the notebook on her back, and writes the note, forging Mrs. Buckley's signature to get Robin off the activity bus on the way home. 

"There, done," he says, swatting her on the back with the notebook, and she takes it and rushes towards the building, turning back towards him.

"Thanks, Steve! See you tonight!" she yells and then she turns and runs away from the parking lot faster.

"Yeah, yeah," he mutters, but he smiles as she goes.

"Nice fashion statement, Harrington," Eddie Munson interrupts, as he climbs out of the same goddamn van that caused this whole problem in the first place. He should have known Eddie "The Freak" Munson was involved.

Steve looks down at his bare chest.

"Well, I had a shirt until you cut us off and Robin spilled coffee all over herself," Steve snaps.

"I don't know what you're talking about, that doesn't sound like me at all. I'm a great driver," Eddie says, digging around and coming up with a black, metal lunchbox.

His drugs. Steve knows all about Eddie, and his dealing business.

"Yeah, sure you are," Steve snips, turning to get into the driver's seat. He has no interest in engaging with Eddie Munson at ten 'til eight in the morning. No goddamn way.

"Nice to see you, King Steve," Eddie snarks, walking awfully slowly towards the school for someone that nearly ran them off the road to get here today.

What a dickhead.

Notes: Eddie definitely saw Steve in that no-shirt/vest combo and when presented with the opportunity to see it again in the Upside Down, and in his own vest no less, he took it, lol.

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[kidn3ybeanz]

Red Warrior - Bucky Barnes x Super Soldier! Reader (2)

Chapter Two: A good-looking woman in uniform

It had been a week since Bucky had left for London and it wasn’t any easier on Y/n. Steve had followed him shortly after and God knows where he had been shipped out to, she couldn't bear the thought of it. At least he finally got what he wanted, Y/n reassuringly thought to herself. They were both gone now and soon she’d join them with her own mission.

Janie, her sister, had cried when Y/n told her what she was going to do. She liked to think that they may have been tears of happiness as Y/n was finally being recognised for the talent she'd possessed for years. Janie had never been quiet about how good she was as a nurse, how she could've done much better if it wasn't a man's world - but now that Y/n was going to be drafted out, she was proud to be able to go and tell her friends that she was the sister of one of the first ranked women in uniform - regardless of the fact that Y/n had repeatedly reminded her that the ranks weren't finalised seeing as though her superiors were still fighting the government for equal ranking (which she hoped they'd win...mostly so she could shove her rank in Bucky's face).

She continued packing up her things, not bothering to bring too much with her as she knew she wouldn’t have time for unnecessary things when she got to her new job. Given her experience, she assumed her job would just be a more advanced version of what she already did now - patching up the wounded and tending to the sick. She didn't see the point in bringing many clothes with her either seeing as though she'd either be stuck in the itchy khaki skirt-suit combination that made up her uniform, her medical uniform, or her pyjamas.

Y/n checked the clock, noticing she had fifteen minutes until her cab arrived and went over to her suitcase, pulling out the uniform that matched Bucky’s own that he’d taken her out in. She smoothed her fingers over the lapels, the service patches, the gold buttons, the name tag – this was as close as she would get to being a real soldier. Her name was pinned to her left breast pocket and smiled. L/n. It looked good on the jacket. Above it was her unit badge, the nurse's one. The arms were bare but perhaps they would be covered soon.

She would be made a second lieutenant if they got the ranks. It was the lowest of the ranks the nurses would have but nevertheless, she knew she would have some authority. She suspected she could hold rank over Bucky too – although she wasn’t too sure how the system worked for the nurses as they would probably change it but wished she could see his face as she rubbed her insignia in his face.

Y/n put the uniform back in her case, double-checking to make sure she had everything. She closed the case and clipped it shut just as she heard the honking of the taxi’s horn outside. It was early. With a slam and lock of the door, she made her way to her new job, scared and excited about what it could hold.

The taxi outside was driven by another soldier. He looked no older than twenty and had quite a slim build with lightly toned muscles. He had thick, brown locks hidden underneath a pointed hat and he smiled politely at her. She watched as he quickly got out of the car to place her bag in the trunk, and then opened the door for her and waited until she had slid in to close it behind her. Y/n leaned back against the soft leather of the car and waited for him to begin to drive. He started the engine and they were off. He drove in silence for a while until he caught her eye through the mirror.

“This must be big for you, ma’am.” She had to double-take at the name. Ma’am. It made her feel old but in a good way – like she was respected. It was usually miss or madam but ma’am seemed so proper and formal.

“Yes, very.” She replied, watching as the town she grew up in whisked past her. She’d barely ever left Brooklyn, never mind New York. “How far will this trip be?” Y/n asked politely, fumbling with the sleeves of her coat.

“Just over two hours, ma’am.” It wasn’t as long as she thought. She thanked him and continued to look out of the window for a while. “Ma’am, if you don’t mind my asking, what is your job? I was only told this morning I had to pick someone up of great importance.”

Great importance? Her? She was just a nurse. She flushed at his question and thought for a moment.

“I’m a…nurse?” He seemed to droop at her answer, obviously expecting some dangerous title that he could brag about to the boys back at base. “I don’t know why they brought you all the way out here, sir, but I’m not that special.” He looked at her through the mirror again and his smile seemed to melt all of her worries away.

“Well, ma’am you must be important to make them drive out here to pick you up, and please call me Private Smithson, I’m not really a high enough rank to be referred to as sir.” She was important…The thought warmed her up. It seemed narcissistic but she liked the fact she was so relevant that someone took the liberty to drive her out to the base instead.

“I’m not really a high enough rank to be called Ma’am, private, so I’ll call you what you want but drop the title hm? Y/n is fine.” He let out a small laugh and agreed to her terms and for the rest of the ride, they both sat in a comfortable silence. The smooth road beneath the car sent Y/n off into a dreamless sleep and when she woke, the car had stopped completely.

“We’re here ma- Miss Y/n.” She glared at the use of a title but still thanked him, opening the door of the car and climbing out. The air felt different here, they were in the middle of nowhere and behind her, she heard the chants of men running in unison as they trained. She really was here. Private Smithson brought her bag to her side and told her to follow him to his commander. She followed his orders and he led her to a building near where she saw a group of soldiers training. As she entered the room, she looked around in awe at how it was laid out. There were a few tables littered about the room and a desk in which a young secretary, typing something onto a typewriter. The private walked up to her and began talking and Y/n realised he was flirting with her.

He was like Bucky, she thought to herself, mentally cursing at the fact her mind seemed to keep bringing her back to her friend. She watched as the receptionist blushed and coughed before standing and running out of the room to find someone. The private walked back to her with the remnants of a grin and she rolled her eyes.

“You boys are all the same.” She shook her head, causing him to blush slightly and they waited again in silence until an elderly man came through the doors behind the lady from the desk. Y/n noticed the number of medal colours on his chest, took in his older appearance and realised she was about to speak to the man in charge. Both she and the private subconsciously straightened up and Y/n hoped she looked all right. Private Smithson saluted him and the man saluted back before nodding for him to leave. The private smiled at her once more before turning and leaving.

“You must be Miss L/n,” he started, motioning for her to follow him. She followed his command and he led her to a large office. Inside, there were medals on the walls and pictures on the desk and there was a name bar situated right so anyone could see; Colonel Phillips. “Tell me, Miss L/n, do you know why you’re here?”

“I believe it’s to nurse the wounded, colonel?” It was a guess, she still hadn’t been told of her duties and it was cutting a little too close to her starting day for her to not know. He let out a dry chuckle and walked behind his desk, grunting a little as he lowered himself into the chair. He motioned once more with his hand for her to sit and she did so, dropping her suitcase at her side so it leant against the chair.

“It’s more than that, this is a special branch of the army, we call it the S.S.R – the Strategic Scientific Reserve.” He told her, watching her with his aged eyes. It was like she could see the battles he’d fought through his eyes alone, they looked tired but full of life at the same time. Why was she here? She wondered. The fact she was just a nurse rang through her head but she dared not ask him, fearing he would quickly grow angry at her insistency that she was nothing more than her job. “It’s our job to come up with new ways to win the war using…different methods. This is why we’ve brought you in.”

“I’m sorry but I don’t believe I follow you, Colonel.” There was nothing she could do to help, she wasn’t a warrior, she was a healer. He let out another dry chuckle and reached inside of his desk to pull out some papers. He laid them flat on the table so she could see and Y/n quickly realised they were her records from both high school and all the jobs she’d had since.

“We’ve been following you for a while, L/n, you’re a smart girl.” He sifted through the pile of papers to a chart of her scores through every test she’d ever taken. “Smart enough that we are, or should I say Doctor Erskine is, asking specifically for your help in creating the new line of super soldiers.”

Y/n paled. What the hell were super soldiers? The colonel continued to tell her about their plan and she could only take half of it in, the other part of her brain was on overdrive. They knew about her results, they knew about her tests, her projects through high school…how? She’d barely used her knowledge on those subjects since she graduated, instead choosing to focus on her nursing abilities to pursue a career in it. It was like a slap in the face to know that all this time someone had been watching her like she was important.

“So, miss L/n, are you interested?” He finally asked and she shook herself from her inner thoughts, thinking hard on the question. She could help win the war, she could bring her boys home…She nodded, shaking the colonel’s hand and he smiled at her. “Good, now then, I suppose you should meet your new team?”

+++

“Agent Carter.” Colonel Phillips called over the field as they walked towards the mass of bulky men. Y/n expected one of them to turn to the colonel but was pleasantly surprised when a uniformed woman came from behind them and walked over. She saluted to him and he returned it before motioning to you. “This is Miss Y/n L/n, the new nurse for Project Rebirth.” The woman smiled at her and Y/n couldn’t help but take in how gorgeous she was.

“Hello, lovely to meet you,” The English accent shocked her. She expected something as strong as the Colonel’s or maybe even a New Jersey accent but the accent she held seemed to fit her perfectly. “Please, call me Peggy.”

“Nice to meet you, Peggy, I’m Y/n.” Y/n raised her hand to the woman and she shook it politely before turning back to the men she was with and barking out an order for them to take a lap. The colonel said his goodbyes and left the two of them alone.

“I’ll get someone to take care of your bags,” She pointed to the large case Y/n had been carrying since she arrived and she thanked the British woman. “Now, let’s take you to the doctor, hmm?” She called for a soldier nearby to take her case and he immediately was at her side, taking the bag towards the barracks. She led her away from the training area into another building and Y/n sighed in silent content causing the English woman to look to her. “Can I just say that it’s nice to have another uniformed woman on this base?” She asked, pointing her finger between them. Peggy let out a laugh that sounded melodic and Y/n looked at her like she was a goddess. How could one woman be so perfect?

“Yes, I have to say, it does help combat all of the testosterone that wafts through.” They laughed together until they reached the laboratory at the end of the hallway. She pushed the door open for Y/n and let her enter before closing it behind her.

Y/n felt the hairs on her arms prickle at the sudden drop in temperature. It was cold inside and she shivered. The lab itself was huge and there were various machinery and apparatus spread throughout the room with some men in lab coats dotted around. One of them was Erskine and he smiled when he saw her, placing his vial onto the table.

“Ah! Miss Y/n, so good to see you!” He enveloped her in a hug and Y/n stiffened at the contact. She slowly patted his back and he let go, grabbing her by the arms. “How was your trip? All well?” He asked with concern and she nodded slowly.

“Yes, thank you.”

“Good, good, I see you have met Agent Carter.” Both of them turned their attention to Miss Carter who was still standing by the door. Her red lips smiled at the doctor before she turned to Y/n.

“Yes we’ve become acquainted, I’d best let you get to work but you know where to find me.” Without waiting for a response, she turned and left the room.

“Ah Miss Carter, always so busy. Come-“ He pulled Y/n towards a rack with lab coats on it and urged her to remove her coat to replace it with the white variant. She did and placed her coat on the hanger next to it.

“What exactly will I be doing here?” She asked as he pulled her once more over to the vial he was previously working on.

“In...simple terms, you will be my assistant. We must find a suitable candidate, administer my serum correctly and then, if the transformation is completed successfully....we will recreate it many times until we have an army.” He said simply as if he expected it to just be a normal thing for her to hear. Y/n was still reeling from the whole story the Colonel had told her so she just went along with it. Before long, she was working on the solution in the vial with the doctor, telling him her opinions on the dosages and amounts of each chemical inside.

It felt right to her. Like a superior part of her brain was rebooting and she could finally use the knowledge she’d suppressed for so long. Erskine found himself smiling at the child-like smile Y/n made when she read over his notes, she was like a kid in Candy Land and he could tell she hadn’t had the chance to do things like this before.

“Why did you choose nursing?” He asked her as she read through his plan of how they would simulate the muscle growth, she added her own ideas in pencil and was deep in thought when he asked her.

“I have a friend who would often get into trouble, you met him, Steve.” The doctor nodded at her words, “That and it was the only medical thing I could really do.”

“What do you mean?” He asked, she was an intelligent woman who clearly knew what she was doing so why did she stop at nursing?

“I don’t know how things work in Germany, doctor, but here…there were sort of expectations for women. I had to pass up a lot of my dreams as the doors weren’t open for me.”

“I am... sorry to hear that.” She felt the sadness in his voice. Erskine knew that women had generally fewer chances of success but to see it first-hand, such a smart girl was limited because of who she was. “Are you unhappy because of it?” Y/n stopped her note-taking for a second and paused. She slowly brought her eyes up to meet her new superior’s and shook her head after a few moments.

“No,” she stated, causing him to frown in confusion. “I was happy with nursing. I could help the two boys who meant the most to me while helping others around my city when they were in pain.”

“A very respectable outlook on your situation, I admire that.” He told her honestly and she hid a blush at his praise. The doctor rolled his sleeve to read the time and gasped. “Ah, Mr Stark will be here soon to go through his side of the work, we should look through the files before you help me assess the candidates tomorrow.”

He passed Y/n some thick manilla folders and she sifted through them, reading about men who were top of their class in their groups, had reached peak fitness level and were good with orders. Some were handsome and she had to stop herself drooling at their pictures of their bare chests from the physical analyses. As she continued through the pile, a name shocked her to her core, he couldn’t be here. How? How could he have gotten into this project when even the normal army wouldn’t take him on?

“Steve is here?” She asked quietly, trying to contain her shock. Doctor Erskine laughed quietly and nodded, she opened his file and began reading it, stroking her finger over the photo of him. He finally made it. Her chest swelled with pride as she looked over his forms and noted the bold black ‘1-A’ stamped onto his card. “Why?”

“I found something in him that I have yet to see in most of the men that pass through this base,” he took the folder from her and pulled out a slip from behind his medical records, it was a handwritten note signed by him and as she read, she realised it was a personal recommendation from him for her best friend. “Your own description of him helped me choose him as my preferred choice and I believe he could be the final candidate.”

She’d helped him. She’d helped Steve achieve the one thing he wanted most in the world; a chance to fight for his country. She should have been scared; scared about the testing; scared of the chances he wouldn’t come out of the war or even the tests themselves alive. The only negative feeling she felt was that sisterly worry that had always presided over her when it came to him. She’d practically raised him with his mother after his dad died in the war, now who was she going to care for? She had her nursing sure, but, was she even a nurse now?

“Are you worried for him?” He asked, noting her silence as Y/n stared hard at the photo in the folder. It was one that she hadn’t seen before, taken on his first day on the base in his uniform. She smiled fondly at the picture and turned to her new boss.

“No, not as much as I should be,” She imagined him pushing through even the hardest tasks available to him as he fought to prove himself. “He’s doing what he’s worked so hard to do. I’m happy for him.” Doctor Erskine hummed in response and checked his watch again. Any minute now and Howard would be joining them, he felt rather excited to see the two communicate; perhaps they would get along. He’d briefly seen how Y/n had dealt with Bucky’s subtle flirting the night they had met and secretly hoped she would be able to knock him into line. Howard was a good scientist but he could be a pain in the ass.

Y/n tore herself away from Steve’s folder finally and went back to checking the stats of the other candidates, after she’d read through them all she placed them back onto the doctor's desk and turned back to the notes she’d been making.

There was a brisk knock on the door and Doctor Erskine waddled over to it, leaving her be. She closed the notebook fully now, she guessed it was time to finally meet the man who would be helping her change the world. The door opened and she heard the German doctor speaking to someone before a thick American accent cut him off with a laugh and some kind of jokey comment. Y/n thought back to the Expo only a week ago and marvelled at the fact she’d be working with someone as smart as him. She really was in the big leagues now. She waited for a moment until the doors closed again and two footsteps made their way back to her. Y/n was met face-to-face with the man with the flying car. He looked almost the same except his posh-looking suit and top hat had been replaced with a more casual pair of tweed suit pants, a neutral shirt and tie and brown suspenders to hold it all together.

“Y/n, right?” Howard asked as he walked over to the desk that she was stationed at. She smiled and nodded and he let out a charming grin, stretching out his hand so she could shake it. When she clasped her hand in his, he pulled it to him and kissed it softly, his gaze never leaving her own eyes.

Dear god. All of her nausea of being surrounded by such intelligence went right out the window. He was a flirt. She snaked her hand back and wiped it on her coat jacket, revelling in the slightly shocked appearance of the genius in front of her. He quickly shook off the loss and plastered that same smirk he’d had the whole time he was on stage that night and moved back.

“Howard Stark, I’ve heard lots about you.”

“All good things I hope?” He stepped closer to her again in an attempt to flirt and she watched as his moustache quivered as his lips rose into a sultry smirk. He was lathering it on thick, this man could not deal with not being able to get the girl straight away. Resisting the urge to roll her eyes into the back of her head, she walked around to the opposite side of the table, catching the ghost of a smile on Erskine’s face as he watched the scene play out.

“So, Doctor,” She started, completely ignoring the attention-seeking playboy that now feigned offence at her change in topic, “Where should we start?”

------

[upsidedownwithsteve]

The Twelfth Day Of Christmas

Steve Harrington x fem!reader [2.2K]

We Tried The World Christmas edition

The traffic on the I-69 was at a complete standstill.

Unfortunate, considering you and Steve were both supposed to be at the Byer’s house almost two hours ago. The two hour drive had turned into something much, much longer, the BMW crawling along with traffic as the snow got heavier and heavier as Steve tried to get you both to Hawkins before nightfall, hopefully with all your carefully wrapped presents still in one piece in the trunk.

With Bruce in the back, whining lowly out of impatience and probably needing to pee, the air in the car was beginning to get more and more tense. The golden retriever grumbled again and you cooed, reaching behind the seat to stroke a hand over his ear, coming your fingers through his tufts of fur.

“S’okay, baby, we’re not far now,” you whispered and it wasn’t a lie, not really. The highway signs told you that you were only about twenty miles out from Indianapolis and from there, Hawkins was only really another thirty minute drive.

That’s if the snow had blocked off the roads.

The cars in front slowed to a stop once more and the boy beside you swore, frowning in the low light. He was lit up in red, brake lights turning him scarlet and even though it was only five o’clock, the weather was making the day turn to night much quicker than normal. The sky was heavy and tinted a rosy pink, thick clouds blocking out the last of the setting sun as snow fell heavily to the ground.

You knew Joyce would be worried, hoping she’d seen enough of the news channels to realise that you were both caught up in what was turning out to be a pretty bad snowstorm. You just hoped she didn’t send Hopper out on it to look for you both.

“Hey,” you murmured softly, taking your hand from Bruce to Steve’s knee, squeezing gently before running your palm up his thigh. “You wanna swap seats?”

The constant stopping and starting was making Steve far too grumpy, and understandably so, you’d thought. You knew you wouldn’t get much further than he could but you offered anyway, smile sweet and kind as you gazed at him.

You watched him soften as he caught your eye, his hard stare leaving the road to look back at you. His frown smoothed out, his lips lifted and he sighed, tired. His hand found yours, fingers tangling and he shook his head as he brought your fingers to his lips, kissing each one.

It felt a little like an apology for his bad mood.

“Nah, I’m alright, babe,” Steve mumbled, “just gotta wait it out.”

You knew he didn’t want you driving in the snow, could see the worry etched in the crinkle of his eyes, could hear it in his voice when the snow started to blanket the roads in front of you when you passed the signs for Greenwood - the boy slowing down and making sure your seatbelt was on, checking his mirrors to tell Bruce to lie down and be a good dog.

“You look tired,” you said instead of arguing, lips pushed into a sympathetic pout, taking your hand from his only to card your fingers through his hair instead.

He needed a haircut, the ends curling at his ears and at the nape of his neck. You traced the shell of his ear, grinning when he moaned dramatically and let his lashes flutter shut.

“Eyes on the road, Harrington,” you chastised.

“We’re not moving,” he retorted but he opened them anyway, turned to kiss your palm and nipped at your fingers when you pressed one to his cheek. “This is awful.”

The sounds of horns started blaring from the cars up in front, the line too long and the brake lights too bright for either of you to see what was causing the holdup. An overturned truck? A stuck car?

Behind you both, Bruce huffed, his big head appearing between the two seats and he pushed his muzzle to Steve’s ear, grumbling softly.

“I know, buddy,” Steve soothed, smacking a kiss to the side of the dog's head. “We’ll pull over when we can, both of us can take a leak, yeah?”

“Cute,” you deadpanned before rolling your eyes.

“Don’t be jealous,” Steve retorted and he lit up momentarily as the cars moved a foot or two, wheels slipping on the snow before everyone hit their brakes and the traffic came to a stand still once again. “For fuck sake.”

“You’d think we’d never managed a two thousand mile round trip across the country,” you quipped, smiling fondly at his impatience.

“More like three thousand after you got us lost in Yosemite,” Steve grinned back, laughing when you pushed at his shoulder, mouth agape in faux offence.

“You were the one that wanted to go!”

“You were the one with the map!” He was still laughing and at the sound of it, Bruce wagged his tail, a comforting thumpthumpthump against the back seat. “Besides, that trip was different.”

“Well yeah,” you snorted, “this one is a lot shorter—”

“It’s supposed to be,” Steve huffed, “could’ve made it to Chicago by now.”

“—and the last one was definitely sunnier.”

“Lucky for me, I got to sit next to this super pretty girl both times,” Steve was all charm, head leaning back against his seat, eyes bright as he looked at you through messy hair.

You preened, more than happy to accept his flirting, his attention. “Oh, yeah?” You asked.

“Oh yeah,” Steve nodded, making a show of letting his gaze roam over your body, each feature of your face, lingering at your lips. “Total smoke show. Wore a lot less clothes last time, though.”

You laughed, “you’re a perv, Harrington.”

The boy gasped, feigning shock and offence. “Y’can’t say that, it’s Christmas.”

You were momentarily interrupted from retorting as the traffic moved again, an inch, another, maybe a whole twenty feet before the cars stopped again and everyone groaned, Bruce included.

“You know,” Steve started, looking up at the falling snow before gazing over at you, his eyes warm with an affection you’d grown so familiar with. “We should do that again.”

“Do what?” You were smiling, always smiling with Steve, knowing what he was going to say but wanting to hear it anyway.

“Get in the car and just go,” he was looking at you like you were his whole world and it made your chest hurt. “Pack some bags, take Bruce, go somewhere new. A vacation.”

“Yeah?” You asked and your voice sounded dreamy. “Where to this time?”

Steve shrugged, smiling all soft. “Wherever you went, pretty girl. Canada? Or we could go south this time, see New York, somewhere big.”

You were beaming.

“Or, I could take some extra shifts, save up a little and we could get on a plane, ask Dustin if he’d look after Bruce and fly to—”

“You know I’d be happy in a motel in Indianapolis as long as I’m with you, right?”

Steve shrugged and tried to hide smile, to stop himself going pink around his cheeks but it was no use, you’d already seen and you knew him too well. Two years together and it was still one of your favourite sights.

“Besides,” you continued, “I kinda like the idea of being stuck in this car with you again. And this time ‘round, I don’t have to pretend I don’t wanna kiss you for five states.”

Steve grinned, all too pleased with your admission despite the fact that he had to have known — especially after you were the one to throw yourself at him mid-thunderstorm in Colorado.

“A whole five states, huh?” The boy smirked, entirely smug. “Wow, babe, didn’t know you’d wanted me for that long.”

“Shut up,” you retorted, your words held no heat. “If your ego gets any bigger, Eddie’s gonna yell at me for not keeping it in check.”

“I’ll fight him for you,” Steve promised but he was quick to return to your original words. “Five states… that totally means you wanted me before we even left Indiana.”

“Steve, you were the one to kiss me at that party—”

“You were just dyin’ to jump my bones at that first diner, huh?” Steve was gloating, lips curled into a pretty smirk, eyes dancing with mischief and flirt in the red lights. “A coffee, some pancakes and a side of di—”

“The traffic is moving, Romeo,” you interrupted, doing your best to not let him make you laugh but your cheeks were sore from smiling and there was a bubble of happiness in your chest that felt warmer than anything else you’d ever felt.

Sure enough, the line was moving more consistently now and Steve let out a whoop as he stepped on the gas and made the car kick up snow. He grinned when he finally got to turn off of the interstate, gaze flickering to you only to wink, making you shake your head fondly and grin.

The roads to Hawkins were much quieter and much more peaceful, Steve taking it slow as the snow fell steadily, coating everything in white. Bruce had jumped out at a lay-by with Steve, both of your boys taking a bathroom break in the same bush as you shouted stupid shit at Steve from the window, doing your best to make him laugh as he yelled back at you about messing up his aim.

It didn’t feel like returning home as you passed the sign welcoming you back to the small town but it felt like family and it felt like friends, familiar and more comforting than it had ever been, especially when Steve took one hand off of the steering wheel to squeeze at your thigh.

The lights strung up around porches and roofs twinkled in the night, the sky fully black now as you arrived more than three hours late. But it didn’t really matter, ‘cause nothing was a rush, nothing could be a stress when the world was so pretty and quiet.

Everything glittered, the ground, the rooftops, the light line tree branches, the frozen over pond at the edges of the park. And Steve’s eyes did too when he turned the corner on Maple Street and asked you:

“Hey, d’you wanna tell me a secret?”

“Really now?” You murmured back, your smile warm and bright. His words made your chest ache for memories you kept for yourself — long drives, breaking into pools, kisses between canyons, sunflower fields and sun soaked boys who belonged to summer and you. “You not got enough of my secrets, Harrington?”

Steve grinned and shrugged, thumb drawing circles onto your knee. “One more for Christmas?”

So you hummed and pretended to think, cheek pushed to the headrest of the car seat as you kept your eyes on Steve, the profile of his pretty face.

“I’d go anywhere in the world with you,” you told him and your voice was quiet but sure.

“Yeah?” The boy asked and you could tell he couldn’t say much more, his voice a little thick with affection. The car rolled to pause at a stop sign and he took the chance to look at you properly, brown eyes filled with so much adoration it made your breath catch in your throat.

“Oh, yeah,” you assured him, nodding and whispering like you were telling him something scandalous, “don’t you know? I’d jump in a car and let you steal me away.”

“Sounds dangerous,” Steve gasped.

“Stupidly so,” you agreed but the air between you both was sticky with fondness. “Where’s my Christmas secret?”

Steve smiled and pulled into the Byer’s driveway, parking behind Nancy’s car, Eddie’s van and Hoppers cruiser, wondering how long he had left with you alone before one of the kids spotted you both through the window.

Bruce was awake and whining, recognising the house and hearing the noise from inside, the low music from the stereo, the yells of conversation between too many people at once.

“I love you,” Steve said simply, “like, way more than anyone else in the entire world.”

“The entire world, huh?” you said instead of crying, melting into the seat as Steve leaned over the console to you, lips meeting yours for a kiss that made your heart rate pick up. “That’s a lot of people to rule out.”

“Yeah, well,” Steve hummed against your lips, pressing tiny kisses anywhere he could. “We tried the world… or at least seven states in it —”

You snorted out a huff of laughter as Steve grinned, hiding your face in his shoulder as he kept up his kisses between words.

“— and I’m pretty fuckin’ sure you’re my favourite.”

You pressed a kiss to the boy's neck and sighed, too happy to wanna move. “Yeah?” Your voice was quiet and soft, and you didn’t need the reassurance, but it was lovely to have it anyway.

“Yeah,” Steve responded, pushing a kiss to the apple of your cheek before Bruce tried to squeeze his face between you both. “Just don’t tell Dustin.”

[fizzigigsimmer]

WIP tag game

Rules: you will be given a word. share one sentence/excerpt from your wip(s) that start with each letter of that word.

The word that @robthegoodfellow tagged me in is... Sleep. I tell you right now, this was surprisingly difficult. You would have thought that I knew in advance and did everything in my power not to start sentences with e's or l's. 😀 But we got there.

Unamed Harringrove Ballet Au

Six-year-old Billy Hargrove watches his father’s beat up truck turn out of their driveway and disappear down the street with an exuberant grin. He had thought his dad would never leave – even though Neil was supposed to have a shift at the factory that morning...

Limited or not, Billy is serious about practice. So serious that he’s still at it two hours later, shuffling his feet to the beat in tandem with the two dancing figures on screen – jumping up with his leg twisted behind his body as he turns and lands. Awkwardly. He sucks in an aggravated breath through his teeth as he wobbles, arms flailing like fire hoses. It’s not anywhere as cool or as coordinated as Baryshnikov...

To B With Love

“Everyone push on the count of three.” Jane urged, biting back a giggle and Will nodded. 

“Quick! Before he’s turned into johnny cakes. One-two-three!” 

The three of them dug their toes into the ground and heaved with all of their might to role the pregnant ewe back onto her feet, just in time for Dustin to come running into their cluster for cover. Big Blue, the lead ram (who was at least shoulder high and had four horns atop its head) knocked into one of the fleeing ewes; thankfully seeming to lose interest in chasing Dustin as the animal climbed back onto his feet...

Even Mr. Clarke, who had encouraged their interest in understanding natural miracles and had loaned them many scientific publications, had just stared at Dustin perplexed when he had tried to explain his theory. But Mr. Clarke hadn’t told Dustin he was being a goose either, or accused him of having too much imagination. Instead, he’d given them a book called Jane Eyre to read because he thought they’d like it. 

“It deals quite a bit with ghosts, and the oftentimes quite human explanations for them.” He’d said with a wink and cheery smile. Max quite liked Mr. Clarke, and the book was turning out to be really good too. Far better than any of the short stories and sermons Ms. Klupp had them reading for class....

While You Were Sleeping

“Pardon me. Sorry.” Steve’s alpha had said politely, like some rich guy in a rom-com with like six degrees, through perfectly white teeth and plump gorgeous lips. To make matters worse, his eyes were blue, and for the first time in his life Steve understood all that shit in the novels about gazes holding hidden depths and secret longings. It was easy in an instant to imagine that the gorgeous stranger he’d just bumped into was as lost in the world as he was, without meaning or purpose. One that he’d obviously find in Steve’s bed, when they fucked the ever living shit out of each other. 

At least, that’s how it would have gone in one of Robin’s books.

Thanks for the tag lovely! I am 1000% sure you have all already been tagged but maybe tag me on your post so I can read your snippits. But no pressure... The word is Book! @dragonflylady77 @adelacreations @a-redharlequin @bigdumbbambieyes @ihni, @chrisbitchtree @medusapelagia @intothedysphoria

[rabid-dog-steve-horn]

Kinetic Blue Live @ Lupos #3

[aloneinthehellfire]

Chapter 17: Mad Fools

Season One | Season Two | Season Three | Season Four

[Raining Hellfire: Season Four]

Word Count: 4216 words

Warnings: swearing, mentions of death, fluff (like sweet-tooth kind of fluffiness that i love so no one can hate it), angst

[A/N: you are all going to go absolutely ballistic on me and i completely understand. half of you are gonna love me tho. *disappears menacingly into the shadows*]

Mad Fools

The RV was parked in the middle of an empty field, away from the public, and with enough space to make weapons.

Fighting Vecna wasn’t going to be easy, nor would it ever be a fair fight, but you sure as hell were gonna try.

You sat with Steve and Robin, helping them create Molotov cocktails, something Robin insisted upon. She was right, of course. What easier way to set fire to Vecna than being able to throw fire?

Across the field, furthest away, Dustin and Eddie worked on their shields, taking inspiration from the bats you and Steve wielded a couple years back by adding an assortment of nails into trash can lids.

Max sat with Nancy, watching as she sawed off her shotgun. Nancy needed it to be close range, and to create enough damage if need be.

The Sinclairs were sat together, creating spears to the best of their ability. And by that, you meant to Erica’s ability since Lucas had no idea what he was doing.

You fiddle around with the fuel-filled bottles, shoving in material and placing it beside you once complete. You sat cross-legged in front of Steve and Robin, watching as they poured the gas in through a funnel, careful not to spill.

“It just doesn’t make sense.” Steve says and you remove your headphones for a moment, resting them around your neck.

“What doesn’t make sense?” You ask and he sighs.

“That was Dan Shelter.”

You frown, looking to Robin for context. She shakes her head slightly.

“So, uh…” She begins, setting the gas can upright so she could tell her story, “You remember that girl I told you about?”

“Vickie?” You suggest and she nods.

You kept in touch with Robin occasionally when you were in Florida. She always called you whenever she had a break, or, more often than not, whenever she was bored during her shift at Family Video. At the beginning of your move, she called almost everyday. Then it became every week, slowly turning into every month. You didn’t blame her for it; you both just got busy. So, it was many weeks she had ranted about the girl of her dreams to you; Vickie.

But considering how homophobic the time you lived in seemed to be, she never had the courage to express herself. You related to that, heavily. You could laugh about it now that you were both close friends, but the crush you had on her years back was a terrifying experience.

It only took one misjudged confession to make you a town pariah.

“She was at War Zone.” She nods, avoiding your eyes and your heart drops.

“I’m guessing that this Dan…” You don’t finish the sentence, merely watching as she nods and continues her task. “Wait, Shelter? Didn’t that guy graduate?”

You remember seeing the name in one of the display cases, a blonde haired boy holding up a trophy for some sport you weren’t interested in. You vaguely recalled seeing him in your English class.

“So?” Robin shrugs and Steve raises his eyebrows.

“So he’s in college.” He explains, “Which means he was visiting on spring break. Fast Times was returned, like, I don’t know, a week ago?”

“Oh, she watched Fast Times?” You catch on and Steve nods.

“Yeah, and guess where it kept being paused at?” He questions and you purse your lips.

“Paused at?…” You think for a second before realisation spreads across your face and Steve gestures an arm towards you.

“See?” Steve tries and Robin tilts her head at him, squinting her eyes. “Unless she’s got some horn-dog brother we don’t know about. Which is possible.”

“Or she’s just really into Judge Reinhold?” You offer and Steve snaps his finger at your suggestion.

“Guys!” Robin interrupts. The equipment was now on the grass beside them and she looks down, fiddling with her hands.

“What?” Steve frowns and she whips her head up.

“I don’t care.” She shrugs, looking to you both. “And I don’t understand why you do either with everything that’s going on. Honestly, this feels like a perfect time for that little pull of the rug because… in the face of the world ending, the stakes of my love life feel spectacularly low.”

“Yeah,” Steve nods, looking at his hands, “I mean, I get you there, but… I still have hope.”

“Me too.” You add and Robin raises her brow, ready to object, “Look, Robs. We don’t know the full picture here. Yeah, okay, she has a boyfriend. But… that doesn’t mean there isn’t something else going on. Believe me, I know first hand.”

She ponders this for a moment before shaking her head. “No, no. I doubt-”

“Come on.” You stress as Steve hands you another bottle, shoving in the white cloth. “Free will still exists, even in this suffocating town, which means people don’t have to subject themselves to one lifestyle for the rest of their lives. She could like guys and girls. Yeah, she’s with a guy right now but those feelings will still be there. And she’s probably just scared because people always expect one or the other, not both. They hate anything out of the realm of their 'normal', so imagine how they'd react to a girl that chooses both. And… I don’t think she has anyone to talk to about that. So, if it turns out I’m right, then you’re gonna have to suck it up and keep trying because you just won’t know unless you are there with her.”

Robin smiles at you as you hand her the finished bottle.

“Yeah. Yeah, I know you’re right.” She sighs. As she speaks, you notice Steve looking at you with an unreadable expression.

You feel a little lighter, somehow. After all the monsters and gates, you didn’t realise how much baggage you were holding onto from your own feelings.

“Y/n’s definitely right.” Steve finally says with a small smile, eyes never leaving yours. “You never know until you try.”

Something is shared between you, a look neither of you quite understood. It goes unnoticed by Robin however when she grabs the fuel can again.

“Not everything has a happy ending.” She states and you let out a sigh.

“Yeah, yeah, believe me, I know.” Steve admits, handing you another bottle. He looks off to somewhere in the distance and you don’t need to turn around to see who he’s staring at.

“I don’t think she’s talking about failed romance.” You say softly.

Robin lets out a breathy laugh, “No, I’m not. I just… I have this terrible, gnawing feeling that… it might not work out for us this time.”

As if on cue, the tape in your Walkman stops and you pick it up, squeezing it tightly.

“You think we shouldn’t be doing this?” Steve asks, brows furrowed.

“I think we’re mad fools, the lot of us, but… if we don’t stop him, who will?”

“Here, here.” You suddenly say, holding up a bottle and Robin laughs, clinking her own against it before you both set them to the side.

Steve keeps staring out at the field, at all your friends.

“We have to try, right?” Robin says.

After a moment, Steve nods slightly, glancing between you both. “Yeah.”

He grabs another bottle, holding it up with a smirk. “To killing Vecna.”

You and Robin reclaim you bottles and hold them up.

“Slash Henry.” Robin chuckles and you tilt your head.

“Slash One.” You finish and you all tap the glasses, smiling.

When you put the bottle back down, however, your face drops, glancing back down at your Walkman.

This moment right here, all of you on the field, is the last time you’ll ever feel safe. Even if you do succeed, even if Vecna is gone for good, those nightmares and terrifying memories are going to live with you forever.

You’ll constantly be wondering when the next gate will open, always on edge at every creak and breath you may hear at night. This’ll never truly be over, not in your mind anyway.

And, if you fail miserably, that meant that this may be the last time you will see eachother.

“We’re out of bottles.” Robin suddenly notes, standing up. “We got any more?”

“In the back.” Steve gestures to the RV behind him and she nods, saying she’ll be quick.

As she moves around the vehicle, you take the opportunity to free your mind.

“Hey, uh, Steve?” You start and he raises his head to you, testing how much fuel was left in the can.

“Yeah?”

“I, um…” You frown, trying to find the right words. You weren’t really sure what you were going to say, either. All you knew, was that you wanted to talk to him.

“Is everything okay?” He sets the object down beside him, sliding off his seat so he could sit on the grass opposite you, meeting your height with a soft frown.

“I’m really glad I met you.” You finally say and his frown turns to surprise. “Seriously. I… I never thought I’d enjoy Hawkins, let alone make friends. When… when my parents sent me away I was so convinced that I’d hate this place. And then you almost hit me with that basketball.”

You let out a small laugh when Steve grimaces before continuing.

“Even if it got rocky for a while there, you were always the one person truly on my side.” You nod, finally meeting his eyes again, “I never really appreciated that as much as I should have.”

“Where is this all coming from?” Steve asks quietly, reaching out to take your hand in his.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen next.” You admit shakily, taking a breath, “But I’m just really glad that you’re there by my side. That I was there in the gym that day, that I met you when I felt the shittiest I ever felt because… you really made my life better, even for just a moment.”

“You know,” He shuffles forward, eyes drifting to someone behind you before finding your eyes again, “I was thinking about hitting my head a while back.”

“I’m sorry, what?” You laugh in surprise and he shakes his head, squeezing his eyes shut.

“That’s not… okay, let me try again.” He smiles, composing himself. “I lost myself for a while there in high school. And… I guess, I thought that was who I really was, you know? Just some douchebag jock with a girl who deserved way better. And everyone seemed to accept that about me. No one questioned it, or tried to tell me I was an asshole. Everyone… but you.”

“I am always great with compliments.” You joke and he chuckles.

“You were the only thing reminding me of who I really was, who I could be. And I can’t even begin to tell you how grateful I am about that. You didn’t give up.”

“I wasn’t really ready to admit that I lost you.” You shrug, twisting grass together with your free hand, “Especially not to Tommy and Carol, I mean, that’s just embarrassing on my part.”

“You’re right.” He suddenly nods, sitting back up and you raise an eyebrow. “About what you said earlier. We have no idea what’s going to happen next. And… I guess now’s the perfect time to get things off our chest, right?”

“If you’re expecting more from me, I’m afraid that’s all the emotion I can show today.” You smirk but he takes a deep breath.

“I was an idiot when we were friends.”

“Agreed.” You grin and he throws a cloth at you.

“Shut up, I’m pouring my heart out here.” Steve laughs, running a hand through his hair and leaning forward again. “No, I… I was so caught up with what everyone else thought of me that I never paid attention to what you thought of me.”

Your heart stops, eyes widening. “Uh… what are you-”

“Robin.” He winces and you lean back on your arms, exhaling. Why you continued to tell her secrets, you didn't know.

“Of course.”

“No, it’s not- it’s not a bad thing, I-” He dips his head to make you bring your eyes back to his, smiling. “I really liked you, too.”

“Steve.” You sit back up, “I know there’s a chance it could really happen, but I’d rather die than make you feel like you have to show me pity-”

“No! No, I’m not kidding.” He says and when you stare him down, his expression never changes. He was serious.

“Seriously?” You raise an eyebrow just in case and he nods.

“Seriously.”

You think for a moment, seconds flying by, until you grab the cloth and hit him with it.

“Hey!” Steve protests with a confused laugh.

“Why didn’t you say something?” You exclaim, dropping the cloth, “My god, I remember feeling like such an idiot for ever even liking you. Oh, and the cherry on top, you ended up dating my best friend anyway and I had to hear about how great of a kisser you were, and how cool your hair was, and-”

“Y/n!” He grabs both of your hands, laughing. “Calm down.”

“Sorry.” You laugh with him, tilting your head. “Why are we like this?”

“I wish I knew.” He smiles, shaking his head. He lowers his head for a moment before looking back at you with a knowing smirk. “This is it for us, isn’t it? What we have right now.”

“I…” You let out a breath, gently tightening your grip on his hands. “Complete honesty?”

“Always.” He nods and you sigh.

“I hope not.” You whisper out and he smiles softly.

You hear laughter behind you, eyes drifting to the noise and seeing Eddie play-fighting with Dustin, a big grin on his face as he waved around his shield.

“But you’re not ready to move on.” Steve concludes and you look back at him.

“No, I am. I was? I-” You stop, shaking your head. “God, I don’t even know. I mean, when I left Hawkins I got the opportunity to think about everything, to actually deal with my feelings for once and now…”

“I get that.” Steve’s gaze flickers from yours to the grass. “Jesus, I really get that. One minute, I’m fine. The next…”

“We’re in the Upside Down.” You frown and he raises an eyebrow. You remembered Eddie's earlier query, the small thought lingering in the back of your mind. “What if… no, it’s stupid.”

“Nothing you have ever said in your entire life has been stupid.” He laughs and you smile.

“I just wonder that… with everything we’re learning about the Upside Down, what if there’s something more to it?” You lower your voice to a whisper, “It’s literally stuck in ‘83, is it so impossible to think that maybe time is more of an influence down there than we think?”

“How does that link to our doomed relationship status?” Steve questions with the purse of his lips and you shrug.

“I… don’t actually know. What I do know is that I finally healed and then ever since I stepped foot in that place again, all these feelings popped back up and the wound tore open. Metaphorically, of course. And literally.”

“Yeah.” He slowly nods and you tilt your head. “No, seriously. It makes sense.”

“You don’t have to agree with everything I say, you know.” You laugh and he lets go of your hand to run his through his hair before returning it back to its rightful place.

“Yeah, well get used to it.” Steve chuckles before really focusing on you. “Honesty, right? I… I don’t want this to be all there is for us either.”

“Then what now?” You ask, bringing your clasped hands to rest just below your chin and he leans in, forehead against yours. “There’s so much going on right now. I mean, from the curses to the exes, how do I even- I don’t know how much I can deal with right now.”

“We wait.” He finally suggests and you pull back to look at him, “We kill Vecna, we save Hawkins, again, and… we see where it leads us.”

“So… we’re friends. For now.” You add with a smile and he grins at you.

“For now.” He nods. The look he gave you set butterflies in your chest. But not the fluttering mess of it all, but rather a beautiful warmth of wings around your heart.

Then, he glances back at the RV and tightens his lips. “We, uh, we’re not telling Robin about this are we?”

“God no.” You shake your head, blinking. “I love her to pieces but... no. We need to kill Vecna, not blast confetti cannons and hear Robin’s speech on true love.”

“Confetti cannons?” Steve repeats your words.

“I don’t know, seems like a Robin thing to me.” You shrug.

“Agree to disagree.” He retorts and you make a surprised sound.

“Wow, what happened to always agreeing with me?” You joke and soon fall into a comfortable silence, feeling the breeze gently brush your hair.

After a moment, a laugh leaves his lips and you raise your eyebrows.

“What?”

“I’m gonna take you to Skull Rock.” Steve smirks and you let out a breathy laugh.

“Don’t you even dare.”

“Yep, we’re gonna smooch.”

“Oh my god, don’t say that.”

“Smooooch.”

“Stop.”

“What are you guys-” Robin rounds the corner with various bottles, eyes widening when she sees you both leant in to eachother, hands clasped together. And, with a happy gasp, she drops the bottles and you both wince, glad the grass was enough of a cushion to stop them from shattering.

“Finally!” She squeals, doing a little happy dance before she abruptly stops. “Oh, shit. I forgot my glitter.”

“Glitter?” You question while Steve looks baffled.

“What- glitter... what?!”

“I was saving it for when you two finally happened!” She declares with a pout and you and Steve stop, turning to eachother slowly.

You both look down at your hands, gently letting go with a laugh. Your heart raced a little. If you and Steve were meant to be keeping this on the down-low, you were failing pretty bad at it.

“Robs-”

“No, I know it’s here somewhere.” She ignores you, patting down her pockets.

“Seriously, Robin-” Steve tries this time and she grins.

“A-ha!” She celebrates, pulling out a packet of glitter and you groan.

“Okay, that’s cute and all.” You comment as she pours it into her hand, “But what we’re trying to tell you is-”

Your words were cut short when Robin blew glitter at you, the shiny little dots covering you and Steve.

“… we’re not together.” You finish, spitting out silver glitter that had clung to your lips.

“What?” She slumps her shoulders.

“Yeah.” Steve nods, wiping down his face with a cloth. “But, uh, nice try.”

“That sucks.” Robin shrugs before looking at you both and wincing. “Sorry, I got carried away.”

“You think?” You laugh and she crouches beside you, grabbing another cloth to help clean you off.

“Wasted glitter, too.” She huffs and you deadpan her, earning an apologetic smile, “I’ve just been carrying this thing around since Scoops, you know?”

“Why?” Steve stares at her like she’s insane but all she does is shrug again, gently wiping pieces of glitter from your eye.

“Could have been a confetti cannon.” You mutter under your breath, Steve smirking at you.

“I was just so sure you two would be a thing.” Robin admits with a sigh, sitting back onto her heels, “I mean, you both seemed so close when I met you, never not talking about eachother.”

“That’s because neither of us have that many friends.” You share and Steve goes to object before nodding in defeat.

“Yeah, I started thinking that but…” She sits back on her heels, shaking her head. “Then I saw you two in the ambulance after Starcourt- which, by the way, was adorable considering everything- and back at the Creel House, you told me how you and Steve kissed last year, and how you guys love eachother, it just… I don’t know why you guys won’t give it a-”

When she stops speaking, Steve merely sighs, deciding through his words. “We decided not to, okay? And why are you so obsessed with us being together? Weren’t you just saying how our love lives are the least important thing right now?”

When he looks up, however, he realises his question wouldn’t get answered. Because your face had dropped, Robin looking queasy.

He turns his head to see what your staring at and his heart stops. Oh no.

“I was just…”

Eddie tries to speak, an unreadable expression flickering between you and Steve before he ultimately decides on avoiding your eyes and shaking his head, moving around your trio and heading into the RV.

And he had heard it all.

You enter the RV after your soft knocks were ignored, shutting the door behind you with a sigh.

After Robin had apologised until she turned blue, you told her it wasn’t her fault. Excusing yourself from your friends and following Eddie, your heart was beating louder than it should.

This wasn’t a talk you wanted to have. Especially when it involved Steve.

“Eddie?” You call out quietly before noticing him sat at the back, trying on a new vest the others had grabbed from War Zone, trying to ignore you. “Eddie, please. Talk to me.”

“It’s fine.” He says, clearly not fine. You watch as he grabs his bandana from his back pocket and ties it around his head, jaw set tight as he stared out of the window, facing away from you.

“Don’t lie to me.” You plead, walking closer.

Eddie lets out a bitter and shaky laugh, “That’s ironic.”

You stay silent and he turns around, shaking his head.

“I thought…” He sighs, biting his lip, “… we were…”

“We-”

Your word is cut off with a sharp laugh, his hands reaching to rest on top of his head as he paces the small space.

“This whole time I thought I was a fucking idiot for ever believing anything was going on between you two.” He never raised his voice but you still felt all the anger radiating from him, “Turns out I was right all along.”

Your face drops. “No. No, that’s not fair.”

“How isn’t that fair? You kissed him, Y/n! After you told me he would only ever be a friend.” He finally starts to yell, voiced pained with sadness, “You told him you love-”

He can’t finish the sentence.

“Because I do.” You say quietly and he physically stills. You take his silence as an opening to finally say what you've been holding on to for two years.

“I was ready to forgive you. To move on from what I thought that girl was doing in your trailer, but you broke my heart, Eddie. You didn’t trust me and that... that hurt more than anything. Because I’d never do anything to hurt you. Not willingly. And I didn’t think I’d ever feel again after you. But I did. And I’m not gonna apologise for that when you broke up with me.”

Eddie squeezes his eyes shut, looking to the window beside him with a frown.

“It’s not my place.” He sighs, eyes set on the glass pane. “And I regret it. Not telling you what really happened, for not- for not trusting you. For ending things when for past three years I’ve been kicking myself for ever leaving.”

Your silence isn’t built from surprise, but from reflection. If you had just ran after him, told him the truth… would things have been different?

“You wanna know what really hurts?” Eddie questions after a while and you whip your head up, heart thumping against your chest. “That all it took was for us to break up before you realised you were in love with your best friend. That those feelings had to have been there the entire time you were with me.”

“It’s not like that.” You shake your head, frustration finally hitting and you take a step forward.

“You were my best friend, too, Y/n.” He declares and you bite your lip. “I- I don’t feel safe around that many people, but I did with you. And now… was I just some kind of replacement for the guy you couldn’t have?”

Your face drops, a shaky breath leaving your lips. “You were never a replacement. Steve had nothing to do with how I felt about you, okay? We would have always been best friends, at least, Eds, I want to be your friend-”

“Yeah, right.” He mutters and you frown, eyes misting over.

“Yes, Eddie, I love him, but it’s so much more complicated than that right now, we-”

“If you love him so much then why did you kiss me?” He counters and you freeze.

His question struck you hard. Why did you kiss him?

“Can’t make up your mind? Or do you just not care?" He continues, and you can only shake your head.

"Play with the freak’s heart, right?” He challenged, stepping closer until you were finally face to face. His breaths were shallow, eyes misted over and you knew he was panicking. “… maybe they were right about you.”

Your heart stopped for a long second. You’d seen Eddie put up his defences before, usually from bullies in high school. He would always spit out whatever he could to show he didn’t care. But you knew he did, deep down. After all, you’d led with him on his bed, holding him until he felt better about himself.

You just never thought you’d be the one to bring out this side to him.

“Don’t say it.” You whisper, tears streaming down your cheeks.

He didn’t want to. You could tell. But you also knew Eddie Munson would do whatever it took to protect his heart.

“Whore of Hawkins.”

He expected you to slap him. To scream, to fight. And he was sorely mistaken.

Instead, you turned away with a lowered head and started walking, looking back only one time to meet his teary eyes.

“For what it’s worth… you’re one of the only people on this planet I ever felt safe with.”

And then you left, leaving him stood there.

Stepping out of the trailer, you almost fell down the step, heart hammering in your chest. You did nothing wrong. Right?

If that was the case, then why did you feel so guilty?

You try to wipe the tears away desperately, knowing that your heartbreak wasn’t what your friends needed to see right now.

But, with the crunch of a leaf, you turn your head to see Robin and Nancy staring at you, both their faces rising to surprise when they see you stood there. Nancy must have seen what happened earlier.

When they finally take in your appearance, their faces fall, moving closer and you close the distance, allowing them to catch you in a hug when you break down to tears.

Chapter 18: One Last Fight ->

[A/N: ... come on did we really think i wouldn't add some angst to this eddie x reader situation? STEVE STANS RISE]

[i'm also disappearing because this was a word vomit of a chapter, pls bear in mind that i am attempting to fit a lot into these last few chapters, and i'm terrified of the responses i'm gonna get to it okay bye... for now.]

taglist: @gnnnne / @beepisbeep / @paintballkid711 / @eddiesbirdie / @livasaurasrex / @darktimelegends / @jackierose902109 / @mvrylee / @chervbs / @eternallyvenus / @nervouscatsuit / @f1nn-wolfhard / @hereiamhereigo / @ladybug0095 / @fangirling-4-ever / @astrolockley / @mothmanatemycat / @sheisjoeschateau / @champagnejoker / @umidktbh / @fallinginlovewithqueue / @ilovetaylorswift132006 / @live-the-fangirl-life / @sadbitchfangirl / @cherrymedicine13 / @engenelxver / @sagaonpandora /

[sidekick-hero]

A car horn sounds in the distance and Eddie is reminded of all the thirsty texts he and Chrissy have exchanged about the man currently three fingers deep inside him, and he can't help the almost manic cackle that escapes his panting mouth.

He wishes he could shove the laugh back into his traitorous mouth, because the fingers stop their maddening assault, and incredulous hazel eyes look up at him from between his legs.

"Something funny?" It's so deliciously bitchy that Eddie can't help undulating his hips to get those fingers moving again. Their whole foreplay had been them bickering in the laundry room of their dorm, and Eddie can't take much more.

"No," he gasps, "I mean, yeah, just my head being funny. It does that. Very funny head. Please, carry on." He makes a sweeping gesture like he's offering the guy a great gift.

The guy (Steve, his mind supplies, his name is Steve) doesn't look very impressed. More the opposite, judging by the way he sits back on his haunches and takes his wonderful, talented fingers with him. Eddie whines at the loss and curses his poor impulse control.

"I have no idea what could be amusing about my fingers up your ass." There's a pinch to his mouth that makes it look like Eddie really hurt his feelings with his laughter. He can't very well tell the guy that he wasn't laughing at him, but about the many times he censored all the filthy things he thought about doing to the guy with [CAR HORN BLARES].

He sits up and hooks one hand around Steve's neck, his foot pressing into the small of his back and his other hand gripping his hard and dripping dick. Eddie groans at the thought that fingering him affected Steve so much.

"Aww, I'm sorry, big boy. Let me stroke your ego to make it up to you, yeah?"

With that, he begins stroking Steve's dick with firm, sure strokes as he pulls him down for a filthy kiss. Steve comes willingly, panting and letting Eddie plunge his tongue deep into his mouth, giving him an idea of what Eddie wants him to do with the ego he's stroking right now.

Steve moans loudly as Eddie thumbs the head of his dick, and Eddie, his mouth newly freed, can't help but say, "I knew you had a big ego, but I didn't expect it to grow any bigger."

Steve snorts at that, even as his hips push him forward into Eddie's fist. "You're ridiculous, has anyone ever told you that?"

"Only all the time. I don't have a brain-to-mouth filter, I guess? In my defense, I was dropped on my head as a kid, so..."

His statement is followed by a deep groan, unfortunately not entirely a happy one. "Please stop talking."

And okay, fine. He can do that.

He thinks.

Maybe he needs some help.

"How about you make me shut up with your mouth while you fuck me? Just to be sure."

The smile he gets in return is devilish, but Eddie thinks he sees fondness in those expressive hazel eyes, too. "I think I can do that."

And Steve does, expertly.

That doesn't mean that Eddie won't put his foot in his mouth afterwards, but at least he can hope that the orgasm will make it more endearing to Steve.

Because he'd really like to keep doing this.

As usually, thank you to the best discrod crew, my Schwester @yournowheregirl and my platonic writing soulmate @legitcookie for going feral with me and blaring that goddamn car horn so many times.

[atmilliways]

Wrong On The Money (11-12)

parts 11 & 12 of ?? | 1076 words | Teen+

Blackmail fic on Ao3 | on tumblr

Summary:

Giving the kids rides home from Hellfire meetings is wreaking havoc on Steve’s gas money. It also involves the double-edged sword of Eddie being there.

11.

Giving the kids rides home from Hellfire meetings is wreaking havoc on Steve’s gas money. It also involves the double-edged sword of Eddie being there. Two birds, one stone—but seeing him always stirs up feelings in Steve’s chest that he doesn’t know what to do with, so the audience isn’t ideal. 

“About that total,” Eddie says one night, in the hurried rush between the kids piling into the Beemer and exchanging bills so either no one saw or the older club members assumed it was a simple drug deal. “I need to charge interest.”

Steve pauses, peering at Eddie, whose expression and body language carry more of the tension from their first run-in than he’s seen in a while. His first instinct is to ask about his uncle, but he’s not supposed to know about that and doesn’t want to get Dustin in trouble for telling him.

So much for a straightforward total. There’s some jewelry in his parents' room that his mom hasn’t missed in months, and probably won’t ask about whenever she bothers to stop by the house next. Maybe he can sell it, help both Eddie and himself out.

“Sure, why not,” Steve sighs. 

It’s Eddie’s turn to stop and frown at him. “Really? No protest, just like that?”

Steve angles a thumb over one shoulder, pointing back at the Beemer right as one of the kids (his money, if he had any left, would be on Mike) gets to the horn. “No time,” he says with a tight smile of his own.

The car honks again as he turns to go. He was right; Dustin has shotgun, but Mike is the one leaning up from the back seat to lay on the horn. 

“Mike! Patience, dictionary, look it up!” Shaking his head, Steve starts towards the car at a brisk pace, throwing a quick “See you next week, Munson” over his shoulder.

12.

What the fuck was that, what the fuck was that?

“What the fuck was that?”

Jeff’s voice mirroring his exact thought makes Eddie jump at least half a foot in the air. Gareth and Frank are already headed to Frank’s car, a fact he notes with confusion because—

“I told them you’re giving me a ride,” Jeff explains. “Figured it’d give you an opportunity to share about whatever’s going on with you and The Hair lately.”

“There’s nothing going on,” Eddie mumbles, jamming both hands deep in his jeans pockets to tuck the wad of bills he’d palmed from Harrington safely away. He slouches off towards his van where it sits alone in the deserted parking lot.

“Then he’s shit at buying drugs,” Jeff shoots back, following, “because he didn’t take anything with him. Come on, Eddie, how long have we been friends? I was right there getting that rabies shot with you after you tried to house train a raccoon, man.”

Eddie gets in and starts the van, looking anywhere but at his friend. “What are you poking at this for? Let it go, it’s not that big a deal.”

Yes it is. Yes it is and I am in over my head, I am so in over my head it’s not even—

“Dude,” Jeff says flatly. “I can see you thinking a mile a minute.”

So Eddie cracks. He drives out to the middle of nowhere and parks in a field, and tells Jeff everything, hardly stopping for breath the entire time. He outs Harrington, which he's literally being paid not to do. He outs himself (which, nothing against Jeff, but he was kind of hoping to get the fuck out of Hawkins before anyone besides his uncle found out). He talks about how the doctors keep extending the time Wayne is on the medication, not happy with some sort of results from blood tests, and having to ask for interest.

“And he’s going to do it,” Eddie says, winded by disbelief of this fact as well as everything else that's tumbled out of his mouth like a goddamn avalanche. “He didn’t even ask how much. That must mean—I must have really intimidated him, right? What if I’m ruining his life?”

“Oh bull,” Jeff scoffs, finally elbowing a word in edgewise. “Nothing I saw tonight implied he thinks you’re intimidating. Look, wait a minute—did you just say you’re gay?”

Eddie freezes. “I . . . sort of did, yeah.”

“. . . And the best you can do is a crush on Steve Harrington? 

He flushes, pulling clumps of his hair to cover his face with both hands—mortified, but also hiding a manic grin. They’ve been friends for years, and while Eddie hadn’t expected Jeff to call him a fag and spit in his face, it would’ve been too much to expect this kind of easy acceptance.

That done, he starts patting his pockets for a joint, because god he needs one. “Uh, apparently? He’s, I mean, he looks like that, but. . . .”

“But a total douchebag,” Jeff supplies. “Man, I get it, most of the girls in this town would call me a nerd or have their boyfriends beat me up as soon as look at me.” He pauses, accepting the joint when passed to him with a look he sometimes gets when trying to puzzle out one of the traps Eddie's set in a campaign. “You’re right though, it’s weird. I never would’ve guessed blackmail because he didn’t even seem, like, mad.”

Eddie pounces on that, nodding hard. “Yeah, exactly! You know, he never even asked why I wasn’t worried that he’d tell people about me? I had an answer all lined up too, I was going to be all—” he drops into one of his villain character voices, low and gravelly— “Everyone knows I’m a freak already, they don’t need confirmation. You, on the other hand, are prime real estate for the gossip mill to go to town on.”

Jeff smirks. “Well, that’s true. But you’re only threatening to tell his girlfriend, right?” When Eddie nods again, he simply shrugs. “So, maybe he’s not worried that she’ll spread it around. I know Buckley from band class, she’s decent. Could explain why he’s so relaxed about the whole thing.”

“But then why is he paying?” Eddie wails, getting both arms in on the question. 

“No idea. Maybe all that hair is weighing down on his brain.”

“Fuck off,” Eddie grumbles, but he doesn’t mind. It's a relief to tell someone, even though he's still not sure how to feel about the whole mess.

[sluggzillaa]

Can you write an eddie munson x reader where eddie y/n and their friend group go on a little road trip and one night while they're sitting around a camp fire or something y/n tells everyone the legend of skinwalkers and it actually scares eddie but he doesn't show it until later before they go to sleep he's all uneasy and y/n notices and is like "it's OK I'll protect you" and she ends up cuddling him all night

✧ Pairing: Eddie Munson x Reader

✧ Summary: The gang goes camping after you experience a grueling breakup. You just so happen to meet someone new. What does the future hold for the two of you?

✧ Warnings: use of Y/N, (sfw)teasing, pet/nicknames, mentions of break up, brief mention of su1c1d3(jokingly), kinda awkward, Strangers to friends to lovers, Mentions of a scary creature.

✧ Authors note: This one was pretty rushed since i was taking forever to write it and needed to get it out. I like the awkward fluffiness for now. I hope you enjoy ^^. Also minors, LEAVE OR ILL SHOOT YOU

✧ Word count: 2.7k

Day 1

The phone rang off the hook. Once a cycle of rings ended, a new one started. The phone definitely was not gonna answer itself. Stumbling out of your room; eyes surrounded by dark bags and hair disheveled, you snatched the phone off its receiver.

“Hello?”

“Oh my god finally! I thought you killed yourself”

“Not yet I haven’t.. What do you want, Nance?”

“Look, my friends and I are taking a trip up to the campgrounds by lovers lake”

“uh huh..”

“And I know you’ve been down in the dumps”

“Nance~” You dragged on

“So I was wondering if you’d like to tag along”

Radio silence on your end. You’ve never liked camping, or at least that’s what your ex made you believe. He always told you about these gross stories from his camping trips with his friends. He never let you go along with him. That’s probably because he was in a raggedy motel with some bimbo broads. You let out a sigh and turned your attention back to the call.

“Sure”

“Wait what..”

“Sure, i’ll come”

“Great, i’ll let everyone kn-” Her sentence was cut short by the phone being slammed into its holder

⋆.ೃ࿔*

A car horn signaled you from in front of the house. You dragged your two bags out front. There you were greeted by good hair Steve and Nance. Steve popped open the trunk and took your bags from you. Nancy pulled you into a tight hug, greeting you. You hopped in the van, being met with your favorite fake brother Dustin.

“Hey kid”

“Wassup!”

“So how’s geek camp?”

“Shut up..”

“Hey! It was just a question”

You leaned back in your seat and ripped off the tiny backpack you’ve brought along. You pulled out a pack of gushers and your walkman; preloaded with the best mixtape ever. You rip open the pack of fruit snacks and practically shove all of them in your mouth. The noise from the outside world was shut out by the blasting music on your headphones.

They group drove around the neighborhood for a bit, picking up members. So far it seemed like everyone was here. Suddenly, the van makes a stop in front of a trailer. You slid your headphones down your next and peaked out the window.

“And who lives here?”

Harrington blared the horn twice before shouting out his window. Out of the trailer, stumbled a tall pale metal head with pasty white skin and long dark hair. His curls were all over the place; like he’d just rolled out of bed. He held a duffel bag which had black sabbath written on it in bold purple letters. He hauled the bag into the trunk and made his way to the side of the van. Once he opened the door, he froze. Stood staring at you before looking at Steve. Steve sighed and leaned towards the back of the car.

“Eddie this is y/n, y/n this is Eddie”

“Sup..” You greeted

“Hey” Eddie nodded as he climbed into the van. He took his seat next to you. He greeted everyone then directed his attention to the window.

⋆.ೃ࿔*

Steve parked the van in an empty spot in the small parking lot. Everyone hopped out and stretched. They all made their way inside of the rest stop and dispersed. That left you and Eddie together. You made your way to the snack aisle, he followed close behind like a little puppy.

“So how do you know the group?”

“School.. plus me and Nance have been friends since diapers” You answered

“Then why haven’t I seen you”

He leaned against the shelf of chips, causing a few to fall. He scrambled to pick them up and put them back. He went back to standing against the shelf. You gave him a glare before shuffling through your snack options.

“Maybe because you’re never in class, Munson.. Had to do our history project by myself”

“Shit my bad”

“Yeah, your bad”

He huffed and continued to follow you through the aisles. His attention was grabbed by the brightly colored drink machine. He nodded to himself before turning back to you.

“Make it up to you by buying you a slushie?”

“Deal”

The two of you rounded the corner, making your way to the machine. Eddie grabbed a medium and presented it to you, seemingly asking for permission. You nodded and watched as he looked over the flavors.

“Did you say coke or cherry?”

“I didn’t.. Coke”

He nodded at your choice and filled up the cup, dolloping the frozen liquid to top it off. He placed the lid on and stuck a straw in. He handed you the cup, to which you immediately took a sip. You gazed up at him; looking through your lashes. You pulled away from the cup and walked over to the counter. You placed your snacks and the slush on the counter.

“Snacks on me, slush on him”

⋆.ೃ࿔*

The van finally pulled into the campsite. Everyone piled out and took in their surroundings. Eddie and Steve unpacked the trunk, handing all the supplies to Nancy, Robin, and you. You guys placed it down onto the picnic table and began to set up everything. The boys placed down the bags and set up the 4 tents. The kids quickly claimed their tents; the boys in one, Robin and the girls in another. That left Nancy and Steve together and you and Eddie. You let out a nervous laugh as you notice the pairing.

“I think you guys made a mistake”

“Nope, everyone’s paired just fine” Steve answered

“Yet me and him are sharing a tent”

“Well you guys are the only two left without a tent”

You pinched the bridge of your nose in frustration. You paced through your thoughts before you finally came up with a reasonable solution. You grabbed onto Nancy’s hands and pouted at her.

“Let me stay with you and Steve”

“Oh honey, You don’t wanna share a tent with me and Steve” She reassured you

“First of all, Ew.. Second of all, you guys suck”

Nancy patted your back and pushed you off towards the tent. You scoffed and looked back at Eddie in defeat. He shook his head and wrapped his arm around you and led you to the tent. Once you made it there, you immediately dropped your bags and began to set up your mattress. Eddie flopped onto his side and let out a loud groan.

“This is so much more comfortable than the fucking car”

“Yea.. So comfortable” You said sarcastically

“Hey! I’m not that bad, Princess”

“Whatever”

⋆.ೃ࿔

The group sat around the campfire, just catching up. You sat down holding the supplies to make s’mores. You handed them out to everyone around you. The kids excitedly put together their s’mores, as the adults whispered to each other . You guys all whispered agreements to each other before turning to the kids.

“Alright, story time bitches!” Steve announced

They all perched up on their seats, excited for whatever story you’re about to tell. You sat on the edge of your seat, the fire being the only good source of light. A sinister grin painted across your face.

“There was a woman; named Abby, who lived alone in her home. All her former roommates complained about something dark and sinister going on in the house. Abby never knew what they were talking about until one dark summer”

Already, the kids and even the rest of the adults began looking around the area. When they all realized just how dark it was around them, they all huddled together.

“It was bedtime for Abby. She did her nightly routine of brushing her teeth and getting into her pajamas. Finally, she reached her final step; turning off all the lights in the house. As she walked to her bedroom, she shut off every light on her way there. Once she got to the final switch, she sensed something following her. She turned around and found nothing there. So she turned off the light. That’s when she turned off the light and found a figure standing at the end of the hallway. She kept flickering the light.. until.. IT WAS RIGHT IN HER FACE!”

The kids let out small screams and yelps. You felt Eddie jump a little beside you. You turned to him and gave him a confused look, to which he pretended to be fine. You shrugged it off and continued.

“She ran to her room, quickly shutting the door behind her. She kept her bedside lamp on and crawled into bed. Most of her room was dark but she figured her lamp would suffice. She took one last scan around the room before she felt at ease. She closed her eyes but once again, she felt watched. She opened her eyes and took a peak beside her. There she saw a pale woman with white out eyes, a cut out smile, and sharp fangs. The creature pressed the button on the lamp and.. LIGHTS OUT!”

Suddenly, the fire had gone out, leaving the campsite pitch dark. The kids quickly jumped from their seats and rushed into their tents. The adults all laughed and went their separate ways; into their tents. You and Eddie settled down and laid down; backs facing each. It was silent as you both tried to sleep. There was a shuffling coming from Eddie’s side. You turned towards him and found him facing you.

“What?”

“I’m scared”

“It was just a story, Eddie”

“We’ll it must’ve been a really good fucking story cause now i’m scared”

“Okay, what do you want?”

“Can you hold me?”

You rolled your eyes at him and scooted over, closer to him. You opened your arms wide. He moved into you and settled into your embrace. You wrapped your arms around him loosely. You huffed and closed your eyes, kinda enjoying this.

“You need to grow up”

“Fuck off”

⋆.ೃ࿔*

Your tent began to unzip from the outside. In peeked Dustin, not fully comprehending yours and Eddie’s tangled sleeping bodies.

“Good morn- AHHHH”

Dustin quickly rushed out of the tent, leaving your tent slightly unzipped. His screams and the light peeking through woke you up. You sat up quickly and shook Eddie awake.

“Fuck off” He groaned

“Wake up asshole”

You got up and slipped on a pair of your boots. You stepped out of the tent, met with a lot of stares. You shake your head and sit at the picnic table. Nance took the spot next to you.

“So are you and him like a-”

“NO! jeez.. I just met the guy”

“But you were-”

“He was being a total pussy after the campfire.. so he asked me to like cuddle”

She scoffed and got up from her seat, walking over to Steve who was cooking up breakfast. Eddie walked out of the tent in a white tank and some low-hanging pajama pants. You watched his figure as he walked past. He made his way over to the group of boys and began to mess with them; chasing them around. Nancy placed a plate of sausages and pancakes in front of you.

“Don’t get in too deep”

“Don’t plan on it”

⋆.ೃ࿔*

“Goodnight guys!”

Everyone headed into their tents for the night. You headed off into the woods with a pre-rolled joint. Once you’ve headed far enough, you leaned against the tree and lit your joint. You took a pull, inhaling and exhaling. The forest was extremely dark. Only the moon and the cherry of your joint providing a small amount of light. The wind made a sort of creepy whistling noise. Suddenly, a stick snapped. You looked around and were greeted by Eddie. You jumped back in fright.

“Holy shit! What are you doing here?”

“I saw you were rolling a joint, and no one else around here smokes but you and me”

You gave him a glare before passing the joint over to him. He took a pull and blew the smoke into your face. You punched his arm and snatched the joint from him.

“So why didn’t you go to bed?”

“Why didn’t you?”

“I asked you first” He nudged you

“Needed to clear my head”

“From?”

You scoffed a took a second to gather your thoughts

“Relationship shit”

“Breakup?”

“Yea..”

“I feel you”

He took the joint from you and took a large pull before carrying on

“So what’s your damage?” He said while holding in the smoke. He exhaled and leaned against the tree next to you. You followed suit, standing rather close to you.

“Cheated with his coworker.. Caught them when i surprised him at work”

“Yeesh” He patted your shoulder

“How ‘bout yours?”

“Y’know Chrissy?”

“You dated that priss?”

He chuckled and took another pull of the joint before passing the last bit of it to you.

“Well, turns out she was only using me to get back with Carver; and when it worked I was left in the dust”

You both sat in silence for a moment, a comfortable silence. Occasionally, you would give each other glances. You tossed down the end of the joint and put it out. You looked over at Eddie for a second before running down a path. Eddie yelled at you and chased behind.

“Where the fuck are you going!” Concern soaking his voice

“Come on!”

“This path is steep, Slow down!”

Eddie continued to chase you down the hill, attempting not to twist an ankle or break a leg. Finally, you both got to the bottom. What stood in front of you was a large lake; in the shape of a heart, hence its name ‘lovers lake’. You walked over to the dock and placed down the items you had in your hands. You turned to Eddie, watching him hunched over; attempting to catch his breath.

“Don’t you ever.. do.. that- jesus fucking christ”

“Let’s go for a swim”

“What?”

He quickly set back up, being met with you stripping down. His eyes latched onto your figure. He didn’t even notice you caught him. You cleared your throat, catching his attention. He quickly turned away from you.

“Dude, it’s the same shit as a bikini.. come on”

He turned back around and watched as you dove straight into that lake. He quickly began to strip down to his boxers then follow after you; into the lake. It wasn’t as cold as either of you would’ve thought, it was actually pretty warm. The two of you floated around for a bit. Suddenly, Eddie was pulled out of his calm state by being splashed with water. He sat up and glared at you. He gave you a menacing smirk before splashing you. This resulted in a full out water war.

“Oh you fucker!”

“It’s pay back sweetheart!”

“Fuck off, Munson!”

You swam out of the lake and got back onto the shore. You sat on the sand and watched as Eddie caught up. He laid down next to you, attempting to catch his breath. He looked over to you and scoffed.

“You’re a pain in the ass, y’know that?”

“You hardly know me”

“Know you enough to know you’re a pain in the ass”

You slid closer and laid beside him. You admired the patterns of stars. You both just sat in a comfortable silence together. The two of you just took a moment, enjoying eachothers company. You both finally felt not so lonely.

⋆.ೃ࿔*

“Hey, can you pass me my shirt?”

Eddie tossed over your shirt and waited for you to finish getting dressed. The sky was beginning to get lighter as the morning approached. The two of you grabbed the rest of your stuff and headed out to the campsite. You found your fingers intertwined with his as he led you up the hill. The two of you finally reached your tent. He tried his best to get the two of you in quietly. He quickly closed the zipper and flopped down onto his mattress. He turned to you and patted the empty spot next to him. You quickly shuffled over to him and laid into his embrace. His arm laid down onto your waist and pulled you in closer. The lack of energy caught up to the two of you, causing you both to drift off.

Taglist🔖 (open)

@mystars123 @chickennug90 @gaysludge @edenfrompluto

[tinytalkingtina]

Oath of Devotion

Infernal Light (Steddie Dnd AU)

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 (can be read out of order, trying non-linear story-telling)

1546 words | rating T | Ao3 Link

Tags: Fantasy DnD AU, Tiefling Steve Harrington, Half-elf Eddie Munson, Steve has bad parents, Eddie has a bad father (child abandonment), past Steve/Nancy, implied self-harm (not described graphically and took place in the past), sex/loss of virginity (discussed as events that occurred in the past but nothing happens/is described in this chapter)

Added some author's notes under the cut as well because I love talking about this AU!

Steve lay limply on top of his lover, sated. Eddie stretched out beneath him on their bedrolls, idly stroking a hand through his hair and up over his horns. This deep in the woods, only birdsong and crickets echoed through the trees. It was just the two of them completely alone in their tent, in this little bubble. Safe. For the first time in his life, he didn’t choke down a purr from rumbling out of his chest.

“You like that darling?”

“Mhm, it feels nice.” He nuzzled his face further into Eddie’s chest. “Dangerously easy to get used to this though. Those I’ve paid to be with in the past wouldn’t stick around after the deed was done.”

Eddie’s hand stilled. “Paid? But why did you have to…how did you…” Steve opened one eye.

“Well I couldn’t have bedded noble folk, that would have been too risky. But I was hardly pure the first time we—I thought that was obvious?”

“That’s not what I meant, how did you get away without someone realizing? Kind of hard to hide this when you’re close,” Eddie joked, with a gentle tug to his tail.

“Oh.” Steve smirked. “That was the easy part, I put on a different disguise.” He sat up and drew the familiar incantation into the air, fizzy sparks trailing out of his fingertips as he did so. They swirled around for a moment before settling over his body, changing his bright red skin to a pale purple, and his horns to stag-like antlers. From one blink to another, Sir Stephen Harrington, heir to the Barony of Loch Nora, replaced himself with the face of a stranger.

Steve wiggled his fingers. “So long as I went to a brothel in towns with a port, I could have come from anywhere, so I pretended to be a sailor dropping by for some companionship.” He winced a bit, thinking of the honestly awful lies about sailing he’d come up with to uncaring ears. “Safe enough wearing someone else’s face if the prostitute already expects to touch a tiefling.” 

“And for my first time,” Steve's face flushed as he dropped the spell. “My parents arranged to have her brought into my chambers blindfolded, and instructed me not to speak during. As far as she was concerned, I was some sort of important prisoner being given a pity fuck. Never got to learn her name.” 

She had been so gentle with him when she felt him tremble. Hadn’t even flinched when she found horns in his hair. He hoped she was well.

“That’s a little fucked up, sweetheart.” Steve was startled out of his thoughts. With a snort, he reached to tug Eddie closer.

“I don’t think that even scratches the surface of the ‘fucked up’ things my family has done. But I made sure to ask the servants what happened after she left. She was just paid and sent back to the village.” Steve gently tucked a stray curl behind Eddie’s ear, before stroking his claw tip carefully along the outer shell. He paused as he got to a jagged divot near where his ear came to a tapered point.

“Hey, here’s a scar you haven’t told me the story for. What was it this time, a wild unicorn taking a valiant swing at you and only just missing your pretty face?”

Eddie grabbed at his hand, pulling it away. “Nothing to tell about that one. It’s not very interesting.”

“Oh come on, you can’t just leave it at that, you silver-tongued minx.” Steve teased.

“I…really, you don’t want to hear it.”

“Uh huh, I see. Too embarrassed to admit you got caught cheating at cards or something?”

“Because I did it to myself, okay?”

The words seemed to explode out of Eddie’s mouth. Steve froze in place, all thoughts of teasing gone.

“Eddie, why?” He reached out a comforting hand but Eddie shrank back. His anger evaporated as quickly as it had come on, leaving a well worn look of grief in its place. He slumped over in a corner of the tent.

“It was stupid and I know it was stupid, but I couldn’t take looking like him for another second back then. I’m not sure why out of the whole kingdom, he picked our village, and why out of all the lovely faces he could have shared a bed with, he singled out my mother. But I guess she held his attention long enough for them to have me.”

Oh. Steve remained silent. Eddie had barely brought up the subject of his parents before, dancing around the topic.

“I was young still when she got sick. He stuck around for a little bit after she passed. But I didn’t progress fast enough or something. Too much human in me to learn what he wanted me to learn. So, he just. Left.” His lip curled in disgust as he sneered. “Haven’t heard from him since. I’m sure by now he’s picked up on something else shiny and new.”

Steve chanced moving closer. Eddie let him, shifting to clutch at one leg.

“I didn’t…I was the only person with any non-human or dwarvish blood for miles around. And so everyone just looked and saw my ears or my face and assumed.” He said brokenly, facing the floor. As if on instinct, he grabbed at his hair to hide in.

“I was only good at the lute because my elven grace gave me an advantage. Or they’d whisper, ‘Careful around that Munson boy, don’t get too close. Or else he’ll bewitch you, just like his no-good father did to his mother.’” 

Eddie reached up to grab at Steve’s hand. Steve let him, stroking his thumb soothingly over his knuckles as he continued: “They pretended like they knew everything about me. And I. I don’t know anything about that part of myself. Only know a couple words of Elvish. He didn’t stick around long enough to teach me anything. And the few Elves I’ve met while traveling haven’t given me the time of day. They don’t want to deal with someone so. So human. Can’t win with either culture.”

Steve had envied how Eddie was able to wear his emotions so freely most of the time, never shying away from what he was feeling. But curled up like this, he looked so small, so fragile. He wanted desperately to help take on some of that burden.

“As a noble heir, I was tutored in a lot of subjects,” he said slowly, as the plan stitched itself together in his mind. “For diplomacy, I had to learn a few languages. The Elvish I was taught was mostly the sun elf dialect but it could be a start, if you want to learn the basics.”

Eddie startled, his big expressive eyes opened wide. “Steve…you—“

“I mean, if you want to stick around now that we’ve lifted your curse.” Steve rambled on, flushing. “I know the Order wants me to undertake another mission immediately, but Dustin hasn’t been able to see his mother for quite some time and I know he’s missing her. If we ride to Loch Nora, I’m sure it wouldn’t be too hard to find a teacher who is more familiar with the wood elf dialect. Now that I’m grown, my parents usually try and claim they’re busy with official duties to avoid me, so you shouldn’t have to worry about interacting with them.”

He was met with total silence. The lack of any response from Eddie unnerved him.

“You. You would do that, for me?” The question slipped out so quietly Steve nearly missed it.

“Of course, why wouldn’t I?”

“Because, you’re going to be a baron one day, and the Order couldn’t stop raving about all the great deeds you’re destined to do in the future. And I’m…just a bard from nowhere. I’m supposed to sing about folks like you. Or abscond with my lover to live a simple life. Not be a noble’s, be your, your—“

Steve cupped Eddie’s face between his hands. “Don’t sell yourself so short. Do you know how many people in my life have been content being kept at arm’s length? They just wanted to be in the aura of the baron’s heir. And if that didn’t satisfy then, well. You saw what happened with Nanc—with Lady Wheeler.”

“That was not really all on you Steve, she never asked for you to open up.” Eddie said flatly.

“No, she didn’t. But you, you stubbornly shoved past all of my walls so easily. You found out about this,” he gestured to his face. “And stayed in spite of it. So no, you’re not a nobody, Edward the formerly Banished. Never a nobody, not to me. Please, come back with me.”

Eddie stared into his eyes for a few moments, searching for something. Finally, he broke to place a soft kiss on his forehead and bury his face into Steve’s neck. “Okay. When do we leave?”

Steve couldn’t keep the grin off his face. “Well that depends on how early you’re able to get up. How does an hour before dawn sound?”

The inelegant squawk Eddie made in response was the most wonderful sound Steve had ever heard.

Author's Notes

Still not sure how I want Robin to fit into all of this, but gunslinger Lady Nancy Wheeler, badass, will now be coming along for the Final ShowdownTM when that piece of the story gets written!

I love that purring tieflings is a tag on Ao3, since I was debating whether to keep that aspect of Steve's biology in or not.

The spell Steve casts is Disguise Self. At least in 5th edition, tieflings with heritage from Glasya or Dispater can cast this once per long rest. For the sake of the story, I'm going to pretend he can cast this several times a day, and that it lasts longer than 1 hour at a time.

Didn't really find a good place to mention him without breaking the flow, but after his mother died and his father left, Eddie was in fact raised by his Uncle Wayne! Wayne works in the mine like most of the other villagers, but he always encouraged Eddie's musical and magical talents.

While cities in this world are melting pots for various cultures and species, the small mining village Eddie grew up in was almost entirely human and dwarven. After his birth father left, he didn't encounter another elf until he left to go travel as a young adult. Loch Nora has a bigger gnomish population, as it borders the Gnomish kingdom.

Tagging a few folks who have shown interest (but please let me know if you don't want the tag/want to be added)

@augustjustice @devondespresso @kaspurrcat

Thank you to @/steddiecameraroll for the divider!