#brief eddie cameo

[unfinishedslurs]

Nancy as Orpheus (stoncy)

inspired by this work by aletterinthenameofsanity

“My boys,” Nancy snaps, like the words are ripping themselves out of her chest, “are in that hellhole. I’m not leaving them there.”

Eddie pales further, and for a moment Nancy resents him. For caring about her, for trying to stop her. “You’ll die,” he says quietly. “I can’t—I can’t come with you like this. Wait for Robin, Nancy, please.”

She doesn’t know how Eddie ever thought himself a coward, when it’s so clear that he’d follow her if he were capable of walking. He’s not hers, not like Steve and Jonathan are, but he cares so much. Her heart swells. “I won’t die. Not without them.”

“Nancy—“

She smiles as reassuringly as she can. “We’ll be back before you know it.”

“And if you’re not?”

“Write a song about me.”

“Come and get them, Nancy Wheeler,”  he coons in her mind. It’s a cold feeling, slithering up her spine like a snake. She doesn’t let it get to her, just takes a deep breath and grips the knife on her hip. 

The Creel house is only two miles from here. As long as she stays away from the vines and keeps quiet, the monsters can’t find her. And if she makes a mistake, Henry won’t tell them.  

He thinks himself a god. All-seeing, all-knowing. Omnipotent and powerful. He’ll let her get close, let her see the life bleed from their eyes before he kills her. He made one fatal mistake, though, and it’s that he underestimated her. 

He’s more than a man, but not as much as he thinks. And she’s Nancy fucking Wheeler. 

She’s getting out of here, and her boys are coming with her.

“You’d lay claim to them?” He smiles, cruel and awful. “You, who doesn’t deserve it? Death follows you like a lover, Nancy, like these boys do. How long did you think you could go without leading another to their demise?”

Her hand falters, and he moves closer. “Fred makes a lovely decoration, don’t you think?”

Unbidden, her eyes follow his gaze to one of the pillars, and she gasps, tears springing to her eyes when she sees the mangled body there. God, Fred. 

“He was in so much pain, and you never even noticed he was struggling. Poor boy thought he was going to hell. I saved him, released him from his suffering. Do you believe in Heaven, Nancy Wheeler? Barb did.”

Barb went to church every Sunday. Prayed every night, hands clasped at the foot of her bed. Once, during a sleepover, Nancy heard her asking forgiveness. When she asked what for, Barb turned pale and quietly, firmly told her it was nothing. 

“She thought she was in love with you. She needed salvation. I gave that to her. Sad, lonely little Barbara, bleeding while her best friend abandoned her to the mercy of a monster. Was it worth it, Nancy?”

She can’t stop staring at Fred, even as her vision blurs. Barb, her first friend, her first kiss, her closest confidant. Sixteen and alone and dying because Nancy was young and ready and willing to leave her behind for a boy.

“Was it worth it?”

She shakes her head. 

[edsbug]

I just realized I don’t think I've ever requested a fic from you and I'm???? appalled???? Please forgib 🥺🖤 I'd love to see how Eddie x reader deal with a big storm coming into Hawkins; currently holed up bc of Hurricane Beryl at the moment. 🌀🌩

hii steph!! i hope you made it through the hurricane alright. thank you so much for requesting this, it was so fun to write! i hope you like it<3

thunderstruck

pairing: eddie munson x gn!reader.

summary: eddie and reader prepares for a storm. (wc. 1.1k)

contains: horror films, uncle wayne makes a cameo, pure fluff.

The first rumbles of thunder rolled through Hawkins as the sky darkened, heavy clouds gathering in an ominous, bruised mass. You looked out the window of Eddie's trailer, watching the branches of the old oak tree sway in the rising wind. Eddie sat at the small kitchen table, fiddling with a string on his acoustic guitar, his usual energetic demeanor subdued by the approaching storm.

“Hey,” you said softly, stepping away from the window. “Need any help with that?”

Eddie looked up, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Nah, just trying to get this thing to stay in tune. But thanks baby.” He set the guitar aside and reached for your hand, pulling you gently into his lap.

As you settled against him, the first drops of rain began pounding the roof of the trailer. “Looks like we're in for a big one,” you remarked.

Eddie glanced up, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. “Perfect night for a horror movie, don't you think?”

You chuckled, shaking your head. “You're impossible. But yeah, sounds good.”

The two of you spent the next hour fortifying the trailer for the incoming storm. Eddie found a stack of old towels and you helped him roll them up, pressing them against the bottoms of the doors to prevent any water from seeping in. You checked the windows, making sure they were securely latched, while Eddie double-checked the flashlights and gathered some candles and matches, just in case the power went out.

As you worked, the wind picked up, howling through the trees and rattling the metal siding of the trailer. The sky was almost black now, flashes of lightning illuminating the landscape in brief, eerie bursts.

You and Eddie settled on the worn-out couch, a stack of VHS tapes and snacks spread out on the coffee table in front of you. The opening credits of Nightmare on Elm Street had just started when the phone rang. Eddie jumped up, nearly tripping over the coffee table in his haste to answer it.

“Hello?” he said softly. “Oh, hey, Wayne.”

You could hear Wayne's voice faintly on the other end, his tone filled with concern. Eddie glanced at you, his expression softening.

“Yeah, we're okay. Just getting ready for the storm,” he said, his voice reassuring. “I've got everything under control. Don't worry about us.”

Wayne's voice rose slightly, and you could make out the words “stay safe” and “call me if you need anything.” Eddie nodded, even though his uncle couldn't see him.

“Thanks, Wayne. We'll be fine. You stay safe at work, okay? Yeah, talk to you later.”

Eddie hung up the phone and turned back to you, a sheepish smile on his face. “My uncle wanted to make sure we were alright. He's stuck at work until the storm passes.”

You smiled, feeling a warmth spread through you at the concern in Wayne's voice. “That's sweet of him.”

“Yeah, he's a good guy,” Eddie said, plopping back down beside you. “Now, where were we? Ah, yes. Freddy Krueger.”

As the movie played, the storm raged outside, the sound of rain pounding against the thin roof and thunder cracking in the distance creating an eerie soundtrack. You and Eddie huddled together under a thick blanket, his arm wrapped around your shoulders. The flickering light from the TV cast strange shadows on the walls, adding to the spooky atmosphere.

Every now and then, the power would flicker, the screen going black for a few seconds before the backup generator kicked in. Each time, Eddie would squeeze your hand, his touch reassuring.

“I've got you, sweetheart” he'd whisper, as he pressed a soft kiss to the top of your head.

As the last credits of Nightmare on Elm Street rolled off the screen, the exhaustion from the night caught up with both of you. Eddie's arm around your shoulders felt warm and comforting, and the rhythm of his breathing lulled you into a peaceful state. The flickering TV screen provided a gentle glow as you and Eddie drifted off to sleep on the couch, wrapped in the warm, thick blanket.

Outside, the storm continued to rumble, but it was a distant sound now, more soothing than threatening. The rain had lessened to a gentle drizzle, and the occasional flash of lightning was just a dim flicker on the horizon.

The first light of dawn seeped through the clouds, casting a soft glow over the drenched landscape. Wayne pulled his truck up by the trailer, the engine’s low rumble mixing with the distant sounds of birds starting their morning calls. He stepped out, stretching his tired limbs after a long shift, and glanced at the trailer. The sight of it standing unharmed brought a sense of relief.

Wayne quietly let himself in, careful not to make too much noise. He walked into the living room, a smile creeping onto his face as he saw the two of you on the couch.

Eddie's head was tilted back, mouth slightly open, one arm draped protectively around you. You were curled into his side, your head resting on his chest, the blanket cocooning you both. The TV was still on, a static-filled screen casting a dim light over the room.

Wayne shook his head fondly, moving to switch off the TV. The sudden silence was almost jarring, but neither of you stirred. He then picked up the empty snack bowls and soda cans, placing them quietly on the kitchen counter.

He stood for a moment, just watching the two of you sleep, a sense of pride and affection filling his chest. Eddie had always been a handful, but seeing him like this, so caring and protective, made Wayne’s heart swell.

When you woke up, it was to the smell of coffee and bacon. You blinked, momentarily disoriented, before realizing you were still on the couch, nestled against Eddie.

Eddie stirred next to you, his eyes fluttering open. He gave you a sleepy smile, his hair a wild mess. “Morning,” he mumbled, his voice rough from sleep.

“Morning,” you replied, stretching. “I think your uncle's home.”

As if on cue, Wayne appeared, a mug of steaming coffee in hand. “Morning, kids,” he said, a twinkle in his eye. “Hope you two slept well.”

Eddie sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “Yeah, we did. Thanks, Wayne.”

Wayne nodded, a satisfied smile on his face. “Good. There's breakfast in the kitchen. Figured you'd be hungry after a night like that.”

You and Eddie exchanged a grateful look before getting up and heading to the kitchen.

“Think it's safe to say we survived?” you asked, a teasing note in your voice.

Eddie chuckled, pulling you closer. “Survived Freddy Krueger and a thunderstorm. Not bad for a night in Hawkins.”

[lavendermunson]

i want you, bless my soul - eddie munson

from the candy cane box at leia's christmas tree farm

summary best friend au, with the prompt “So, um. That was something. Should we do that again?” for the one and only @onegirlmanytales thank you for requesting my love, I hope you like the direction I took and enjoy it so much!!

cw FLUFF. best friends to lovers. two oblivious idiots in love. r's first kiss. brief mention of insecurities. steve and robin cameo!

w.c 1.7k

“No one has ever kissed me… let’s just forget about it!”

You sigh, placing the freshly baked cookies on a beautiful porcelain bowl Eddie gave you last Christmas. Their scent calming every nerve your best friend decides to play with today.  All of your friends are arriving in a couple of minutes for the annual Christmas party.

“You are telling me no one has ever kissed you under the rain?”

“Eddie please, just stop it”

“No one has ever kissed you under the moonlight!”

He tries to guess. You regret telling him about your first kiss. It hasn’t happened yet… but he thinks it has, he just thinks it was bad or embarrassing because you’ve never told him. And you tell him everything, he is your best friend.

“You are never going to guess, I'm tired of this now”

He chases you around your house, as you walk with the bowl of cookies in your hands. You place them on the coffee table of your living room, alongside all the other snacks and drinks to enjoy the night. 

“I know! no one has ever kissed you under the mistletoe. That’s why you don’t have one” 

Eddie thinks he hit the jackpot, smiling brightly at you. 

“No one has ever kissed me, okay!” you snap, tired of his games. “I haven’t had my first kiss yet” 

You throw your hands in the air, standing in front of him. Eddie was the only one who didn’t know about this. The rest of your friends know, because you know they weren’t going to laugh or make fun of you. But Eddie is capable of it, not because he is mean. His personality is just like that, he is the joke expert and the prank master. This was a serious topic to you, something that kept toying with your self-esteem.

Your arms fall to the side, your hands close on a fist, white knuckles and eyes shut trying to hide the embarrassment that’s eating you alive as you wait for Eddie to laugh at you and make a hundred jokes about this. 

You wish the floor could swallow you whole.

Eddie notices the way you tense up, confessing the secret you’ve held for a long time. He thought there was some catch to it, but there wasn’t. Who the fuck can live without ever kissing your lips? he asks himself, when he has been dreaming about it since the first time he met you at the arcade. 

You were babysitting the kids, holding their quarters for them as you paced around the sticky carpet. Back when Eddie’s ears got used to quieting down everything around him except your sweet voice. 

He didn’t want to lose you, he could never. And he was sure he wasn’t your type, with your room having a Karate Kid poster and a picture of Michael Schoeffling ripped out of a magazine.

Missing the picture of Eddie Van Halen on your jewelry box, he knew your type was far away from him. 

You were never going to like him, his friends would tease him about it. They would fill Eddie’s mind with ideas that tormented him before going to bed. You are way too out of his league.

He is happy with the best friend title because he gets the best friend treatment. He gets to hug you when you see him, cuddle with you on movie nights, and hang around his trailer all day. He would never trade your presence for anything, not a metal concert, not even the fame some rockstars get overnight.

For Eddie you are everything, you mean everything. His life is so much better with you around.

But he doesn’t laugh or start making a full comedy show, instead, you hear the thump of things falling out of his pockets. His lighter, a pack of cigarettes, previously chewed gum wrapped in a piece of paper, and his van keys. He empties his pockets trying to find what he has been looking for and when he finds it, he goes around your house looking for tape.

“What are you doing with that? no one is coming here to kiss me, only our friends” 

“Well? m’lady. I doubt you want to spend another Christmas unkissed” He takes your hand, guiding you closer to him until you are both under the mistletoe. “This is how it works, you stand here, and as the rule says you kiss the person in front of you”

You watch as Eddie taps the branch with his finger. Pointing at it, then at him, and finally at you. You are exactly in the spot, you look at him. Begging him to kiss you.

You've thought about it for a while. What would it be like to kiss him? Not someone random, not a guy who coats your ears with sugar at work. Just Eddie.

The guy who sits on the edge of his bed, shirtless, and while his fingers are gentle with the strings of his guitar you can’t do anything else but admire. Trying to memorize all of his features and tattoo that scene on your head for the rest of your life.

The guy who asked you to color his tattoos, trusting your artistic eye and trying to kill time before the pizza got to his trailer. You asked for a rain check that night, knowing you’d lose your mind the second your fingers touched his bare chest.

“And who’s gonna kiss me?” you ask. 

“Uhh, Jonathan?” Eddie asks, raising one of his eyebrows. Trying to question you to see who your type is.

“I pass” 

“Steve?” Eddie’s voice cracks. If you passed at Jonathan, there’s a high chance you could say yes to Steve and he would fall to his knees, defeated. 

“I don’t think so” 

His brown eyes are wide open. Shit. Not even Steve?

“Let’s just enjoy our evening…” Unless you want to kiss me, you think.  “Let’s forget about it”

You try to escape from the compromised positions, but your legs feel heavy as you step aside. You thought Eddie was going to kiss you. 

When you try to escape, he wraps his fingers around your wrist and pulls you back to him.

“Wait”

You feel a jolt of electricity, his touch being hard on you yet not hurting. His eyes looking for yours and when you finally lock your gaze with his. He takes a deep breath, ready to risk it all.

Eddie pulls you to his chest, resting a hand on the small of your back. You feel the goosebumps all over your body, his breath tingling your lips. He notices the shine in your eyes, pleading for him to do something because you are too nervous to move.

If he wanted to kiss you, he would kiss you. That’s what you believe. 

He looks at your eyes, at your lips. Impatient, he is making you melt under his touch, and you feel your insides are screaming at him to do something. You decide to wrap your arms around his waist, afraid of him slipping through your fingers and regretting this moment.

You capture him. As he looks down at you like a starved man. 

Eddie’s mind is clouded with hundreds of thoughts. This could be so good, this could get bad and ugly. It’s your first kiss, it should be special. It should be with someone you like, Do you like him? Do you want him?

He snaps back to reality when you reach for a strand of hair that fell to his face. Tugging the curl in the back of his ear. Your fingers send shivers through his spine, feeling your gentle touch against his skin. He melts under your touch too.

“Let’s get this over with” he breathes out, digging his fingertips on the small of your back to keep you close. His lips press against yours, you close your eyes enjoying the moment. 

But it’s your first kiss. You don’t know what to do, but just as you start to panic Eddie cups your cheeks, his thumb pressing against your warm skin. 

“Relax” he whispers on your lips, taking control of the situation. You feel his lips crash with yours, dancing against them as you try to keep up with the pace.

Is this how it feels? To kiss someone for the first time, or even better, to kiss the boy you love for the first time. Your mind is in the clouds, every part of your body feels lighter as a feather.

His lips are so soft. What the actual fuck? How were you able to survive so long without this?

It’s your first kiss. But it feels like it’s Eddie’s too. He can feel his body fill up with electricity, his heart thumping against his chest – just like yours – He has kissed girls before, even boys. But this feeling is new, he is finally kissing someone he loves.

“WOAH! They are kissing” You break away from the kiss as you hear Robin’s voice. She looks at you then at Eddie, a smile showing off on her face. “Sorry, keep doing that!” 

“Good job, guys!” Steve says, pushing Robin to the kitchen as she keeps her thumbs up in the air.

Eddie shakes his head, looking down at you. Seeing that smile he loves so much as you giggle, with your body so close to his. You try to catch the air he knocked out of your lungs, keeping him pressed against you.

“Woah indeed” His eyes look at the mistletoe, at your puffy pink lips, and at your flushed cheeks. He grins proudly. 

“That was… something” you smile, scrunching up your nose as you look at his matching pink lips and cheeks.

“Should we do it again?” he asks, his chest heaving up and down. 

“Please” you whisper, feeling your body yearning for more of him.

“Anything you want, princess”

He kisses you again, this time he quickens the pace of it. You feel his tongue brush against yours causing you to whimper. He giggles at your reaction, groaning for more of you. Eddie is addicted to your taste already. If the smell of your chapstick made him crazy, this sure is going to kill him.

You start to move your tongue, feeling the closure as your teeth crash with his, and the mix of chapstick and saliva, with a touch of cigarette coats your bottom lip. You can’t get enough of the feeling of his lips keeping yours warm and nice.

“Fuck, you taste good” his shaky words come out as he takes a breather, inches from your lips. His teeth find your bottom lip, nipping at it as you open your mouth for him once again.

You won't be spending Christmas unkissed.

reblog to support your creators! comments are appreciated !! ♡ thank you for following my christmas event, your support means so much to me  🎄

[justmeinadaze]

Don't Be So Hard (Part 6)(Steddie X Plus Size Y/N)

A/N: I have one more chapter I think :) Enjoy the angst!

Warnings: Older Dom (30s) Coach Steve Harrington/Older Dom (30s) Professor Eddie Munson & Young (20s) Fem Plus size Sub Student Y/N, SMUT, Steve becomes a bit subby in this chapter, light dirty talk, etc. Nothing too traumatic with this one in the smut department. FLUFF, they love each other

ANGST *directs angsty traffic with an angsty outfit with angsty batons*, boys met Y/N's mom, Mr. Harrington makes a brief cameo as well as Martin's father, boys have PTSD nightmares involving Eddie being hospitalized and the same events that happened with Chrissy. Cliffhanger ending!

Word Count: 4816

Series Here/Donate to Me

You hated this. 

More than anything you hated their reactions. 

It had been about a week since you told Eddie and Steve about your acceptance into the university in New York and since that time, they had kept their distance. 

You understood. 

After everything they had been through, of course they needed time think it over and work through their feelings but there was a part of you that was a bit heartbroken that they didn’t immediately wrap you in their arms and tell you they’d follow you anywhere. 

Theo was a great friend and the perfect soundboard for your nightly vent sessions. 

“I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t…I feel selfish always talking your ear off about my problems. How are you tonight?”

“Y/N, it’s total fine. What kind of fake boyfriend would I be if I didn’t listen to my fake girlfriend’s woos with her actual boyfriends?”

Eddie barely looked at you during class and Steve seemed to dive into focusing on his team. You could hear his shouts from the parking lot as he screamed at his players. 

Today was parent’s day which the dean coveted but both boys had told you once before they hated especially the metalhead. Parents rarely came by his classroom and if they did it was to threaten him to make sure he didn’t “harm” their child. 

Your mother usually never came but for whatever reason insisted this time around. 

“I remember when I came here—”

“Everything was different?”, you grin as you cut her off. “Come on, mom. No need to be an old lady and remanence.”

She beams your way as she pulls you into a hug, distracting you long enough that you don’t realize where she’s leading you till you hear their soft whispers.

“I don’t know why I still appear for this fucking thing. She was right. Most of these fucking people hate me.”

“Baby, everything’s going to be alright. Do you want me to stay with you--?”

Your mother clearing her throat grabs their attention as both men hastily straighten when they see your face. 

“Which one of you is Mr. Munson?”

“That, uh, that would be me, ma’am.”, Eddie stumbles over his words as he walks around his desk to shake her extended hand.

“I know. I just thought it would make me more comfortable if I pretended I didn’t know you.”, she murmurs as she smiles kindly and the metalhead’s eyes flick to you before doing the same. “Which makes you Steve Harrington.”

Nodding, he shakes her hand as well while you stand off to the side taking them in. As always they both looked delicious even with Eddie in his “formal” teacher attire (a button up shirt, slacks, and his hair pulled back) and Steve in a track suit but even you could see they were falling apart. 

Both men had rings around their eyes like they hadn’t slept in days and your professor’s nails had the underlining stains of chain smoking cigarettes. 

“I wanted to thank you both for protecting my daughter that night outside of the diner.”

“Of course. She’s, um, she’s a really sweet young lady. I’ve enjoyed having her in my class.” Eddie tosses a smile your way as your heart breaks at the sadness in his tone. “And I know Steve has enjoyed having a running partner. I can barely keep up walking since my lungs are filled with many years of smoke.”

“She picked that up from her father. He would run every morning and sometimes take her along. After he died, she kind of…picked up where he left off.”

“I, uh, I’m so sorry about…your husband. We read what he did…saving those people.”

“Oh, no need to apologize, Mr. Harrington. You did nothing wrong.” Steve eyes shift to yours as you see the internal blame swim through them before grinning down at her beaming features. “Thank you though. I’m glad you’re able to keep her company. Maybe I can take up running after she abandons me.”

“Mom.”, you playfully whine. “Now you see where I get my overdramatic acting talent from.”

“I’m just teasing.”, she jokes as she reaches out to pull you to her side. “I’m so proud of her for getting into that school but I’m going to hate her being so far away.”

“So you are leaving then?”, Eddie asks sullenly, trying to hide it behind a lightness that doesn’t fool you.

“Um, yeah. I think…what’s best for me is to…focus on my future…”

“What about your boyfriend? Theo is a pretty good actor to. I know he’d flourish in a city like New York.”, Steve replies with an edge of jealousy that has your head tilt.

“He IS a good actor but unfortunately, Mr. Harrington, Theo will be staying here so you’ll still have your quarterback while I’ll be all alone it seems.”

“Y/N, baby, can you give me a minute alone with these two? Why don’t you run down the hall and get us a water from that vending machine I saw.”

After giving you some dollar bills, you head out into the hallway and they watch as your mom’s entire demeanor changes. 

“You both are fucking stupid, you know that?”

“Ex-Excuse me?”, Eddie asks completely thrown off guard. 

“I’ll excuse the fact that the risk the three of you took could have gotten her expelled but I can’t excuse the fact that you’re hurting my kid. Oh, don’t give me that look. I’m old not stupid.”, you mother scoffs as they exchange a wide-eyed glance. “You should hear the way she talks about you both. She’s a great actress but as a mom you can always tell. When she told me she was leaving for New York by herself I was surprised. 

I kept waiting for her to follow it with something like ‘Coach Harrington will be training a team up there’ or ‘Professor Munson found a new school to teach in’ but nothing. Are you REALLY letting her go up there alone?”

“I…we…we have to stay here.”, Steve sighs. 

“No, sweetie. You CHOOSE to stay here. No matter how you sugar coat it, that’s the truth and I know you know that!”, she shouts behind her, confusing them before you turn into the doorframe and roll your eyes. “I told you. I’m old not stupid.”, she winks, collecting you before leaving the classroom. 

#################

Steve slowly walked down the dark hospital hallway as he listened to the deafening sound of monitors beeping around him. A door at the end caught his attention; he knew that room number. 

“Eddie.”

Hastily, he pushed the door open searching for the man he loved but was shocked when he found you in the hospital bed before him. You were wearing the clothes Eddie had worn that night in the Upside Down, down to the black bandana around your head. Blood stained your Hellfire shirt and a cry left his throat when he noticed the same red lacerations around your neck and wrists. 

“Y/N?”

Steve’s shoes squeaked against the linoleum as he stepped forward and his shaky fingers reached out to touch your palm. 

He broke then as his hand cupped your face, careful not to move the mouthpiece helping you breathe. 

“Please…please, baby, don’t leave me. I’m so sorry. Wake up, honey…WAKE UP!”, he screamed to no avail as his tears fell. 

“Where were you?”

At the sound of Eddie’s voice, he jumped up and wiped his eyes. As he stepped forward to embrace him, the metalhead extended his arms out pushing Steve hard away from him. 

“Where WERE you? We needed you, asshole, and you weren’t there!”

“I-I-I didn’t…I didn’t know…what happened?”

“Because of you she’s in pain. Because of you, we may die!”

“We?”

 It was only then that Steve realized Eddie was bleeding from his chest. 

“This is your fault, sweetheart.”, he said with distain before collapsing to the ground.

Steve shot up in bed, grabbing his own chest as he tried to catch his breath, quickly turning to place his hand on his partner who was still fast asleep. After leaning down to kiss his cheek, he threw back the covers and got dressed. 

***

Eddie’s eyes flew open as sweat covered his face and bare chest. 

Glancing around him, he realized he was back in his room at the trailer where he lived with his uncle before…

Throwing off his blanket, he ran to his mirror against the wall and his eyes widened as he realized the scars along his body were now gone. His hands shook as he reached for a magazine near his bed and read the date along the top.

“March 1986.”

“Fuck me.”, he murmured as he pressed his palms into his eyes. 

“Do you have it?” 

A voice from the living room called as fear flowed through him. He knew that voice…he heard it many nights in his dreams. 

“Chrissy?”

She giggled but her light nervous tone suddenly mixed with another voice that had him concerned as he walked down the hall. 

“No, dork. Someone’s been smoking his own stash.”, you beam as he visually takes you in. 

You were dressed just like her; the cheerleading uniform down to the green scrunchie in your hair.

“So do you have it? Steve’s waiting for me.”

“Steve?”, he repeats. 

“Yeah? Steve Harrington, my boyfriend and captain of the basketball team? Seriously are you alright?”

“Y/N…I…this is dream. It has to be a dream. Wake up, Ed. Wake up.”

Closing his eyes, he smacks his forehead as he commands his brain to do what he wants but when they land on you again you’ve changed. Your eyes were vacant white as you stood there in his living room. 

“No, no, no, no…STEVE! HELP!”

Your feet started levitating off the ground and he began to slowly back away before he heard your voice. 

“Eddie? Wh-What’s happening? I’m so scared. Please don’t leave me. I love you so much.”

“Stop…please…wake up…”

“Eddie, please.”

“It’s not you. It’s not you. It’s not you…”

“EDDIE, HELP ME!”

He covers his ears, falling to the floor as history replays itself and he screams so loud he hopes his real self would hear his cries to wake up.

The trailer door smashed open, startling him as he watched Steve and his jock friends run inside. 

“Honey? No, baby. No…”, the man sobs as Eddie cringes at the sound, hating hearing the man he loves in pain. “You killed her you fucking freak!”

Steve rose to his full height and pointed the end of his bat towards the metalhead. 

“You couldn’t just leave her the fuck alone!”

“I love her! I would never hurt her or you!”

“Pfft damn right you won’t. You’re never going to hurt anyone ever again.”, the man hissed, raising his weapon and swinging down.

Eddie bolts awake as he pants, preparing for his partner to soothe him like he always does. When hands and a soft tone don’t comfort him, he turns to find himself alone in his bed. 

“S-Steve?”

Running through the small house, he searches but doesn’t find his boyfriend anywhere. Taking a seat on his mattress again, paper grazes his knee as he notices a note on his end table.

“Baby, 

Needed some time to think. 

I’ll be home later. 

Love you,

Steve”

################

A repetitive knock on your door grabbed your attention as you placed the book you had been reading down and opened your dorm door to a wild-eyed Eddie. 

“Hey, hey, hey, um…I’m sorry…I hope—hope I didn’t wake you…I, um, I’m just…I can’t find Steve and—”

“What? Hey, hang on. Come in.”, you usher as you close the door and guide him to your bed. “Everything’s ok, baby. Just breathe.”

At your soft tone, his gaze shifts your way as he tries to deliver you a comforting smile even as his whole body vibrates with agitated energy. 

“T-Thank you. I just…I’m sorry I woke you up—”

“No, no. You didn’t wake me up. I couldn’t sleep so I was reading a book.”

“What book?” When you flash him the cover of a self-titled Dungeons & Dragons fantasy novel, he chokes a bit on a laugh coming from his throat as a tear involuntarily falls from his eye. “I read that…when it came out…during my first try at my senior year…”

“Yeah. Steve told me one time it was one of the few novels he could follow and understand.” When you giggle, he laughs with you as his palms reach up to wipe his eyes. “What’s going on, Eddie? Did you have another nightmare?”

You watch as his eyes fleet rapidly around the room but you know he’s not looking at your space but the dream he had experienced. 

“It was 86 and I was in my uncle’s trailer. I h-heard her voice but when I went into the living room, you were there…dressed just as like she had been…Chrissy…when she died.” As his voice cracked your heart broke as you scooted closer to his side and ran your hand down his back. “You kept begging me to help…but I couldn’t…Afterward…Steve came in sounding how…how he used to before…he said it was my fault…I should have left you alone.”

“Eddie.”, you coo as you lean against his shoulder. “Everything’s ok, sweetie. I’m right here and no one is going to hurt me.”

“Except us.”, he whispered so low you barely heard him before he abruptly turned and cupped your face in his hands. “We love you, Y/N, so much. I hope you know that.”

You nod silently as you try to control your own tears, ignoring your pain to deliver him a gentle smile. 

“You, uh, you said you couldn’t find Steve?”

“Oh, um, yeah. He left me a…a note saying he needed t-to think but I can’t find him anywhere.”

“Then where would he go that he knows you wouldn’t come looking?”

At your question, his eyes snap to meet yours as he curses under his breath. 

“God, I hope he didn’t go there…”

“Let me put on my jeans and—”

“NO! No…sweetheart…”, you snapped before sighing when you jumped slightly. “You don’t want to go here, trust me.”

Shaking your head, you ignore him as you find your pants and shimmy them up your hips. 

“That’s what you don’t seem to understand, Eddie. I’d follow you both anywhere…what hurts is you won’t follow me.”

***

Steve smirks from his place on his mattress in his old room back at his parent’s place. It had been almost 10 years since he had been here and he couldn’t help but be surprised that his parents left everything as is. 

To be fair, he never really had much, usually having the whole house to himself the bulk of his youth. He had so many memories of girls that had come and gone including Nancy who broke his heart. 

People who he had considered his friends, swimming around in his pool, smoking cigarettes and drinking beer. 

Try as hard as he might, he couldn’t remember Eddie at this time. Of course, he knew of him; the freak of Hawkins but he couldn’t genuinely remember seeing his face throughout the halls or the small town he grew up in. 

Grabbing one of his random middle school year books, he browsed the pages, skimming through the M’s until he found what he was looking for. 

There he was; Eddie Munson with his buzzed hair and devilish smirk as he bit his bottom lip towards the camera. Steve laughed to himself as his fingers traced the image. 

He wished he knew him then but even he knew Eddie would have hated him. 

Hell, he hated himself. 

Another memory flashed through his mind as he laid back against the covers and hugged the book to his chest; the night he came home after the mall burned down to an empty house all alone. Silently he had climbed the stairs and took a long shower as he hissed at the burning sensation of the cuts along his face. 

Steve had cleaned his wounds, flinching at the flashes of pain as he remembered the fist that constantly hit his face. After bandaging himself, he turned off the lights and laid in his bed as he sobbed, allowing his pain to overcome him now that he didn’t need to be strong for anyone. 

Steve knew Eddie would have taken care of him… Made him laugh and probably scold him for being too independent. As he fell into his memory, he closed his eyes as his lip quivered and he imagined a different reality of that night. 

“Hey, sweetheart, everything’s ok.”, Eddie would coo as he pets Steve’s hair behind his ear before wrapping his arm around his waist to pull him closer. “I got you, baby. You’re safe now.”

“It hurt so bad…I thought I was going to die…”

“I know. I know but you didn’t. You helped save Erica and that little butthead so they could save you and Robin.” The pretty boy chuckled at the name making his partner smile at the sound. “You helped save the town, Steve, and me. Thank you, baby.”

“Look, I just need to know if he’s fucking here!”

The sound of Eddie’s agitated voice cut through the fog as his protective instinct kicked in and he headed for the stairs. 

“I haven’t seen my son in over 10 years! Why would you think he would be here?!”, his father yelled causing him to hasten his pace. 

“I’m here. I’m here. Sorry, I didn’t know you even home, Dad—" The image of you behind his boyfriend at the front door had Steve freezing in place. “Y/N? What…what are you doing here?”

“Y/N? So this is the girl that ruined a young man’s life? Why are you even here, young lady? You shouldn’t be with these grown men let alone this murderous freak.”

“Last time I checked, I’m a fucking grown up as well who doesn’t judge people based on idle gossip.”

“So disrespectful.”, he spits as Mr. Harrington turns to face his son. “Why are you here? Last I heard you were punching prominent members of society.”

“I needed a place to think.”

“Hm, well, if you want to come back home, you’d have a lot to make up for, son, before you get anything from your mother and I.”

“I’m not coming back home.”, Steve declares as he pushes his father aside to grab Eddie’s face and forcefully bring his lips to his own. The metalhead was taken off guard only for a moment before cupping his partner’s cheeks to hold him closer. “I’m leaving Hawkins with the man I’ve been in love with for the past ten years and the woman who changed our lives for the better. I’m tired of hiding them—”

In the middle of his speech, his dad went inside and slammed the door loudly cutting him off.

Steve chuckled breathily as he focused on Eddie who was clinging to the man’s wrists.

“I almost lost you once, baby, and I won’t do it again…with you or her. Let’s get the fuck out of here and be fucking happy.”

Wrapping his arms around him, they passionately kissed as the metalhead nodded. It wasn’t until your sniffle caught their attention that they remembered you were there. 

“Hey, look at me.”, Steve softly instructed as he let his partner go to tilt your chin up as your head hung. “We know we put you through a lot, Y/N, but if you’ll still have us—”

You jumped into his arms and he smiled as you kissed his lips. 

“You’re never going to let me finish a sentence are you?”

“No, you idiot.”, you laugh as he puts you down so you can kiss Eddie who wraps you up in his limbs and twirls you as you both grin. 

#################

This was new for you. 

Usually, of course, both men carried that dominate energy but as you watched Steve bouncing on Eddie’s cock while his hands balanced on his tattooed chest he seemed so…vulnerable. 

Laying by the metalhead’s side, you tenderly kissed his shoulder and neck as you watched his eyes struggle to remain open as he continued to pant. 

“Just like that, baby, fuck, you’re so fucking beautiful.”

The man above him threw his head back as he increased his rhythm, lazily stroking his length as he mewled. 

Eddie hastily sat up and clung to Steve’s lower back as he guided his movements. Their noses touched and the coach held on to his boyfriend’s neck just below his ears with his large hands. 

“I love you so much, Steve. Thank you for everything you do to keep us safe.”

His movements stalled as he leaned his forehead against his partners and even as his hair blocked his eyes, you could see the tears that fell as his bottom lip shook. 

“Yeah, I know, sweetheart. I know.”

“We hid because of me—”

“No, no, baby. We hid because of this stupid fucking town and your ignorant father but not anymore. We’re going somewhere else where we can be ourselves with someone who loves us.”

Steve’s head turns slightly to meet your gaze as his head leans against Eddie’s who tenderly kisses along his chest. As his fingers reach out to touch your cheek, the metalhead grips him tightly as he starts thrusting upwards.

“I’m sorry, honey.”

Your heart breaks at his whispered words as you kiss his palm.

“I forgive you. I’m so happy you’ll both be with me.”

They smirk as Steve whimpers, returning his limbs around Eddie’s neck as he met each pump of his hips with a bounce of his own. 

“That’s my good boy. Cum, baby. Cum for me.” At his boyfriend’s breathy command, the coach trembled as he whined his name and his release hit their stomachs between them. “Good…God, you look so sexy when you cum.”

Eddie smiles as Steve giggles, placing a light kiss on his lips while he continued to praise him. 

“Can you let me take care of our girl now?”

Nodding, he backed out of the way as the metalhead tackled his arms around you making you laugh as he kissed you before flipping you over to place you on all fours. A heavy sigh of pleasure left you as he tenderly kissed along your spine till his chest was flat against your back. 

“I love you, Eddie.”

“I love you to, baby. I can’t wait to start our new life with you.”

After reaching between your bodies, you both moan as he guides himself into your core and your head hangs as he gradually thrusts his cock deep inside you. 

“Fuck, Y/N, you’re so wet. Did you like watching him ride my dick?”

“Yes, Sir…s-so handsome.”

“Yeah, he is.”

Thick fingers slide underneath you and you can’t help but smile when you open your eyes to see Steve in front of you as he plays with one of your tits. Eddie tilted back on his knees and the other boy took the opportunity to grip your sides and guide you upwards till your back was against his boyfriend once more. 

While your professor circled his palm around your throat to keep you steady, the coach leaned towards you to wrap his lips around your nipple as your own fingers threaded through his hair. 

“Oh my god.”

His tongue flicked and sucked at the erect nub while his digits blindly found their way to your clit, pressing circles against it matching his partner’s pace. 

“H-Harder, Mr. Munson, please.”

The sound of skin smacking skin echoed through the room mixing with the obscene sounds of Steve’s tongue sucking marks into your chest and up to your neck. 

“Cum, Y/N. Cum all over his cock.”, he practically begged as your face fell against his shoulder. 

While Steve hugged your head to him, he reached around you to grab Eddie’s jaw and bring his lips to his own. Your body trembled as you came and the metalhead’s grunts of pleasure filled your ears as he sloppily thrust his spend within your tight walls.

Their kisses traveled to your own body as you three toppled to your sides in each other’s embrace. 

##################

Your eyes fluttered open to both men in their boxers at the desk in their bedroom. Even with their backs to you, you could tell Steve was annoyed. 

“Steve Harrington, at some point you are going to need to learn how to use a computer.”

“Eddie, the words are so small!”, he whispers in agitation. 

“Ok, grandpa, but they’d be the same size on a newspaper.”, Eddie teases as he chuckles through his teeth. 

“What are you two doing?”, you ask as you sit up and lean over the bed to grab one of their discarded shirts from last night. 

“Well, I’m teaching granddad here how to navigate technology.” Steve narrows his eyes at his boyfriend as you come around to sit on the metalhead’s lap. “Then once he calms down enough and stops bitching…we were going to see if any universities in New York were hiring.”

“We probably also need to look for apartments or houses. Once the semester ends, we can fly up there and see what they have so we’ll be ready by January. We want you settled before the new semester so you’re not panicking or worried about anything.”

“So…this is really happening? You’re really coming with me?”

“Yeah, sweetheart, we are. You were right; it’s time for us to move on and live our lives.”

“I had dream the other night that you were hurt in our battle ten years ago.” As Steve spoke, you both turned to face him as he stared into the void in front of him. “You were dressed just like him, Y/N, you were even in the same hospital room… That image of him…it stays with me. Mostly because I almost lost him.” His gaze shifts to meet yours. “I know it’s a bit dramatic but thinking of you going to New York…losing you… it feels almost the same. I can’t lose him or you, honey.”

Grinning softly, you climb into his lap and hug him tightly to you. 

***

You knock on the dean’s door that Monday morning having gotten a letter from him (or most likely his secretary) taped to your dorm door. 

“You asked to see me, Dean Gillman?”

“Uh, yes, Miss Y/L/N, please come in.”

After placing your backpack down, you take a seat realizing then that there are three chairs in front of his desk compared to the usual one. 

“I heard you’re leaving us to go to NYU. Are you all set?”, he asked light-heartedly as he smiled your way. 

“Um, yeah, I got my transfer credits approved and everything.”

“Wonderful, wonderful.”

Another gentle knock startles you slightly but not as much as the two men who walkthrough. 

“You asked for us?”, Steve inquired cautiously as his eyes surveyed the room. 

“Yes, please come in and have a seat. I assume Mr. Munson is with you?” Eddie appears just as apprehensive as they both take a seat on either side of you. “Good, everyone is here. I wanted to have a calm discussion about this because this is a sensitive matter and—”

A male voice shouting at the dean’s secretary grabbed everyone’s attention as he sighed behind his desk before the door burst open and Martin’s father flew through. 

“Have you fired them and expelled her yet? I didn’t want to miss that.”, Jared announced with malice dripping from his demeanor. 

“Mr. Click, this doesn’t concern you—”

“Like hell it doesn’t! My son was expelled because of this lying whore and now I have proof!”

Eddie rose first, prepared to fight for your honor before you placed your hand on his chest to stop him. 

“You have proof of a professor and coach fraternizing with a student. NOT what happened between the younger Mr. Click and Miss Y/L/N.”

“Jesus, are you fucking kidding me?!” Security appears and the dean immediately points towards the man commanding they take him away. “What the fuck?!”

After slamming the door, Dean Gilman huffs as he places himself behind his desk once more. 

“Miss Y/L/N, are you alright?” 

While they had carried Jared away, you hid behind the metalhead with your body pressed against his back and your fingers clinging to his shirt. 

“Hey. Come on, honey, everything’s ok.”, Steve coos as he reaches for your biceps to lightly guide you forward and into the chair. He knew they were caught and there was no reason to hide it any longer. “There you go. Are you ok, baby?”, he asked Eddie as he cupped his face in his palms. 

“Yeah, I’m alright.”, he grumbles as they both take their own seats. 

##############

@joannamuns9n @dckweed @corkadymu @lilaclazer @aol19 @myherometalhead  @dashingdeb16 @micheledawn1975 @too-efn-old-to-be-here @eddiexmunsonlover @strangerthingsfangirling

@1deverland @checosbluespring @twirls827

[hairstevington]

Stranger Therapy

Eddie Munson x Steve Harrington

Summary: Based on this text post, Steve and Eddie match on Tinder and decide to go to couple's counseling on a first date to see how long it takes the therapist (Murray) to figure them out. Link to Ao3

Word Count: 3K, check out part 2 part 3 part 4 and epilogue!

Warnings: Nothing too serious, Steve/Eddie went to high school together but don't know each other, modern day AU, aged up, brief Robin cameo, Matchmaker Murray, and my fav tag of all - gay scheming!

A/N: I'm a counselor in training currently but I don't specialize in couple's counseling so this may or may not be accurate? Idk man it's just fun and silly I love our stupid boys sm. Original post by @hxneyfarms

It’s a match!

“Robin, it worked!” Steve shouted from the couch. She ran from the kitchen and joined him, peering over to stare at his screen.

“I told you it would! It’s funny!” she insisted. Steve rolled his eyes and anxiously pulled up the profile of his new match. 

“Oh, shit,” Steve said. “I remember swiping right on this guy. Didn’t think I had a shot.” He looked through the pictures. They were all candids, slightly blurry, or shots of him with his friends, but due to his distinguished look it was easy to pick him out even in a crowd. 

“Show me his bio,” Robin ordered. Steve closed out the pictures and scrolled until the bio was in full view.

Eddie, 25. Shit at bios.

“Well that’s kind of boring,” Steve said. 

“Yeah. You think he’s a bot?” Robin asked.

 “Or a catfish, maybe,” Steve mused. “Either way, I still think I should take your joke down. I don’t talk like that in real life, and people might get confused.”

Robin had convinced him earlier to change his bio and replace it with - let’s go to couple’s counseling and see how long it takes the therapist to realize we don’t know each other. Steve had been a little tipsy when he agreed, and he assumed nothing would come of it. But then, Eddie matched with him. 

“You’re thinking way too hard about this, Dingus,” Robin replied. “People write weird shit in their Tinder bios all the time.” 

“Eddie didn’t,” Steve countered. 

“Yeah, but look at him,” Robin responded. “He’s distinctive. It’s attention-grabbing in itself.”

“And I’m not?” Steve asked. Robin chuckled.

“You’re the kind of pretty where if you don’t have something witty in the bio, people will think you’re just some ignorant surface-level airhead who’s never worked a day in his life, and that’s not cute.”

“Okay, ouch,” Steve said. 

“It’s a compliment!” she insisted. “Like, you need to show that you’re witty and funny and able to poke fun at yourself, otherwise you’re going to attract the wrong kind of people.”

“And this guy’s the right kind, huh?” Steve opened one of the pictures back up - one where Eddie was passed out on the couch with a beer still in his hand. As they looked at the screen, a notification popped up. Eddie sent you a message.

“Let’s find out,” Robin said. 

-

Eddie: If your bio is serious, I’m in

Steve: Wait, really?

Eddie: Yeah xD sounds fun

Eddie: You got a therapist in mind?

Steve: Honestly didn’t think I’d get this far

Eddie: Boo. 

Eddie: You’re lucky I know just the guy

Steve: Okay…

Steve: So how do we do this?

Eddie: Dude, it was YOUR idea

Steve: Ok but I’ve never done it before!

Eddie: Steve! I’m your first? <3

Steve: Yeah, yeah. I’ve never pranked a therapist before. 

Eddie: I hope you’re either rich or have really good insurance. Otherwise this is gonna be an expensive first date.

Steve: I got it covered. 

Eddie: I figured you did. I’ll call the guy in the morning and get back to you with the appointment time. 

Steve: Okay. How’s your night going by the way?

Eddie: Nope!

Eddie: That’s not part of the deal, Steve. We go into this blind or not at all.

Steve: This is insane.

Eddie: Once again, your idea. I’m excited. Are you excited?

Steve: Thrilled.

Steve: I’m still concerned about how you know the perfect guy for this.

Eddie: 😛

Eddie: Don’t worry about it.

-

“I don’t even think he’s serious,” Steve said after he recounted the entire interaction to Robin.

“I don’t know, Steve. Sounds serious to me.” 

“What if he’s like - not right in the head?” Steve wondered, reading the interaction over and over again. “Like, who is this therapist and why does he know him? Is he actually going to make an appointment? What if this whole thing crashes and burns?”

“I honestly think he plans on it crashing and burning,” Robin replied. “And then after, the both of you either hit it off and laugh about it forever, or you have an amazing failed date story to tell your friends until the end of time.”

“That’s…actually genius.” 

“I know.” 

Steve read the messages one last time, focusing on the bits where Eddie was mildly flirtatious. Steve! I’m your first? He could tell if Eddie was being condescending, or what vibe he was going to bring to this absolute insane first date. But, as Robin said, it would be a story no matter what. 

He tried to focus on that and not the anxiety that started brewing in his veins.

-

The appointment was set for two weeks later. Eddie still refused to talk to Steve other than for details on where to go and at what time, so for the whole fourteen days, Steve assumed he was being pranked right back. Eddie was messing with him, or he’d cancel, or Dr. Bauman didn’t actually exist, or he’d be murdered, or, or, or -

None of that happened. Instead, on a Tuesday afternoon, Steve pulled up to an office building about fifteen minutes from his apartment. He’d passed by it several times and never once wondered what went on inside. 

Apparently, really weird first dates.

They had decided to meet up in the parking lot and walk in together. The whole thing was crazy, but having one of them pick the other up so they could drive in together was way over what was needed to commit to the bit. 

Steve got there first. They needed to be fifteen minutes early to fill out paperwork. It was twenty minutes prior to their appointment time. 

This was weird. It felt a lot different than all the times he’d met someone for coffee. In another world, that’s how he and Eddie would have met. But no. He had to agree to this stupid thing, and now he was too far into it to back out. Jesus Christ. 

Eddie’s car pulled in a few spaces down. Steve knew it was him from the hair alone - unmistakable. He got out of his car and walked towards his date, his palms sweaty. Eddie got out of his car a moment later, eyeing Steve as he approached him and smirking. 

“What gave me away?” Eddie asked. 

“You think I wouldn’t recognize my boyfriend?” Steve snapped back, pleased at the way he was able to take Eddie off guard. 

“Touche. Well, come on, then. Let’s do this.” 

-

Before they knew it, they were sitting in a cramped waiting room, alone, filling out paperwork. It consisted of insurance information first, followed by names and some quick background questions about the “couple.” Steve began filling it out, thankful that he was still on his dad’s fancy rich-person insurance. It covered basically everything, even fucked-up couples fraud with Dr. Bauman.

“Are you not worried I’m gonna, like, steal your information or something?” Eddie asked as Steve wrote down his policy number.

“I mean…should I be?” Steve responded. 

“No,” Eddie answered with a shrug. “I gotta say, though, you’re way more trusting than I am. It’s ballsy. I like it.” 

“Uhh…” Steve was trying to concentrate on the paperwork, but the compliment was throwing him off. “Thank you, I think.” He continued filling out the paperwork.

“You’re from Hawkins?” he asked. Steve nodded, absentmindedly. “I’m from Hawkins.” This caught Steve’s attention. 

“No shit.” 

“Yeah, seriously.”

“Small world,” Steve replied before turning his attention back to the form.

“You have a cute middle name,” Eddie teased. 

“Shut up,” Steve responded. He wanted to find Eddie’s pestering annoying, but instead he found himself smirking, even giggling a little bit. This whole thing was so ridiculous. He shoved the clipboard onto Eddie’s lap. “Your turn, lover.”

“Euch,” Eddie groaned. “That is not one of our pet names, no way.” 

“Noted,” Steve chuckled. He was…kind of enjoying this way more than he expected, as weird as it was. He’d grown accustomed to a lot of even stranger things in his life, so this didn’t feel as shocking as he’d initially thought. 

“Don’t look,” Eddie said as he covered the paper.

“What? Why not?” Steve asked, confused. 

“Because not all of us are as blindly trusting, Steven,” Eddie responded. Steve shook his head and looked away. 

“Good thing we’re in therapy to work that shit out, Edward Munson.”

“You looked!” Eddie exclaimed. 

“It was right in front of me!” Steve pointed out. 

“Fair enough,” Eddie sighed. “Okay, now we gotta put down a reason for doing this.”

-

Fast forward ten minutes, Eddie and Steve were seated next to each other on a relatively small but cozy burnt orange couch. The color was ugly, but the seats were comfortable. Steve noticed the cushions had a natural dip that kept inching him closer to the person sitting on the opposite side. He figured this was certainly intentional. 

The doctor sat in front of them, reviewing the papers the pair had just filled out.

“Hello, my name is Dr. Bauman, and one day I may let you call me Murray,” he began, his eyes fixed on the papers in front of him. “I see here on your sheet that you’ve been feeling distant from each other, and that you’re looking to feel more connected, right? Can you tell me more about that?”

“We’re just launching right into it, huh?” Eddie asked. 

“Well, we are on a time crunch here. Your decision how you spend it,” Dr. Bauman answered. 

The man was immediately intimidating.

“Ooookay,” Steve said, taking a deep breath. “Yeah, I guess it just feels like - like he and I don’t even know each other anymore.” Eddie stifled a laugh, covering his mouth with his hand to make it seem like he was maybe getting emotional or perhaps trying not to sneeze. 

“I see,” Dr. Bauman said, eyeing them both suspiciously. “Let’s begin with how you two met and we’ll go from there, okay?”

“We were high school sweethearts,” Eddie replied with a grin.

“Wow,” Dr. Bauman commented. “Well, it’s common for a lot of development to happen from then to now. How did you two get together?” Eddie looked to Steve, as if to say, you’re up.

“It just kinda…happened, I guess,” Steve began. “We were assigned as partners for a project and really clicked.”

“Yeah, and then we snuck around for a while. Sneaking kisses in janitor's closets and empty classrooms, you know the drill.” Steve tried not to blush at the thought of sneaking around with high school Eddie. If they were both from Hawkins, did they actually go to high school together?

“Snuck around for the thrill?” Dr. Bauman asked.

“No,” Steve responded. “I wasn’t out yet.” Eddie looked at him curiously, as if he wasn’t expecting Steve to say something so serious. He wondered if it was actually true. 

“Well, that and -” Eddie added. “- he was a popular jock and I was kind of a freak.” This time, Steve looked at Eddie curiously. Steve was a popular jock. Eddie could have assumed that, or made a lucky guess, but something told him that wasn’t the case. 

Eddie Munson. Munson. 

Oh.

Oh!

It took Steve a minute to recover from that information. They did in fact go to school together, they just had never interacted. Eddie obviously remembered, and he obviously knew that Steve didn’t. So what was the goal here? Was Steve being punked or something just so Eddie could get free therapy?

“Steve, you look a little pale there,” Dr. Bauman noticed. “Did that trigger something?”

“Yeah -” Steve croaked, now unable to look at Eddie. If he had, he would have noticed Eddie didn’t look as smug as Steve assumed he was. “Yeah, I just don’t think about high school that much anymore.”

“Why not?” the doctor asked. 

“Because, I - I’ve changed so much since then. I’m not that guy anymore, and I don’t want to be that guy.”

“Ah, I see,” he hummed. “So, Eddie fell for someone who no longer exists. I think I’m understanding the problem here. Eddie, do you feel that you’ve changed?”

Damn. This guy’s kinda good.

“Uhhh -” Eddie began. Neither of them expected this to get so serious so quickly. It didn’t even feel like it was about their imagined relationship anymore. “N-no, I don’t think I have.”

“And Steve, do you think Eddie has changed?”

Steve thought about the limited memories he had of Eddie in high school. Cocky, slightly unhinged, just as he was now. But there was something different, he just couldn’t really pinpoint what. Maybe if he’d talked to Eddie for longer than like ten minutes total in his life, he’d have a better idea. 

Then, he realized the point of this wasn’t to be serious. It was to make shit up. Steve pivoted back to the original plan. 

“Yeah, I mean -” He shifted in his seat, finding himself now thigh to thigh with Eddie, despite not meaning to be. “He’s, uh - it just feels like we don’t have anything in common anymore?” It was something he’d heard lots of couples say.

“Do you want to make this work?” Dr. Bauman asked. 

“Why else would we be here?” Eddie answered. Dr. Bauman narrowed his eyes. 

“You tell me.”

Eddie and Steve were kind of not good at this. Their story was based in truth and not very exciting. They both seemed to realize this at the same time.

“Steve slept with the dogwalker,” Eddie proclaimed. Steve scoffed, half-amused, half-offended. 

“Yeah, well you sold drugs to my mom!” he shot back. The two guys looked at each other, pretending to look angry while simultaneously wanting to laugh. 

“Woooah, there,” Dr. Bauman responded. “Now we’re getting somewhere. Do we want to begin with Steve’s infidelity or Eddie’s illegal activity?”

“That’s not gonna, like, go on record or anything, right?” Steve asked, suddenly anxious. “Like, the cops aren’t gonna show up at Eddie’s door?”

“Our door, babe,” Eddie clarified, not the least bit nervous. 

“Depends on how long ago this happened, I suppose,” Dr. Bauman answered.

“Long time ago,” Eddie said. 

“Are you still currently dealing?”

“No, I don’t even do drugs anymore. Well, like, except pot - but that’s legal now so it doesn’t really count, I think.”

“Dude,” Steve whispered. 

“You brought it up,” Eddie replied just as softly. 

“Right,” Dr. Bauman responded, taking it all in. “No report needed, then. Let’s move onto the dogwalker.” 

They continued to add to their lore as the appointment went on. At one point, Eddie even faked tears. His acting was…decent enough to avoid suspicion, thankfully. When the clock hit 1:45, their time was up, and they’d successfully managed to fool Dr. Bauman. Mission accomplished, date over. Right?

“Well, thank you so much, Dr. Bauman,” Eddie said. “I think you’ve really helped us out today.”

“Yeah, seriously,” Steve said, smiling. “We feel so much better.”

“Now hold on a minute,” Dr. Bauman said with his hands up. “There’s still a lot of work to be done, in my professional opinion.”

“There is?” Eddie asked, confused. 

“Oh, definitely. Most couples go to a minimum of four sessions, and that’s still a low average. Plus, this was only intake. I mean, unless you guys weren’t happy with the counseling I gave you today…”

It felt like a challenge, and Eddie loved challenges. Meanwhile, Steve was too awkward to come clean or tell the doctor they weren’t interested. 

They made another appointment.

-

“Well, that went pretty well, I think,” Eddie said as they left the building. 

“You knew me already?” Steve asked once they were a safe enough distance from the office and Dr. Bauman. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I just knew your name and face, man. And, like, your vibe,” Eddie answered. “Back in high school, anyway.” 

“You should have told me,” Steve said. 

“You should have remembered,” Eddie shot back. “Whatever, it was fun. Right?”

“Eddie, I have no idea what that was,” Steve replied. “We have to cancel that appointment.”

“Why? You don’t want to see me again?” Eddie grinned. Steve rolled his eyes.

“No, I - I mean, I don’t want to waste his time. That spot should go to other couples who need it. Meanwhile, we could go get coffee like normal adults.” 

“I dunno,” Eddie said, kicking a pebble in the road as they walked. “I kinda liked it. You can’t tell me you didn’t.”

It was true. Steve couldn’t say that he didn’t.

“Doesn’t matter.” Steve unlocked his car and made his way to the door. “We’re canceling.”

“He’s the one that wanted to see us again, Steve,” Eddie reminded him. 

“Yeah, because he thought we were an actual couple.” Steve was getting frustrated at Eddie’s antics, and the way he refused to back down. “I don’t know if this is gonna work, man. This has been, uh - well, it’s been weird, but I think -”

“We have to go, otherwise you’ll be charged a cancellation fee,” Eddie blurted out. It was a lie, a bold-faced lie, and yet -

“So, I’ll pay the fee. Can’t be more than the cost of a full session,” Steve figured. 

“Ugh!” Eddie groaned in frustration. “Okay, fine. Look - I’m annoying as hell, I’m a mess, I’m broke, and I could never afford someone like Dr. Bauman. I don’t know about you, but some of the things he said actually made me think and I kind of want to ask him about, like, real shit.” 

Steve stared at him blankly for a minute. 

“You - you want me to keep going to fake couple’s counseling with you so you can get actual therapy?” Steve asked, stunned. 

“I mean, you could work your shit out, too,” Eddie suggested.

“What shit? I don’t have shit,” Steve insisted. 

“Of course you do! Everyone does!” Eddie yelled. 

“You’re insane,” Steve muttered. The thing was, he wasn’t saying it out of anger. He was saying it in understanding. 

Because the thing was, Eddie had a point. Dr. Bauman was good at what he did, and Steve knew he’d never sign up for individual counseling. He already had the appointment. Eddie smirked. 

“You’re with me, aren’t you?”

Fuck.

“Fine,” Steve agreed. 

-

Notes from Dr. Bauman - 3/18

Eddie and Steve

Together since high school

Feelings of disconnect

Steve/dogwalker

Eddie/mom/drugs

Clearly lying

Clients are faking their relationship for me, for some reason. Will continue to work with them to figure out why. 

They aren’t dating…but they should be

(next chapter)

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

@ofherscarlettwitchways @livvyshmiv @paintballkid711 @abraca-fxckyou @allbimyself26 @jellybabiesforall @allbymyselfexceptformycactus @justaloadofgarbage-blog @alliemunsonsstuff @undreamingscatworld @thefruityfours @hobbitnarwhal @calivanus @wreckmyplans-thatsmyman @antheia @goodolefashionedloverboi @lillemilly @missmagillicuddy @steviesbicrisis @gamerdano @menamesniall @eyeslikewildflowers111 @callmesirkay @stringischeese @eds-trashmouth @mnl-enuh @redfreckledwolf @itsanarrum @soulsofstarsliveinyourveins @gregre369 @stevesbipanic @momotonescreaming @aryakanojiaa @wrenisflying @comicmadlover @lilacrobin @itch-my-b0nez @anonymousbandgirl @disastardly @Dang_Dirty_Demons @daisyellsong @val-from-lawrence @starryeyedpoet17 @taikawaiteatea @samthemissfit @chaoticvictorianspirit @elizbaehth @despoenaandpyromania @bagofgreentea

[steddieunderdogfics]

I’d like to rec some things are meant to be secret and not to be heard by @steddieasitgoes for Monday’s challenge fics set in season 2

(https://archiveofourown.org/works/50895538)

some things are meant to be secret and not to be heard by steddieasitgoes

@steddieasitgoes

Rating: Teens & Up

3,559 words, 1/1 chapters

Archive Warning: No Warnings

Tags: very brief cameo from:, Minor Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson, Post-Stranger Things 1, Stranger Things 2, Eddie Munson is a Mess, Gay Eddie Munson, Eddie Munson Has a Crush on Steve Harrington, Humor, Light Angst, Drunken Flirting, Dead Barbara "Barb" Holland, Tina's Halloween Bash (Stranger Things)

Summary:

Eddie overhears Steve and Nancy talking in the library and becomes suspicious about what really happened to Barbara last year. or: Written for the Eddie Month prompt: library and curious.

Thanks for the rec!

This rec is a part of Challenge Monday. The challenge this week was Fics about Fall activities.

Know a fic that deserves extra love? Submit through our asks or the submission box!

[twistedtummies2]

Top 10 Portrayals of Inspector Lestrade

Having just finished my list of my favorite fictional detectives, I felt it was time to return to my absolute favorite of the bunch: Sherlock Holmes. In the past, I have done lists related to Holmes himself, as well as his friend and colleague, Dr. Watson, and his arch-nemesis, Professor Moriarty. I recently revisited those three countdowns to see if I would change anything, and…at the moment, no, I think they’re still pretty solidly set. HOWEVER, I’ve never gone over any of the other major characters in the Sherlock Holmes universe since those three. I haven’t covered his other allies, or any other noteworthy antagonists he faced. So, I decided it was time to fix that problem. These lists WILL have descriptions, but they’ll be very brief, partially just because I don’t have a TON to say about most of the characters/portrayals involved. We’ll start off with a Top 10 devoted to Scotland Yard’s most competent detective, Inspector Lestrade.

In the books, Lestrade is one of Holmes’ closest compatriots. While the super sleuth frequently interacts with various Scotland Yard officers, Lestrade is the most recurring, and has the most rapport with Sherlock. Their relationship is an…interesting one, to say the least. On the one hand, the two do care about each other, and there is some level of mutual respect under their respective, prickly surfaces. However, the pair bicker constantly, and always seem to be trying to one-up each other. Holmes concedes that Lestrade is probably the best detective at the Yard, but with the caveat that he is “the best of a bad bunch.” Lestrade, meanwhile, often tries to downplay Holmes’ unique skills in favor of boosting his own ego, and is forever frustrated by Sherlock’s antics. At the same time, he recognizes Holmes is very helpful to himself and the force, and for all his faults, he always manages to help the Inspector catch the crooks in the end. Indeed, the main reason Lestrade usually fails is because he ironically tends to jump the gun: he’s someone who fails to look at the big picture, or else notice the smaller details, which is what Holmes is very good at. If he just took his time more, he could probably get to the bottom of things more quickly…but Holmes can do all that in an instant, so it’s a good thing he’s hanging around. Different interpretations throughout adaptations and reimaginings of the Holmes universe have reinterpreted Lestrade in a number of ways (and with no less than two different pronunciations of his name; “Leh-strawed” seems to be the most common, but a couple choose to say “Less-trade”). Some versions of him are more comical and bungling, while some are more serious but still not quite as brilliant as Holmes. Some make the character more bullheaded and easily angered, while others make him more supportive and friendly. Many of the best find some sort of balance between these disparate elements; while he may not get the kudos that Holmes and Watson get, Lestrade is an interesting character in his own right, with a lot of layers writers, actors, and directors can play with. Having said that, here are some I particularly enjoy. So STOP IN THE NAME OF THE LAW! Here are My Top 10 Favorite Portrayals of Inspector Lestrade.

10. Frank Finlay, from A Study in Terror & Murder By Decree.

Finlay played Lestrade, by sheer coincidence, in two completely different films that have the same premise: Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper. He looks, sounds, and generally behaves exactly the same in both movies, too. It’s rather uncanny, really.

9. Eddie Marsan, from the Guy Ritchie Films.

In the first film, Lestrade is a major character, and the way they play with his relationship with Sherlock is surprising; it’s just a shame he’s little more than a cameo in the second film.

8. Jeffrey Jones, from Without a Clue.

Arguably the most bumbling version of the character on this list. However, since this movie is an outright comedy, I don’t mind this. (Please keep a certain elephant out of the room; I am only addressing portrayals of the character, not the people who played them.)

7. Peter Madden, from the 60s BBC Series.

In some ways, I think this might be the most book-accurate take on Lestrade, especially in terms of physical appearance. Madden only played the character in the first season of the series; in the second season, actor William Lucas took over. Weirdly enough, Madden did appear in the second season playing a completely different character in one episode. Not really sure why he was recast.

6. Dennis Hoey, from the Universal Films.

Alongside Jones, the most bungling version of Lestrade, frequently used as comic relief. In most of the films - not all, but most - he makes Nigel Bruce’s infamously doofy Watson look like a genius in comparison. He’s a lot of fun, though, and the chemistry between the three performers is great every time.

5. Rupert Graves, from Sherlock.

Arguably the most serious version of Lestrade on the list. I love the sort of normalcy he brings to the crazy world of Holmes and Watson, and the way he’s able to just put up with all the nonsense Sherlock shoves onto him, as well as find ways to rein Holmes in.

4. Archie Duncan, from the 50s TV Series.

This Lestrade is able to be extremely funny without actually being a moron; while he always needs Holmes to help him out, it’s mostly just because he’s impulsive and hotheaded, and therefore doesn’t always think things through or notice the details Sherlock notices. (Just like in the books.) Duncan, like Peter Madden, would weirdly play other characters in the show BESIDES Lestrade, including a villain in one story. Very talented performer who was always good to see in action!

3. The Version from Moriarty the Patriot.

This is probably the most friendly and encouraging version of Lestrade on the list, though he still gets righteously annoyed with both Holmes AND Moriarty in the series. I love his energy and the integrity the character has in the show; like Holmes, he’s willing to bend the rules to see justice done, and will never give up no matter what, which explains why they like each other above all else.

2. Akiko Morison, from Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century.

This version is a female descendant of the original inspector, named Beth Lestrade. She actually was more of a standout to me in this show than Watson was! Once again, this version isn’t depicted is an idiot - she’s fiery, strong, and very good at her job, with great instincts. Her problem is that, once again, she doesn’t always pick up on the details or fully understand the situation, which leads to conflict and her need to have Holmes around.

1. Colin Jeavons, from the Granada Series.

The definitive take on Lestrade, just as Jeremy Brett was the definitive take on Holmes, in my opinion. Jeavons plays Lestrade as a slightly pompous and rather sarcastic police officer, but he also seems to be one of the versions of the character who has the best sort of relationship with Sherlock. I love the chemistry between the pair, and how they each seem to sort of admire each other, though neither will ever admit it. At the same time, that competitive rivalry between the two has rarely been showcased better. Altogether marvelous.

[courseyoulovemeyoudontknowme]

The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997, Steven Spielberg)

19/03/2024

The Lost World: Jurassic Park is a 1997 film directed by Steven Spielberg, sequel to Jurassic Park and inspired by the novel The Lost World by Michael Crichton.

The franchise continued with Jurassic Park III (2001), Jurassic World (2015), Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) and Jurassic World Dominion (2022).

Four years have passed since the dramatic events at Jurassic Park. Professor Ian Malcolm, one of the survivors, is contacted again by the now ex-head of InGen, John Hammond, and informed that Isla Nublar, the place where the park stood, was in reality just a showcase for tourists. In fact, the prehistoric creatures were actually created on nearby Isla Sorna, the so-called "Site B" where, following the destruction of the fences caused by the hurricane called Clarissa, they were able to escape from their cages and live undisturbed without the whole world knowing, but now the target of her greedy and corrupt nephew, Peter Ludlow, eager to plunder her to recreate a "city Jurassic Park" in San Diego. At first Malcolm, knowing the very high risks, declines the proposal but, discovering that his girlfriend, the paleontologist Sarah Harding, has already gone to the place, he decides to leave immediately to bring her back, aided by the photographer Nick Van Owen and the engineer Eddie Carr.

Not long after Peter Ludlow, together with a team of hunters led by Roland Tembo, arrives on Isla Sorna to begin the capture of some dinosaurs and in particular, an adult male specimen of Tyrannosaurus rex.

After a day's march, Dieter Stark, Tembo's deputy, loses his life in the jungle, devoured alive by the small Compsognathus and that same night the camp is attacked by T-Rexes, attracted by the smell of the puppy's blood left impregnated on the jacket by Sarah. In the general escape, the hunting team crosses an expanse of tall grass falling victim to an ambush by seven Velociraptors; despite this, Ian, Sarah, Nick and Kelly manage to reach the communications center, where Nick requests reinforcements from the mainland while the others have to deal with the Raptors.

Jeff Goldblum is Professor Ian Malcolm: a mathematician expert in chaos theory. He is, together with Hammond (and with the exception of the children, who only appear in a brief cameo), the only main character from the first chapter to also reappear in the sequel. At the end of the first film, Malcolm managed to escape from Isla Nublar, and during these four years he revealed the facts of Jurassic Park to the public.

Julianne Moore is Dr. Sarah Harding, Ian Malcolm's girlfriend.

[jedivoodoochile]

“My kids found a picture of me from (1985) with Eddie Van Halen, where I look 12, and he looks 14, and I thought, ‘What a cool life I’ve lived, where my kids can find a picture of me with Van Halen on the internet.’ It’s like looking back on footprints in the sand. LOOK WHERE I’VE BEEN.” --Michael J. Fox

Michael, of course, was the lead actor in the most successful movie of 1985, "Back To The Future". Eddie made a very cool "instrumental" contribution to that movie.

The concept of Back to the Future is that Marty McFly (played by a young Michael J. Fox) has traveled back in time to his own parents' adolescence and must engineer their meeting, or risk being erased from the future himself. To command his sci-fi obsessed father to ask his future mother out, Marty dresses as an alien and pays McFly senior a late-night visit. To prove his futuristic credential, he blasts his fathers' ears with a Sony Walkman loaded with a cassette marked "Edward Van Halen." And while this blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment could easily be chalked up to an homage, the bombastic music playing IS IN FACT a riff from Eddie.

The commentary from the DVD of the film fleshes out the backstory: The rest of Van Halen didn't want to be involved in Back to the Future, hence the tape couldn't legally say Van Halen, so they added the name "Edward" in a smaller typeface. The film also wasn't allowed to feature the band's music, but relied instead on a solo piece from Eddie. The exact authorship of the piece remained unclear until 2012 when Eddie confirmed to TMZ that it was him "just playing a bunch of noise." The "noise" was actually a musical piece composed by Eddie for the 1984 movie "The Wild Life" and is titled "Out The Window". It can be found on YouTube. Eddie wrote the entire musical score for that movie.

Music was a strong element throughout the Back to the Future trilogy–Huey Lewis plays a talent show judge, there's a running joke about Chuck Berry, Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers appears in both sequels, and ZZ Top sound tracked Back to the Future Part III. But it's Eddie Van Halen's brief instrumental cameo that has proven to be one of the MOST enduring moments. Not bad for an uncredited appearance where you don't even see the man in question!

[perksofbeingahalfie]

if you loved s8e6 Confessions, please consider reading my crack treated seriously one shot that I published two weeks prior but still managed to hit all the same points, including Eddie's catholic guilt, Eddie being in denial, brief hot priest cameo, the first half of a gay revelation, coincidence as God moments, gratuitous food metaphors, talking about something without actually talking about it, and of course, glee reference

https://archiveofourown.org/works/59897104

[mafiatsunafish]

I know about 9-1-1 and Buck through TikTok first (pls don’t judge me, I have a bit too much time in my hands and they’re all over my fly) and no words could describe how confused I was when I actually watch its s1 and met Buck 1.0

The sweet, adorable, whole some golden is now a straight-up menace to this goddamn society and needed to have a big ass warning sign before approaching (affectionately)

Along with all things that had been thrown into my face in only the first ep, the shell shock was fucking real. I was NOT prepared to deal with all of that in my first time watching the show.

That man in s1 for me is the epitome of a walking red flag despite many of his sweet sweet little details.

But now, after binge watched into s6, seeing his character development at its finest. Sometimes, I wish to see 1.0 play boy Buck have a brief cameo, just for comedic relief.

( s1 Buck is a disaster bi in deep denial and confusion, until he meet Eddie in s2, welp)

[ohblackdiamond]

ace’s eighties vlog

this home movie of ace before and during his hammersmith odeon concert in 1988 london is oddly interesting, in places. the video/audio quality is not good. it’s not exactly a kinder, gentler ace or anything, but it is a pretty off the cuff, honest ace. he films a brief, somewhat deprecating overview of his hotel room (including a look at a framed photo of a woman that’s definitely not his wife and the comment that “the best part of this trip so far is this jacket,” followed by a zoom in on the jacket’s patch, which he found cool) before heading out to join with the rest of the band and head to the venue. 

you get the very obvious impression that for all that ace had been to london prior as a member of kiss, he had never gotten much of an opportunity to sightsee. (lydia comments on this regarding kiss’ first trip to japan, saying she and jeanette were really the only ones who really got a chance to see anything while over there-- the boys were mostly stuck.)

during the drive, he’s pointing at various tourist attractions/historical buildings and asking about them (”this is... this is hyde park? this is hyde park. ... i should’ve taken this camera with me yesterday.” “is that where princess di lives?”) as he tries to record them on the camcorder.

it was kind of neat to see since i’d assumed at this point in his career, roughly 15-16 years in, he would’ve been basically inured to any interest in any area he was performing in, since he’d toured all over the world. he keeps pointing his camcorder towards a much fancier, modern hotel (the royal garden) and saying “this is the hotel we should’ve stayed in... and didn’t...” he’s definitely bitter, though it’s no comparison to paul from around the same time; ace seems more resigned. there are about a dozen fans outside of the venue hours and hours prior to the show, holding albums and yelling excitedly. around the very end of the recording, you can see the fans crowding around as ace and the band leave as well.

cameos include a very young eddie trunk, the 1988 members of frehley’s comet (of course), and, unless my eyes deceive me, gordon gebert. it may not be worth a close perusal or, indeed, much perusal, but it’s an interesting look at the way things were for ace at this point. ace is fairly quiet and toned-down, though he cracks a few jokes and makes some dry comments here and there. per basically everyone who ever worked with ace, up until probably the 2000s, he was able to play even when trashed out of his mind. he’s definitely sober for at least the early parts of this in the hotel/car, though-- that being said, it looks as though they arrived at the hammersmith odeon around lunchtime, probably a solid seven or eight hours before the show, so i can’t exactly vouch for his sobriety any time past that. kind of neat stuff.

[jonathanbyersphd]

Don't Fear The Reaper (8179 words) by Musicalchaos07 Chapters: 3/? Fandom: Stranger Things (TV 2016) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Jonathan Byers/Nancy Wheeler Characters: Jonathan Byers, Nancy Wheeler, Eddie Munson, Chrissy Cunningham, Background & Cameo Characters Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Explicit Language, Mild Sexual Content, Paranormal Investigators, Jonathan Byers Has Powers, Nancy Wheeler Has a Gun, Investigator Jancy My Beloved, Quite Literally Haunted Jonathan Byers, Protective Nancy Wheeler, Established Relationship, So Married, Fluff and Angst, Mostly Fluff, Chrissy Cunningham is still dead tragically, Drug Use, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse Summary: Jonathan Byers was 13 the first time he saw a ghost, he screamed so loud he nearly woke the neighbor. Seven years and one brief stint in Pennhurst later, he's crisscrossing the country with his girlfriend, dispelling rumors, exorcising poltergeists, and trying to bring families closure. Nancy Wheeler is first and foremost a skeptic, so of course it's her boyfriend who can see spirits. And if it weren't for her own close encounter she wouldn't believe him. She doesn't believe half the stories they hear but she's not about to let him go investigate on his own. Their latest case has brought them to the bright lights of Nashville to solve the murder of an average backup singer. Even though all signs point to one suspect, Jonathan and Nancy know by now that things are never as easy as they seem. But with an ill-natured mourner, unhelpful clientele, and an even more unhelpful apparition it's up to them to sort through the stories to find the truth before it's too late.

Chapter 3... 3 months later 🙈

[justmeinadaze]

We're A Family Part 14 (Steddie X You)

A/N: I'm not sorry for the cliff hanger esc ending 😈

I'm going to use this opportunity here to say thank you to the step parents, partners, siblings, foster parents, adoptive parents...all y'all raising children who aren't biologically yours...you are amazing and deserve love and appreciation. The woman I call mom is technically my stepmom but she has been more a mom to me than my own. She showed me how mothers are supposed to be and I love her everyday for that <3.

Warning: Smut, FLUFF, and slight angst, Mr. Harrington pops up making a brief verbal cameo , Eddie mentions an incident about Steve's past heartbreaks as well as briefly (very brief) touches on his life right after moving in with Wayne, I think that's it.

Word Count: 3535

“Does he have to wear a suit?”, Eddie asks as he browses the clothes on the rack above him. 

“I mean he doesn’t have to but it is his first date technically so…”, Steve grins as Dylan rolls his eyes. 

You had already done the whole mom thing where you cried for ten minutes straight because your “baby” was growing up and asked a girl on a date to a dance. When he asked the guys to take him clothes shopping, he had hoped to avoid more of that, thankful when you offered to stay home and watch Aurora. 

“Calm down. I’m not going to coo at you and tell you how big you’ve gotten.”, the man teases as he playfully reaches for his son’s cheeks. 

“I don’t think I should wear a suit. I don’t want to seem…overeager.” Dylan’s eyes scan the shirts in front of him. “What did you guys wear on your first dates?”

“Jesus, um…”, Eddie’s eyes fly to ceiling as he thinks. “Jeans and a Guns & Roses t-shirt, if I’m not mistaken.”

“Of course, that’s what you wore.”, Steve chuckled. 

“Hey! We were like eleven and went to a movie. It wasn’t anything fancy. What about you, sire? I imagine you came out of the womb with a date the next day.” The metalhead smiled as Dylan laughed. 

“For your information, my first date was in 6th grade. I took a girl to the Snowball dance. And yes…I wore a suit.”

“Oh, please tell me there are pictures in a box somewhere at home.” 

“No, thank God.”

“We can ask grandma.”, Dylan smiles mischievously.

“I swear, if either of you ask my mother for pictures—”

“Oh! You’ll what?”, Eddie joked. 

“I’ll…be very upset.”

“Uh huh.”

****

“Do we have to watch it again?”

“Yes!”, Aurora giggles.

You laugh at her smile as you replay “The Empire Strikes Back” on the tv. “Yeah. I’m glad you’re happy. I’m going to kill your dad.”

Just like Dylan had with Harry Potter, Ro seemed to attach to Star Wars. Steve was watching “A New Hope” one afternoon and she sat beside him the entire time completely transfixed. Ever since then she insisted on watching anything you would allow that was Star Wars related. 

“Beep, Beep!”, she mimicked as the front door opened and your three boys came through. 

“Star Wars still?”, Steve asked.

“I hate you. This is your fault.”, you laugh as you quickly rose to your feet. “Sooooo, what did we get?”

“You’ll see.”, Dylan smiles. “Are you guys still chaperoning?”

“Well, I don’t have a choice being a teacher and my boss volunteered me.”

“That’s the spirit, Harrington!”, Eddie chuckles as he wraps his arm around the boy’s neck. “Yes, we will still be there and we promise not to embarrass you…much.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m going to go call Daisy and tell her what I got.”

You three watch as he excitedly runs up the stairs before you lightly smack Steve’s arm. “What did he get?”

“I can’t tell you!”

“Call it payment for me watching those movies back-to-back with our three-year-old instead of me murdering you.”

“Oh… you won’t murder me. You love me too much.”

########

Dylan watches his dads with intense fascination as they get ready, occasionally getting distracted when he heard his sister say something cute as she helped you get ready out in the bedroom. 

“Mama hair up.”

“Yeah? Here can you brush it for me so I can pull it up?” Aurora grins excitedly when you hand her the brush.

“When it comes to hair, kid, you should let Steve take the reins on that one.” Eddie smiled as he moved out of the way and allowed Dylan space in front of the mirror so the man could show him some techniques. 

“Oooo… Din purty.”, Ro compliments him before waddling to the metalhead. “Daddy! Mama…tie…for hair.”

“Mommy needs a hair tie?” She nods aggressively as he reaches across the sink to get her what she’s asking for. “Here you go, princess.”

“Tank you, daddy.”

“You’re welcome, baby.” His eyes follow after her as she grins and runs back into the bedroom. 

“Alright, little man. What do you think?”

Dylan turns his head from side to side as he checks out his hair. “I love it. Mom! What do you think?”, he asks as he steps out of the bathroom. 

“Oh my god!”, you squeak making the boys laugh. 

“She likes it.”, Steve confirms as he sprays some of his cologne on himself before giving his son a little spritz on his wrist.

“Wow. Bubaful.”, Aurora coos as they all come out together. 

Dylan had decided to not to wear a suit but a nice button up shirt with a small black tie hanging down his front. Still wanting to have some remnants of himself, he decided on wearing his converse with the black jeans he bought fully rounding out his ensemble. He actually looked like he tried to fuse Eddie and Steve’s style together. 

Steve threw on a blue polo with some black slacks and shiny matching shoes. Eddie was donning a plain black shirt with black jeans like Dylan’s and sneakers. 

“Aw, look at my guys.”, you grin as you climb off the bed. 

You were wearing a stunning, casual blue dress with a cute floral print with similar color flats. 

“You look beautiful, honey.”

As the doorbell rings, Ro claps her hands. “Kee!”

“Yes, that would be Aunt Kierra. Here, go open the door and make her feel old.”, you giggle as you push Dylan towards the stairs. 

Eddie picks up his daughter as you four head down as well. 

“Really? Of course, everyone looks good.”, Kierra whines playfully. “Hi Rara.”

“Kee.” She aggressively wiggles out of her father’s arms to run to her aunt. 

“Ah yes. Fun aunt is here and now we don’t matter.”, you smile as you give your sister a hug. As you pull away you notice her own grin turn into a line. “Uh oh. What happened?”

“I’ll tell you later.”

“You’ll tell me now.”

“Dylan, can you take this dork and turn on those god-awful movies she likes?” You son laughs as he grabs his sister and carries her into the living room. “So, Mr. Harrington, the evil one not this one here, went to visit our mother the other day.”

You sighed as Steve gently ran his palm down your back. 

“Y/N, you think his dad was upset about you changing your name? Oof. Mom called me screaming saying you were taking it too far. She said she was going to call Charlie and side with him if he decided to go to court…” Her sympathetic eyes met yours. “I didn’t tell her…about him…ya know.”

“I should go talk to her—”

“Well that’s not happening.”, Eddie interrupts. “Sweetheart, do you really think talking to her is going to do any good? She doesn’t care. Now Steve’s dad… he can’t do anything right?”

Steve shook his head. “I mean what can he do? I have no inheritance from his side. Unless he wants to fight my mom. I don’t know. I think it’s more of an image thing now. Two kids with half his name and they aren’t…pure Harringtons.”

Your heart breaks as you listen to him speak. You know how much he hates this conversation. Aurora and Dylan are his kids; no ifs, ands, or buts about it. However, his father and your mother insist on finding little ways to remind him that both children don’t have an ounce of his DNA. 

In a court of law, if you both left him, he would have zero say in where the kids go. Steve understood that would never happen. You both loved him and he loved you. This was his family but those little technicalities always loomed especially when other people brought them to light. 

“Jesus. And our mom thought the Munson’s would be the biggest problem in this dynamic.”

Eddie sticks his tongue out at Kierra who chuckles as she comes around to give him a hug. 

“Hey guys. Can we go now? I don’t want to be late.”, Dylan asks as he comes around the corner. 

“Yes. Sorry. We got distracted by life. Let’s get a move on.” Painting a smile on your face, you grab your dates and head of the door. 

##########

You snuck a picture from your place in the car as you three watched Dylan shyly shuffle up to his date who had been waiting at the front door of the school. Something he says makes her laugh and she blushes as he extends his elbow to her like he had seen the guys do numerous times. She grins, looping her arm in his before heading into the dance. 

“What was your first date?”, Eddie asked as he leaned forward from his place in the backseat.

“Oh my god. I think I was about Dylan’s age. A boy asked me to dinner and a movie. Of course, dinner was some fast-food joint and we snuck into the movie but…”, you giggle. “I had fun. What are you guys going to do when Aurora starts dating?”

“Kill them.”, the metalhead pretends to glare into the distance making you and Steve laugh. 

“Can we not think about our daughter dating? I don’t think I can handle that right now. I can barely handle this.” Steve continues to chuckle as both men get out of the car and open the door for you. 

“Thank you guys for helping him pick out an outfit and getting him ready.”

“You don’t have to—”

You cut Eddie off with a kiss as you wrap your arms around him. “I know I don’t have to. Just let me, okay?”

“Yes ma’am.”

As you entered the dance, Steve had to detach from you two to tell his boss he was there and offer any assistance they may need. You and Eddie snuck a little closer to where the kids were, smiling when you say your son and his date sitting at a table talking. You can’t help but laugh when “Come Sail Away” by STYX begins to play. 

“Isn’t this way outside of their generation? It’s barely in ours.”

“Eh, I’m sure they have to play it as safe as possible.”, the metalhead grins as he takes your hand and pulls you towards the edge of the dance floor where some of the other adults were swaying to the music. Your arms wrap around his neck as he clings to your waist.

“So, you and Steve would have went to school here to, right?”

“You are correct but we didn’t really hang out till high school.”

“Do you remember him?”

“Oh, princess, everyone knew who Steve Harrington was. King Steve with his awesome fashion sense and cool head of hair. I fucking hated him.”, Eddie chuckles. “Something changed his junior year. He started seeing this girl and I think she changed his perspective on some things. By senior year, he was a new man more or less.”

“What happened to the girl?”

“They broke up. She, uh, told him she didn’t love him.”

“Aw. Poor Stevie.” Your eyes shifted towards him, watching as he talked to some of the other teachers. “What about little Edward Munson. What was he like at school here?”

“Oof. Angry. Confused. Nerdy.”, he laughs. “I had been living with Wayne for a little under a year at this point. I was still trying to figure things out and this town sure as hell didn’t make it any easier.” You lean up on your toes to kiss his lips before resting your cheek on his chest. “I think the one good thing that came out of middle school was me getting into D & D. I thought it was amazing and gave me a place I could escape to.”

The music picked up tempo and you grinned as you watched Dylan walk his date to the dance floor. Eddie twirls you in his arms and your grin grows as you both dance along to the faster beat. You don’t see it but Steve pulls out his phone and begins recording his little family having fun. 

“Dylan is yours, right?”, asks one of his colleagues.

“Yeah, that’s my son.”, he beams before pointing towards you and Eddie. “That’s my wife and husband.”

She tilts her head at his statement but he doesn’t notice nor care. He’s having too much fun watching you three.

##########

“Well, look at this.”, the metalhead grinned as he looked around the classroom. “The kid who was bad in class actually has his own classroom.”

Steve thought it would be a good idea for you guys to walk around a bit and allow Dylan some time alone with his date without you in the room so he decided now would be a good time to show you his room that you two hadn’t got to see yet. 

“I wasn’t bad…I just didn’t care.”

You smiled at him as you wrapped your arms around his waist, giggling when you feel something vibrate. 

“Is that me or you?”

He grins as he pulls out his phone before it gradually begins to fade. “My father is calling me.” You take the phone out of his hand and place it on his desk, allowing it to ring as you bring his lips to yours. 

“I love you. No matter what he or my mom says.”

“I know.”

“I know you know but I also know…sometimes when he says things…it still hurts you.”

“Like Aurora and Dylan not being Harringtons.”, Eddie cut in. Steve’s phone went silent but after a few moments yours started to ring, grinning sassily as you flashed him the screen. “Do you think we should go for gold and see if he calls me?”

You handed the metalhead your phone. “Do with it what you will, my love.”

He raises his eyebrows playfully in your direction before placing the device to his ear. “Mr. Harrington! How can the Munson-Harrington family assist you today?”

“Where is my son? I need to speak with him NOW!”

“Uh, last I checked, you hadn’t spoken to Steve in three years. When did he become your son again and what do you need from him?”

Your hand reaches out to grip Steve’s chin, turning him to face you. “Look at me, baby. Let Eddie handle him and you focus on me.” He exhales heavily as you palms slide down his chest. “We won’t get in trouble, right?”

“Not if we don’t get caught.”  

He lifts you into his arms and places you on his desk, lips mingling with your own as your limbs circle around his neck. 

“Is this the real reason you wanted to show us your classroom?”, you tease as he smiles. 

“I’d be lying if I didn’t say I’ve fantasized about bending you over my desk.”

“Then do it, Steve. Please. I’m yours, baby.”

His fingers fumbled with his zipper as you lifted your hips to pull your underwear down your legs, grinning when you toss them to Eddie who sticks his tongue out as he catches them. Your eyes gesture towards the closed door and he gets the message, heading that way to keep a look out.

“Mr. Harrington, no. Dylan IS Steve’s son. He loves him and has helped raise him for half his life so far. I know that’s a foreign concept to you since you don’t know what actually raising a child looks like.”

Steve turns you till your back is to him and you lean over his desk as he grips your hips, guiding his cock into your entrance. Your eyes flutter closed as he thrusts into you, hitting that spongy spot deep inside of you making you moan. 

“Y-yes, Steve. Fuck.”

All sound drowns out of the room as he leans his chest down to your back and wraps his arms around you. 

“Does that feel good, honey? My dick—mmm—deep inside you like this.”, he mewls into your ear. “Tell me, baby.”

“Your cock is so deep. F-feels so good…please.”

“Do you think you can be quiet if I fuck you harder? You wouldn’t—fuck—you wouldn’t want us to get caught, right?”

You shake your head and he smiles as he lifts his arm up your body till its nestled under your chin. Your back arches as he roughly rolls his hips against yours at a faster pace. 

“Mr. Harrington, I’m not going to lie, I didn’t hear a word you said mostly because I don’t care but also because I’m watching Steve fuck our wife and, as always, it’s the hottest fucking thing in the world. Now if you will excuse me, I’m going to let them finish and then most likely cum in his pretty little mouth. Fuck off and leave our family alone.”

With that, Eddie hangs up the phone and tosses it to the side as he unzips his pants, pulling out his own cock as he strokes it to the sight of you both. 

“Cum, baby. Be my good girl and cum for me, honey.” Steve grunted when your pussy clenched tighter around him, his palm quickly moving to cover the loud moan that escaped your mouth. “You like that? Mmm—you like me calling you a good girl?”

You place your hand over his, feeling his alone won’t stifle the continuous whimpers that you pant out as he continues to whisper in your ear. The coil in your tummy snaps as you lean your head back against his shoulder and grip his hair through your fingers. 

“That’s it. That’s it, Y/N. Fuck, you’re so…so fucking…beautiful.” His arms cling to your body as you feel him thrust his release into your cunt. Neither of you moves as you both try and catch your breath. “Are you ok?”

You nod as you gesture towards the groaning metalhead. “He…he may need you though.”, you say with a knowing smile. 

Steve gradually pulls out of you, kissing your cheek before tucking himself back into his pants and sauntering towards Eddie. They exchange a soft kiss, the man smiling as he descends to his knees and takes his cock into his awaiting mouth. 

You search the desk, finding the tissue you were looking for, and use it to clean between your legs. After readjusting your dress, you slide up beside them and Eddie hastily brings your lips to his. When he turns away, you continue to trail kisses along his neck and jawline. 

“Fuck, Steve. Don’t…don’t move.”

His palms come down and hold the boys head by his hair as he pumps his hips. You cover his mouth as a strangled grunt leaves his lips and his body folds in slightly as he climaxes. Steve milks him, licking every last drop till the boy was clean before rising to his feet. 

Their eyes meet and Eddie gave him a big tooth filled grin. “So, your dad says hi.”

########

“Did you have fun, baby?”

“Yeah, mom. I did. I asked Daisy to a movie next Friday. Is that ok?”

“Uh, I don’t see why not.”

You sister smiles as you for walk into the house. “I don’t know what you did but Mr. Harrington isn’t returning our mother’s calls.”

“Good. One less thing to worry about I guess.”, Eddie grins. “Where’s Ro?”

“She knocked out about an hour ago. I was afraid to move her and wake her up.” She gestures towards the living room and he heads that way, carefully lifting her sleeping frame in his arms. He pauses at Kierra’s side allowing her to kiss her niece’s forehead. 

As she leaves, Dylan gives her a big hug before running upstairs and Steve throws himself down on the couch as you begin locking up the house. 

“Shit. Hey, baby. Can you bring me my phone? I want to send my mom some of the pictures I took tonight.”

“Yeah, of course.”, you smile as you grab his phone from the counter. “Can I send myself some so I can send them to Kierra?” He nods and your smile grows as you unlock his device. 

“She’s going to get a kick out of him and her slow dancing. We should send Dylan some to so he can show Daisy—what?” You had frozen in place and your smile had faded as your eyes scanned the screen in front of you. “Honey? Y/N, what’s wrong?”

“’Baby #3 Expenses.’”, you read. 

“Y/N…I—”

“’Can we afford it?’ No, Steve. We can’t.”

He exhales heavily and he rises to his feet. “Actually…if you look at the math—”

“Really? Really. Ha-have you thought about, oh I don’t know, SPACE! This is a three-bedroom house, Steven. We-we would have to move which cost time and money! And…”

“What’s going on?”, Eddie asks as he cautiously enters the living room.

“The three of us have our jobs and two kids…we-we barely have time for anything else!” You feel yourself start to panic as you wrap your arms around yourself. “We are NOT ready for a baby right now.”

“Well, that sounds familiar.”, the metalhead sighs.

###########

@adequate-superstar @kalinaselennespeaks @alienthingstwo

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@munsonzzgf @munsonmoonshine86

[hairstevington]

Stranger Therapy - part 2!

Eddie Munson x Steve Harrington

Summary: Based on this text post, Steve and Eddie match on Tinder and decide to go to couple's counseling on a first date to see how long it takes the therapist (Murray) to figure them out. Chapter 1, Link to Ao3

Word Count: 3k again!

Warnings: This one has a moment of actual therapy lmao, nothing TOO serious but Eddie has low self-esteem and Steve is closed off, modern day AU, aged up, brief Robin cameo, Matchmaker Murray.

A/N: OMG I was NOT expecting such a big reaction to part 1!! Here is the much requested part two, and I plan to continue for probably another two or three chapters. Thanks to all who have read so far!! PS I really did look into the counselor code of ethics for this one lmao

“So, how’d it go?” Robin asked once Steve got home. 

He had no idea how to answer that question. 

“It was…” He wandered to the fridge to grab a drink, wondering how much of the experience he should share with Robin. Generally, they told each other everything, but wasn’t therapy usually a private thing? So it wouldn’t be too terribly weird to not tell her, right? “Did you know he went to Hawkins High with us?”

“He did?” she asked, just as confused as Steve had been. “Like, at the same time we were there?”

“Yup. Eddie Munson ring a bell?” Robin thought about the name for a second before her eyes widened. 

“Oh my god! Yes I remember him!” She laughed, then continued once she’d settled down. “Okay, yeah. He’s definitely the kind of person who would want to do the first date fake couple’s counseling thing. He was always a little…outside of the box.”

“Come on,” Steve replied. “You say the meanest shit to me, and the best you can come up with for Eddie is that he’s ‘outside of the box?’ Robin, he’s never even seen the box.” She laughed again.

“Okay, sure,” she agreed. “I’m guessing it didn’t turn out to be a good match?”

Steve hesitated again, because no, that wasn’t it. He wasn’t sure if they were a good match, honestly. He ran through the events of the day in his head, then realized just how batshit insane it all was. And Steve had agreed to it. 

And he didn’t even regret it. 

He imagined telling Robin, and her relentlessly teasing him about it like she always did. This would give her enough ammunition to last a lifetime. It probably would be even worse than the fateful day at the mall when Steve had accidentally ripped his pants while attempting to hit on a girl. Robin had a front row seat for that one, and she still brought it up. 

Steve agreeing to go to therapy with an actual stranger, pretending to date said stranger, and working on actual personal issues together? Yeah, no. Steve was gonna take this shit to the grave.

Except, he wouldn’t, would he? Because he had an accomplice. They also weren’t strangers, not really, but they were still acquaintances, at best. An acquaintance that Steve had intermittently thought about kissing ever since Eddie mentioned it with Dr. Bauman. 

Ohhh, this is bad I think.

“Earth to Steve,” Robin said, interrupting his thought spiral. “Are you going to see him again or not?”

“We’re gonna get coffee next week,” Steve lied. He never lied to Robin, and he felt immediately horrible about it, but he couldn’t tell her, right? 

He almost broke and told her the honest truth, because sitting with the lie was so uncomfortable. Instead, he told himself that if he actually got coffee with Eddie next week, then he wouldn’t be lying. Loophole!

“Oh,” she said, surprised. “I really didn’t expect anything to come from this.”

“Yeah, well he’s -” Steve tried to think of what exactly it was about Eddie that was so enticing. He was hot, obviously. Charismatic. He was able to take Steve off guard, and they rolled with each other’s bullshit pretty smoothly. It was strange how connected he felt to Eddie in the session. Like they really were in tune with each other. Like they were an actual couple. “He’s cool. We had fun.”

“I know you’re not telling me something,” Robin said, eyeing him suspiciously. “But I guess it’s not my business. Plus, confidentiality and all that.”

Unlike Steve, Robin had been to therapy before. She had always told Steve he should go, too, but he never had. 

Until now, of course. But first, he had to cover his bases. 

-

Steve: Do you wanna get coffee before our appointment?

Eddie: Sure, gives us a chance to get our stories straight

Eddie: Hold on let me make the joke before you do

Steve: ?

Eddie: About our stories being gay and not straight!!

Steve: I wasn’t gonna make that lame-ass joke

Eddie: Sure you weren’t

Steve: And if I was, my delivery would have been way better

Eddie: oh shit

Eddie: Steve’s biting back today ;)

Steve: Well I gotta keep up with you, don’t I?

Eddie: Mmm i see how it is. Noon work for coffee?

Steve: I’ll be there

-

Eddie had recently been told by a close friend that he needed to get his shit together. The couple’s counseling wasn’t a whole master plan on Eddie’s part - he really did think it sounded fun, and it was - but the thought of talking out some of his issues was appealing, and he couldn’t stop thinking about it. 

This close friend of Eddie’s - the one who suggested Eddie had an attitude problem and low self-esteem - had mentioned Dr. Bauman a few times in the past. He apparently worked wonders on couples, even the ones who argued all the time. His success rate was remarkable. 

Thinking back on it, maybe Eddie did kind of want to do couple’s counseling with Steve and Dr. Bauman for a reason. 

Like, come on. There was a spark there, right? There was something, at least. Who else would have gone along with Eddie’s crazy this much? Steve understood Eddie, and while he kept calling this whole thing ‘insane,’ it didn’t stop him from agreeing to it. Because there was something there between them. 

But mainly, Eddie just wanted to see a therapist, he didn’t really want to do it alone, and for whatever reason Steve seemed like the right person to be there. 

Okay, yeah. Steve’s right. This is insane. 

-

The cafe down the street from Murray’s office was small and cozy, and had fancy syrups for the coffee that Steve secretly loved. He came here sometimes, under the guise that he was getting a strawberries and cream oat milk latte for Robin, even though literally none of the workers cared. 

“Your usual?” the barista asked when Steve and Eddie got in line. Steve tried not to notice Eddie’s amused expression and the way his eyebrows were raised expectantly, desperate to know what Steve ordered so often the workers had it memorized. 

“Uhhhh…” Steve wasn’t sure why he was blushing. He never cared much about being seen as masculine, and he was literally going to therapy with this guy, so things were about to get a lot more embarrassing than a coffee order. He looked at Eddie. “Don’t judge me, it’s delicious.” Eddie laughed. 

“I don’t give a shit,” he said. “Whatever it is, own it.” Steve turned to the barista.

“Yes, the usual,” he told her. 

“I’ll get the same thing,” Eddie chimed in. Steve felt a flutter of something in his chest, somewhere between anxiety and flattery. 

They got their drinks and sat down. Steve took a sip and tried not to show on his face how happy this stupid beverage made him. It was a simple joy, you know?

“Okay, so you wanted to come up with some kind of game plan, right?” Steve asked as he waited for the caffeine to hit. 

“Yeah, I mean -” Eddie shifted in his seat uncomfortably. What the hell is he nervous about, Steve wondered. “If Murray figures us out now, he’ll drop us. So we have to be a bit more convincing.”

“How are we supposed to be more convincing? Do you want us to start making out on the couch or something?” Steve suggested it as if he wouldn’t be extremely happy to do so. 

“If it comes down to it,” Eddie teased back. Steve blushed once again. He was so much better at flirting than he was being flirted with. “My favorite color is black or red, depending on the day. I still mostly eat canned foods and TV dinners because I never figured out the whole meal prep thing, but it works out fine because my favorite food is mac and cheese. I play a lot of video games and I have a Dungeons and Dragons group. I’m kind of amazing at the guitar -”

“What are you doing?” Steve asked, not getting it. Eddie sighed.

“I’m telling you about myself, what do you think I’m doing?” He shook his head and chuckled. “So you have context, or whatever. So we’re not just making shit up.”

“Oh, okay,” Steve responded. “What about your family?”

“Yeah, we’re not gonna touch that subject with a ten foot pole,” Eddie muttered. “Your turn.”

“Fair enough. Okay, well my favorite color is blue, I guess. I live with my best friend Robin. I…I’m not really good at this.” Steve took another sip of his drink and wondered why he couldn’t come up with more facts about himself. 

“College?” Eddie asked. Steve shook his head. “Me neither. Do you like music?”

“Yeah,” Steve answered. “I took piano lessons for a while and then I taught myself the rest.”

“Impressive,” Eddie noted. “Do we ever play music together?”

“I guess we could,” Steve said with a shrug. It was fun, coming up with a backstory like that. “Aren’t you going to drink your coffee?”

“Oh Jesus, no. It’s got way too much sugar for my taste.”

“Then why did you get one?” Eddie smiled.

“Because now -” Eddie slid his cup across the table until it was directly next to Steve’s. “-you have one for later.” Steve stared down at both cups, perplexed. 

“That is…like, incredibly sweet,” he said.

“Just like that abomination you call coffee,” Eddie replied.

-

After intake, Dr. Murray Bauman examined the counseling code of ethics, and unsurprisingly there was nothing in there saying it was unethical to continue treating a couple who were lying about being a couple. He didn’t have proof they were pretending, of course, but clients lied to therapists all the time. If they showed up for their appointment, Murray was going to counsel them. That was his job. Truly, it would have been unethical not to work with them. 

They did show up, and they were right on time. Immediately, Murray noticed something was different. They were more comfortable with each other, and Steve in particular looked much less terrified. 

“So,” Murray began, “tell me how your week has been.”

“It’s been good,” Eddie answered. “You really helped us out a lot.”

For a fleeting moment, Murray believed him. He thought that maybe his instinct had been wrong, and they actually were a couple, and they’d somehow managed to get over Steve’s affair in a matter of forty minutes. 

But it was only a moment. Murray was a great counselor, but nobody was that good. His suspicions were confirmed when Steve opened his mouth. 

“We actually think our relationship is solid, and we kinda just want to focus on our own individual issues,” he said. 

It was far too polished of a statement for it to have not been planned. Which meant one thing - Steve and Eddie were just looking for individual therapy, and were going at the same time for…emotional support? Cost-effectiveness? 

Murray nodded. This was all a first for him, and he loved uncharted waters. 

“Okay, what would you like to focus on first?” he asked. 

“I’ll go,” Eddie offered. “So, I have this friend that says I have self-esteem issues, but it doesn’t really make sense to me because I feel like I’m pretty confident. Like, I haven’t really mastered how to be a grown-up or anything, and I’m kind of a mess sometimes, but it’s all part of my charm, you know? I’ve always been a little crazy, but I also think I’m awesome, so…” 

“If you think you’re awesome, why does someone else’s opinion matter?” Murray asked. 

“I dunno, aren’t you the one who has the answers?” Eddie asked. “Just skip to the part where you tell me what’s wrong with me.”

“Well, that’s not usually how this works,” Murray began, “but I think I do see what’s going on.”

“Enlighten me,” Eddie said. 

“You just said you were confident but called yourself a mess and a little crazy in the same breath,” Murray replied. “You can exude confidence all you want, but it doesn’t mean you actually believe those things about yourself. Steve, what do you think about this?”

“Uhhh -” Steve looked absolutely unequipped to answer the proposed question. “I think Eddie knows how hot and charming he is, actually. I don’t think it’s bullshit.”

“I didn’t say it was bullshit,” Murray countered, noticing that this time Eddie was the one to blush. “But there is a difference between ego and self-esteem. It’s not just about confidence, it’s about self-respect and worth. Eddie, do you feel valuable?”

“Like, in this relationship?” Eddie asked. 

“No, in this world.” 

This question stopped Eddie dead in his tracks. His face went pale, and he became visibly nervous at the prospect of being so vulnerable. 

“Fuck,” Eddie said at last. “I mean, uh - not really, but it's not personal, I don't think. Just feels like we're all specks of dust on a rock, you know?"

There was another shift in the room, but Murray couldn’t pinpoint exactly what. 

“Can you tell me a bit about how you grew up?” he wondered. Family history was a standard line of questioning in these early sessions. Eddie froze.

“Actually, I really wanna focus on my thing now, if that’s okay,” Steve interrupted. Eddie seemed relieved to pass the torch, so Murray went with it. 

“Of course. What’s going on with you, Steve?”

“Uhh, well, I - um -” he sputtered, his leg bouncing rapidly. “I keep having this nightmare - like, every night - where there’s a monster in my closet. What do you think that means?”

“Well,” Murray said, leaning back in his chair. “Dream psychology isn’t really my specialty -”

“Okay, but I reeeeally wanna talk about it,” Steve persisted. "Like, is the monster a metaphor about my sexuality or is it supposed to be my dad? Help me out here."

While Steve babbled about his obviously made up dream, Murray caught Eddie staring at the man beside him. There was a completely unmistakable twinkle in Eddie's eye that told Murray everything he needed to know. Whether these boys knew it or not, they cared about each other. 

“As you wish,” Murray conceded. They used the rest of their time focusing on much less heavy subjects, and it was pretty clear that was intentional. He understood, though, that it was important not to take these things too fast. Before long, the color returned to Eddie’s face, and the boys were riffing off each other again flawlessly. 

This was getting more and more interesting by the minute. 

-

“Things were intense for a bit in there,” Eddie said as they walked back to the parking lot.

“Yeah,” Steve agreed. “You okay?”

“M’good,” Eddie replied. “Your dream thing. Was that real?”

“Uh, no. I just thought you needed a break.”

“Oh,” he said. “Normally I’d give you a spirited monologue about how you don’t know me and therefore shouldn’t make my decisions for me.”

“What are you gonna say instead?” Steve asked. 

“Well, considering you’re technically paying for this, I don’t really have a leg to stand on,” Eddie chuckled. “And also, as weird as this whole thing is, I’m glad you were in there with me.” He tried to play it off as a lot more casual of a statement than it was. 

Being in therapy together and actually taking it seriously was an incredibly intimate thing. Steve wasn’t sure he could actually be as open as Eddie had been. 

“I think we’re skipping a whole lot of steps, here,” Steve said, attempting to return Eddie’s light tone. 

“Yeah, well I’ve always hated steps,” Eddie replied. “I tend to trip over ‘em.” 

“Right.” Steve chuckled. “So…same time next week?” Eddie flashed a genuine smile and nodded. 

“Yeah,” he agreed. “Oh, but next time - you’re in the hot seat. No fake dreams, I’m talking real shit, okay?”

“Oh, you’re making demands, now?” Steve asked, amused. “What happened to you not having a leg to stand on?”

“Huh,” Eddie responded, pondering this for a moment. He shrugged. “I guess I can fly.” 

Steve had no intention of actually diving into real shit, especially after he’d seen the way Murray dug into Eddie during the session. Steve wasn’t ready to confront anything. He refused to admit there was anything to confront in the first place. But he would go - of course he’d go, because something deep within him told him he’d regret it if he didn’t.

Steve and Eddie weren’t a couple. They weren’t strangers. They weren’t friends. But damn, they were something.

(next chapter)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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[deliriumsdelight7]

This week’s snippet is from the next chapter of One More Time, Steal My Breath, featuring a brief cameo from (nonmagical) Belle and Rumpelstiltskin. Because I can.

Belle gave him a warm smile. “Of course! We’re always happy to help people who are just starting - learning the ropes, so to speak.”

Eddie snorted at her pun, as well as her use of the word “we.” Belle Gold was a generous, giving woman - the type who would give you the shirt off her back without even having to be asked. Her husband, on the other hand, was… well, in Eddie’s opinion, kind of an asshole. The kind of guy who wouldn’t piss on you if you were on fire unless there was something in it for him.