#but the majority of eddie’s time will be spent hiding in steve’s house because his parents are never there and bc i said so

[alwaysurvalentine]

he's gone - st drabble

Written for Day 12 of @steddieangstyaugust - prompt: Terrible Things by Mayday Parade - wc: 848 (kept this one shorter) - cw: major character death

enjoy! 💛

“I wish I hadn’t fallen in love with you.” Eddie knows the words are a lie as soon as he says them, but it doesn’t stop him from continuing. “Things would’ve been so much easier if I hadn’t. Then I wouldn’t have to remember that yellow sweater you loved so much. That silly apron you wore just because the kids decorated it.”

He can see it in his mind, a plain white apron the kid’s got from some craft store, paint markers used to decorate the front. It wasn’t written in a straight line but El had put Hawkins Best Babysitter smack in the center; all the kids had written their names beside it – even Mike, which had surprised Steve when he noticed the tiny lettering near the bottom. 

“You and your stupid -” Eddie hiccups, a sob trying to escape him as he talks. “Stevie...how am I supposed to do this without you?”

Silence is his only answer, the picture in his hands offering a frozen frame of Steve grinning with his arms around Eddie and Robin’s shoulders. Jonathan took it when they all came to see Eddie’s first performance after the Upside Down. The Eddie in the picture is sweaty but smiling, eyes focused on the man next to him. Robin’s grinning in the photo, eyes almost closed from how big. He and Steve finally put an end to their dancing around each other that night. 

“I should have walked away when I had the chance.” Tears are rolling down Eddie’s cheeks now but there’s no point in wiping his face when he knows they’re not going to stop any time soon. Steve’s gone now – Eddie can’t imagine not crying every time he has remember that. 

“But you were so different from how I imagined. I thought you only cared about yourself, jut went along with whatever your friends said...Seeing and getting to know you up close? It’s like finding the perfect patch of sunlight to lay in – being under the shade of a tree is nice, but nothing compares to soaking up the sun with your friends. You were the sun.” 

A few months after the Upside Down, Steve had suggested a pool party at his house. Something to celebrate Max and Eddie finally out of the hospital and working through their recoveries. All the kids had jumped at the chance and Steve spent the next week planning the day out in detail. Eddie got to see Steve’s nervousness up close: a chicken scratch grocery list added to every time he thought of another snack, his pacing of the aisles at Family Video to rent movies they’d all enjoy, him cleaning the pool early that morning, and even his busy-ness as a host – running this way and that so no one had to want for something. At one point, the kids had started a chicken tournament with Nancy playing referee. Steve had laid back on one of the pool chairs with dark sunglasses hiding his eyes, and Eddie had been pulled like a magnet to sit next to the other boy. He hopes he never forgets the smile Steve gifted him with when he sat down. 

“Eddie? You in here?” Wayne’s voice traveled through the apartment, boots stomping until he found Eddie in the living room. 

“Wayne..” His voice cracked and a new flood of tears escaped. This time he did try to brush them away, palms swiping angrily at his cheeks. Eddie knew he looked a mess, could imagine the red puffiness around his eyes and his hair wild from where he’d tugged at it earlier. Wayne closed the distance between them, sitting on the couch next to Eddie only for a moment before tugging his boy to lean on his shoulder. Eddie wasn’t a little kid anymore but he took the comfort and curled as small as he could.

“He’s gone, Wayne.” He’s sobbing so hard he chokes, coughing before continuing. “He’s gone.” That’s all he can get out, mind a mess as he cries into Wayne’s shirt. He can feel his Uncle shaking with his own silent tears, Steve was like a son to him. 

His uncle sounds choked when he speaks again. “C’mon, breathe for me, boy.” Eddie doesn’t want to and briefly wonders if he can hold his breath long enough to pass out. He won’t do it, chest already heaving with the effort it takes to inhale. 

He just wants Steve to be here with them. Not gone where he can’t follow, not stuck in the hospital with different machines keeping him alive, not anywhere but here. 

Here in the trailer he called home the past year. 

Here with Wayne on the couch watching some sports game Eddie can’t follow. 

Here sipping on a mug of hot chocolate when it’s cold outside. 

Here talking on the phone with Robin with the cord curled around his hand.

But Steve will never be here again. Not physically anyway – no, Steve will only exist in Eddie’s memory and Eddie will have to exist with a Steve Harrington shaped hole in his heart.

[steddieas-shegoes]

this place is such great motivation for anyone trying to move the fuck away from hibernation

chapter 9: after also on ao3 Rated E

🧰🧰🧰🧰🧰🧰🧰🧰🧰🧰🧰🧰🧰🧰🧰🧰

“It’s not broken at least,” Wayne said as he turned Steve’s finger under the bathroom light. “Eddie’s gonna be pissed.”

“It was an accident! You saw how careful I was,” Steve argued as he held the ice pack on his already-swelling index finger. “The hammer slipped.”

“And you know damn well he’s already stressed tryin’ to throw together Mia’s birthday party. This’ll be the thing to set him off.”

Wayne left the room to finish fixing the railing on the porch stairs, a project that Steve had been adamant he could help with for weeks. He’d been plenty of help with finding the right supplies and handing things to Wayne, but the moment he tried prepping a nail in one of the 2x4s, he misjudged his grip on the hammer. He missed the nail entirely.

Luckily, he didn’t have much force behind the hit, so he’d just have to deal with it swelling up and possibly bruising a bit.

But the timing wasn’t great.

Eddie had been working his ass off all week preparing for Mia’s first birthday. He invited everyone to their house, despite the fact they were still in the middle of some pretty major renovations. If Wayne hadn’t agreed to come a few days early to help finish up the porch and fence, Steve was pretty sure they would’ve had to cancel the party.

And Eddie would have lost it.

Steve had never seen him so strung out.

He snapped at the smallest things, including one instance where Mia had pulled her dinner plate off the table while trying to stand. He didn’t yell at Mia. He yelled at Steve. Mia had started crying all the same. Eddie started crying because he felt terrible. Steve started crying because he didn’t know how to help Eddie feel better about everything.

It was a hell of a week so far.

This injury would just be icing on the cake.

Shit, I hope he remembered to get the cupcakes with chocolate icing for Dustin, Steve thought to himself as he made his way back towards the kitchen to get a glass of water.

Mia was with Robin at the park while Eddie finished all of his shopping for food and decorations. Even though he’d insisted she could go with him, Robin insisted on her not seeing anything until the party.

“She won’t even remember it!” Eddie had exclaimed.

“But it’ll be more fun if she doesn’t see it!” Robin yelled.

Steve let them argue about it while he played with Mia on the carpet a few weeks ago. Robin won. Eddie pouted.

Eddie’s been nonstop ever since, making sure everything was absolutely perfect for their princess. He even ordered her a special dress with a matching plastic tiara. He had a checklist on the fridge that seemed neverending; One thing would be scratched off only for something else to be added. He insisted on doing it himself, making things even worse for all of them.

Wayne made a joke on Wednesday about this being worse than a pregnant woman nesting and the look Eddie shot him nearly killed him.

He’d barely slept; Steve would sometimes wake up in the early hours of the morning and see Eddie sitting at the table, head in his hands, dark circles under his eyes, staring at a notepad full of notes and numbers. He was very cautious of the budget, spent hours searching secondhand stores for decorations so he wouldn’t have to buy them new at the store for five times the price. Steve had offered a million times to use his tip money for it, but Eddie insisted on doing it himself.

They were still working on the whole teamwork thing when it came to finances.

“The princess is here!” Robin called from the front door, and Steve’s head turned to the clock on the wall.

“The princess is early!” He called back, quickly hiding the pack of balloons and streamers on the counter.

“The princess needs a nap!” Robin said from the doorway.

One look at her told Steve everything he needed to know about why they came back early.

Robin loved Mia, way more than any of them expected her to, and Mia loved her right back. Any time Robin got home from work, Mia waddled over to her or smacked at whoever was holding her until she could be in Robin’s arms instead.

But the current state of her hair, clothes, and face made Steve rush over to grab a very clearly grumpy Mia from her arms.

“Hi princess. What did you do to Auntie Robbie?” Steve watched as Robin went over to the fridge, grabbed a can of Coke, and chugged it. “You broke her.”

“Rara no,” Mia said as she nuzzled against Steve’s shoulder. “No no mama.”

Steve wasn’t quite sure what she was trying to say, but he could always play along. “Mama was busy helping Papa with something, honey. But you had fun with Rara, right?”

Mia didn’t answer, but Robin gave a thumbs up from where she was leaning against the counter.

“What happened?”

“She decided to be very adventurous and try to climb the jungle gym with the bigger kids. I tried to help and she was not having it. Tried to distract her and she looked at me like she was trying to kill me.” Robin stared off into space. “One kid laughed at me when she told me no.”

Steve resisted the urge to laugh.

Mia was in a “no” phase, one that was very normal for her age, but caused Eddie incredible amounts of stress. Steve liked to remind him that it could always be worse: she could be a biter.

Steve rubbed her back and felt her sigh. She’d probably fall asleep in his arms within the next 20 seconds.

“So you came home after that?” Steve asked quietly.

“No,” Robin shook her head. “I respected her need for independence. And then she realized how high she was and panicked and cried and yelled for me and I looked like a terrible parent and I had to explain to the other moms there that I am just her aunt and also that their judgment isn’t needed considering she’s a baby and their kids were all being assholes about letting her try to climb something.”

“So we can’t go back to that park?” Steve smirked.

“Give it a week.”

Steve snorted as he looked down at Mia, fast asleep on his shoulder, hand gripping his shirt loosely. He smiled fondly down at her before looking back up at the clock.

“I’m gonna go put her in her crib. Eds will be home soon if you wanna hide.”

“Gonna shower and take a nap. She wore me out.”

“I can see that. Thanks for taking her, Robs.”

“Anytime. You know I love riling up stuck up parents.” Robin winked at him before heading to her room to grab her clothes for a shower.

Steve was careful taking Mia to her bedroom, didn’t want to wake her up and ruin any chance of her having a nice nap.

Once she was settled in her crib, Steve went back out to check on Wayne.

Eddie was standing there, hands full of bags from various stores, evaluating the hard work they’d done. When he caught sight of Steve, his eyes immediately went down to his hand.

“Should we make sure it’s not broken at the hospital?” His voice shook with concern and Steve was quick to go to him, embrace him, not caring if any neighbors happened to be there to see.

“No, it’s fine, baby. How’d shopping go?”

“I went over budget.”

Steve nodded. “That’s okay. I kinda knew it would happen.”

“But I tried so hard!” Eddie groaned in frustration. “The lady at the bakery even gave me a discount when I explained everything. She said she remembered when she went crazy planning all five of her kids’ first birthdays. I haven’t even gotten the sandwich stuff!”

“Baby.” Steve kissed his cheek. “Charlie and Maryann agreed to bring sandwiches.”

“What? When? I didn’t ask them to.”

“When I asked them to because I knew you’d go over budget. It’s their gift for Mia. Well, we know they’ll probably also bring her a real gift, but that’s what they told me when I talked to them yesterday,” Steve shrugged. “Need help with anything?”

“The cupcakes are in the front seat.”

Wayne remained silent, but Steve shot him a look as Eddie made his way inside the house.

“Thought we weren’t telling him,” Steve huffed.

Wayne failed at trying to hide a laugh. “He saw me workin’ alone and asked if you hurt yourself. I said I wouldn’t tell him, I didn’t say I would lie if he asked.”

“Loopholes in the contract,” Steve sighed.

He opened the passenger side door of Eddie’s van to grab the cupcakes. The box was discreet, but he could see through the small window on the top that they were purple with sprinkles, just as he’d planned. The cake would be in the shape of a tiara that matched the one he bought for her to wear. It was extremely coordinated.

As he picked up the box, an envelope fell off the seat and to the ground.

Knowing Eddie’s organization system— mostly just keeping things in spots that don’t make sense until he needs them —Steve was quick to pick it up and put it back.

The front of the envelope said Steve.

His brows crinkled in confusion.

Why would there be an envelope with his name on it in Eddie’s van?

His birthday wasn’t for a month, so it couldn’t be that. Plus, they’d agreed on not doing gifts for either of their birthdays so they could make sure Mia’s first birthday was perfect.

He set the envelope back in the seat, even though it killed him. He could ask about it when Eddie’s stress level was no longer well above what was safe for his health.

Except he kept thinking about it constantly as he worked through his to-do list, as he made dinner, as he gave Mia a bath so Eddie could decorate the living room and kitchen for her party tomorrow, as he talked to Robin about her keeping Mia busy until everyone arrived for the party.

When Wayne went to bed on the cot in Mia’s room, and Robin went to bed so she could mentally prepare for the day tomorrow, Steve made his way to the kitchen to help Eddie.

Eddie was standing on a chair, hanging streamers from the cabinets, cursing when one fell as he managed to tape another one next to it.

“Need some help?” Steve asked as he leaned his hip against the counter.

“What I need is to never do this again. Next year, we’re going to a park and ordering pizza,” Eddie grunted as he tried to tape the fallen streamer back into place.

“We probably could’ve done that this year, baby,” Steve walked over, resting his hand on the back of Eddie’s thigh. “She isn’t gonna remember it.”

“I just don’t want her to look back and wonder why she doesn’t have pictures from birthday parties,” Eddie said without stopping what he was doing. “It sucks not knowing if your parents even bothered to care.”

It suddenly all made sense to Steve.

If anyone could understand parents who didn’t care, it was him. But it was also Eddie.

Sometimes, he forgot that Eddie didn’t always have Wayne around to make sure he was loved. He forgot that the first nine years of Eddie’s life were spent with parents who pretty much made sure they didn’t draw the attention of the law, making sure he got to school and looked fed and mostly clean. It would make sense that he didn’t really get birthday parties.

It broke Steve’s heart. Even his own shitty parents had spoiled him for the first decade of his life, before he became more of a hindrance than a gift.

“Eds, honey, take a break,” Steve tugged on his pants, ignoring Eddie’s groan. “C’mon. Haven’t hugged you all day.”

That seemed to win him over.

Eddie got off the chair and let out a sigh. “I’ve been overdoing it, haven’t I?”

Steve wrapped his arms around Eddie’s waist, tugging him closer so their faces were only a couple inches apart. “No, you’ve been doing everything just right. But you could ask for more help so you don’t feel so stressed about it.”

“I just don’t want anyone else stressed. She’s my daughter, so it should be my stress.”

Steve tightened his grip. “She’s our daughter, and she’s Wayne’s granddaughter, and she’s Robin’s niece, and everyone loves her and you. This doesn’t have to fall on you.”

Eddie leaned his head forward, kissed Steve’s lips once. “Sorry for being a little crazy lately.”

“Eh, I kinda like you a little crazy.” Steve nudged Eddie’s nose with his own. “We should go to bed. We have time in the morning to finish this.”

“You just want me to fuck you.”

“No! I want you to get some rest. And maybe I thought about getting my mouth on you while you relax, but that’s just a passing thought.”

“I’ve barely even touched you all week and you wanna take care of me?” Eddie shook his head. “How’d I get so lucky?”

“It’s not so much luck as I know I can’t be quiet enough for Wayne not to hear so you get the special treatment until he’s gone.”

“Fair enough,” Eddie laughed. “Oh! When you got the cupcakes out of my van, you didn’t happen to see the envelope with your name on it, did you?”

Steve was busted. He turned bright red as Eddie’s grin widened.

“Uh, I mean I noticed an envelope. Did it have my name on it?”

Eddie reached in his pocket and pulled out the envelope, folded in half. “You think just because I’m stressed and busy I didn’t notice you completely spaced out all afternoon? Give me a little more credit than that, sweetheart.”

“I didn’t mean to see it! It fell on the floor when I grabbed the cupcakes and I saw my name when I put it back. I swear I wasn’t gonna look.”

“I know, Stevie,” Eddie kissed his forehead and unfolded the envelope. “But since you know it exists, I think you should go ahead and get to see what’s inside. It was supposed to be for your birthday, but now I’m feeling a little impatient.”

“You weren’t supposed to get me anything for my birthday,” Steve whined. “Everything was gonna be spent on Mia’s party and our family trip to Hawkins.”

“I know. But the reason I was so strict on budget for this was because I’ve been working on something for a while. And it wasn’t just me!” Eddie pulled out a sheet of paper. “Everyone contributed. This wouldn’t have happened without all the kids and their parents chipping in. Oh, and Robin and Wayne.”

Steve’s brows furrowed as he unfolded the sheet of paper Eddie handed him.

Stevie,

You put your own dreams on the backburner so that everyone else can reach theirs. That doesn’t sit right with all of us, but especially me.

You wanted to buy an RV, road trip all over the country with your family, see things you’ve never seen before with the people you love. I wanted you to have that.

So this is the paperwork for the RV that will belong to us in two months. It’s not brand new, so we’re getting new carpet put into it and having a few mechanical things worked on. It sleeps 8, and there’s probably room to add in a cot if we need to.

I love you. I wanna travel the country with our little nugget and any future ones we get to have. I wanna love you on a beach, the mountains, the desert, the city. Doesn’t matter where as long as we’re doing it together.

Love, Eddie and Mia (and everyone else)

Steve sniffed, looking up at Eddie with tears falling down his cheeks.

“You got me an RV? How was that in the budget at all?”

Eddie wiped away the first tears, kissing the top of his head. “It involved all of us, and we got lucky that the previous owners were really not looking to make any money, they just wanted to pay it off. Wayne knew a guy who could do the mechanical stuff for free as long as he could do it in his spare time, which is why we won’t have it for two months.”

“But still, that’s a lot of money. You didn’t have to-“

“It’s worth it. You’re worth it.”

“I can’t believe you bought me an RV.”

Eddie took the paper from his hand and set everything on the counter next to them. “I can’t wait to fuck you in it.”

Steve groaned. “You’re killing me.”

“I’m just giving you something to look forward to.”

“I love you so much,” Steve leaned his head on Eddie’s shoulder, kissed his neck. “I’m so fuckin’ glad my car needed an oil change in Hawkins.”

“To be fair, your car needed an oil change well before it was in Hawkins. Your lucky it made it to Hawkins,” Eddie teased.

“Yeah, yeah. Don’t ruin the moment.”

“Bedroom?”

They both laughed as Eddie dragged Steve by his hand to the bedroom, trying to stay quiet so they wouldn’t wake anyone up. Wayne had already offered taking care of Mia if she woke up since he was in her room, but they didn’t want her to be up before she was ready.

Eddie barely had the door closed before Steve was pushing him against it, dropping to his knees and mouthing at his clothed cock.

“Jesus, sweetheart. Not even gonna take my pants off first?” Eddie gasped out, watching as Steve’s eyes rolled back and he let out a muffled moan.

“Want you,” Steve begged softly.

“You can have me.” Eddie reached down to unbutton his own pants, tugging them down enough to release his leaking cock. “Won’t last long, sweet boy.”

Steve didn’t answer, just licked at the tip of Eddie’s cock and wrapped his lips around him.

True to his word, Eddie only lasted another minute, too worked up from lack of touch for the last week and the hunger in Steve’s eyes as he maintained eye contact while he bobbed his head up and down his length.

Steve moaned as Eddie came down his throat, eyes closing as he swallowed it all.

Eddie’s legs felt weak, exhaustion mixed with overwhelming pleasure finally catching up to him.

He pulled Steve to his feet and guided him to the bed, pushing him down and shoving Steve’s pants down his legs to return the favor.

Steve lasted even less time than him, always so quick to fly over the edge when he’d been on his knees with Eddie in his mouth.

They barely managed to wipe themselves off and remove their pants before they were asleep, curled up against each other for the first time all week.

******

Mia was spoiled.

Everyone brought more gifts that they really had the room for, but they wouldn’t complain.

Jonathan brought his camera to take pictures, promising to develop them and mail them as soon as he got home.

The kids had all chipped in and bought her a playset for the backyard, but conveniently had to head back to Hawkins before it could be assembled. Steve didn’t really mind, though.

Mia’s obsession with Hopper continued throughout the party as she insisted on being held by him anytime Eddie set her down, tugging on his mustache and calling him Pa. Hopper couldn’t quite hide the smile he gave her when she did.

Robin and Wayne handled most of the cleanup so that Eddie and Steve could take Mia for a walk around the neighborhood to help her settle for bed. She’d been given more sugar than she’d ever had in her life, and it was certainly showing.

While on their walk, while the sun was setting and the streetlights were turning on, Steve watched Eddie talking to Mia in her stroller.

Mia babbled back, mostly nonsense with the occasional recognizable word, her responses getting quieter and less excited every minute that passed.

Eventually, she was asleep.

Eddie smiled over at him. “Should we head back, love?”

Steve stopped walking. Eddie stopped, too, confusion on his face.

“Will you marry me?” Steve asked.

Eddie’s hands dropped from the stroller, his mouth opening in shock.

“We- you- I.” Eddie laughed. “You’re serious.”

“I am. I know we can’t technically, but, if I got you a ring, would you wear it? Could I say we’re engaged to our family?” Steve grabbed his hands, lacing their fingers together. “I mean this is everything I want: you, Mia, this life. Maybe in the future we could actually get married. But I wanna be able to say you’re mine, even if legally we’re just roommates.”

Steve gave him a hopeful look, one that Eddie had seen a handful of times before when they made big decisions together.

“I’ll marry the shit out of you, sweetheart,” Eddie grinned at him, squeezing his hands. “I’ll wear a ring from the grocery store if I have to. I’ll tattoo a ring on me. Whatever it takes to be yours.”

Steve knew it was risky to even stand like this on the sidewalk of their neighborhood. While no one was out, a car could pass at anytime, anyone could look out their window. They didn’t want to bring too much attention to themselves. They were pretty sure the next door neighbors thought Robin and Eddie were Mia’s parents and Steve was the third wheel they were being nice to.

But they were engaged. He loved this man so much. This man loved him so much. They would get married, even without legal paperwork.

They could share a kiss, just one quick one.

When they pulled apart, Steve took a step away.

Eddie turned back to the stroller and turned it around to walk back towards the house.

“Done with our walk?” Steve asked as he followed.

“You expect to propose to me and not get fucked into the mattress tonight? You know me better than that.”

It was a damn good thing Eddie shoved Steve’s face into the pillow. The last thing they needed was having to explain to Wayne or Robin why he was nearly screaming as Eddie worked him over three times before they both passed out.

Wayne still gave them a knowing look the next morning and Robin rolled her eyes on her way out the door.

It could’ve been the slight limp to Steve’s walk.

Or maybe it was the ring Eddie had moved to his ring finger this morning.

“Mama! Dada!” Mia squealed from her high chair as they both prepped breakfast for all of them.

“Yes, princess?” Eddie asked her.

“Luh!”

“Love you, too, honey,” Steve walked over to kiss the top of her head.

“Luh! Luh mama.”

“And what about me, huh?” Eddie asked as he brought her dry cereal and cut up bananas and strawberries to her.

“Luh dada!”

Eddie kissed the top of her head. “I love you most, princess.”

A house full of love was all Eddie had ever wanted for Mia, and for himself, and now he had it with Steve.

He didn’t need more than that.

[katytheinspiredworkaholic]

WIP Wednesday

Dreamwalker (Eddie's Story)

Summary: Steddie Canon compliant/fix-it fic paired with a corresponding story in Steve's POV, each chapter happens in tandem with the other. Eddie wakes up alone in the Upside Down, not knowing how he survived, and unable to reach anyone topside in Hawkins. Wounded and alone, he finds shelter at Steve's house (the place is a damn fortress after all), and while hiding out there discovers that he has gained the ability to walk into other people's dreams. As long as they are asleep in the same place on either side of the gates. He just happens to find this out after sleeping in Steve's bed, now to figure out how to get himself rescued...

(unbeta'd snippet from Chapter 04, because that's what I'm working on right now. Eddie just spent over a week away from Steve's house using his newly discovered gift of Dream-Walking to gather skills he needs to survive however long he's stuck in the Upside Down. Nancy Wheeler taught him how to shoot a gun, Gareth helped him raid Mr. Emerson's toolshed and commandeer his four wheeler, and Wayne taught him the basics of surviving in a warzone. But Harrington House is Home Base, and has been since he'd woken up post-demobat massacre...)

--

"Honey, I'm home!” 

Eddie calls out into the empty Harrington house, and his voice is rough – scratchy from not being used and his newly healed parts of his neck and chest. But it’s still him, and it feels good to speak out loud once more. Even if no one answers him. Which is both a relief (nothing moved in while he was gone) and a disappointment. It’s not like Steve was going to just magically appear out of the blue, with a four course meal and the ability to procure hot water from the faucet. But a guy can dream.

The multiple bags of supplies he’d gathered get thrown onto the Harrington’s kitchen table, and Eddie starts to sort through it all as he hums to himself a song he’d been plucking out over the past few days. His guitar is still across his back, the weight of it as comforting as the house surrounding him. He hadn’t realized how much he’d missed the towering manor until he’d seen it sitting proudly like a castle on a hill this morning. Now he had some things to help liven it up a little. Clothes, weapons, food and drinkable items, first aid (that was sorely needed), as well as his miscellaneous items of guitar maintenance and D&D books and hair ties (Erica could never know). He also grabbed a calendar, and outright nailed it to the wall in the kitchen. Ruining that beautiful paint job and sprinkling drywall dust all over the expensive tile floor. 

He has no idea when he’d woken up compared to when he’d died, and the calendar is from 1983, so he takes a sharpie to it and makes his own timeline. From the moment he woke up on the ground outside the trailer park to today, back home after dream-walking with a handful of friends and loved ones. By his count, he’d been awake about six weeks. He thinks. He couldn’t have been unconscious on the ground for that long, could he? And Will said time moves differently in the Upside Down, so for all he knows years have passed out there. He really hopes not, otherwise that would mean all his friends stayed stuck in fucking Hawkins. He wouldn't wish that on anyone.

But he knows for a fact that Steve is still in this house. His parents’ house, even though his parents haven’t been here in all the time Eddie has been hiding out in it. He would have heard another voice, unless they were also just as insanely quiet as Steve was – which is a very sad and depressing thought. He moves about the kitchen, still humming, but also keeping an ear out for Steve. It’s the middle of the day, he’s usually not home during the day, but when he is there is always a person with him. Robin, the majority of the time. She at least could make the guy laugh, and God did he have a nice laugh. 

He catches himself smiling at nothing and smothers it, returning his focus to the clothes he’d found and brought with him from Jeff’s place. He’d been wearing Steve’s clothes the past few weeks, and they needed to be cleaned – he’d stolen a couple bars of Fels-Naptha and taken a few gallons of distilled water from the convenience store. There was more where that came from, but he could only carry so much even on Mr. Emerson’s four-wheeler that Gareth had helped him steal via scouring the dream garage. He’d get on that sooner rather than later, because the guest bathroom upstairs had been turned into his make-shift laundry hamper and it needed to happen badly.

But also, Eddie really liked wearing Steve’s clothes. They were close to the same size; Steve had broader shoulders but Eddie was a couple of inches taller, so it evened out. Jeff was the only other person he visited that had clothes that would even fit Eddie; poor Gareth was about as tall as the freshmen, and probably wasn’t going to be getting any taller. Steve was kind of perfect to steal T-shirts from, and didn’t that just send super inappropriate butterflies tumbling through his stomach. He wondered what the other man would think about that, and decided (out of self preservation) that it was best not to think about it too much.

Except, that was kind of hard. Not thinking about Steve. Eddie is practically surrounded by him on a constant basis, except when he leaves the house to go on his little adventures – but even then, he’s wearing Steve’s socks, or Steve’s shirt, using Steve’s backpack and Steve’s old school notebooks. As much as he has SO MUCH ELSE going on around him and on his mind, Steve is a constant presence that Eddie really doesn’t mind one bit. He thinks about the other more than he really should, or admits to himself. 

That way lies madness, after all.

So he finishes setting up his new pantry of barely spoiled foods, and turns the guest bath tub into a giant washing machine and does an insane amount of laundry by hand, which is then hung on a clothesline inside that he ties to the staircases because that’s the most open-aired area he has that he can reach.

It’s a long fucking day, of chores. Wayne would be speechless, if he could see him now.

So, needless to say, Eddie is bone-tired when he finally, finally crawls into Steve’s bed that night. And it feels more like home than it has any right to. He buries himself in the sheets and blankets, Steve’s pillows, in his jock-themed room doused in shadows and now has bits and pieces of Eddie mingling in all the once vacant places. His rings, his bandana, his sweetheart and all her fixings (those strings needed some help after all the rust), his notebooks and pens and random sheets of paper with drawings of town and creatures of the Upside Down. It’s Steve’s room, but it feels like their space, and Eddie likes the way that makes him feel. A little too much.

He can’t help but sigh as he drifts off to sleep, not worrying about his safety, not needing to go through the house one more time or check out the windows for what might be lurking. He knows the inside of the Harrington house now as much as he’d known the inside of Wayne’s trailer. Thinking to himself that…

It feels good to be home.

The one home he has left.

--

tbc

--

Series Snippets: - Dreamwalker (Eddie’s Story) (Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3) (Part 4) - Subconscious (Steve’s Story) (Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3) (Part 4)

[mitzidraws]

my search history after starting my attempt at writing the stranger things season 4 fix-it fic:

[ibelongto-tylergalpin]

Okay #1 you are literally my favorite Eddie Munson blog-

#2 Eddie hc idea: being best friends with Nancy and Eddie’s S/O 👀

STOP ILYSM also fckn bet-

Eddie Munson dating Nancy's best friend....

Side note before we start: This photo is abt to make me combust i need both of them in my bed :)))

~Ik I use this so much but you guys met during Vecna get over it

~Eddie found your presence very comforting while he was in danger cause i mean who wouldn't find you comforting you're so swagalicious

~His admiration for you grew when he realized how brave and funny you were

~In school he always thought you were stuck up because your parents had money and school was your top priority

~He found out you listened to Motley Crue and mfs head almost exploded

~When you were all in the upside down walking to Nancys house Eddie slowed down to walk with Steve and asked about you

~"So... what's the deal with Y/n?"

~"What do you mean?"

~"Is she single?"

~"Yeah but Nancy's protective of her so watch out"

~After the whole Vecna deal, he asks you out and you say no at first, seeing as you don't know him much. You suggest that the two of you get to know each other more, before diving into a relationship

~A few months later and the two of you were in your room. Originally, you were helping Eddie study for his finals, seeing as he was desperate to graduate this year, but somehow it led to the two of you making out on your bed

~Double dates with Nancy and Steve

~Nancy giving him a protective best friend talk

~"If you hurt her in any way, shape, or form, there is nowhere you can hide that I won't find you"

~She will 100% bring up the guns in her room

~So many double dates with Nancy and Steve

~A majority of your time is spent laying in his bed together with his head rested on your chest (I've said it before and I'll say it again. Eddie Munson is 100% a boobs kinda guy. Love em. Worships em. Can't live without em.)

~He loves watching you read or study

~Loves how focused you can get

~Did I mention double dates with Nancy and Steve????