#childhood sweetheart

[leslutdepointedulac]

Childhood Sweetheart

Valenfangs ~ Day 10: Childhood Sweetheart

When they were out in the village one day running errands, they had spotted Charlotte through the window of her father’s bakery. “You should ask her father for her hand one day, when we’re older, before someone else snatches her up.” Nicolas nudged Lestat as they walked past. 

“And have my guts strung in the window as decoration? I don’t think so.” Lestat kept his head down as they passed, not wanting to even dare glance in Charlotte’s general direction, lest he got caught.

“You’re the Marquis’ son, I think you’ll be alright. Besides, since when has a girl’s father ever stopped you.” 

“This is different, Nicki. I don’t think my status is going to get me anywhere with her father. You know how he is with her. She’s not who I’ve got my eye on anyway.” Lestat’s eyes widened and he clapped a hand over his mouth at the last part. He hadn’t meant to say that out loud.

Nicolas stopped and grinned. “Is that so? Who are you after then?” Lestat refused to look at him and sped up, praying he would drop the subject. “Come on, Lestat. You can tell me, I won’t tell a soul.” Nicki jogged to catch up and put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. “It can’t be that bad. I won’t laugh.” 

That’s not what I’m afraid of. Lestat thought. “It’s nothing, forget I said anything.” 

“Lestat, come on. Just between you and me.”

“I said forget it.” Lestat snapped and shrugged Nicolas’ hand off his shoulder. A group of people nearby looked over at the sound, but he ignored them. Instead, he turned his head towards Nicolas and the irritation in his eyes was immediately replaced with guilt when he saw the hurt plastered across his friend’s face. “Nicki, I’m sorry, I–” 

Nicki put his hands in his pockets and glanced to the side, still obviously hurt by Lestat’s reaction. “It’s fine. You don’t want to tell me, I get it.” 

Lestat reached out to comfort him, but withdrew his hand when he recoiled and wrapped his arms around himself in a self embrace instead. “I’m sorry.” He said again. “I do want to tell you, but I can’t.” 

“You don’t need to explain yourself, Lestat. It’s alright. Let’s just forget it, like you said.” 

Lestat opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again when he realised he didn’t have anything worth saying. The damage was already done. 

[Our Conversations A03]

@valenfangs

[justhellacesome]

the things is I realized my childhood was the peak of my childhood romance.

Cuz when I was six years old and a first grader (finally. after they asked me to repeat kindergarten twice)

I had a crush on a boy named Brian. I liked him a lot. But never really acted upon it other than not talking to him until my best friend, CK, (whos on the cusp of gay(trans) awakening at six years old that she ask us to call her KC) tried to tease me about it with the others.

They told him as snitches does and I didnt deny it, I didnt let them tease me and actually said that I did to his face. (It was the best decision I did then)

They asked me why I liked him when no one else did, because his bottom lip the right side looked like it was healing from a bee sting,

It wasnt, it was just a little lumpy but that didnt matter to me when he looked the kindest than the rest of them, more than Richard or Eugene and everyone else I cant quite remember the name.

And I was right. Because after that I learned Ck (Her name is Clark Kent! I never really understood it before but i think its hilarious now) was family with our next door neighbors when one day I was outside and heard him knocking on an empty house. And he lived just a minute outside of school.

I lived behind the school a block around.

And Brian lived at my streets end but I never did find out where. Ck knows but I never went because when CK and Brian and I would go home together after class.

I was always the first they would drop at home. So we all could change clothes and drop our bags. Before they would walk by and pick me up in our bikes.

At this time Ive learned how to ride a bike (After borrowing my neighbors and almost crashing into a canal and hitting my neigbors leg when they waked by and I did the know how to turn or break)

Ck rather likes to stay at home, but brian and I would ride our bikes in the neighborhood, back to our school and visiting a classmate who invited us to visit her house. Going to the park and circling the basketball court and the playground. We would ride our bikes everyday or whenever we could.

Brian would always be outside to pick me up at home.

One day, we made our first move away. Just a couples blocks away.

But when I went to school Brian told me he came to my house but I wasnt there. (My heart fell when I heard it. At the same time it made me happy)

Cuz I went home, and nobody else was home other than our babysitter and my baby brother. (

(And at this time Kids were left unsupervised as long as we get home by dark, or atleast playing right where out front the house where our parents could see us and call us home for dinner.)

(I think, looking back, I was really the youngest of the neighborhood kids, not counting our baby brothers)

So I would take the bike lock key from the hiding place my grandma put it (at the highest shelf where they thought i couldn't monkey climb my way up on)

and I would just run out and bike away.

I biked to school. (realizing how dangerous it was to leave a six year old to bike the neighborhood blocks away. I saw the bike years later and it was the small bmw and it used to be like a mountain bike for me then. I was tiny

And met brian. I lead him to my new house and friends and after that. He would also pick me up from there. Blocks away and Id see him outside.

Not everyday but often enough it stuck with me.

and it was a happy day whenever we did. I was happy whenever we could. I loved riding the bike and going exploring and playing with friends outside.

I was happy.

But One night, my mom and dad told us that we were going to visit my grandma downtown. Because we had just opened a business there and they rented a house.

I remember we left after we ate, the dishes unwashed in the sink, we expected to come back.

We never did.

And just like that, I remember when Brian went to my first house and couldn't find me, and I thought Brian would come back to my house again. And We never came back again.

I didnt get to say my goodbye as we just disappeared in the middle of the night.

I realize it years later that yeah. Baby kiddy me had more friends and fun going on when she hasnt known the feeling of having to leave wvery few years and never making friends to play with outside again.

Having a crush was also an empty need to just choose someone because everyone else had one.

But Brian, I still havent seen you again. I wanna say sorry and say hi, i hope wherever you are your doing alright and that im so glad you knew because you are one of the sweetest memories I have.

[hairmetal666]

There's a boy, Eddie meets a boy, and it's mundane because they're boys and it's summer and they find each other like lonely boys in summer do. It shouldn't be the defining experience of Eddie's life, that summer, that boy. His memories are all sun drenched, tanned skin, minnow catching, swimming, camping under the stars, a fumbling, toasted-marshmallow-sticky first kiss. He grows up and still Eddie thinks there will never be anyone else like that boy.

---

There's this new teen soap schlock on the CW. It fills his social media algorithms with gossip and BTS footage and spoilers. He ignores every bit of it, so far from the target audience it's laughable.

Jeff, Gareth, and Freak get into it. At first, he takes this as a betrayal of the highest order, threatens to kill all their characters in their next dnd session, but they convince him to give it a shot.

It's airs Thursday nights and thank god Wayne is at work, he'd never live it down. He turns the TV on just in time for the cold open, and within ten seconds there's a beautiful man on screen. Chestnut hair, coiffed carefully back; down-turned, hazel puppy dog eyes; freckles and moles dotting his face and neck--Eddie would recognize them anywhere, spent hours mapping the constellations of them during their one magical summer.

He sinks to his knees in front of the TV--nose inches from the screen--watches the whole episode that way. For the entire hour, the only thing he sees is Steve Harrington.

Eddie doesn't move until after the credits have rolled. He can't believe that the boy he knew all those years ago is an actor on a popular show, that he'd just missed finding him, all this time.

Before he can talk himself out of it, he Googles, which is a mistake immediately, because the most popular pictures are from a GQ photoshoot where Steve is very wet and very shirtless, the amount of chest hair on display enough to kill a man. He forgets how to breathe for several seconds, before quickly scrolling away, which is also a mistake because it's how he learns that Steve 1) dated his castmate, Nancy Wheeler for several years before 2) she got caught cheating on him with another castmate, and 3) he's often seen out and about with his current on-screen girlfriend, Robin Buckley.

For his own sanity, he has to put his phone away. It isn't like he's going to see Steve ever again, obviously, so he needs to forget all this. Keep the memory of that summer safe.

---

It's late spring and Gareth invites them all to their favorite bar in Indianapolis. One of their friends from their Corroded Coffin days got a gig playing bass for some up and coming indie guy, tickets and drinks are comped. It's not their usual vibe, musically, but who is Eddie to say no to a free night out?

And, look, night of, the music isn't his vibe, but the place is packed and he's with his best friends, and the drinks are flowing, so even he finds himself swaying along to the whiney hipster shit coming from the stage.

Eventually, the lights go down for the headliner, and the crowd crushes forward in a way Eddie isn't used to in this bar. He lets himself be pushed forward, somehow ending up right in front of the stage.

When the lights go up, he stops breathing.

It's Steve.

Steve right there in front of him, guitar strapped across his midsection. He's wearing dorky little Ray-Ban sunglasses, but Eddie would know that hair, those moles, anywhere.

There's no way Steve will notice him, remember him, but it's enough to see him now, to hear his music. Eddie dances and smiles at the boy who got away. Maybe he'll mourn later for the distant hope he harbored deep within his heart. But, he thinks, this is enough.

Steve comes out for the encore, takes off the sunglasses, tosses them straight to Eddie, smiles big and genuine and familiar. His heart stops. It can't be real, it can't mean anything, but he's so elated that his soul might rise from his body.

The show ends, the buzz of it, of Steve, reverberating through Eddie as he makes his way back to the bar. It's crowded with people, but he slides through the bodies until he's at the front. Someone taps him on the back, and he thinks they're trying to get through, but when he turns it's Steve.

His smile is so beautiful, Eddie thinks that maybe he's dying.

"Eddie!" Steve says.

"Stevie!" He doesn't mean for the old nickname to come out, couldn't keep it in.

"You remember me!" Steve is beaming.

"I'd never forget you." He's smiling just as hard. "Can I buy you a drink?"

Steve's nose wrinkles. "I've got, like, fifty coming. We could go somewhere quiet to talk?"

He's never said yes to something so fast in his life.

They go back to the postage stamp sized green room, and he's surprised to see Robin Buckley there. His stomach shrivels for a second, but she stands and he sees the lesbian flag painted on the side of her Converse, the oversized vest she's wearing.

"You want me to skedaddle?" She asks. He loves her immediately.

"Do you mind?" Steve asks. Robin shakes her head.

"Nice to meet you, Eddie," she calls as she sails out the door.

"You told her about me?" He knows his smile is downright goofy.

Steve blushes. "Um, yeah. Maybe a little? Just that I met a boy from near here one summer. And, uh, maybe something about him being my first kiss?"

"Oh." Eddie thinks he might burst into flame. "I wasn't sure if--I didn't know if you'd remember."

"I'd never forget," Steve says.

"You got famous." Eddie says, which is dumb, but he doesn't know how to deal with Steve cherishing those childhood memories the same way he does.

"I guess I did." Steve looks down, hair tumbling around his face. "It's probably not what you were expecting."

"Did I expect to turn on the tv and see my first crush staring at me in HD? Not quite. But It was amazing. You're amazing."

"I'm on a CW show," Steve laughs.

"So?"

"I think maybe you're a little biased about your first crush."

"Are you saying that's a bad thing?" They're flirting, he thinks. Can't believe it's happening, that Steve might--

"Well, maybe, but only if you tell me you don't have a crush on me anymore."

"Are you kidding? I saw that GQ photoshoot."

Steve's laugh is loud and bright, like fireworks in Eddie's chest. They're closer now, sharing warmth, breath.

"I have some candids if you want to see."

"Don't tempt me with a good time, Stevie."

They're quiet for a second, Eddie a little breathless from how hard they're flirting, how right it feels.

"You were great out there," he says.

"Thanks." Steve smiles, bashful. "I know it's not your kind of music."

Eddie shrugs. "I like what you do."

"And to think, you've barely gotten a taste yet." Steve pauses for a beat, horror dawning on his face. "Oh, shit. That was--I'm sorry--I--Robin says I always come on too strong, and I promised I would play it cool, but--"

"You never have to play it cool with me," Eddie says, sincere through his laughter.

"This is fast, though, right? I mean. The second I saw you in the crowd, it--it confirmed everything I thought when we first met. That's--is that crazy?"

Eddie's smile is softer now. "Not at all." Gently, he cups Steve's cheek with his hand. "Can I kiss you?"

"Please," Steve breathes. "God, Eddie, please."

Their mouths meet and it starts out sweet and slow, but it's not childhood crushes anymore. Eddie's tongue teases at the seam of Steve's lips, which part for him like he's the only one in the world with the magic words.

It's sweeter than any marshmallow.

[eriksangel666]

This week, we continue part 2 of our Chuck Berry coverage with some tangents about the Simpsons, childhood crushes, and generational differences. It's quite a fun time!

[arcanegifs]

Caitvi Scenes: 29/? ↳ "Uh, careful. That's your parents' money you're dropping."

[divineandmajesticinone]

"I can't go back and fix it..."

[f1daydreamer]

“His Favorite Person”

Warnings : none just pure Fluff

___________________________________________

You were Oscar Piastri’s childhood sweetheart. It sounded simple on paper, but in reality, it was anything but. He’d known you since you both were seven, growing up on the same street in Melbourne. He was the boy with messy hair and a shy smile, and you were the girl who had no problem standing up for him when someone teased him for his quiet nature.

It wasn’t long before the two of you were inseparable. Wherever Oscar went, you weren’t far behind. He even credited you with convincing him to pursue karting when he’d doubted himself at thirteen.

Now, years later, he was one of McLaren’s golden boys, and you were still the center of his universe.

---

“So, Oscar, who’s your inspiration?”

The interviewer’s question was generic, the kind of thing every driver was asked at least a dozen times. Most people expected him to say someone like Ayrton Senna or Lewis Hamilton. But Oscar? He barely hesitated.

“Y/N, definitely,” he said, his face breaking into a soft smile at just the thought of you. “She’s been with me since the start. I wouldn’t be here without her.”

The interviewer blinked, momentarily caught off guard. “That’s sweet. Care to elaborate?”

“Well,” he began, his voice lighter than usual, “she’s the one who pushed me to go after this. She believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself. And, uh, she keeps me sane when things get crazy.” He laughed, scratching the back of his neck.

“Also, she’s probably the most patient person in the world. I don’t know how she puts up with me sometimes.”

---

The fans ate it up, of course. Anytime Oscar mentioned you—which was often—the internet would light up with posts like:

---

It wasn’t just in interviews, though. Oscar’s Instagram was basically a shrine to you. Every post, no matter how racing-focused, had at least a couple of pictures of you tucked in somewhere. Sometimes it was a candid shot of you laughing in the paddock, other times it was a picture of the two of you on holiday.

His captions? Equally lovesick.

Even McLaren’s media team couldn’t resist teasing him about it.

“Alright, Oscar, let’s get this promo video done. Try not to talk about Y/N for five minutes,” one of them joked during filming.

He grinned but didn’t deny it. When the video came out, fans weren’t even surprised to see a clip of you sneaking into the paddock to surprise him mid-season. Oscar’s face had lit up like a kid on Christmas morning, and McLaren had (very cheekily) titled the segment, “Oscar’s Favorite Person Arrives.”

---

You’d teased him about it countless times.

“Do you realize how obsessed you sound?” you asked one night, scrolling through the comments on his latest post.

“Obsessed?” he repeated, pretending to think it over. “Yeah, that sounds about right.”

“Oscar!”

“What?” He grinned, wrapping his arms around you and pulling you into his lap. “You’re the best part of my life. Why wouldn’t I talk about you all the time?”

Your face burned, but you couldn’t help smiling. “You’re impossible.”

“And you love me for it.”

---

If anyone had asked, Oscar would’ve said it was easy to love you.

After all, you were his constant—his best friend, his partner, his everything. Whether he was racing halfway across the world or just lounging at home, you were the one thing that grounded him.

And if the entire world knew it? Well, that was just a bonus.

[newwavesylviaplath]

playing house

[bleulone]

"And the most important, Roi, is that you have shown pride. And dignity. And balls"

JULIO PEÑA FERNÁNDEZ as ROI in BERLÍN (2023-)

[misstycloud]

Yandere.childhood sweetheart ex X reader

Imagine a yandere childhood sweetheart ex going to visit his darling at university, but unfortunately she isn’t so happy like he thought she’d be.

“What are you doing here?” You asked, horrified at the sudden appearance of your ex-boyfriend.

He attempted a soft smile, but you could easily see the storm beneath it. With a small laugh, he said, “what do you mean? I’m here for you, obviously.” He stepped forward and reached for you hand, you pulled it away from his reach.

“No, like- why are you here at all?” You pinched your nose in frustration. “I get that you’re here for me or whatever, but why? It’s not- we are not together. We broke up.” To emphasise your point, you used your hand(the one he wanted to hold) to gesture between the two of you.

He gulped, “Yeah, but that was just because you wanted to go to university here in the city- even though there are completely okay universities in our hometown.” His tone soured at the end of his speech. As if he somehow couldn’t believe your decision to leave that small, boring, hillbilly town that you were forced to grow up in.

You scoffed and rolled your eyes, “only if you want to learn how to milk a cow 50 different ways.”

Your ex frowned and expressed his clashing opinion, “don’t say that, it’s where we grew up, where we lived-“ he got quieter “-and…where we fell in love.” The man looks like he was on cloud nine remembering the good ‘ol’ days.

“Sure, yippie!” You sarcastically cheered and noticed how his mood went sour again. He definitely didn’t enjoy how you easily played off your past relationship. Too bad for him you were completely over it. He’s stuck in the past and needs to move on.

The young man chose not to call your out on your(in his opinion) somewhat rude behaviour. It was not your fault, after all. The city and its people clearly haven’t been a good influence on you. But wasn’t that the reason he was there; to convince you to come home with him? He sighed before putting on another smile.

“Well, are you gonna invite me in?” he easily looked over your head, into your apartment. “It’s a little cold out here, y’know.”

Ignoring how ridiculous it must look from a passerby’s point of view, you stuck your arms up to obstruct your ex-boyfriend’s sight. If you’d been as tall as he was, you’d simply stand in his way to keep him from checking out your home. Unfortunatly, not everyone can be built like a skyscraper.

“No, I’m not going to let you in. You aren’t even welcome!” You exasperated. Why couldn’t he understand you didn’t want him there?

He was quiet for a moment, which made you think he was finally getting the message, but your hopes were crushed when he said in a cold voice, “Don’t be rude. It’s not like you to act like this. I told you going to the city was a stupid idea.” You were a bit shaken at this new side of him. In the past, he was always happy and sweet to you. On the rare occasions(usually when he thought you were hanging out more with your friends than him) you did fight, he was never like this; chilly and looking at you like you were in his way. While both were objectively bad, you thought you preferred when he was all hot instead of…this.

You were silenced and could do nothing when he pushed past you and entered your apartment despite your previous objections. Not knowing what else to do, you closed the door. You turned around to see your ex standing in your living room, examining the room top to bottom with an unimpressed face.

He hummed, “It’s cute. Although, I could build you a house much better than this. But as long as you’re happy, I suppose.”

“Excuse me?” Ain’t no way you’d let this dude come and diss your home like that. “Did you come here only to insult my home? Because, if so, you are free to leave.”

He shook his head, laughing softly, but you could still hear the insincerity in his voice when he said “No, no, I didn’t mean it like that.” (He definitely mean it like that) He walked to the wooden bookshelf you had placed in the corner and picked out a book right away, even though the large selection should’ve kept him busy for a while. With his back turned to you, it was impossible to see which book he'd pulled from its spot.

When he finally faced you again, you understood why he chose it. The book’s cover was clumsily made, it was clear that the creator was not a professional. It was uneven and did not line up with the stack of pages of the book, thereby leaving paper sticking out. Despite its rough appearance, the title was made with gold lettering which still had its shine, even though years has passed since its creation.

‘Damn it!’ you thought. Everything was so messy when you first moved and not wanting to deal with lose things forever, you just found some temporary home for items and left them there. It was now that you regretted your laziness. You should’ve put it away(throwing it seemed a bit heartless, even for you)

“You still have it?” He asked, the previous coldness gone, now he simple seemed slightly bewildered. Caressing the cover, he continued, “I thought you threw it away, to be honest, hehe.” The man glanced up at you with those loving eyes. You used to adore it whenever he looked at you like that, now they brought you nothing but unease. “I’m glad you kept it.” He finished off before putting it back in its place.

You tried focusing on anything but him; hellbent on ignoring his silenced stare. The day could go worse than this, you thought. Why the hell did he have to show up? And just as your life here in the city started going smoothly. Of course your past had to come back and bite you.

Both of you were lost in thought(with very different ideas) and the only sound was from the ticking clock on the wall.

“Why did you leave me?”

“H-huh?” You focused your attention back on him and saw his serious expression gazing back at you.

‘He seriously need to control his mood swings.’

“You heard me. I want to know why you decided to leave.”

“You know why. I couldn’t be stuck in that little town forever. It was boring and nothing ever happened. I don’t want to live out an existence like that, it’s not what I want.”

“That’s not a reason. You can life a good life without being James Bond. We were so happy together. I even-“ he stopped to take a deep breath, “I was going to propose. I had started saving up to buy you the ring you deserve. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you.”

You sneered at him and said angrily, “Well, hate to break it to you, but I obviously don’t feel the same. I’m sorry, okay. But I never wanted to get married- I don’t even know where you got that idea from. Why would I marry you?-“

“Because we love each other.” Your ex rolled his eyes in annoyance, “that’s kind of the reason people get married, Love.”

Ugh, he acted like you were the insufferable one. Like you were the problem! He was the one with too thick of a head to understand that you don’t want to be with him. And he even dared to call you Love, just like when you were together.

“No, I don’t love you anymore. Stop this.” You groaned as you felt a headache coming in.

“You’re the one who needs to ‘stop this’. Can you see how foolish you’re being? You broke my heart and for what? Some dumb degree you’re not even gonna get.” He grabbed you by the shoulders and leaned in close. “It’s me, (y/n). Your Theo.” You held your breath as he took your hand and placed it directly above his heart. The heat from his body and the comforting beats had you remembering how much you did used to love this man. “This is yours. All yours, Love, you only need to accept it. I can give you everything you ask for. Come home with me, and forget this dumb university. You won’t find your dreams here. You’ll only be truly happy when you’re back home with me, I can promise you that.”

You stood still and watched as Theo kissed your knuckles; a common way for him to show affection. His words stung, yet you couldn’t hate him for them. It was true, things weren’t as great as you’d make them out to be. It’s all because you didn’t want to disappoint your parents. They still lived in your hometown and had worked their asses off to give you a chance to follow your dreams and make it big.

Originally, they’d been agaisnt you moving to the city. ‘But it’s so far away’ they had said, and ‘you’ll regret it’. You knew they wished for you stay and marry Theo instead, but that’s not what you wanted.

So you gave them a piece of your mind before storming off to Theo’s house. You spent the night there in fear of facing your parents, especially after that little action of liberty. It was ironic how you threw yourself in his arms, considering the whole argument was about something that’d ultimately have you leave him.

As you were contemplating your all your life choices, Theo dropped to his knees. You gasped, first thinking he’d fallen. But that was clearly not the case, because immediately after, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a red velvet box.

It didn’t take Einstein-level of intelligence to see what kind of box it was and what it undoubtedly contained. The devotion in his eyes had you gulp.

“I know this is sorta late now, but every couple has to go through a number of challenges. So, (y/n) (l/n), will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?”

The ring inside was more beautiful than you’d imagined. It was, truly, your dream ring. It was also proof how attentive he’d been back when you were younger; he actually did listen to you and remembered every bit of foolish young thoughts you’d splurted out.

It was just a question. One that everyone has the right to say ‘no’ to if they don’t think ‘yes’ is fitting. You would’ve rejected his proposal, but there was something in Theo’s eyes that made you waver. You weren’t fully sure what it was apart from how feral it seemed. All your senses told you to reject his advance, however, you caught yourself wondering if that really was a good idea.

How will you respond?

[prankprincess123]

Having the Triforce on your hand is kinda like those soulmate fics where you have names on each wrist identifying your true love and arch enemy, except if you have the Triforce of Power you get two enemies because you literally cursed yourself to watch their awkward teenage romance and get beaten up by them repeatedly for eternity.

[nadiasna7]

I close my eyes Oh God I think I'm falling

[hairmetal666]

TW for internalized homophobia and related bad decisions

Steve is 12 and he thinks about finding his soulmate all the time.

You're supposed to find them through touch; your life together will flash in front of your eyes. They're rare, though, soulmates. So rare that most people never find theirs. So rare that some people say they're made up.

Steve wants to be one of the lucky few. He wants it to be a true, unbreakable bond, a love he gets to have forever.

He wonders if he'll find his soulmate at school. He's popular, he thinks. Tommy would say they were popular. But Tommy's definition of popular mostly has to do with the number of kids he can get away with being mean to, and that's not really Steve's deal. Tommy is like a prey animal, the way he can find weaknesses.

There's a new boy at school. Steve doesn't know his name, but they have English together. He's too thin, with huge brown eyes, and all his clothes are too big. His head's been inexpertly shaved and he never looks anybody in the eye. It's only a matter of time before he catches Tommy's interest, and Steve wishes he could stop it somehow, but he's never been good at going against Tommy.

The day comes, of course. They're standing in the hall, the new boy walking towards them, head down, as always. Tommy nudges Steve says, "What a loser."

And Steve shrugs, starts to ask Tommy about football, if the Colts can make the Super Bowl, but the boy is nearing and Tommy is cackling.

"Watch this." Tommy sticks his foot out.

The boy doesn't react fast enough. He falls forward with a bitten off yelp, and Steve moves without really thinking, only knows he can't stand to see him fall. He catches the new kid beneath his armpits, Steve's thumbs brushing the soft skin his arms.

The world around him falls away at the touch.

---

He's sitting on the floor in the band room, Eddie--the boy's name is Eddie--next to him. Eddie's hair is a little longer and Steve's in a green polo he doesn't recognize, and he's never been in the band room in his life. They're leaning into each other and laughing and Eddie's so beautiful.

---

They're in the woods--Skull Rock, Steve thinks. Eddie's hair is curled and frizzed around his chin, and he's laughing, his cheeks pink, his dimples prominent. He tries to pull his hair in front of his face, but it's not long enough yet to reach. Steve is overwhelmed, wants to kiss him so bad. He's never had to wait to kiss someone, or been unsure, or--

He wants to kiss Eddie.

So, he does.

It's hard, desperate, not the first kiss Steve expected, but then they've been waiting for so long.

---

Steve stands in the hallway of Hawkins High. He's wearing a striped, beige short-sleeved polo, and flirting with Nancy Wheeler.

He likes Nancy, she's pretty and smart and fun. And it's easy. He can hold her hand. Can introduce her to his parents. Can take her on dates and kiss her in public.

She bats her big blue eyes at him, and he can't help but kiss her.

He pulls away gently, brushing his thumb against her cheek, and when he looks down the hall, Eddie is there, frozen. His mouth is wide, his eyes glassy.

Steve thinks the way his heart stutters must be what dying feels like.

---

He's sitting on his diving board, facing away from the pool. He smokes a cigarette and there's a bat studded with nails at his feet, what the fuck. Music thuds, shrieks and laughter seep into the cool night air.

He should be playing the gracious host. He should be having a good time. Instead, his eyes search the woods and he taps another smoke out of the pack.

"Harrington?" The voice makes him jump, hand flexing around the bat handle. "It's freezing out. What are you doing?"

He recognizes the voice now, doesn't turn, doesn't respond, can't stand to see another person he let down; another person who could call him bullshit and be 100% correct.

"Do you not have a jacket? C'mon, man."

Something warm settles over his shoulders, and he inadvertently breathes in weed and leather and cedar. He squeezes his eyes shut, like that will make the comforting, familiar scent go away. He'll have to move to shrug off the jacket, though, which would mean acknowledging Eddie's presence.

"Can you at least say something, Harrington? You're freaking me out."

"I'm fine, Ed--Eddie." The nickname falls from his lips too easily. He doesn't miss how Eddie flinches.

His hair is long now, down to his shoulders, brittle looking in the cold. He's wearing a t-shirt and worn flannel, arms wrapped around his chest for warmth now that his jacket is draped over Steve's shoulders.

Steve is an idiot. He's such an idiot. Chasing after Nancy when Eddie is--

"I'm sorry," he says. He turns to face his soulmate, then. "I'm sorry about Nancy, I--"

Eddie jerks back like he's been hit. "Fuck you, Harrington," he snarls.

---

He sits in the back of an ambulance, eyes swollen shut, face throbbing. He's wearing a sailor suit for inexplicable reasons, which is almost more upsetting than the ambulance. He smells like puke and something toxically sweet.

A girl is with him, one he doesn't recognize, but he feels deeply, instinctively protective of her. He holds her shaking shoulders tight, tries to whisper comfort to her through his busted and bleeding mouth.

He's pretty sure he has a concussion.

"Steve!" Someone screams over the sounds of the EMTs and firefighters, of the building burning and collapsing behind them.

Eddie bursts through the gathered onlookers and past the ring of police cars enclosing them. He's falling into the ambulance before Steve has a chance to react.

"Sweetheart," Eddie sobs. He tries to cup Steve's face, but his fingers flutter around the damage. "Sweetheart, oh my god. I came as soon as I heard. Are you--what can I--"

Steve stares at him--his hair falling from its messy bun, his cutoff Metallica tee, concern and love leaking from those brown, brown eyes--and bursts into tears.

---

They sit on the roof of his house, sharing a joint back and forth. It's chilly, bordering on cold, winter just on the horizon. They're laughing, leaning into each other, and Steve is--he's happy. Elated. Could float away with it.

Robin--Robin-- is in the bathroom, or maybe in the kitchen for snacks, and it's just them for now. They're looking at each other, smiles wide, eyes bright.

They're taking it slow. Steve knows it's important, after what he did. They talked about it, his abandoning of Eddie for Nancy, chasing what his dad told him was normal and expected.

He doesn't want to cross any boundaries, wants to do this right. How Eddie deserves. But they're leaning into each other and they're smiling, and he's so in love. Intoxicated with it, lost.

In the end, he doesn't know who makes the first move, just that they're kissing and it's like coming home.

---

He's in a building, a shed or something. It's musty and dirty, smells like oil and gasoline and a building left closed up too long. Eddie's in his arms and he's talking through hiccuping sobs.

"I didn't save her, Steve. I didn't help. I just left her there! She was broken in pieces and I--I--"

Steve holds him close, tight, squeezes his eyes closed to stop his own tears from falling. He never wanted this for Eddie, never wanted him involved. Thought he could protect him from all of Hawkins's terrible things.

They aren't alone. Robin is there, coming up to hold Eddie too, plus a redheaded girl and curly haired boy he doesn't recognize.

"We'll figure this out, Eddie." The boy promises.

"We won't let anyone hurt you. We know you didn't murder Chrissy," the girl says.

---

Steve is in a world he doesn't understand, and Eddie is his arms. Eddie is in his arms, and there's blood everywhere. He's not awake, he's not--his heart beat is soft and slow, too slow, and his breathing stutters, and Steve can't--

"Baby, stay with me." He begs as he runs across the dead and rotting landscape. "Eddie, please. Wake up, okay? Wake up for me. I need to--I need to know that you're alright."

Eddie stays limp in his arms.

"Please," he begs. "You can't leave me. We promised, remember? We promised we'd be together forever. The rest of our lives. Me and You. Our six little nuggets. You promised."

The portal back to Hawkins is less than a dozen feet away, he's so close. Eddie gasps to consciousness, but his eyes are still hazy.

"Hi, sweetheart," he mumbles.

"Hey, hi, you're doing so good. We're almost out, okay? We're almost out and we'll get you to the hospital."

Eddie reaches out a weak hand, touches the edge of Steve's jaw. "Love you, Stevie," he whispers. "Glad you were mine."

He goes still in Steve's hold.

---

The images come faster now--

A hospital room at Hawkins General, Eddie hooked to machines. Steve holds hands with an older man. They wait in terrified silence

Eddie propped in a bed, a bunch of kids around him, Steve and Robin at his side. His eyes keep sliding to Steve, like he's making sure Steve's real, that he's still there

Their bodies tangled together in a bedroom Steve doesn't recognize

Steve down on one knee in a marble room lit only by black and red candles, Eddie standing in front of him

Hand-in-hand on a cliffside overlooking the ocean. The Chief of Police, Jim Hopper, stands in front of them with tears in his eyes and a beaming smile on his face

In a big, green yard behind a cozy little house. A little boy with Eddie's eyes and curls riding on his shoulders. Eddie sprinting around with a tiny girl giggling after him, perfect imitation of the King Steve hair-do on her tiny head

In a park, surrounded by family and friends. Steve has a little bit of a paunch and wears glasses. Eddie's hair streams around his shoulders, going grey at the temples. There's a banner strung between trees proclaiming 'Happy 20th Steve and Eddie!' They're surrounded by everyone they love and it's perfect

---

The images flash too fast for Steve to catalog after that, seconds-long glimpses of a shared future, and then he's back in his body in the hallway of Hawkins Middle, still holding too tight onto Eddie's arms.

Eddie rears back, face pale and terrified, and Steve is too shocked to do anything but let him go.

Tommy's yelling, but Steve only has eyes for his soulmate, who scrambles to his feet and throws himself down the hall away from them.

"What the hell, Harrington? Why'd you catch him? That was about to be funny as hell! I bet he'd have broken his nose--you ruined it!"

Steve isn't listening. He's trying to hold on to the memories of their life together, the ones that are already fading.

The last thing he remembers is that, sometime in the not-too-distant future, he'll find his way to the band room, Eddie Munson, and the rest of their lives.

[add1ctedt0you]

Wei Wuxian & Jiang Cheng + childhood best friends motif (x)

[scorpio1205]

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