#domesticity after the vecna fight >>>>

[marvel-ous-m]

After Starcourt, Steve and Robin began a new tradition- 'spa nights'. Robin would make them homemade face masks (“peaches and yogurt? On my face? That’s disgusting Robin.” “Shut up and put it on, dingus.”). They would put in a shitty tape from Family Video and Steve would paint their nails. (“How do you even know how to do this Steve?” “I’m a babysitter, Rob, it’s in the job description.”)

The school year started and Robin got a lot more busy- what with it being her senior year and all- but they still made time for spa nights. They were less frequent (maybe once a month instead of every other week), but they happened.

Vecna came, they killed the bastard, and they all lived- somehow, miraculously, certainly not unscathed, but they’re all alive. They beat him. A few months later, after the almost-end-of-the-world, Robin brought up their spa nights. (“Come on, Steve, it’s been months. My brain needs a vacation, my face needs a vacation, my nails need a vacation.”) Steve agreed, acting reluctant (but was secretly really excited to get back to one-on-one time with his best friend).

Except the kids find out, namely El and Max, and they beg Steve and Robin to join them. The two acquiesce, and then Eddie hears about it and joins the party, too. Uninvited. (But nowadays he doesn’t need an invitation. He shows up, bright personality and even brighter smile, and brings a constant, welcome addition to the party. Along with some… feelings that Steve can’t even start to try and acknowledge.)

The spa night comes and everyone crowds into Steve’s living room. Robin has put together a new face mask recipe (“ugh, what is in this?!” “Just shut your mouth and put it on, Red.”), Eddie brings his braiding skills, and Steve provides the nail polish.

Only now, his hands shake.

It’s something he’s noticed by now. The nerve damage from fighting the bats and Vecna, the 24/7 anxiety, the brain damage, something that they faced over spring break has left him with a tremor that he can’t quite get rid of. Sometimes it’s small, sometimes it’s more noticeable, and tonight… well, it’s not great.

Robin wiggles her fingers at Steve, ready for their tradition of him painting her nails, and Steve hesitates. It’s a small thing, but his shoulders tense. He hasn’t mentioned the shaking to anyone yet, and he knows that he wouldn’t be able to get the crisp, clean paint that he used to. The tremor would make itself obvious, and he just can’t face picking up the nail polish bottle. It’s a sign of the new weakness, one that he can’t admit to others, can barely admit to himself… he can’t face being seen as weak. As flawed. As-

“Hey! Are we painting nails?! Here, lemme have a go. I haven’t done it on anyone else before, always just painted my own.” Eddie interrupts Steve's train of thought in his easy way and grabs the nail polish from just below Steve’s hand. He plops down between Steve and Robin, admiring the color the later had chosen. “Robin’s Egg Blue, very fitting, Birdie.” Eddie winks at her and starts painting, accomplishing a more polished finish than Steve was ever able to get before Spring Break.

And Steve just watches. Quiet, his hands on his knees. He watches as Eddie paints Robin’s fingernails blue, then Max’s a bright red. Eddie paints Eleven’s a deep purple shade, then gives himself a fingernail in each polish that Steve has to create a rainbow of clashing colors. Afterwards, once the paint has dried, the girls all wash their face masks off and curl up to watch the shitty movie Robin had picked.

Eddie turns to Steve then, a bright yellow shade in his hands. “Want a turn, sunshine?” Eddie must’ve seen the look on Steve’s face, the flash of pain, because his voice turns to a whisper before Steve can answer. “I can help you keep your hands steady, Stevie. Don’t worry about that. Just relax and lemme treat you to a manicure.”

Steve startles at that. He thought he'd been better at hiding it. “How did you know?“

“How wouldn’t I know, Steve?” Eddie grabs Steve’s hand, a gentle but firm grip holding his fingers straight and steady. “I paid attention. I noticed. We all came away from that fight with a different scar, and we all need some extra help with different things now.” Eddie speaks as he paints, carefully brushing away any mess with the corner of his thumb. “It’s nothing to be ashamed of, but I get it if you can’t tell anyone just yet. I’ll be here to help, though. Just like this. If you want it.”

Steve’s quiet still, but now in an effort to keep his emotions at bay. He’s never had anyone do… anything like this for him before. Eddie moves on to paint his other hand, and they sit in silence while the sound of the shitty rom-com washes over them, joined by the occasional giggle or mocking comment from one of the girls. Eddie does a second coat, brushes any scraps of excess paint away with an alcohol wipe, and caps the nail polish with a gentle smile.

Steve admires his nails, then glances up at Eddie, his eyes welling. “Eddie, thank you-“

“Don’t worry about it, darlin’, it’s just a paint job-“

“No really, Eddie. Thank you. For everything. For noticing. No one’s ever-“

“I’ll always notice, Stevie.” Eddie squeezes Steve’s arm, then turns slightly to watch the movie, his hip pressed against Steve’s.

Years later, in retrospect, Steve realizes that the spa night was the night he fell in love with Eddie Munson.

[sp0o0kylights]

Links

PROFILE:

Ayo, I’m Ghost. 

AO3: GhostHost 

Twitter: @Hauntedslightly 

Hi key obsessed with Gareth, low key obsessed with Starcourt. 

I do a lot of prompts/thoughts, everyone is more than welcome to take them and run (I wanna see the results thou  👀 ) I have the same policy with fanfic: it’s fanfic, lemme see them inspired works 👀 👀

Fanfics 

Steddie

Small Town Rumors (Pseudo Dad Wayne Munson takes in a beat to shit Steve Harrington after Starcourt as an owed favor to Hopper.) 

Part One / Part Two / Part Three / Part Four 

A03 

Lifelines (Gareth and Steve as Secret Cousins AU)

Part One / Part Two / Part Three 

Door Prize/Sugar, Spice (and Everything Dicey)--Complete (Alt S4 where Dustin invites Steve to help out Hellfire during the annual Hawkins High School Holiday Bazaar. He shows up with baked goods in a Hellfire shirt, Eddie catastrophizes.) 

Part One / Part Two / Part Three/ Ao3

Bonus 

Cults of Personality: A Doozy of a Day (A reverse “Hellfire adopts Steve” wherein Steve + The Party Adopt Hellfire! Featuring Eddie “cannot fake being a heterosexual for his literal life” Munson and getting stuck in Hopper’s cabin.) 

A03

Eddie Has ADHD Domestic Fluff AU --Complete

Part One / Part Two / Part Three

Adopt a Jock (Hellfire Adopts Steve in S2 AU)

A03

Part One / Part Two / Part Three / Part Four / Part Five 1 / Part Five 2

Part Six / Part Seven / Part Eight / Part Nine

Chokechain (Steve’s parents try to force him into an arranged marriage and no one quite understands their type of abuse towards Steve AU)--Complete

Part One / Part Two / A03

AO3 / Podfic by the amazing Rambling_Company 

Backbone (Eddie incorrectly assumes Steve is taking advantage of the freshman and storms the castle to end their serfdom. Ends up taking care of a sick Steve instead.) 

Part One / Part Two / Part Three

A03 

Steve is a completely random teacher who ends up working remotely during the pandemic and the rest of the party is famous/infamous AU 

Intro / Part One: Erica Sinclair / Part Two: Eddie Munson-Corroded Coffin

Merry Crisis (AKA After Dustin tricks Corroded Coffin into a white elephant exchange at Steve’s house Eddie becomes determined to solve the Mystery that is Steve Harrington ) 

Part One / Part Two

AO3

Whumpverse: Eddie finds a drunk and bloody Steve Harrington in a bathtub at Tina’s party three days after Starcourt. He incorrectly comes to the conclusion Steve is in an abusive BDSM relationship) on haitus

Windows / Parking Lots 

Stobin Timeloop AU (with Steddie) 

Bit One / Bit Two / 

Rejected Stobin Time Travel AU Bit

Hungry: Werewolf (NOT A/b/o) AU on haitus

Part One/ Part Two/ Part Three/ Jonathan Interlude 

AO3

Illustrated Bits and Bobs  Plaid Walls/ Blanket Forts

The actual fic on AO3

Uncanny Valley -- Eddie is sent in to retrieve a “dead” Steve Harrington’s car keys and class ring from the ruins of Starcourt. Problem is Steve isn’t dead--and Eddie knows it. 

Part One 

Oneshots

Indie Horror Filmmaker Eddie and Actor Steve AU Steddie

Fake Punk Steve Steddie

Questionable Behavior (aka Eddie Gets his Cafeteria Rants Thrown Right Back At Him) Steddie  

Steve and Robin Hold Hands when they Fight Steddie, Stobin

Eddie Gifts Steve a Ring as a Joke Steddie

Steve is a member of the Clause (yes that Clause) Family Steddie

A03

In an alternate dimension, Eddie was Vecna’s sole survivor--This dimensions Steve crosses over to bring him home. Steddie

HOH Steve, “I learned to sign to tell him he’s wrong” Jonathan, and flabbergasted Eddie AU 

A Steve who cannot buy his boyfriend Eddie's movie tickets all time, take him out to bi weekly dinners is a Steve who pivots, and makes trips the the closest hobby store AU Steddie

Fanfiction Steddie AU Steddie

Steve wakes up and casually kisses Eddie good morning. They’re not dating. AU  Steddie

Werewolf AU, featuring Transmasc Gareth and protective Eddie & Steve 

“Are we gonna get through a date where you don’t spend half of it trying to escape?” Steddie 

“Steve had to save the guy’s life first, but once he did, Jonathan was a dead man.” Steddie + Greatwise 

Eddie’s soulmark was burnt Soulmate AU Steddie 

Mike is one of Steve’s kids, even if they both hate it-- Steve & Mike, Byler + Steddie implied 

Fanfic tag is #0o0 fanfics

I am weak for the horse AUs 

[steddiebang2024]

Dead Things |  E  |  15k 

Author: @poppyseedsorpoppy 

Artist: @ghosttotheparty

Beta Readers: @perkiset

[Link to fic] | [Link to art]

Pairings: Eddie Munson/Steve Harrington, Past Eddie Munson/Billy Hargrove (not framed as healthy), Eddie Munson & Wayne Munson, Eddie Munson & The Upside Down/Hivemind

Characters: Steve Harrington, Eddie Munson, Eddie Munson’s Mother, Al Munson, Eddie Munson’s Grandparents, Wayne Munson, Vecna, The Hivemind, Billy Hargrove, Background/Cameo Characters

Tags: Post-Season Four, Canon Divergence, Trans Eddie Munson, Eddie is Kas (sort of), grief and mourning, escape from the upside down, Hurt/Comfort, Smut, Domesticity, Established Relationship, Temporary Memory Loss, Sentient Upside Down, Eddie Munson Needs (and gets) a Hug, Oral Sex, Penetrative Sex

Trigger Warnings: Body Horror, Graphic Descriptions of wounds/dead bodies/violence, Character Undeath (Eddie is a monster and did die. He also dies in a few nightmare/vison sequences, but never permanently), child abuse (past), identity issues, Vecna and all the creepy shit that comes with him, Insects, Animal Death (deer hit by car), allusion to addiction, suicide (Eddie’s Mom) and suicidal ideation/imagery, consensual head-shaving

↳ Keep reading below for a summary!

 Eddie wakes up in the Upside Down with blood in his mouth, gaps in his memory, and the strange feeling that he is being watched.  As Eddie fights his way through one nightmare after the next, all he can think of is his Boy and how to get home to him. His body isn’t quite how he remembers it, and whispers seem to be following him everywhere, but he knows one thing for certain: the Moon always takes care of the Munsons.

OR

Eddie claws his way out of hell. He and Steve kiss about it. 

[sweeter-innocence-fics]

My Sweetest Downfall - Chapter Eight

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Reader

Work Summary:

Eddie’s back from the Upside Down, but things aren’t exactly how he left them. Hawkins is in pieces, his friends are scattered and the love of his life is… pregnant?

Eddie Munson x Harrington!Reader

Chapters: Prologue 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Epilogue

Rating: Mature

Word Count: 1857

Read on AO3.

Masterlists.

Taglist: @mrs-kai-anderson @ang3l1te @missryerye @eddiesgirlforever @harrys-tittie @munsonmoonshine86

Taglist info

Previous Chapter

Notes:

warnings for injuries, brief mention of domestic violence, general trauma

---

~ FIVE MONTHS EARLIER ~

The RV was parked out in a field. You sat with Steve and Robin, helping them make molotovs for the coming fight. Everyone had their job, preparing for what you hoped would be the final battle against Vecna.

Steve and Robin were being fairly morose, so you found your attention drawn over to Eddie and Dustin. They were supposed to be making shields, but that had quickly dissolved into play-wrestling.

You only noticed how much you were smiling when you caught Robin’s eye, and she raised her eyebrows at you. You quickly rearranged your face before Steve noticed.

Maybe you and Eddie were still just friends, but after you’d spent the night together at Reefer Rick’s, it was hard to deny that you wanted something more. You hadn’t talked about it. You had no idea if Eddie even wanted to talk about it. Maybe it was just a one-night stand to him.

Beside you, you felt Steve tense as he watched Eddie and Dustin.

“He needs to stop messing around,” he grumbled. “This is serious. I don’t want Dustin getting hurt.”

He looked as if he was about to stand up, so you put a hand on his arm. “Don’t. Let them have a bit of fun.”

He continued grumbling, but went back to his work. Robin shared a knowing look with you.

She poked him in the ribs. “There’s no need to be jealous, dingus. Dustin still loves you.”

“I’m not jealous.”

You pouted at him in mock-sympathy. “It’s okay, Stevie. I know it’s hard seeing Eddie acting like a big brother to Dustin.” He looked about to argue, but you barrelled on through. “But he’ll never replace you. You know why?”

Steve looked at you, suspicion in his eyes. “Why?”

“Because you’re not like a brother to him. You’re like a mom.” Steve shoved you off your chair and Robin descended into howling laughter.

You landed flat on your back on the ground, laughing. The grass was cool under your skin.

“We about done here?” Steve asked.

“Sure.”

When you turned your head to the side, you realised that everyone was looking your way. Nancy had a confused look on her face, while Max looked amused. Lucas and Erica had twin expressions of perplexity. You might’ve felt embarrassed if Eddie hadn’t caught your eye and shot you a grin. You grinned back at him.

*

The Upside-Down was cold. With your help, Dustin and Eddie were barricading his trailer. The windows were all covered now, and the door was almost done.

Steve was helping Dustin nail a piece of wood in place. It was now or never. Eddie had just stepped back from nailing in his last plank, hands on hips. You took the opportunity to grab him by the wrist, leading him around the back of the trailer. He looked surprised, but came willingly.

“What’s up?” he asked.

Deep breath. If you didn’t do this now, you might never do it. If he turned you down, you could blame it on the adrenaline and the fear for your safety.

You pressed a finger to his lips. His eyes widened.

“Stay safe,” you whispered, and then you kissed him. To your relief, his hands fell to your waist at once, trying to pull you closer, but then you heard Steve calling your name. “I have to go.” You separated from Eddie, your lips separating with an audible smacking sound. He looked bereft. “Come back to me, okay?”

He took your hand in his and leant down to kiss the back of it. “Of course.”

As you walked around the side of the trailer, Nancy and Steve were standing there watching you. You straightened up, trying not to look like you’d just been caught.

“We need to go,” said Nancy. You followed her away from the trailer.

~ PRESENT DAY ~

One by one, the demodogs disintegrated. Their bodies collapsed, leaving behind only ash.

Beside you, Eddie coughed. As you turned to him, a thick plume of black smoke poured out of his mouth. He stumbled forward, catching himself on the porch railing. You set your gun down and went to his side.

“Eddie?” Your tone was worried. You put a hand on his arm. “What’s wrong?”

“I think I’ve got some Vecna coming out of me.” He coughed again, one hand on his chest, more black smoke coming from his mouth.

You slipped under his arm, supporting some of his weight. “Gross. I’ve got you,” you said.

“I know you do.”

You met his eyes. In all the chaos, you hadn’t noticed the sky beginning to lighten. It was sunrise. In the sun, his eyes were lit up a golden brown. He smiled at you, and your heart swelled.

“I love you, you know that?” he said. His tone was relaxed, but there was a pleading look in his eyes. You put one hand on his chest.

“I know.” You smiled at him sideways. “I love you too.”

His hands found your waist while you grabbed his face, pulling him down to kiss you. His arms felt so strong – inhumanly strong – wrapped around you. Maybe there was still a piece of Vecna there after all. But maybe that wasn’t a bad thing.

Behind you, the front door slammed open.

“She did it! Eleven did it- Oh.” The two of you pulled apart to see Dustin holding his walkie-talkie, looking embarrassed at the scene he’d just walked in on. You tried to disentangle yourself from Eddie, but he held fast. He seemed to relish the embarrassment he was causing.

That was, until he coughed again, releasing more black smoke. He pulled away from you, wheezing, and put his hands on his knees.

“Is he okay?” asked Dustin.

“Eddie?” You touched his shoulder. He couldn’t respond. He slumped down onto his butt, hands on his head.

Distantly, you heard a car engine. You knelt down in front of Eddie and put your hands on his shoulders.

“Look at me. Please?”

He turned his head up to face you. His eyes were watering. He covered his face with his arm as he coughed again, letting out more smoke.

“Will! Mike!” Dustin shouted from behind you.

You turned to see Steve’s car pulling up in front of the cabin. Sure enough, Will and Mike jumped out of the backseat.

“Oh, thank god,” you said, feeling your knees buckle, almost landing on Eddie.

His hands came out to catch you, not as smoothly as earlier. The superhuman strength seemed to be fading.

Will looked unscathed. Mike’s clothes were bloody and torn, but he was standing under his own power. A knot of stress that you’d been holding in your chest released. You let out a breath you didn’t even know you’d been holding.

Steve got out of the car and his eyes fixed on you at once. He beelined for you, falling to his knees to throw his arms around you.

“Steve,” you breathed, squeezing him tight.

“Fuck,” he murmured into your hair. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

“Not that this isn’t a beautiful moment, but you guys are kinda crushing me right now,” said Eddie.

“Sorry!” You looked down at him, and found him grinning back at you.

Steve stood up, and you let him help you to your feet.

“Are you okay?” he asked, holding your arm out to get a better look at where the demodog had clawed at you. His eyes caught on your neck, and he grimaced. You could only assume that it was badly bruised.

“I am now. How did you find them?” You gestured at Will and Mike.

“I was coming back to get you. Dustin called me on the radio. And then I saw them in the woods. They were about to swarmed by demodogs. Will was in some kind of trance. I think he was going to Vecna. We managed to get Will into the car, but then it all just sort of… stopped? I guess Eleven did her thing.”

“And what about you? Are you okay?” His shirt was torn too, his torso a bloody patchwork.

“Oh, this? It’s nothing.”

You stared at the rips in his shirt. His skin was littered with familiarly shaped bite marks. Demobats. You swayed on your feet. Steve grabbed your arms to stop you from falling. Eddie straightened up behind you, putting his hand on your lower back.

“It’s not nothing,” you said, your voice trembling. You couldn’t understand why you felt so lightheaded. All the fear and hurt that you’d been holding in, trying to be strong and protect the kids, was crashing down on you now. You couldn’t stand the idea of your brother doing the same to protect you, only to crash and burn in private. “Steve.”

“What?” His eyes widened in panic. “What’s wrong? What did I say?”

“I’m just worried about you.” Embarrassingly, you felt tears rolling down your cheeks. “You’re hurt.”  

Steve, looking bewildered, pulled you into a hug. “Shh, sweetpea, it’s okay. It’s okay.”

You wrapped your arms around him, holding him tight to you.

*

At Hopper’s insistence, you all went to the hospital to get checked out. The explanation you gave was that you’d all been camping, and been attacked by bears.

Unfortunately, that justification didn’t hold up for you. The nurse was staring at the fingerprint shaped bruises on your neck. You made up an excuse about running into a tree and getting hit by the branches.

She took in your obviously pregnant belly, and gave you a slip of paper with a phone number on it, telling you to call it if you needed help. From her tone, you could only assume it was a domestic abuse support line.

Since you were pregnant, the doctors and nurses spent far longer checking you over than anyone else. You were grateful to be reassured that you and the baby were both okay, but you just wanted to get home and sleep.

Eddie was waiting outside the room when you came out. He had had his own share of cuts and bruises that were now bandaged up. The nurse gave him a side-eye as you embraced him, but said nothing.

“What was that about?” he asked, his face pressed into your hair.

“The bruises. I think she thinks I’m being abused.”

“Oh.” He pulled back, a serious expression on his face. It looked very out of place there. “I know I said it before, but I am sorry. I’m so sorry I hurt you.”

“You didn’t do this. Vecna did.”

“Still. He used me to hurt you. I don’t blame you if you’re upset with me.”

“Eddie.” You brought your hands up to his face and squeezed his cheeks. “You’re basically a teddy bear. I know that you’d never hurt me on purpose.”

You released him and he chuckled. “Careful. I’ve got a reputation to maintain.” He closed the distance between you until your noses were almost touching. “Can’t have anyone think I’m going soft.” His hand went to your belly, cupping your bump.

“Can’t have that,” you agreed, kissing him.

---

Notes:

epilogue will be up in a little bit :)

Epilogue

[medusapelagia]

When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let's spread the self-love 💞

Oh this is such a lovely ask!

Thank you dear!!!

So my favorite 5 fics are: Second Chances Mixtape, pre Steddie, Time travel AU | Rating M | words: 49,000 | 5 chapters | complete

It's 1986 and the plan to kill Vecna was a disaster: Vecna escaped, Hawkins was devasted by an earthquake and Eddie Munson is dead. Or so they presume.

“The cassette player broke.” Lucas whispers after hours of silence. “I couldn’t… I couldn’t help her. I was right there, but I couldn’t help her.” Steve holds him tighter, he has no words of comfort for him and he knows exactly how he feels. How hard is he judging himself, how he is playing the entire movie of the night in his head trying to find the point in time where he could have fixed everything. Steve knows all of that because he and Lucas are so similar and he is doing the very same thing, thinking about Eddie. Only…. Only Steve has another thought that doesn’t let him breathe: did he really hate him? Steve can’t deny that he was jealous of Dustin’s new cool friend but… did he let them risk their lives because he was jealous?

Hidden Treasure, Metal Sandwich, Pirate AU, Omegaverse | Rating E | words: 64,283 | 15 chapters | complete

In an omegaverse world, the alpha Billy Hargrove, captain of the pirate ship the Golden Lion, is traveling with his lover and second in command, the beta Eddie Munson, and their crew, raiding every merchant ship they can get their hands on. One day during one of their attacks, they stumble on a pretty beta boy who’s trying to get back to London, paying for his journey with golden jewels. Why is Steve, the pretty boy, so desperate to get to London quickly? Is he running from something? But the more important question is: is he really a beta or not?

The restless sea calls back to you, Harringrove, Mermaid AU| Rating E | Words:15,156 | One shot

When the training ends Steve brings Billy back to his tank. The merboy is tired and he has red bruises where Neil hurt him. “You ok?” It’s a stupid question, Steve knows that, but he can’t avoid it. “Are you worried about me, Harrington? How sweet.” The merboy replies, licking his sharp teeth “Maybe next time you’ll get into my tank I’ll keep you.” “Fuck you, Billy!” “Are you proposing, pretty boy?” It’s just their usual bickering but Steve can feel that his cheeks are blushing. “Oh, so you do have a crush on me. That makes so much sense: that’s why you are obsessed with me. Don’t worry, pretty boy, I’m not going to fuck you… at least not as you are thinking, but I’ll keep fucking with you because it’s the funniest thing that I can do in this stupid place.” Billy replies and then he gets underwater, while Steve stares at his big red tale covered in shimmering scales. “He has an attitude, I’ll give him that.” Hargrove says appearing from nowhere “But stay away from him. He is still a mermaid and even if he hasn’t had the time to learn the songs from other mermaids he is still capable of convincing you to kill yourself in his tank. It would not be the first time.”

Separate Ways, Harringrove, Modern AU| Rating E | Words:47,969 | 22 chapters | complete

Steve Harrington is a famous model whose life depends on his manager and (more or less) lover, Tommy Hagan. After a bar fight, he meets Officer William Hargrove, recently transferred to the NY Police Department and with a deep personal experience with a violent environment, who can clearly see the signs of domestic violence in Steve’s relationship with Tommy. Determined to help the pretty boy escape from his abusive relationship, Billy gets closer and closer to Steve.

I'm so good at telling lies (it comes from my mother's side), Steddie, Ballet AU, Omegaverse | Rating E | Words: 40,216 | 19 chapters | complete

"The first time Steve sees a ballerina it isn't a real one. It is a carillon that he sees at Malvald during the Christmas holiday. It is a blue box with a white swan and a little doll that spins around to the sound of a sweet melody. Steve has never seen something more beautiful in his life."

Steve is a male Omega who wants to study ballet at the Performing Arts Academy in New York, and who is trying to find a job that pays enough to cover his school fees. Nancy is a female Alpha, who wants to study journalism. Eddie is the youngest teacher at the New York Performing Arts Academy .

[ice-sculptures]

What's your season 5 wishlist?

ohhhh good question anon!!

byler endgame obviously

vickie gets involved w the supernatural plot + rockie kiss

stoncy comes back & stonathan become best friends. jonathan sees that steve really has grown up and steve gets to see that nancy is happy with jonathan.

jancy sort out their relationship issues and jonathan finally gets to tell nancy about the way he's been feeling for years due to the parentification that he's faced since lonnie left.

will and joyce tell jonathan that he does not need to stress about taking care of them. eventually jonathan decides to take a gap year and then apply to NYU the following year.

four words: dramatic. ass. painting. fight.

mike and will being best friends and being glued to each other's sides before they get together as a couple

jancy + byler patrolling or going on a mission together

scoops troop comes back

el and hopper get scenes together where they talk about their trauma and what they've been through

will gets multiple coming out scenes and gets to be happy and confident in his identity as a gay man

robin and will scene!! robin and will scene!!! robin and will scene!!!!

lucas and el teamup to find max

scenes of the OG4 throughout the season & scenes of all six members of the party alive and happy at the end

max wakes up but stays in a wheelchair

kali returns, even if it's just for an episode or two

lonnie also comes back but only in a vecna vision

we get some closure on what owens and the lab men are doing

fuck it!! i want byler to say i love you. but not in a high stakes situation, maybe in an epilogue or smth where it's just them being casual, sweet, and happy with one another.

two byler kiss scenes. one dramatic af and the other one casual and domestic.

i'm begging the duffers for just one scene of the byers-hopper family as a group....maybe at the end where they're just having a regular family dinner after everything is over

basically i just want everyone on the hill + lumax + robin to make it out alive and get their well-deserved happy endings okay

[badnewsbilly]

♚ main ♚ bio ♚ face ♚ muse ♚ wishlist ♚

about:

This is a sideblog, and I follow back from my main @grimmusings. Please direct IMs there, since it's easier for me to keep all my messages on one blog. It's also easier to start interactions with me there, where I regularly post open starters and meme prompts. For a full list of rules, see my main. Honesty hour questions will largely be answered IC and treated as anonymous unless signed by a muse.

Billy is a canon character from Stranger Things. All details vary based on verse, and I'm happy to write him into AUs and fandom crossovers. There may be themes such as domestic/child abuse, bullying, racism, and (internalized) homophobia present here.

wanted connections:

This is by no means a comprehensive list, and I can roll with most muses as far as basic interactions. I'm happy to ship Billy with other Stranger Things characters and OCs/fandom crossovers based on chemistry, but unless they're on my OTP list, they need plotting and interaction first. There is never any pressure to ship with me, even if they're on my list.

OTPs: Chrissy Cunningham, Eddie Munson Possible Ships: Steve Harrington, Jonathan Byers NOTPs: Anyone on the family list, any of the underage members of The Party Family: Max Mayfield (love those two working out their issues) Other: Robin Buckley, other horror/paranormal fandom crossovers from the Stephen King universe, Supernatural, The Lost Boys, etc.

default verses:

canon (+/-): Billy survived the Mind Flayer's attack and woke up in the hospital after the fight at the Starcourt. He gets a job at a local garage and moves out of his father's house, and he's there to help Max and the others during the fight against Vecna.

horror!verse: Billy survived the Mind Flayer's attack and got the hell out of town as soon as he recovered. He's spent the intervening time driving around the country and has yet to settle anywhere for long, but there are more monsters in the world than the ones in Hawkins.

[familyvideostevie]

𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕧𝕖 𝕙𝕒𝕣𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕥𝕠𝕟 𝕞𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕝𝕚𝕤𝕥

𝗴𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 | 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗺𝗲

any nsfw/18+ content will be tagged as such, minors dni

when you read, please reblog and tell me your thoughts!

𝗳𝗶𝗰𝘀:

”i’ve got you”: comforting steve after a nightmare [1.1k]

"sunrise”: watching the sunrise with steve, repost link, original link [1.6k]

”none but you”: reading out loud to steve [1.1k]

”match made in heaven”: steve loves to celebrate the little things with you [1.2k]

”hold my hand through it”: steve takes you for a drive when you’re feeling down [1.5k]

”keep your cool”: you come home after a weekend on the lake with the girls burned to a crisp, steve does his best to help [1.9k]

"the food of love": you write poetry and steve asks to read it [1.7k]

"crystal clear": steve is hiding something from you, but it's not what you think it is [1.2k]

"on the ground": vecna tries to get steve and you try to save him, angst w happy ending! [4.3k]

"sometimes it's just you": you and steve have bad weeks but cheer each other up with sweetness and fluff [2.3k]

"no good at waiting": a multi-part farmer's market au [4 parts, 33.5k total]

"scare me, baby": steve really likes your Halloween costume [2.3k] 18+

"i will always be right there": steve makes it clear to you that you're his priority, always [1.8k]

"a warm horizon": springtime with steve [1k]

"stand to gain": you get a raise at work. steve has a tough day. and yet somehow your good news turns it around for him. | fluff, established relationship, being loved wholly and completely [1.3k]

𝗮𝘀𝗸𝘀:

ask: steve worries he won’t be a good dad someday [1.6k]

ask: steve meets your college friends and they don't get him [2.2k]

ask: jealous!steve about eddie and henderson!reader during season four [1.4k]

ask: steve and his pottery girl, based on the blurb [1.6k]

ask: pottery girl part 2, they try photography! [1.5k]

ask: jason corners you in war zone and steve backs you up when you hold your own [1.2k]

ask: you and dustin throw a dance party and steve is so in love with you, friends to lovers [2.5k]

ask: you comfort steve after the events of season 4 vol II [1.4k]

ask: you're there for steve at his graduation, friends to lovers [1.3k]

ask: steve confesses his feelings for henderson!reader in the upside down once she gets hurt [1k]

part 2 [2k]

ask: steve is mad at you for following him into the upside down, angst to fluff [0.7k]

ask: steve comforts you after a nightmare [0.9k]

ask: steve notices every little thing about you [0.9k]

ask: domestic day with steve folding laundry [1.2k]

ask: you and steve make up after a fight (from this blurb) [1.4k]

ask: you call steve by his middle name just to piss him off [0.3k]

ask: steve looks after you when you have cramps [0.8k]

ask: steve is...bad at building a snowman [0.8k]

ask: meet-cute with steve at a coffee shop [1k]

ask: steve feels lucky to come home to you [0.9k]

ask: you and steve share your first kiss in the rain [0.9k]

ask: steve is moping so dustin decides to set him up with you [1.7k]

ask: steve makes his way home to you on your birthday [0.7k]

ask: sunshine!reader and grumpy!steve on a day when you're the grumpy one [1.2k]

ask: you're worried your new relationship with steve is too good to be true, but he sets you right [1.1k]

𝗯𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗯𝘀/𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀:

steve does pottery

dad!steve and his daughter

dad!steve at his daughter's wedding

roller skating with steve

cuddling with steve

teasing steve by misunderstanding sports analogies

steve finally makes your tea correctly

swim team steve

steve vs a ponytail

jock!steve with a jock!girlfriend

steve dating a nerd

steve and the crew in the summertime

lifeguard!steve teaching kids to swim

steve doesn't judge you for your fears (he has some of his own)

steve's little mustache

𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘁𝘀:

kiss prompts

this might be our last kiss ever so let’s make it last

kitchen counter make-outs

tending to your lover’s wound, placing a kiss on top of their head, grateful they’re still alive

an accidental kiss between two exes

kisses that travel from your lover’s nose to their lips

pulling your lover closer by the waistband 18+

messy kisses, destroying furniture trying to reach the bed

spinning your lover into a kiss on the dance floor

unbuttoning your lover’s shirt, pressed against the wall 18+

a goodbye kiss, but neither of you can quite let go

soft kisses while cuddling in bed

“if we get caught kissing we’re dead but let’s risk it”

stopping a kiss when it gets too heated

"breaking the kiss but instantly pressing your lips back together"

everything is going to be okay kisses

smut prompts

"touch yourself" 18+

"you can take it" 18+

"you are doing so well" 18+

"I will never get enough of you" 18+

"tell me what you want" 18+

"let me see those eyes" 18+

"please kiss me" 18+

"you look so good beneath me.” + “I want you to ruin me.” 18+

"you take me so well" 18+

"keep your eyes on me"18+

"i can't get enough of you" 18+

what are we prompts

accidentally referencing them as 'my'

looking for them in a crowd

sparks when skin touches skin

knowing what they'll say

friends pointing it out

smiling more easily

rubbing comforting circles into their skin

personal gift

glowing after a nice remark and having it pointed out

little romantic gestures prompts

being observant to their likes and dislikes

sleepy scenarios

laughing at their messy hair in the morning

[kinghairington]

Part of the Family [S.H.]

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Henderson!Reader, Reader & Dustin, Steve & Dustin Word Count: 2.6k Summary: Steve was a stable figure in the Henderson household as your boyfriend and your little brother’s best friend/father figure. Was it weird? Sometimes. But there was no one better suited to help you with Dustin’s trauma.  Warnings/Notes: SFW. Established relationship. Hurt/Comfort. Fluff. Domestic/Family. Everyone has trauma. Mention of absent parents. Talk of future children. S4 spoilers. Fix-it, sort of. There are no mentions of the reader's physical features. Requested. Masterlist.

You loved the feeling of domesticity that came with pretending to share a room with Steve and the routine of it all - getting ready for bed together, the two of you crowded around the small sink in your bathroom to brush teeth and fix hair (Steve’s) and changing into pajamas that now shared space in your dresser. You had a similar routine at his house, but the Harrington household held a less cozy atmosphere and you both preferred to sleep at your house despite not really having the place to yourself.

Thankfully your mom didn’t care to ask any questions since you were both adults. Past her subtle questioning of whether you were ‘being safe’ or not and having to swear to her that Dustin would never ever witness anything inappropriate, nothing was dramatic or weird about it.

She was probably ready for the two of you to settle down together in a place of your own, and a part of you believed that was just around the corner.

Dustin, however, was more curious about the entire situation and would constantly try to interfere with the routine the two of you had created for yourselves.

He claimed it was annoying and gross that you were dating his best friend and yet he was constantly pushing to sit between you to watch a movie, tagging along on dates at your favorite diner, and asking for rides to his friends’ houses while you were on your way to see Steve.

It was annoying to you, but he was your only brother and you would always have a huge soft spot in your heart for him. Steve was the only father figure Dustin had and there was definitely a part of Steve that was working out his own issues with his father through being that for your brother, so there was a part of you that was endeared by it all.

And it was clear that Steve felt the same way.

Steve complained less than expected when Dustin bombarded your plans or caused some sort of issue where you were late to the movies or missed getting to a restaurant before they closed.

After Vecna, neither of you complained at all.

Dustin’s entire personality had shifted the night of the battle.

When you found Dustin and Eddie, the older male was barely hanging onto life and Dustin was distraught. For a moment, you thought they were both in danger, and rushed to your brother’s aide to check on him. The adrenaline and emotions had crashed down onto Dustin so heavily that he could do no more than sob as he held Eddie in his arms.

Thankfully Eddie survived, but getting him back to your world was almost as difficult as the battle itself. Between Dustin having to be forcefully removed from Eddie’s side and the rush to make a makeshift stretcher with a piece of plywood that had to be pried off of the Upside Down Munson trailer window, your little brother transformed from still innocent despite it all to a horrifyingly hardened teenage boy who had seen far too much in a few years. It was almost immediate and in front of your eyes.

All you could do once Eddie was considered stable was hold onto your little brother, and thankfully he let you.

Over the last few months, Dustin didn’t laugh as much as before and it broke your heart to witness. Your mother raised him well and he was the sweetest little nerd and the biggest pain in the ass. You wouldn’t change him for anything in the world, though, so watching his transformation and knowing there was no way to stop it was harder for you than fighting interdimensional creatures.

Still, you tried to keep the routine you and Steve built as normal as possible in the hopes that part of your lives wouldn’t change. Dustin stopped inserting himself in the relationship and you found yourself missing him.

Even when he was right there.

Among the clutter of everyday life, Dustin’s shoes thrown haphazardly in the hallway, a stack of VHS tapes that needed to be returned to Family Video that Steve constantly pointed out with a joke that he was going to put your family on the ban list if you didn’t get them back soon, and dishes drying on the kitchen counter, it was a normal evening in the Henderson-Harrington household.

After dinner as a family of four, your mother moved to her room to watch the news and do her scheduled scrapbooking and Dustin went to his own room to play video games or mess around with whatever invention he was working on at the time, leaving you and Steve to the rest of the house.

You spent your time together watching almost half of a movie before you began to feel the day catch up with you.

“Should we go to bed?” You asked as you stretched, eyeing Steve’s heavy lids. “I have my early classes tomorrow.”

Steve nodded and waited for you to stand from the couch before following, letting you lead the way to your bedroom.

It was quiet and peaceful while you picked out pajamas for the night and began undressing, giggling sleepily when Steve batted your hands out of the way to slip the nightshirt over your head.

“What was that for?” I can dress myself, you wanted to sass, but it was sweet when he was like this - his way of pampering you when it was simply time to get ready to sleep.

You’d never complain about Steve’s affection and attention.

“I just wanted to do it. Haven’t touched you much tonight.” Steve replied with a shrug and proceeded to get into his own pajamas. He usually just slept in a pair of pajama bottoms without a shirt unless it was the dead of winter, and you couldn’t say that you minded getting to rest against his bare chest or shoulder every night.

Watching him through your vanity mirror, you smiled.

“What’re you looking at?” He asked in mock anger, casually flexing his muscles at the attention.

“I like how relaxed you are after dinner.”

“I’m always relaxed after eating.”

You shook your head. The smile was still on your lips.

“No, not like that. I don’t mean tired. I mean, it’s like you’re content after dinner with us.”

Steve thought about it for a moment with his head tilted and you could see the precise moment a blush began to form on his neck and up toward his cheeks.

“I guess it’s the company,” He settled on with a shrug. Your smile grew. “It’s a nice feeling being here.”

“Yeah, I know,” you said, getting up and crossing the floor over to him. You wrapped your arms around his waist and pressed your cheek to his chest. “I can’t wait until we can do this all the time.”

He lifted a hand to the back of your head and held you against him in what could only be described as a tender embrace, his way of saying, “me too.”

Somehow, despite the last few years - the last few months alone - you still managed to sleep pretty well. Especially when Steve was in the same bed, an arm slung heavily over your waist and the length of his body pressed against your back. His soft breaths hit the back of your neck or your shoulder with every exhale, the rhythm lulling you back to sleep anytime you woke up from a noise or dream.

But tonight there was a sound you couldn’t place. Usually you could recognize the ticking of the clock, the noise of the refrigerator, or a tree branch scratching the window. Those noises could be ignored in favor of Steve’s breathing. This, though, was weird and right outside your bedroom door.

The hairs on your arms stood up as it continued, a chafing sound back and forth on the carpet.

Your first thought was to wake up Steve, of course, but you didn’t want to turn your attention away from the door. Taking a deep breath, you sat up, Steve’s arm falling to your hip and then onto the mattress as you moved to stand from the bed.

There was a bat just under your bed, so you kept your eyes on the door as you squatted down to blindly reach for it. But before your fingers could grasp the wood, the doorknob turned and the door was being pushed open.

The sound was moving toward you now and you quickly crawled back to the bed to wake Steve up with a rough push of his shoulder.

Ever vigilant, Steve sat up quickly and looked around. He was still half asleep, but he was on guard almost immediately.

“What? What’s happening?”

You shushed him and slipped closer to whisper in his ear.

“Something’s at the door.”

“Steve?” Now there was a voice. Holy shit.

Thankfully your vision had adjusted to the darkness in the minutes since you woke up so you were able to see as the creature-person-whatever was hunting you completely entered the room.

Steve, however, had only been awake for a few seconds, so his reaction was one of fear while you were relieved to see it was only Dustin.

“Sissy?” He whispered into the room and you fell back onto your bed in relief. You hadn’t heard that nickname in years.

You reached for Steve and patted his leg at an awkward angle as he was halfway off the bed.

“It’s Dustin,” you said before propping yourself up on the pillows to look at your brother where he was standing just inside the room. “What’s wrong?”

The last time your brother snuck into your bedroom during the night, he was still practically a baby in your eyes and you were a kid yourself. You weren’t at that point yet where being close to your sibling was considered uncool or weird, so you didn’t complain about him waking you up in the middle of the night to cuddle.

But that was years ago and now you were an adult while he was a teenager, and that was definitely weird territory.

Or it would have been weird if he didn’t look absolutely wrecked. His hair was a mess, curls having been pulled by hands and pressed by the tossing and turning for the last few hours.

“Come here.”

Steve’s breathing was labored as he relaxed from the surprise, but his eyes closely followed Dustin when he moved to the bed to sit on the edge of it.

“I couldn’t sleep,” Dustin said and you sat up to place a hand on his back, rubbing in the small circles you’d learned from your mom, the comforting action always helping when you were in the same situation. You weren’t sure it would help right now because Dustin was so tense that he probably couldn’t even feel the touch. “I was asleep, but it’s there every time I close my eyes.”

“What is?”

“The Upside Down. Every time I close my eyes, I’m back there, and Eddie’s - Eddie’s dead this time, and there’s so much blood, and it’s all my fault.”

“Hey. Nothing that happened was ever your fault.” You spoke slowly and moved your hand to his head, ruffling his hair. “And Eddie is fine. Max is fine. We’re all okay.”

Physically, you almost added, but stopped yourself. Mentally, you were all messed up, and it would be a long road before any of you were anywhere close to being 100% okay. If ever. But Dustin was your little brother and you wanted to have hope that one day he would be able to live without thinking about all of this Upside Down shit everyday.

“I still get nightmares, too,” Steve spoke up behind you, sitting up and settling against the headboard. He sat there and watched the two of you. You were still attempting to smooth out Dustin’s hair and the tension was easing from the teenager’s shoulders little by little as you did.

You glanced back at Steve and sent him a small, sad smile.

“We all do. You don’t have to deal with it alone, you know? I’m glad you came in here instead of tossing and turning all night. I don’t want you to torture yourself, Dusty.”

Dustin sighed but nodded.

He spent the last few months internalizing everything in an unhealthy way and it was almost enough to make you cry that he finally let you in.

“How about some hot milk? That’s supposed to work for sleep, right?” Steve questioned and stood from the bed, stretching before adjusting his pajama pants up his hips.

“That’s disgusting, but probably worth a shot.”

You squeezed Dustin’s arm and adjusted on the bed until you were in the middle of the full size mattress. Steve left the room with a promise to be right back.

“Lie down.”

It was silent as the two of you lay there. Sleep was the last thing on your mind now.

“Thank you for coming to me,” you said after a moment.

“For what?”

“For trusting me - us - and telling us that you’re having trouble. We’ve all changed during everything, but I don’t want you to distance yourself so much. I’m still your big sister and I want to take care of you.”

Dustin opened his mouth a few times before settling on one word: “Thanks.”

“I’m always going to be here for you.”

“Even when you and Steve leave?”

“What?”

“You’re going to move out soon, aren’t you? You and Steve - you’re going to start your own family one day.”

“Well, yeah, but you’re already part of our family.” Turning to your side, you used a hand to prop your head up so you could look at him. He was turned away from you, so you fixed your eyes onto the back of his head. “You can stay with us whenever you want.”

Steve stepped into the room and you could tell he heard Dustin’s question from the downturn of his lips, but he played it off  and placed the mug of warm milk on the bedside table. With his other hand he held another mug and walked around the bed before offering it to you.

You sat up and took it.

“Chamomile,” he said to your silent question. You leaned into him in thanks.

It was quiet as the two of you drank your bedtime beverages - your tea was lukewarm instead of hot, so you guessed it had been heated up in the microwave to save time. It was a perfect addition to the comfort of Steve’s arm around your shoulder.

Dustin fell asleep before finishing his milk and you leaned over him to place the mug back onto the bedside table, Steve taking your own and doing the same on his side. You curled up into him, back facing Dustin as he snored away behind you.

You signed heavily and Steve held you tighter.

“You’re going to be a great mom one day,” he whispered against your head.

“You think so?”

“Are you kidding me? Of course. I’ve known it for a long time because you’re really cool with the kids, but you’re like this comfort that all of us need and I can already imagine you taking care of scraped knees and nightmares like tonight.”

“It might’ve been the milk,” you said jokingly.

“Thought that was disgusting.”

“It is, but that’s why our kids will need you, too, because I would never think about that.”

Steve laughed softly and you cuddled further into him as you began to fall asleep.

“Maybe we can get a place with an extra room,” he said and you smiled, your lips pressing to his skin in a small kiss.

“All for Dusty?”

“Yeah, all for Dusty.”

[bisexual-cryptid]

we all talk about how much eddie loves steve’s waist and i absolutely agree, however- i think eddie also LOVES steve’s stomach.

after vecna when things finally settle down steve starts putting on a little weight, no longer having the vigorous workout of fighting inter dimensional monsters to keep him in shape. steve is a little self conscious about it at first, his mother’s words ringing in his ears about how it’s “unattractive” and how he “needs to eat healthier or he’ll get fat.”

eddie is very quick to dispel any and all of those ideas his parents implanted in him. eddie loved stave’s toned abs don’t get him wrong, but there is something about his soft stomach that drives him wild. the proof that steve is safe and healthy enough to be putting on that weight. it’s oddly domestic, and it makes him so so happy that steve is healthier now more than ever.

when they first got together steve barely ate anything, always claiming he wasn’t hungry despite the fact his stomach would rumble. but now he eats three meals a day with some snacks in between and eddie couldn’t be more proud. he makes sure to tell steve how proud of him he is at every chance he gets.

it also helps that steve’s stomach is really hot. maybe it’s just because eddie finds steve unfairly sexy all the time, but eddie especially finds his stomach attractive. it’s one of his favorite parts of him. he almost always spends extra time marking his stomach up, leaving as many little marks as he can to show that this beautiful man is his and only he gets to touch him like this.

he loves wrapping his arms around his middle from behind and slipping his hands under steve’s shirt so he can rest his hands on his stomach. he loves resting his head on his stomach when they lay together. he just loves everything about steve so much and he wants to be touching him as often as possible.

it takes some time but eventually steve learns to love his stomach and body. after all if eddie finds it so amazing it must be something worth loving.

[homeybadger]

In Your Head: Part Seven

Summary: When you head to Hawkins for your cousin's funeral, you didn't expect to be roped into saving the world. To be fair- you didn't expect her to interrupt her own funeral either.

Pairings: Chrissy Cunningham x cousin! reader, Billy Hargrove x friend! Reader

Words: 1,245

Warnings: Religious themes/imagery, violence to reader, blood, hints at past domestic abuse, Vecna, reader passing out

Notes: For anyone wondering about the time frame, this chapter occurs a bit after Patrick’s death

Part Eight is here

If he wasn’t trying to actively kill you, he’d look almost holy. 

Illumination from surrounding streetlights blanketed the room in gentle color, as beams filtered through a nearby stained glass window. Fragments of the glow reflected off from various strands of Jason’s tousled blonde hair, granting him the apparition of a halo as he knelt on the carpeted floor beneath it. From your vantage point, you clearly witnessed his hands clasped tightly together as he murmured in anguished prayer. Snippets of his whispers floated airly around the room, remaining the only suggestion of noise as you edged closer. Step by step, the sensation of intrusion coiled within your gut- as if eavesdropping on a Saint.

The moment was instantaneously shattered as Jason opened his eyes- his expression automatically darkening with unspoken rage. His skin was painted a sickly pale, a dark ring wrapping around each of his eyes. The blonde hair that moments ago hosted a halo now simply appeared bedraggled and limp. Wordlessly, he gathered himself from the floor, gaze remaining obviously trained on you. The imagery of a bloody man pierced to a cross on the window behind him became extraordinarily appropriate.

Saints don’t want to kill you. Mostly.

Chrissy’s grief-laden whisper of Jason’s name startled you from your observations, a prayer of her own, and your gaze briefly flickered to her’s. The absolute heartbreak residing on her face fuled you to advance further towards him until you assumed he could simply extend his arm fully and latch onto you.

I need to show him I’m not a threat.

“You’re Jason right?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m y/n.”

“You’re Chrissy’s cousin?”

You opted to simply nod softly in response, gesturing for him to take a seat on a nearby creaky pew. You allowed him a brief moment to situate himself before continuing- signaling your start with a sigh.

“Yeah. I just wanted to say that I’m sorry for your loss, to stop by and see how you were doing. And to ask you to stop this manhunt.”

“How do you think I’m doing?”

His tone deepened sarcastically, turning his head downwards as he rested his elbows on his knees. For the moment, he skirted around the last portion of your statement. Fighting every single ounce of logic within you, your hand found its way to rest on his shoulder. 

“I think you’re hurting. Which is absolutely fine, because we all are.”

“I don’t think that’s the case y/n. Why is it that her cousin, despite claiming to care about Chrissy, left early from her funeral?”

Chrissy and you simultaneously faintly shrunk into yourselves as Jason swiftly rose to his feet once more. You merely observed as his shaky hand ripped through his hair. A fist subconsciously began forming at your side, which you thankfully caught before Jason noticed. Although, judging by the fact that he started a monotonous pattern of pacing the length of the pew, you doubt a gun would’ve drawn his focus from his thoughts.

Of course he remembered that.

The urge to roll your eyes welled within you, but you mentally swatted it away.

“I needed to find out what’s going on.”

“You don’t believe me?”

“I’m not a resident of Hawkins- I don’t want to endorse something I can’t prove.”

A shaky breath escaped his lungs, alerting you to his rapidly growing unchecked agitation. Thinking back hastily through the conversation, Jason was obviously becoming increasingly upset by the second.

“Chrissy and Patrick are gone because of one man.”

His return materialized as a harsh growl. In your peripheral, Patrick edged closer towards your side despite being unable to interact with the physical world. It was unusual to find the striking green and gold color scheme of the Hawkin’s basketball team comforting and threatening at once, but you figured you’d dealt with worse before.

“You know this!”

Jason’s spit misted over your face as he screamed and Chrissy threw her arms over her face, fully cowering into Patrick. She trembled slightly and Patrick placed his hands over her ears while Billy rubbed a hand on her shoulder gently.

Guess I’m yelling back.

“I don’t know anything actually! Eddie’s just some guy. That’s it, he’s just a dude- not some cult leader.”

“He’s a vessel of Satan!”

“Your hair is a vessel of Satan!”

Jason stepped backwards, mouth frozen partially open.

“See? You just sound stupid! Chrissy wouldn’t want this Jason. The pointless death of Eddie isn’t going to give you closure.”

Jason’s body tensed, stalking forward slowly. 

A predator.

“His death won’t be pointless. And yours won’t be either.”

Before a question could even formulate on your tongue, Jason savagely lunged forward towards you, a whirlwind of limbs and fists and rage. The sensation of his fist repeatedly connecting against the side of your face momentarily distracted you from the one clenched around your throat. A stream of blood, hot and sticky, cascaded down your face and directly into your left eye- obscuring your vision. Your scream of terror was quite literally choked from your throat as your back audibly collided with the solid wall of the church. A strained weeze escaped you as your arms operated as shitty shields, compared to the sheer intensity of his swings.

This is it. This is how I die.

Mainly out of the fear that your newfound group would deem you a traitor, you’d barely uttered a word of your plan to the others. You’d alerted them of a time to expect your return to the boathouse, but by then nobody would be able to save you from Jason’s wrath.

Hawkins will have another ghost.

The edges of your vision blurred, and in your panic you utilized both palms to thrust against his chest. Your head vibrated as your skull connected with the wall you were pressed against, tingles erupting from the base of your skull and branching methodically upwards. The sensation of blood dripping from your nose was forgotten as Jason flew backwards, leaving you limply sliding down the wall.

Thanks wizard child.

Chrissy leapt in front of you, and you completely lost your vision momentarily. When it returned Jason was dazed, sprawled out across the floor. Chrissy stood triumphantly above him, slender arm remaining outstretched momentarily before whirling to face you.

Who knew she’d pack such a punch?

The sensation of being quite literally drug outside by your ghostly companions jostled you back to logic. You gifted the three of them a nod of thanks before bolting into the surrounding woods, legs pumping in a desperate scramble to escape Jason.

*****

A road eventually appeared in your line of sight, and you stumbled to a halt. Collapsing to your knees on the path, a heavy cough harshly rattled your body side to side. Chrissy placed a hand against your back as you attempted to stand, allowing Billy and Patrick to assist you upwards.

“Gotta keep moving.”

You hazarded a glance downwards. A slimy, pulsating vine of flesh coiled around your ankle, leaving you a half-second to register why it was so familiar before wrenching you backwards.

*****

The wounds from Jason’s attack burned from being drug over asphalt as you were harshly deposited on the ground. The constant pain piled overtop of the sounds of multiple voices yelling- prodding you with uncaring hands. Russian words speckled in amongst the English, yet your head remained stiffly on the ground.

Your final question echoed in your mind as darkness swallowed you.

Why is there a cat?

[mx-drumbot]

I’ve been thinking a lot about how Vecna would control Eddie if he doesn’t just possess him. Those thoughts spawned this.

TW: unreality, sh, manipulation

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Eddie lifted the sleeping baby out of her crib and into his arms and cooed softly at her. She woke up slowly, rubbing her chubby face on his chest as she did. When she opened her big brown eyes she giggled happily at him, but she didn’t reach for him, she was already holding one of his fingers. “Good morning sweet Ferrah! Did you sleep okay?” She rambled a few baby noises and him and he nodded like it made perfect sense. “I’m glad sweet girl. So your big brother has his science fair today, are you excited to see what he’s come up with?” He walked into the living room of the small home his family inhabited, receiving a small kiss on his cheek as he did so.

“Good morning Ferrah! Did pops wake you up correctly?” She mumbled a few noises at Steve and he chuckled back at her. “Looks like you were satisfactory Eds.”

“Oh I can only hope so.” Eddie watched as Steve’s mouth started moving but no sound came out. “What was that Stevie?” He tried to get Steve to repeat himself but he didn’t even turn to Eddie. “No. No. No. No.” Eddie pulled Ferrah closer to him but she was already fading from his hands. The warm sludge of what was now his blood began to fall from his lips as he tried to reach out to grab Steve but his hand just went fully through him instead. Burning tears filled his eyes, blurring the world around him until he could feel the rumble of thunder and the biting chill of the Upside Down. Eddie dropped to his knees, tears still falling as he wrapped his arms around his head, tight enough to hurt. He didn’t want this to be real, he wanted to go back to what his world could’ve been. He wanted to take Ferrah to Dustin’s science fair and watch him win. But he knew it was just a fabrication, and he knew the reason he had been ripped from it. After a few minutes of mourning his domestic life, he finally stood up to face the person who made it all possible. “What is it this time? What do I have to do to bring them back?”

“Someone has to feed the puppets Kas.” Eddie flinched at the name Kas, pinching himself hard on the arm. He wished he hadn’t told Vecna why they called him what they did, but there wasn’t much that he could keep from the entity.

“Fine. Then I get to see them again?”

“As long as the puppets are satisfied you can delude yourself as much as you like.”

Eddie knew this was wrong, picking people off one by one to sacrifice to the bats and dogs that inhabited his new home with him wasn’t what he should be doing. He knew that he should be fighting against Vecna, trying to help his friends, and save his town. But he wasn’t a hero, he was just Eddie, and he knew that no one was coming for him. So he had to find a way to stay sane in Mordor.

[hayleysayshay]

On my end I interpreted it less as reluctance and more as 'let's keep adventuring and having fun, we're still young, not settle down immediately'?

Idk if they had already agreed on Vesper happening by then or not though (I can't recall Laura dropping hints on Vex being ~pregante~ until the oneshots?), which would change up that plan pretty quickly - but Laura does seem to be on a simar page as him? Again, that whole idea likely went tits up as soon as they decided Vesper would be born so soon - travelling around with a baby, or even a toddler, seems like An Ordeal.

I could definitely see Percy and Vex planning to not spend much time in Whitestone, but between realizing they're expecting, and Cass' mental health deteriorating, I can defo see them spending a few years there at least, and by then it'd be difficult to leave their toddler behind to romp around, shoot shit dead and screw around in the woods like teenagers.

BUT, consider: de Rolo family adventures once the kids are all teens/young adults? Percy won't be too creaky by then, given Vesper was born when he's still so young, and I'm sure there are some values and experiences from adventuring they think would do their spoiled brood some good. Just in a controlled environment, yknow. No trauma allowed.

Here's the transcript I dug up:

Yeah, thats true— I think I just always read the fic where after Vecna, domesticated Percy and Vex settle down with no qualms, and then I watched it and I was like damn Percy is speaking out against settling down? Damn.

I deffo think Vesper was a bit of a whoopsie baby, especially if you consider that she was probs pregnant for the Vecna fight, so maybe after being forced to settle Percy didn’t mind it and enjoyed the stability. I think Percy had spent so much time running that it was probably hard for him to imagine stopping. I also feel like only Matt thought of Cassandra, and invented a future story that kind of required Percy and Vex to stay with her differing from Percy’s original flighty backstory so they probs had to stay

And I love the idea that they take the family on family adventures. Like even when the younger kids are still growing, they take the teens out. Maybe Cassandra can go on adventure with them. A mini adventuring party. They join the Darrington Brigade for an outing, maybe. Like yes they need to knock some sense into their children sometimes: oh you think this homework assignment is bad? You think it’s a shame you spilt ink on your favourite dress? Upset that you’re not getting your favourite meal? Try living off the land for a week. Guess where we’re going.

[megabees]

extraordinary magic

Their love is magic. 

Hers, divine. His, some learning and some passion, but never a solid answer. 

His, harnessed through song, hers through prayer.

Throughout their lives, though they seem to blend into each other. His music, a form of prayer, her devotion, almost a song.

 -----------------------------------

After the defeat of Vecna, after everything calms down, Pike still works at the temple. It’s a sort of peace she gets there, despite being the Chosen of Sarenrae, despite knowing she can call for her intervention whenever needed. There is an odd form of respect inherent in a temple, a calmness and a comfort in the idea that things are bigger than you. 

Pike yearns for that quiet some days. Her bad days usually find her there at the temple, searching for just something to calm the mind, calm the racing thoughts, make the heart stop beating as if every single threat is coming towards her, like she will have to watch all of her friends die and not be able to save a single one. She already couldn’t save one. Anxious. Afraid. Alone. 

In the temple, she is never alone. Sarenrae is always with her. 

Scanlan’s bad days take a different form. 

Scanlan has never been good with a loss of control, a loss of knowledge, not having the upper hand. He’s done a lot of stupid shit, he knows that his actions have consequences, but his worst moments come when he can’t control what people think of him, or when he can’t change other’s minds. On his bad days, he replays Vax’s death over and over again, knowing that he could have controlled this loss, knowing He Could Have Saved Him. In this case, he didn’t have the upper hand. He couldn’t outsmart a god. 

When the crushing weight of his lack of control hits him, when the grief is overbearing and there is nothing he can do to change it, the only option for him is to sleep. For Scanlan, there is no “working through the pain”, no easy solution to help him find peace. Music becomes too loud, light becomes too bright, nothing can bring him numbness other than sleep. It is the rawest form of escapism, the truest form of freedom. 

Pike knows this. Usually, on one of Scanlan’s bad days, she will allow him to sleep as long as he needs, until the sun begins to set and he needs to eat. She will bring him dinner, and then they will sit in bed and hold each other, knowing that the pain may be everlasting, but the current wave is only temporary. 

On one of these such days, Scanlan wakes before Pike brings him dinner. For some reason, the grief isn’t as crushing as it usually is when he rises, so he sneaks out to the kitchen to surprise Pike. He is unprepared for what he sees. 

Pike, lit by the setting sun, her white hair reflecting orange and gold and pink. Haloed almost, how fitting, he thinks, and she is breathtaking. She’s humming a small tune, softly and under her breath, shaking her hips in time with her own little beat while stirring a pot of stew. In this light, Scanlan has never been more in love with her. She is capable of healing with magic, but for him, in this moment, her music, it makes him whole. 

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

Occasionally, when Vasselheim or Emon’s temples come calling, Pike has to leave Scanlan in Westeruun to go assist with a resurrection or rebuilding or some other form of clerical duties. 

They don’t like to separate. Scanlan would like her to tell all of the other religious figures that he’s her constant plus one, but Pike knows that if they were to go together, she wouldn’t want to do her duties, she would just want to cause chaos with him. It is a hard life to constantly be devout. 

For her, leaving reminds her of loss. She has missed so much, she has been unable to save her friends so many times due to not being there. She has been so saddled with responsibility that she isn’t always able to help, she has been gone so often before that home didn’t feel like home. You go away for a time, and when you come back, everything is the same, but everything is different. There are events you miss, and jokes you can’t be a part of, and even if people miss you, everything is not the same. 

But what do you do when that happens? You still have a duty, you still must serve, you made a commitment. Pike loves her goddess, this is a fact, but she also loves and has loved so many others. She can not be like a dragon and just hold all that she holds dear to her close. 

So she serves, and she goes to Vasselheim, and she goes to Emon; whoever, wherever needs the Champion of Sarenrae. Her problems, her feelings of loss and missing out do not compare to other people’s problems, so she leaves Scanlan, and teleports out with Allura, or Keyleth, or whatever magical authority needs her at that moment. Perhaps it will be a short trip this time. 

Scanlan hates it when she leaves. He is so afraid for her safety, so worried that something will happen and she will dedicate herself to saving someone else, rather than save herself. She will fight, rather than run. She is brave like that. 

It’s not that she’s not incredibly powerful, because he has seen what she can do, it is just that she is so selfless. She is so good. That’s why she’s needed, after all. He can not have her all to himself, she needs to help. She needs to be needed. 

But everytime she leaves, Scanlan trusts in the one thing he knows has Pike’s interests at their heart. Other than Grog and himself, the only person Scanlan trusts is Sarenrae. Although he is the Champion of Ioun, and isn’t a big “God Guy”, Pike loves Sarenrae. So every time she leaves, whether it be early morning or mid-afternoon, Scanlan sees her off and then walks to the shrine they have built to Sarenrae in the backyard, prays for Pike’s safety, and then goes on with his day. 

It is one of these early mornings that Pike discovers Scanlan’s prayers. She headed off to Zephrah with Keyleth, then promptly forgot her mace at home, and had to go back to get it. While rooting through their adventuring gear, tangled up as it is with Scanlan’s instruments and swords, she catches a glimpse of Scanlan, arms up to the sun. Grabbing her mace, she heads out to speak to him, overhearing what he is saying. 

Please, keep her safe. I can not do it all on my own, and you know she will never admit weakness. Show her that leaving does not mean abandonment, and that there is a way to heal from a distance. Touch her with the rays of the sun, with every freckle that appears, it is just a sign of our love. Guide her, provide her hope, and when she is done, bring her back to me. 

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

They tell all their friends about the baby coming at the same time, at a picnic thrown on the anniversary of all of them meeting. It has been long enough that the occasion, while still sad is not riddled with grief over Vax, and is one of the few times that Keyleth will come in from Zephrah and the De Rolo’s (all of them!) come in from Whitestone. Grog is overjoyed, and the announcement provides for an excuse for them all to get together again in four months for a shower, and three months after that to meet the little tyke. 

It’s a tough pregnancy, mostly emotionally, for both Scanlan and Pike don’t have much to go on for parenting, and certainly don’t know how to prep for an infant, but both of them have always done better in crisis rather than in stasis, so they make it through okay. 

And when she is born, little Wilhelmina Juniper, she is the cutest thing they’ve ever seen, with lungs of her father and the fierceness of her mother. 

They settle into domesticity with Mina pretty quickly, but one thing they learn about their child is that she, much like her mother and father, is prone to wandering and escaping and staying awake because there’s just too much to do during the day. Suffice to say, she’s a bit rowdy. Vex describes her as a little terror, and Grog is thrilled but exhausted by the whirlwind that is the littlest Shorthalt-Trickfoot. 

There is one thing that is guaranteed to put little Mina to sleep though, and it is a lullaby sung by both of her parents. Passed down by Wilhand to help put Pike to sleep, it is a hymn from Sarenrae’s temple, one of returning home, of seeking redemption, of compassion for all. There is no place where the two of them feel more at home than singing over their child, showing her the intersection between music and the divine. 

It is one of these such nights, with the two gnomes holding hands over Mina’s bed finishing the song, when they notice faint sparkles in the air. Shocked, the two look down at their child, watching sparkles explode from her hands as she clapped. 

With Mina having magic, they learn quickly how to stop a firebolt in its path, as well as how to control a child who does not know how their magic works, and eventually, she goes off to learn how to control it at a school and becomes very powerful, as expected. 

The Trickfoot-Shorthalts have two more kids, all who grow up incredibly loved, and they sing the same lullaby to all of them, each one growing up knowing that music can be a source for divine magic. 

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

A bard, a sorcerer, a monk and a wizard sit in the front row of the Temple of the Sarenrae, the Everlight in the early morning. They are celebrating the renewal of vows of Pike Trickfoot-Shorthalt and Scanlan Trickfoot-Shorthalt, Champions of Sarenrae and Ioun, and they are the children of the lucky couple. Kaylie, the bard, attempts to appear as she is not crying, while Mina, the sorcerer, is openly weeping. The monk and the wizard, the two youngest Trickfoot-Shorthalts, grin, watching as their parents descend from the front of the temple. Others are there, Vex’s eyes bright clutching Percy’s hand, Keyleth wistful, Grog right behind Pike on the altar, but the two gnomes at the front have eyes only for each other. 

As they descend, without any warning, a breeze blows both of their hair back and a sunbeam seems to illuminate them in golden light. A chorus of violins begins to play, and they suddenly find themselves floating above the crowd. Giggling, the gnomes hold hands and wave, noticing how shocked some of their guests look at the show, despite no one seeming to cast anything. 

It makes sense though, for Pike and Scanlan. After all, their love has and always will be magic.   

[thespiceyoops]

Spacegirl

Chapter 7

Series Pairing: Eddie Munson x Original Female Character

A/N: This is where things get really funky, I wanted to really shake up the ending here and am pretty happy with how it fell into place. Not going to lie writing fanfic is therapeutic as hell, in many ways.

CW: Violence, domestic abuse and hints to a traumatic past. 

Series Status: In Progress

Word Count: 4.4K

The sun sinks low on the horizon, streaking the sky with vibrant reds as the group loads up silently into the Winnebago, ready to make the trip back into town to begin their assault on Vecna. Liz shudders as she pauses on the steps of the vehicle, looking back over her shoulder at the impossible world she’s found herself in. 

“You ok?” Eddie’s voice behind her pulls her gaze to him, his eyes soft with concern and searching her face as she nods, he opens his mouth as if to say something more but closes it with a tight smile, gripping her elbow gently to help her into the RV. 

The RV Is dead silent as it bumps along the road, a cold dread hanging over the group as they stare off into nothing, trying to mentally prepare for the coming fight. Quietly they come to a stop in front of Eddie's trailer, breathing a sigh of relief at the burnt out street lights and darkened windows of the other trailers around them; most residents had been relocated from the ones nearest the gate, police tape still fluttering in the chilly night air. The group meets at the door, Steve handing the keys to Eddie with a tight smile.  

“I wanna run through it one more time.” Nancy steps forward, clearing her throat. “Phase one. We meet Erica at the playground. She'll signal Liz and Eddie when we're in place.”

“Phase two. Liz baits Vecna.” Steve says, a tense look passing between him and Liz, Eddie refusing to meet the other boy's gaze “He'll go after her, which'll put him in his trance.”

“Phase three?” Nancy turns to the two younger boys 

“Me and Lucas draw the bats away.” Dustin nods, sharing a small fist bump with Lucas

“Four.” 

“We head into Vecna's newly bat-free lair, and……flambé.” Robin grins nervously, holding up a molotov in her shaking fist. 

“Nobody moves on to the next phase until we've all copied.” Nancy insists, making sure to lock eyes with every person in the circle “Nobody deviates from the plan, no matter what. Got it?”

“Got it.” The upside down team turns towards the trailer door as Eddie reaches out, grabbing Dustin and Lucas by the shoulders, turning them to face him as he leans down to lock eyes with the boys, brows furrowed and nervous. 

“If things in there start to go south, I mean, at all, you abort. Ok? Okay? Just draw the attention of the bats.” He holds the boy's gaze as Steve comes back up behind them, catching Eddie's eye with a nod, both of them holding a special care for the younger boys. 

“They just gotta keep 'em busy for a minute or two. We'll take care of Vecna.” Steve nods down at the two, ruffling their hair with a grin, hiding the glimmer of worry. 

“Don't try to be cute or be a hero or something.” Eddie insists ”Okay? You guys are just-- “Decoys.” The two younger boys roll their eyes “No shame in running, I remember.” Dustin grins a toothy smile at Eddie

“Good man” Eddie returns the grin, thumping a heavy pat on each of their shoulders, tying Dustin's curly mop of hair back with his bandana “Make sure you cover all the holes. There’s one under my bed the squirrels used to get in through” Straightening, he catches Steve with a serious grimace “And Steve… Make him pay” The two share a long look, both understanding the weight behind those words before Eddie gets into the driver's seat, giving Liz a moment with the older teens and checking on Erica in the back of the vehicle.

Liz pulls Robin, Nancy and Steve into a tight hug “Please, please be careful. I know you only met me like a couple days ago but I care about you all so much more than I can explain. If anything happens to you I’ll come down there and kick Vecna’s ass myself” They laugh quietly, robin gripping one of her hands tight in hers.

“I may be crazy or delirious from all the upside down dust we breathed in down there but I feel like we’ve known each other for years, that’s crazy right?” She looks around the group as Nancy turns her soft smile to Liz. 

“No she’s right, I wasn’t there when they first met you but you’ve just felt like you belonged since I first saw you.” 

“You’re like the little sister I never wanted” Steve cocks a half grin at her before pulling her into a big hug, tears springing from her eye’s as Robin and Nancy join. 

Finally pulling apart with a sniffle Liz rejoins Eddie in the trailer and the pair make their way quietly out of the park. 

“You ok?” He asks, watching her eyes not leave the reflection of the trailer in the mirror as they leave. 

“Ashley, the one who played as Steve in our game…. She was my sister” She murmures quietly, almost too quiet for Eddie to make out. “Josh and Martina have been my friends since I was a kid.” 

His heart clenches with a mixture of sympathy and a creeping dread he’d been pushing down since Dustin's comment earlier that day, steeling himself, eyes fixed on the road. 

“You miss them.” It comes out more a statement than a question and he kicks himself at the edge in his tone. 

“Yeah” 

“Do you…Do you miss your home?” His voice is soft though his knuckles still grip the wheel tight. 

“Yes?” 

“Yes..?” His eyes flash to her for a split second in surprise and a shred of hope, she’s slumped a little, her hands resting in her lap, fiddling with her phone. 

“I mean I do… I miss my family and my friends, I love them, I should miss them. But I also don’t? Everyone was moving on with their lives and I… I felt so heavy, with everything that uh…happened and it was getting so hard to see an actual future with the trajectory my life was headed… Being here, even with everything that’s happening I feel so much lighter. Like all the bullshit I’ve been carrying is just…Gone. I feel like maybe I have a second chance here to be who I wanted to be… I kind of don’t want to go back. Not that I know if I even can…”

Relief tinged with guilt floods through Eddie's body as he breathes out heavily, trying to will out the words he’s been biting back longer than he realises. 

“Well if you can’t… and we don’t die here… and we don’t end up in jail for a bunch of murders we didn’t commit…. Would you want to stick around? Here? With me?” 

Her breathing hitches slightly, closing her eyes as her lips pull into a growing smile and joy blossoms in her heart. There’s a long silence as she fights with the idea of maybe being able to stay with this new family but also touches of guilt at leaving her old life behind, not knowing what even happened to her… Eddie’s about to back track, the silence sounding more and more like rejection as the seconds pass and his embarrassment and anxiety ramping up until he feels her hand rest gently on his thigh, the touch sending sparks racing through his body. His head snaps to look at her, his terrified expression softening as he sees the soft smile that reaches her warm gaze. 

“Yeah I’d really like that.” She whispers, then cocks an eyebrow, her smile turning to an excited grin “You know, I’ve never tried 1st edition before…” 

He scoops up her hand and presses her knuckles to his lips, holding her gaze with one full of some many emotions he’s afraid he might cry. The sudden swerve of the RV snaps them both back to reality, Liz letting out a loud laugh. “And I still might not if you don’t focus!” 

He shakes his head with a smirk, keeping his gaze focused back on the road and his hand tightly wrapped around hers for the rest of the drive. 

The light mood that had sat comfortably in the RV the rest of the drive dissipates as the Creel house loomes out of the darkness, all rotten boards and imposing spires, it is easy to see how it had kept its terrifying reputation over all the years. Liz tries to think back on the previous campaigns in case there had been any mention of it but comes up empty, nice surprise Allen, she thinks with a grimace. Instead of dwelling on it she turns to shake Erica out of her light nap. 

“It’s go time kiddo” She whispers as the young girl stirs, forehead already creased in an unimpressed scowl. 

“Let get this over with” She grumbles “I need my beauty sleep” 

They get Erica situated in the playground across the street before parking the RV a ways down the road and making their way slowly up the crumbling walkway. Eddie's fingers intertwine with hers, squeezing comfortingly, they look at each other for a quick moment before pushing the door open and slipping inside. 

Once inside they find the room labelled “Home base” on the crudely drawn layout Dustin had drawn out in one of the small sketchbooks they’d been given to communicate, silently setting out the items they brought in preparation for the coming events. They sit quietly, Eddie watching for the signal from Erica, his hand still closed around Liz’s, quietly rubbing his calloused thumb over her knuckles in comfort, afraid to alert Vecna of their presence in the mirrored version of his lair. The memories of the place she’d seen sending shivers across Liz’s shoulders, her free hand fiddling with the phone as the music filtered softly through the one headphone, eyebrows creasing as the battery percentage ticked down into the single digits. Feeling her twitch, Eddie's eyes flick down to her, seeing the 9% glowing dimly in the corner of the screen. 

Come on guys… We’re running out of time. 

He looks back up just as Erica flickers her flashlight towards the house, signalling the start of the next phase. He lets out a breath in nervous relief, tapping Liz’s shoulder with a nod towards the window, her face relaxes in a moment of relief and then tightens again, turning to the lantern at her side and flicking it on. Slowly they make their way through the house, the lanterns unresponsive as they check the different rooms, the faint sound of Liz’s music whispering over the stale air. 

Blinded by me, you can't see a thing

Just call my name, 'cause I'll hear you scream

Suddenly the light in her hand flickers, glowing brighter, heralding the appearance of their foe, flailing an arm wildly to Eddie across the hall; she gives him a thumbs up and gestures to the front of the house. He scurries off to signal Erica before quickly coming back to her side, a hand resting gently on her shoulder as she takes a deep breath, waiting for the monster to move. For a long moment nothing happens, the light remains bright and the two begin to doubt themselves when suddenly it dims, Eddie’s lantern taking on the vibrance. Letting out their held breaths, Liz moves in front of him to catch the next direction as the entity moves through the house slowly, winding through the crumbling halls and up the stairs, each creak and groan of the floorboards sending chills through them and fear that it would somehow echo through to the other plane. The two share a quick look as the light leads them to a small set of stairs hidden away in a corner, Eddie frowns, flipping to the last page of their maps to a page labelled “Attic” he swallows heavily and follows up after her. 

Liz sucks in a sharp breath as her eyes fall on the macabre scene laid out on the floor, the others had explained what they’d found earlier but something about seeing it in person sent cold chills through her, clutching her hand over her mouth she steps back, feeling Eddies chest press into her; his hand resting comfortingly on her arm. Turning to face him she can see her fear reflected back in his eyes, his eyebrows pinched in worry. 

You don’t have to do this. He mouths silently, praying she’ll accept the out but instead seeing her resolve strengthen. She closes her eyes for a moment, taking a deep long breath before stepping back and pulling the headphones from her ears, taking his hands and closing them in his fist; the song's opening lyrics muffled through his fingers as it begins another loop. 

End of passion play, crumbling away

I'm your source of self-destruction

Veins that pump with fear, sucking darkest clear

Leading on your death's construction

“Keep those safe for me” she whispers, pulling out the phone and hitting pause. Turning she steps lightly up to the grotesque altar and places the lanter on top of a box; watching it pulse brightly, sinking down to her knees with a grunt, the pain in her ankle anchoring her. 

Eddie stands to the side, shoving the phone into his pocket with the headphones, twisting his rings nervously as he watches her. 

“Hey there asshole, what you got for me today? You already took me for a quick ride down memory lane and I'm still here…. You’re going to have to try harder this time.” She calls out tauntingly into the gloom. Her eyes flick up to Eddie, watching her with big brown eyes, fear for her safety glowing in their depths. Tears prick at the corners of hers. “You like guilt right? Well I’ve got plenty… I-im not sure if all this is my fault, If somehow me and my stupid friends brought this world into being and put these characters… these people through hell. They are so real and amazing and they don’t deserve it… and yet I'm happy. I’m so happy I'm here, that I got to meet them and leave my old life behind. I don’t care what happens back in my time, i’m tired and angry and miserable and I wanted it to end every fucking day. I tried… I put people in danger because of it and yet … I don’t care. I’m so happy here and I couldn’t give a shit what happens back home and I hate myself for that, that I’m just running away from everything I’ve done and everyone that cares about me back there.” 

Tears start to fall freely and Eddie drops to his knees in front of her holding her cheeks in his palms, eyes glistening with compassion and deep sadness for her.

She shakes her head at him, knowing interfering could ruin everything but the depths of emotion in his eyes tells her fuck the plan for a moment because he can’t stand to see her heart break anymore. She chokes on a sob as looks at him, into eyes that shouldn’t even exist and yet have now seen so much.

“Hey, hey, it’s ok. Screw your old life, you’re allowed to be happy, you’re allowed to be happy here…and I… I’m happy you’re here, I’m so fucking happy you fell through my ceiling and I'd fight Vecna himself and all his stupid bats if it meant you could stay here with me” 

He whispers as she smiles through her tears and they come together in a long awaited kiss, lips pressing together with desperate, intense emotion…. And then her face relaxes, her lips falling slack against his as he feels her body tense. Eddie pulls back in horror, her eyes glazed over and lifelessly staring past him, he drops his head for a moment, the happiness from the moment dissolving into cold dread, trying to fight back the panic clawing at him before staggering towards the window to signal Erica. She’s in. 

Her light flashes back in confirmation and he sags to the floor, running his shaking hands over his face

~

She pulls back from the kiss with a smile, opening her eyes to realise the person in front of her isn’t Eddie but a familiar man, the man who had made her previous life a living hell “You don’t care? You really don’t care? After everything I did for you??” He screams and swings at her as she scrambles backwards with a strangled yelp, the feeling of a thousand teeth biting into her palms where they connect to the floor, looking around she can see glass glittering viciously across the wooden floor boards. Her hand erupts in pain as the figure steps over her, planting his foot heavily on her hand, driving the glass deep into her palm. She screams in agony, screwing her eyes against the pain of the glass and the memory overwhelming her as he stoops down to her, one hand violently grabbing her by the neck, the other waving a broken wine bottle in the air. 

“After everything I’ve given you, how dare you treat me like this! Doesn’t this mean anything to you?!” He shouts, shaking her head violently. Her eyes fly open and she realises she’s no longer in the musty attic but a dim dining room, her breathing catches as she takes in the all too familiar scene with a ragged sob, her eye’s flash down to the dark red, silk dress now covering her loosely. “You should be grateful for this, for everything i’ve done. You can’t run away. Not from me!” He snarls, his last words coming out in a twisted, gutural rumble. Frantically she looks around, eyes landing on a fallen casserole dish, the idea of replaying the night has bile rising in her throat but in the moment no other options break through the panic and she grabs it, swinging it heavily into the side of the man's face. His grip on her loosens and she launches herself towards the door, ignoring the stinging of the broken glass underfoot, throwing the door open with a grunt. 

~

Eddie sits in front of Liz’s kneeling form cradling her limp hand in his, eye’s searching her face repeatedly for something other than the brief twitches. Her breath suddenly stutters and a strangled groan escapes her lips, he leans forward, touching his forehead to hers. “C’mon Spacegirl you’ve got this” he whispers, voice choked with fear, he hums softly; trying to calm himself. 

“What the fuck?” a voice suddenly comes from the opening to the stairs “Munson?” 

Eddie jumps to his feet, eyes wide with surprise as the white and green clad figure of Jason steps cautiously out of the shadows. 

“Shit. You can’t be here man” Eddie curses quietly, glancing nervously at Liz still frozen on the ground. Jason creeps forward, rage and horror blazing behind his eyes as he glares Eddie down, finally coming face to face with the man he believes was responsible for Chrissy’s death. The room is silent as the two boys stare each other down, the tension building with every second until a choked gasp snaps both their attention to Liz’s rigid form. 

“That girl, did you trick her into being your next victim?” Jason growls through his teeth, moving closer to her “Is this what you did to Chrissy?” 

“No! Jason, I know we hate each other but you need to listen to me man” Eddie puts his hands up defensively, trying to move closer as Jason reaches out for Liz “Don’t touch her, I can explain, you just need to back up.” 

“Hey!” Jason calls, gently shaking her shoulder “Can you hear me” 

Eddie jolts forward, grabbing Jason's jacket and pulling him back “I said don’t touch her!” 

“Hey, backup! Back up!” Jason whirls around, a pistol flashing into view as he leaps to his feet, shakily pointing the muzzle at Eddie, his furious shouting shaky with fear.

“Shit! Wa… Wait. We… We don't have to do this.” Eddie staggers back, hands up in front of him again, flicking his eyes between Jason and the gun. “We don't have to do this.” 

“I hope you're right.” Jason growls “Is there anyone else in the house?” 

Eddie shakes his head “No! Just us!” 

“Turn around.” 

“What?” 

“Turn around Freak!” 

“Okay, okay. Relax, relax man.”

“Put down the flashlight!” 

“Okay. Okay. Okay.” 

“Now, this is what's gonna happen. I'm going to back up and you’re going to wake her up from whatever the hell this is.” 

“I can't. Believe me man, I fucking want to but If I wake her too soon, we all die.” 

“No. You don't wake her up right now, you die, Freak.” Jason spits the last word, the smallest smirk tugging at the corner of his lips, the thought of ridding his town of this murderer, this freak making his finger itch against the trigger. Just give me a reason, please, He thinks maliciously. 

~ 

The door slams behind Liz as she pitches forward onto the ground, glass still embedded painfully in her hand and scattered around her on the beige carpet she finds staring up at her. Things are quiet for a moment, eerily quiet as she scans her surroundings, familiar halls stretching off into darkness, silent rain crashes against the windows and throws dancing shadows across the walls. Suddenly a loud banging rattles the door behind her, the enraged voice of her ex booming through as she stumbles up to her feet, rushing to the closed front door. She flings it open only to be met with wooden boards secured over the opening, throwing herself against them does nothing to weaken their hold. 

“Fuck…” She whispers, looking around wildly before taking off down one of the dark hallways 

You can't hide from me, Liz. Vecna’s voice creeps into her mind, ever-present as she races through hall after hall, the house curling and twisting in on itself in a escher-like maze. She is suddenly stopped as the path before her leads directly to an open window, the sight filling her with dread, cold memories creeping into the back of her mind and sucking her breath from her lungs. 

“You think I don't see what you're doing? You’re just looking for attention” She spins to see the shifting, twisted figure of her ex lurching towards her. Panic turns her stomach and she staggers unsteadily towards the window, gripping the frame with bloody fingers. 

The figure advances, the familiar visage burning away as it steps closer into the moonlight cast through the window, the awful, mangled face of Vecna revealing himself with a sickening grin. 

You think I don't see, everything? 

The cold wind whips through the opening, stinging her face and bringing tears to her eyes as she grits her teeth, her resolve weakening in the presence of the monster. 

A warm breeze suddenly breaks the chill, like a breath across her cheek, -Spacegirl you’ve got this-, Eddie's voice whispers, barely audible above the howling. 

Vecna frowns down at her as a smile spreads across her face, taking a step towards the window, seeing his misshapen hand reach out to her. 

“Not everything” She whispers, leaping into the void beyond the window’s frame, screwing her eyes shut and holding on to the warmth Eddie's words had left in her heart. She feels the wind whip past her, shrieking screams and howls, small shards of ice? Of glass? Tear at her skin as she falls, curling into herself she tries to empty her mind, to push the fear and pain away. Flashes of memories fly past in the darkness, Eddie’s eyes, sparkling with joy when she agreed to stay if she could, the tight hugs Steve, Nancy and Robin had given her before they left, Dustin’s curiosity and excitement at the future, Eddies hands holding hers a multitude of times now, the first time she saw his eyes peaking around the kitchen island; full of terror, confusion and life. Suddenly images of her old life mix in, Ashley’s tight hug when she finally moved into her own place, drunken karaoke with the whole group, cheering and flipping off the tiny Vecna figurine at the end of their last campaign, grinning triumphantly in a pile of players taking a selfie, then finally… 

Birdsong replaces the howling wind, the biting child giving way to a warm summer breeze. She cracks an eye open to see a clearing, one she remembers well, trees surrounded a rickety picnic table in the middle, casting dancing points of light across the wood. A relieved laugh bubbles out of her throat as she stumbles to her feet, feeling the soft grass sooth the stinging, glancing down, she notices the red dress had been replaced by a soft sweater and shorts. She hugs herself gently and limps over to flop down on the bench, feeling a sense of peace as her fingers trace over the carved words and graffiti littering the scarred wood. The sound of fluttering paper catches her attention as she notices an old sketchbook laying open on the table top, its pages lifting gently in a delicate breeze. With a soft smile she reaches out to hold down the page, a loose sketch of a pretty boy with long hair and dark eyes stares back at her. 

She slides her hand across the page with a chuckle, caressing the lines of the drawing only to gasp and wrench her hand back, blood smearing starkly across the white of the page. The warm light of the afternoon sun dims suddenly, casting a murky blue tint over the forest, the shadows growing longer and hungrier, reaching out like claws from the tree line. She bolts up from her seat as the trees overhead seem to grow and pitch forward, blocking out the sky, she yelps and tumbles to the ground as thick vines pierce through the soft earth, encircling her ankle. 

You thought you could trick me?

She kicks the vines away in a panic, staggering towards the darkening forest, trying to hide among the branches but only finds the trees impossibly close together, vines sharp with thorns blocking any hope of escape. 

You thought your friends could stop me? 

Whipping around she sees the form of Vecna pull from the shadows with a sickening smirk. 

I see them.

I see your friends.

Just as clearly as I…see you. 

She feels her body lock up, the warmth draining from her limbs as she’s pushed up against the forest wall. 

“NO!” She screams, trying desperately to move, to flee, to do anything at all.

I can feel them. I can feel them dying.  

She chokes on a sob as he rancid breath wafts over her 

There will be no going home for you. Not anymore.

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