#eddie is a disaster and we love him for it and so does steve it's fine

[solarmorrigan]

Hi! Could you possibly do 'You don't have to stay.' With Steddie from the angst writing prompt, please? Thank you in advance 😊

Hi! My apologies again for taking two weeks to get to this, but thank you for sending it! This one was fun to write :D

[No warnings; happier ending this time, I promise]

Angsty-ish Prompt List

-

Eddie feels like an idiot.

He just – he got so wrapped up in everything. In the way Steve has been keeping him company every evening, in the way they have dinner together and play cards together and watch movies together and fucking fall asleep together (Eddie and Wayne’s new place is bigger than their old one, but it’s not like the government sprung for a house with a goddamn guest room or anything). He just forgot that Steve isn’t really meant to be part of his life.

No, Eddie just has Steve on loan.

He is abruptly reminded of this fact one afternoon when he hits Family Video with the intent to pester Steve (and maybe even rent a movie) and instead stumbles right into the tail end of a conversation.

Maryellen Someone-or-Other from the year below Eddie (he’s never really seen the point in remembering names unless they’re a friend or a foe; he figures his brainspace has better uses than the names of people who don’t give a shit about him one way or the other) is leaning over the counter, making eyes at Steve. She’s practically batting her eyelashes and resting her weight in a way that puts the low-scooped neckline of her shirt prominently on display.

“Are you sure?” Maryellen is asking, bottom lip pouting out in a way that is, in Eddie’s opinion, far too obvious.

“Afraid so,” Steve replies with one of his softer smiles, like he might actually be sorry. “I already have plans tonight.”

And – plans? What plans? Eddie thought Steve would be coming over to his house tonight, like pretty much every night.

But then Steve’s eyes flick up from Maryellen and catch Eddie standing stupidly in front of the doors, and his smile widens a little, becomes something happier, sillier, and – oh. Eddie’s house is the plan. Right.

“Well,” Maryellen sighs, high and put-upon, pulling Steve’s attention back to her, “maybe next time.”

“Uh, yeah.” Steve nods. “Yeah, maybe.”

Maryellen glances Steve up and down one more time—and, seriously, obvious much?—before she straightens up and sashays past Eddie and out of the store. She doesn’t even seem to have a video with her. Had she come in just to ask Steve out?

And Steve had turned her down?

It’s not like Eddie is interested in what she’s selling, but he has eyes – Maryellen Whatserface isn’t the sort of date you just turn down. Not when she’s flirting and flashing her cleavage at you over the counter of your workplace. And she especially isn’t the type of date Steve Harrington turns down, certainly not to spend an evening sitting around in Eddie’s room doing a whole lot of nothing.

Of course, that’s not how Eddie sees it – not really. They’re not doing nothing if they’re talking, if they’re sharing stories or thoughts or even just dumb jokes. Not if they’re sitting quietly together because sometimes you can only be that type of quiet with someone who gets you. Not if Eddie is strumming random notes on his guitar and Steve is humming along, almost absently, like he doesn’t even notice he’s doing it.

It isn’t nothing to Eddie, but to Steve – well, now that Eddie thinks about it, Steve is probably just putting his life on hold so he can be a good friend to Eddie in the aftermath of all the Upside Down fuckery.

Which is very kind of him, obviously (which is apparently just the sort of person Steve actually is; sure, he complains a whole hell of a lot, but Eddie doubts if there’s a single damn thing Steve won’t do if he thinks he can help someone really in trouble), but Eddie doesn’t need him to do that. He doesn’t need any kind of pity friendship. He doesn’t need Steve to put all his shit on hold just to take care of him, only to end up resenting him because he can’t go anywhere or do anything because he’s too busy being the goddamn babysitter.

Eddie doesn’t need that.

“Hey.” Steve is the one leaning the counter now (and he doesn’t exactly have Maryellen’s assets, but damn if the position doesn’t make his shirt stretch appealingly over his chest, anyway) and making eyes at Eddie, except they’re sort of confused-and-concerned eyes, which makes sense, since Eddie still hasn’t moved out of the damn doorway. “You okay?”

“Just fine,” Eddie says, snapping back into motion. “I’m here to pick a movie for tonight.”

“Y’know, I work at the video store,” Steve says, arching one heavy brow. “I’m here right now, even. You could just let me pick something to bring home.”

Eddie almost twitches at the casual slip of the tongue – home. Like Steve doesn’t have other places to be, a better house to actually go home to.

“I could,” Eddie drawls, “but I have it on good authority—my own, in fact—that your taste in films is not to be trusted.”

Steve rolls his eyes. “Just because you can’t appreciate Sly or a good underdog story–”

“Two hours of dudes punching each other, Steve.”

“That’s not all the movie was, and you know it!”

“Two hours!”

And just like that, they fall into their usual banter, but somewhere in the back of his mind, Eddie can’t quite let go of what he’s been reminded of.

It follows him back home (to his home) with the movie in his hand (a decidedly non-sports-related movie) and dogs his thoughts and winds him up, and by the time Steve has gotten off work and is leaving his shoes politely by the door, Eddie is – well, he’s a little on edge.

A bit twitchy.

Maybe more than a bit.

Maybe he might be watching Steve, looking for signs that he doesn’t want to be there, that he has better places to be, that Steve regrets turning down Maryellen (if that even was her name? Now that Eddie thinks about it, it might have been Marie. Hard to say).

Maybe he watches Steve carefully as they make dinner, and as they eat, and as Steve heckles his movie choice just for the hell of it, and maybe he jumps on it a little too hard when, as the evening gets later, Steve glances at the clock and sighs.

“You know, you don’t have to stay,” Eddie says, shooting for perfectly casual.

Steve, who had been partway through rubbing tiredly at his eyes (probably about time to get those contacts out; he always forgets, and Eddie is always reminding him), pauses and pulls his hand away from his face to look blearily at Eddie. “What?”

“Just, if you have other places to be, y’know?” Eddie shrugs. “You don’t have to stay.”

Steve blinks. “What other places would I be right now?”

Eddie shrugs. He’s very casual about this and not worked up at all, as evidenced by all the easy shrugging he’s doing. “Oh, I don’t know. With Maryellen, maybe? She seemed pretty interested in taking you out tonight.”

A confused sort of look is working its way onto Steve’s face, like he has no idea what the hell Eddie is talking about, like he hadn’t just turned down a date earlier today. “Do you mean Madeline?” Shit, right, that was it. “Why would I want to be with her? Dude, what the hell are you even talking about?”

“I don’t know, Steve!” Eddie snaps, tossing his arms up in hopes that it’ll get some of his nervous energy out. “I just know that you’ve been here babysitting me almost every night for weeks–”

“I’m not babysitting, what are you–”

“And I figure that maybe there’s other shit you’d rather be doing! Places to be, things to do, people to fuck, whatever.”

And– Oops.

Eddie hadn’t quite meant to let all that out. And now Steve looks offended.

“What the hell is your problem tonight?” Steve asks, sitting up from where he’d been slouching on Eddie’s bed. “Did I do something to make you think I don’t wanna be here, or what?”

“I – well – do you want to be here?” Eddie splutters. “You’re a popular guy, and you’re turning down dates to sit around in my room all night? Doesn’t check out, man!”

Unnervingly, Steve doesn’t immediately snap back. He just stares at Eddie for a long moment.

“So, what? You think I’d rather be at some high school party? Drunk off my ass? Making out with some girl who doesn’t know me or give a shit about me?” Steve finally asks, voice low and heavy. “What the hell have I done since you’ve actually gotten to know me that made you think I still want all that shit?”

Eddie opens his mouth, but nothing comes out. He doesn’t exactly have a specific defense.

Steve scoffs. “Did you ever think that I just want to spend time with you? That I like being here, that I like you? But fine, whatever.” He slides off the bed and stands up. “You want me to fuck off so badly, I’ll go.”

And with that, he stalks out of Eddie’s room.

Eddie is so busy reeling with the “I like you” of it all that it isn’t until he hears Steve shuffling with his shoes by the door that he manages to snap into action.

“Steve!” he calls down the hall, running full tilt for the entryway, because he doesn’t know much, but he knows he needs to stop Steve before he leaves, before some kind of irreparable damage is done.

Steve doesn’t pause, reaching for the door and pulling it open, and what Eddie means to do is step past him, put a hand on the door, keep Steve there just a little longer so they can talk.

What actually happens is that Eddie’s momentum carries him flying right past Steve, into the door, yanking the knob from Steve’s hand and slamming the whole thing shut.

“Eddie, what the fuck!” Steve exclaims, (rightfully) startled.

“I don’t actually want you to fuck off, okay?” Eddie insists, because he is a god of eloquence when under unexpected pressure. “I want… I really want the opposite of that, actually.”

Steve shoots him a disbelieving look. “So you were being a dick because you want me to stay,” he says flatly.

“Nooot exactly,” Eddie draws the words out, reaching up and twisting his fingers in his hair while he tries to think. “I was being a dick because I want you to stay but I was afraid you wouldn’t want to.”

Steve continues to stare at him. “Eddie, that makes no goddamn sense.”

“I didn’t say it did! I think we know each other well enough for you to know by now that I am barely in charge of my brain, Steve!” Eddie huffs. “I just – I don’t get why you would want to hang around here when you probably have better options.”

“No, see, that’s the part that doesn’t make sense,” Steve says, his voice going a little softer. “You thinking I wouldn’t want to stay, or that there’s anywhere better for me to be. I don’t want to be anywhere else, or with anyone else. I just… want to be here with you.”

“You…” Eddie looks over at Steve, really looks, and catches the anxiety sitting in his expression, and the hopeful spark in his wide eyes, and realizes that he’s absolutely had the wrong end of the stick. “Oh.”

“Yeah,” Steve says with a shrug that’s just about as casual as Eddie has been all night.

“Well then.” Eddie reaches up and slides the deadbolt back into place before giving the door a little pat; its services will no longer be required. Then, before he can think better of it, he reaches out and takes Steve’s hand, threading their fingers together and giving him a little tug back towards the hall. “Come on.”

“And where are you taking me, exactly?” Steve asks, amused and something a bit like relieved.

Eddie continues pulling him down the hall, heading for his room, and tosses a grin over his shoulder. “I am taking you exactly to where we both want to be.”

And if the way Steve crowds him over the threshold and into his bedroom is to be trusted, they are perfectly on the same page.

[ladykailitha]

A Love Connection Part 1

In a very special engagement (as in a don't normally post 5 days a week), I introduce "A Love Connection"!

If the premise looks familiar the original idea is from here, where a couple of people in the notes or tags said they'd love to try it. And after a year, I figured I'd try my own hand at the idea.

This will update on Tuesdays at 10am and 10pm EST. With hopefully eight chapters.

Summary: Steve has tried everything under the sun to find someone to truly connect with, so he gives up after a particularly horrible date. Then Chrissy introduces him to her favorite game show "Love Connection". When Chrissy and Robin apply for him, they don't think they'll except him, but he does. His suitors are Billy Hargrove, Tommy Hagan, and Eddie Munson. Will Steve crash and burn again or will his connection be there waiting for him?

~

Look, to say Steve’s love life was a disaster would be unfair. That would be underselling it. It was a fucking catastrophe. He had gone to bars, joined hobby groups, used all the apps, even Grindr; though that was mostly for hookups, which sucked. But that was the nature of the beast if he was honest.

And the beast had completely devoured him. All his dates were either only interested the casual, cheated on him, or wanted one-night stands. Which Steve absolutely did not want. He wanted connection. Intimacy.

“I absolutely give up,” he whined to Robin, after the last date tried to slip out in the middle of the night, knocked over their lamp into their goldfish bowl, killing the goldfish, then he tried to hide the evidence by dumping it down the garbage disposal and turning it on! Lied about it, then stole their last beer as “compensation for his trauma’ and told Steve to never call him again.

“Look, Ryan wasn’t the best guy,” Robin replied with a grimace. “He liked Oasis and Tool unironically. Always a red flag.”

Steve snorted. Robin was a music snob most days, but she wasn’t wrong about that. Ryan and he had been dancing around and with each other for weeks before they finally got so hot and heavy that they went back to Steve’s for sex.

“It’s not fair,” he huffed. “You went to that bar and you a hottie girlfriend and I went to that bar and fucked a fish killer! I loved Garfield! He lived for five years before that bastard mercilessly murdered him. That’s long than my last ten relationships combined!”

Robin winced. “Ooh... I’m going to have to call Chrissy and let her know we can’t go back to that gay bar again.”

“Oh he’s so dead now!” Steve ranted. “Not only is he fish killer, he has driven us from our favorite bar!”

“Let me order us some take out,” Robin said standing up, “then I’ll call Chrissy over and we’ll all cry over Ciarán Hinds and Amanda Root falling in love.”

Steve sniffed away a couple of tears and nodded. “Then can we have a funeral for Garfield?”

Robin tilted her head and smiled sadly. “Of course we can. It’s a Sunday so none of us have work. We can watch as many weepy romance movies as you want, okay?”

“Okay,” Steve croaked. She gave him a big hug and kissed his cheek. He watched her wander into the kitchen to see what leftovers they had in the fridge so they could order from somewhere else. He loved her so much.

~

Sometime in the afternoon when they were more than a little tipsy, Chrissy commandeered the remote and turned on her favorite game show.

“Love Connection”

“Noooo...” Steve whined, burying his head into a throw pillow. It was Garfield shaped. It was what inspired the naming of the valiant fish. “This is the last thing I want to see. It’s so fake. No one gets together on these things. It’s so cheesy.”

“Exactly!” Chrissy crowed. “That’s why it’s perfect, we get to make fun of them!”

Steve thought that the only good part of the show was the second half. The first half was split into three different rounds. The first round was each suitor answer the one question, for a total of fifteen and then the catch would rank them, best got three points, second two, and third only one.

Then in the second round there were a set of rapid fire either or questions that the catch would yell out and the suitors would write down their answers. If their answer matched the catch’s they would get a tally. Whoever had the most tallies would win five points. Then three points to second place and one to the last place.

Then in the final round, each suitor would be asked separate questions and the catch would rate their answer one through three and that’s how many points they would get. Then at the end of the round all the points would be tallied up and the two highest would move on to the next round.

To the part that Steve actually liked. The first question always asked was “what would you do for a first date?” And the suitors got to take the catch out for the date and then afterward for drinks, the two dates would ask the catch some of the questions he asked them. Then the catch would pick the one they connected to the best.

It was all the stupid questions that bothered Steve. That was the fun part of dating, having these conversations and learning about them as you go. But then maybe that’s what Steve’s problem was, is that the people he dated didn’t care about these types of conversations.

“Why would you say you hate sports,” Steve huffed, waving his hand at the screen, “when the guy is a major soccer fan? Like did she think that she was going to put a stop to him enjoying it after starting dating?”

“Ooh yeah,” Chrissy agreed. “Just pick a different catch.”

Robin turned to her and tilted her head. “Do they get to chose their catch? I thought it was all random.”

Chrissy paused the show and pulled out her phone and the Wikipedia article. “Okay, it says here that people can apply to be suitors,” she waved at the row of women in the three booths. “Or catches.” She indicated the guy with her hand. “If they’re chosen to be a suitor then they are given a list of catches, headshot included. Then they rank vote them, so if four people pick Henry, then one will be on their second rank vote. And that part is randomized. According to them, anyway.”

Steve snorted. He highly doubted anything was randomized or voted on. They went for the biggest drama and everyone knew it.

“How long has this show been going on?” he huffed. “Like please tell it’s new and shiny and that’s why people like it.”

Robin snorted and shook her head. “Sorry, babe. But this is season twelve.”

“Oohh...” Chrissy said. “We need to show him the season six finale. That was hella juicy!”

So despite Steve’s protests, Chrissy pulled it up on her streaming services even though they hadn’t even finished the episode they were on.

When the credits rolled, Steve stared at the screen in utter shock. “What the honest fuck was that?”

Two of the three guys got into an all out brawl when the one guy had scored the lowest and felt that the second place suitor cheated. Not first place, second. Both guys were arrested and hauled off the set.

“It came out later Sven was right,” Robin said. “Elliot cheated. His cousin was an ex of the catch so he went in knowing a lot about Stella. The things he got wrong were things that had changed since she was dating his cousin.”

Chrissy nodded. “That’s why the have partitions up between the suitors now and why they have vigorous screening now. The show was almost canceled.”

“So why wasn’t it?” Steve asked honestly. “That was a shit show, if I was Stella I would have sued them into oblivion.”

Robin squirmed uncomfortably in her seat. “She did, but they settled out of court.”

“Basically,” Chrissy said, pouring them more wine and handing the first glass to Steve, “she wanted them to completely overhaul the system. She didn’t want it off the air, she wanted it safer for future participants.”

“The more the fool them,” Steve huffed. He took a long sip of his wine. “All right, fine. Let’s start at the beginning.”

Robin and Chrissy cheered and they all huddled up together on the sofa to watch this absolute train wreck of a show.

They were about half way through the third season and twice as drunk when Steve slurred, “Why are there no gay peemles in this? It’s a trav–trad–tramajesty.”

“Travesty!” Robin slurred back, her language skills always being the last to go when she’s three sheets to the wind. “And you are absolutely right! This is homophobic!”

Chrissy nodded solemnly and pulled out her phone. “I’mma show them...” she muttered with her tongue sticking out. “At loveconnectionUSA Need more gays, hashtag loveconnection hashtag need more gays.”

It wasn’t long after that that the three of them passed out on the sofa, empty bottles all around them and a message on the screen asking if they’re still watching.

~

There was a loud beeping noise and it absolutely was hurting his head. He reached over to where his phone was usually plugged in on his nightstand, but his hand went straight through it. He waved his arm all over the place but still his nightstand eluded him.

He peaked open one eye but his vision was obscured by a mass of blonde hair. He tried to push it out of the way but it kept falling back into his face. Finally he pushed Robin off him and onto the floor with a thud.

“Hey!” she yelped.

Steve peered over the edge of the sofa with a look of confusion. “Why are you on the floor?” he muttered over the still beeping of his alarm.

“Stop!” he mumbled and somehow, blissfully it did.

“I’m on the floor because you pushed me there,” Robin huffed, getting to her feet. She did a sniff test and grimaced when she completely failed. “God... how much did we drink yesterday?”

Chrissy struggled to sit up and blinked at her girlfriend groggily. “Not enough if I feel like this.”

Steve rolled over and looked at them both in confusion, then the events of Saturday and all day Sunday came flooding back in.

“Oh fuck...” he muttered, sitting up himself and rubbing his face. One eye was blurry from where his contact had shifted in the night. He wasn’t even sure why he had them on. Probably from sheer force of habit.

He got up and stumbled toward the bathroom where he emptied his stomach of all its boozy contents. He really didn’t remember them eating after breakfast, only a steady stream of harder and harder liquor.

While his was puking his guts out, Chrissy and Robin stole the shower. Thankfully only taking the time they needed to get the gross feeling of being hungover off their skin.

Then Steve closed his eyes as they exited the shower and snuck into Robin’s room to get ready for work. They all worked at Hawkins Middle School, where Steve was a history teacher who coached swimming and basketball. Chrissy was a health teacher and advisor for cheerleading. And Robin was the language teacher. The principal snatched her up because she could teach French, Spanish, and Italian, with her only needing to hire a German teacher.

Steve got his shower and then opted for glasses instead of his contacts, not trusting his shaky hands not poke out his eye or some shit.

They all were mostly human once they got coffee, painkillers, and cereal in them, the three of them, no doubt looking like escaped extras from a zombie flick. They moved as one, gathering up their stuff and shuffling out to Steve’s car. Chrissy sat in the back, Robin riding shotgun.

Chrissy opened her phone to check to see if she had any messages. “Holy shit!”

~

Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8

Look I'd be sorry about the cliffhanger, but you're only waiting 12 hours for it, soooo...

Have fun!

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3- @maya-custodios-dionach @goodolefashionedloverboi @val-from-lawrence @carlyv @wonderland-girl143-blog

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8- @gutterflower77 @a-lovely-craziness @just-a-tiny-void @w1ll0wtr33 @beelze-the-bubkiss

[hairmetal666]

Eddie's hanging out with Steve at Family Video when Robin stomps in like a whirlwind.

"Oh, god, I did something so dumb. You have to help meee."

They straighten from where they lean over the counter towards each other, and Eddie takes a big step back, sure that all his big gay feelings for Steve are on display.

"What did you do this time?" Steve smiles with exasperated fondness.

"It's so bad." Robin faceplants with a dramatic wail.

"What happened?" Eddie asks

"I--I'm so sorry!" She looks at both of them, and a tingle of panic works it's way up Eddie's spine.

"My parents started going on and on about me and Steve and why we won't just admit we're dating, and I started to freak out because they won't accept that we're just friends, and I'm not ready to tell them that I'm a lesbian, even though I think it would be okay, so, I told them you were dating someone, Steve."

"Well, that's not so bad, Rob. So, what, they think I have a girlfriend? Who cares."

Her shoulders slump and she frowns. "I wish that's what they thought. They kept asking who, and I panicked!"

"Robin." Steve looks alarmed now, his pretty mouth pulled into a grimace. "What did you tell them?"

"Okay, please don't hate me," she begs. She's looking at Steve, but then she's looking over at Eddie. And oh, god, oh fuck, this can't be happening.

"You've got to be kidding me, Buckley," he says. He keeps his voice light but the touch of panic has become a punch.

"Wait. How do you know--how does he--? Who am I dating?"

"Me, Harrington. She told them you were dating me."

"Oh," Steve shrugs. "Sure."

Eddie chokes on air, plays it off. "For you maybe, Stevie. We in the Munson household have standards."

Steve doesn't meet a beat. "I'll have you know, Edward, that I am a catch."

"Yeah, for the lovely ladies of Hawkins," Eddie winks, even though every word, every gesture aches.

"Oh, c'mon! I'm a great boyfriend. Defend me here, Robin"

Normally, Eddie finds these antics to be charming, but confronting his crush on Steve so forcefully has ruined his mood.

"Need a cigarette," he says to escape.

He's only alone for a few minutes before Steve is sidling up next to him.

"What's she need us to do?"

"Dinner."

He grimaces, exhaling a plume of smoke. "I'm so bad at meeting the parents."

"Shut-up." Steve pokes him in the chest. "Everyone loves you. It's kind of obnoxious, actually. Plus, I think this'll help her feel more comfortable about coming out."

He snorts if only so he doesn't have to think about Steve talking about him and love in the same sentence.

"Fine. For Buck, I'll do it." But he doesn't know how he'll get through pretending to date his biggest crush with out spontaneously combusting.

"Love the enthusiasm," Steve laughs. "You know I'd treat you right, Munson."

The blush that rolls over his face is crimson. "Alright, big boy, calm down. We're not actually dating."

The bark of laughter Steve lets out is a burst of pure adrenaline to Eddie's heart. This is going to be a disaster.

---

The night of the dinner arrives and Eddie almost blows the whole game when they walk in the Buckley front door and Steve's arm wraps around his waist. The night is all casually intimate touches and Steve leaning into his personal space; calling him "baby" in a soft, warm voice; eyes drifting to Eddie's lips as they flirt and banter.

It's almost like they're a couple; almost like Steve could love him.All of his senses are overwhelmed with Steve Harrington and it fucking hurts. But Eddie lets himself indulge, finally running his fingers through Steve's gorgeous hair, tracing the moles on his face and neck, outlining the sharpness of his perfect jaw, calling him "sweetheart" with heartbreaking fondness.

It's intoxicating.

They're helping Mrs. Buckley with the dishes when it happens. When Steve leans over and casually presses his lips to Eddie's, tasting like vanilla ice cream and spiced apples and something indefinably warm. Eddie is helpless not to crumple, leans into Steve, wraps fists into the perfectly fitted polo, drawing them closer.

The night ends and Eddie thinks he's finally free, except the Buckleys love them. Keep inviting them back.

He goes for Robin, he tells himself, but he knows that it's for the hope of it. Knows that he's a ship breaking himself against the rock that is Steve Harrington, and god help him, he can't stop.

---

Of course, of course, the wires get crossed. The kids have a pool party, leave Steve and Eddie to ice cream clean-up duty. Of course, he can't stop himself from smearing some melted mint chip down Steve's face, and Steve retaliates with chocolate sauce.

They giggle and flight and make mess until Steve's eyes are bright, cheeks red, and Eddie can't look away. He clocks Steve's eyes drifting to his mouth, is helpless as the distance between them closes, as Steve captures his lips.

It's not the brief, chaste things from the Buckley's; it's hot, all tongues and teeth and desire, and it's not fucking real.

Eddie lurches back, making Steve stumble. "Stop," he snarls.

"Eddie--" Steve's eyes are wide.

He's panting, can't catch his breath. "You can't just fucking kiss me like that when it doesn't mean anything to you."

"Please," Steve begs. "Let me explain."

"Save it. We're done with this. Robin is good now. And I'm out."

He turns away, heads towards the front door, but Steve pulls him back.

"Let me explain. Please. Please, Eddie. I didn't mean--"

And it's too much. Steve's plaintive voice, his big eyes wet with tears.

"Of course you didn't mean it," he spits. "It's nothing to you, pretending to date me. Touching me. Kissing me. Acting like you love me. It doesn't matter to the Heartthrob of Hawkins. But have you or Buckley ever taken the time to think that it's everything to me?" Hot tears spill down his cheeks and he can't even be embarrassed because all of this has been so humiliating.

Steve gapes at him, face slack and stunned. "Eddie, I--I'm so--"

"Don't. See you around, Harrington," he says. Then he runs.

---

He doesn't leave the trailer for a week. Refuses to pick up the phone.

It's Saturday, early evening. Wayne just left for his shift when there's a knock on the door.

Eddie is content to ignore it, to wrap himself in a quilt on the couch, but the knocking doesn't stop.

"Eddie, I know you're in there. Your van is here. The lights are on. I can hear you," Steve calls.

Longing clenches at his heart, but he's not in the mood for the gentle let down.

"Go away, Harrington." He starts towards his bedroom, thinking maybe he can lock Steve out.

"Please, Eddie."

"I don't need anything from you, Harrington."

It's silent for long enough that Eddie thinks it works. And then, " I have so many things I should tell you, Eds. If you still hate me at the end, I'll go. I'll never bother you again. But please, please listen."

Resigned to having a conversation he never wanted, Eddie opens the door. "Okay, Harrington."

Steve steps inside, twisting his hands for a few seconds before blurting out, "I've had a crush on you for months."

The confession briefly steals Eddie's breath from his lungs before he scoffs, "and you never said anything? C'mon, Harrington, when have you ever hesitated to ask someone out?"

Steve blinks a few times, before he answers. "I've been terrified to say anything because I didn't want to lose my best friend."

"And what, Robin asks us to pretend to date and you think that's the perfect time to make your move?" Eddie grips at his hair, pulling it in front of his face.

"Yeah, a little bit!" Steve raises his voice. "I tried but I was terrified you only wanted me as a friend."

"You know I'm gay, Harrington!"

"What the fuck does that mean?"

"Of course I wanted you!" Eddie's yelling now, has closed the distance between them so they're almost nose-to-nose.

"I didn't know! How could I? You could've said something!"

"I thought you were straight! Fucking look at you! You've slept with 75% of the available girls at Hawkins High!"

"Who cares about them, Eddie? I want you!"

"Funny way of showing it, Harrington."

"What do you want me to say? That I'm sorry? Cause I am."

"Is that why you kissed me at your house? Making your move?"

"It wasn't supposed to be. I got--" Steve's throat bobs as he swallows. "Caught up in the moment. I know I shouldn't have kissed you like that. I know."

"Then why did you?" Eddie's voice breaks. "Why then? Why not any of the other nights we spent together?"

"Because that's when I realized that I'm fucking in love with you!" Steve shouts.

They're both breathing hard by the end, Steve's eyes too bright, face too flushed. They stare at each other, unmoving, Steve's confession ringing in his ears.

"You done?" Eddie's voice waivers, his heart pounding, stuttering, flipping in his chest.

Steve nods, but Eddie doesn't give him a chance to move. He brings their mouths crashing together, Steve not even hesitating to slip his tongue between Eddie's lips. They kiss hard enough that they draw blood, but that just makes it more frenzied. Eddie grips Steve's hip, presses him against the trailer door, grinding against him with abandon.

Eddie breaks the kiss to finally pay some attention to the delightful moles on Steve's neck, working his way up to his jaw. "I'm going to have so much fun taking you apart, sweetheart," he whispers, mouth pressed to Steve's ear, delighting in the way he shivers at the words.

[just-my-latest-hyperfixation]

Punch me out

Written for the @steddieholidaydrabbles, day 4

Prompt: Meet-cute at work

Rated: E

CW: Blowjobs, dirty talk, slight degradation kink

Tags: No UD AU; company Christmas party; bathroom sex; blowjobs; dirty talk; Eddie is a disaster and Steve is a slut and they both love it; inappropriate use of vending machine drinks

Eddie shouldn't have gone to the company Christmas party. The few weeks he's worked here taught him a bunch of stuff. 

The CEO? Asshole. 

The management? Spineless lickspittles.

The corporate culture? A conglomerate of bullshit. Eddie’s position is called Facility Manager - the most ridiculous euphemism for Janitor ever.

Anyhow!

He shouldn't have come, but Gareth insisted that was exactly what those tie-wearing douchebags wanted, so they went. 

Only that Gareth has disappeared with the receptionist, leaving Eddie to aimlessly meander while the tie wearers got progressively more drunk. He should probably have gone home.

Only he didn't. 

So he kind of brought this upon himself, he thinks, while a puddle of punch soaks into his crotch and laughter wafts all around him. 

The only one looking equally horrified is the guy the punch belonged to. He’s still holding the empty cup and blushing from his chestnut hair all the way down to his business shirt. 

“Shit, sorry!” he babbles. “Didn’t see you there-” 

“Don’t sweat it, Stevie,” Tommy Hagan guffaws. “I’m sure he brought his mop.” 

Stevie’s face grows stony. “Shut it, Tommy.”

Hagan does. 

Before Eddie can feel confused, one large hand takes him by the shoulder and steers him away. 

“Sorry again.” 

“‘s alright,” Eddie shrugs. “Was just heading home-” 

“Oh, no.” A pair of big, sad eyes fixes him from behind wire-frame glasses. “At least let me make it up to you? Please?” 

How could Eddie say no to that? 

*

"Fuck, princess," Eddie groans, head thudding against the bathroom wall. "If that's you apologizing, you can spill stuff on me more o-ooooh …" 

Stevie doesn't answer, which … okay. That would be quite the feat with Eddie’s cock down his throat as it is. 

He looks up at Eddie from where he's kneeling, and fuck, the sight of him! Hairdo ruined, lips stretched obscenely wide, eyes glassy with arousal. The picture is almost enough to do Eddie in, so he tangles his fingers in that hair and yanks that warm, wet mouth closer. Stevie's eyes roll back and he moans, and that's all it takes before Eddie is coming down his throat. 

Stevie doesn't so much as whine, just swallows. God, he's perfect. Eddie wants to take him home. Tie him up in bed. Never let him leave. 

"Wow," he murmurs as Stevie pulls off, slack-jawed and starry-eyed. "Are you always such a cockslut, or was that only for me?" 

Stevie smiles up at him. The glint in his eyes is smug. 

"Only if it's such a nice cock," he hums. "What's attached to it isn't bad, either."

Pretty, slutty, and a little bratty to boot? Eddie will just have to keep him. 

"Give me your number?" he mumbles as Stevie staggers to his feet, and leans in for a sloppy kiss. 

Stevie dances out of his reach. 

"No need to," he winks, unlocking the door and skipping his way out. "We work in the same office. I'll find you." 

*

Stevie does not find him, of fucking course. Eddie tries to put it out of his mind, goes to work as usual and does definitely not scan the crowds for that voluminous shock of hair. 

He's actually relieved when the holidays come. The floors are empty and nobody calls because they need their door oiled or their light bulbs changed. Eddie holes up in his basement and starts working on that new campaign. 

Until the phone rings and a bored receptionist informs him Mr Harrington's height-adjustable desk is broken. 

"The CEO?" Eddie asks dumbly. 

"No," drawls the receptionist, "The son." 

*

The office is spacious and bright and tastefully decorated. Eddie hates everything about it. The fancy adjustable desk is not plugged in. 

He's just under it on all fours, ass in the air, fingers desperately stretching for the socket, when the door opens. He quickly shuts down his monologue about overpaid dumbasses. 

"Hey, man. I'll be out of your hair in a second." 

"No need to hurry," says someone. "I'll just enjoy the view." 

"What the- ow, motherfucker!" Eddie whirls around so fast he cracks his head on the desk. "Stevie?" 

Stevie kicks the door shut, sips idly on his vending machine drink, and observes how Eddie clambers to his feet. 

"Said I’d find you," he smiles. Before Eddie can form a reply, he's being pushed against the desk and there's a tongue down his throat. 

"I- wha- wait!" He tries to pull away. Stevie keeps nipping at his throat. "Are you crazy? Harrington Junior could be here any second." 

"He already is." 

Eddie yelps and looks around frantically, half expecting to see someone lurking behind a potted plant. There's nobody there. 

"But it's just me and-" 

And then it clicks. 

"Oh my God," he groans. The mouth against his pulse grins. 

"Steve is fine." 

"You're the CEO's son," Eddie babbles. "I called you a cockslut, I-" 

Stevie - no Steve, Steve fucking Harrington, Eddie is so fucked - just shrugs. 

“I am,” he says easily. 

Eddie gapes at him. 

“The CEO’s son or …” 

Steve laughs in his face. It’s bright and cheerful and adorable and so fucking cheeky, Eddie wants to teach him some manners. Long, graceful hands are fiddling with the zipper of his overalls. 

“Listen,” he sighs when Eddie doesn’t react, just keeps gaping at him like a fish out of water. “I’m sorry it took so long. I had an unexpected business trip to go on, but … I’ve been thinking about you the entire time. Let me make it up to you?” 

“I …” Eddie nods dazedly. Their lips brush with the movement. “Yeah, okay.” 

“Brilliant,” Steve says. Then, in one swift movement, he takes his drink and upends it in Eddie’s lap. 

Eddie gawks, heat pooling where the stain is spreading, tight and urgent. 

“Oops,” Steve Harrington deadpans, and gets on his knees. 

Maybe going to the Christmas party wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

All my holiday drabbles

[libraryofgage]

PJO Steddie Seven

One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six

PJO show is living rent free in my head everyone. I love that funky little fantasy show

Anyway, welcome to part 7, where we learn more about some of the kids' powers, get a peek into Steve's growing troubles with his powers, and Steddie get a fun little development too

As always, if you see any typos, no you didn't ;)

Oh! And a meme, another meme for you at the end lol

---------

While the kids have no problem adjusting to Camp Half-Blood and making friends (several of the other campers have asked El to freeze them if only because they think it's funny), Steve runs into a few bumps. He's not used to relaxing. He's not used to letting his guard down and having the children out of sight for so long. And he's definitely not used to his powers feeling beyond his control whenever Eddie is around, which is...well, always.

Don't get Steve wrong. He likes being around Eddie. In fact, he looks forward to it. Steve hasn't smiled or laughed this much or been around someone his own age in a while. It's new and kind of weird and just a little scary.

But it doesn't at all help with his growing nervous energy. He keeps waiting for a shoe to drop, quickly followed by another. It never does, and Steve fully realizes what a problem this is when Eddie is in his room one day and casually says, "Your clouds are different."

Steve blinks, looking over at Eddie in one of the chairs. He has a guitar in his lap, idly strumming as Steve's phone plays music for them. Steve had just been nodding off, feeling relaxed and sleepy when Eddie spoke. "What do you mean?" he asks.

"They changed again." Eddie says, frowning slightly as he points at the clouds drifting along the ceiling. They're a slate color now, not exactly brewing up a storm but looking ready to start pouring down on them. They aren't gloomy, though. It's more like...like the tension you feel when a natural disaster is about to strike and the clouds are the only warning you'll get of its arrival. "They were starting to turn white, but they're grey again."

"Oh," Steve says, flopping back on the bed with a sigh. "They're supposed to reflect my mood."

He hears the chair shift and steps coming closer to the bed before Eddie sprawls across the mattress next to him. "What's got you so grey, sweetheart?" he asks. Their hands aren't touching, but Steve can feel that now-familiar buzz at his fingertips, the little arches of lightning begging to reach out if he'd only let them.

Steve curls his fingers into a fist, refusing to succumb to the urge. He considers lying, just brushing off the question, but then he makes the mistake of looking at Eddie. He looks right into Eddie's brown eyes, and his resolve crumbles. His fist uncurls, their fingertips brush, and he allows a harmless spark to pass between them. "I'm just on edge," he says, looking back at the ceiling and watching the clouds. "Restless, I guess."

"You're used to fighting monsters and moving across the country, Stevie," Eddie says, sliding his hand closer to Steve's so their fingers are tangled together and a current begins to pass between them. "Being all...still is getting to you."

"Yeah, no shit," Steve says with a quiet snort. "Can't do anything about it."

"Well...there is Capture the Flag next week," Eddie points out, shifting closer, like their hands aren't enough. Now their arms and shoulders are pressed together, and Steve inexplicably feels some of that nervous energy disappear, like Eddie is taking it from him. "It can be an all-out bloodbath, you know."

Steve huffs softly, getting a wry smile. "I'm not sure anyone's gonna want to be on my team," he says. The other campers avoid him. Despite his best efforts, his attack on the patrol campers spread fast and mean, and everyone is a little wary. "So, unless I can be on a team by myself, it probably isn't gonna happen."

A few beats of silence pass, and Steve is about to assume he's somehow fucked up the conversation when Eddie says, "You wouldn't be alone. There's me. And the kids. And I could get the Hermes Cabin to partner with you. Plus, you know, you're a Zeus kid, Stevie. You ask to be in charge and nobody's gonna argue."

He...hadn't thought of that. Steve frowns slightly, letting the idea turn in his mind. It would be a challenge, of course, especially if all the other cabins decide to team up. But...a challenge means pushing himself, reaching limits he's never come close to, letting go completely and losing himself in the battle, whether he wins or not.

The clouds above them start to roll, broiling with the energy of a storm that's all thunder and lightning, and excitement surges through Steve. He doesn't even realize he's letting it get the better of him until Eddie yelps and jerks his hand away.

Steve blinks, jerking up and reaching out to Eddie but stopping halfway. "I'm sorry," he says, frowning slightly as he watches Eddie look at his hand. "I'm really sorry. Are you hurt?"

"No, no, it was more...," Eddie trails off, and then he gets an obnoxious grin and looks up at Steve. "It was more the shock of it."

A beat passes before Steve groans, grabs his pillow, and whacks Eddie in the face with it. Eddie dramatically falls back on the bed, lamenting Steve's cruelty and superior fighting skills as Steve laughs. When Eddie finally stops hamming it up, he pushes the pillow away and says, "So, I'd guess you're excited?"

Steve rolls his eyes, his cheeks hurting from smiling. "I...have an idea already, yeah," he says, looking at Eddie and leaning closer. "Wanna hear it?"

"Hell yeah," Eddie says, his eyes lighting up as Steve lays it all out.

And so begins a week of planning.

It's a week (most of which was spent convincing the Hermes Cabin to join his team and agree to just sit back and guard the flag) that leaves Steve buzzing with energy on the day of Capture the Flag. Eagerness makes his limbs tingle and his body beg to pace as he looks over the demigods in front of him. It's just the Hermes Cabin, Eddie, and the kids, meaning they're facing off against the rest of the camp.

He can't blame the Hermes kids for looking like they've already been defeated. The only reason they're still hanging around, Steve is sure, is because he and the kids promised to do all of their chores for two months if they lose.

Steve takes a deep breath, rolls his shoulders back, and consciously lets go of the Mist around him. He's used to holding it close, using it to cover himself and make him look, well, weaker, that he has to purposefully send it off. He knows the moment it's completely abandoned him; the demigods all stand straighter, only the kids and Eddie dare to meet his eyes, and the snakes poking through the hole in El's beanie start tasting the air with interest.

"You've put your faith in me," Steve says, his volume normal but his voice still booming in the otherwise silent clearing. "You probably think we're fucked, but you'd be wrong. So, listen up. I will be offense. Eddie, Will, and El will be extraction. And you, with the strength of numbers, will be defense. Guard this flag with your life, and we will win. If any of the enemy manages to slip past me, hold steady. You are the final line of defense. Your job is the most important, and I expect you to give it your all."

The hesitant expressions have become impassioned, if not a bit confused by the fact. Steve grins at them, feeling the air crackle between his teeth as his excitement grows. He exhales sparks, his fingers buzzing and his skin close to bursting.

Steve doesn't often pray to Zeus. He's never felt a need to, and several goddesses have made themselves better known to him. But now, as excited for the fight as he is, Steve thinks to Zeus, If you've never watched me before, then watch me now.

He puts on his Blue-Team helmet, the distant horn ringing in his ears as the lightning floods through him, and heads into battle.

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

Eddie's role is simple: keep El and Will from getting hurt. He'd be offended at the simplicity if he weren't already plenty aware of his inability to fight well. He's built for defense and retreat, which is why he's got his shield at the ready and is preparing himself to jerk the kids back at the slightest hint of danger.

They're crouching behind some dense bushes, Will and El peeking through the gaps at some Red-Team campers, the first line of defense for the red flag. "So, what's the plan?" Eddie whispers, shifting slightly as he looks between the two kids. Thunder rumbles, and it takes every shred of Eddie's self-control to not look at the gathering storm clouds above them.

"Will makes them daydream," El whispers back, her beanie squirming as though the snakes can feel their imminent freedom. "If that does not work, I will turn them to stone."

Eddie slowly nods, glancing at Will as he cups his hands to his mouth and whispers unintelligible words into them. "And, uh, how is making them daydream supposed to help with distractions?" he asks.

"They are very strong daydreams," El replies.

Will finishes whispering, and a purple dust-like swirling mist is nestled in his palms. He nods to El, waiting for her to carefully make a larger opening in the leaves before gently blowing the mist from his hands. Eddie watches as it twists and curls around the Red-Team campers, slipping under their sleeves and floating to their ears and eyes. The mist settles there, a thin and nearly imperceptible film that Eddie wouldn't know to see if he hadn't watched Will make it.

A few seconds pass as the campers slowly relax, their grips on their weapons loosening until a few swords fall to the ground. El waits a few more seconds before picking up a sizeable pebble and throwing it at a tree across from them. Despite making a loud thud when it hits and falls to the ground, none of the campers blink or move an inch. The only movement Eddie can see is a slight sway and the occasional twitch of fingers, like their body is trying to follow through on movements they make in their daydreams.

"Metal," Eddie whispers, keeping pace with El and Will as they move out from behind the bush. If everything is this easy, they'll get back in time to see Steve fighting. Eddie would love if he could see Steve fighting again. "How did you do that?"

Will flushes slightly, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's not a lot, really," he says, his voice quiet and a little embarrassed. "I mean, I just use dream-speak to give the daydreams specific emotions and then send it over."

"Dream-speak?"

"You know how you can't read in dreams? And if you try to remember exact conversations, you can only get snippets or a word or two? That's dream-speak," Will explains. He thinks for a few seconds before adding, "It's, um, supposed to feel intangible."

"How long does it last?"

"Usually," El says, her voice soft as she pauses and gestures for Eddie and Will to follow, "around twenty minutes. But it depends on the person." She leads them to large boulder, all of them ducking behind it in time for some Red-Team campers to walk by.

"Holy shit," one of them says, looking in the distance at the gathering storm clouds as she slows down. "Man, I am fucking glad we're not fighting that Zeus kid."

"No kidding," the other mumbles. "He's a monster."

Eddie has heard plenty of people call Steve a monster in the past week. Most of them say it with awe in their voices, unable to find any other word to describe the sheer power they saw from Steve. But others, like the one here, say it like Steve is a monster for them to defeat for the glory of it.

He clenches his jaw, grip on his shield straps tightening some. Before he can do anything, El reaches up to her beanie, and Will slaps a hand over Eddie's eyes. He hears the hiss of a writhing mass of snakes, aborted shouts, and then nothing. When Will takes his hand away, the two campers are statues, shock and terror contorting their expressions. El, with her beanie back in place, considers them for a moment before turning. "We should keep moving."

Eddie doesn't argue, but he does hold up a fist to El, grinning when she slowly bumps it with her own. She then turns to Will, her expression expectant, and she flashes her own tiny smile that matches Will's when their fists gently bump together.

Of every game Eddie has participated in, this game of Capture the Flag is by far his most relaxed. Will and El seem to have plenty of experience sneaking around and launching sneak-attacks. The closest Eddie gets to seeing any kind of action is when a Red-Team camper happens to stumble across them on their way back from the bathroom. Even then, before Eddie can raise his shield to block their sword, El slides in front of him and rips off her beanie.

"Thanks," he says, keeping his gaze away until the beanie is back on.

"You are welcome," El replies, staying quiet for a few seconds before adding, "Steve would be sad if you got hurt."

With that statement dropped on him, she continues leading the way to the Red-Team base. By the time they reach it, several Red-Team campers have been deployed to support the other campers fighting Steve. Between those, the ones stationed on the other side of the forest, and the campers they've disposed of, only twenty remain to guard the flag.

"I'm surprised the Athena kids aren't more prepared for you," Eddie whispers, glancing at El. She's the kind of secret weapon everyone knows about and prepares for, but he hasn't seen any of that so far.

El glances at Eddie, considering her response for a few moments before looking at Will. When he nods, she says, "I have not told Steve, but the Head Camper for Athena approached me two days ago. She offered me a personally-designed weapon if I did not use my powers during the game."

"El agreed," Will says, picking up the explanation with ease, "and promised not to use her powers to steal the flag."

"I am not stealing the flag," El finishes, a proud smile tugging at her lips, "I am capturing it."

"You're a little devil, you know that?" Eddie asks, grinning brightly.

"No. I am a little gorgon."

-----

They leave a garden of statues in their wake, and El takes a few moments to sigh and say it's not as good as her mother's before they leave with the Red-Team flag carefully hidden under Will's shirt. As they approach the border between the team territories, the sounds of battle grow. Swords clash, fighters shout, and lightning cracks between them all.

"We can take the long way," Eddie offers, his tone reluctant as he glances in the direction of the fight. They're close enough that a few trees are singed on the edges from lightning strikes, and Eddie holds his shield tighter. Letting the kids get anywhere near that fight isn't protecting them, and he should direct them in a wide circle around it.

But something is calling him, urging him closer to the fight in a way he's never felt before. He's not an Ares kid---Eddie has no desire to enter a blood bath---but he gets the feeling that Steve is going to need him soon.

"El and I can make it by ourselves," Will offers. "It's only a few feet away, and the game ends once we cross, right?"

Eddie nods, frowning before taking a deep breath. "No, it's okay," he says, waving for the kids to keep moving. "We'll try to head straight through and end the game sooner."

It's a choice he was expecting to regret, but doesn't get the chance. Nobody notices them, even when they get close enough to see a swarm of Red-Team campers surrounding Steve. None of them glance in their direction, too distracted by the fight to spare any attention to three insignificant campers sneaking by. Thunder rumbles endlessly above them, a deafening soundtrack that's only broken by cracks of lightning striking the ground and knocking campers back a few feet.

"Steve is having fun," El observes, sounding happy for him as they approach the Blue-Team border.

"He's never really let go, huh?" Eddie asks, getting a quick peek at Steve through the swarm. He lost his helmet at some point, leaving his feral expression and static-raised hair in full view, and arches of lightning jump across his body, occasionally reaching out to strike any Red-Team campers that get too close.

"No," Will says, his voice soft as they approach the border. The moment Will steps over, the horn sounds in the distance, and Eddie waits for the fighting to stop.

But it doesn't. Nobody in the swarm seems to realize the game is over. They continue to attack Steve, and Steve continues to fight against them, the air churning and sparking and ready to burst. A few seconds pass before Eddie realizes they won't stop until only one side is left standing. He gets it. Kind of. Steve carries the air of royalty; a challenge. If you can beat the son of Zeus, a literal Prince of Olympus, the glory of that achievement is untold. And it seems his fellow campers have fallen prey to that glory, utterly lost to it

Eddie feels that urge to join Steve surge through him again. He swallows around a sudden lump of nerves in his throat, searching for any other peek at Steve he can get as he says, "You guys go ahead. I'll help Steve. We'll catch up."

He doesn't bother waiting for El or Will to answer. He just rushes into the battle, something he never expected himself to do. Somehow, he doesn't meet any resistance. Lightning strikes the ground around him, pushing Red-Team campers back and urging him on, and Eddie wonders if Steve knows he's coming.

When he finally reaches the center of the battle, he sees Steve swing his bat against someone's side, the nails dragging painfully before he kicks the person back. Steve has lost his chest plate as well, and the only armor he has left are the wrist guards. There are slashes in his clothes and the edges are burnt. Eddie is almost distracted by the sight until he sees a daughter of Ares rush Steve from behind, her sword raised to bring down on his back.

In a move of unprecedented grace (seriously, Eddie will look back on that moment and never understand how he managed to not trip over himself), Eddie springs into the battle. He rushes at Steve, sliding behind him, twisting, and raising his shield in one smooth movement. The sword comes down on his shield, sending vibrations down his arm but otherwise causing no harm to him or Steve. Eddie pushes back as hard as he can, sending the daughter of Ares sprawling before pressing his back to Steve's.

"Thanks," Steve says, his words crackling and sparking against Eddie's ear. He thinks it's just a phantom sensation at first, but Eddie soon realizes lightning is literally arching between them, jumping across their shoulders and through their hair and buzzing down Eddie's chest.

He licks his lips, electric ozone lingering on his tongue, and Eddie is fascinated by the taste. "No problem," he says, his body following Steve without thinking. It's easy when he can feel the bolts of lightning between them start to shift, telling him which way Steve is going so he can keep up. "You know the game is over, right?"

"This is the most fun I've had in years," Steve replies, his tone implying that should explain everything.

And, yeah, it kind of does. He sounds genuinely happy and thrilled, his voice teeming with eagerness that's punctuated by the sound of his bat hitting a Red-Team camper in the head hard enough to make their helmet ring.

Eddie knows Steve would stop if he asked. Eddie knows he could talk Steve down from this lightning-fueled battle high. Eddie decides that wouldn't be nearly as fun.

"Okay," he says, pressing closer to Steve's back and blocking an arrow headed straight for Steve's shoulder. "Have fun, sweetheart."

Eddie didn't know it was possible, but Steve's power surges again, like it was just simmering under his skin, waiting for permission. And Eddie gave it. Bolts strike from the clouds above while arches jump across Steve and Eddie, running down their arms and leaping at Red-Team campers who get too close. They don't stop; the lightning continues to jump from camper to camper, electrocuting whoever it touches, and Eddie realizes he should have been electrocuted, too.

He blocks another sword, lightning crackling along the edges of his shield and shooting off sparks when its hit, and looks at the white-blue arches running along his arm. Without thinking, Eddie touches one, a gentle buzzing spreading through his hand as the arch transfers and jumps around his palm. It tickles more than anything else, and Eddie would think it's harmless if a Red-Team spear didn't get close enough for the lightning to jump and shock the camper unconscious.

It's not that the lightning jumping between him and Steve is harmless, Eddie realizes, it's just that it won't hurt him. He feels like some of the lightning has settled in his chest, crackling and warm and soothing. Eddie glances over his shoulder, taking in Steve's breathless smile and the way light splashes across his face with each bolt that hits the ground and the sparks that jump from his bat.

That feeling he got when he first saw Steve, the breathlessness and awestruck realization that the whole prophecy was just him, hits Eddie all over again. He lingers in it for a few seconds, letting it wash over him and settle in his limbs, before getting yanked out by a particularly close lightning bolt that makes his ears ring.

Right. A fight. That he's part of.

Eddie forces himself to focus on defending Steve's back. He blocks arrows and swords and shields and, once, a battle axe that makes his shield groan. That one pisses him off some. This shield was a gift from Hermes, a gift that showed surprising knowledge of Eddie's interests, and he'll be damned if it breaks. As though fueled by his anger, the lightning on his shield crackles and shoots down the battle axe, converging on the camper until she drops the axe with a yelp.

He doesn't get to linger on that too long; another arrow comes straight at Steve again, and Eddie is far more occupied by blocking it. And so it continues. Steve fights, lightning strikes, and Eddie defends him the entire time, giving Steve the space and security to just let go and release all the energy that had been building since he arrived at camp.

It's over sooner than he expects. One moment, Eddie's arm is buzzing from a particularly strong hit to his shield, and the next, the field is silent. Thunder still rumbles above them, lightning still crackles around them, and Eddie's heartbeat is pounding in his ears. Campers are scattered around them, all breathing but most knocked out for a while. Eddie takes a deep breath, feeling the air spark harmlessly in his lungs, and slowly lets it out.

He rolls his shoulder and retracts his shield, placing it around his neck again before turning around. "You good?" he asks, looking Steve over for any obvious injuries. His clothes are even more singed, the hem of his shirt blackened, and his hair is sticking up wildly but still somehow perfect. Steve's tense, his muscles strained as he pants, looking around them before his gaze finally lands on Eddie. He's still gripping his bat tightly, his knuckles white, and Eddie is about to gently pull it away when Steve just drops it.

Eddie blinks, frowning slightly as he starts to ask Steve if he's okay. And then he can't speak at all, because Steve's hands are cupping his cheeks and Steve's chest is pressed against his own, and Steve's lips are thoroughly occupying his. Lightning shoots through Eddie, jumping down his throat as Steve's tongue licks past his lips.

It doesn't hurt, though. Nothing from Steve could actually hurt him; instead, it makes his fingers tingle and his lips buzz and his heart jackrabbit against his ribs. Eddie is filled with an inescapable energy, and there's only one way to expel it.

So, he kisses Steve back. Eddie wraps an arm around Steve's waist to tug him closer and pushes a hand into Steve's hair, finally feeling the soft strands tangling between his fingers. He tilts his head and lets Steve have the quiet groan that slips from him when tiny bolts jump from Steve's molars to Eddie's tongue.

Eddie is breathless and floating and completely under Steve's spell and...and...and he's confused. Because Steve yanks himself away, a panicked noise in the back of his throat as he takes a step back. His chest is still heaving, but Eddie knows it's for a different reason now. Steve starts to say something, his lips swollen and red and begging Eddie to kiss him again, but no words come out.

And then he does something Eddie never expected Steve to do. He runs. He panics so badly that he runs back toward the Blue-Team base, leaving Eddie in the middle of the Red-Team carnage with a floaty brain and a stupid smile.

Maybe, if it had been anyone else, Eddie would be panicking, too. He'd be worried about the person actually liking him, worried about what the kiss meant, worried about any number of things, really. But it's Steve. Eddie knows Steve. He knows Steve's laugh and his walk and his lightning and now his kiss.

There are only two possible reasons for Steve running away: either he panicked because the kiss was too sudden, too heat-of-the-moment, or he panicked because of the literal lightning he sent through Eddie. Both are easily addressed, easy to soothe Steve down from freaking out about so they can get to kissing again.

Eddie's smile widens some, and he takes one last look at the campers around him before carefully making his way past them, figuring he should tell Chiron they'll be needing ambrosia and nectar.

-------

Tag List

@mugloversonly, @mentallyundone, @hairdryerducks-blog, @carriethesaint, @lunabyrd, @weekend-dreamer7, @farfaras, @littlelady03, @my-tears-are-becoming-a-sea20, @mogami13, @a-little-unsteddie, @itsall-taken, @queenie-ofthe-void, @tinyplanet95, @littlebluejane, @hangoversandhandgrenades, @rabbitwhoeatsstars, @bisexualdisastersworld, @steddieinthesun,

@paintgonewrong, @sadcanadianwinter, @deehellcat, @blanketlicker, @angrydonutdestiny, @booksareportal, @fallingchemicaldiscos, @am-i-obssed-probably, @anne-bennett-cosplayer

@estrellami-1, @fandomcartographer, @steddie-as-they-go, @cris-wants-a-word, @potato-of-the-lord, @plasticcrotches, @enigmahaze, @melodymeddler, @lololol-1234, @sageclipse, @steddiehyperfixation, @livelaughlexa, @genderless-spoon

For those who made it this far, a meme:

[rageagainsttheapathy]

Okay. So. I’ve seen a few fics and posts about Eddie being in a production the Rocky Horror Picture Show and Steve stumbling across it and having a sexual awakening, which, fantastic showstopping incredible BUT

What if we had the opposite.

Picture: baby gay ally Steve with his new lesbian BFF Robin who he wants to be supportive for, so he decides that the best thing for him to do is obviously to drive her up to Indianapolis to find a her gay club and potentially a girlfriend so that she can enjoy all the same things that he does! It’s only logical. It doesn’t quite work out that way of course because although she’s excited, Robin is also nervous and kind of overwhelmed, BUT they do meet a lovely group of Elder Gays™️ who take one look at this Disaster Pair of Obvious Babies and decide that These Are Their Children now.

Steve and Robin both learn a lot from these new adoptive gay parents of theirs, from Safe Sex With Any Gender to How to Find Other Gays Without Attracting Attention to No, There’s More Than Just Gay Or Straight, Yes Really, We Promise. One of the aforementioned things is gay media, including the cult classic RHPS, and what do you know, There’s a Showing On Tonight, Let’s All Go It’ll Be Fun.

They go. And Steve LOVES it. It’s weird as fuck and he doesn’t follow half of the plot, but neither does anyone else it seems like because of just how weird it is, and the songs are all super catchy and screaming the words ‘asshole!’ And ‘slut!’ At the stage is weirdly cathartic for him.

Now. This wouldn’t lead to much of anything, except that Steve watches the movie so much on nights when he can’t sleep without waking up screaming from nightmares that he accidentally memorises all of the songs, and THEN, one night when he and Robin are having a Gay Night On The Town, he gets kind of hammered and ends up doing Karaoke on stage with a drag queen to Touch-a touch-a touch me. And he’s good. Very good, in fact, enough that he’s approached by a local theatre worker who just so happened to be in the club that night, who mentions that auditions for a new production of RHPS are being held soon, you’ve got real talent kid, why don’t you go for it?

And Steve isn’t going to, but he’s in desperate need of a hobby, and Robin is stood next to him chanting DO IT DO IT DO IT FOR MEEEEEEE, and you know what? Their lives are already So Goddamn Weird. So off he goes, and whaddaya know, ladies and gentlemen, you are looking at the brand spanking new Dr Frank-n-furter!

Enter Eddie, stage left.

Now with part two!

Additional stobin interlude scene!

Part Three/Four!

[findafight]

i don't get why robin and eddie clocking each other is so popular. firstly i find it kind of cheap esp since it's usually a set-up for robin and/or eddie being all-knowing arbiters of lgbt knowledge while steve is clueless and dumb and not lgbt enough (despite usually being bi) to partake in this exchange as well. then it's otherwise used to establish an immediate connection between robin and eddie since they are both gay which automatically makes them besties. secondly it doesn't make much sense w what we see of either robin or eddie. like we know robin struggles w social cues and we see that that extends to sexual orientation through her interactions w vickie. also i think she is just not paying that much attention to eddie i must be honest. then w eddie he spends his time campaigning for the stancy revival while steve blatantly stares at his mouth so. i don't think he'd be good at that either. like the irony in this being so common is that steve is the person that does clock someone else on top of being consistently socially and emotionally intelligent and perceptive. idk sometimes i feel like ppl take him not clocking robin as proof he's incapable of it despite him then clocking someone later and being right, and that s3 scene fitting into the broader context of steve being lonely, insecure, and off his game for most of s3 as well as between s2 and s3. tbh missed comedy potential w steve being the one person in that trio that actually knows what's happening.

oooohg yeah i feel you anon. Not to say that all the fics that have these tropes in them are bad! it just. sometimes gets annoying? I don't want people to feel too bad about it but yes agree.

I think it really is used as a way to fast track their friendship. Truly unfortunate that it's often used to make them all knowing queer guides instead of the disaster teenage gays they are.

Robin is a small town lesbian who is only out to one singular person, she does not know anything, let alone vague little queer codes that might be happening. She wouldn't know Eddie was queer for a variety of reasons. She says herself she's not good at reading people! She's also busy worrying about if she's doing something that might out her or make people suspicious of her, so she's not analyzing other people's actions. She does not care about men that aren't Steve enough to pay enough attention to figure out if Eddie is queer or not lol. She can't even figure out if the girl she likes who likes her back is queer when her best friend is telling her. Oblivious icon! open your eyes, queen!!

Eddie had a man he deliberately broke a moment of romantic tension between his love interest by throwing a vest at his face staring at his lips and still pushed him towards said love interest. Sir. what are you doing. and once it's clear stncy isn't happening you know eddie would be like okay. why aren't you dating Robin? hmm? she's cool! and causes Steve to Suffer. (Steve was flirting with Eddie .5 seconds before he started on this please get with the program Eddie!!)

Also think it's silly that people would stereotype Eddie as Queer from how he dresses as though that's not just how a lot of people dressed? long hair was In in the 80s. Metal fashion was there. It also likely had some/a lot of ingrained homophobia in the subculture (as many things did). Sorry Eddie, but I'm pretty sure our boy Brucie did more for the gays than metallica. (Kissing Clarence Clemens Right On The Mouth Many Times On Stage thank you mr. springsteen and mr. clemens sirs.)

Steve's the only one of these three that 1) knows how to flirt 2) knows when someone is flirting with him 3) has consistently demonstrated being emotionally and socially intelligent to observe people (more than arguably anyone else in the series) and 4) has any kind of functioning gaydar. Totally agree that Steve not clocking Robin despite his gaydar is that he was way off his game, insecure, in a funk, pathetic sad meow meow era, and in a weird state of squish-or-crush on Robin, that was pushed towards crush by Dustin but slam dunked into squish by Robin coming out (does that make any sense?)

I truly, truly believe Vickie returned Fast Times paused on 53 minutes and five seconds specifically when she knew Robin and/or Steve would be the ones to rewind it. Why else would she not rewind it? when clearly they knew who had rented it and could potentially out her if they read into it? She was getting vibes from robin and knew that Steve would at least report Back to Robin (I refuse to believe the championship game was the only time stobin gossiped like they did. Vickie knows their shenanigans.) so she decided to be indirect but kinda obvious about it!! And while Robin is denying this Steve has seen the truth, he knows exactly what Vickie is doing. (would be very funny if Steve and Vickie clock each other, and then make eye contact like I know what you are. They deserve to become funky little friends while Steve is trying to get her and Robin together.)

[steddieunderdogfics]

Idk what the rules are for nominating a work You were part of for the themed Mondays, but for the last two summers, I (SSLeif) have been working with Rambling_Company and Elle-dubs on a Steddie piece called Lake Kane, which has been completed.

Lake Kane is an AU of the summer of '85 where Steve, Robin, and Eddie all work as fire lookouts in a national forest, while strange (Russian) things start to happen.

I am only tempted to nominate it for the tech theme because it was made for Podtogether, so has a podfic, and radios are DEEPLY important to the piece- radio is the primary way the three communicate with each other all summer (plus it incorporates a bunch of the Actual Canon season 3 emphasis on radio as well with Dustin and his cerebro, and in geneneral we just had to think through tech availability at that time and in that environment super hard as we were working on it- from the ability for Eddie to record music he was working on, to whether his guitars were going to work, to how they were playing music when they were by themselves, to how the actual like tools and tech that a fire watch uses are different contemporarily than they were in the '80s, and of course the whole thing is based on a video game, sort of), to the point where the text of the fic is actually mostly in script format, with all the action and narration etc being things like ambient sound, sound effects, and conversation being had between the towers through their radios. It's kind of almost epistolary in that way.

No worries if it's not chill to rec a fic you were part of, but it seemed to super fit the theme and because of the format, it's unlikely to ever get a huge reception, which is fine. However, I'm very proud of the work we did, so here it is, if you would like it/this is acceptable.

https://archiveofourown.org/series/4303225

Lake Kane by Elle_dubs (avril_o), Rambling_Company, ssleif

@do-what-the-knight-tells-you @omg-elledubs-things

Rating: Teens and Up

25,160 words, 2/2 chapters

Archive Warning: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Tags: Dustin also makes a cameo, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, alternate season 3, Podfic & Podficced Works, Screenplay/Script Format, Alternate Universe - Fusion, no graphic violence yet, not that we see, but there is implied violence and evidence of animal death in part 2, multivoice podfic, Embedded Images, Embedded Audio, Radio Play Format, Underage Drinking, Marijuana, Podfic Length: 2.5-3 Hours, references to animal death, Getting Together, Coming Out, The Party makes a cameo, Murray makes a cameo, Podfic, Natural Disasters, But just a little one, References to Canon-Typical Violence

Summary:

It’s the summer of 1985, and construction of the New Mall expected in Hawkins has been delayed. Steve Harrington, newly graduated, newly cut-off, needs a summer job. Hargrove is still in town, so Steve’s absolutely not going to lifeguard this year. Eddie Munson gets caught that one-too-many’th-a-time, and Hopper makes it clear he needs to find some gainful employment, ideally elsewhere, and Hop does not want to see Too Much of him this summer, Or Else. Robin Buckley needs a summer job, ideally something that lets her do college prep work at the same time… And the forest service is having trouble retaining fire lookouts in this one… mysterious… stretch of woods. . A Stranger Things/Firewatch AU

Thanks for the rec!

This rec is a part of Challenge Monday. The challenge this week was Fics that focus on technology.

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

[medusapelagia]

Second Chances Mixtape Part 1/5: 1986

Since the first moment I saw @maikaartwork beautiful art I got the idea for this story: it devoured all my thoughts and I'm so glad I had the opportunity to write a fic for their art.

Working on this was so fun!

Not only I had an amazing team but I had the opportunity to write something I have never written before!

It was fun getting out of my comfort zone, even if a bit scary 😂!

I want to thank my wonderful betas @soaringornithopter and @house-of-chant who not only helped with my fic but gave me enthusiastic and funny comments that I adored!

Last but not least a big thank you to the entire @strangerthingsreversebigbang Discord Server for their constant support and their friendship.

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.

READ ON AO3

Under the cut a little snippet!

The entire trailer park has been evacuated, the ground is covered in debris, crumpled papers, and forgotten objects. Steve stares at a solitary shoe wondering if its owner is walking half barefoot somewhere or worse, but he turns his head when he sees a well-loved teddy bear covered in mud; they are not there to take notes of what happened, they already know it, they just have to get back and find Eddie. There is still the police tape on the door to Eddie’s trailer as if it could have really prevented the access to anyone. For a moment Steve wonders where Mr. Munson might be, he was surely working when the earthquake happened, but after that where did he go? Does he know that he has no home anymore and that his nephew is missing? “Steve? Come on!” Dustin calls him and he steps toward the rift; it’s still as big and ominous as he remembered, and if he didn’t know that at the end of all that bright redness, there is a membrane that keeps the Upside Down and the Right Side Up separated, he would think that the shiny red was lava. “Are you ready?” Robin asks, staring at the rift and reaching out for Steve. “No.” He replies, putting his bag on his shoulder and taking Dustin’s hand. “If we die, I’m gonna kill you… You know that, right?”

[frankenstein-ate-my-left-shoe]

A Recipe for Disaster (Chap. 6)

Pt. 1 | Pt.2 | Pt. 3 | Pt. 4 | Pt. 5 | on AO3 here

“Robin! Robin, wake up, dammit!”

“Steve? What the hell? What time is it?”

“Robin, look.” Steve thrusts the note into her face

Blinking blearily, she manages to clear the sleep from her face and reads the note “Oh my god?” she says as if she knows she should be reacting, but doesn’t know why.

“Robin, he went back and took care of Sandy.”

She blinks at him twice. “I’m not following.”

Steve launches into what happened after Sandy ran off, how Eddie followed just to make more fun of Steve.

“Wait, hold on, that’s what you got from that?

“Uh yeah?”

“So the man races after you, who is on a terrified horse’s back, on foot (“He did?”), was the first one to get to you, and you think he did that just to give you your hat back and make fun of you?”

“Why else would he do that?”

She shrugs, “Maybe he’s got a crush on you? At the very least he cares about you.”

“He does NOT have a crush on me; and really? ‘Crush’? What are we, twelve?”

“Like I said, he at least cares about you. Did you not hear what I said? After being one of two people to rush forward and try to calm Sandy, he took off running after you. On foot. In damn dress shoes that probably cost a million dollars by themselves.”

Steve’s quiet. Silently willing himself to keep any sort of hope at bay.

“That’s not what’s happening. He’s trying to weasel his way in and throw me off.”

“Steve–”

“No, why else would he leave a passive aggressive note like this?” Steve stands and starts stomping back and forth in front of Robin’s bed. “‘She’s feeling better now, hope you are too.’? Obviously he’s insinuating that I can’t look after my own horse or myself.”

“Oh my god.” Robin groans, throwing her hands over her face and falling back on the bed. “Fine Steve, you win. He’s the big bad wolf and has zero other feelings besides ‘passive aggression towards Stephan Artur Harrington-Renaldi’. Can I get back to sleep now?”

“Robs, you keep poking fun at it, but the whole reason he’s here and even a factor in my life at all is because he’s literally trying to overthrow me. You say he cares, I say he’s pretending to to get me to let my guard down so the literal over-throwing part will be that much easier.”

She huffs out a long sigh, “Okay fine, I admit that could be a possibility.” she says, and sits back up “But can you admit that my thing may also be just as true?”

Steve thought it all back over again.. “I thought we made a real connection on my birthday, before I knew who he was, I don’t think you can fake that.”

“Yeah you really were down bad almost immediately.”

“Shut up. But then I find out he’s trying to take the throne, and that immediately puts the brakes on any feelings.. I was crushed Robs.”

“Yeah Dingus, I know. I was there while you wallowed that time, remember?”

“He looked so innocent when I saw him in his room that time, just a real person with a real hobby.”

“Your Peeping Tom moment, yes, I remember.”

“Then he was totally flirting with me when Dustin found us in that closet. But again, he could just be faking it more in order to throw me off.”

Steve’s head hurts.

“And now we’re here. Post-disaster. Post-’Eddie risking bodily harm to calm a literal giant of a horse and save Dingus then runs full speed after Dingus to make sure he’s okay’, post-’Eddie comforts Dingus’, and post-’Eddie leaves Dingus a love note’.”

Steve stares at her, slack-jawed.

“Robin, does Eddie have feelings for me?”

Her look softens at his tone, “I don’t know Dingus, you’d have to ask him.” She throws her covers off and steps up to hug him tight around the middle. “Though, if I was a betting man, I’d bet on it.”

He returns her embrace, “Not everything I hope.”

She shrugs, “I’ll keep you posted.”

–

The morning following the reviewing of the guard, Eddie finds himself outside Prime Minister Henderson’s office door. His stomach a rat’s nest of nerves, he gives a quick succession of knocks to the heavy wooden door.

“Come in!” Wayne’s gruff but friendly voice replies.

Eddie opens the door and sees his Uncle’s face scrunch into confusion.

“Eddie?” he hefts himself up from his seat to stand as Eddie enters the office.

“Hi Uncle Wayne, long time no speak.”.

“Please come in, sit down, is everything alright son?”

Oof, leave it to Wayne to hit him with the ‘son’ right off the bat. “Not entirely.” Eddie closes the door behind him and sits down in front of his Uncle.

“Uncle Wayne, I need your help.” Eddie puts his palm up to stop Wayne when he goes to speak. “Wait; let me apologize first. I’m sorry I haven’t stayed in better contact, I don’t have an excuse for anything that’s happened in the last few years. I thought dad knew best and only recently found a reason to believe otherwise. 

The reason should have been you every other time you’d been in my corner, should have been your new family, the one I should have made the slightest effort to know, it should have been our last conversation, but it wasn’t. It’s–”

“It’s the prince isn’t it?” Wayne cuts him off.

“What? How did you kn–” Eddie clears his throat, “What makes you think it was Steve?”

“A hunch. Also, you just called him ‘Steve’.”

Eddie balks at Wayne’s crooked mischievous smile. “You bastard, how do you know me so well?”

“Eddie, my boy, I’ve always seen you as a son to me. You know that right?”

Suddenly, Eddie’s cheeks are wet, and some of his hair is already sticking to his face. He’d left it loose but now he’s gonna be stuck swiping tear-soaked locks from his face for the rest of, what he’d been hoping would be, a serious conversation.

“Oh, Eddie…” Wayne once again hefts himself out of his chair and circles around his desk as quickly as he can while Eddie remains rooted in his seat.

Wayne’s arms are around him in no time at all, but Eddie’s heaving sobs by time he does, wrapping his arms around his uncle.

“Eddie, you were always too good for my no-good brother. I’ve always believed that.” Wayne’s rubbing soothing circles on his back. “I thought I’d lost you to that son-of-a—” Wayne clears his throat and Eddie smiles into his shoulder, “I’d always hoped you’d break out from under him and find your own way.”

“But you have Dustin now,” Eddie’s voice is small “Why care at all?”

Wayne pulls back and crouches in front of his nephew, pulling a hair tie and a handkerchief from his pocket as he does, and hands them over. Eddie takes them, and the new round of sobs that come with the gesture as he shakily pulls his hair back away from his face.

“You were there first.” Wayne grins at him and Eddie is grinning around smaller sobs and sniffles.

“Now, what do you need, son?”

“Honestly Wayne? I think it was this. I came here to ask for your advice. And to tell you what it is my father is plotting.”

Wayne nods, and circles back around his desk to take his seat. “Hopper told me his suspicions about what happened yesterday.”

“Well he kept the snake, if that tells you anything.”

--

Dustin accompanied Steve to Prime Minister Henderson’s office the morning after the review, intending on stopping there to let him know where Joyce will meet him for their next meeting before heading to the kitchens for breakfast with Max, Robin, and Nancy.

“It’s no problem at all, Aunt Joyce, we’re heading past there anyway so it’ll be super quick.” Steve had assured her.

“Thank you dear, you are a lifesaver; Wayne’s notorious for never checking his email so if there’s a change, he must be told in person or he’ll never show up to anything.”

Dustin gave Joyce a big toothy grin “Yes ma’am, that sounds like him. We’ll let him know.”

Stopping outside Wayne’s door, Steve wasn’t entirely surprised to hear voices from the other side, Wayne’s deep one accompanied by another slightly less deep one. He gave a questioning look to Dustin, who shrugged then short rap to the door.

“Come in!” Wayne called

Steve pushed open the door and upon seeing him Wayne stood and so did..Eddie?

“Apologies for intruding, Prime Minister, Lord Edmund, I was on my way through to breakfast and her majesty asked me to let you know that your 2pm conference was moved into the parliament chambers. She knew you wouldn’t have seen the email.” Steve gave Wayne a smile and a short wink.

Wayne smiled warmly back at him, eyes crinkling, “Thank you your highness, I will be sure to be there.”

Wayne gave a short bow, and Steve risked a glance at Eddie. He looked calm and collected, but his eyes looked wrecked, deep circles beneath them and slightly bloodshot. The fact that those eyes had already been boring into Steve before he’d spared a glance to the curly-haired brunette made Steve’s heart jump into his throat and look away just as quickly as he had laid eyes on him.

“Awesome! Thanks Mr. Henderson. I’ll let her know I was able to tell you.”

“Wayne, your highness; Wayne is just fine.” 

“No can do Mr. Henderson,” Steve was already ushering Dustin back out the door “You’ll be Wayne when you just call me Steve!”

“Touché, your highness.” he said with a laugh “Bye Dustin.”

“Bye Dad! Bye Eddie!” Dustin waved around Steve, who was closing the door.

As soon as it was, Dustin said “What was that all about? Wayne’s not that scary, there’s no need to feel like you need to escape. And you didn’t even say bye to Eddie.”

“Yeah, but you did, what’s with that? You know he’s trying to overthrow me right?” Steve started walking, and Dustin followed.

“He’s a good guy, you just gotta give him a chance.” Steve scoffed at that but Dustin continued “I’m serious, Steve.”

“You just like him because he plays that nerdy game of yours.”

“That’s not it, he’s als_wait, how’d you know he plays??”

Oh shit. Steve feels his face burning up “Uhm, I saw you guys when you did finally play.” Dustin looks absolutely floored. “I was passing by and caught a part of the game, you seemed to be having fun.”

“Well yeah, we were. ‘Cause Eddie’s fun. And a cool dude.”

Steve scoffed non-committedly and they continued in silence for a moment.

“He looked sad.” Steve whispered, almost just to himself.

Dustin looked at Steve incredulously, but must’ve seen something in his face that kept him from saying anything snarky, just replying with “Yeah, you’re right. He did.”

--

“Edmund, can I ask you a question?” Queen Joyce asks him. She’s sitting beside where he’s been baking up batches of cookies for the hoard of teens he’s found himself with lately. M&M for Dustin and Max, chocolate chip for Mike (and for the young Lord and Lady Sinclair, when they did end up joining the party), and oatmeal raisin for the wonder twins.

How they’ve managed to get him wrapped around their fingers this quickly is truly astounding.

“Of course, Your Majesty.”

Joyce gestures for him to sit beside her at the small table in the kitchen where she’d planted herself next to the hot baking sheets. He does, and she continues, “Why are you so against Steve becoming king?”

Eddie isn't. Far from it. He can’t explain why he doesn’t just tell her as much, but he says “My father feels that Prince Steve does not know the people.”

“And feel that you do? Know the people?”

“Well yes, I was born here, I went to primary school here…I am a true Genovian. Steve didn’t even know he was Genovian until much later and my father believes he’s spent too little time here since then.”

“Well I happen to think he will be a great ruler. He’s incredibly kind, sensitive, caring…”

“I know that.” Eddie whispers, not meaning to respond to the queen at all. Oops.

“You do?” She’s shocked.

“Yes. Yes I_I do, but, in his words, ‘how can one rule the people, if they do not know the people?’.”

Joyce smiles, “Touché, that’s a very good question.”

–

Being 100% honest, this is not what he thought would come of his conversation with Joyce. She really took the ‘not knowing the people’ part literally, and now here he was at a garden party not two days later, Steve bouncing between groups of people, smiling, tall, bright, and handsome, Prince Charming himself. In a pastel pink suit no less.

Chrissy caught him gawking, “Ah, so this is the unfortunate object of your affections?”

“Rude. Why are my affections unfortunate?”

Chrissy shrugs, giving him a shit eating grin.

He’d invited his good friend Lady Cunningham to accompany him, hoping to introduce her to Steve; help out with his ‘knowing the people’ any way he can. Chrissy was very influential to the affairs of dignitaries of all walks, she was sweet and charming and hadn’t met a single person she’d not got on with. Not even his father could resist her charms and consistently berated Eddie for not “hitching his wagon to that one”.

“And to think I was going to marry you.” Eddie shook his head and got an elbow to the ribs.

“Shut up, E! Someone will hear you and think it’s real.” Chrissy whispers, “You know people have already started ‘shipping’ us because you refuse to ask anyone else to be your date to these kinds of events.”

“You’re the one who keeps accepting!” He whispers back. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you’d want all this for real.” Eddie gestures to himself and waggles his eyebrows at her.

Chrissy’s loud laugh calls the attention of almost the whole garden, some people hiding their own laughter when she starts snorting.

--

“Steve, look who’s here.” Nancy nudged him in the ribs with her sharp elbow

Steve turned and followed her line of sight, and there, at the entrance of the gardens, with an absolutely stunning woman on his arm, was Eddie.

“Ah. That his…girlfriend?”

Someone scoffed behind them, and they turned to look. It was a passing guest grabbing hors d'oeuvres from the table. “Edmund doesn’t have girlfriends. He has ‘dates’.” The guest looked up at the two, seeming to realize who he was talking to when he did. At the sight of the two royals in front of him, he blanched, and quickly scurried off.

“Well then…Shall we?” Nancy asked, wrapping her hand into the crook of Steve’s arm.

“Shall we what?”

“Say hello, of course.” She started off toward the other couple, pulling him along despite his protests. She was damn strong and ignored him, knowing he would come along at the very least just to make sure he doesn’t make a scene.

Suddenly, they were stopped and Steve dared to look forward, taking in the couple before him.

The woman was indeed stunning; a petite thing, especially next to Eddie’s tall build. Her strawberry blond hair was pulled back in a high ponytail, and it was wrapped in an emerald green bow that perfectly matched her dress.

Eddie’s curls were pulled back into a bun, a few soft tendrils pulled out around his face. The white suit Eddie was wearing suited him just as well as any of his all black ensembles did, and Steve couldn’t help but notice that the suit paired with his pastel pink button-up was the exact inverse of Steve’s own pastel pink suit and white undershirt.

“Well don’t you two look nice!” Eddie’s date mused, giving a bright grin. “I’m Lady Christine Cunningham, but please, call me Chrissy.”

She extended her hand to Nancy first, who took it “Nancy, very nice to meet you Chrisy.”

“Hello, Lady Christine, thank you for coming.” Steve took her hand and brushed a soft kiss to her knuckles in greeting,

“Chrissy, please, your highness.”

“If you’re Chrissy, I’m Steve.” He smiled at her, he always offered this informality, not minding when folks ignored his title, but no one ever took him up on it.

“Very well, Steve.” She grins easily. Wow, that’s a surprise. 

“So how do you two know each other?” Nancy asked Eddie, who’d remained quiet so far.

He cleared his throat, “We went to school together, been friends for a long time.” He smirked down at the petite woman beside him. “She’s quite the academic.”

“Really? What was your major?” Steve asked Chrissy

Eddie interrupted, “She actually majored in primary school education, she is looking to become a teacher.”

Not knowing why, Steve felt the need to come in for Nancy’s defense, “That’s amazing Chrissy! You know, Nancy here is currently pursuing her masters in journalism.”

Again, Chrissy looked like she was going to respond when Eddie responded instead, “Your highness, that’s amazing! Chrissy went to our local university, are you attending locally?”

Nancy made a small noise, but Steve was already (admittedly) bragging. “Nancy’s actually completing online courses at Harvard.” 

Eddie started saying something else but Steve caught Chrissy trying to say something, so he cut him off “Chrissy is actually trying to say something, yes, Chrissy?”

Giving him an odd look, Chrissy addresses Nancy, “Nancy, I feel like they are just going to continue their “my horse is bigger than your horse debacle”, care to join me for a cup of tea?”

Eddie rubs the back of his neck in embarrassment before Steve can, so he shoves his hands in his pockets and ducks his head to hide the flush to his face. ‘Damn, what the fuck was all that?’

“I thought you’d never ask; let's go find Robin. I’m certain she’ll be better company.” Nancy takes Chrissy’s hand and pulls her back toward the rest of the party “You know, his horse actually is pretty huge..”

There’s a moment of awkward silence and Steve starts to say something to break it when Eddie beats him to it.

“So she knows how big your horse is, does she?” Eddie gives him a sly wink and stalks off towards the palace’s hedge maze.

Steve is stunned, frozen for a good ten seconds before he follows after Eddie.

He’s been through this maze enough times that he knows exactly where he’s going. A fact that Eddie doesn’t seem to know, because he calls back out to Steve from not that far ahead “Better get moving, Stevie, don’t want to be caught by the minotaur.”

Steve’s mind is instantly flooded with a myriad of confusing feelings about Eddie calling him Stevie, but then is almost laughs at that minotaur comment, ‘What a fucking dork’ he finds himself thinking.

He catches up to Eddie as they enter the center of the maze, where a huge fountain sits right in the middle. It’s not fully on at the moment, but is usually spraying extra decorative spouts of water in addition to the column in the center.

“How dare you insinuate anything having to do with my private life.” he growls at the back of Eddie’s head.

Eddie throws a sly smile to Steve over his shoulder “I’m not insinuating anything, Your Highness; well, only that she’s met Sandy.”

Steve splutters. ‘Ah fuck, he’s got me there.’

Eddie spins and stalks backward instead. “But judging by your response, I don’t think I have to infer anything about that part of you anymore, now do I Stevie?” giving Steve an appraising look up and down.

Steve’s face turns beet red, fucking hell. He rolls his eyes and looks away, acting like he isn’t flustered by the thought of Eddie knowing what he’s working with. He stops walking when Eddie does, right at the edge of the stone fountain and crosses his arms over his chest.

“Wouldn't you like to know..” he grumbles under his breath.

There’s a pause before: “Maybe I do.”

Steve’s head snaps up and there is no snarky smile, no malice in Eddie’s face. Only a shy hint of a smile and bright red cheeks.

“Well tough shit.” Steve is pissed. How dare this man make him have feelings for him, crush him, then he wants to return them? Fuck that bullshit. “You could have known all about me, known all about what I'm working with, but you and that snake of a father had other plans.”

Eddie’s eyes widen and his smile drops; good, he knows exactly what Steve is trying to confess then. 

“It could’ve been you, Eddie.” Steve says quietly, thinking he might as well spell it out. “I really thought we connected and I happen to feel like we could’ve been great together.” The images he’d conjured back when Nancy had asked him if he could see himself with Eddie flash behind his eyes. “You know, Nancy asked me once if I could see myself with you.”

“She did?” Eddie’s voice is whisper-quiet.

Steve nods, swallowing the lump in his throat. “I told her how I had fallen head over heels for you during your damn lie dance,” Eddie’s short chuckle at that sounded wet, and when Steve looked up, there were tears swimming in the older man’s eyes.

“Then she asked. I told her no. But that was a damn dirty lie because I could picture it so clearly, Eddie.”

Eddie’s mouth drops open in surprise, but Steve cuts him off before he can mutter a single syllable.

“Don’t worry, I stuffed all those pictures into the back of a drawer up here,” Steve taps his temple, his anger coming back into his voice. “But I can’t risk seeing them ever again so I’m going to burn them. Wipe them from my mind forever.” Another lie, he’s going to hold onto those as long as he damn well pleases, but he doesn’t have to know that.

“I am engaged to be married to a wonderful woman who supports me as I am, and will be there to support me when I take over the throne from my Aunt.” Steve mimes wiping his hands together then shaking them off, boring his sight into the depths of Eddie’s wide eyes. “I’m wiping my hands of you, Edmund Muñoz. You will be a pain in my side until coronation, then after that, it will be as if you never existed.”

He turns to leave, feeling both lighter and weighed down after his confession. Lighter knowing that Eddie now knows his feelings, but weighed down knowing he lied to him about wanting to be rid of him.

“Steve, wait!“ Eddie grabbed his elbow and for some reason, Steve let himself be whirled around and into Eddie’s embrace, chest to chest, heart to pounding heart.

From the look on the taller man’s face, he hadn’t expected them to end up so close either, but as soon as Steve was in his embrace, both men immediately lost every thought in their heads. They both started leaning forward and closer to the inevitable until finally, finally, their lips brushed together. 

Steve let his eyes droop, heavy-lidded while they were drawing closer, but now, he closed them and every other sense off in order to take in only the man in front of him. Pressed himself fully to Eddie. Eddie, whose lips were soft on his in even this, barely a breath of a kiss. Eddie, whose arms he fit into like they were made only for each other. Eddie, whose large, warm hands traveled up Steve’s arms to cup his jaw with the softest touch imaginable. 

There was no way he was ever going to recover from this.

Steve reveled in the kiss for the longest moment he could. He let himself feel the fireworks in their touch, the lights of the same bursting behind his eyelids, never to be seen again; he allowed himself this for a single fleeting moment, then forced himself to come back to his senses. Even when the flame in his heart for the man currently holding him like he was precious, grew to an overwhelming size and temperature. 

“Mph–what the hell are you doing?” Steve pushed Eddie off of him, the other man looking just as stunned in what just happened, what was currently happening. Then, as if seeing it in slow motion, Steve registered Eddie’s face morphing into panic as they both realized at the same time that he was now tripping and falling backwards towards the pool at the bottom of the fountain.

“Oh shit, Eddie!” Steve lunged forward and was able to wrap his arms around Eddie’s waist, but it was too late. The momentum of Eddie’s fall had them both falling, right into the frigid waters.

Steve fell half onto Eddie, and half directly onto one of the spouts for the fountain’s water show. The spout jabbed directly under the ribs on his left side, and punched the breath out of his lungs. He took in a mouthful of water and shot himself up out over the surface of the pool.

Hacking, coughing, side hurting, and feeling like he was going to hurl, Steve managed to catch something coming from the man beside him.

“—ou alright?” 

Steve took a wet, shuddering breath and stood shakily, stepping carefully out of the fountain before he responded. “How about you stay underwater and I’ll count to a million?”

“Stevie—“ 

“No!” he spun around and winced at the pain in his side, clutching at it over the suddenly more see-through material of his suit.

For a moment, he was taken aback by the sight of Eddie. Sitting in the pool, the majority of his curls now free from their bun, sopping wet and hanging from his head, plus the pained expression he wore made him look like a kitten that's been left out in the rain. 

Now his heart hurts, along with his side. 

“No, Edmund, you stay here and figure out why you think it’s okay to go around kissing people; specifically engaged people.” he turned on his heel and hurried back through the hedges toward the party. 

“Steve! Stevie, wait, you’re hurt!” He could hear the splashing and sloshing as Eddie got himself out of the water as fast as he could, but he didn’t turn back. Couldn’t turn back. 

Steve steps into the light outside the hedges and nearly crashes into Dustin.

“Steve? What happened?”

“Doesn’t matter, help me inside?”

“Sure, no problem man, are you okay?” He could see that Steve was clutching his side, and probably could see something in his expression in addition to his soaked appearance. 

“Honestly Dusty? I don’t think so.”

They walked along in silence for a moment, luckily not running into many people on their way toward the palace. Until they reached the end of the gardens. 

“Steve? What are you–”

“Aunt Joyce, you don’t want to know.”

Her gaze swept over him and settled on his face. The fire behind her eyes told him otherwise.

“Head inside and get cleaned up, I will meet you after supper.”

Steve only nodded, and Dustin sent in a call over his mic as they started in. “Sparrow returning to the birdhouse; Eagle remains in the yard.” Giving him an appraising look, he also calls “Inform Robin of Sparrow’s whereabouts; she will pass it to Owl.” before asking “You think it’s a bad idea for Robin’s callsign to be Robin?”

“I think it’s hilarious actually.”

–

“Stephan, you tell me right this instant what your exact feelings are for Lord Muñoz.”

Steve had gone to wait in Joyce’s suite after they’d finished supper, knowing he’d want to get this done and over with sooner than later.

“You are found in a closet with a man who is not your betrothed, come out of a fountain dripping wet with the same man who is not your betrothed? What kind of message is this sending to the people, to Parliament? We are supposed to be on top of things around here.”

“I don’t know what to tell you Aunt Joyce, it’s not like I plan for these things to happen.” Steve huffs.

“Start talking Stephan.” Joyce sits in front of him with her cup of tea and waits.

He thinks it over. It could be so easy to tell her (and tell himself) that he doesn’t have any feelings for Edmund, that he’d left them there with the same man in that damn fountain. It should be easy to do so. Lie to himself now and make himself believe it. 

But he can’t.

Even with as much as he wants to, Robin’s words and Eddie’s actions tell him that he and Eddie both had feelings for each other. Have feelings for each other.

“Oh Steve, honey.”

Joyce’s words snap him out of it and he realizes tears have started falling from his eyes. ‘Why the hell am I so emotional lately?’ he thinks to himself.

“It’s been a very stressful couple of weeks darling, I can assume that’s why.” Joyce sits beside him and wraps her arms around him.

“I said that out loud didn’t I?” he returns Joyce’s embrace, sinking into it fully.

“You did, yes.”

“Joyce…I am head over heels for him. I don't know how I can make it stop.”

She holds him and rubs his back comfortingly for a minute or two.

“Steve, honey, I can’t tell you what to do. No one can. I can only tell you what you already know.”

“That I have to keep parliament happy if I want to become King.”

She’s quiet again and continues rubbing circles into his back. “I will support you no matter what, honey, remember that.”

“Thank you, Aunt Joyce.”

She pats his back and sits up tall again, "Now try to get some sleep, you'll want to look your best for the Independence Day parade tomorrow.”

Steve heaves a deep sigh. "I will try.”

Chap. 7 here!

Yay tags!: @henderdads @steveshairychest @sidebarre @resident-gay-bitch @kaspurrcat @melkene @livewondrousss @sadcanadianwinter @steddieasitgoes @mightbeasleep @princessstevemunson @totallybitchin @potentialheartofdarkness

[xenon-demon]

🔀 for steddie 💕

Thank you so much for the ask Janai!!!!!! Just so we all know I'm shuffling my big "Liked Songs" playlist for this ask game, so any song I've saved on Spotify since 2017 could come up lmao. For this ask I got Love Might Be Found (Volcano) by Montaigne! Oooooh man okay this is such a good song, it's about being in the earlier stages of a relationship and then having to leave them for some reason, so you're wishing for a reason to stay and see if things would've worked out (like a natural disaster closing the airports or smth).

The obvious Steddie AU for this (at least imo) is therefore a modern AU where Corroded Coffin has the opportunity to make it big and achieve their dreams of becoming a famous metal band, but doing so requires moving away from Indiana. Moving away from Steve (who at this point is friends-with-benefits with Eddie and they're both hopelessly pining). Steve, who doesn't want to be the reason Eddie gives up on his dreams, just lets him go and pretends he's not madly in love with Eddie, since he thinks (correctly) that Eddie loves him back and would refuse to leave Steve behind if they were boyfriends. Eddie is heartbroken that Steve's not trying harder to keep him, because he really thought they had the start of something good together. Cue a prolonged period of extreme angst and long-distance pining from both of them, Eddie writes at least four heartbroken ballads about how much he misses Steve, Steve follows CC's progress in the music industry religiously but refuses to admit that to anyone. (Robin knows, though. She always does).

EVENTUALLY they get their shit together when CC throw a launch party for their sophomore album, at which point they've blown up enough that they can afford to invite their friends from back home as well. It's actually Jeff who invites Steve, because you've got him fucked up if you think he's going to listen to Eddie moan about The One Who Got Away™ for another fucking second. Steve is very skeptical of the invite, because he hasn't heard from Eddie since a few months after they moved away, but eventually caves on the condition he can bring Robin. They spend almost the entire launch party staunchly not speaking to one another, which gets very awkward when some of Eddie's new friends from the music industry start asking questions about how they know each other (because they very obviously do). It only stops when Steve and Robin are having an emotional debrief in the men's bathroom (because Robin is not going to let a gendered bathroom sign keep her away from her platonic soulmate in his time of need - and also CC hired out a function room for a private event, so the only people even using the bathroom are from their event). Mid-breakdown, just as Steve's about to admit he still has feelings for Eddie all this time, they get interrupted by someone entering the bathroom. It's Eddie, because of course it is.

Eddie tries to play it off as needing a piss, but he's obviously come in here for a mental breakdown of his own. Robin takes one look at the absolutely stricken way he looks at Steve, like he's been stabbed right through the chest at the sight of him, and takes a risk. She says she's going to guard the bathroom door until they sort their shit out and leaves them alone in there together.

To her credit, she lasts almost half an hour at the bathroom door of death-glaring every drunk man who so much as looks her way. But then she hears a crashing noise, followed by the distinct sound of someone moaning coming from the bathroom behind her, and decides those bastards are on their own now.

Send me a 🔀 and a pairing, and I'll shuffle my playlist and give you an AU about that pairing based on the first song that comes up!

[riality-check]

when you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass it on to at least five other writers. let’s spread the self-love! 💕💕

This is so old, I'm so sorry (and I have another one of these asks that I'm saving for when I get some other things finally drafted) but here we go, in no particular order:

Skylines, Cigarettes, and Second Chances (29k, 4/4 chapters, Mature, No Archive Warnings Apply)

"Immediately after that first, perfect kiss in the hospital, Steve had said, I don’t want anyone to know. That stung a bit, but Eddie gets it. Steve went on to explain that he wasn’t sure how he felt, that he was trying to figure himself out, that all he did know is that he liked Eddie. And Steve really does like him. Eddie can tell. So, he can live with it." OR Steve and Eddie get together after Vecna. It doesn't last. But when Eddie calls for a favor a few years later, they think that maybe, just maybe, they're worth trying for again.

I'm sure absolutely no one is surprised that I included this on the list because I have not been able to shut up about it, but I really like this fic! I'm really proud of it! Go read it if angst with a happy ending is your jam!

like a sack of bricks (18k, 1/1 chapters, Explicit, No Archive Warnings Apply)

"Eddie isn’t lucky. He’s obnoxious and smart and talented and a little too quick to snap back if threatened, but he isn’t lucky. At least, not until last week. Last week, he went with Chrissy to that stupid cowboy bar she loves so much. Last week, he ran into the hottest guy he’s ever seen in his life. Last week, he had the best sex of his life with said hottest guy, and he hasn’t even been ghosted yet." OR Steve and Eddie, continuing from that cowboy bar meet-cute. Featuring second and third dates, a good amount of jokes, some tragic backstory lore, drag queens, sheer ridiculousness, kinkier sex this time around, and Eddie going Through It (TM) before Steve makes it better. Or maybe the charm has everything to do with the bartender. OR The dom drop fic I've had in my head for months.

This is also another fic that deals with heavy topics, and I'm also very proud of it! Go read it for a bunch of jokes, ridiculous shenanigans, what is hopefully (in)decent smut, and emotional hurt/comfort!

Bragging Rights, Fancy Drinks, and the Bartender Conundrum (6860 words, 1/1 chapters, Teen, No Archive Warnings Apply)

"But, for some reason, this place doesn’t feel standard. Maybe it’s the fact that all the pictures on the walls look modern and aren’t filled with old white dudes holding cans of Bud Light. Maybe it’s the fact that the music, thank god, isn’t beer, truck, dog country or rock music that Republicans like. Or maybe the charm has everything to do with the bartender. Good god. Eddie thinks he might die right then and there." OR Eddie and the guys go to a new place in search of a trivia spot safe from frat bros. What Eddie doesn't expect is to become smitten with not one, but two of the bartenders who work there. Or so he thinks.

This is ridiculous, gender shenanigan fluff, and I was absolutely blown away by the response to it! Go read it if you like faceblind bisexual disaster Eddie, Corroded Coffin friendships and interactions, and badass, genderfluid Stev(i)e Harrington!

save a horse, ride an ex-jock (9835 words, 1/1 chapters, Explicit, No Archive Warnings Apply)

"Steve's eyes land on the mechanical bull across the place. It’s a stupid looking thing. There’s no way it’s safe. It’s white with brown spots, and Steve can see the metal frame where the paneling splits. Its dead black eyes are nightmare fuel. Eddie says, 'Bet I could ride it better than you.' 'Bet I could ride you better than you ride it,' Steve says. Filter? Gone. But he doesn’t mind. Because Eddie takes Steve’s hat. 'I’m sure you could, but me first.' Steve might not like this cowboy stuff, but he knows what Eddie taking the hat means." OR A metalhead and an ex-jock walk into a cowboy themed bar to support their favorite lesbians. Featuring mechanical bull riding, the more fun kind of riding, Steve's horndog inner monologue, and way too many jokes for what was supposed to be just smut.

This is also ridiculous, and it started as a complete and utter joke with some light bribery involved to get me to write it. Go read it if you like cowboy jokes, silly sex, Appalachian Eddie Munson, and Steve being a bit of a slut (affectionate).

what's in a name, anyway? (4823 words, 1/1 chapters, Teen, No Archive Warnings Apply)

“On good days, Steve sees his name as a gift from a well meaning but distant relative, like an ugly sweater that doesn’t quite fit. On bad days, he hates it.” OR Five people who call Steve by his full name, and one person who never does.

This is pretty far into headcanon territory, but I really enjoyed writing the POVs of various characters. Read if you want Steve-centric angst, Hopper, Joyce, Nancy, Robin, and Dustin POV, and some Steddie fluff to balance the whole thing out!

[dodger-chan]

Steve Harrington (for the character ask)

Favorite thing about him: His willingness to apologize when he does something wrong and to actually learn from his mistakes. It's what allows him to have that excellent redemption arc we all love so much.

Least favorite thing: His fixation on normal. It gives me plenty of writing inspiration, but only for unhappy stories. Accept your weirdness, Steve, like you accept the weirdness of the people you love.

Favorite line: Stranger Things isn't a show with a lot of memorable lines. And Steve isn't the best talker. That said: Boobies.

Brotp: Steve and Robin, platonic soulmates. No explanation needed.

OTP: I'm not super into the concept of one true pairings in general. Like real people, fictional people can end up with any number of partners that might make them happy. That said, my favorite romantic pairing for Steve is Eddie. Assuming Steve can get past his need for normal, I think Steve could use the sincere and intense affection. And Eddie could use the stability and adoration.

Notp: Ignoring any of the ones that would be a bit sketchy ethically were the characters real and just considering relationships that I don't think would work well, Steve and Nancy. Mostly because the show made a point of him getting over her so them getting back together feels like going backwards narratively. And because I don't trust the writers to do a good job of showing either of them (but especially Nancy) changing in a way that would make a new relationship between them any better than their last attempt. But also, I think a relationship with Nancy would be Steve trying to cram himself back into a normal role that was never going to be as good a fit for him as he wanted it to be.

Random headcanon: Steve spends a lot of time helping out at the school post "quakes." Post canon, he ends up working in disaster relief. Probably for FEMA, but maybe with one of the private charities like the Red Cross. He tries to do mainly boots on the ground type stuff, but if it's a private group, they have him do fundraising, too, since he's naturally charming and knows rich people manners.

Unpopular opinion: Not the sort of thing that will get people grabbing pitchforks and torches, but I tend to think Steve has a harder time accepting his sexuality than most fic writers seem to. Specifically, I keep seeing it compared to his ability to accept the Upside Down. But I think people have an easier time accepting something that's completely new (alternate dimensions, monsters) than finding out something they thought they knew is wrong (not being straight, that not being bad)

Song I associate with him: Disappearing Man, by Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer. In the specifics, the song is about infertility and bad relationships, but at its core it's about the need to be loved, and to love others, and those needs being unmet.

Favorite picture: I don't collect pictures from the show, but this is probably my favorite bit of fanart. (Yes, Eddie's in it too. And a vampire. Steve always looks his best when bleeding.)

[sokkas-first-fangirl]

Hm. Stranger Encanto Things? What Gifts do you think the Stranger Things gang would have? Or what type of Bender would they be? Excuse the Stranger Things obsession. 😂

Well, we already know what El can do 😁 I suppose if everyone had a Gift, the “unusual” thing about El would be that she can do more than one thing

I love the idea of Steve having a bit of an Isabela arc: a "pretty" Gift that doesn't strictly seem useful at first glance, but is actually insanely powerful when he lets go and embraces what he can do. He hits that Demogorgon with his bat and huge thorny vines suddenly appear from around him and pin it to the ground for Jonathan to burn.

Despite Steve's best efforts, he can't really get his Gift to go all "badass" again when he's not trying to protect people...At least not at first. Not until Dustin comes along and they bond. Steve and Dustin having a "What Else Can I Do?" moment/montage? Sign me up! (Robin sees Steve knock a Russian soldier into a giant Venus fly-trap and her mind is blown for a solid week. Steve just kicked spy ass and then walked into a door the next day and says "boobies" on the regular. She simply cannot compute.)

Max needs a fire Gift. For reasons. Humourous and terrifying reasons. Don't mess with her and her friends lest you wanna get burned. But she's also afraid of hurting someone. Bill definitely had a fire Gift as well, so Max spent ages hating hers. Her friends slowly change that and she comes to appreciate what she can do to protect them.

I feel like Will would be able to turn invisible. Shenanigans and angst all rolled into one! (And sometimes he really does just wanna be left alone to relax, so he'll turn invisible and slip away before anyone can ask him to do stuff)

As for Mike, Dustin and Lucas, I'm not sure 🤔

Erica has super-strength, simply because I think it would be hilarious

Maybe Nancy can read minds? Or maybe she'd have super-hearing like Dolores? Something to help her investigations

Argyle can create illusions for sure.

Eddie can summon music from thin air, which comes in very handy during the Vecna disaster. He still plays his guitar solo properly in the Upside Down, because he is going to play the most metal concert in the history of the world damn it.

Unsure for Robin and Jonathan! Maybe Robin's emotions effect the weather like Pepa?

[stervrucht]

Proximity - Part 2

● Previous ● Next ● AO3

Eddie has no idea why it bothers him that Steve is out with some girl, nor why he’s painting his nails with Robin.

He doesn’t paint them often. It’s more effort than it’s worth and Eddie can’t keep his hands still for long enough to allow the varnish to dry. 

Still, he accepts when Robin asks him to hang out. 

Her room is simple and small, yet it radiates personality.

It radiates Robin. 

Surfaces are littered with trinkets — a cliché souvenir from Indianapolis, a picture of little Robin with a cat, some colorful pebbles she probably collected. She has a French horn sitting neatly in a case, and a stand with sheet music.  Her walls are covered in posters — female artists like Blondie and The Runaways. 

He doesn’t question the way her eyes linger on him when she tells him about Steve’s untrackable love life. 

When he asks Robin about her love life, she promptly blushes and looks away. 

“I’m working on it,” she says, uncharacteristically shy. 

Eddie eyes the posters and feels something click in his mind.

When he gets home he looks at his nails. The varnish is dented where he bumped it into things before fully drying and his thumb is already chipped from where he bites it sometimes.

A few days later, when he sees Steve at Family Video, the black on his nails resembles a collection of small black islands in a sea of pink.

Call it a nervous tick.

“Have you ever kissed a girl?” Eddie asks Robin.

For a moment, a mild shock paints her face, but then it’s gone. Like the first snow in November, when the ground is still warm from summer.

Robin is a stellar actress. 

“Have you?” she asks, and Eddie should have seen that coming. 

He opens his mouth to answer but before he can make a sound Robin cuts him off.

“Middle school doesn’t count when you’re over twenty.”

“Well, shit, you’re onto me, Buckley.” Eddie chuckles.

Eddie knows. Or at least he thinks he does.

Girls who like Joan Jett like girls. 

Eddie has seen it before. At the parties, he attends when he’s selling.

The more niche — the more underground — the better the buyers. 

Inexperienced high schoolers hardly fill his wallet. 

So he goes to the parties filled with leather and smoke and music that thumps in tandem with his heart, and there he sells. There are no rules at those kinds of parties, only intoxication, flesh, sweat, and lust.

He doesn’t partake himself. The women who try to wind him up — to get his shit for free — he turns them down.

He has to. 

He’s got a supplier to pay and this is his job.

Men don’t require free shit. They will flirt for a quick fuck.

He turns them down too, but a part of him feels flattered

“Have you ever kissed a guy?” Robin pulls him back from his thoughts.

They look at each other and Eddie realizes Robin knows too. Of course, she does. She knew before he realized it himself.

Because he has never kissed a guy.

But he wants to.

It's Friday and movie night is cancelled because Steve is on a date with Jennifer.

She’s all wrong for Steve. Too bland. Eddie knows it won’t last but he still feels bitter. 

Eddie takes Robin to one of his dark clubs. The kinds where anything goes and the people don’t care. They go, not to deal this night, but to get Robin out there.

The girl is a disaster and Eddie knows she just needs a little experience, a little boost, and she will do fine with Vickie.

Vickie, a redhead. 

Robin told him, and Eddie can vaguely recall her from the party at Robin’s house. Eddie supposes she’s a nice girl and he hopes — really hopes for Robin — that Vickie likes her as much as she likes her.

They go to a thrift store and buy something black just to tear it to shreds — to make it better — and Robin looks fantastic. Messy hair, dark make-up. A real Joan Jett. If Eddie was a girl, we would go wild for her. 

They paint their nails too and this time Eddie’s look better because Robin did them for him.

When Eddie looks in the mirror he thinks he looks pretty fucking good with his low-buttoned black shirt that shows off his tats. 

The club is dark and the atmosphere heavy. Eddie hasn’t really been there to party himself, only to sell, and it’s strange to be on the other side of it.

Bodies move like snakes, coiling around each other. He guides Robin to the bar and sticks up two fingers to the barman while mouthing for gin. He hands one of the tiny glasses to Robin and she frowns at it.

“For courage,” Eddie says in her ear, his voice hardly sounding above the insistent bass. He lifts up the glass and Robin reciprocates his toast. Then, after Eddie tips his own shot back, she follows suit.

She scrunches her nose and Eddie wonders if this was her first. Probably. He won’t ask her. 

Clubs aren’t made for talking.

Eddie grabs her hands and leads her through the crowd. They settle, surrounded by bodies, and Eddie moves his hands to her hips — to guide her. He can see she’s out of her element but soon the gin will loosen her up and Eddie will make her flirt with some girls. Or maybe leave her to swim in the sea of bodies for a while, to see if she floats.

When the gin hits, Robin’s movements become looser. They aren’t particularly enticing, but they’re quirky and cute. Sweat is forming on her brow in the heat of the crowd when a girl with a black pixie cut steals Robin away.

Eddie leans against the wall and watches them dance from a distance — to keep an eye on her. The girl seems nice enough, doesn’t force herself, and Robin seems more confident as she leans forward to say something in her ear. 

“You dealin’ tonight?” 

Eddie looks next to him and sees a man in his late twenties with dark brown hair and green eyes. Eddie recognizes him vaguely and he supposes he may have sold to him before — if the question wasn’t a giveaway yet.

“Not tonight.”

“Too bad,” the man says. He takes his time to look Eddie over before continuing, “You’re looking for a bit of fun?”

They share a joint — Eddie’s personal stash — and then they’re making out, sloppy and wet, and Eddie has never kissed a guy before. He feels stubble on his cheek and smells the geranium of his perfume and sweat.

The guy’s brown hair tickles his cheeks and it’s the same shade as Steve’s.

The man’s hands are strong where they trace above Eddie’s jeans, his fingertips calloused — maybe from playing guitar or something like that.

And that’s not like Steve at all.

Steve is always on his mind.

He is everywhere.

Eddie feels like he’s going crazy in his absence. 

It’s even worse in his presence.

But that is hardly a problem because Steve is busy with Jennifer

Robin and Eddie have a movie night without him that Friday, curled up on the couch of Wayne’s trailer.

They watch the Rocky Horror Picture Show, and Robin sings along with the songs like the band kid she is. 

After their night out, something seems to have shifted in her, even though all she did was talk and dance. She seems more comfortable in her skin and when she speaks of Vickie, there is less of an anxious undertone to it. Eddie is happy for her.

He doesn’t tell her about what happened that night. 

Nor that he realized he may be in love with Steve Harrington.

Jennifer lasted a whole two weeks.

Steve drags Eddie to some dumb party in a last-ditch effort to get her back. 

It’s pathetic really, and it grates on Eddie’s nerves. Eddie doesn’t want to be there, but Robin couldn’t go and Eddie is just that fucking nice.

It’s not like the little get-together they had at Robin’s, which was mostly people from band — an effort to get with Vicky, Eddie realises in hindsight. This party is far out of the realms of Eddie’s comfort zone, especially when he’s not dealing. It’s filled with the type of guys who would make fists at Eddie, call him a freak, the types he loved to provoke in the cafeteria — a mating ground for meatheads and bimbos. 

Steve has had too much to drink. Eddie can see it in the way he staggers while he watches Jennifer get cozy with some lanky loser.

Eddie comes up behind Steve, rests his chin on his shoulders, and slides his arms under Steve’s, taking hold of the beer in his hand.

“I think you’ve had enough, Stevie.”

It’s for his own good.

Eddie knows he is pushing the boundaries of what is socially acceptable and he sees some people shooting them glances. A mix between curiosity and disgust. It’s not like jocks don’t do this all the time. They will slap each other's ass and say ‘nice dick’ and somehow that is acceptable. But when it’s someone like Eddie, it suddenly is too much

Suddenly it’s too real.

Steve turns around in Eddie’s arms and they are standing close.

“Hey, I was drinking that.” Steve frowns and his eyes are unfocused as they shift between Eddie’s before drifting down to his mouth. 

Fuck.

Eddie isn’t sure what Steve is about to do as he leans forward. Maybe he has just lost his balance, but it sure as hell looks a lot like Steve is about to kiss him.

And this party filled with loose-fisted jocks isn’t the time nor place for a sexual awakening of any kind. Kissing a guy is far outside of the realm of plausible deniability.

Eddie pushes Steve back by his shoulders and slings an arm around him, laughing nervously.

“How about we go for a smoke, you and I.” 

Steve furrows his brows.

They sit outside on the lawn. It’s a gathering spot for those that are too far gone. People are vomiting or getting it on, mostly one or the other, but occasionally simultaneously. 

The air is still warm and the sky is just barely settling into a dark blue. The time of dusk that somehow feels darker than night.

Eddie pulls his zippo from his pocket and lights the cigarette between his lips. He inhales deeply, letting the smoke rest in his lungs before slowly letting it escape through his lips.

Next to him, Steve holds his head in his hands and sighs miserably.

“Shit man,” he mutters. 

“Here.” Eddie nudges Steve in his side and the latter raises his head miserably. 

Eddie holds the cigarette out for him and Steve reaches for it with unsteady hands.

“Wait, lemme,” Eddie says as he brings the cigarette up to Steve’s mouth. 

Steve’s lips are warm against his fingers as he takes a shaky drag and Steve coughs a little when he exhales.

“Social smoker?”

“Hm...yeah,” Steve replies. He takes hold of Eddie’s hand and brings it to his lips for another drag. The press of dry lips against his fingers is more insistent than before. 

Eddie stares into the distance as he writes this Steve into his memory. Drunk, the smell of beer and smoke, and water hitting dry grass from sprinklers of the house across the street. Warm air and distant music, and people talking and yelling, yet it’s just the two of them — a world within a world.

Once they finish the cigarette, Eddie stands up and dusts his jeans. He offers a hand to Steve, who takes it gratefully. He is unsteady on his legs and Eddie holds him up by his shoulder.

“Lemme take you home.”

“I can’t stand being in that house,” Steve slurs.

“It will be okay, Stevie.” Eddie guides Steve to his van and counts his lucky stars he had quit drinking after one beer. He sets Steve in the passenger seat and leans over to buckle his seatbelt. 

When Eddie pulls away, Steve grabs his arm and when Eddie looks up, Steve lays his hand on the curve of Eddie’s neck, on top of his hair and it pulls when Steve tugs him closer.

“Thank you,” Steve says. His gaze is unsteady but piercing and Eddie feels himself freeze for a moment.

His mouth suddenly feels too dry and Eddie nervously wets his lips. “Anytime, Stevie.”

He sees Steve’s eyes drift down again, just for a second, and then Eddie pulls away.

When he climbs behind the steering wheel he turns his music off, allowing Steve to sober up in relative peace.

The white noise of tires hitting the road, the engine running, and warm wind gushing through an open window — just a crack — fills the car. 

“I didn’t even like her,” Steve says after a while.

The road is unlit and dark and Eddie has to keep his eyes trained ahead. He isn’t sure if Steve is talking to him anyway, or if it’s just drunken rambling. 

“Is that so.” Eddie tries to keep his voice cool.

“She was boring. We had nothing in common.”

Eddie hums.

“I don’t want to be alone…” Steve trails, almost a whisper, barely louder than the wind — like Eddie wasn’t supposed to hear.

“Believe me, Steve, you will not end up alone. You’re like, a lady’s magnet if I ever saw one.”

Steve scoffs in response and he turns his head towards the window.

When they arrive at Steve’s house, Eddie gets him out of the car and digs through Steve’s pockets in front of the door to get his keys.

By now, the house feels familiar — like a showroom or an image from an IKEA catalog.

Eddie understands Steve hates being here alone. 

Steve’s weight is heavy on his shoulder and he isn’t sure if it’s really because Steve is drunk, or because he has given up on walking altogether in favor of having Eddie do the heavy lifting. 

He guides Steve up the stairs and lays him on his bed. His legs dangle off the edge and Steve lays his head back, staring at the ceiling.

“Hold on one sec,” Eddie says and Steve just groans in response.

Eddie returns with Advil for the morning and a glass of water, and sets it on the bedside table before he sits down on the bed next to Steve.

“Up you go.” Eddie lifts Steve up in a sitting position and by now he’s sure that Steve is just being a drama queen because he doesn’t seem half as drunk as he pretends to be.

He brings the glass to Steve’s mouth and makes him drink even when Steve initially refuses.

Steve will thank him in the morning.

“Lift your arms,” Eddie instructs.

Steve is looking at him with those big brown Bambi eyes. 

And fuck, if that doesn’t make Eddie’s heart do a little summersault.

Steve blinks slowly but obliges and Eddie strips him down to his boxers and lays him down.

When Eddie is about to pull away, Steve grabs his wrist and it’s more steady, more forceful than someone drunk has any right to be.

"C'mere." Steve pulls on his arm and Eddie thinks this is probably a terrible idea. 

And look, Eddie might not stick that close to social conventions — or the law, for that matter — but he is a fucking gentleman and Steve is drunk.

So Eddie resists.

Steve pulls more insistently. 

“Stay.” It’s almost a whisper and it’s so desperate it sends a jolt down Eddie’s spine. 

Steve looks at him, eyes more steady. Perhaps the water had helped.

“Fine, I’ll stay,” he relents. “I’ll be down the hall—”

Steve pulls again. “No, here.” 

And Eddie feels himself lose his balance, or maybe it is just his urge to resist. He falls on Steve’s chest and who wraps his arms around him.

Steve holds him and even with Eddie halfway off the bed, it is nice. 

But it’s not sensible.

“At least let me change, Steve. Have you ever slept in jeans before? It’s not fun.” Sensible, Eddie reiterates to himself.

Steve whines when Eddie pries himself away. 

Steve is a needy drunk. 

And a little whiny. 

And a lot affectionate.

Eddie undresses quickly and moves Steve so he’s actually using the bed in its intended orientation. 

He slips in at Steve’s side, muscles tense as he tries to keep his breathing steady.

Is it possible to die of your heart beating too fast? Eddie is sure he read something about it somewhere and if so, this should be the moment he becomes a religious man.

Steve puts an arm over Eddie’s chest and burrows his face in Eddie’s neck, letting out a content sigh.

As Steve’s breathing slowly evens out, Eddie stares up at the black void of the ceiling.

He realizes Steve has won. There is no way Eddie can beat him at this game of proximity.

Steve, the new king of Personal Space Invasion.

Eddie realizes he may have stopped playing somewhere along the way.

There are no more girls. 

It makes Eddie happier than it should. Happier than he should allow himself to feel because it can only result in heartbreak.

Yet he can’t help himself. 

He takes all Steve will give him. Opens his heart to a world of hurt, just for a sip of the lake that is Steve. 

Eddie stays over at Steve’s place often.

Routine carves itself into their life like a glacier, slow and heavy, working its way through layers of stone.

There are no more girls and Eddie can almost pretend that what they share is something more — as long as it remains unnamed.

Steve doesn’t ask Eddie to join him in his bed anymore — he doesn’t have to.  It has become a silent agreement among them and surely there are places where platonic bed-sharing is the norm. Probably somewhere in Europe. 

Harrington is an Irish name, right?

Eddie always wakes up before Steve does. It’s not hard to do, because Steve likes to sleep in. He sleeps through alarm clocks like the sound is ambient and Eddie wonders how he ever gets to work on time. 

Some of those mornings, they wake up pressed together — Eddie’s back against Steve like they’re lovers.

Those flitting moments between sleep and wakefulness are the best because Eddie can pretend.

“My parents will be home this week,” Steve says that morning. He leans against the counter next to where Eddie is pouring them coffee. 

It is early and Steve will head to work soon. Shy sunlight peeks through the trees behind Steve’s house, into the kitchen where it draws lines on Steve’s thighs. Outside the birds sing like their lives depend on it, but in Eddie’s heart, it's quiet. The mornings smell like coffee and deodorant and freshly brushed teeth. 

His shoulders stiffen and his grip on the coffee pot tightens. He knew it would come to this eventually. He prepared himself for it, but it still stings.

“You must be happy,” Eddie says instead, eyes trained on the cups in front of him. They are full, but Steve can’t see that. Eddie can pretend a moment longer, to gather himself before he faces Steve.

“Not really…I mean, it makes no difference to me. They work late, or they have dinners with friends. It hardly changed anything except now I have to take them into consideration.”

“And that means they probably don’t dig me hanging around, right?” 

Sleeping over, several nights a week, in bed with their perfect son.

“Probably not.” 

Steve lets the words hang there and Eddie feels like he should take them, chew them up and spit them out into something better.

“Wayne works night shifts.”

The words are out before Eddie can stop himself. He hands Steve his coffee, just to have something to do as he sees Steve think. Anxiety wraps itself around him like a snake, squeezing his heart until Steve breaks him free.

Eddie imagines the snake from the woods, coiled up with a footprint.

Steve smiles, so carefree, so utterly unaware of the things it does to Eddie's heart and reaches over to smooth a curl behind Eddie’s ear. 

And this is new — this intimacy in the undeniable clarity of daylight. 

Eddie feels his pulse race and all he can do is gape at the back of Steve’s head, who is already walking over to the table with his coffee in hand. 

“I’ll grab our toothbrushes before I head out,” Steve says while he pulls out a chair.

---

'Proximity' Part 2 ● Previous ● Next ● AO3

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[erin-bo-berin]

Steve and singleteenmom!reader getting married pleasse!!

Should I do another, separate one for when he proposes? Because I have the cutest idea for that. But since you asked for getting married, that’s what this will be!

(This is a cute gif he’s just has a cute face ok bye)

“Today’s the day kiddo!” Steve lifted his daughter—his official adopted Harrington daughter—into his arms.

“You ready for your mommy and daddy to get married?”

“Yesh!”

She was growing up so fast. At three years old now, she still had the cute toddler talk, but was losing her baby looks every day. It made Steve sad in a way, he wished he could keep her as a baby forever. Kids really didn’t keep, that’s for sure.

“Shouldn’t she be with Y/N and the bridesmaids?” Dustin asked.

“Yes, but you know her. This kid doesn’t do anything by the book. She wanted me to help get her ready,” Steve said.

She looked absolutely adorable in her flower girl dress. Her hair was still a bird’s nest from last night’s sleep, though. Robin was going to come down to get her later, so she could have her hair done before the ceremony.

You and Steve had been living together for over a year now, dating for two, but he’d insisted on being traditional and not seeing you until the wedding ceremony.

“What mawwied mean?” she asked Steve.

“Well, it’s when two people who love one another have this ceremony. Sometimes it’s big, sometimes it’s small, it depends on what they want. Anyways, it to celebrate them as a couple and they make these promises called vows. Basically saying they’ll love another for the rest of their lives, be with each other in sickness and in health, things like that. Then they kiss and they’re married.”

“If I kish my teddy does dat mean we mawwied?”

Steve, along with the other boys in the room, laughed. Oh, the childhood innocence.

“Not exactly, sweetheart.”

“Careful, Harrington,” Eddie said from across the room, where he sat, his only groomsman to be in a leather jacket, “Next you’ll be explaining the birds and the bees to her.”

“Ugh, I had to do that for Henderson when he was younger.”

“Yeah and I’m still scarred!” he yelled from the kitchen.

“We were all scarred by that, Steve,” Mike said.

“You told them?!” Steve asked, exasperated as Dustin came in, fixing his bow tie.

“It was too funny not to share,” Dustin shrugged.

“You nervous?” Lucas asked, looking at his older friend.

Steve shook his head with a smile.

“Nope. I can’t wait to make her my bride.”

•

The bridal room was a disaster.

Well, bridal room was a bit of an exaggeration. You were in the Wheeler’s master bedroom.

While the groom and his groomsmen were down in the basement, you and your bridesmaids were occupying every inch of the room, plus running up and down between the main levels and upstairs.

Clothes, makeup, hair tools and hair products littered the bed, the floor, the vanity, pretty much any surface available.

“Please tell your parents I’m sorry for the mess,” you told Nancy sheepishly.

If it was strange for your soon to be husband’s ex girlfriend to be one of your bridesmaids, you didn’t care. You’d grown close to the party of friends he came with when you began dating him and Nancy happened to be a part of that.

“You’re shaking like a leaf,” El said, sounding worried.

The girls looked amazing in their corresponding dresses. You’d picked the color, but you’d allowed each bridesmaid to pick the style of dress they wore and they were rocking them, each style picked looking just like something they’d wear.

“Are you nervous?” Max asked.

“A little. Not about marrying Steve. I mean, I know I want to do that. It’s just everything is catching up to me. It’s a big day. I want everything to be perfect.”

“It will be,” Robin assured you.

“Yeah. Besides you’re surrounded by family and friends. It’s already perfect, right?” El said.

“You’re absolutely right,” you smiled, hugging the teen.

“I better go get the velociraptor from downstairs,” Robin said, heading for the door.

“Did you just allude that my daughter is a dinosaur?” you asked, laughing.

“Yes, but only because she’s wild. She’s still cute though!” she called as left the room.

You took a deep breath, looking at your reflection in the mirror. Your hair and makeup was done, you were in your dress, your veil accenting it just perfectly without overdoing it.

You were ready to marry Steve.

•

The Wheeler’s backyard was big and spacious. It had been decorated beautifully for the wedding. Chairs lined on both sides, creating the aisle for you to walk down, where Steve would be waiting.

The wedding party walking down the aisle went way too slow and yet way too quickly at the same time.

First down the aisle was little girl Harrington, accompanied by Dustin, which surprisingly was Dustin’s idea. She held firmly into uncle Dustin’s hand and tossed flowers out of the basket that he held in his other hand for her. The crowd loved it, smiling and waving at her when she stopped to wave at all the loved ones she saw. They all laughed whole heartedly when they made it down the aisle and she greeted Steve quite loudly and excitedly from her place on the bride’s side of the altar.

“Hi daddy!” she waved, like she hadn’t just seen him an hour ago.

“Hi baby,” he laughed, waving to her, then putting his finger to his lips, letting her know she needed to be quiet right now.

Next was Nancy and Will, followed by Max, escorted by Lucas.

It was already halfway through the wedding party and you were trembling. Nerves, anticipation, joy, everything was tumbling into one.

“You okay?”

You looked over at Hopper, who’d you’d asked to walk you down the aisle. When you had, he’d hugged you so tightly and said he’d be honored to.

“Yeah, just want to get this part done,” you laughed.

“Don’t worry,” he smiled, giving you a fatherly kiss on the head, “I’ve never seen a couple more in love. You’ll do great up there.”

Robin, accompanied by Eddie was only one couple between you and walking down the aisle and your nerves turned to pure excitement. You couldn’t wait to see Steve at the end of the aisle and for Steve to finally see you in your dress. He’d refused to see it until the moment he saw you coming down the aisle.

Your soon to be husband was quite the romantic, that way.

Lastly, El, escorted by Mike had their turn. That left you and Hopper.

“We ready to get you married?” Hopper whispered with a smile as your wedding march arrangement began playing.

You nodded.

“Ready as ever.”

The entire crowd melted away when you caught the first glimpse of Steve, waiting patiently at the altar. He looked so handsome in his dark suit, hair neatly combed back and every strand in place, not that you were surprised. He must’ve gasped because his entire face was lit up with surprise and awe as he stared at you.

You smiled at him, even though you were still halfway down the aisle.

“You look beautiful,” he mouthed to you and you grinned wider, nodding your head towards him as to say he looked great too.

When you and Hopper reached the end of your bridal walk, your little girl ran over to him, ready to do her next part in the ceremony. He lifted her in his arms.

“Who gives this woman to be married to this man?” the officiater asked.

“I do!” she shouted, causing laughter and aww’s to chorus from the crowd.

“Good job,” you whispered to her as Hopper took her and sat her between him and Joyce—you knew your active three year old wouldn’t be able to stand still long enough, even for the short ceremony, so you’d opted for her to sit with them.

You stood in front of Steve as he took his hands in yours. You’re sure the pure love radiated from him was evident on your face too.

You didn’t remember much of the ceremony as you were absolutely captivated by him, but according to everyone else, it went off without a hitch.