#eddie wipes steve's tears away and he curled around him

[babygirlsteddie]

thinking about steve and eddie having really fucking kinky sex but then eddie taking such good care of steve afterwards and steve is overwhelmed because he's not used to being taken care of and he's crying but insisting that he's fine and he doesn't know why he's crying or how to stop it and eddie just holds him so gently and tells steve that he's got him

[little-annie]

T| WC 1k | Steddie | Uncle Wayne POV

"You love him don't you?" Wayne whispers, breathy, quiet, his voice cracking around the edges of something that feels like raw emotion.

It's then that Eddie turns his gaze away from Steve to look at him, the light never fading from his eyes and the smile never wiping from his face.

Steve's sitting on the trailer floor, in the middle of the living room, Eddie's clothes hanging from his body as he flips through one of Eddie's many monster manuals. Wayne knows the boy would never admit it, but he's just as interested in D&D as the other kids. He's helping Eddie plan his next campaign for christ sake.

Next to Wayne, two cans of coke in hand and a love struck smile on his face, Eddie nods, his cheeks darkening as his smile ever so slightly fades. "Is that okay?" He asks, looking all the bit nervous as his eyes roam Wayne's face.

"More than okay, Son."

Eddie's smile brightens once again and if Wayne notices the small amount of tears welling in his eyes, he says nothing about.

"You ever going to tell him?" Wayne continues, nodding in Steve's direction, the boy still oblivious to the conversation being whispered behind his back.

"I don't know if I can."

Wayne says nothing to Eddie's reply as he watches the boy return to the living room where he sits down next to his best friend. Steve smiling bright as the sun upon Eddie's return.

Months go by and Wayne gets to watch as Steve falls too. It's there and so obvious to anyone but Eddie.

His eyes linger and his smile never fades. Soon Wayne sees as he sits a little closer and his cheeks grow a little pinker.

There's moments when Wayne catches what he can only describe as a love struck expression across Steve's face. Eddie's talking, because when is he not, and Steve's there, eyes wide and locked onto Eddie's ever changing expression. 

He looks fond. Fond in a way Wayne's never seen anyone look at his nephew.

There's moments when he sees Steve hesitant. Moments when he and Eddie are so close and Steve's hand twitches like it wants to reach out. Moments when Steve looks like he wants to lean in but bites his lip and turns away with rosy cheeks.

It's nearly a year into their friendship when Steve's standing at Wayne's side and whispers, "I think I love him."

"Tell him," Wayne answers easily, leaving out the 'please' he so desperately wants to tack onto the end of that sentence.

Please, he thinks again as he watches Eddie turn to face them from across the yard, a smile so beautiful Wayne thinks it's the first time he's seen it on Eddie's face. The boy's elbow deep in his van as his cheeks grow a little pinker as he says with a smile, "Stevie, come here for a sec."

Steve leaves, but not before whispering back to Wayne, "I think I will."

No more than a week later Wayne comes home to find the boys on the couch, Steve sleeping and curled into Eddie's side, snoring with his nose pressed to Eddie's neck. 

Wayne offers his boy a smile as he stirs from the sound of the door closing. He looks tired, arms tightening around Steve's waist as he smiles back and burrows closer, kissing the top of Steve's head before drifting back off. 

"He loves me," Eddie says one evening, weeks down the road, a rare occasion when Steve isn't over, and Eddie's actually home.

Wayne smiles, his heart so warm and full as he says, "I know."

Steve's been over for a few weeks now. Part of Wayne's convinced he's moved in, what with the new additions to their fridge and bathroom vanity. The idea doesn't upset him in the least. 

He's gotten to witness their love grow during that time anyway.

He's gotten to witness the way Steve kisses a grumpy Eddie good morning until he finally smiles.

Or the way Eddie lights up when Steve's arms wrap around his waist and he whispers an "I love you, Eds," that Wayne isn't sure if he's supposed to hear.

Or the way they giggle and kiss and love one another in such a beautiful and uninhibited way.

Granted too, sometimes that means Wayne's hears a bit too much. Eddie would be mortified to know there's been far too many occasions in which Wayne's had to leave the trailer to escape the gasping breaths that occasionally pour out from under his bedroom door.

Though this time, Wayne's inside as the boys are on the roof smoking and he thanks the lord above that all he can hear are the faintest of whispers. 

There's only parts of the conversation that he catches, but his heart swells when he hears Eddie's voice so clearly say, "I'm gonna marry you someday, Steve Harrington."

Wayne cries the day Eddie shows him the ring. 

And cries even harder when Steve shows him his.

Steve's hand is shaking where the single golden band lies on his ring finger, Eddie standing directly behind him, arm around his waist with a smile that matches Steve's in the way it resembles Sunshine.

They can't marry, not legally anyways. But that doesn't stop Jim Hopper from officiating a ceremony or Joyce Byers from walking Steve down the aisle. 

The backyard to Hoppers cabin is filled with faces Wayne has grown familiar with over the years. Young and old, smiling and crying all the same.

Dustin and Robin both write speeches, both as rambling and as funny as they are beautifully heart wrenching.

There's not a dry eye in the house.

The boys move into an apartment where they build a life together.

Wayne visits often for meals or a cup of coffee in the mornings, still delighting in the way his Eddie seems so wonderfully overcome with love and affection. 

He'd thought he'd shed enough tears for his lifetime at the wedding, but one evening, sat at the table with Robin Buckley and his boys, Wayne finds out he's gonna be a grandpa. 

Elaine Birdie Munson is her name.

Sunshine, they call her instead.

[steddie-island]

Tender Headed

I saw this post by @mothofmyth and couldn't stop myself. I hope this does your idea justice. ❤️ ao3 | Divider by @cafekitsune

Someone else was standing at Steve’s usual station, instead of his usual girl. 

It wasn’t a girl at all. 

“Hey! Do you have an appointment?” not-regular-stylist asked.

“No– yes? I, uh– I have a standing appointment. With Kayla?” Steve brushed his fingers through his hair and looked around at the otherwise empty salon. 

He’d been looking forward to this for weeks, practically since the end of his last appointment. The thought of having to cancel, of having to reschedule because she was out sick or something– it made Steve’s skin feel too tight, itchy.

It made tears prick at his eyes like this was a bigger deal than just a stupid haircut. 

Which. Okay, maybe it was for him, but it’s not like any of the stylists, like this stranger , needed to know that. 

“Are you okay, man?”

Steve blinked, bringing the man back into focus again. He was pretty, with long curls piled up on top of his head and a delicate black hoop hanging from his septum. His cut off sleeves showed the ink decorating his arms and disappearing under the fabric. 

He had to shake himself to bring the man’s voice back, to stop ogling him. 

“--won’t be back for a few months,” he was explaining. 

“What?” Steve knew this guy probably thought he was an idiot, but his mind was thick and sticky and nothing this guy was saying was sticking. 

“Early maternity leave,” he said again, patiently. “I’m Eddie, I’m taking her station over while she’s gone.” He gestured to the empty salon again. “I don’t have any appointments right now, if you’re cool with a substitute…” 

Steve almost turned around, but there was something about the wide brown eyes that fixed on him that made him stay. 

“I… sure. Yeah.” It wasn’t like he was that attached to his hair anyway. Yeah, he wanted it to look good, but not to the point that everyone else thought he did. 

It wasn’t about the haircut. 

He followed Eddie back to the washing station. Even though this was a stranger who was going to be taking care of him, Steve still felt a shiver go through him as he got situated. 

There were a few clinks, metal against ceramic. Steve tipped his head back enough to see Eddie removing several chunky rings and placing them in a little dish. A towel was rolled up carefully and placed beneath his neck. 

“Tell me if this is too much.” 

The water was cool, which Steve was prepared for. What he wasn’t prepared for was the way those long delicate fingers touched him. Kayla was gentle, but it was nothing like this. 

The way Eddie scrubbed so carefully at his scalp made Steve melt. Each fingertip was so deliberate in its movements, in the way his hair was gathered back and brushed out of his face. Eddie’s fingers trailed over his ear and Steve had to bite his lip. 

Maybe this was too much, but he couldn’t stop it. 

He’d never been handled like this. No one had ever touched him like he was a delicate, breakable thing. Sure, he cuddled with Robin. He got to hug the kids, and Joyce, and Claudia.

But this was… something else. 

Eddie wasn’t getting anything out of this– not the same way everyone else got something, like, paying him for his service was different, right? 

Steve was going to see it as that, anyway. He imagined Eddie wasn’t touching him like this because he was getting a big tip from it. 

He imagined that Eddie was brushing water off of his forehead with a knuckle because he just wanted to know what the skin felt like there. Those calloused fingers were tucking the hair behind his ears because he wanted to study the curve of his tragus– maybe wondering what Steve would look like with a hoop there, like the one in his own ear. 

Eddie’s thumb was wiping away water from his cheeks because he wanted to know if Steve’s cheeks were rough with stubble or not, and not because this was just a professional courtesy.

Only maybe this wasn’t a professional courtesy. 

Because it wasn’t just water that Eddie had sprayed on him. Steve was fucking crying . 

He wanted to run, but before he could even get up Eddie was putting a damp hand on his shoulder. 

“Stay. You’re okay.” Eddie’s voice was a low rumble that Steve wanted to hide in. “I’ve got you, big boy.” 

How was Steve supposed to not listen to that? He settled back into the chair and let Eddie rinse away the shampoo. Then those nimble hands were working the conditioner into his hair just as gently. The touches were a little more solid now, though. Eddie’s fingers grazed his neck, touched his cheek, wiped more tears from his cheeks. 

“You’re not the only person who comes in here for this.” Steve couldn’t even find the words to ask if he was that transparent. It wasn’t like the crying couldn’t have been from him being tender headed, or from the water being too hot. He was too focused on Eddie speaking to him to try to make excuses for himself. 

Eddie’s voice was soft and low. It was comforting, and it wasn’t hard for Steve to imagine how he would sound if he were singing, the way the words would wrap around him. Would it make him feel the same way he felt with his hair wrapped around Eddie’s hands? 

He was in the shampoo chair for three times as long as he normally would be. Eddie took his time with the conditioner and gave it extra time to sit. He was just as thorough about rinsing it, then about working a smoothing serum through his strands. 

By the time Eddie was wrapping Steve’s hair loosely in a towel and sitting him up, Steve was feeling lighter than he’d felt in months. He figured he should have felt raw and vulnerable, and there was a little bit of that, but Eddie’s presence was calming. Maybe it was the way he chattered as he started working on Steve’s hair. He talked about other customers, about his uncle, about how he’d been doing his own hair for years. He even brought up the time he’d burnt his hair with bleach so bad he’d had to give himself a buzzcut, because that was better than the spongy mess he’d left himself with. 

Steve started opening up, too, by the time Eddie was drying and styling his hair. He talked about his own worst haircut, about the time Robin had let him bleach her hair and she had ended up with a streak of green in her hair instead of blue. At least it had been cute, though. 

Eddie spritzed Steve’s hair once… twice… a third and then a fourth time before smiling at their reflections in the mirror. This close, and without tears in his eyes, Steve could see the dimples in his cheeks. 

“What do you think?” Eddie brushed his fingers over the ends of Steve’s hair, then dropped a hand to let the weight of it rest against his shoulder. 

“I think it’s great.” Steve smiled back at him. It looked the same as it did when Kayla had worked on it, but he’d never looked this good before. Maybe it was the cut, or maybe it was just the way Eddie had put something bright back into his eyes. 

Steve pulled his card out to pay but Eddie refused. 

“I think we both needed today,” he’d said before smiling and sliding his card across the counter. “I hope you come back and see me sometime, Stevie. I’m happy to take care of you anytime.” 

Normally Steve might take that as flirting– and maybe it was, the way Eddie’s dimples popped even more and his eyes really sparkled under the light. It wasn’t just flirting, though, and that made warmth blossom in Steve’s chest. 

“Yeah, man. Definitely.” Steve tucked the card away and turned for the door. “Actually…” He looked back at Eddie, who had picked up the broom. “Do you maybe want to get a drink after work?” 

Eddie’s grin was bright. “Hell yeah. Why do you think I didn’t charge you?” he teased. “I get off in an hour.”

Steve laughed with him. “Cool. I’ll see you in an hour, then.” 

---

As it turned out, Steve didn’t need to come back in an hour because he hadn’t left yet. He was still there, helping Eddie clean things up. They talked about the kids Steve babysat, and Eddie pointed out that maybe it was okay for him to just say they were hanging out, because fifteen and sixteen year olds didn’t tend to need babysitters anymore. 

They picked up food in Eddie’s van, and they drove to the quarry to eat sitting in the back of it, with the doors open and two milkshakes between them. 

When they shared their first kiss that night it tasted like salt and fake strawberries. They parted ways with plans to see each other again the next day.  

Maybe it was okay that Steve didn’t have a standing appointment with his usual stylist anymore. 

[irishvampireboy]

thinking about ace/demi Eddie being terrified to be with Steve. Like he sees the way Steve looks at him. Knows how he feels about Steve. Can't believe Steve might feel the same. So he tries to keep things friendly, backs off on the flirting.

But one day Steve actually asks him out. Like on a fucking actual real date. And Eddie wants to say yes. His whole being shaking with want. But he can't speak. Just shakes his head. And Steve backtracks, is all,

"oh. Yeah. No. That's- that's okay. Sorry if i- did i read this wrong? I thought-" and he looks so confused, sad eyes on Eddie, his hands fidgeting together in front of him. And Eddie can't fucking take it. He's like,

"You didn't read it wrong. I just... i can't... give you what you want. I don't like sex. Or like... i dont want it? Or might want it later, but not right now? I don't know. It's confusing. And hard to explain. I just-" he cuts off, his breath shaking in his chest and Steve's just looking at him, his face open and he's just listening, nods a little, encouraging Eddie to keep going. Eddie sighs, drops his head into his hands and mumbles.

"I just want you to be happy Steve. And i know you like sex. I'm sure its great. For you. But i don't... i don't care about it. I don't need it or really want it? I just... i like you so much Steve. And I'd genuinely love nothing more than to go out with you. And- and be with you. But just... not like that. At least not... not for awhile. Maybe not...ever." and Eddie's crying softly now, wipes at his face and looks up at Steve and see him looking back with the softest fucking look. He looks so fucking fond, and now Eddie's confused. His brow furrowed. And Steve scoots closer, reaches for Eddie's face and just cradles it and says,

"I just wanna be with you too Eddie. I don't need sex. That's not- i mean it's nice, really nice, sometimes. But i think... maybe it'd be nice to be with someone and not have it be about that? Is that- is that okay?" Steve moves his thumbs ovwr Eddie's cheeks, wiping the tears away.

"Steve. I might never want it. That's- that's a lot to ask i can't-"

"You're not asking. I'm offering." Steve licks his lips, takes a deep breath.

"I don't wanna be with you for sex. I like you Eddie. You're ridiculous, and smart, and kind, and so fucking weird. And you make me smile. You make me happy." Steve shrugs,

"That's why i wanna be with you. Cuz i like you. And i think you like me. So I'd like- I'd like to try. If you want?" His hand is on Eddie's thigh now. Eddie's heart is pounding. And Steve's still looking at him with that soft look. Eddie nods.

"Okay. Yeah. I wanna try. I want to." Eddie lays his hand over Steve's, he's shaking. Steve smiles at him, soft and sweet.

"Is kissing okay Eds? Cuz i really wanna kiss you right now." His smile grows as he talks, he looks giddy now, smiling like he can't help it. Eddie bites his lip, teeth digging into the bottom one as he smiles around them. He nods again.

"Yeah. Yeah kissing's okay." Eddie's says, breathless. Steve nods, his smile fading as he leans closer, his eyes on Eddie's mouth. Eddie closes his eyes when Steve's nose brushes his cheek, lets Steve lead.

It's just a soft press of lips, and then another. And then one more as Steve tilts his head the other way and slots their lips back together. His fingers curling into the hair at the nape of Eddie neck, not pulling, just resting there, holding Eddie close, like he's something precious. Like he's worth waiting for. Like he's happy just to have him, however he can.

Eddie smiles into the kiss. Feels Steve smile too, their teeth clicking as Steve keeps kissing him through their smiles, and eventual laughter. Steve kisses over his cheeks, and his nose, and his eyes, kisses all over his face until Eddie's laughing into his shoulder and Steve just holds him, laughing too, his hands moving over Eddie's back softly, holding him close as they settle together on the couch.

"I just want you, Eddie. Just you." Steve whispers, kisses Eddie's shoulder before Eddie pulls back and looks at him, tears in his eyes again.

"I want you too." Eddie shrugs, sniffles, wipes his face with the back of his hand. Steve smiles, bright and sweet, and tackles Eddie back onto the couch, settling on top of him and kissing him again and again and again.

[munsons-melody]

angeleyes

summary: after seeing nancy get pulled into a trance, eddie gets worried the same might happen to you and makes you a tape with your favorite song on a loop, even though you're broken up

pairing: eddie munson x female!henderson!reader

cw: bit of angst but ends with fluff

recommended songs: 'disillusion' and 'angeleyes' by ABBA

word count: 3.3k

a/n: did i start crying while writing this? yes, yes i did. also NOT PROOFREAD! also feedback is always appreciated :)

masterlist

part two of this fic called ‘your song’ can be found here

i do not consent to having any of my works republished, translated, or posted to any other site except here. if you see my works anywhere but tumblr, it has been republished without my knowledge, consent, or permission.

-

the two of you were together for almost a year. you were inseparable from the start but as months passed, you each kept getting busier and busier and whenever you were together, it would end in a giant screaming match with one of you crying while the other stormed off with no apologies in store till days later.

even though you knew the two of you were in a rough patch, you never expected the last fight to be your final one. you were at each others throats, a silly bicker turning into a full blown fight. you were both teary-eyed, throats sore from screaming and holding back tears, pacing all around the trailer. neither really knew what the fighting was about, but it didn't stop the screaming match that definitely caused the whole neighborhood to wake up from their peaceful slumbers

you still remember the exact moment you felt your world shatter. you stood in eddie's room, wiping the tears from your cheeks as you diverted your eyes from him to the floor, littered with his clothes and various items. you didn't want him to see you cry as hard as you were.

all you wanted was him to say anything like "i'm sorry" or "come here" and have him wrap you up in those strong arms of his, while he stroked your hair and told you he loved you and the two of you would be alright. but nothing of the sort came. the quietness deafening after the two of you stopped fighting.

"maybe we just aren't good for each other anymore," eddie muttered out, and you looked up at him with bloodshot eyes

"what? no! don't say that, please" you said, inching forward but he moved back to avoid your touch

"i think we should break up y/n" he said. it was like someone knocked all the oxygen out of your body as your heart started pounding

"eddie-" you tried but he shook his head, a couple of tears slipping down his cheeks

"y/n, please, just go" he said with anger hidden in his voice, facing away from you

"fine" you said, your blood boiling. you stormed out of his trailer and walked out into the cold evening air, using your walk home as a way to cool down and soon enough your anger turned into more sadness

once you arrived home, you couldn't help but let the tears flow freely, feeling as if your heart was broken into a million tiny little pieces

"shit are you okay?" dustin asked you as you crumpled onto the couch, not caring that you would most likely have to explain why you were crying.

"no" you muttered out, curling into a ball and putting a pillow over your face. he walked over to you, sitting on the coffee table across from you

"did you break up?" he asked and you nodded, turning your head to smush your face into the pillow, letting your tears soak into the fabric of the pillow

"shit shit you're gonna be okay i promise" dustin said with a panic

.

eddie's trailer was in pure chaos as everyone ripped his room apart, looking for some tape that wasn't a heavy metal song to aid nancy in freeing herself from vecna's trance

"music! we need music!" robin screamed out as you watched as she flung a handful of cassettes onto eddies bed, Eddie swiftly picking one of the iron maiden tapes up and screamed at her "this is music!" 

right as you grabbed another box of tapes you heard steve yell "guys!" and all of you ran to the small living room, littered with debris surrounding the mattress that served as your 'landing pad'

you looked up to see steve holding nancy on the floor and you immediately thought the worst, your heart pounding as it skipped a beat, not prepared to see the potentiality of your best friend dead in steves arms 

"she's okay! we're going to come through!" steve's voice rang out, laced with urgency. everyone nodded as they cleared the area. you watched as the two of your friends individually climbed up the makeshift rope and fall through the gate onto eddie's mattress

you saw everyone, or at least assumed everyone, swarm nancy, asking question after question of "are you alright?" and "what happened"

nancy just stayed quiet, holding her arms to herself blinking away tears, and you broke away from the group to get her some water as she slowly sat down on the couch

you moved through the all too familiar kitchen of the munson trailer, wanting to reminisce about the memories you shared with eddie in this kitchen, but refusing to do so due to the fact you a) didn't want to waste time helping nancy and b) didn't want to relive the memories that would just break your heart even more

once you handed nancy the water, you let her be, not wanting to overwhelm her or pressure her into talking about what just happened. you went back into the kitchen, not wanting to be in any ones way, and stood there with your arms crossed

this time you allowed yourself to let those memories creep back in. the early mornings where you would make pancakes for you and eddie's breakfast, and what would be wayne's dinner when he came home before he would go to sleep. the times you would teach eddie how to cook when you felt like making dinner together. the late nights you spent listening to the radio and would dance under the refrigerator light. the times you two would spend after hours of endless sex where even when you tried to have a break from each other to get some water just to end up fucking on the kitchen floor. 

hell, you even smiled to yourself about the time eddie accidentally bruised his knuckles after enthusiastically waving his hands around while in conversation and smacking them on the cabinet, and you of course had to kiss them better.

you heard some shuffling and mumbling behind you and turned to the hallway just to make eye contact with eddie as you watched him drag dustin down the hall and into his room

you heard the door close and some muffled voices, but you couldn't make out the conversation 

-

eddie shut the door and turned to dustin who stood there, confused as ever as to why he was being dragged down the hall 

"what is y/n's favorite song?" he asked with urgency. dustin looked taken aback.

"excuse me?" dustin questioned, looking at eddie as if he had five heads

"your sister, y/n, what is her favorite song?" he repeated with a stern tone

"shouldn't you know?" dustin snapped with an annoyed look upon his face. even though eddie was one of his best friends and someone he looked up to, this breakup between his sister and him was so new and fresh, he didn't know how to act in this situation

"well it changes with her, like it changes all the time man... for a while it was killer queen by queen and then it changed to dreams by fleetwood mac then it changed to, i think, amoreena by elton john? ugh" he groaned

"eddie, why do you want to know? didn't you two break up like a couple of months ago?" dustin pointed out and eddie shook his head, rubbing his temple 

"it was a little over a month ago but-" eddie started before dustin interrupted him 

"and didn't you break up with her?" he questioned further, crossing his arms 

"well technically but i-" 

"'technically' my ass! you completely broke her heart and now you want to know her favorite song? why do you even care all of a sudden? you didn't seem to care when she would come home crying after seeing you at school all day. you didn't seem to care when she wanted to go to her favorite place in this goddamn town but didn’t cause she was scared she'd run into you there. you didn't seem to care when she spent all of her money to buy you those stupid concert tickets for your birthday..." dustin's voice trailed off from his originally loud tone

eddie looked down, a lump forming in his throat

"i didn't know any of that..." he admitted, moving his head up to look at dustin with glassy eyes 

"what?" dustin said and eddie nodded, sniffling 

"i didn't know she did any of that, especially those tickets" eddie said, his voice cracking which mirrored the cracks forming in his heart

eddie sat down on the bed putting his head in his hands, feeling completely and utterly stupid 

"i am the biggest fucking idiot for breaking up with her. it was just the heat of the moment with that stupid fight- and i can't even remember what it was about! i was just tired of the fighting! and now it's been a month but i haven't even talked to her until all of this shit went down but god i love her so goddamn much and i will be damned if something happens to her- if nancy can get under his trance at random who knows if she's next" eddie ranted, standing up and putting both his hands on dustins shoulders

"please dustin, what is her favorite song?" he pleaded. dustin looked at him with sympathic eyes and sighed 

"angeleyes" he muttered out and eddie stared at him with a confused look written across his face

"i think her favorite song right now is angeleyes by abba... i always hear her listening to it and singing it around the house..." dustin told him and eddie's eyes widened 

he ran to the door to open it but as he did he it revealed you standing there, with your arm and fist up in a knocking position 

"y/n" he breathed out and you looked into his eyes, the knots turning in your stomach reminding you of the heartbreak he succumbed you to and you blinked, looking past him at dustin standing there

"sorry, uh we're heading to max's next door, it's safer over there" you said bluntly before turning around and walking down the hallway, steve wrapping his arm around your shoulder as you headed toward the door 

eddie watched you leave and made a b line into the cabinet that sat adjacent to their kitchen, opening the door and starting to rummage through the boxes

"what are you doing? didn't you hear y/n?" he heard dustin ask as he approached behind him

"i know for a fact that we have that abba song on an album somewhere" he rumaged some more before pulling out a handful of tapes by ABBA

"my mom loved them so we had a lot of their tapes," eddie explained, walking back to his room and grabbing a blank tape 

he looked on the back of each tape till he saw the small words ‘angeleyes’ on the back of the voulez-vous album

he put both in his boombox, playing the song and pressing record so he was able to make a loop of the song 

"eddie we need to regroup with everyone next door" dustin pleaded and eddie shook his head

"we can meet them after we get a good loop of at least 10 minutes" he said before turning back to his dresser 

"we shouldn't risk being here longer than we already have, what if someone hears us or even sees us in here?" he pleaded again and eddie shook his head, being stubborn as a mule 

"fine, we'll be all over there where its safe and you can be over here with the fear of being caught" dustin said with annoyance, starting to leave eddie's room when eddie walked over and stopped him 

"just wait 5 more goddamn minutes" eddie told him with an angry tone 

"jesus christ okay" dustin responded with his voice higher than normal 

eddie heard the end of the song and quickly paused the two tapes, and rewinded before pressing the play and record buttons 

he sat on his bed, listening to the song and the lyrics hit him like a train 

'Sometimes when I'm lonely, I sit and think about him And it hurts to remember all the good times When I thought I could never live without him And I wonder, does it have to be the same Every time? When I see him, will it bring back all the pain? How can I forget that name?'

shit he thought to himself, continuing to listen to the lyrics of the song 

'Look into his angel eyes One look and you're hypnotized He took my heart and now I pay the price Look into his angel eyes You'll think you're in paradise Then one day you'll find out he wears a disguise Don't look too deep into those angel eyes'

once the song ended, he rewinded and played it again, internalizing each word he heard from the song 

he came to his senses that both of you were hurting just as much when it came to this break up and he felt guilt and resentment gnawing away at him

how in the world could i ever get her back? he questioned himself, feeling as lost as ever

he heard the song again a couple more times as it was recorded onto the blank tape, feeling like a piece of his heart was shattering with each note

he finally felt satisfied with the loop he had made, and quickly ejected the tapes from where they sat and slipped it into his walk man and shoved it into dustins bag along with a pair of headphones, and they carefully walked out of eddie's trailer and to max's trailer next door

-

you stood next to robin in the kitchen, the two of you hungrily snacking down a pb&j after finding your appetite now that you knew everyone was safe and was able to take a breather from the traumatizing experience you all shared 

"here's one for you and nance" robin said, handing the plates to steve and he smiled before turning to nancy who was in the living room 

"where's eddie and dustin?" max asked you, making a sandwich herself and you shrugged, gulping down some water 

"i'm not sure, i mean i told them we were coming here and that was almost 20 minutes ago" you said, wiping your face

"should we go check to make sure they're still over there and not getting sucked back into the upside down?" robin asked and you nodded

"yeah i'll go, you two finish eating" you said, putting your plate in the sink and walking out to the front door but you noticed the two of them running across the street from eddie's trailer to max's and you switftly moved from the door as they jumped in 

everyone stopped and stared at them since they were out of breath

"where were you guys?" lucas asked and dustin looked at eddie before looking at you and then back to lucas 

"uh sorry we had to reattach the caution tape to the front door so it didn't look suspicious" dustin said, and everyone seemed to buy the lie, nodding to each other as everyone convened in the living room

-

you sat in the stolen rv in the back, looking out the window at the birds playing in the trees. it was parked on the side of the store where there was room to fit it without taking up spaces in the main lot.

you heard dustin and lucas up front near the steering wheel in some conversation when you felt the seat dip next to you.

you turned your body to see eddie sitting there looking at you. 

"hey" he said softly

"hi" you said back, turning to face back to the window 

you hadn't really talked to him over the past few days, not knowing what to do or say since you hadn't spoken since your breakup

"y/n can i please talk to you?" he asked sweetly, and you looked at him again, seeing his eyes in a fixed stare

you just nodded, turning to face him completely

"the reason i was late coming from my trailer earlier wasn't because dustin was fixing the caution tape" eddie started, reaching for dustins bag which was by his feet. you blinked at him, muttering an "okay?" which came out with a more annoyed tone than you intended 

he pulled out a walkman from the bag, and popped the tape out 

"y/n... i don't know what the hell will happen next but i know for a fact if anything happened to you and we didn't have a way to save you i-" he said, wiping a few tears from his eyes

your brows furrowed as you looked at the tape and back at him, meeting each others gaze

"i made this, uh, it's like a 20 minute loop of angeleyes by abba... dustin said it was your favorite song... after seeing nancy be put in that trance just so vecna could talk to her really freaked me out, and i don't know if he'll somehow use you as a pawn in his game, so this is for you" eddie said, fiddling with the tape before replacing it back in the walkman and handing it to you

"oh eddie..." you said, rubbing your thumb over the piece of technology

eddie's heart fluttered as he heard you say his name

"listen, nothing will happen to me, i promise" you said, grabbing his hand in yours. the fact that he was in the shittiest situation to ever occur and he was still thinking about you just made your love for him grow strong, which in turn only fed into your heartbreak because he wasn't yours to love anymore, and he had made that very clear

"yeah but if anything does, i want to- no i need to tell you... i love you y/n henderson. you were the best thing to happen to me in this godforsaken town and the fact that i messed things up will be something i will always regret. i hate that i told you i wanted to break up. i didn't- i was just so sick and tired of always fighting. i've never had someone like you in my life and i thought you were going to break up with me so i went and pulled the trigger before you could. this past month has been pure agony for me, and dustin went and rubbed salt into the wound when he told me about those tickets you got for my birthday, and jesus- im just, im sorry and i love you" eddie told you, rubbing his thumb gently over the back of your hand 

you cupped his face, leaning in to kiss him, craving his lips on yours. he kissed back before you pulled away to look at him

"eddie, i don't even know what to say" you muttered out and he shook his head 

"you don't need to say anything, i just needed to tell you how i felt just incase" he said and you took in a deep breath 

"i've hated you so much these past few weeks for what you did, but fucking hell i love you more than words can say eds. it was very stupid of you to assume i would break up with you just because we were going through a rough patch but, maybe when all of this is over and you learn not to be an idiot, maybe we could have a picnic by lovers lake, just me and you," you said softly, and eddie smiled 

"yeah?" he asked, his eyes lighting up 

"yeah, maybe i can even tell you about the concert tickets i spent all my money on... it was supposed to be a surprise but i guess dustin ruined that" you joked, and eddie chuckled 

"oh honey you didn't have to spend all your money on me, especially not on tickets," eddie said, brushing his fingers through your hair to push it back on your shoulder 

"but you deserve it, your birthday's coming up and ozzy osbourne was going on tour and i knew you wanted to see him" you shrugged with a small smile 

he kissed you passionately, and you melted into his touch, feeling the warmth of his lips on yours and you didn't realize how badly you needed him till this very moment. it was soon interrupted however as the door to the RV swung open, and you pulled apart, watching everyone clamber in yelling that we needed to go

the engine of the RV roared to life as steve sped off the premises, leading you guys onto the next part of your adventure to killing vecna

fin.

[ashwhowrites]

Steddie x reader, people are bullying reader, but she has keeping it in secret from Eddie and Steve, until one day, she explores, she's crying a lot when she tells them about what's going on and she shows them the bruises and marks that the bullies left on her, and they protect her a lot, because they did notice that something was up with her, bc she was being very clingy, which they didn't saw as a bad thing, but it was strange, and she was being quiet, and that worried them, and now that they know what's ha, they only want to protect her

I hope this is what you were looking for and you enjoy it <3 thank you for requesting

A small fluff blurb

Protectors

After Eddie finally graduated, Y/N was the only one left in school, since Seve graduated a year before Eddie. And it seemed the second she was alone, she became a target. There was a group of three girls that never let Y/N breathe. Constantly on her back, shoving her around and slamming her against lockers.

But she couldn't tell her boyfriends. So whenever they asked how her school day went, she lied and said everything was fine. She wore long sleeves and Eddie's hoodies to cover the bruises left on her arms. She didn't want them to worry or make a big deal out of it.

Steve and Eddie noticed Y/N was clinger than usual, but they saw nothing wrong with it. They adored her and loved when she clung to them. She'd be wrapped up in Eddie's hoodie, laying in the middle of them as she rested her head on Steve's shoulder and her legs on Eddie's lap. She felt safe in their atmosphere and that's all she needed to keep pushing through every day.

~~~

But lately, things have gotten worse. The girls have gotten more aggressive. They pushed her against the lockers, causing Y/N to smack her head. She instantly felt pounding in her skull as tears blinded her vision. The girls spat out words and slut shamed her for having two boyfriends. All she wanted to do was curl up and hide.

Once the girls left, she raced to Steve's. Not caring that she'd have to run the whole way there. Her tears fell down her face and she panted as she ran. But she didn't stop until she was pounding on his door.

Steve was instantly worried when he opened the door, she was sobbing and holding her head. He carefully walked her to the couch and asked what happened. Eddie was lying on the couch but sat up as she came into the room. He pulled her in his arms as he rocked her softly, her face was in his neck as she cried. Steve sat on the side of them, rubbing her back as she soaked Eddie's neck.

"Baby, I need you to calm down and tell me what happened," Steve said gently, his hand still on her back. Eddie gently pulled away, wiping her tears as she tried to calm down.

"These girls at school keep hurting me." She cried, throwing her arms around Eddie as she cried into his neck again.

"hurting you how?" Eddie asked, his eyes looking at Steve as they exchanged a worried glance.

"They push me around and slam me into lockers. I hit my head really bad and it hurts so bad." She cried. Eddie softly rubbed her head to help soothe her.

"Let me grab some medicine," Steve said he walked to the bathroom to grab the medicine and a cup of water from the kitchen.

As he made his way back, Eddie convinced Y/N to sit on the couch and face them. Her red and wet eyes looked between them.

She took the medicine and thanked Steve. Slowly taking off Eddie's sweatshirt.

"They leave marks too." She said, her arms covered in bruises and hand marks from being grabbed so harshly.

"Oh, baby." Steve cooed, dropping to his knees as he softly kissed her skin.

"Who is doing this to you? You need to tell the school!" Eddie demanded but Y/N was quick to stop him.

"I can't! The school never did anything to Jason, what makes you think they'll do something to them?"

Eddie knew she was right, the school system was fucked and would always be.

"Hey, we are going to help you, okay? No one is going to hurt you anymore." Steve promised, kissing her lips. Eddie agreed, wrapping his arm around her softly.

Eddie and Steve made a plan. Eddie always dropped her off, but now he will walk her into the building. He can't stay in the school, but he offered to stay in the parking lot. In case she ever needed to run out.

Steve had a meeting with the principal, demanding the girls be punished and that a teacher could be in the halls to monitor what was going on in their school.

Eddie may have also tracked down the girls and threatened them in the parking lot....but Y/N didn't know that.

And when she was back home, they'd make sure to notice if she was upset or not. They checked on her bruises and made sure no more were forming.

"Bath timeeeee" Eddie announced from the bathroom. Y/N smiled as she walked in. A bubble bath was running, Steve already sitting in, as she stripped her clothes and joined him.

Another thing her boyfriends started was bubble baths so her aching muscles could relax. Steve always sat behind her and Eddie sat on the side of the tub. They'd talk about nothing and enjoy each other's company.

Her body was slowly healing, but so was her heart.

[carolperkinsexgirlfriend]

Steddie Upside-Down AU Part 56

Part 1 Part 55

Mama Byers and Wayne are talking in the kitchen. Their voices drift quietly into Will’s room through his open door. Eddie’s snooping through Will’s shelves for any new minis. Will’s sitting at his desk, looking through his schoolwork like the good kid he and both should emulate more.

Steve’s been laying on Will’s bed, pillow squished in the crook of his elbow and folded over itself to make it thicker. He’d tucked Will’s comforter over his legs without asking, socked toes wiggling into the sheets as he watches Eddie pick up random things and put them down like it’s some sort of show.

Eddie feels his cheeks heating and just hopes it’s not visible on the back of his neck. He picks the next thing on the shelf without thought. It’s a small red dragon, wings unfurling beautifully from its body, like it’s about to take flight. He’s never seen it before, and it’s got the usual streaks of a hand-painted miniature.

“Hey, Will,” he says, turning back around to peer at Will where he’s seated at his desk. “Is this new?”

Will looks up, eyes lighting up from the dull drudgery of schoolwork. “Yeah! Jonathan got him for me!”

Eddie smiles at the kids enthusiasm, but feels it freeze fixedly on his face as he turns to Steve. Steve’s in the same position, knees curled up in the bed, head facing Eddie, but there’s nothing behind his eyes.

“Steve!” Eddie whispers harshly, lunging for him and cradling his face in his hands. “Stevie, baby. Come back.”

Will jumps from his chair, running over to Eddie’s side, feet quiet on the carpet. Eddie doesn’t look away from Steve. “Is he okay?” Will asks. “Should I get my Mom?”

“No,” Eddie says harshly. “Shut the door.”

Will hesitates beside him for a moment before closing the door with a quiet click.

“Stevie?” Eddie stares into Steve’s unseeing eyes, and waits. Waits. Waits. “Shit, sorry Stevie.”

He pulls his hand back, slapping him in the face, hard. Steve’s pupils expand and contract as he gasps for breath, already crying. “You’re okay, Stevie,” Eddie says, climbing onto the bed as far as he can. He ends up crouched awkwardly above Steve, one knee on the mattress as Steve tucks his face desperately into Eddie’s chest and takes gasping breaths.

“You’re okay,” he says quietly, stroking Steve’s hair awkwardly, his balance compromised.

He can hear Will shifting his feet uncomfortably behind him, his socked toes brushing the fibers of the carpet. He can hear the faintest sounds of indistinguishable voices traveling through the closed door. It’s heartbreaking how quietly Steve Harrington cries.

“Stevie?” Eddie asks.

Steve sniffles once, like he’s sucking all the bad feelings back up into himself before wiping his face furtively on Eddie’s shirt. Eddie leans further down, gives him more access even as he feels the cloth stick to his skin with tears and snot. The things he does for love.

“What happened?” Will asks.

Steve shoots up, eyes wild like he’s forgotten where he is and who he’s with. His tears are mostly dry, but the sticky tracks down his cheeks are still visible, and the area around his eyes is puffy red and swollen. Eddie leans back to give him room to breathe, scooching him over gently so he can take a seat fully beside him in Will’s bed.

Will looks small and solemn in the entryway – a porcelain doll of a boy. He looks breakable. Eddie wants to wrap him in cotton and put him away in a box, keep him safe. Keep them both safe.

“Come here,” Steve says, voice scratchy. It sounds like he’s been screaming for hours, not locking inside himself, silent and aching. Will rushes forward, clambering onto the bed, and settling into his customary ball to look between them with wide eyes. “It’s probably that same, uh–” he glances at Eddie, eyebrows furrowed in thought before snapping his fingers dorkily and continuing, “anniversary affect they said you were having.”

Eddie looks at the way Steve’s trying to keep his face placid, the way his nails are digging into Will’s comforter hard enough that he’s surprised it hasn’t ripped, and lets the doubt crawl in.

Will shifts, curling further into himself, tucking his chin into his knees so all that’s visible is his nose and eyes. “But, what happened?”

Steve looks down at his knees, lips pursed. Eddie nudges their shoulders together, hopeful when he sees that same pleased smile, if a little watery around the edges. “It’s like, sometimes I blink, and it’s like I’m there?” Steve says, like it’s a question. “And then it passes. Wayne calls them flashbacks.”

Notably, Steve doesn’t mention the spider, or the shadows, or the way two different times, he’s only snapped back when someone inflicts minor pain. Eddie doesn’t mention it either.

Will looks over at his closed bedroom door, biting his lip. “And we shouldn’t tell my Mom?” Will asks.

Eddie shakes his head. “She’ll tell the lab,” he says because she will. She had already. “And we don’t, uh, really trust them?”

Will nods solemnly. “El said they’re bad men.”

“Who the hell is that?” Steve asks, voice still an uncomfortable croak.

Eddie rolls his eyes, smiling over at him. “You know, about yay high,” he says, holding his hand up to Will’s forehead and knocking it lightly against his fringe. “Escaped from the lab, has superpowers. Keep up, sweetheart.”

“Fuck you!” Steve says, voice cracking prepubescently in the middle, making Eddie and Will laugh. “What the fuck?”

“I’ll tell you about her later,” Eddie says.

Steve mumbles something under his breath that sounds like, “that’s what you said last time.”

In retaliation, Eddie reaches up to roughly rub Steve’s hair, messing it up irreparably. Steve bats his hand away, but it’s too late; the damage has been done. Will laughs even harder, and Eddie can’t blame him. It looks like a bird’s nest on top of his head.

They pass the rest of their time in Will’s room companionably, talking and smiling, even though sometimes Steve’s didn't quite reach his eyes.

It’s not until they’re all tucked away in Wayne’s car, well on their way home that Steve speaks.

“There was a storm.”

Wayne turns down the tape deck, cutting off Johnny Cash mid-word. “What storm?”

Eddie turns around in his seat, seat belt cutting into his neck uncomfortably. Steve’s thousand-yard-staring out the windshield, like he’s not there at all. But Eddie knows that he is, can see the way his breathing is quicker than it should be, the way his lips are pursed.

“You said it was shellshock?” Steve says.

Wayne hums affirmatively, and asks, “it was like last time?”

“Yeah,” Steve says, meeting Eddie’s eyes. His pupils are slits. He looks well and truly afraid, like he’s looking a Demogorgon straight in its eyeless face. “Or no? There was a cloud.” He trails off, averting his gaze to look out the passenger window, like he can still see it now. “It was red.”

Eddie scoffs. “Of course it was red,” he says. “Everything is there.”

Steve shakes his head vehemently. Eddie swears he can hear the vertebrae clicking. “It was evil, Eddie,” he says, words drifting off into a whisper. “It was like it could see me.”

Eddie stares at the side of Steve’s face – his straight nose, sharp jaw, plump cheeks. The way his eyes are darting back and forth, looking for something he’ll never be able to see on his own terms. “What did it want?”

Steve turns his head slowly, meeting Eddie’s eyes again. The pupils of his eyes have receded into terrified little pinpricks. Eddie wants to lunge across the center console and into the back seat, wrap his arms around Steve, and tuck and roll his way out of this situation.

“I think a lot of people are going to get hurt.”

The words hang between them. Eddie wants to ask, like last time? Like we did? But his throat’s all clogged with borrowed terror so he just reaches out and squeezes Steve’s knee.

“That doesn’t sound like shellshock ta me,” Wayne says.

Eddie nods, Steve swallows, and they keep driving. What else can they do? Eddie’d fight Steve’s waking dreams if he could. Instead, he turns back around and turns up the music loud enough to drown the monsters out.

Part 57

Taglist: @deany-baby @estrellami-1 @altocumulustranslucidus @evillittleguy @carlprocastinator1000 @1-8oo-wtfbro @hallucinatedjosten @goodolefashionedloverboi @newtstabber @lunabyrd @cinnamon-mushroomabomination @manda-panda-monium @disrespectedgoatman @finntheehumaneater @ive-been-bamboozled @harringrieve @grimmfitzz @is-emily-real @dontstealmycake @angeldreamsoffanfic @a-couchpotato @5ammi90 @mac-attack19 @genderless-spoon @kas-eddie-munson @louismeds @imhereforthelolzdontyellatme @pansexuality-activated @ellietheasexylibrarian @nebulainajar @mightbeasleep @neonfruitbowl @beth--b @silenzioperso @best-selling-show @v3lv3tf0x @bookworm0690 @paintsplatteredandimperfect

[desolatecure]

Eddie shows up unannounced at Steve’s house, not expecting to find a little boy stood in his place. Figuratively.

Age regressor Steve, pure fluff ´ˎ˗

—kink regressors dni

(this is a repost off my twitter page so the format is wacky)

For Steve, it was just one of /those/ days. He didn’t know what they were and it seemingly happened at random, like he couldn’t control it.

Sometimes certain things trigger him, though. Like the time he opened a music box and a lullaby sang softly out of it, sending him into a strange headspace where he felt 10x younger than he really is.

Vulnerable in a thrift shop with only Robin to confide in.

Today, however, he had made himself comfortable on the couch after flipping the tv on and finding that the channel selected had been the kids channel, and as it flickered to life he heard the theme of scooby-doo ring out.

He was too comfortable to change it, finding himself immersed in the show, giggling along to it and curling up more on the couch as he chewed on the edge of his blanket.

When the doorbell rang, Steve jumped and the blanket slipped from his mouth as he sat up.

“Stevie! You home? I can see your car, man.” Eddie’s voice made Steve gasp and shoot up off the couch, racing to the foyer.

“Eddie!” Steve swung the door open, blanket wrapped around his shoulders, nearly slipping on the shiny floors with his socked feet.

“Oh- hey, sorry. Didn’t call before I came, I know. Dreadful etiquette.” Eddie chuckles, stepping into the house as Steve shuts the door behind him.

“You up for a smoke? Brought a six-pack too.” Eddie holds up the case of beer and grins.

The grin falters when he looks back at Steve’s face, eyes wide like he has no idea what Eddie’s talking about. “Whuh- huh?” Eddie frowns as he walks into the kitchen, Steve following in tow.

“You alright, sweetheart?”

Steve nods and giggles in response. “Like when you say that.” Eddie’s eyes widen, then he furrows his brows, leaning against the counter.

“How old are you feeling, Stevie?” Steve just sits at the kitchen bench and sways his feet, thinking about it.

“Dunno… maybe..” Steve bites his lip and his face scrunches up as he counts on his fingers, holding up 4 of them, then 3, then back to 4. “Dunno, sorry.”

Eddie nods, face twisted in thought. “It’s alright, that’s good. Thank you for telling me, baby.”

Steve’s face lights up and Eddie smiles, ruffling his hair. Steve squeaks, batting his hands away with a pout. “Don’t touch my hair!”

Eddie snorts, holding his hands up in surrender. “I see you’re still a little Princess about your hair. Alright, have you eaten?”

Steve thinks for a second, glancing behind him towards the loungeroom. “Uhm.. yeah.” Eddie raises an eyebrow, taking one step towards the room before Steve’s giggling and standing up, pushing Eddie back and further away from the loungeroom.

“No, Eddie! Don’t look! Not for you!” Eddie can’t help but grin at the happy, carefree look on Steve’s face and he laughs with him.

“What are you hiding in there, huh?” Eddie pushes past Steve and jogs over to the loungeroom and gasps dramatically.

“Steven!”

“You’re hoarding chocolate bars, so naughty!” Eddie laughs breathily, as he walks up to the coffee table, taking in Steves little setup.

There are 2 wrappers littering the table, 3 unopened and one opened bar laying lonely on the couch where it looks like Steve was sitting.

“Is this all you’ve eaten, bub?” At Steve’s silence, Eddie turns around and his heart aches at the sight.

Steve standing nervously in the threshold, eyes bubbling with tears as he chews his thumb, seeking out some kind of comfort.

“Woah- hey, Stevie- What happened?”

Steve’s breath shudders and his lip wobbles, everything about the sight makes Eddie’s heart break in two.

“Didn’t mean to- I swear-” Eddie frowns, rushing over to Steve, gently wiping the tears from his cheeks.

“Baby! Sweetie, it’s okay. You’re okay, don’t even worry about it.”

“Jus’ don’ know how to cook very well..” Steve sniffles, rubbing his eyes with his fists and Eddie gently scolds him for it, pulling his hands away. “Please don’ call me that, though. Hate it.”

“Oh, baby,” Eddie sighs, “Which one?”

“ ‘Teven… Only get called that when m’naughty.”

Eddie pets Steve’s hair, leaning to place a kiss on the top of his head. “I’m sorry, honey. Thank you for telling me though, look how good you are!”

Steve giggles a little, pushing Eddie’s hand away from his head.

“Say… Let’s get your tummy full before you go back and watch… scooby-doo?”

“Scooby-doo!” Steve perks up and tries running back into the loungeroom, eager and excited.

Eddie catches him and wraps his arms around Steve’s waist before he can escape, laughing and dragging him back.

“Nuh-uh. Come on, silly boy. If you behave we’ll order pizza.” Steve gasps and squeezes out of Eddie’s hold, rushing into the kitchen.

He rummages through the pamphlets of all the restursnts and waves the pizzeria’s number in Eddie’s face.

“Please! Jus’ cheese?” Steve smiles at Eddie and he can’t even think about saying no to him.

“Of course little man. You wanna sit sit on the counter and listen?”

Steve grins excitedly and turns, trying to hop up on the counter but Eddie reaches and grabs his waist, guiding him up. “There you go, good. Sit still.”

Eddie calls up the pizza place, smiling and silently giggling at Steve who’s making silly faces at him. He cups Steve’s cheek as he’s speaking into the phone and strokes it with his thumb.

When Steve starts babbling randomly, swinging his feet and giggling at random things Eddie has to hold back an amused laugh, instead he covers the speaker, bringing his finger to his lips.

“Shhh, baby. Just for a minute.” He whispers.

“Okay!” Steve whispers back, very loudly, but he’s got the spirit and that’s what counts.

When the phone call ends, Eddie pats Steve’s thigh and helps him off the counter.

“Let’s go cuddle up on the couch and wait until the pizza gets here, yeah baby?” Eddie takes Steve’s hand and Steve brings Eddie’s finger to his mouth, biting lightly. “Gonna have to get you a chew toy, huh?”

“A what-wha?”

Eddie snorts, quickly filling a water bottle and guiding Steve back over to the loungeroom.

“Sit down there. What do you wanna watch, bub?” He sorts through the accumulation of tapes under the tv cabinet, holding them up so Steve can see.

“Hm… yogi bear?” Steve frowns, and looks at Eddie for confirmation.

Eddie just grins and shoved the tape in the player and sits on the couch. “Good choice, you’re so perfect. My perfect boy.”

Steve smiles contentedly and leans into Eddie, wrapping an arm around his middle, head resting on his shoulder. “Like you s’much, Eds.”

“You’re so cute.” Eddie sighs, pushing Steve’s hair back off his forehead, placing a kiss there.

“I like you too.”

[heytherejulietx]

Eddie comforting soft!reader who is crying?

a/n - aaaa i’m so happy to be writing again! my requests are back open! mostly for fluffy or hurt/comfort drabbles for steve or eddie at the moment, so please send some in!

tw - hurt/comfort, themes of depression though no direct mention, unedited

1.2k words

just a reminder that reblogs are seriously appreciated as it helps my work get seen by more people! <3

@eddie-darling @bradleybeachbabe @m1vfs @katsukis1wife @pastel-abyss-x @levylovegood @simplymurdock @mayyvh @parasadic-blog @pr3ttycunt @aurumbelis join my tag list

Fingers were gentle against her cheek as her face was tilted up, though she didn’t open her eyes. A thumb brushed against her skin to wipe away a few tears, and the action alone made her breath shake on the next inhale. She could feel her cheeks burning. She felt so silly.

“Baby,” Eddie was murmuring in that soft tone of voice that either meant he was melting with fondness, or was worried. “Hey, talk to me, what’s wrong?” A second hand was placed against her other cheek, and with shaking fingers she lifted her free hand to wrap around his wrist, holding onto him as her breath shuddered. His skin was warm underneath her touch, and if she focused enough she could feel the way his heartbeat sped erratically in his veins.

Every Friday she went over to his trailer to sleep over for the weekend. And just like every Friday it had been playing out the same as always. Smiles and kisses as soon as she had stepped through the doorway, swapping her shirt in place for one of Eddie’s (something that was always encouraged by him), curling up on the sofa together. And nothing bad had happened, there was no reason for anything to change. But he had left the comfort of the sofa to make them both a drink, and in the time it took for him to do that, she had curled in on herself with short breaths as tears trickled down her cheeks. Her chest had been tight ever since Monday, but there was no reason for her to be sad. It was silly. Even more silly now that Eddie had to comfort her when she didn’t know what was wrong.

Her expression crumpled as he wiped more tears away, and she took another shaking breath in as her eyes flickered open. Only enough to see the way his eyebrows were scrunched in worry, brown eyes filled with sadness. “Sorry,” she whispered, unable to make her voice any louder. “I’m… I’m okay.”

Eddie hummed a quiet acknowledgment as her eyes shut again, too embarrassed to look at him. He was silent for a moment as he brushed tears away with the calloused pads of his thumbs, before she felt his lips pressed to her forehead. And then her left cheek. And then her right cheek.

Her expression crumpled again and she gasped in a small pathetic breath.

“Can I hold you?”

She nodded, and swallowed through the thickness in her throat as his hand moved from her cheek and slid over her skin to the back of her neck. He cupped her head delicately and brought it to rest in the juncture of his neck as his other arm secured around her body, palm flat against her back. Eddie was crouched on the floor in front of the couch so she had to lean forwards a considerable amount to hug him, but her arms wound around him tightly, locked underneath his arms as her hands curled into fists around the material of his shirt. She could tell by the way he held her alone that he was worried. His arms were gentler than normal, but perhaps even more protective. Usually he held her so tightly that it almost became difficult to breathe — arms that tightened around her with such force that he had no difficulty in lifting her off of the floor. But the way he held her then, as she cried miserably into his shoulder, it was like he was trying to protect her — a hand against the back of her head and another arm to melt her against him, completely tucked away in the safety of his arms. And she felt so embarrassed that she was so tearful and upset when they had been having a good time, but secured in his arms she at least felt a little lighter.

“I’m- I’m sorry.” For ruining the evening, she wanted to tack on.

Eddie shushed her gently, lips soft against her temple where he dropped a kiss. “Don’t apologise. Just give yourself a minute, angel. It’s okay. I’m here.”

She just nodded and pressed herself even further into him, his neck warm against her forehead. A deep shuddered breath was inhaled as she gripped onto his shirt even tighter, and he was being so nice that she couldn’t help the quiet sob that bubbled up out of her mouth. Immediately she felt the way his arms tightened around her, and she only cried for a minute or so, but by the time she’d calmed down and her breathing had evened out Eddie was holding her as tight as usual.

She kissed the exposed part of his collarbone, straightened up a little, before sitting back on the edge of the sofa to look at him. His hands flattened against her forearms and rubbed up her skin, raising goosebumps in their path. And he was ever so patient, brown eyes soft as they gazed upon her. His softness almost made her want to cry again.

“I’m… I’m okay,” he frowned, eyes crinkling slightly under his scrunched eyebrows, and she butted in before he could protest. “Really, Eddie, I’m okay. Nothings wrong.”

Eddie continued to rub her arms with his palms, the frown on his lips never ceasing. “You can tell me anything, you know,” he lifted her hand with delicate fingers and pressed his lips against her palm. “Anything.”

She nodded, and gently gripped his fingers with her own. “I don’t…” she huffed, frowning when she couldn’t figure out how to say it.

“Take your time,” he murmured the words against her palm where he left another kiss. “It’s okay.”

She pressed her lips together for a moment as she thought about her wording. “Nothings wrong, I’m… I don’t know why I’m not happy. I’ve been feeling this way all week.”

“Feeling what way, baby?”

“Just… sad.”

That was enough for him to sit forwards and pull her into a hug again, arms wound tightly around her. He hugged her with such force that he pulled her off of the sofa and completely into his arms, which was enough to make her smile against his neck. He must have felt it, because his hand came around to cup her jaw with warm fingers, tilting her head back enough to look at him.

“You promise nothing happened, sweet thing?”

The nickname made her smile and she knew that was his plan all along when he smiled slightly in return. “Promise, Eds. I just feel a little miserable this week.”

He nodded, and leaned in to kiss her delicately as his thumb brushed against her jaw. “Alright, baby,” he murmured into her mouth, pressing another few soft kisses to her lips before he leaned back to look at her with such a soft expression that she almost melted into his arms again. “What do you wanna do? You wanna nap? Take a shower?”

She just shrugged. “I don’t know.”

Eddie nodded, his free hand cupping the back of her neck as he leaned in to kiss her again. “Guess I’m just gonna have to kiss my girl until she feels better, huh?”

Despite how she felt, the thought made her a little giddy, and she couldn’t hide her smile as his lips pressed to her jaw. “Guess so.”

[alwaysurvalentine]

he's gone - st drabble

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

enjoy! 💛

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here in the trailer he called home the past year. 

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

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

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

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

[abellmunsonmovie]

Tears and Pancakes

Wordcount: 988 words

Warning: Reader is depressed, Eddie comforts Reader, no mention of Reader's race/gender, use of Y/N, pet names (Sweets, Baby, Sweetheart)

Eddie hasn’t seen you in two weeks, normally you can’t go an hour without seeing each other. Eddie tried to call you several times every week, he thought he had done something, he finally decides to call Steve and Robin to see if they knew anything.

“Hey this is Family Video, I’m Steve how-”, “Steve” Eddie interrupts, “Oh hey man, whats up?”, “Have you seen Y/N, I haven’t seen them in weeks” Eddie says clearly panicked, “Uh, no um…I’m gonna ask Robin maybe she has”, Eddie can hear Steve and Robin talking through the phone, then Steve goes back to Eddie, “Listen man, neither of us have seen Y/N, but I’m sure they’re okay…Have you called Nance?”, Eddie rubs his face in frustration, “No, I-i’ll try her…thanks”. Eddie hangs up the phone and calls Nancy, “Wheeler-”, “Nancy?”, “Eddie? No it’s Mike,” Mike says in a confused tone, “I need to talk to Nancy…I think Y/N might be mad at me”, “Oh um… okay hold on” Mike still has that confused tone, “NANCY”, “WHAT”, Eddie rolls his eyes hearing them yelling at each other. “Hey Eddie?” Nancy says worriedly, “Nancy…have you seen Y/N”, “I haven’t seen them in 2 weeks”, Eddie scoffs “Do you know anyone else I can call, I called Steve and Robin, I called you…If they’re mad at me I wanna give them space”, Nancy tries to reassure Eddie, “Y/N’s not mad at you, they-…”, “They what?” Eddie asks, “Sometimes they go off the radar for a little bit…it happens every now and then and then they come back fine…”, Eddie's eyebrows pinch together, “And why?”, “They never say…maybe you should go over there”, Eddie nods “Thanks Nancy, bye” he hangs up the phone and hurriedly puts on his shoes.

He gets to your place and unlocks the door with a spare key, the TV is on, the kitchen is messy, dishes towering in the sink, he walks to your bedroom, and through a crack in the door, he can see you curled up under the blankets, crying. He opens the door slowly and crouches down to your level, “Baby” he says softly, your head shoots up and your face goes red in embarrassment, he shouldn’t be seeing you like this, no one should. You haven’t showered in days, “Shit…Eddie why- how did you even get in?”, “You left a spare at my place…now come on…tell me whats going on”, your lip trembles, “Please just go” you squeak out, Eddies heart breaks a little more and his eyes start to sting, “Baby…I can help”, you shake your head, “I’m not a fucking kid Eddie”, Eddie holds your hand “No, your love of my fucking life and you need help…Nancy told me you’ve done this before…whats going on baby?”, you start to cry agin and you wrap your arms around Eddie, pulling him towards you, Eddie pulls you close and shushes you, “I got you baby…it’s okay, you’re alright…”, you snap, “I’m so fucking tired if this shit!”, he rubs your back, “You’ll get through it baby…”, “Why can’t I just be okay?! What did I do to feel like this?!” you say pulling away and looking at Eddie, he shakes his head and holds your hands, “You didn’t do anything…you just…you are you okay? And I know, trust me, I know…how fucking tiring it is…but you are not alone in this…you have me, you’ll always have me”, he holds your face in his hands, wiping your tears off his cheeks, “I don’t wanna burden you” you say, Eddie looks in your eyes, “Y/N…you are the best fucking thing thats ever happened to me in my entire god damn life…you could never be a burden”, you feel your eyes tear up more, “I don’t know why I get like this…”, Eddie kisses your cheeks, “It’s okay…just let me help you feel better…”, you smile weakly and nod.

Eddie goes and starts a bubble bath and calls take out, once you get in the bath he knocks on the door, “Baby…can I come in?”, “Yeah”, he walks in, “Here let me wash your hair,” he says softly, you smile, “You sure?” you ask, he nods and kisses your head before starting to massage your hair with the shampoo, “Y’know, you can come to me when you get like this?”, you sigh and nod looking down, “I just don’t wanna bring people down with my shit…especially you…you make it all less shitty…” you smile weakly, Eddie kisses your lips gently, “Well you aren’t gonna bring my down, I’m your fucking boyfriend…I want to help”, you nod and he finishes cleaning you.

After you get out of the bath and get changed into a big t-shirt and shorts, you walk out to Eddie finishing the dishes, “Eddie, you didn’t have to do that” you say smiling, Eddie laughs softly “I wanted to”, you walk behind Eddie and wrap your arms around his waist, resting your head on his back, Eddie finishes the dishes and dries off his hands, he turns around and rubs your back while kissing your head, “How you feeling, sweets?”, you shrug, “Little better…”, he nods and kisses your head, “It’ll get better, baby…”, you hear a knock at the door, it’s the pizza guy.

After you both eat and decide to go to bed, he makes sure you brush your teeth and starts a load of laundry before you both get into bed. Eddie holds your hand while resting the two if your hands on his chest as he rubs your head, “I’m so proud of you…you did really so good today sweetheart” he whispers, you smile softly “Thank you Eddie…for everything”, he smiles and kisses your head, “Get some sleep, sweet baby…what you want me to make in the morning?”, you shake your head, “Eddie…you don’t have to make anything”, “Y/N…what do you want?”, you laugh “Fine…Pancakes”, he kisses your lips, “Pancakes it is”.

Hey guys, sorry I literally haven't wrote an Eddie blurb in like a week, I have been so busy, but I decided to write a blurb where Eddie comforts depressed reader, and as a person who has depression I know how it can be, i'm sure it's different for everyone, so I just wrote from my experience, I hope you guys enjoy. -Bella<3

[little-annie]

Watching You Fall in Love (is My Greatest Achievement)

Steddie Fic | Wayne POV | Little_Annie | Ao3

---

"You love him don't you?" Wayne whispers, breathy, quiet, his voice cracking around the edges of something that feels like raw emotion.

It's then that Eddie turns his gaze away from Steve to look at him, the light never fading from his eyes and the smile never wiping from his face.

Steve's sitting on the trailer floor, in the middle of the living room, Eddie's clothes hanging from his body as he flips through one of Eddie's many monster manuals. Wayne knows the boy would never admit it, but he's just as interested in D&D as the other kids. He's helping Eddie plan his next campaign for christ sake.

Next to Wayne, two cans of coke in hand and a love struck smile on his face, Eddie nods, his cheeks darkening as his smile ever so slightly fades. "Is that okay?" He asks, looking all the bit nervous as his eyes roam Wayne's face.

"More than okay Son."

Eddie's smile brightens once again and if Wayne notices the small amount of tears welling in his eyes, he says nothing about.

"You ever going to tell him?" Wayne continues, nodding in Steve's direction, the boy still oblivious to the conversation being whispered behind his back.

"I don't know if I can."

Wayne says nothing to Eddie's reply as he watches the boy return to the living room where he sits down next to his best friend. Steve smiling bright as the sun upon Eddie's return.

—

Months go by and Wayne gets to watch as Steve falls too. It's there and so obvious to anyone but Eddie.

His eyes linger and his smile never fades. Soon Wayne sees as he sits a little closer and his cheeks grow a little darker.

There's moments when Wayne catches what he can only describe as a love struck expression across Steve's face. Eddie's talking, because when is he not, and Steve's there, eyes wide and locked onto Eddie's ever changing expression. 

He looks fond. Fond in a way Wayne's never seen anyone look at his nephew.

There's moments when he sees Steve hesitant. Moments when he and Eddie are so close and Steve's hand twitches like it wants to reach out. Moments when Steve looks like he wants to lean in but bites his lip and turns away with rosy cheeks.

—

It's nearly a year into their friendship when Steve's standing at Wayne's side and whispers, "I think I love him."

"Tell him," Wayne answers easily, leaving out the 'please' he so desperately wants to tack onto the end of that sentence.

Please, he thinks again as he watches Eddie turn to face them from across the yard, a smile so beautiful Wayne thinks it's the first time he's seen it on Eddie's face. The boy's elbow deep in his van as his cheeks grow a little pinker as he says with a smile, "Stevie come here for a sec."

Steve leaves, but not before whispering back to Wayne, "I think I will."

—

No more than a week later Wayne comes home to find the boys on the couch, Steve sleeping and curled into Eddie's side, snoring with his nose pressed to Eddie's neck. 

Wayne offers his boy a smile as he stirs from the sound of the door closing. He looks tired, arms tightening around Steve's waist as he smiles back and burrows closer, kissing the top of Steve's head before drifting back off. 

—

"He loves me," Eddie says one evening, weeks down the road, a rare occasion when Steve isn't over and Eddie's actually home.

Wayne smiles, his heart so warm and full as he says, "I know."

—

Steve's been over for a few weeks now. Part of Wayne's convinced he's moved in, what with the new additions to their fridge and bathroom vanity. The idea doesn't upset him in the least. 

He's gotten to witness their love grow during that time anyway.

He's gotten to witness the way Steve kisses a grumpy Eddie good morning until he finally smiles.

Or the way Eddie lights up when Steve's arms wrap around his waist and he whispers an "I love you Eds," that Wayne isn't sure if he's supposed to hear.

Or the way they giggle and kiss and love one another in such a beautiful and uninhibited way.

Granted too, sometimes that means Wayne's hears a bit too much. Eddie would be mortified to know there's been far too many occasions in which Wayne's had to leave the trailer to escape the gasping breaths that occasionally pour out from under his bedroom door.

Though this time, Wayne's inside as the boys are on the roof smoking and he thanks the lord above that all he can hear are the faintest of whispers. 

There's only parts of the conversation that he catches, but his heart swells when he hears Eddie's voice so clearly say, "I'm gonna marry you someday Steve Harrington."

—

Wayne cries the day Eddie shows him the ring. 

And cries even harder when Steve shows him his.

Steve's hand is shaking where the single golden band lies on his ring finger, Eddie standing directly behind him, arm around his waist with a smile that matches Steve's in the way it resembles Sunshine.

They can't marry, not legally anyways. But that doesn't stop Jim Hopper from officiating a ceremony or Joyce Byers from walking Steve down the aisle. 

The backyard to Hoppers cabin is filled with faces Wayne has grown familiar with over the years. Young and old, smiling and crying all the same.

Dustin and Robin both write speeches, both as rambling and as funny as they are beautifully heart wrenching.

There's not a dry eye in the house.

—

The boys move into an apartment where they build a life together.

Wayne visits often for meals or a cup of coffee in the mornings, still delighting in the way his Eddie seems so wonderfully overcome with love and affection. 

He'd thought he'd shed enough tears for his lifetime at the wedding, but one evening, sat at the table with Robin Buckley and his boys, Wayne finds out he's gonna be a grandpa. 

Elaine Birdie Munson is her name.

Sunshine, they call her instead.

---

Ao3⤵️

[steddie-island]

Wallpaper

Written for day 1 of @stevieweek | Prompt: Stobin Rating: G | WC: 1,144 | Tags: MTF Steve Harrington, Coming Out, Robin Buckley's POV ao3 | Divider credit Now with a part 2!

They’re sitting in the bathroom. Steve’s thigh bumps against Robin’s, and he can’t stop biting on his thumbnail.

It’s a nervous habit, Robin knows, one he only gets when things feel like they might be spiraling out of his control in a major way. Sometimes she’s surprised it’s not something he does more often, but she knows he likes to look nice. Likes for other people to think he looks nice, too. He’d also crudely pointed out once upon a time that “No one wants to be fingered by someone with a bloody hangnail, Robin, Jesus.” It was gross, but now that’s one habit she’s managed to break herself out of, thanks to him.

“Hey.” Robin bumps his leg and watches as he jumps, like he’s forgotten that she’s there. “It’s just me. You know you can talk to me about anything.”

That’s true, too. Steve’s seen every lump (“It’s cancer I swear to god it’s cancer!” “That’s a zit.”) and she’s seen Steve’s right back (“That’s an ingrown hair, dingus, I think you’re supposed to shave in the other direction. Also maybe try it with your eyes open.”) They’ve helped talk each other off of the ledge so many times. When they traded the stomach flu back and forth, it was the two of them taking care of each other for one disgustingly hellacious week.

There’s nothing they can’t talk about, or help each other with. It makes Robin a little nervous that Steve is nervous, but she knows that whatever it is it’ll be fine. It always is.

“C’mon. We’re sitting on your bathroom floor. I know this is important.”

Steve pulls his thumb away from his mouth and crosses both arms across his chest. It’s then that Robin notices his hands are shaking a little.

“I’ve got something really… really important to talk to you about,” he says. His voice is a low rumble, and there’s a slight tremor, a wetness to it that she’s only heard a few times before.

“Yeah, I gathered that part,” she teases. Her shoulder bumps Steve’s, and then she reaches out to take one of his hands. As soon as their fingers lock Steve lets out a breath that he’s been holding. The tension eases from his shoulders, but only a little.

“I…” Steve clears his throat. His jaw works, and then he swallows hard. “I’ve been thinking, and… I…” He has to swallow again, so Robin tightens her grip and closes her other hand around his fingers, too.

She’s not going anywhere.

“I don’t think… I’m a boy?” A tear trails down his cheek and Steve quickly wipes it away. “I was thinking about all of these girls I’ve been with, and I liked them, but I think there might’ve been more to it? Like… like maybe I wanted some part of them to rub off on me. Like… I feel better when you paint my nails, and I like wearing lipgloss. I– I liked when we got our legs waxed together, and I like…” He bites his lips and brings his thumb back to his mouth to stroke the rough edge against his lip. “I know that all feels like… little stuff maybe, but it’s… I was thinking about it more, and… and I…” His next sigh is shakier, and there are more tears falling now.

Robin holds his hands even tighter and rests her chin against his shoulder. “That’s okay,” she says softly. “You don’t have to be a boy if you don’t want to be.” Her heart nearly breaks when Steve’s lower lip actually wobbles, and then he’s curling into her side.

“I– I don’t want to be,” he says. “I don’t want to be a boy. But I– I don’t want anyone to be mad at me–”

Robin lifts one hand to wipe his face. “No one’s going to be mad at you. No one who matters, anyway.” It’s not like the senior Harringtons have been around for a while now. The Party wasn’t surprised when Will came out, and they all dressed up to go to his first Pride with him. They’ve been okay with Eddie and Steve, and with her and Vicki.

And she knows that it’s not the same, being gay and not feeling like who you are fits who you’re supposed to be. But…

“They’ve faced hell dimensions and fought monsters,” Robin says. Her thumbs stroke over Steve’s knuckles, and she’s moved to sit in front of him instead so their knees knock together. “We almost lost Max, and came even closer to losing Eddie. You being a girl? That should be a piece of cake to them." She rests their foreheads together and brings Steve's hands up to kiss his— her— knuckles.

"What if it's not?" Steve grips Robin all the tighter and bites down on her lower lip. "What if they hate me?"

"Eddie will kick their asses, and then I'll send them packin'. If they won't love you for who you are, then we don't need them in our lives." It's something easier said than done, of course, advice Steve had given when Robin decided it was time to come out to her own parents.

There'd been an adjustment period, but come time for Will's first Pride, her parents were right there beside her.

"I haven't told Eddie yet," Steve says. That tremble is back in her voice, and more tears flow over her cheeks. "What if… what if he says he can't be with me anymore? What if he doesn't love me, Rob? What if he leaves because I'm a— a—" "A freak?" Robin finishes softly. "You, Steve Harrington, are worried your metalhead boyfriend, with his kitchen scratch tattoos and his tabletop speeches, will think that you're a freak?"

Steve blinks, then starts giggling. Quiet at first, then louder, until it's bubbling out of her and she's got her head resting against Robin's shoulder and an arm holding her ribs. "Fuck— you're right. Maybe I wasn't freaky enough before!"

"I walked in on you two once, I think there was more than enough freaky going on in that room." Robin laughs and takes Steve's hands again. The shaking has calmed, and Steve at least doesn't look like she's going to vomit— or worse, faint and get another concussion.

"Will you tell him with me?" Steve asks. "Just in case?"

"You know there's nothing I wouldn't do for you, dingus." Robin pokes lightly at a fleck of turquoise paint on Steve's thumb. "Want me to paint your nails for you again before we go?"

Steve gives another wobbly smile. "I would like that a lot. Thanks, Rob."

"You're welcome, Stevie." Robin stands, tugs Steve to her feet, too, then towards her bedroom. "You know, if you're making big changes, this might be the perfect time to get rid of this ugly fucking wallpaper."

[space-invading-pigeon]

One Two Three

Vecna is incensed when Pelor returns, and not because he'd been on his own. "You left them alive!" Vecna snarls, the exposed muscles of his face and neck pulled taut in his frustration. "The were right there! You could have finished them!" "They are children, Vecna, perhaps we could-" "They are a threat!" "Children!" "You need to get rid of them-" "Mind your tone, Vecna, I am not to be disrespected," Pelor growls; he can feel his eyes flashing dangerously, can feel the air grow hot with his anger. Vecna falls silent, his eyes sharp with displeasure. "I don't think we need to kill them. We can convince them to turn, they're children." "... How do you propose we do that, lord?" Vecna's response is strained, tight. Steve- er, Pelor- relaxes a bit. "They seem to be reminded of a fallen comrade when they speak to me," he announces. "I think I can show them the truth. Fighting will be futile, they'll see that if I just speak to them."

*****

"Dustin, he's gone, there's no way that he's still Steve in there, he attacked Jonathan," Mike argued, smacking his fist against the table. They'd reconvened at the Byers' home, as always; Robin and Eddie stayed with the kids, while Nancy, Hop, and Joyce took Jonathan to the hospital.

"That's not fair, Mike, you never gave up on Eddie!" Dustin shouted, shoving himself back to stand from the table.

"Eddie never tried to kill one of us!"

"Actually, I did," Eddie interrupted softly. "Twice." Mike wilted a little, leaning closer to Will.

"Well- well you never hurt us!" He tried to argue, but Eddie shook his head.

"I did, Mike. Remember? I broke Lucas's wrist, and I almost killed Dustin. If it hadn't been for Steve and El, neither of them would be here." Eddie tugged on one of his curls, expression absent. El nodded from the couch, holding up the 'rock on' gesture that Eddie had recently taught her.

"But-"

"Dude, can you chill? We know you don't like Steve, but he's one of us," Lucas admonished, making Mike blush.

"He hurt Jonathan!"

"No, Vecna hurt Steve. Steve doesn't know that he knows us, remember? When Dustin and Eddie tried his song, he stopped fighting. He ran away," Will piped up, voice soft but firm. "And when he attacked us before, he ran away as soon as he saw Jonathan. He was hurt, and Steve freaked out. He's still in there, Mike."

Mike didn't say anything for a moment, floundering for an argument. It was possibly the closest they'd seen Mike to tears since 1984. "Well- well he's still a piece of shit!" He finally snapped, storming out of the dining room and down the hall.

Silence reigned for a few minutes after Mike's departure. This time, Robin was the one to break it.

"So... I still can't tell if Mike hates Steve or has a crush on him," she noted quietly, making the kids snort (not laugh- they were all much too jaded to laugh at the moment.).

"Crush, definitely," Max decided immediately.

******

Will, Max, Lucas, Mike, and El had fallen asleep sometime during the movie Robin put on. Robin stayed in with them, waiting by the phone for any update on Jonathan.

Dustin and Eddie stepped out around midnight. They didn't go anywhere, just on the porch, while Eddie smoked a cigarette. Gods, he needed it; two Steve sightings in a week after almost a year of nothing, and both times Steve hadn't really come home. Dustin was just as exhausted, leaning forward on his knees as he watched the sky.

"We'll get him back, right, Eddie?" Dustin asked weakly. Eddie had to nod, despite his own growing doubts.

"He can't leave us, Henderson," he consoled. "He's- he's lost. Vecna's got him all turned around, but we can get him back. His song, remember?"

"His stupid, thirty-year-old Elvis song," Dustin snorted, wiping his nose on his sleeve. Eddie chuckled softly, using his whole body to nudge Dustin.

"Don't talk shit about the King, Henderson, this is the only thing we can't make fun of Steve for."

"It's a love song, Eddie."

"It's a good song, Dustin!" Eddie smiled a little wider when Dustin made a noise that could almost be called a laugh, proud to have brought Dustin out of his melancholic mood.

As Dustin calmed, his mood sank a little more. "Eddie... If he's not- not Steve, right now, than who is he?"

"Is that some kind of riddle I'm supposed to solve?"

"No, numbnuts, I mean, like, when you weren't you, you were Kas. Vecna's general. But Steve's not like you were, it's almost like- almost like he's being influenced, but not controlled." Eddie hummed at this, nodding slowly. "So who is he?"

"Just looking at him, he looks more like a general than I ever did-"

"Eddie, whatever they did to you, you still have fangs-"

"-but he's also not as... dark. Not as cold either; have you noticed he glows?" Eddie shook his head. "Anyway. The glowing, the warmth, the way that things grow around him, which is way different than them dying like things usually do from the Upside Down.... I'd say he's Pelor."

"Pelor? But Pelor is benign, what's he doing fighting us?"

"That's where Vecna's influence must come in. He tried to-to corrupt Steve, and he couldn't, so he just... confused him." Eddie drummed his fingers together, thinking hard. "It's like- like Vecna's cast Confusion on him. We just have to break the spell."

"But if he's never here long enough for us to use the song- he ran away last time, if we can't keep him around, how can we break the curse?" Dustin asked, face furrowed in thought. "How do we get him back if every time we try, he disappears?"

"We make it so he can't disappear," Eddie supplied. "We need to convince him that he's safe with us, like a feral cat- yeah, exactly like a cat! Baby steps, we make sure he knows he's safe with us, and we can get him back."

∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆

I think maybe one or two more parts and this will be over???

Tags: @amoris-no-smut-allowed @swimmingbirdrunningrock

[unclewaynemunson]

Something’s off. Steve notices it as soon as he gets home. It’s nothing major, really, but something’s definitely off. There’s this weird silence in the hallway, instead of the usual metal that Eddie is basically blasting 24/7 whenever Steve isn’t home. There’s the absence of Olly showing his little face around the corner of the door to the kitchen upon hearing Steve coming in. There’s also the absence of some crazy scent explosion emerging from the kitchen like on a usual Tuesday evening.

Steve calls out Eddie’s name, questioning, not sure if he should be worried.

“Here!”

He releases a relieved breath and gets into the living room. Eddie is his usual messy self, wild curls hanging over one end of the couch and feet wrapped in colorful socks over the other, with Olly curled up and purring on his chest.

“Hey there,” Steve says. It isn’t until he comes closer to lean down for a kiss on Eddie’s forehead, that he notices something is most definitely very, very wrong. Eddie’s eyes are swollen and red-rimmed, salty traces covering his cheeks and used tissues scattered all over the floor next to the couch. His hands are clenching into Olly’s fur, his chest is heaving unsteadily.

Eddie looks up at Steve, blinks once, twice, to get the water out of his eyes, a fresh tear rolling down his cheek.

“What happened, love?” Steve covers Eddie’s hands with his own, creating their familiar pile of Olly-Eddie-Steve, his thumb stroking over the back of Eddie’s hand.

Eddie takes a deep, shuddering breath, squeezes his eyes shut for a second. “Wayne’s sick.”

XXX

The thing is, Wayne has always been the strong one. Always. He was the arms that caught Eddie, the hands that wiped away his tears, the lips that kissed his bruises better despite his prickly beard. And now he’s - frail. There’s simply no other word for it. And Eddie doesn’t think he’s ready to be the strong one yet. That’s not how it’s supposed to be. Of course he knows that Wayne isn’t some immortal being, that he’s lived a life of harsh physical labor and cold Indiana winters, of canned beans and breakfast cigarettes since he was only a boy... But this is different. This isn’t how it was supposed to go. And Wayne knows that, too.

“I always thought it was gonna be my lungs that’d do me in,” he tells Eddie.

Eddie never thought of his uncle as an old man. But now, sitting next to his hospital bed, both his hands clasped around Wayne’s, he sees it. He sees the lines on his forehead, the near-white shade of grey of what little hair he has left on his head, the tired look in his eyes, the age spots scattered all over his arms...

Eddie releases one of his hands to wipe over his eyes. He feels another pair of hands squeezing his shoulders from behind him, reminding him that he isn’t alone, that there’s still someone else who can be the strong one when Eddie can’t.

He takes a breath.

“Nothing’s doin’ you in, man,” he manages to choke out, strengthening his grip on Wayne’s hands. Those strong, calloused hands, that have lived through so much. The hands that caught him countless times. The hands that held him tight whenever he needed it. The hands that wiped away his tears. The hands that fixed his van. The hands that ruffled his curls. The hands that held a fishing rod like a pro. The hands that tirelessly drilled holes in walls and assembled furniture when Eddie moved out of the trailer and into the apartment he and Steve got in Indianapolis. The hands that are currently resting limply on top of white hospital sheets. Frail hands.

“Ed...”

“No, I’m serious,” Eddie says. He’s always been good at running. No way in hell he’s gonna stop that habit now. "You're gonna get better. And when you do, we'll take you back home, okay? Not to Hawkins - to your real home. You, me, Steve and the van, right? You’ll see the mountains again. We’re gonna drive all the way across them, get you back to the other side, ya hear me? It’ll be this great adventure, just the three of us. We’ll stay there for as long as we want to. And then we’ll go back to Indy, and you’ll move in with us, and we’ll take care of you. And you’ll be there when we get a real house, you’ll be there when we get our first little nugget, and every next one of them, and you’ll get to play with them and see them grow up and see us goin’ grey and gettin’ old and wrinkled and fat, and you’ll be there when Lord of the Rings gets made into a movie and when world hunger gets solved and when gay marriage becomes legal and when we get our first black president and when The Police reunites... That’s how it’s gonna go, you understand?”

There’s this look in Wayne’s eyes, this look that completely terrifies Eddie, and he can’t do a thing except for collapsing onto his uncle’s chest, breathing in his scent and crying against his shirt as Wayne’s hand tangles itself in Eddie’s curls. And it doesn’t matter - it doesn’t matter that Wayne is weak and sick and lying in a hospital bed. Because he’s still the strong one. He’s still the hands that catch Eddie when Eddie breaks down. Even now.

XXX

They should’ve known that Eddie would be right. Of course they should’ve known. No God can turn down someone as stubborn as Eddie Munson - not even a God Eddie doesn’t believe in.

Wayne missed the mountain air, the perfectly prepared corn fritters, the drool in the voices around him, the natural hospitality. It’s good to be back, to get to share his roots with his boys. But it’s not like coming home. Home is where his own parents moved him some fifty years ago, with dreams of a better future that didn’t quite hold for them. Home is a rickety trailer park that doesn’t have warm water most of the time. Home is the woods around Hawkins, the rolling hills, the chilly autumn wind. But most of all, home is the smile of the boy who took him here. It’s long dark curls and big brown eyes that are currently tearing up because Wayne is standing next to him and getting stronger by the day and very much alive. It’s the memories they share, of Wayne opening his arms to catch Eddie when he was so much smaller than now; of going fishing at Lover’s Lake in the weekends; of cigarette stubs and beer bottles and metal boxes that Wayne chose to not know the contents of; of laughter and crying and fear and comfort and a whole shared lifetime, a boy growing up and still needing to be caught again and again and again.

And Wayne still does it. He still catches his boy. His two boys, now. And he’s planning on keeping to do that for a long, long time.

[steddieas-shegoes]

'til the grave and when we're ghosts

| This is a birthday ficlet for my flower, Dio (@flowercrowngods), who deserves all the happiness and love that he can possibly get, especially on his birthday. I hope the love between Steve and Eddie is sweet enough for you today ❤️ - Mickala

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

“The moon’s hiding tonight,” Steve whispered.

He’d come outside with Eddie to help him relax after a hard day at physical therapy. The air around them was thick with a tension Steve wasn’t used to.

Even on his bad days, Eddie was usually still light enough to float around the space they shared, bringing happiness to Steve that he hadn’t been prepared for.

“Yeah. Maybe she’s having a bad day too,” Eddie whispered, his voice sounding choked, wet.

Close to tears.

Steve turned onto his side, watched as Eddie closed his eyes, a tear slipping down the side of his face.

Steve reached his fingers out slowly, wiping away the moisture and waiting for Eddie to open his eyes again.

“What’s wrong, Eds?”

Eddie finally turned his face, another tear escaping from his eye.

“Do you ever wonder if it’s worth the trouble?”

“If what’s worth the trouble?”

“The work of getting better. The fact that I’m six months into recovery and barely closer to being cleared for take off than I was when I started is annoying. What’s worse is that this may be all I ever get to be again. I might always have a limp, and pain, and lose feeling in my leg and arm randomly, and phantom pain in my stomach. I could spend years at physical therapy and brain therapy and taking medications and it could all mean nothing.”

Steve cupped Eddie’s jaw, shaking his head as he spoke.

“It’s all for something. It’s to show yourself that you are alive. It’s to show the kids that you aren’t gonna give up on being the best you can be. It’s to show Wayne that you are the same Eddie you’ve always been.”

“But it’s hard. It’s so hard.”

Steve leaned in and kissed a tear on his cheek, biting back his own sob when Eddie pulled him on top of him.

Sometimes Eddie liked to feel small. He liked having Steve surround him, liked having Steve’s face right above him so he couldn’t see anything, feel anything, but Steve.

And Steve always knew when he needed it, always made himself bigger, shielded him from the world.

He did it now, curled himself around Eddie so that none of the barely-there moonlight could break through. Shared breaths against lips kept them both warm, kept them safe.

“I am so proud of you, baby. Even when it’s hard, you try. Even when it’s hard, you don’t run. You could have given up every single day since you woke up, but you didn’t. You kept going, kept trying, kept showing up for yourself. You make me so proud just to know you, let alone get to love you.”

Eddie’s leaking eyes watched Steve’s, his gaze turning softer as Steve spoke, his body relaxing more with every word.

It’s not the way Steve was going to tell him he loved him, not even close to his original plan.

His original plan was a romantic dinner, all of Eddie’s favorites, even the cookies that were kind of a pain in the ass to make but made Eddie light up. Watching the stars like this, but in the privacy of Steve’s backyard instead of the semi-privacy of the backyard of the new trailer. Going for a midnight swim, clothes abandoned on the pool chairs, skin against skin underwater and above it.

He’d wrap his arms around Eddie’s waist, the cool water lapping at their skin as Eddie pulled him against his chest, humming a song or whispering a story of just breathing slowly.

He’d tell him. He’d say he loved him. Make sure he knew how every moment with him is a moment Steve couldn’t have dreamed up if he tried.

That was the plan.

Plans can change, but his feelings don’t.

He loved Eddie when he was in a coma in the hospital, he loved Eddie when he woke up begging to see Dustin to make sure he really was okay, he loved Eddie every time he laughed and sang and made wild gestures for the people he loved.

He’ll keep loving Eddie through every moment of pain, through every day like today and night like this, he’ll love Eddie because it’s easy.

“I love you, Eddie. More than you can possibly imagine or know, more than I can say. And every day it gets bigger and better and I wonder what I could have possibly done to deserve this chance. I didn’t know it was possible to love a person as much as I love you, but I’ll keep doing it, every single day, for as long as you let me and beyond that. ‘Til the grave and when we’re ghosts, baby.”

Steve was shaking, both with the effort of staying above Eddie for so long and with the emotions spilling out of him.

He cupped Eddie’s jaw, his thumb wiping away a set of fresh tears.

He rested his forehead against Eddie’s, felt Eddie’s hands reach up and hold his hips, tug his waist down so they were touching at nearly every point they physically could be.

“I didn’t think I’d have this, I still don’t.”

“But you do, Eds. You do. You have me, you have the love I have for you. It’s all yours for as long as you want it.”

“‘Til the grave and when we’re ghosts?” Eddie smirked up at him, his cheeks flush from crying.

“Exactly.”

Steve nudged his nose against Eddie’s, silently asking for a kiss if he was ready for one. Not pushing, just suggesting.

Eddie leaned his head back so their lips could meet in a messy kiss, the tears staining Eddie’s face now becoming a part of Steve’s.

But that was it, wasn’t it?

Steve wanted every part of Eddie.

He wanted the sunshine and the moon and the stars. He wanted the laughter and fun and love. He wanted the touch and the looks and the excitement.

But he also wanted the tears and the snot. He wanted the bad days and the pain. He wanted the nightmares and the trauma.

He wanted it all with Eddie because Eddie was worth having it all with.

“I’ll take any bad day with you over any good day without you,” Eddie whispered as they pulled apart. “I love you too.”

Steve shivered at the words, felt the way they carved a permanent place in his chest.

Love didn’t fix the bad days, not for Eddie or for Steve, but it made them bearable, made them feel like they had something to hold onto when everything seemed hard to grasp.