#from the trailer i got a little afraid that they were going to lean into the 'character with DID is so scary and dangerous' trope | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

midnightsxxvi · 1 year ago

Text

the picnic blanket

Steddie x fem!reader

a/n: I somehow hit 500 followers a while back (I block bots I swear) somehow despite not posting any of my writing in months (I’m mentally ill. Idk what to tell you). So anyway here’s a little something!

header image from littleststarfightter (I asked for permission i promise)

description: first real date with the three of you, each ready to really make this work

contains: mentions of injury (vecna happened but everyone lived); hints to sexual content MDNI 18+ !!!; a lot of soft vibes and a tinge of angst. Post Vecna/everyone lives!!

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

“I would like to go on a date,” You finally let out after gathering up all your confidence. You stood tall, hands clasped together, chin up.

Steve was already grinning like an idiot, but Eddie just raised a brow.

There was a beat of silence before Eddie let out a long whistle. He then looked back and forth between you and Steve. “A date? Like… all three of us?”

“Yes, that’s what I mean.”

Eddie huffed out a laugh. “Alright, Princess. A date it is. What were you thinking of doing?”

“Um,” your cheeks heated, “Well this is about as far as my thinking went— hey, don’t laugh. Why are you—listen, if you don’t want to it’s okay! We don’t have to! I know we haven’t really decided what’s going on between the three of us—“

“Sweetheart,” Eddie cut you off, getting to his feet and walking over to you. “I said yes. You’re just being cute.”

“Oh. Well. What would you like to do then?”

“Dinner and a movie? A classic.”

“I’m not—“ Steve interrupted, briefly holding his hand out but then stepping back nervously. He cleared his throat, and at first you thought he was turning you down, but he explained: “I’m not ready. To, uh, be out? This is a small town and I don’t want to worry about others yet, you know? I don’t know if that sounds shitty of me—“

“It’s not shitty,” you assured him. “You’re right. Dustin will never shut up about this if word gets to him.”

Eddie smirked, “I'm pretty sure Dustin already knows we are a thing?”

“Pssh, no he doesn’t,” Steve scoffed. Although he didn’t quite believe his own words.

“We could do a drive in movie?” Eddie suggested.

Steve leaned against the counter. “And have one of us third wheel in the back the whole time? No thanks.”

Eddie winked at him, “Squish into the back seat with me.”

“Uh, then we can’t see the movie?”

“Feelin’ shy now?”

You pursed your lips, hating how frazzled Steve looked. Out of all of you, he had the most to lose if it came to the wrong person seeing you three together. Together, together. People knew his parents; they had a reputation. He didn’t know how they’d take him being queer, in whatever the sense.

“Stevie, if you don’t want to come, it’s okay. We don’t have to do something—“

“No, no,” he raised his hands up a little, afraid that you were already backing out. Then, he snapped his fingers in the literal sense. “Let’s go on a picnic.”

Eddie snorted. “A picnic?”

“Don't look at me like that. It’s romantic.” Steve’s ears blushed at the word. Who knew he’d get so flustered about wanting to give the two of you a little romance.

He approached you and Eddie, still nervous, but he seemed more sure of this. “We could pack snacks, maybe some wine? Be nice and classy?”

You bit back a grin. “We could find somewhere private. Get out of this damn trailer. Maybe go by one of the lakes?”

Eddie looked between you two, an entertained grin on his face. “Didn’t know you two were so cheesy?”

Steve laughed lightly, “So what?”

Eddie swung his arm around Steve, one of his fingers playing with a curl at the end of Steve’s hair. “Why don’t we go all out and go to Lover’s Lake?”

“I mean, if you really want to,” Steve teased, although he was grinning like an idiot again. He didn’t back up as Eddie’s face got closer into his space. He just accepted Eddie’s nose as it nudged his cheek.

“Okay, so. Picnic at Lover’s Lake?” You wanted to clarify. “A date. In a romantic sense. The three of us.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Eddie smiled at you brightly.

“Then, um, let’s talk logistics.”

“Now, that doesn’t sound romantic.”

You giggled a little and shook it off. “I just mean, when should we go! Do we all meet up and go together? Or, I don’t know! What time of day? Who brings the snacks!”

Eddie reached out, his arm around your shoulders as well, pulling you in toward the two men. “Now, sweetheart, relax. We’ve got it covered. I’ll pick up snacks. You bring drinks. Stevie here can drive and maybe bring a blanket.”

“I don’t have a picnic blanket,” Steve told him.

“Then get one. You’re the one who suggested this.”

“Alright, alright. I can pick you both up, and drive the three of us out. Are you both free tomorrow afternoon?”

“I don’t work?” You shrugged.

“Same,” Eddie said, “And classes are done for the semester.”

“Can I take you both out tomorrow then?” Steve looked at the both of you. His normal self was coming back, ready to charm. “I don’t think I can wait more than a day. I’ve been wanting something like this for a long time.”

You pressed your lips together. Your heart thudded a little stronger, absorbing the sweet smile on his face. His words were so soft that you couldn’t help but reach over and kiss his cheek.

“I’d love to, Stevie. Tomorrow sounds perfect.”

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

Steve didn’t say hello, but instead, the moment you opened your door he said, “The picnic blanket I got is going to woo you.”

“Woo me?” You grinned, trying not to ogle too much at his appearance. Standing on your front porch under the midday sun, he looked like summer personified. Steve had on his swim shorts, and a light blue button up. The cherry on top was the way a few buttons were undone, and the soft hair on his chest poked out from underneath the blue.

Steve seemed to ogle you though. He glanced at your summery outfit, admiring your figure, and he couldn’t even remember what else he was going to say.

“Steve?”

“Sorry. Uh. You look good,” he cleared his throat. “You ready to go?”

A quick nod, you got on your shoes, and then you were following him out.

“Eddie is in the car,” he explained, although you could see the guy sitting in the front of Steve’s car. “We made a deal where I’d go to the door to pick you up, and then he could walk you to the door later when we drop you off.”

“How polite.”

Steve had glitched a moment ago when seeing you, but his confidence was back again and he swung his arm over your shoulder as you walked to the car. In his head, he was hoping that later they wouldn’t actually be dropping you off at home but instead taking you back to his or Eddie’s place. He was being polite though, so he kept those thoughts to himself.

The car windows were rolled down, and Eddie had both his arms leaning out, a big grin plastered on his face. He had his hair down, but some dark sunglasses and you could see a black tank top on.

“Hey there, sweetheart,” He called out to you, raising his sunglasses onto his head. He wasn’t shy in the way he looked you up and down, and then even looked Steve up and down. “You two look hot as hell together. Look at you, beach bag and all? Have we ever dressed this classy?”

You giggled as you got closer to the car. “Nope. This is my classiest outfit.”

Eddie extended his hand out, grasping the air and giving grabby hands. “C’mere.”

Steve let you leave from under his arm, and you skipped forward to hold Eddie’s hand. Eddie pulled you in right away, his other hand holding the back of your head to get you even closer.

You had to bend down a bit, falling into a searing kiss. It took you a little by surprise, how he held you to him, his lips moving against yours warmly.

It wasn’t the first time you’d kissed, but it wasn’t something you were used to yet. Your tummy fluttered and you worried that your hands were already clammy, especially in the heat of the sun.

When he pulled back, his grin only increased at your soft expression. The grin then increased somehow even more when his eyes flickered behind you to see Steve’s reaction.

“Hey,” Steve was glaring, “You get her at drop off.”

“You completed your duty of picking her up!”

“I’m not property,” you huffed, feigning insult.

“Of course not,” Eddie’s thumb traced over the back of your hand. “You do have to sit in the back of the car though. Sorry.”

Your mouth parted in the exasperation as he let go of your hand, sat back in the car and then put on his sunglasses as though nothing happened.

You turned to look at Steve who looked apologetic but wasn’t denying Eddie’s claim.

Steve’s hand found the small of your back, and his other opened the back door for you like a gentleman. “Sorry. You can switch on the way back. Promise.”

“I guess that’s alright.”

Just then, Eddie turned the music up on the stereo, causing Steve to roll his eyes as some Van Halen song played. Still, Steve gave your cheek a quick kiss before you got into the car.

And like that, the three of you were off to begin your very first date.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

It was early July, a few months after you all escaped the Upside Down; escaped Vecna. It hadn’t been long ago, yet in that time, everyone worked through a lot of healing. Some things may never heal, but you’d be damned if you let the trauma stop you from enjoying the sunshine again.

Time had eased the physical pain inflicted upon Steve and Eddie in the spring. Still, their bodies had been prodded at, wounded, bitten. Steve still shied away from showing anyone the wound spread across his stomach, and Eddie was still anxious about the scabbed flesh around his legs. He still had a limp when he walked, and it still hurt to cough.

You didn’t notice until each of you piled out of the car, that Eddie had put on shorts for the first time all season. They weren’t short like Steve’s, but instead he had ripped some pants just above the knee.

Back when Eddie first got injured, covered in bandages at the hospital, he had cracked some joke on how he’d ‘tell people in the future that the scars are from shark attacks.’ Plural. Not just one. But he insisted that he’d tell people he was involved in multiple shark attacks. That was quite hardcore, in his eyes.

“Babe,” Steve called, although you weren’t sure if he meant you or Eddie. Probably both. “Let me show you this spiffy blanket.”

Eddie was not helping you grab the picnic basket and snacks he’d so kindly bought. He took out a cigarette from Steve’s glove box that he’d created a habit of storing. Steve didn’t mind. Walking to the back of the car, Eddie smoked and watched the both of you.

“I’m swooning,” you grinned when Steve swung the blanket over his shoulder. It was a soft green gingham fabric, and Steve looked very proud of himself.

“You better be. I worked so hard to find this. I needed to make sure you had the best place to sit.”

Eddie raised a brow at that, the corner of his mouth upturning as he thought about Steve’s words differently.

Steve slammed the trunk shut and patted the car’s exterior. “Alright, let’s find us a good spot!”

Eddie was smooth in the way he grabbed drinks from you to free one of your hands, and then he put his free arm around your shoulders. He had to reach his hand sort of above your head to get the cigarette from his mouth and whisper to you, “I didn’t know he was so chipper about the lake.”

It was a sight to see: Steve had dashed ahead of you two, sandals flapping away as he ran closer to the lake. You let out a breathy giggle, snuggling into Eddie’s side.

He put the cigarette back in his mouth and the two of you strolled toward Steve.

“Hey, Eds?” You said quietly.

“Hm?”

“Is this a mistake, coming here?”

He had to do the hand maneuver again, pulling your head toward him a bit as he had to grab his smoke. It was clumsy, but it worked. “No, I told you, I want us to have a date.”

“No, I mean here specifically.”

“Oh.”

Oh, as in, Oh, this lake could possibly bring up memories I’m trying to heal from.

Eddie clicked his tongue and you could see the way his eyes squinted under his glasses, staring at the water.

“No,” he finally said. “It’s okay. I mean, I suggested it, didnt I? It’s different in the day, plus…” Eddie looked your way, his hard stare softening, “Plus, there’s nothing we need to run from, is there?”

“No,” you agreed.

“Now, are you okay with being here?”

“With you? Always.”

“Oh shit,” he grinned, teasing you a bit, “You flatter me.”

You shied away, smiling against his shoulder.

Ahead, Steve was clapping. Seriously. The guy clapped his hands before putting them on his hips and calling out, “Come on, slackers! Skedaddle over!”

“Relax, Harrington!” Eddie called back, “We’ve got all day.”

Still, Steve was satisfied to see that both of you actually did speed it up a bit, bringing over everything.

The three of you placed your things around the picnic blanket. You had a beach bag, Eddie brought a literal basket with food inside, and a pack of beers. Steve had also brought along towels for himself and Eddie, and threw in extra clothes because even though Eddie insisted he wasn’t going in the water, Steve thought just in case.

“Did you both put on sunscreen?” Steve asked, on his knees as he looked through the picnic basket. He didn’t pull anything out yet; he was just getting a look at what Eddie brought, mentally rating it in his head.

“Nope,” you said.

“Absolutely not,” Eddie said.

Steve raised his gaze at both of you. “Mhm. Not surprised. Good thing papa Steve brought along plenty.”

“I see we’re talking in third person now,” Eddie commented with a grin, resting his back on the blanket. You saw the reflection of the trees and blue sky in the lenses of his glasses.

“Please don’t call yourself papa?” You added.

Eddie shook a finger in your general direction. “Nah, you see, I don’t hate that.”

Steve was smirking to himself, finding the sunblock he’d packed.

You took a spot beside Eddie, your bare legs enjoying the feel of the blanket. There wasn’t a breeze today, only the hot sun and the calm waves on the lake.

Steve had been closer to Eddie, shifting nearer and holding the sunblock. He leaned his head over Eddie’s and said, “Can you do it yourself or do you require assistance?”

Eddie reached up and pinched Steve’s cheek. “I was hoping you’d ask. Lather me up, sugar.”

Steve’s smile reached his eyes. He gently took off Eddie’s sunglasses so that he could put the lotion on his face.

Steve gently smoothed it over, starting at Eddie’s nose and then his cheeks in strokes and saying, “One of my babysitters when I was like, I don’t know, six? She told me to apply sunscreen to my face like a bunny.”

“I beg your pardon?” Eddie muttered, not wanting to move, and in awe of Steve’s close face.

“Put a bit on the nose first— see, you’re even doing the bunny nose scrunch thing.”

“No I’m not.”

“Yes you are! Then let me just make your little bunny whiskers, and bunny ears,” he applied some to Eddie’s forehead, “And beautiful!”

“Aren’t you supposed to rub it in?”

“Yeah, but I think you look kinda cute with your bunny nose.”

Eddie broke out of his little trance and started rubbing his nose himself, “Yeah, yeah.”

Steve sat up on his knees again, “Now up. Lemme get your back.”

“I have a shirt on.”

“But you still have skin exposed?”

“My hair covers it.”

Steve sighed and shook his head. “Why do you have to be difficult? Your shoulders are visible! You’re a pale guy! You’ll burn!”

“I don’t want to get up, I’m comfy.”

“Christ,” Steve huffed and Eddie only beamed.

You got involved by placing your fingers delicately on Eddie’s shoulder. Your nails snuck under the fabric on the sleeve, and you grazed the skin underneath his top. His eyes flickered your way in an instant.

“What if Steve puts on mine first?” You offer.

“So, we’re making deals like children, now?” Steve muttered to himself.

You tilted your head, glancing at Steve, “I think that’d help Eddie, don’t you, Stevie?”

Eddie wasn’t confirming nor denying. As far as you know, he was not going to let anyone put sunscreen on him, and he would harm his skin more than it needed to be. He just laid back, pushing his sunglasses back to their spot, and he smoked what was left of his cigarette.

“C‘mere,” Steve leaned back and gestured to the space beside him. You obliged of course, stepping over Eddie to get there.

With your back to Steve, you sat, and started undoing your top.

Because you really didn’t want some silence to go along with the stares you could feel on your skin, you asked, “You two going for a swim today? I think it’s too nice out not to.”

You felt Steve’s hand brush your shoulders, gently moving hair away from your neck as you dropped your shirt to the ground.

“Maybe,” he muttered. “You want me to?”

You took a peak at him over your shoulder, “I’d love it. But you don’t have to. I’m a big girl. I can handle floating alone.”

You went back to looking at the lake. Where you guys had found space, you were in a quiet area, far from other beach-goers. The lake hadn’t been as lively with people as it was last summer, considering what had just occurred here months before. Things like that reasonably gave a majority of people the heebie jeebies. And the public didn’t even know the half of it.

But out of spite, against all the shit the three of you went through, you couldn’t let beautiful places be ruined.

“Maybe I’ll eat first,” Steve declared. “A-and then, Yunno, they say you shouldn’t swim right after eating. Maybe it’s just not my day!”

Still lying down, Eddie asked, “Why do they even say that?”

“Actually, I don’t know?”

You heard the lotion being squished out onto Steve’s hand. Soon after, the cold of it tickled your back, and he started applying it properly.

Those hands of his were large enough to easily cover a lot of space rather quickly. He massaged the sunblock in, taking special care to your upper back and shoulders. It felt good, having his warm hands on you like that. So good that you let your eyes fall closed, and leaned into his touch.

He worked on your skin carefully, his fingers finding every exposed spot on your back. You hummed when he touched the back of your neck, and hummed again when his fingers glided over your shoulder. Both of his hands worked then, moving to your chest, fingers grazing your collarbones.

Then, he drew his hands back, but they didn’t go far. He tapped at your waist and demanded in a quiet voice, “Turn around.”

You got to your knees, shifting to face him.

Steves hands were back on you in an instant, the sunblock being spread over your chest first. Steve continued onto every exposed area even though you were perfectly capable of doing it yourself.

It was when he started applying sunblock to your thighs that you giggled. “Stevie, I can get it.”

“I know. But I want to.”

Your cheeks already felt warm, but his comment had you biting back a smile. Not knowing what to do with your hands, you decided to pick up the sunscreen bottle that rested on his lap. He paid no mind at first until you applied a little onto your hand, and brought your fingers to his face.

Steve’s nose scrunched but he was smiling. His eyes found yours, the brown looking light and sparkling with the sun. “Hey.”

“Little bunny,” you told him, dabbing some on his noses and then covering his cheeks the same way he’d done to Eddie. “Adorable.”

Steve seemed to have completed his work on you for now, and both his hands rested on your waist. “I hate to break it to you but I already put sunscreen on.”

“You can never be too safe,” you shrugged. You gently massaged it into his face, aware that he was watching your eyes the entire time.

You were aware that Eddie was also very much watching the entire interaction. Even though he had his sunglasses on, his curious eyes followed you.

“There,” you said softly as the sunscreen was rubbed in properly on his face, leaving behind just a glimmering warmth to Steve’s skin. “All done.”

“Thank you, bunny,” he let out just as gently, without giving it a second though.

You pressed your lips together and hummed. Your eyes fell to his lips. You realized you were a lot closer to each other than you’d thought. Steve’s tongue darted out to lick his lips.

There was a hand that started touching your upper thigh, and it took you a moment to realize it was Eddie’s. His fingers rubbed into the plush skin for just a moment before he rested a little lower. “Missed a spot,” he said casually. His hand didn’t leave your leg.

Steve eyed Eddie’s hand, locked on your sweet thighs. So much of you was bared to both of them, and they were getting tired of holding back from soaking you in.

Steve then moved away, sitting up on the towel, leaning back on his palms. “Eddie?”

Eddie’s hand was just above the knee, but felt burning hot anyway. It was the way he held you firmly, fingers not shy, and the way you could feel him stare from behind his dark shades. “Steve?” He said low.

“Sit up. Let me put on your sunscreen.”

Eddie groaned, “Fine.”

Steve smirked, watching Eddie sit up. You sat to the side, missing Eddie’s hand as he moved.

Eddie wasn’t hesitant with Steve, he just hadn’t had his skin so bare since everything happened, and it was new to him to have someone see this up close. But he trusted you, and he trusted Steve. The sun lotion squirted onto Steve’s hand, but he touched Eddie’s shoulder with his dry hand first. You noticed the subtle way Eddie jumped at the touch, but quickly eased up.

“I’m going to start on your arm, okay?”

Eddie mumbled a “sure,” and embraced Steve’s hands, gliding across his skin.

The process was sweet to watch. Eddie was growing comfortable, and Steve’s fingers spread on every inch of skin, gentle and smooth. He inched to his shoulders, fingers peaking under the fabric of Eddie’s top. Steve did his best to go around, wanting Eddie’s neck covered. Eddie had never let him touch him there. No one had, in this new body of his.

But it was Steve. And you were you.

“Is this a good time to tell you I’m nervous?” Eddie broke the silence, cutting through the sound of the lake’s current.

Steve didn’t falter. “About?”

“This. All of it.” Eddie huffed out a laugh that didn’t hold much humour.

“Us?” Steve said, and it was like a first verbal acknowledgment mdent that there was an us you all shared. He didn’t stop his hands though. He didn’t want Eddie to think he needed to shy away.

“A little. But I trust you. Both of you.”

Steve had been finishing up Eddie’s other arm, and he tried to grasp what Eddie was saying. Setting aside the lotion for a moment, Steve leaned and pressed a kiss to Eddie’s shoulder.

Surprising you, Eddie’s hand found your thigh again. Your eyes found his, but his quickly fluttered closed when Steve gave a second kiss against the nook of Eddie’s neck.

“Can we try to get in the water?” Eddie said airily.

“Can I take this off then?” Steve tugged lightly at the fabric of Eddie’s tank top. “You don’t have to, but I think I’d like it if you did.”

Eddie smirked, joking away his insecurities. “You think you’d like it, huh?”

“Shut up,” Steve kissed his shoulder again, jusy longer this time.

“You’ll finish getting all this sunscreen on me, big boy?”

“If you’ll have me.”

Eddie pulled aside so that he could glance at Steve. “You’re such a sucker. Steve Harrington. My oh my.”

Steve rolled his eyes but smiled sheepishly. “Yeah, yeah. Take your top off.”

“So demanding,” Eddie clicked his tongue. Still, despite his teasing tone, his hands fiddled with the hem of his top.

You scooted over, your hand placing over one of his. You hadn’t noticed the slight shake. Wordlessly, you were an offering hand that he accepted. He helped you lift his shirt above his stomach, over his shoulder, then off his head.

Steve licked his lips. He grabbed the lotion.

Eddie watched you watch him. He wanted to shy away but let it happen. He let you happen.

You remembered the way his body was torn up before. You expected it to look painful and raw, but you didn’t expect to be so in awe of it all.

One of the toughest spots was by his bellybutton, and the other on the left of his chest. Still red and harsh, under healing skin. But he had his freckles, he had the ridges where his body flexed under the skin. It was all him. He wasn’t someone to shy away from.

“Can I?” Steve asked, gesturing to the lotion.

“Yes.”

Steve delicately applied to Eddie’s back first, then his torso, which felt more intimate somehow.

You let them have the moment, choosing to stand up instead. You stretched out your body, secretly enjoying the way the two of them couldn’t help their wandering eyes.

“Now, where are you going?” Eddie asked.

“To take a dip. Come over when you’re ready, lover boys.”

You heard Steve chuckle, but you were already stepping to the lake.

The sun somehow already felt warmer against your skin than it had when you all arrived. It hadn’t even been that long, but it was like summer was giving you a hug, saying it’s hello’s.

You kicked your sandals aside, stepping cautiously on the rough sand. A few steps, and you dipped your toes in the water. It was refreshing and gave you a shiver. The excitement of it all killed you. Things would be okay after everything that happened. Things were already okay.

Steve and Eddie eventually joined you, the two of them close at each other’s side. You turned, glancing at both of them.

“Gimme a sec,” Eddie said. He stood back a bit, brows furrowed at the shoreline. He watched each rise and fall, staring at it as though the pattern would change and everything was ruined.

You let him have the space he needed. You found Steve’s gaze.

You extended your hand to him, “Come in. It’s not too bad.”

Steve scrunched his nose, not quite believing you but grabbing your hand anyways. He stepped forward, following your lead. A hiss left his lips from the temperature change before he adjusted. “Not too bad?”

“You’re so dramatic,” you giggled, bringing him in more.

He squeaked your name when he followed in to his ankles. Then his shins. Then above his knees. His shoulders were tense, but as he kicked his legs around he relaxed.

“Yeah?” You raised a brow.

He hummed. “Okay, this is nice.”

“Yes.”

He gave your hand a squeeze. “I think it’s refreshing.”

While you two had this moment, you hadn’t realized that Eddie had inched forward on his own. He hadn’t waited for you; he wanted to take this step without the help.

He also made a noise as his toes touched the water. You and Steve watched for a moment. Steve walked in deeper, the ends of his fingers grazing the water. He soon started to splash around. The water hit your body causing you to giggle and kick water his way.

“I—“ Eddie’s voice caught in his throat as he looked down at the water enveloping his feet. It tickled at his ankles, and Eddie tucked some hair behind his ear. “I don’t want to go further.”

“That’s cool,” Steve shrugged with a little smile on his face. “This is as far as you need. You can officially say you went in the lake.”

Eddie cracked a smile. A tinge in his eye looked like he was proud of himself. It wasn’t in him to admit that though.

You stepped up beside him and touched your hand against his waist. “Eddie?”

“Hm?” He faced you fully. With your touch, he subconsciously stepped closer to you, facing the shore. He felt a flutter in his stomach as you wrapped your arms around his waist and pulled him closer, his feet only feeling the edge of the water.

“Summer looks good on you.”

He gave you a bit of a lopsided grin. “And what does that entail exactly? Do tell.”

“The sun makes ya all sweaty and stuff,” you grinned wide as his hands moved to your hips. “It’s hot.”

“Something is seriously wrong with you.”

He tickled your sides a bit causing you to laugh, stepping even closer to him. The water tickled your toes as you stood taller. Through a smile, you leaned in to him. His skin was sweaty and warm, sure, and you had never seen him so— “You’re kinda beautiful, Yunno?” You told him, your thoughts spitting out.

“You’re beautiful,” he said back, his voice breathier than before.

Your nose nudged his. His fingers dipped against your skin. And then you kissed him. Safe and warm, and all that you hoped this summer would be.

***

#steddie x fem!reader #steddie x female reader #steddie x reader #steddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #steddie fic #fix it au #post vecna #steddie fluff #steddie angst #Steve Harrington x reader #Eddie Munson x reader #eddie munson fem!reader #steve harrington x eddie munson #folks be careful if ur gonna go in a lake with wounds ok. don’t get infections u stinkers

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youre-amazing-say-it · 2 years ago

Note

hi! can you do something with any mcu member (maybe chris or seb or anthony) where the reader is feeling peer pressure to have sex and she talks to one of the cast and they listen to her and hear her out and tell her it’s okay to take her time etc? i could use hearing this lol🤍 thank u

Am I Ready?

Warning: Talks of Sex, making out, talks of losing virginity, and manipulation.

Pairing: Sebastian Stan x teen!reader, Anthony Mackie x teen!reader

Taglist: @chrisevansdaughter @slutfortaylorswiftandzendaya @dumb-fawkin-bitch

“Happy six months babe,” your partner Jack said seductively into your ear. The two of you were in a hotel room celebrating your anniversary. Jack flew in to celebrate as you were in Atlanta shooting Falcon and the Winter Soldier. The past six months with him have been incredible, and he has always been a kind and safe person to talk to. Except recently, when things have become a little award around a certain topic.

You and Jack were in the middle of a heated make-out session when you felt him grab the hem of your shirt. Like always, you grabbed his hand and put them back on your hips. “Seriously babe, can we not do this tonight,” you said as you let go of the kiss and leaned against his forehead. He threw his head back against the couch and let out a groan. “Y/n, we have been together for six months. SIX MONTHS. Why don't you trust me?” Jack said. You got off and moved to sit next to him as you took his hand. “Jack, I keep telling you that sex is a big deal, and I'm not ready for it yet. I don't know when, but I'm asking you for patience.” Jack leaned over and kissed you on the lips.

“You know I love you right?” Jack said looking at you. You gave a subtle nod to him, “and I really want to have sex with you. Don't you want to have sex with me?” he asked. “Jack, I don't know yet, okay?” you said as water lined your eyes. Jack got up from the sofa and headed for the bathroom, “where are you going?” you asked, not even looking at him afraid the tears would start falling. “To jerk myself off 'cause you won't fucking do it,” he spoke with a raised voice as he slammed the door.

Those events all transpired last night.

Now you were back on set, and your tension has been weird since then. You sat in your chair, drinking water on the hot Atlanta stage when you heard two voices come through the stage doors.

“The red ones are the best, no doubt.” you heard one voice say. “It's obviously the green ones Mack; you just have no taste,” sassed the second voice as they got closer to you. “Hey Y/N! What's the best skittle flavor?” Anthony Mackie asked as your other costar Sebastian Stan stood next to him. You quickly put on a small smile, responding “Yellow obviously.” The boys shook their heads and continued arguing for each of their flavors until they noticed you weren’t inputting yourself into their shenanigans like usual. “You okay Buttercup?” Mackie asked with a thoughtful look in his eyes.

You trusted these two like brothers, always being there for you in times of need. Taking a breath, you continued saying “Can I talk to you guys later, maybe?” you asked looking at these men hopefully. Seb smiled and wrapped the metal arm around your shoulders, bringing you into a side hug. “Oh, course Y/n. How about during lunch, we chill in my trailer and chat,” he proposed looking down on you. You smiled back at him; “Sounds perfect.”

By the time lunch rolled around, you, Seb, and Mackie were on the floor of Sebastian's trailer. Craft’s Services had a taco truck for lunch, and each of you had your water by your side. “So,” Seb said as he had a piece of lettuce hanging out of his mouth, “what's up in that brain of yours?” he spoke with a smile on his face. You finished sipping your water before wiping your mouth and speaking.

“When did you guys lose your virginity?”

It just so happened when you said that, both men had water in their mouths and some trickled out. “Um,” Sebastian chuckled,” well I was a senior in high school. A girl I meet at Stagedoor Manor. And I lied about being a virgin and we both had absolutely no clue what we were doing.” You turned to look at Mackie. “It was in my first serious relationship. I knew sex was important to me, and I wanted to wait till I was ready.” You looked up from your taco when Mackie spoke. “Did you feel that you were ready to lose it?”

The boys looked at each other and then looked at you. They knew about you and Jack, and only met him a couple times but from how you described him to them, he seemed like a good guy. Or so they thought. “Is Jack pressuring you to be ready?” Mackie spoke to you quietly. You set your taco down as you leaned back against the couch cushion you set up on the floor.

“Kinda. I keep on telling him that I need time to think about if I want to have sex, cause its a big deal to me. And every time we make out, he always tries to initiate it and I keep on saying no. and he did it again last night when we were celebrating our anniversary, and he Keeps on talking about how I don't trust him. and how if I love him I would have sex with him.” You said in rant-style toned.

“First of all, he shouldn't be pressuring you at all. It's not HIS place to say when YOU are ready. got that?” Mackie responded quickly. You nodded your head as he waited for him to continue. “Have you guys talked at all since last night?” Seb asked politely. “I tried reaching out to him, but we haven't spoken. And it hurts cause I do love him, but annoyed he doesn't respect my boundaries.”

“Break up with him,” Seb said bluntly as he took a huge bit of his taco. “That’s not your place to say,” you spoke angrily. “Look, you are asking us for advice, and I'm giving you some. Is he making you uncomfortable in this situation?” Seb said looking at you. “I mean kin-” you said before Mackie spoke up. “Do you think he will ever respect your boundaries?” Mackie questioned. “Maybe ov-”

“EHH! Nope wrong answers. You should be able to answer those with a confident yes. Otherwise, he isn't worth your time.” Mackie continued over you. You know they were right, and you have been thinking about it for a while. But this talk really helped you solidify your decision.

“I'll think you guys are right,” you spoke as you took a final bite out of your taco. Mackie scoffed, “Damn right we are.” he added as he got up to throw away his trash. “We just care about you, Y/n, and don't want to see you in an unhealthy relationship,” Seb commented. You gave them both a soft, warm, smile. “Thank you.”

“Now,” Seb said as he took the giant jar of skittles from behind his back and placed it in the circle, “let's really figure out which flavor is the best.”

#avengers cast x reader #avengers cast x teen!reader #sebastian stan x reader #sebastian stan x daughter!reader #sebastian stan x teen!reader #anthony mackie x reader #anthony mackie x teen!reader

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jordanrosenburg · 10 months ago

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Argylle - A Breath of Fresh Air

**Spoilers Ahead**

I just got back from seeing Argylle with a friend. I knew I had wanted to see it because I like a lot of the actors in it, but I had seen the trailer so many times that I felt like I had already watched it.

That trailer couldn't have prepared me for the unadulterated fun I was about to have. Every other line out of Sam Rockwell's mouth was laugh out loud funny. What kept me drawn in, though, was the editing. The splices between Rockwell and Cavill was seamless. I know with modern technology, they easily could have greenscreened a lot of it, but it still must have taken a while to film all the same fight scenes in the same exact way to make the cuts as seamless as they were.

The score and soundtrack were brilliant. Between the funky tunes used for the fight scenes, and the dramatic notes used during what would be dramatic in a regular spy thriller, had me enjoying every minute. I will be looking up the soundtrack playlist on Spotify and listening repeatedly.

Henry Cavill is no stranger to playing a spy. In between Superman movies, Cavill starred in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. The latter was another movie that didn't mind being silly and wasn't afraid to have its comedic moments. Because Cavill has played so many daring roles over the years, where he's been the hero or the brute or even just the eye candy, he was the perfect fit for Argylle. You can tell he was having a blast, and not taking things too seriously. The audience isn't supposed to take it seriously either. The Argylle books in the movie are a personification of how cheesy those sorts of books and movies can be. The eye-rolling puns, the use of a femme fatale, and crude jokes.

Back in the day, that's how most James Bond movies were. They had their serious moments, but Bond was a cheeky spy who liked to fuck and crack wise with his villains. He was suave and sure of himself and a badass. But there was a transition in the 90's when the Austin Powers movies started rolling out. Now, I'm a huge fan of Austin Powers movies, I'll watch them any time, any place. But those movies, being replicas of the old Bond films but with more humor, outlandish sex, and over the top puns, made it difficult for the new Bond films to be silly. Suddenly, they were getting more and more serious, with more and more over the top action scenes and explosions.

Argylle brought back the silliness and the goofiness, and the ability to laugh at itself. Suspension of disbelief, etc etc. Sometimes you just need to sit back and let yourself enjoy the ride. Throughout the film, as the layers kept being peeled back, I kept thinking, "What is this movie?!" I can usually figure out what's going to happen, but the twists and turns in this film kept throwing me off, and that kept me in my seat and having fun.

There's a scene where Bryce Dallas Howard's character, Elly, thinks she's seen her parents die in cold blood. Rockwell is driving her somewhere in the south of France, and he asks her if she's okay. Howard, astonished, asks, "Am I okay? Am I okay?!", and then she started crying. This made me lean over to my friend and say, "all of us @ Elmo the other day", and we burst into hysterics. (If you're unfamiliar, Elmo's X account posted asking how everyone was, and there was a surge of responses of people using memes to show how not well they all are.)

A little more than halfway through, we find out that Elly's real name is Rachel Kyle. She had gotten into a bad accident on a spy mission and had no memory. The bad guys brainwashed her into thinking she was someone else, and it worked. The Argylle books she wrote as Elly, were really just memories coming back to her. We were made to believe her books were predicting future events, but really, it was the past. Samuel L. Jackson explained that to her. Rockwell then had to calm Howard down and get her to settle into the information. Slowly, Rachel remembers who she is. She hasn't lost all of Elly, but she makes it seem like she has in order to complete the overall mission.

Rockwell thinks that Howard has double crossed her, but in a very Knives Out fashion, she explains that she knew if she shot him in the chest in just the right spot, he wouldn't die. We learn that the two were lovers back in the day. Not only did he feel betrayed, but he was heartbroken. Later on, she double crosses the bad guys, finds her cat, then finds a room with all the weapons she could possibly need to get out. Rockwell finds her there, and they're able to hash things out. She assures him that they're on the same side.

This leads into one of the most incredibly choreographed fight scenes I've ever seen. You can tell the actors were having an incredible time. Smoke pours into the corridor and the two come out shooting. While throwing in body rolls and other dance movements, they take everyone out. This also included Howard lifting Rockwell up, much like how Dua Lipa was lifted up during the beginning of the movie by Henry Cavill, spread eagle. The shots used every time there was a lift like this was not subtle. We get it, it's an innuendo for sitting on someone's face. And it was funny every single time.

Then the next fight scene happened, which gave Howard a moment to shine. They were trapped in a room that was slowly filling with oil, so they couldn't shoot their guns. She remembers she's actually good at ice skating, and puts together makeshift skates. She sticks a knife into a gun, then rushes out like a hockey player. I thought I was going to pass out from laughing so hard. It was the perfect mix of hockey style skating and figure skating. Were these scenes filled with CGI and body doubles? Yes. Did it make them less fun? Absolutely not.

Everything works out in the end because of course it does. Her ending is given to Argylle and Wyatt. Personally, I think Henry Cavill and John Cena should have kissed, they were clearly in love. I thought they would have since Rockwell and Howard kissed. All of the scenes paralleled one another, so why couldn't that one? I digress.

For one last big laugh, at the end of the movie, Howard is back to pretending to be Elly the author, and is doing a book reading of the final Argylle book. She's taking questions from the audience, and she calls on a man. He stands and knowingly smiles. It's Henry Cavill, only he has a curly mullet and a southern accent. What is it with British actors and doing southern accents that brings me so much joy? He says, "I don't have any questions, but I'm sure you have a couple for me", and winks.

There was a post-credits scene. It was supposed to be the actual Argylle book's first film adaptation. The scene takes place in a bar called The King's Man. An Easter egg thrown in by director, Matthew Vaughn, who has also directed the 2021 film by the same name. We couldn't tell if it was serious or not, but I'd love to see a movie based off the fake books. I think mostly because the writer, Jason Fuchs, and Matthew Vaughn, should definitely team up again.

Even though there were parts reminiscent to other spy movies, this is one of the most creative movies I've seen in a while. This is my favorite kind of satire. There are so many movies that are just remakes of remakes of remakes these days. It feels like there are no original ideas left. So, this was a breath of fresh air. It was so funny and so brilliant with a star studded cast. I bet this movie was so fun to work on, you could just feel that energy radiating from the actors. There were some slower parts, but that's to be expected. For the most part, my attention was kept. It was one of those movies where I left thinking, "I can't wait for this to come to streaming so I can watch it again".

I don't think Howard is the strongest actor, and some of the plot between the good spies and the bad spies was a little confusing. I found a lot of that hard to follow, maybe that was supposed to be on purpose. Most spy movies aren't always clear on what the main issue is.

Anyways, if you're looking for an escape from the cold, or an escape in general, this is definitely the movie to see.

#argylle #henry cavill #bryce dallas howard #sam rockwell #samuel l jackson #john cena #dua lipa #matthew vaughn #jason fuchs #brian cranston #bryan cranston #catherine o'hara #movie review #film review #universal pictures

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athena-writes-i-guess · 2 years ago

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Pairing: Eddie Munson x Reader

A/N: Hello! So a few months ago I was on here and saw this post and thought that was something Eddie would def say if he was teaching you to drive. So here’s a little blurb about that for all my friends out there who are nervous drivers!

“Okay baby, so just put it into drive and ease off of the brake, then slowly press down on the gas.” Eddie said gently as he rubbed your back soothingly.

You nodded as you let out a shaky breath and gripped the steering wheel, your knuckles turning white with how tightly you were holding it. You turned to your boyfriend, Eddie Munson, as he gave you an encouraging smile and nod from his spot in the passenger seat.

You were in his van in an empty parking lot as he tried to teach you to drive. Again. You were past 16, past the time most people learned to drive, but you had always been too afraid to learn. The idea of being in control of such a large, dangerous, vehicle had always been frightening. What if you crashed? What if you hit someone? So for years now, Eddie had been driving you everywhere, with no complaint from him, in fact he really loved driving you places; to work, to dates, to school when you were both going. But he could see how stuck you felt when he was gone and couldn’t take you somewhere, so he offered again to teach you when you were ready and a few days ago you had told him that you thought you were.

But now, as you felt the giant beast of a van rumble under you, you weren’t so sure anymore.

You shot Eddie a small, anxious, smile before you put the van into drive and gripped the wheel again. You sat there for a moment, staring forward as you willed yourself to take your foot off of the brake.

“It’s okay baby, I know you can do it.” He said, moving his hand to your leg to gently rub your thigh soothingly. “You totally got this sweetheart.”

“Thanks Eds.” You mumbled out. You took a deep breath with a nod and lifted your foot off of the brake and the van moved forward slowly. You then pressed down on the gas and the van lurched quickly, causing you to squeak and slam your foot on the brake again.

Eddie let out a bark of a laugh, giving you an apologetic grin when you shot him a glare. “Sorry, sweet thing, but we’ve all done it, I promise. You should have seen me in the car with Wayne the first time I tried.” He cooed, rubbing your thigh again. “You can do this, honey.” He said, leaning over to press a kiss to your cheek. “You’re a fucking badass, you got this.”

You sighed and tried again, lifting your foot off of the brake. But this time you slowly pushed down on the gas pedal and the van eased forward, gently making its way down the aisle of the parking lot. Eddie whooped loudly as you were finally driving for the first time. “Yeah baby! You’re doing it!” He exclaimed, “Now take this turn and drive around the whole lot!” He said pointing to the left so you could turn down the next aisle. “I knew you could do it sweetheart!” He said, bouncing in his seat happily.

You drove around the lot for maybe another 30 minutes with Eddie telling you to make different turns and moves to get used to moving the van around. You could see how proud Eddie was as he looked at you and squeezed your thigh in excitement and you were beaming with joy as you finally grew more confident behind the wheel.

“Okay baby, this may be a lot, but I think that you should drive us back to the trailer park, okay?” Eddie suggested, giving you another encouraging look. “You’re amazing, you can do it.”

“Are you sure Eds? There’s other cars out there, I don’t know if I can do that yet.” You said as you slowed the van down to a crawl.

“I know you can, baby, I know it.” He said, gesturing his head towards the exit to the lot.

“Okay, if you’re sure Eddie baby.” You said, flashing him a nervous smile as you led the van towards the exit to the road. You had to make a turn to get through it and tried to judge how close you were to the curb, having never had to do that before.

You hesitated momentarily before turning around it. Unfortunately, not enough, as you hit the edge and went over it, squealing in surprise and slamming on the break again. “I’m so sorry Eddie! I’m such a bad driver. I’m sorry!” You said quickly, burying your face in your hands, his heart ached at how disappointed in yourself you seemed.

“Hey, hey, hey!” He exclaimed, leaning over to wrap an arm around you and gently pulled your hands away from your face. “Hey baby. Look at me.” You turned and looked into those deep brown orbs, so full of love and pride. “You are a good driver! That curb doesn’t belong there!” He said pointing out the window. “Curbs are a man made thing babe, and you can run over them if you need to! I do it all the time.” He said with a cheeky smile, you watched as it brightened when you let out a relieved chuckle.

“Thank you baby. But can you drive us home please? I don’t think I’m ready just yet.” You asked, putting the van in park.

“Of course, sweet thing. We can try another time, okay? When you’re ready again.” He smiled before pressing a kiss to your cheek again as you nodded.

You both jumped out of the van and you found Eddie at the back doors. He beamed at you again and wrapped his arms around you before capturing your lips in a sweet, excited kiss. “You’re a fucking rockstar, babe.” He said as he pulled back, you flushed under the adoring look he gave you. “A fucking rockstar.” He said again before kissing you again and spinning you around, basking in your giggles.

Taglist: @srapalestina @yvonneeeee @aroseinvelaris @anaisweird @mrslovesmayahawke @harrys-titties @becca-alexa @catacina

#eddie munson #stranger things #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x y/n #eddie x you #eddie x reader #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson x female reader #eddie x y/n #eddie stranger things #eddie munson fluff

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wolfiemcwolferson · 1 year ago

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Piarles and 7 "Feel my heartbeat" 💙❤️

I actually got two prompts for this and I was waiting for something to hit.

Have some…post race copium.

Charles is fearless.

Pierre knew that when they were kids and he knew it when they were teenagers and he knew that when they were staring down F1 seats.

He’s his best friend. The person who knows Charles the best so it’s surprising to him that he doesn’t realize that Charles is not so fearless until they’ve properly gotten their shit together.

One week on a boat and the most ridiculous conversation of Pierre’s life and they slip into boyfriends relationship lovers like they’ve slipped into everything their entire lives.

There’s no learning curve. Pierre doesn’t have to adjust. No, now he only has to refrain from kissing Charles senseless in front of other people instead of all of the time.

Except.

Well, except now Pierre sees the little worry lines in Charles’ face sometimes. Maybe it’s the fact that he knows Charles body better than he ever has and maybe it’s just because Charles is letting it slip, but he notices it.

He notices it when he’s watching Arthur race and he notices it when Lorenzo says Norman is sore from a crash and he notices it when they part ways on Sunday morning and Charles says, “Have a safe race, Pear.”

Never a good race. Have a safe race.

And Pierre understands. He understands because it was Suzuka last year that cracked them all to hell and forced them to finally work it out, but he never looks at it head on. Because he’s afraid he’ll do something stupid like ask Charles to quit racing so they can elope in some foreign city and design baby onesies while they raise a whole football teams worth of children.

Anything but get in a car.

So, he knows that when he sees the pictures - his car underneath Esteban’s - Charles is going to…be a little fearful tonight.

“Hey,” Charles whispers, slipping up beside him outside the Alpine center.

Pierre is showered and changed and is only hanging out because they’re on separate flights out and won’t see each other for two days.

Ben moves around, making it look organic but shielding the two of them from cameras or eyes or - he nods once and Pierre clasps Charles’ wrist in his hand and tugs him away, in the tiny corner between Alpine and a trailer. The angle of it hiding them from anyone.

Charles looks exhausted. Angry and exhausted, but that little line in his forehead….

Even though they’re hidden, they don’t have much time and they wouldn’t risk it anyway. Too much at stake.

So, Pierre takes Charles hand before wrapping it around his wrist. They could be talking. They could just be talking.

“Feel my heartbeat, Cha.” Pierre whispers, squeezing his own hand down on top of Charles’. “Do you feel it?”

Charles blows out a shaky breath. The line in his forehead disappears. “Yes. Yes, I feel it.”

They don’t say anything else. Pierre doesn’t kiss him like he so desperately wants, but he doesn’t remove his hand.

“My debrief.” Charles eventually says, and Pierre let’s go.

“I’ll see you at -“

Charles leans in brushing their cheeks together and it throws Pierre so much he stops speaking. “Joris will cancel my thing tomorrow. I will be at yours tomorrow morning, yes?”

Pierre nods once, jerky and thrown off balance by it.

“I need you.” Charles says with a raw edge and so Pierre nods, more thrown off that Charles is changing up his beloved schedule. It must have shaken him quite badly. And when will he not give him everything?

“Tomorrow.” Pierre smiles at him, and then Charles is slipping away, back to Ferrari for his debrief and his shower and his post-race ice bath.

Ben levels him with a look when he too slips from the shadows.

Pierre tries to play it off, by making a joke. “Won’t need you tomorrow, Ben. Got my own personal trainer coming to visit.”

“Good.” Ben says immediately, touching his shoulder. “You scared us today.”

Pierre knows. But he has to be fearless.

Except maybe when he’s with Charles.

#soft shit #copium #piarles #tw crash

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roosterbruiser · 2 years ago

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𝐒𝐢𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 ✯ 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐄𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭

✯ 𝐉𝐚𝐤𝐞 "𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐦𝐚𝐧" 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝐱 𝐘𝐨𝐮 (𝐍𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞: 𝐅𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐲) ✯ 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: The second tornado of the summer happens upon Silverkeep. ✯ 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬: 4.5k ✯ 𝐒𝐢𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 ✯ 𝐅𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐲'𝐬 𝐦𝐢𝐱𝐭𝐚𝐩𝐞 #𝟏 ✯ 𝐉𝐚𝐤𝐞'𝐬 𝐦𝐢𝐱𝐭𝐚𝐩𝐞 #𝟏 ✯ 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐢𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 ✯ 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐫'𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐄𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐒𝐢𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩, 𝐓𝐗 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝟐𝟕𝐭𝐡, 𝟐𝟎𝟎𝟖

It doesn’t often storm in Silverkeep, especially during the summer season. But when it does--when those moody clouds roll in from the west in ominous waves of endless black, heavy with rain and thick with thunder--it rains hard. It starts sometime during the night, long after you and Jake have gone to sleep in your own bedrooms.

He’s a heavy sleeper and doesn’t stir when the first flash of lightning breaks the sky open. He doesn’t stir when thunder shakes the trailer or when rain starts pattering against the naked screen of his window.

You’ve always woken up to storms, ever since you were little. You used to be afraid of them, nosediving into your parents bed and clinging to your daddy at the very first sign of rain. But now that you’re older, and maybe a bit wiser, you don’t run into your parents room. You just blink yourself away and watch it roll in, the sleepy town alight with electricity each time lightning cracks.

Jake only wakes up when Fran knocks on his bedroom door at four in the morning. It’s not a frantic knock, but it’s enough to jolt Jake right out of his slumber. He’s swiping drool off his mouth and sitting up, his comforter tangled around his legs and his hair standing up in every direction.

“It ain’t lookin’ good out there,” Fran says through the door, her voice thick with purpose. “I told Filly and them to come on over. I don’t got a good feelin’ about them clouds.”

Jake is out of it. There’s a sheen of sweat over his skin and his eyelids are crusted over and his breathing is still deep and even. He has no idea what his mama is talking about.

“Mama, what’re you--?”

But then he hears it: the sirens. Tornado sirens. So, then he’s detangling himself from the bedding he’s laying in, springing himself out of bed and pulling on whatever pajama shorts he kicked off in the night. He’s still trying to wake up, tired aching his bones, but he’s moving rapidly.

Fran opens her only son’s door and beholds him in his dark room for a moment--his chest is rising and falling rapidly, his cheeks paled and his feet bare. She can tell he only just woke up--he’s a heavy sleeper just like his daddy.

“Jake,” she says softly, sternly. He looks up at her, his teeth sunk into his lower lip. “You go on and grab Callie. Brandy and Harper are in the cellar. I’m gonna grab some flashlights and wait on Filly and her folks. Alright?”

Jake nods. His ears are ringing. The wail of the sirens is loud--so loud that he can feel it in his bones. He can hear the thunder and lightning now that he’s awake and standing upright, too.

Fran looks as bewildered as she always does, but Jake feels like she’s anchoring everyone here now. She knows what she’s talking about and everyone here knows better than to not listen to her.

“Yes, mama,” he mutters.

He jams his feet into old tennis shoes, socks be damned, and hurries himself to Callie’s bedroom across the hall. It’s less of a bedroom and more of a linen closet, but it’s quiet in there without any windows so Callie is sleeping soundlessly.

“Cal,” Jake says, his voice thin. She doesn’t stir. “Callie-girl, c’mon. We gotta go.”

She shows no signs of moving, sprawled across her mattress with her mouth wide open and her eyes shut tight.

Jake’s belly is starting to turn--especially when another crack of thunder shakes the trailer. So, he just leans down and scoops Callie up in his arms. Really, she’s too big for him to be doing this. He should wake her up and have her walk. But there’s a sense of urgency charging the air now, one that’s tingling his fingers.

“What are you doin’?” Callie asks as she comes to. She’s vaguely aware that she’s being carried by her brother and that he blanket is dragging behind them as he hurries both of them down the hall. “Jake, what the Hell?”

“Would you just listen?” Jake snaps, nudging the backdoor open.

It wails and groans, just like it always does, and then they’re outside. It’s green, just like it always is when there’s a tornado. An uneasy haze settling over the disjunct swingset and flooded sandbox. The rain is pelting the patchy grass and slicing into Jake’s skin. Callie covers her face and Jake tugs her closer to him despite himself.

The sirens are louder out here, loud enough that it’s making Callie’s ears pulse. She gives in to Jake carrying her, wrapping her arms around his chest, forgetting all about her blanket dragging in the mud behind them.

“C’mon!” Harper calls from the cellar doors, waving Jake over. “Get in!”

He lets Callie go in first, setting her on the concrete stairs. And then he nudges Harper.

“Y’go on,” he tells her. “I’m gonna wait for mama and Filly.”

Harper doesn’t need to be told twice--she’s soaked to the bone and her perm is going to fall out, she just knows it. She tried to wrap it up with plastic grocery bags, but the wind knocked them askew and now that’s two hundred dollars Curtis is never gonna see again.

The air feels perfect--he knows that’s trouble. It ain’t too hot and it ain’t too cold and that’s when tornadoes like to touch down. He can see lights coming on and off in the house as his mama flounders around for rations and blankets and towels, but his belly is turning waiting for you and your folks.

“Just come in, Jake,” Brandy says from the cellar, throwing her hair up in a ponytail. “C’mon. They’ll be fine!”

He glances down at the cellar, which is lit by a measly lantern. It’s an ugly and dirty thing, but it’s spacious. There’s jars of fruit preserves and Christmas decorations stuffed down there, lining the dirt walls, but there’s still enough room for everyone.

“I’ll close the doors, alright? Get back so you don’t get wet now,” Jake says. It isn’t often that he gives his sister’s this kind of grace and humility and it isn’t often that they accept it. But they do, shuffling back. He grabs the big doors and nods once. “You’ll be alright.”

Just as they fall closed, he hears it. Footsteps slapping the mud, hollering.

He squints through the green haze of rain and sees you, your mama, and your daddy sprinting across the side yard. You’re all soaked to the bone, hurrying across the mud and holding each other’s hands.

“C’mon,” Jake calls, waving y’all over. “Almost there!”

Fran appears at the backdoor, carrying heaps of towels and food and flashlights. And before Jake registers what’s happening, your daddy is hurrying over to her and taking a load of her items as you and your mama hurry to the cellar.

Jake pries the doors open, his heart in his throat, and lets your mama down first while she tries to wipe her face dry in vain. You pause before Jake, your hair flat and clinging to your head, and give him a grin.

“It’s the end of the world,” you tell him, mockingly holding your hands up and ooo’ing. Jake scoffs, nudging your shoulder. “At least we’re together!”

“Get in the damn cellar,” Jake tells you, biting a grin.

You salute.

“Yes, sir!”

“Jake, you go on and get in now!” Your daddy calls, his voice booming across the yard. He’s helping Fran cross the mud, squinting. “S’alright!”

Jake climbs into the cellar, then, leaving the doors open. It smells like cinnamon and dirt down here, a scent he is not very fond of. He doesn’t like being in the cellar, especially during tornadoes, and he wishes he was back in bed.

“My hair,” Harper cries, ripping the grocery bag off her head. Her curls are wet. “Damn rain! Dammit!”

“Oh, honey,” your mama tells her, moving to hold her shoulders. “It’s okay, we can fix it!”

“You ain’t supposed to get a perm wet,” Brandy tells your mama. She’s already rolling her eyes at Harper’s antics. “Dummy.”

Your mama tuts.

“Hush now,” she tells Brandy. She grew up with sisters--she remembers what it’s like. “We’ll take care of it, alright? Don’t go worryin’ yourself about it. It’ll be just fine in time for the weddin’, okay?”

You’re watching your mama silently. It’s dark in here, but you can still see the softness etched onto her pretty features. She understands the Seresin girls much better than you do--all that crying and whining about makeup and hair and nails. It’s something you don’t have an interest in, something you can’t get yourself to fret about. When your mama pulls Harper onto her shoulder, tutting and sighing as she cries, something in your chest suddenly feels hollow.

“Jesus,” Fran says as she steps down the stairs, dropping the towels and flashlights on the floor. “Wetter than a mad hen out there!”

“Mama,” Callie sighs. “You got it all turned around.

“It’s called making it applicable, girly.”

Your daddy pulls the cellar doors shut and everything grows quieter and darker. Everything’s okay now--everyone is here, everyone is safe.

“We all alright?” Your daddy asks, looking around at everyone’s flaxen faces. “Filly?”

Swallowing hard, you nod. You won’t look at your mama and Harper.

“I’m okay, daddy,” you say.

“Good,” he says. He sighs. “Christ, we might be in here for a minute.”

Jake settles in beside you, sinking onto the cold floor. You don’t move, still watching Harper and your mama. But then Jake is tugging on your arm and you give in, blinking yourself out of a daze and joining him on the dirt.

“You’re cold,” Jake says when he feels your chilled skin against his. He wraps an arm around you and pulls until you’re tucked up against his side. He grabs a towel, pulls it to the two of you, then throws it in your lap. “Dry off, Filly. You’ll freeze.”

You pat your arms dry but don’t try and dry your hair or clothes. Your tank top is thin and your shorts are even thinner. Your hair is dripping down your back and your bottom lip is starting to quiver.

Everyone is chatting amongst themselves now, your mama and the Seresin girls all trying to comfort Harper as she weeps openly. Your daddy and Franny are leaning against the dirt walls, cataloging all they were able to carry from the house. Jake is fiddling with a portable radio, trying to find a news channel. And you’re just sitting there--cold.

“Bet you didn’t wake up ‘til the sirens went off, mustang,” you tease. Your laugh is a thin one, one that is coated in ice. “Sleepin’ like you’re dead.”

Jake flushes. He’s glad it’s dark in here.

“I actually woke up before the sirens! Thank you very much,” Jake lips, glancing at you over his shoulder.

“Oh, yeah. Was it when your mama knocked your door down?”

Jake doesn’t say anything. You laugh again, covering your shoulders with the ratty, sun-bleached towel. It smells like the Seresin household--like nutmeg, dust, lemon.

“So funny,” Jake mutters, elbowing you. He finally flicks it to the right station and turns the volume up, settling the little radio between everyone. “Here we go.”

“--Strong winds pushing in towards the west. As you can probably hear, the sirens are going off, which means to take cover immediately. There’s been a funnel spotting in North Silverkeep and a touchdown just down yonder, near the spring.”

The storm rages on overhead, the clouds swirling and swollen with rain. Thunder rolls past and lightning strikes as the funnel clouds search the town of Silverkeep for a flat place to touch down. Everyone can feel the charge in the air--it’s a familiar feeling. This is the second tornado of the summer.

“Damn,” Jake mutters. “Gonna be stuck here for a while, huh?”

“Well, I grabbed food,” Fran says hurriedly. “So, we’ll be alright.”

“Yeah, if we get too hungry then we can just eat the dried oranges we string around the tree every year,” Brandy says, grinning.

“Don’t forget the popcorn and cranberries,” Callie follows.

“I oughta thump you girls for teasin’ your mama like that,” your mama says, her lips pursed. “Hush now.”

By the second hour, you’re leaning all your weight on Jake. He’s shirtless, but somehow he’s warmer than you are tenfold. He’s got his arm around you and your cheek is squished against his chest, your hair still heavy with rain and your eyes growing dry. He can smell the oranges on your skin and you can smell the thick scent of his bedroom on his pajama bottoms.

Everyone is nodding off now, tucked away in their little corners of the cellar. Your mama has the Seresin girls around her, each of them cuddling into her body. Just as she fell asleep, she smiled: rarely does she ever get to hold girls in her arms. You haven’t tried to cuddle with her since before kindergarten. Fran and your daddy are sitting closest to the stairs, leaning opposite ways and turning the lantern off to preserve the battery.

“You awake?” Jake whispers. His voice is hardly audible above the rain, even with is lips attached to your ear.

Through the pitch black of the room, you let your hand wander until it grasps his calf, which you squeeze to signal that yes, you’re awake.

“You okay?” Jake asks.

You haven’t said a whole lot since coming to the cellar. He knows that it’s past two in the morning and that you probably haven’t slept much--you always wake up when it storms. He knows that you have an early shift at the ice cream shop later that you’re probably dreading, too. But he feels like the kind of silent you are is indicative of something else. He saw you looking at your mama, all cuddled up with his sister’s, leaning into them and combing their hair with her fingers.

“Fine,” you whisper. Your nose is cold as you press it into the middle of his chest. “You?”

“I’m always alright when I’m holdin’ you,” he whispers to you.

Both of you swallow hard.

You reach out--pinch him. He barely even jolts at the pain now, not when you've been doing that since toddlerhood.

It’s quiet for a moment.

Because it’s so dark and because he misses you and because you smell so good and because he knows you’re upset and because it’s storming, he decides to pull you onto his lap. No one will see--and if someone reaches for the lantern, he’ll hear it. And the radio is playing too loud for anyone to hear shuffling anyway.

Your body is malleable under his palms. You allow him to gather your limbs and pull, heave until you’re settled on his lap. He’s holding you like a baby, the back of your head resting on his bicep and your cheek pressed against his chest. He even covers you both up with one of the blankets his mama brought down, and you hum when the feeling comes back into your toes.

“Shit,” he whispers. “You’re still freezin’.”

“Tell me about it,” you mumble back.

A beat passes. Thunder groans distantly and the wind cries.

“Why’re you upset?” He whispers finally.

There’s no use in lying to Jake. Even if you tried to, he’d see right through you. Even in the dark.

“Sometimes I feel like I’m not what people want,” you whisper.

It’s something you’ve been thinking about for a while. Maybe if you were less brash and more attentive, Ruth would’ve told you what had her in a good mood. Maybe if you were politer and cared about your hair more, your mama would hold you. Maybe if you were quieter and nicer, Hyde would let you sit in the front seat sometimes. Maybe if you were cleaner and prettier like Emmaline Odette, Jake wouldn’t leave.

Jake swallows.

“Like how?”

You bite your lip.

“I dunno,” you lie. He pinches your hip. You sigh. “Like, maybe people would like me better if I was girlier?”

Jake wants to laugh. The image of you acting any differently than you do now is about as funny to him as an ape wearing a dress and heels. It simply ain’t natural.

“Since when do you care about people likin’ you?” He asks.

“Since all my friends are leavin’,” you tell him.

His chest grows tight.

Oh. He’d forgotten about that. He’d forgotten that you’re going to be the only one left here, the rest of them away at college. It’s easy to forget that when this summer feels so infinite, so exciting. He’s so caught up with you and your mouth and your love.

“I’m only gonna be an hour away,” he says softly. He doesn’t know if he’s saying it for you or for him.

“That’s a lifetime for us,” you whisper.

He knows you’re right.

“That don’t matter to me,” he whispers. It’s true--it doesn’t matter to him. “Lifetimes, hours, minutes, seconds. S’all the same, isn’t it?”

“No,” you answer quietly. But your heart is swollen with affection now. “You like me how I am, don’t you? You’re gonna miss me when you’re gone, right? And you’ll think of me?”

If he was braver, he’d say: no. I don’t like you the way you are. I love you the way you are. And I miss you right now, even, and I’m holding you. I think about you every minute of everyday. But he isn’t. So, instead, he just lightly kisses your forehead.

“Of course,” he answers. He wants to tell you how badly he’s going to ache for you, but he feels like right now isn’t the time. Not when everyone else is sleeping, not when there’s tornado sirens wailing. “You’re gonna hitchhike down there, huh?”

You laugh quietly.

“Yeah,” you answer. “I’m sure that’ll end well for me.”

He presses his nose into your hair. It’s fluffy now, frizzy.

“I hope you don’t go changin’ anythin’ about yourself,” Jake says quietly. “Cause then I’ll have to get my shit together, too.”

“You’ve got your shit together,” you tell him. “College boy.”

He scoffs.

“No, I don’t,” he answers. “I don’t know what the fuck I’m doin’.”

That makes you feel better--you don’t know what you’re doing either.

“Well,” you whisper. “We can just not know anythin’ together.”

Until August.

“You tired?” He asks.

Your eyes are heavy.

“No,” you answer, though. “Wide awake.”

He laughs quietly.

“What should we talk about then?”

“Hmmm. The end,” you answer.

He laughs--unsure if you’re serious.

“The end of what? The world?”

“The end of everythin’,” you answer softly.

He hums.

“So, like, death?” He asks. You nod. “You’ve got some dark thoughts in that little head,” he tells you.

You’ve been thinking about ends for a while now. Everything ends, really. This summer will end. Your growing has ended, at least in terms of your height. The year will end. Your job will end. It’s all around you, really; all that finishing.

“What happens when you die?” You ask.

Jake hums.

“Well, in the good book it says you go to heaven,” he answers. “You believe that?”

You shake your head.

“Nah,” you answer. “I don’t think so.”

Jake nods in agreement.

“Me either.”

“So, what do you think then?” You ask. “You die--then what?”

Jake swallows hard. He doesn’t really have an issue talking about death. It’s just that it feels a bit like tempting fate to be talking about it during the storm of the summer, sitting in a dirt-floor cellar.

“I think you become worm food,” Jake answers with a shrug. “You die, they put you in the ground, then that’s that. Your body decomposes and stinks and the worms eat you. Fin.”

You wrinkle your nose.

“Well, that’s what does happen,” you tell him. “But what happens?” You ask. You let your finger drift to his chest, pointing to his heart. You think that if there are souls, that must be where they rest: just around the heart, above the lungs.

“So, like, souls?” He asks. You nod. “Nothin’ happens. The lights are on one day and off the next. Poof. No one’s home anymore.”

Maybe if you were someone else--someone like Emmaline, who clings to her religion with those manicured nails, or someone like Hyde that thoroughly believes in souls and reincarnation--you would accuse Jake of being morbid. But you understand him better than anyone else in the world ever has or ever will, probably.

You nod. Okay. That’s what he thinks. It’s okay.

“So, like, when your body dies--you just don’t exist anymore?” You ask.

He nods.

“That’s about right,” he says. “What do you think happens?”

You think for a moment, meditating on your answer.

“I guess when I imagine what happens after, I think about sittin’ up in a tree. Like, a really tall one. You know the one on Locust Street--the one we used to climb? And those grumpy old neighbors would come holler at us to get down?” You ask.

Jake laughs softly. He remembers. The tree is an ancient thing, one that predates every single house in Silverkeep. When you two were younger, it felt like the tallest thing in the world. Taller than a skyscraper. Taller than the sky.

“Uh huh,” he answers. He’s twirling your hair around his finger now, blinking at the dark. “I remember.”

“Well, I like to think it’s like that kinda. Like, you die, right? And then you go up in the tree and sit on the highest branch,” you say. You’re imagining it now, your feet dangling above the crabgrass and the buckeyes. “You can feel the sun on your face and you can hear the music playing from the truck down the street. You can see everyone, too, but you can’t get down. And they can’t get up.”

Jake’s fingers are numb.

He’s gone to church every single Sunday since the day he was born, but that feels like the most religious thing he’s ever heard in his life. That is the kind of idea he can subscribe to.

“You ever considered preachin’?” Jake whispers. He holds your cheek, feel that smile growing on your lips. “Cause I’d be in your congregation.”

“Well, you don’t believe in what I do,” you answer. “So, that wouldn’t work.”

“I could believe it,” he tells you. “You could make me believe just about anythin’.”

Another beat passes. Thunder shakes the cellar.

“Wouldn’t it be lonesome? Sittin’ up there by yourself? Watchin’ everyone else on the ground?”

“Yeah,” Jake agrees. “It would.”

He sniffles, sinks his nose into your hair and pulls you closer to him.

“Filly?” He whispers.

“Yeah?”

He swallows hard. You tangle your fingers in his hair.

“I don’t wanna sit in a tree and watch you down below.”

He thinks about it: hearing your laugh echo up the branches, watching you swell with life, seeing you stretch into a woman, smelling those oranges so distantly. It makes him sick to his stomach to think about.

“Yeah, me either,” you tell him.

“You can’t die before me,” Jake tells you. He’s being serious. “I won’t have it, Filly.”

“We can just die on the same day.”

That seems to lull the both of you into a content state. Okay. You will die on the same day and sit in a tree and feel the sun on your cheeks and watch your feet dangle above the world of the living forever. And it will be okay.

You find his cheeks in the darkness and hold them in your palms, raising your face to his. It’s so dark that you can’t even see his silhouette. Your daddy is snoring. The radio is crackling. The sirens are still calling. You press your nose against Jake’s and hold yourself there as his grip tightens around your body.

“I don’t ever wanna be without you,” Jake whispers. He’s choked up just thinking about it, just thinking about leaving. Because as endless as this summer feels, it’s already almost July. “I don’t think I’ll survive.”

“We’ll be alright,” you tell him, but your voice is quivering. “We’ve survived worse.”

Jake kisses you--closes that little gap between your mouths. It’s not about sex and it’s not about feeling anything other than close to each other. It’s you, it’s him, it’s your lips, his lips, your sleeping families, a tornado, and a scratchy blanket. The kiss is soft and quiet, one that just lingers and keeps on lingering. You don’t let go of his cheeks and he doesn’t loosen his grip on you.

“You’re my best friend,” Jake tells you.

“I better be,” you whisper back. “‘Cause you’re mine, too.”

Later that evening, when the storm clouds have thinned and the funnels have dissipated and the storm damage has been assessed, you lie in Jake’s bed. You’re both naked, chests flushed and heaving, and your hair is matted to your neck with sweat.

“Jesus,” Jake whispers, his vision still spotted with technicolor from the orgasm he just had when he was still seated in your mouth. “We’re gettin’ good at that.”

You smile, biting your lip.

“Yeah,” you agree. “Real good.”

It’s quiet for a few minutes. The house is empty--which doesn’t happen often. Fran picked up a night shift. Harper is at Curtis’. Callie is away at their meemaw and pappy’s house for the weekend. Brandy is with a friend. So it is just you and Jake. And boy, did you two take advantage of the empty house.

“I like it when you use your tongue on me,” you tell him. You squeeze your thighs together at the very mention of it. “S’real good. Too good, even.”

Jake’s chest swells with pride. He pulls you close to him, presses a kiss to your forehead.

“Yeah?” He asks. “Good. I like doin’ it.”

Your belly is warm at the thought.

You’re just about to say something else, just about to tell him about your day at the ice cream shop and to ask him about his day off from the farm, when the phone rings down the hall.

“I got it,” Jake says, heaving himself up.

He walks out of his room naked, leaves you in his bed.

He’s humming the whole way to the phone, not bothering to turn any lights on. He’s in a good mood--how could he not be after the last few hours he’s had? A day off and an empty house with you. He doesn’t think it gets much better than that.

“Howdy!” Jake says gleefully, pushing the home phone against his cheek. “You’ve got Jake.”

“Jake,” Emmaline says. She sounds like she’s been crying--her voice nasally and thick with upset. “It’s Emma.”

At the very sound of her voice, his tongue grows thick with anger. If anyone can dissipate a mood, it’s Emmaline Odette. He’s thinking about those nasty things they said to each other, how badly he wanted to shake her silly.

“What?” He asks.

She sighs, sniffling.

“I’m late,” she says. She’s speaking quietly so her mama won’t hear from the kitchen. “Jake, I’m late.”

“For what?” Jake asks. “What’s this gotta do with me?”

She pinches the bridge of her nose.

“Jake, my period is late. A month late.”

✯ 𝐚/𝐧: the plot thickens.......

✯ 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫

✯ 𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝

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✯ 𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐬:

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✯ 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐝/𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐬, 𝐃𝐌 𝐦𝐞!

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anasticklefics · 1 year ago

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Another Way To Bond

Fandom: Stranger Things

Characters: Steve, Max

Anonymous said: Could you write a fic about ler!Steve and lee!Max from Stranger Things (PLATONIC OBVIOUSLY) where Max is purposely annoying Steve because she’s bored and Steve tickles her?

Words: 835

One thing about the kids - Steve felt he had them mostly figured out and therefore knew how to handle them. He could pinpoint Dustin’s mood from the way he moved and not necessarily from how he spoke (the kid had a tone on most good days too). Even when excited or agitated they spoke pretty much the same way to each other, and thus Steve had learned to read him from the way he sat, hunching over or leaning back, from how he walked with quick steps or much too slow, from how he let his eyes linger or quickly dart away.

As life would have it he started seeing the other kids more and more as well, and even though he never really did it on purpose he found himself cataloging them as he did Dustin, putting pieces together until he eventually had a nearly fully accurate description of how to read (and in turn handle) these teenagers that had grown up way too quickly.

He knew Mike distanced himself because he was scared of loss. He knew Will would never say if something was bothering him because he was scared no one would care. Lucas wanted to help everyone so badly that he ignored his own boundaries. He knew Eleven hated not fitting in so much that she would copy everyone to the most ridiculous details.

And Max? Well, Max wasn’t sure how to stop pushing everyone away, and so she kept resorting to what she knew: sass.

Fortunately - or unfortunately - for her, Steve was all too used to sass.

“Stop,” he said, swatting away her foot. “You’re worse than Dustin.”

“That’s an insult.”

“It was meant to be.”

She huffed, sticking her shoe into his face again. “You’re boring.”

“You’re free to leave.”

“There’s nothing better to do anyway.”

They were sitting on the steps leading up to Eddie’s trailer, Steve waiting for Eddie and Max waiting for god knows what. Max seemed to avoid being at home, but she seemed to avoid purposefully seeking everyone else out too, maybe afraid her mind couldn’t handle it once she got there. With Steve (or maybe more with Eddie - Steve suspected she did this more with him) she could just leave when she felt like it. No commitment. No hurt feelings.

Steve pushed her foot away again, twisting his body to glare up at where she was sitting two steps higher than him. She smiled, not innocently, but provocatively. Steve could see why everyone adored her. Why Lucas was head over heels for her, why Dustin and El fought for the title of her best friend, why Eddie let her hang around even though they had nothing in common. Why Steve himself would protect her with his life like he protected the others.

He huffed and looked away, hoping his thoughts weren’t written on his face because how cheesy was that? Fortunately Max didn’t seem to be done tormenting him because her red shoe was in his face again, this time tapping his ear and Steve had had enough, his dealing with Dustin instincts kicking in as he grabbed her ankle. “Stop.”

“Make me.” She said it before she started tugging at her leg and realizing she couldn’t escape his grip. “Let go.” Her tone, albeit in a subtle way, was less cocky now.

“No. You need to learn some manners.” Without thinking he started scribbling his fingers over the back of her knee, making her jerk away with a sudden, panicked laugh. “Oh, really? I didn’t think a little tickling would be your weakness.”

“Don’t,” she said, her voice laced with laughter. “I’m sorry, I’ll stop.”

“Mm, no. I think I need to make sure you won’t do it again first.”

“Steve, I’m warning yo-AH!”

Steve had gone for her knee cap this time, spidering his nails over it in a way he knew made Dustin freak, and while Max’s reactions were smaller, more calm, it seemed to be doing the trick anyway. She curled in on herself, hands flailing, seemingly unsure of how to react since Steve had her leg trapped. He tried to make sure she didn’t hurt herself, tickling and pausing and tickling and pausing in order to keep her from sliding down the stairs or hitting her head against the railing. His repetitive stopping made her laughter choppy, which was cute.

“Is your calf ticklish?”

“No!”

“I feel like you’re lying.”

She managed to grab the back of his shirt as he pinched her calf, pulling weakly at him without much success at whatever she was trying to do. “Stop!”

“This? This is called revenge. And I’ve only been at it for a minute.”

She groaned through her laughter and Steve was so focused on how her leg vibrated each time he tickled it that he didn’t notice his grip loosening until a foot came flying for his face.

That was how Eddie found them, residual giggles pouring out of Max’s mouth, and blood pouring out of Steve’s nose.

#tickling #ticklish!max #tickle fic #stranger things #steve and max #ana's fics #another way to bond

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boybandbaby · 2 years ago

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I'm Not The Only One Part 2

Summary: The aftermath of your enemy Steve telling you that your boyfriend cheated on you.

Word Count: 2387

Note: Not revised. Part 1 here

As you walked up to Matt’s door, you were afraid of what might happen. You desperately wanted to speak to Robin about what happened but then Steve dropped a bomb on you. Instead of worrying about the Friday incident, you were not concerned your boyfriend was cheating on you. You really hoped that Steve was just being his usual asshole self, but the way he said it and the look in his eyes told you he was being sincere. So here you were, at Matt’s doorstep, knocking pathetically.

After a few moments that felt decades long, the door swung open to reveal your boyfriend. His smile grew when he saw you and you nearly melted at the sight. “Hi baby,” he reached out for you.

“Baby?” You shook yourself out of your trance. “I’ve been calling you all weekend. Where have you been?”

“I just thought maybe you needed some time to cool off from Friday.” He shrugged. “You were really mad at me.”

“I think I had the right to be mad.” You scoffed.

“I mean come on Y/n, we’ve been dating for a month and you still haven’t let me kiss you.” He crossed his arms and leaned against the door frame.

“Is that why you were kissing another girl after I left your house?” You question. “And don’t lie to me.”

“Look, Annalise called me to hang out and yeah we kissed but we’re not getting back together or anything. We can just forget it ever happened.” Matt reached a hand out to you.

“Are you insane? It may seem like no big deal to you but it is to me. That’s cheating.” You slap his hand away. “You’re unbelievable really.” You turn, heading back down the path. “Oh, and Grease is overdue, idiot.” You slam your car door as you finish getting in.

The first thing you can think of is to go see Eddie. You know his weird antics and personality can cheer you up in a heartbeat. The drive to his trailer is filled with the noise of sad ballads and your sleeved hand constantly wiping your eyes. Why were you crying? Matt was definitely not worth it and you knew that but you couldn’t help feeling worthless and unwanted.

As you park outside Eddie’s trailer, you look into the mirror and sigh. Your eyes were red, your hair was a mess, and your skin was sticky with old and new tears. You see Uncle Wayne on the porch, “Eddie, your little friend is here!”

You chuckle at his words and grab your bag before stepping out. Eddie rushes down the three steps and opens his long arms to engulf you. “Hey, come ‘ere.” He says quietly. You immediately enter his embrace and wrap your arms around his waist. “He’s an idiot.”

“Yeah, I know.” You sighed and lean your cheek against his chest.

“You staying for dinner kiddo?” Wayne asks and you nod. “I’ll be heading to the store for food them. Be back in a bit.” Wayne gives Eddie a look.

“Let’s get you inside.” Eddie smiles and pulls you inside. “I can show you the new guitar strap that Dustin got me.”

Steve had called Eddie as soon as you left the store. He had filled him in on the entire situation.

“Okay so we’re going to go kick his ass right?” Eddie had told Steve through the phone.

“Eddie, you’re her friend. You have to do it.”

“Okay but you’re…meatier. I’m skinny. You’ve seen me shirtless. I need backup.” Eddie states. “Plus, someone has to comfort Y/n and I know it is impossible for you to be nice to her.”

“Hey, I can be nice.” Steve whines. “I was nice today.”

“Only because you had too.” Eddie snorts. “Look, you go kick his ass and I’ll go comfort Y/n.”

“I’m not kicking his ass alone Eddie.” Steve rolls his eyes.

“How about neither of you kick his ass and both of you just go check on Y/n.” Robin adds, holding a box of new tapes. “Y/n is plenty capable of kicking Matt’s ass by herself.”

“That’s true.” Steve laughs. “Well, I don’t think she’ll want to see me so… Eddie just take care of her okay? Let me know if she needs anything.” He ends the call after a few more moments, saying goodbye to Eddie.

“Oh, you’ve got it bad.” Robin laughs. “So so bad.”

“Robin.” Steve scolds. “I’m just being nice because she’s going through a tough time.”

“This could be what you need to start dating her. Swoop in to be her knight in shining armor or whatever.” Robin’s eyes light up.

“Alright, that’s enough out of you.” Steve shakes his head, “I’m going on break.”

“So what did you tell Steve when he told you?” Eddie asks, sitting on the floor, rummaging through an old storage bin. You look down at him as you lay on your stomach across his bed, flipping through a magazine.

“I mean, not much really. I basically interrogated him on what he saw and tried to verify if it was the truth.” You shrugged. “I seriously thought he was playing a joke on me.”

“I know he’s mean to you but not that mean. I think he likes you honestly.” Eddie bites his lip. “Imagine you and Harrington.” He ponders, “actually I think I almost threw up.”

“Shut up.” You toss a pillow in his direction. “He doesn’t like me. He can barely be in my presence. He said I was the Wicked Witch of the West, ya know?”

“If you’re the bad witch then I must be Glinda the good witch, huh?” Eddie raises a brow.

“Absolutely not. You have the hair to be Dorothy though.” You laugh.

“I would look good in red sparkly heels and we both know it.” Eddie flips his hair off his shoulder. “But seriously, Harrington’s got the hots for you. He was all like,” Eddie switches his voice to mimic Steve’s. “‘Take care of my beautiful, wonderful future wife Y/n’ and ‘let’s kick Matt’s ass to avenge Y/n’s sweet soul’ and the best one ‘let me know if Y/n needs anything. And I mean anything Eddie.’” Eddie wiggles his eyebrows.

“He did not say any of that, you weirdo.” You toss another pillow at him.

“You’re going to be pillowless in the next five minutes.” Eddie stands up to hit you in the head with the pillows, then stands a seat on the bed in the most obnoxious way making the entire bed bounce. “Remember when I first introduced you to the group? You thought Steve was cute. You even asked if he was single.”

“Which he technically wasn’t with all the dates he was going on.” You roll over onto your back. “I don’t know Eddie. Steve is cute but the past two years of bickering kinda just made me not really find him attractive.”

“Yeah yeah, I bet you’ll be dating or fucking by the end of the year.” Eddie lays beside you. “There’s so much sexual tension between you guys.”

“I hate you sometimes.” You laugh. “Let’s go see if Wayne needs our help.” You sit up and climb over him.

You had decided it would be a good time to thank Steve for looking out for you. It was Friday, only four days since you found out about Matt from Steve and confronted Matt yourself. As you walked up to Steve’s door, you remembered the last time you were here and how Steve had yelled at you. Maybe this was a bad idea. As you reached the porch of his house, you thought better and decided to just give him a call instead of your original plan. You turn back and start racing back to your car when you hear the door open.

“Y/n?” You hear. Your body freezes and you really wish you could just disappear.

Without turning around you reply with a quiet “Hey Steve.”

“You okay?” Steve asks, stepping out onto the porch after grabbing a jacket hanging near his door. “Did you just get off of work?”

“Um yeah, I just wanted to stop by to thank you.” You slowly turn around, scolding yourself mentally for not changing out of your uniform before coming to his place.

“Are those flowers? For me?” He points to the small bouquet in your hand. “You got me flowers?”

“Um… yeah. I’m sorry. I didn’t know what to bring over. Robin said you were laying off the sweets so I didn’t bring any desserts over. I’m sorry this is stupid. I just wanted to say thank you for being so kind on Monday and throughout the week. I know you asked Eddie and Robin to keep you updated on me. I’m fine now. Really. So thank you.” You rush out, turning to leave. “Oh wait, here.” You turn back around and shove the flowers into his chest. “Bye. Thank you. I’m sorry. Bye.” You hug your body and run back to your car. He’s quicker than you, shutting the door just as you open it.

“Do you want to come in?” He searches for your eyes. “You look cold. I can make hot chocolate or something?” He offers, unsure. “Only if you want.”

“You sure?” You squint your eyes and meet his.

“Yeah, I wasn’t busy or anything. Just making some food.” He smiles softly. “There’s enough for two.”

It’s his smile that has you immediately locking your car door and following him into his house. He waits for you to step inside his house before going in himself, like a gentleman. He shivers as he takes off his jacket.

“I’m supposed to put the flowers in water right?” He sets the bouquet on the counter. You had momentarily forgotten about the flowers. Your cheeks flush with heat and somehow he senses your embarrassment. “You know, no one has ever gotten me flowers before? I don’t even think I have a vase.” He mumbles as he searches the cabinets. “You okay? You’re quiet. You know you can have a seat.” He looks up to see you still standing near the entryway to the kitchen.

“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be awkward.” You laugh.

“You’re not.” He assures. “We haven’t had a good relationship so it makes sense why this is weird.” He smiles again and holds a red tinted vase he found under the sink. “I found one.”

“Let me help you.” You offer, holding the vase as he runs the water. “So you’ve been on hundreds of dates and not one girl has given you flowers?”

“Surprisingly no. I guess it’s just the whole gender roles and norms. I hope I didn’t embarrass you, I was just surprised.” He turns the faucet off.

“Well, I’m glad I got them then. Robin wasn’t much help. She wanted me to get you a funny greeting card. There’s not really a card that says, ‘I know we hate each other but thanks for saving me from a potential shitty relationship.’”

“I guess that’s true.” He shrugs. “You know I don’t hate you right? Slightly dislike but not hate.” He nudges your arm as he takes the vase and places it on the counter.

“It sounded like you hated me when you told me to get out of Hawkins.” You start to unwrap the flowers. “I was never trying to replace you Steve. I just wanted to be part of the group. I hope you know that.”

“I still regret saying that to you. You looked so sad but instead of apologizing I just… I don’t know. I guess I thought it was better to be mean to you then accept the fact that the others liked you. I don’t know how much you know about me but I’m usually home alone and other than my friends, I don’t have anybody.” He says honestly, voice laced with sadness.

“You have me?” You offer. “Like moving forward? We could be friends. We can hang out without the mean comments and stealing my snacks.”

“Even after everything I’ve done? You’d still want to be friends?” He looks down to his slippers. “I was a jerk.”

“Yeah you were. Especially by calling me a witch.” You laugh. He looks up at you and thinks it’s music to his ears. “I’m sorry for saying you have no heart and that you were a coward. Both of those aren’t true.”

“So I still have no brain?” He fakes being hurt.

“I mean you can be pretty stupid.” You smile, “like that one time at the fair when you got the hot pickle and immediately spit it out because it was spicy.”

“I thought it was like, going to be hot in temperature.” He defends.

“Who eats a warm pickle? Pickles are meant to be eaten cold.” You argue.

“Yeah yeah, that was pretty stupid.” He rubs the back of his neck. “You know, I regret not taking up your offer to ride the ferris wheel that day.”

“I saw that you wanted to go but no one would go with you. You kept looking up at the wheel and the lights of the rides made your eyes look so pretty. I just had to ask you.” You scoot closer to him, your sides touching as you busied yourself with separating the flowers. “But then you rejected me!” You nudged him this time.

“I’m sorry!” He covers his face. “I’m really sorry. Not just about that but everything else.” He says more quietly.

“I’ve already forgiven you, Steve.” You start rearranging the flowers into the vase. “We’re good now. Promise.”

“Good.” He smiles down at you. “You hungry?”

“Starving.” You step back to look at your work. “They look so pretty.”

“Yeah, they do.” Steve agrees, though his eyes are on you not the flowers. You turn to look at him.

“You’re pretty too, Steve.” You bite your lip and take a seat at the kitchen island to distract yourself from the butterflies erupting inside your stomach. What was happening? You thought. How’d you go from hating each other to flirting?

Steve knew once he told Robin about his night, he wouldn’t be hearing the end of it. Enemies to lovers? Maybe, he was a cliche. He really didn’t mind that idea.

Taglist: @yaskna

#steve harrington x reader

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whooambouttamakeanameformyself · 1 year ago

Text

Beautiful Bloodshed.

Otis Driftwood x Transmasc! Reader. (18+)

(Chapter one)

Hello friends! This is going to have several chapters since I want it to be a slow burn romance that starts before the events of House Of 1000 Corpses and ends in between House Of 1000 Corpses and Devil's Rejects (I know we all love young Otis.)

Warnings: Murder, Violence, Abuse, Swearing (a fuck ton of that), Blood, Guts, Gore, Cult Activities, Human Sacrifices, Ritualistic Sex, Sex in general, Drinking, Recreational Drug use, Smoking, Kidnapping, Necrophillia. I mean it's Otis man.... I can't really help what he does, if you've seen the movie then you pretty much know what to expect from this story and Otis himself.

Summary: You meet Otis and baby one day at Spaulding's, you become good friends with baby and start hanging out with her (and sometimes Otis). You pass by Otis's room many times while his door is open, allowing you to see all of the art hung on his walls. It intrigues you. You ask Baby about his art and she tells you a little about it, you ask more questions and she suggests you just go ask him, which you decline quickly. You aren't afraid of Otis (not by a longshot) you just didn't want to bother him with stupid questions, especially since you probably wouldn't understand the philosophical answers he gave you. Baby takes your hand and drags you to Otis's room where he's sitting reading a book. She pretty much tells him to tell you about his art and he agrees (a little too quickly and with a bit more excitement than usual.)

He shows you the art on his walls first, telling you a little bit about them, and when you seem extremely interested in his work he decides to see how you'll react to some of his... other... art. Starting with the bone sculptures.

(Written in third person.)

Enjoy>:)

~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was a cool spring evening in Ruggsville Texas, and Y/N was spending their time doing one of their favorite things... gossiping to Captain Spaulding. Spaulding was a good friend to them (who could sometimes act like a dad in certain situations), a friend who loved to listen to the fucked up shit Y/N's friends and family were up to, and tonight's story was funny as hell.

Spaulding stood leaning against the counter next to the cash register, listening to Y/N tell him about their friend Pamela, a girl a year younger than him who was a little... off her rocker.

"So her boyfriend cheats on her, yeah? And what does she do? She paints the word 'Cheater' across his trailer in red paint while he was at work. Then she goes to his work and used the spare key to his car that he gave her to get into his car, I swear this bitch left a fuckin dead ass Armadillo in his car and dumped a shit ton of used condoms in the back seat!" Y/N says, causing Spaulding to bust out laughing, damn near doubled over. "God damn! Where the hell did she get a dead Armadillo? And where the hell did the condoms come from?!" Spaulding asked damn near unable to speak from laughing.

"The Armadillo was on the side of the road, and I don't even wanna know how she got so many used condoms!" Now Y/N was laughing, the sound of the bell above the front door going unnoticed by both of them.

Otis stood in the doorway of Captain Spaulding's, the sound of laughing stopping him dead in his tracks. He could hear Spaulding's usual snorting laugh but there was another laugh... it was different... not like the laughs of the nasty men who usually hung around Spaulding's gas station, it was like music. His eyes landed on the figure standing infront of the counter, their body shaking with laughter.

After the laughter died down Spaulding finally noticed him, standing there with the front door still open.

"God dammit, boy! Ya lettin' out all my AC! Come in or get the fuck out!" Spaulding yelled at him, giving him a scowl. This outburst caused Y/N to turn around to see who his friend was yelling at, he was very surprised to see a white haired guy standing there.

Otis quickly recovered, walking in the rest of the way, giving Spaulding a bitter look. "You. You and I need to talk." He pointed to Spaulding, which earned him a nod from the clown who looked like he wanted to say something, but held his tongue. He turned to Y/N, giving him an apologetic look. "Sorry, Y/N, I gotta talk to this asshole, we'll continue when I'm done."

Y/N kept himself busy by looking at all the oddities in display cases while the white haired man (you now know is called Otis, thanks to Spaulding yelling his name quite a few times) and Spaulding were arguing over something Y/N honestly couldn't give less of a shit about. Y/N saw a blonde woman enter the shop in the reflection of the glass display case that held a mummified monkey, she completely ignored the two men arguing, choosing to focus her attention on the only other person in the building, Y/N. She approached him, standing beside him and looking at the mummified monkey, trying to figure out what was so interesting about it. "You're really interested in this monkey, huh?" She giggled.

Y/N giggled aswell, looking over at her. "Not really, I'm just trying to ignore the toddlers back there arguing over the last grape." The woman rolled her eyes, playfully nudging him. "Ah, ignore them! They get a kick outta fighting. Hey, you know Spaulding? How come I ain't met ya before?"

Y/N shrugged. "Dunno, I'm here sporadically so maybe it's just cuz I'm never here when ya'll come around?" He'd vaguely recalled seeing the two leaving as he was pulling in once but he might be wrong.

"Well I'm Baby, and that guy bitchin' at Cutter is Otis!" She said excitedly, letting out another laugh. "You got a name? Or do I just pick one for ya?"

"Y/N, nice to meet ya, Baby!" He grinned, holding his hand out for her to shake, which she shook excitedly.

Y/N and Baby talked about music and shit while the two men continued to argue, it turns out, the two of them had pretty similar music taste! They talked so much that they hadn't realized the two men had finished arguing and were now just staring at the two. Eventually Otis got tired of watching them and approached Baby, telling her they had to get back home. Baby groaned and looked back to Y/N.

"Sorry, I gotta get goin', you should come over some time! We can listen to music together!" She gasps "and paint eachother's nails!" Her excitement caused Y/N to let out a soft laugh, watching as Otis pulled her toward the door.

"Door is always open if ya wanna visit! Spaulding will give you directions!" She called, giving him a deranged smile as Otis pulled her out the door. Once the door was closed Spaulding let out a deep sigh, turning his attention back to Y/N. "Alright, kid, where were we?" He asked, moving to lean on the counter once again. Y/N chuckled, approaching the counter. "I was about to tell you what Pam did after the dead Armadillo and the used condoms!"

~~~~~~~~~

End of Chapter One.

Thank you all for putting up with my BS :p

#x reader #house of 1000 corpses #otis b driftwood #otis driftwood #horror #otis b driftwood x reader #otis driftwood x reader #beautiful bloodshed

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masivechaos · 2 years ago

Note

Heeey ! I’ll send you an “orion” with Eddie !!

He’s been back from the upside down, out of the hospital for a week but hasnt been out once, as Dustybuns big sister you decide to check on his friend (and you have the biggest crush on Eds) you end up staying for a while, helping around the trailer, with his wounds, his touch deprivedness … fluff-gaaaanza ❤️❤️❤️

stay!

eddie munson x gn! reader | 0.6k

warnings: wrote it as a fem! reader but there's no gender indication so i made it gn and same for being dustin's sibling. also, it's not like exactly what you asked, it's like inspired? hope you still like it!

masterlist/ stranger things masterlist / navigation / taglist

You awoke as you felt a presence in the room. You sat up slowly, rubbing your eyes and seeing the frame of a body “Eddie?” you whispered, a yawn passing your lips. A sort of grunting could be heard as an answer and you leaned forward to be closer to the boy. “What’s the problem?”

Eddie ignored the question, one hand flat on his stomach, the other reaching for the medications on the kitchen counter. You were sleeping in the living room, on the couch as Wayne was out for the night and you wanted Eddie to rest correctly so you left him in his bedroom, letting him know he just had to wake you up if something was wrong. Something he apparently didn’t do.

With almost shut eyes you got up off the couch to join the boy. You rested your hand on his, looking up at him “Go back to bed. I will bring everything” Eddie didn’t even try to protest, too tired to think about anything else.

He walked back to his bed with heavy and exhausted steps while you gather painkillers, bandages and disinfectant in your arms. When you entered his room you saw him laying on his back, covering his old bandages now tinted with blood with his hands.

It pained you to see him like this. Eddie was the brightest person you knew, he was a literal ray of sun, always smiling and joking around. And the upside down event extinguished his light, but it didn’t die, he was still his optimist self, he was just drained.

You sat down next to him, handing him medication with a glass of water. You then carefully removed his hand from the wound “Let me see it” you whispered before taking off the bandage as gently as possible but you could hear him groan in pain. The wound healed a little but it was still not pretty to see.

“I’m going to disinfect it” you warned as you apply the product to a cotton disc. Eddie let you know it was okay with a small head nod but he winced when the disc touched his skin. By instinct he drew his hand to his mouth, biting it, hoping to feel less pain. “I’m sorry”

“It’s fine” he breathed once you were done. You looked down at him with an apologetic smile before continuing to clean his other wounds. He just closed his eyes the entire time letting out quiet whines.

When you were down you asked him to sleep before getting off the bed. But as you were almost out of the room you heard Eddie talk “Can you stay?” he asked, using the small amount of strength he had.

You turned back on your heels “I want you to get some rest, Eddie” of course, you liked the idea of being close to Eddie during such a tender moment but you were afraid you would hurt him in your sleep.

But Eddie just opened his arms “I need you” he simply said, waiting for you to come next to him. You could only smile before laying down on his sheets. The bed was small so you were pressed against him but you weren’t going to complain when his arm wrapped around your waist, bringing you to his chest.

You could feel him drifting off, his body relaxing in your embrace. With your head on his now scarred bare torso, you heard the small and quiet “I love you” he mumbled before falling asleep.

Your lips immediately tugged up, he was so sincere in the way he said it. You nuzzled further on his chest “I love you too”

⋆ ★ eddie munson taglist:@sw34terw34ther @cauliflowertree @moonlitmeeks @rhydianissuperior @loveeharrington @mad-elia @jackys-stuff-blog @vintagepearlss @gilmore-angel @heartfucks @moondemon123 @kidcuisinesvcks

#★ orion!#ੈ✩‧₊˚ masivechaos 300 followers #margot is writing! ੈ✩‧₊˚#stranger things 4 #stranger things #stranger things fanfiction #eddie x reader #eddie munson #eddie x fem!reader #eddie x you #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x female reader #eddie munson x gn!reader #steve harrington #eddie stranger things #stranger things fic

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sabbathbloodysabbeth · 2 years ago

Text

Bark At The Moon

Words: 10,192

Part: 1/?

Werewolf Steve do I have to say more

Ao3 link

First Sighting; December 2022 (Day Unknown)

Snow fell down from the sky, flakes sticking together to create inches of snow on the ground. The sun was out, but not hot enough to melt the ice and cold air away. Everything wasn't safe from the white annoying stuff. Everything that was once brown, green, and full of life was now dull, covered in snow, and scrawny. As if each snowflake was sucking the life out of the area, but yet creating a dreamlike state. Creating beauty that only came around for only one season of the year. Some even count down the weeks for said time of year. So much joy was held in those months, Christmas with their families and a new year to create hope for the outcome of the coming year. Steve Harrington was not one of them, Eddie would dully think as he laid bundled up in his room. A mug of hot cocoa set off on his dresser, where Wayne had just set it. Completely unaware of what was currently outside in the woods that surrounded their trailer.

Normally, Eddie would have his curtains covering the light from the outside world but nothing was better than the natural light in the winter. Moving a little on his bed he holds a paintbrush in his right hand, close to the window so that he could see every detail of the figure. His hair was pulled up in a bun, a few curls falling loosely against the nape of his neck. The sleeves of his black sabbath sweater were rolled up to his elbows, just in case he got a bit messy. Though he didn't seem to care about the bed that he was currently crouched on. Already covered with numerous stains, origins unknown to him. Poking his tongue out a little bit, he finishes up the last detail. Beaming a bit. Though looking down he realizes that he was nearly out of brown paint. Something that had been bought for him last Christmas. Hopefully, he would get more again this year, but he wasn't going to be too worked up if he didn't. It wasn't like he couldn't create his own.

He wasn't only running out of brown paint, there were other colors. Though most of them he could easily create on his own with food dye. Something relatively cheap to buy or steal. Though he had started to learn how to make paint from nature. From the red berries that he would venture the woods for, by himself though his Uncle told him numerous times not to. Afraid that he might get lost, something that was hard to do when snow covered the ground. His tracks leave proof of where he had been and hopefully where he would be. Stretching his body a bit carefully not to smudge the paint on the figure in his left hand, he raises his arms straight up into the air. Pulling his back up and letting a relieved sigh leave him when he feels and hears his body popping. The way he had been crouched over was probably not good for him, but that was a problem for future Eddie to worry about.

Squinting his eyes a little, he looks out the window for the first time within the last forty-five minutes he had been placed there for. Snow nearly burns his eyes out of his head as he makes a face and pulls back a bit quickly, not closing his eyes completely as he tries to let them adjust. Nearly giving up before he sees movement coming from a few trees that were just on the edge of the trailer park. Leaning forward, he feels his sweater pulling up from the back. Revealing a little skin that no one else was able to see. Setting his paintbrush down carefully on the small paper plate, he moves his hand and covers his eyes a little bit trying to see what was out there. Nothing came in this area but deer and a few rabbits. Other than that no wildlife dared venture to close.

Looking through the woods a little more, not catching anything he moves rolling his body over off the bed. Landing to his feet with a huff, feeling his legs nearly give out underneath him from staying in a position for so long. A prickling feeling moves through his feet up to his thighs as his limbs slowly start to boot up for function. He leans a little on the couch. taking a second before he moves, waddling a bit to his dresser. Picking the mug up carefully, feeling the heat blossoming through his hands as he takes a small sip. It was still hot, but it was still very much his Uncle Wayne's famous Hot Chocolate. One of the few things in this world that he was willing to sell his left nut for. Not even his Uncle was on that list, and he was the one that made it!

He sets it back down, ignoring the small ring that was starting to form where the mug sat. Or how some of the liquid sloshed over the side and made a small puddle on a random shirt. Instead, he excitedly moves over to the other side of his room, and slides on his beat-up converse. Struggling to put them on, just for a second as they were still a smidge damp from the snow that was currently outside. Not bothering to tie them (living life on the edge he would call it) he moves to stumble over to grab his cup. Carefully waddling his way out of the room, the small hallway, and to the front door.

From the living room window, he could already see his Uncle's figure sitting on the small porch. On his beat-up blue recliner that he refused to bring inside during any season. How it wasn't infested with bugs was beyond Eddie Munson's comprehension. Pausing to look from where he stood, peering a bit he could already see the cigarette smoke floating up into the air. Careful, Careful as he was physically capable of, he opened the door and carefully moves down the staircase. Whining as he feels the cold eating through his clothing already, and the snow going through his shoes. Sometimes he wished that the porch was connected to the front steps, not disconnected and a few feet away.

"Careful boy didn't slave away at that drink just for you to dump it all 'er yourself." Wayne's gruffled and soft voice raises in a warning. Eddie grins happily as he hears the old man. Moves and pretends to trip and fall, pretending to stumble with the mug in his hands as he grows closer. Laughing as he does, catching the slightly amused eye roll tossed his way. They both knew that Wayne would go back inside and willingly make him another cup of hot chocolate. If the spill of 14' had anything to say about it. "Oh quit being a damn idget and sit down for Christ's sake." The older man tried to act unamused but it was not working, a light glimmer of what he was fighting currently in his eye.

Eddie laughs as he moves and sits down on an equally beat-up couch. A faded and disgusted dark green, with cracks going through the cushions in random areas. Still holding his mug, he lets the warmth spread through his hands as he shivers. Taking a sip of the said drink in hopes that it would warm him up. Moving, he places the holder down carefully on a side table next to the full ashtray. Curling up on the couch as he beams a bit, seeing a heavy blanket on the other side of the couch. A red color, and was most likely brought out by Wayne. Who knew his nephew better than Eddie knew himself. Curling up underneath, he waits patiently for the warmth to take over his body, coming easy with his drink.

Tilting his head up from the armrest of the couch, he looks over at Wayne with a smile. His dark brown curls were all over the place but he didn't care nor did he care how they were causing static to form from laying on the couch. "Thanks, Wayne." He beams happily. Watching the way the other softens a bit in his chair, grows a bit shy, and doesn't say anything in return. Instead, he lifts his own mug that he had been holding on his thigh with his right hand. A pro at letting nothing spill. Sipping gently on what was most likely black coffee. Where Eddie liked his beverages sweet, his uncle liked his bitter. Like most things, they were the complete opposite. Eddie liked metal music, Wayne enjoyed country music, Eddie liked Turkey Sandwiches his Uncle loved ham. It was just their dynamic and both of them had fully accepted that.

Reaching over carefully Eddie lets his fingertips lightly brush over Wayne's. His left hand is still holding a cigarette. Raising his eyebrows a bit, Wayne glares at him a bit before handing it over carefully. "You know those are bad for you right?" He grumbles gently.

"I know," Eddie beams brightly, pulling the cigarette close careful not to burn his hair as he takes a few puffs from it. Playing with the smoke with his mouth and even exhaling some from his nose. Relaxing a bit before he hands it back over. "Like I said, want to be just like you growing up." He teases playfully. Remembering all of the soft arguments he had with the other when he was younger about how smoking was bad for you. Now here he laid like a hypocrite, smoking twice the amount Wayne normally did.

"Oh shut up both know you wanted to be like Ozzy, who is way older than me by the way," Wayne grumbles out. Reaching over and putting the cig out. Before relaxing back into his chair staring out at nothing. Eddie could never sit still when he was younger, too bored out of his mind to just do nothing. Always having to do something. Whether it was running in circles in the small patch of grass that they call a yard, or doing cartwheels off the porch and nearly breaking his neck. It all varied from time to time, but yet here he now laid perfectly content with just sitting in silence. A feat that Wayne actually bet a lot of money on never happening. So when it did you bet your ass Eddie cashed that money in for his sweetheart.

Both of them tended to drift off into their own heads. Meaning, someone could literally be yelling at them for their attention and they wouldn't notice. Something both have tried working on but have since then given up. This is why it's a shocker when Eddie notices that same movement from earlier from the corner of his eye. Turning his head left he looks over toward the beat-up playground, that probably needed to be taken down. He still has the scar on his hand from when he cut his hand open on one of the bars and had to get a tetnicdes shot. Eyes widened in shock, and not over the fact that the pole that did cause damage to him as a child was still dangling loose but rather to the fact that there. Standing in the open. Was the most gorgeous wolf he has ever seen in his entire life. White fur the reason the animal blends well with the surroundings, snout sniffing out something. Most likely something a neighbor's dog left behind.

"Wayne-" Eddie all but hisses his Uncles name in hopes to gather his attention. Knowing that it was a long shot, but not impossible. He's moving a hand down to his pant pocket. Moving to grab the cheap android that he had been happily living with for years now. No reaction was coming from his uncle, and the wolf was still moving forward a bit. Not seeing them yet. He wasn't sure what gender it was, but from the smaller frame, he was assuming it was a she. And she, currently had her nose in a garbage bag. The rustling noises of plastic echoed over to where Eddie could hear it. He's afraid to turn his head, nervous that she will be gone if he turns it back to watch her. Quickly, before anything can happen he snaps a few photos. Zooming in, and trying to capture as much detail as possible. Though it was difficult, his camera wasn't the greatest and each photo came just a tad more fuzzier than the last.

"Wayne." He says a bit louder, moving his body carefully. Staring at his Uncle, who was sipping his coffee and staring a hole into a neighbor's house. Eddie moves his eyes trying to see what he was looking at, groaning when he realizes he was watching the football game through the window of Tom's trailer. Groaning he moves himself forward, nearly knocking the table next to him over as he slaps Wayne's arm. This time getting his attention. Startled eyes met him and a few curse words followed suit, hanging loosely on the older Munson's tongue. "Shh" Eddie hisses again. One finger to his own lips, if he had been able to reach Wayne's he would be pressing it gently against his mouth dramatically. He moves the same finger that had been on his own lips and carefully points in the direction where the white wolf was still moving around. He's a tad nervous the longer he watches that one of these times the same wolf will get the bag over her head.

"Hot Damn," Wayne mutters under his breath. Obviously just as shocked as Eddie was. It wasn't common for any animal, such as a wolf to come this close to people. Most of them knew that's how they would get shot. Animals were pretty fucking smart, yet this one looked like a newborn baby trying to figure out her own footing. Jumping back with a startled huff, fur sticking up as her back arches in the air as well. Similar to that of a cat, which was strange as they weren't even in the same family tree. The wolf pauses for a few seconds, staring at the bag as if it would come at her. Which it does, as the wind blows it in her direction causing her to startle and sprint away. Snow getting kicked behind her as she does. All sight of her was gone within seconds of first seeing her. Both men are stunned into silence before they look at each other. As if they were both in disbelief.

After a moment Wayne lets a dramatic huff leave him as he moves to stand up. Careful not to drop his mug, his most prized one of them all. A Garfield head that Eddie had given him years ago. "I better go warn the neighbors, I rather not hear a gunshot in the middle of the day when I'm trying to sleep." He grumbles a bit. Moves and shifts his body to the left as he's careful of the step-down.

"Careful old man," Eddie laughs as he moves himself. Staying wrapped up in his blanket, pulling it up higher so that it didn't drag on the ground. Other hand moves to grab the mug, carefully sipping on it before moving to head back inside. Waddling up the steps the same way he came down, to only then pause at the top when he realizes he has full hands and can't open the door. Before he has the second realization that he was just dumb as he sets the mug down on the railing, opens the door, picks the mug back up, and heads inside the slightly heated area.

~~~~~

Sun Kissed Skin; June 28th, 2023

Seven months ago Steve Harrington disappeared. Fell off the face of the earth without leaving so much as a trace of where he went or where he had been. That was the first sign to the the town that he lived in that something wasn't right. How did the golden boy of Hawkins High just vanish? With his BMW still parked in the driveway, every door of his house locked along with both parents out of state with no clue as to where their only son was, and no friends coming forward about his whereabouts, all of it was strange. It was unsettling really, knowing that someone with so many eyes on them at all times could all of a sudden just...be gone. Not only did this puzzle the town it bewildered the police as well, who hadn't found one single answer since the investigation started. As a result, panic spread through the town fear of not knowing what they were dealing with causing mass hysteria. Nothing like this ever happened in a place like Hawkins, Indiana where everyone's front doors were unlocked. There were a few exceptions of course, but everyone knew each other even the out casts that didn't come into the town often.

Knowing this fact it was even more alarming that no one came forward about ever seeing Steve Harrington the week he disappeared. Sure, everyone had been busy with their own family's prepping for thanksgiving. Though that still didn't stop them from being aware of the Harrington household, the only house on the block that wasn't crowded with people. Most Mothers made dishes for the homeless shelter and Steve Harrington, who's parents were never home. No town secret there. So when the police were finally on the case, they found it odd that not one person who brought over food didn't find it strange that the boy didn't answer the door. In every investigation the disappearance of someone was always the complex part of the case, in this situation they didn't even know what day the victim went missing. Which made it ten times more difficult to solve.

With all of the attention on this one single case, the finding of Steve Harrington should have brought some answers to light. Instead, as his naked body was discovered under a pile of snow with no sign of frost bite and somehow still alive this only brought even more questions. Such as, how does someone not remember the last four to five months of their life? Neither Steve or the police know how he got there nor do they know how long he was there. The whole situation wasn't sitting right with anyone because of this there was no surprise that the whole town had been talking. Creating their own fiction around someone's real life, about how well they knew Steve Harrington, even though no one seemed to even realize he was gone until he didn't show up to school or practice. As each person chatted away the rumor train was only getting longer and each caboose derailed off the main point further and further as it moved along the track. It got to the point where there was no main point, just gossip.

Now Eddie wasn't much for gossip, nor was he a fan of trains. What he was very into though was conspiracies. Was JFK really assassinated? Or was the CIA trying to cover up their asses for the Bay of Pigs situation? Questions like those intrigued him in ways that thousand-piece puzzles didn't. As conspiracies could be interpreted in any way you wanted them to, unlike puzzles that were made to create only one understanding and one understanding only. The process of getting to the finished product always the same for each puzzle. Which is how he found himself infatuated with the disappearance of one senior high king, who now would be a super senior high king. Forced to repeat the year that he had missed, along with Eddie who had been there the entire year but just flunked all of his classes.

Eddie was actually supposed to be in summer school right now. Instead he stood outside of a men's changing room, wearing a pair of swim trunks with red flames going up the sides. His attention was not currently on the big pool, with dozens on dozens of people currently swimming, rather his eyes were currently held on what he was sure is a missing piece. Something that lead to the next clue of figuring out the enigma that currently sat in a life guards chair only twenty feet away from him. In his hand he held a sign that had been stapled all over town just months prior to him standing there.The paper was damp, having been on the floor of the swimming pool showers in the men's area. How it got there was unknown to the boy.

Some of the ink was smudged, but Eddie knew what it's purpose was. To help find one Steve Harrington. This had been one of the hundreds of signs that held a perfect photo of Steve Harrington. Who held a perfect smile for the camera that was now printed underneath big red letters spelt "Missing." At the bottom of the photo there was some contact information on who to call if someone had seen him. None of those numbers belonged to Mrs and Mr. Harrington. Something that most of the town had quickly caught onto, along with the lack of life in their house.

What Eddie didn't understand, was why there had been so many posters being put up around town to begin with. Everyone in the small town knew who Steve Harrington was and what he looked like. He was going to be the reason why Hawkins, Indiana was ever going to be known on any map with the way he played on the court. Something that a lot of people in the rural area took to heart. Taking their football and basketball as if it were life or death. The first couple of weeks December had been filled with panic. Instead of worrying about Christmas, most were worried about whether or not Steve Harrington would come back alive. The snow had started to fall and the only thing on their minds were whether or not Steve was going to make it back home in time for the championships. Due to this concern Eddie had seen Steve Harrington's face more times on the TV than Pedro Pascal. A face that was commonly seen on TVs through house windows as you passed by. No matter where anyone looked, Steve Harrington haunted them.

Moving his thumb to smooth out a wrinkle he moves it closer to his face to inspect the detail, not caring where the paper had been. He stares at the photo, like it had somehow mysteriously warped into something else since the last time he seen it. Having a full staring contest, trying not to blink before finally willing his head up to peer across the pool. Squinting through the sun at one of those ridiculously tall chairs that every life guard sat at, trying to get a good look at the new Steve Harrington. He's not too worried about getting caught being a creep. The reason why the pool was way busier than normal wasn't because of the water. It was for the guy that had consumed almost everyone's life for the past year. This was the first proper public appearance he's made since everything that happened, and everyone wanted to see whether or not he had new scars across his body. To theirs and Eddie's disappointment, he was currently wearing a sleeveless Hawkins Pool shirt that stuck to his skin. Matching a pair of tight red shorts with loose white string hanging in his lap.

Even Eddie finally agreed to get half naked in public for the first time in years for this. Something historical was taking place in Hawkins and he didn't want to miss a god damn second. Though now, standing here he was slowly realizing he wasn't missing much. The guy looked painfully just as average as he had before he disappeared. With a slight patch of chest hair poking from the dip of the shirt, that Eddie can't help but squint to try and get a good look at. For personal reasons. He's in the middle of an intense staring contest with the other's hairy chest when he's aggressively shoved to the side. A fit of high pitch giggles filling his ears as he stumbles, left leg going in front of the other as he nearly takes out an empty stroller that had been placed off to the side.

Regaining balance as quickly as possible, he tries to play being upset with Chrissy but every damn time she does that to him hes more and more impressed. How a twig of a cheerleader can nearly tackle an almost two hundred pound guy, was beyond the comprehension skills of one Eddie Munson. Somehow she couldn't open simple things like jars, but had enough strength to nearly break one of his ribs. His eyes crinkle up a little bit as he catches sight of her finally, quickly moving the missing file behind his back before she could chew him out for it. Though that was deemed pointless as her eyes squint a little, obviously suspicious of his reasonings.

"Please tell me that you didn't agree to tag along with me just to ogle Steve." Her tone is sweet, but Eddie knew that was all a ruse. Secretly there was a demon living inside her, that only came out whenever he said or did the wrong thing. Those moments were normally reserved for when they were by themselves but lately Eddie was determined to get her to sock him in front of somebody who was convinced she was an angel. Maybe then they would realize that he, the supposed devil worshiper was really the victim in this relationship. Not Chrissy, who everyone was convinced was being black mailed into being friends with him.

"Um... Maybe?" Eddie says moving himself a few more inches away from where she had cornered him. Sliding himself out of the small space, bare feet going from wet to scorching pavement. Being a bit dramatic he quickly hops up and down a bit with a small yelp as his brain processes the pain. Through the dramatics he's quick to shove the paper into the trash can that was right off to the side of the snack bar. His unplanned tactics of distracting the girl seem to work as he watches her face pinch up in disgust.

"Oh my God, I told you to bring sandals Eddie! What if you catch some mysterious foot fungus and die?" Chrissy gags. Moving to start following along, staying behind him as her eyes slowly fill with amusement at the way he was trying to walk normally. Only to fail with in a few seconds as he hops up and down again, shifting from one foot to another looking absolutely crazy. The only image popping in her head was that of pennywise from the new IT movie that came out a few years ago. The stupid little dance the clown did was very much Eddie, and he was currently doing it unconsciously.

He's to busy trying to find a spot that wasn't already taken to look back at her, and if he was brave enough to do so they both know he would run into someone or fall in the pool with one clumsy trip up. The more he walks, the more he hops up and down. Causing his breathing to be uneven as he finally responds to the other, only after he shoves past a group of kids hogging the deck. His feet finally landing on some wet spots, where kids moved from outside of the pool. Taking this quick moment, against his best judgement he looks behind his shoulder a little making sure his friend was still close behind, not wanting to lose her almost as soon as they entered the small enclosed area.

"Chris, I think you need to cut back on 'The Last Of Us', It might be getting to your head because I will not die from foot fungus." He laughs gently, a small snort leaving him before he turns his head to look back forward. Carefully nodding his head in acknowledgement to a group of kids that he recognized from school. Wincing as his feet lands back onto dry pavement, causing him to bounce a little bit again, hearing the slight laughter from a couple of people around him.

"Athletes foot existed way before that show started to air Munson," Chrissy snorts out as she moves her hand up to her hair, that was down past her shoulders only for a second before she had to tie it up into ponytail for the pool. Wearing two hair ties on her wrist, one that was for her and the other for Eddie. Who had been too distracted with the idea of seeing a boy back from the dead then swimming or looking up pool rules."Now, don't change the topic! Did you? Or did you not come only for Steve Harrington?" She accuses, walking a bit faster to playfully poke the back of the others right shoulder. Green sandals slapping the scolding pavement loudly, nearly hitting the others heels in the process.

"Well there was that one other time when Johnny Depp's face randomly popped up in an ad when I was watching po-"

"Ew, don't you dare finish that sentence dude or I will seriously jump in this pool and drown myself." Chrissy's nose is scrunched up at him in disgust. Gagging lightly as she quickly adds, "And there's children!" She squeals a little bit as they finally find the worst spot to sit at. A small area near the corner of the fence that everyone avoided due to the amount of ants that lived in said corner. Both of them scrunch their noses up at the sight of bugs, Eddie being extra careful not to squish any from underneath him as he held a battle with his sensitive feet.

"Well, you did ask me if I've ever come for anyone but Steve Harrington." Eddie comments with a sleazy smile, tilting his head to look away from the ground back to Chrissy. He knew exactly what he was doing as he keeps squirming around, eyes fleeting down to the towel that the other was carrying along with the bag filled with their things. Snapping his fingers at her to drop the towel to the ground, being impatient. Still doing a slight jig in attempt at making sure to keep his feet from burning to a crisp.

"I should let your feet burn off," She playfully growls, setting the bag down off to the side first, furthest away from the bugs as possible. Purposely not setting the towel down to the ground, knowing exactly what she was doing before quickly rolling up the towel in a tight twist. Swinging it in a small circle to get the twist effect before moving forward and slapping the others side with it, causing a loud slapping noise to go over the buzzing sound of chatter that surrounded them. Eddie yelps out, hand flying to his side skin turning a light pink with little goosebumps forming from where the towel impacted. Now hopping up and down in a little circle, hissing from the pain of his feet and his side. "Feet still hurt?" The girl teases, batting her eyelashes at him playfully. Breaking out in soft giggles when he begins to glare at her, though a softness still left in his demeanor.

"You abuse me woman," he whines in complaint right as she finally lays the towel out evenly on the ground. Barely getting it on the ground before Eddie's standing on top of it with a dramatic sigh. "Poor things were about to turn into fried dogs." He jokes, referencing his feet in a way that he knew Chrissy hated. Earning a small pinch at the fattiest part of his arm, causing him to giggle manically at the other. Closing his eyes for a second as the sun flashes itself into his eyes, blinding him leaving him to only be able to hear Chrissy digging into her bag loudly. Moving item after item around with soft clacks.

After a minute of hearing this, a soft "aha," was heard signaling Eddie to open his eyes to catch sight of Chrissy holding a ugly orange bottle. His nose scrunches up immediately when he sees the horribly animated sun with sunglasses on and goo going down the right side of its face. It was a horrible image and whoever approved it had some serious issues. He's pretty sure he could draw a logo that looked ten times better then that. Realization dawns on him when he realizes that the girl was going to try and put that stuff on him! He hated the feel of cold cream against his skin, and was already coming up with scenarios in his head on how he was going to drown himself as quickly as possible.

"No, you will not be sticking any of that on my body. You know how I feel about having that shit on my skin Chris." Eddie's tone shifts becoming strangely serious for the first time since they got to the pool. He's moving a bit on the towel, shifting from one foot to the other. Causing the towel to scrunch in on itself from each movement. Chrissy steps forward in a threatening way, still holding onto the plastic bottle tightly. As if preparing for war she spreads her limbs out in a way to block him in.

"Eddie, you are whiter than a baby's butt which means you'll get the worst sun burn out of everyone at this pool. It'll only take two minutes tops." Chrissy explains, moving both arms out a little further as she treats Eddie like she would one of her dogs who escaped from the back door.

Eddie doesn't give her a response, stepping back a little bit before he realizes that's what she wanted. The only thing behind him was a fence, that if he were to even brush up against would burn his skin from the scolding metal. Leave pink marks across his skin. Trying to stay on the small island that was created for him, he shuffles the cloth along with him, nearly tripping himself up a few times. Moving backwards until he feels grass tickling the back of his heel. Chrissy was still moving in on him, inches away from throwing herself at him. Something that would push him back, and then he was captured for however long she wanted him.

As predicted she tries to tackle him into the fence, instead with absolutely no grace or dignity Eddie launches himself around her with a slight stumble in his walk. Nearly falling down like a new born fawn. Yelping loudly as his skin touches the hot pavement once again, before he starts to run away from her feeling her close on his tail. The pavement burnt through his heels a lot worse now then when he had been walking, regretting his decision of leaving his shoes in a locked locker in the men's room. Along with his clothes.

Due to the area being crowded it was only a matter of time before someone accidentally fell in... with the help of Eddie of course. Moving around two pretty big guys he accidentally hits a girl and she goes flying in the pool from losing her footing. Instead of stopping to check on her Eddie keeps running feeling like a dick as he does. But under no circumstances was he going to allow Chrissy to put sunscreen on his back. He doesn't stop sprinting when a bunch of people start cursing him out, not afraid of what other people tossed his way. However he attempts to a stop when a loud whistle is heard from above him. Just a few feet in front of him was the life guards chair. If Eddie had been paying attention he would have known said chair held the King of Hawkins. Looking up with a squint of his eyes he watches Steve hop down with ease. As if the height didn't bother him. He's only a couple of feet away from Eddie but it felt like he was mere inches with the way he was glaring at him. Moving and crossing his arms like a disapproving mother.

Eddie nearly tackles him as well, due to the speed he was running at it wasn't like he just stop with just a snap of his fingers. He stumbles a bit in front of the other, nearly smacking into the others chest as his eyes grow wide. Heat growing up the back of his neck and reaching his ears realizing what he had just done. Panting from the lack of air and how hot it seemed to just get his Face goes even more red as he squirms under the eyes of pretty much everybody. A silence falls over the pool, and around it dramatically as if they were in a movie. All thoughts leave his brain as he quickly shuts his mouth that had fallen open from shock. There had only been a handful of times where Eddie had been this close to Steve Harrington each time just a few seconds but with that slight knowledge something seemed off.

"No running, Munson." His voice is raspy and slightly shaky. Sweat was forming above his right brow and Eddie gets to watch the small bead of sweat slide down his face. There was something odd about his eyes, something that sent shivers up and down his back. That wasn't the only thing. A small scar was now taken home on the other's cheekbone, it looked new and was slightly red from the heat. Eddie also notes how the others looked to be a lot more buff than before. Shoulders are a bit sturdier and there was a bit more muscle mass to his biceps that were on full display with the sleeveless shirt. That now at closer inspection looked like he had removed himself from the was loose threads hanging from the seams.

Swallowing, and internally freaking out he moves his hand up and playfully salutes him. "Yes sir." He says. Quickly trying to back up and get away from the other, failing a bit with the amount of people blocking his way. Minutes ago he had wanted to get as close as he physically could to see if there was anything different about the jock. Now that he gotten his wish there was just something off about the other, that didn't settle right in his stomach that he wanted to get away from him as soon as possible. Quickly realizing leaving the spot he stood would be complicated he comes to another quick conclusion. That if he was going to be staring at the other up close longer than anticipated, he would take some form of note about it. Another piece to the puzzle.

The first thing that went in his handy dandy notebook was the way the other held himself with no confidence. Eddie's eyes had flickered down and caught the way the others left hand shakes a little, fingers tapping against his thigh anxiously. Seeming like he didn't want to do this just as much as Eddie didn't want to stand there and take the others scolding. Steve's eyes flickered around nervously, looking around at all of the eyes that were on them. As if he was finally realizing the full extent of how many people were actually watching him a small glimpse of paranoia makes it to his eyes before taking a deep breath. Squeezing his hands into shaky fists as he looks back at Eddie with a look that he couldn't place. Eddie's mouth has gone dry and he doesn't know if he should say anything else or not, feeling Chrissy's hand gently wrapping itself around his wrist and tugging him away from the scene and through the people behind him. He finally lets his body turn after a harder tug moves back in the direction of their corner. Heart beating fast, hands shaking as well.

Even though you would think he would be able to handle confrontations with his personality and the way he carried himself, it was all a sham. He hated confrontations, but if he had to be apart of one he was the one that always started them. Building himself up to use his words, and not just break down from anxiety in front of a person. Few people knew that he wasn't good with confrontations. Chrissy and Garreth were the only ones that knew his secret. Which is why Chrissy's soft hand moves its way down his wrist and gently laces her fingers in his. Knowing that would help keep him grounded. He doesn't lift his eyes to meet anybody, just keeps walking forward as he stumbles over his feet that were still currently on fire. Letting Chrissy lead him where ever she wanted to go, trusting her enough to do so.

To lost in his own thoughts he finds himself in sunscreen all of a sudden. Snapping back to Chrissy rubbing it in circles on his back. In a hidden attempt to loosen up his shoulders that had grown tense since the interaction with Steve Harrington. Hissing he makes an attempt to squirm away, only for the girls nails to dig into his shoulders with a huff. He hated how the lotion felt against the skin, it just didn't feel right. Made his teeth grit together in a way that caused him to cringe and made his skin crawl.

"I can't believe that just happened." She mutters under her breathe. She wasn't the only one, soft murmers were going around the pool along with Steve Harringtons name being tossed around carefully. Eddie's eyes hesitate for a second as he looks up for the first time in ten minutes. Feeling his tail finally removing itself from in between his legs. His attention of course lands onto Steve Harrington. Watching the way his leg bounces up and down, not seeming as relaxed as he had been. Eddie feels bad, guilt blooming at the pit of his stomach. He should have been very careful with how he was running.

Steve never looks over in his direction, so hes free to ogle as much as he wanted. Chrissy didn't seem to believe the same thing. "Will you stop staring, you've already embarrassed both of us enough." She growls a little under her breath. Trying to act more annoyed than what she was. Chrissy had always been more verbally respectful to others privacy. But deep down, Eddie knew that she was just as curious as the rest of them. She was a cheerleader after all, and the amount of gossip she's told him within the last year proved her status and some of the stereotypes

"I'm not staring, I'm only making an observation," Eddie growls back, playfully shoving her a bit. Nearly tipping her over. A smug smirk on his face, before it disappears as he shrieks when she squirts more sunscreen on his back. Back and shoulders tensing up as he starts to sound disheveled, something that Chrissy has described as Goblin noises in the past. "Oh I hate you so much," He grumbles under his breath. Trying to come up with a plan on how he was going to drown her. The only thing he could see himself doing to the other right now. Maybe sit on her, but then he would wait longer then a couple of minutes for her to die, and there was no way his ADHD riddled mind would be willing to sit still that long if he didn't have to. Maybe if she pissed him off good enough, but that wasn't today.

"Oh you love me, and you know it." She grins as he moves her hands and starts to rub the lotion into his skin. Giggling at his pain and suffering. Laughing harder when she sees his face. Though she doesn't miss the way he tenses as Eddie's eyes meet Steve Harrington's, right as he moves down the ladder of his chair. Hes to distracted by the eye contact that he doesn't even see Billy Hargrove standing next to said chair waiting patiently. So his first thought was that he was going to be getting another stern talking to by somebody who was supposed to be dead.

This time as their eyes meet, he notices how soft the other guys eyes looked. The way they fill with a bit of light watching Eddie. As if he was in on the conversation and laughing at his suffering, right in his face. There was some form of familiarity behind them to, as if Eddie has seen his eyes somewhere else. Not from the posters or from the few times he had run into the dude. Though that wouldn't make since. Eddie pauses for a second as his brain starts to franticly think, trying to place what the others eyes reminded him up. After a second he decides he's being dramatic.

Eddie was definitely just being dramatic. That was all. He only relaxes when the brief eye contact is broken when Steve turns to start walking around the pool. Probably the end of his shift, or the beginning of his lunch break. His eyes flick back over to Hargrove who was not all that bad on the eyes, but personality wise? Yeah Eddie would rather admit roadkill was hot before admitting Billy Hargrove was attractive. Though that didn't mean he couldn't take a moment to appreciate the guys tits when no one was looking. He's snapped from his thoughts as Chrissy slaps the base of his back, a bit close to his ass. Cringing at the realization that he indeed been staring at not only Steve Harrington a little to long but Billy Hargrove.

"So... whats your obervations Sherlock?" Chrissy teases. Moving and wiping her hands off on the others trunks. Not caring that it left a white smeer on his brand new swim shorts. Rolling his eyes he gags looking at the damage, pausing before he starts to answer.

"Thanks Chris looks like someone came on me." He grumbles in a joking tone, knowing that she wouldn't appreciate the joke. He doesn't bother trying to wipe it off. That meant he would have to actually touch it with his own hands. That was definitely something he wasn't interested in doing, he would rather die then have to touch sun screen more then he has to. "Though wouldn't you like to know?" He says sassily tilting his head back. Face scrunching up with regret as the sun beams right into his eyes causing him to make a goblin like face.

Chrissy huffs, "I actually would. You got a better look at him then I did."

"Thought we weren't here to ogle Steve Harrington?" He moves his head to look back at the girl. Little black spots forming in his vision from just staring at the sun a second ago. His eyes were still a bit blurry but he could tell when his best friend was currently blushing. Trying to hide her face by looking down as she pulls her hair up tightly in a pony tail. Getting it situated before looking up and glaring at Eddie. Moving forward, turning him around easily and pulls his hair a bit aggressivly, not enough to hurt as she puts it up in a struggling bun.That would most likely snap at any moment if he even messed with his hair on purpose.

Wincing a bit he understands the point that she was trying to get across without any words. "Fine, now will you knock it off I'll tell you what I seen." He groans. Chrissy simply hums in aproval, playing nicer as she moves stretching a bit as she looks at the pool. Watching as crowds of people leave, now that their entertainment was gone. Which meant more room in the pool for her to do laps. It was a win win for everyone but Steve Harrington.

"Well, he has some scar on his cheekbone that wasn't there before." Eddie mutters softly. Not wanting anyone else to hear this. He didn't want to be the source of some rumors. He's been at the butt end of them and knew that they didn't feel all that great.

Chrissys head snaps to look at him curiously, eyes slightly widened as she listens. "He.. he seemed very antsy. Everything that you expect from someone who was under everyones eyes. Though that may be Steve Harrington, that is no King. The guy looked like he was close to a panic attack." He whispers seriously. "I kind of feel like crap for being the one to force him off his throne." He admits.

It all starts to click into place the more he thinks about it. That something that he couldn't place earlier about Steve Harrington when he first seemed him earlier, was starting to place itself in front of his face. Same face, same person but different stance. He wasn't sitting on the life guard chair as if he was a proud king like he once had. Instead, he slouched a bit as if he was deflated by the world around him. The old Steve was well known to flourish under the limelight, grin cockily under the eyes as if that's exactly what he wanted. The image that pops into Eddie's head when he first thinks of Steve Harrington was when he had been lifted up into the air by his team after winning the championships the year before last as a junior. His grin was huge and he sat on the people's hands like he craved the touch. Now though?

The guy looked like he was mentally destroyed, image shattered to pieces and crown left abandoned on his pillow. Whatever happened to Steve Harrington, must have really fucked him up to have a personality change that huge.

~~~~~

Death of a family member; June 2023 (the same day)

Eddie's hair was damp and falling loosely over his shoulders as he entered his trailer. Sniffling as his eyes still stung from leaving them open in the pool water for so long. They were probably a bit red, showcasing how agitated they were. He closes the door behind him with a soft click as he moves to take care of his swim trunks. In other words, they were going to probably find themselves underneath his bed until he finally moved out. That was still a while away. Moving to walk to his room he can hear the slight creaking of Wayne moving around in the bathroom. "Wayne, I'm home!" He yells loudly as he walks by the door. Hearing the loud grunt of acknowledgment. Not hearing much more he does what any civilized guy would do. Throws his soaked trunks on the floor and stumbles happily to his guitar. Sloppily kissing the frame of it dramaticly, as if the object had feelings.

"Hey, sweetheart." He pratically giggles before he moves on his heel to go see what his Uncles plans were for the night. Moving and plopping himself down on the couch waiting for a few minutes before he hears the footsteps coming towards him. Wayne walks out looking like he got hit by a train. Though that was just the good old trailer park charm as he smiles softly at Eddie. Looking exhausted as he moves to plop down next to him with a loud grunt. Some nights the two would go out to the diner to eat, though just one look at the older man and Eddie knew that wasn't the case for tonight.

Its always a bit awkward having any physical contact with Wayne. That was just the way the guy was. So Eddie wasn't to shocked when Wayne stiffens up when Eddie moves and lays his wet head on his shoulder. Something that he has done numerous times since hes moved in with the guy. Sniffling a bit Eddies eyes land on the tv, seeing it flick on. A few seconds pass before Wayne has had enough and playfully shoved the other off from him. "Get off me you wet rat." He grumbles a bit. A obvious wet spot left on the others shoulder from his curls. Eddie grins as he leans closer.

"Thought you loved me Wayne." He teases playfully, earning a flick to the forehead. He's about to curse the older man out when they both jump startled at the loud crashing noise that came from the side of their trailer. They had grown used to raccoons coming in and scavenging through their garbages. What they hadn't heard before was the high pitch squeel of said racoon. Something was off and they were both leaping up to check on the issue. Eddies halfway down the steps before Waynes body was able to fully move off the couch. So he makes it there to see the sight first.

There she stood, right in front of him in all of her wolf glory. If Eddie wasn't so nervous about being this close to a dangerous animal he would be grinning ear to ear knowing that he was finally going to be able to add more detail to a few of his drawings. His memory finally being refreshed, it had been a few months since the last time he saw her. He freezes immediately, copying the same stance Chrissy had with him earlier. Sending a side eye to Wayne who quickly slows down when he senses danger. Moving around the trailer slowly, they both take in the sight of a white wolf with its jaw wrapped around a raccoons neck. Squirming a bit as it fought for its life, before it suddenly stopped moving with one last huff of air. Eddie feels a shiver go up his spine realizing that the animal didn't know they were there. Which was shocking as he's sure he shook the whole trailer from how fast he moved to get outside.

He watches the way its fur raises up in the air a bit, the ears pulled back as it finally lifts its head up. From here he can tell that the wolf was very much a she. Heart beating in his chest his eyes connect with the feral creature, whose eyes were a dusky brown. Though the darkness of her eyes had a bit of light in them as she stayed stiffened. He knew her. Saved his life even, just a couple of months prior before she disappeared. He doesn't expect her to remember him but it seems she does as she doesn't start growling at them like a normal animal would. Though it doesn't stop her from being nervous.

Its as if she was more afraid of them then they were with her. A bit ironic as she was the one with blood in her fur, while their hands were clean. She could rip them apart with just her teeth while they most likely needed a shot gun to take her down. Which neither of them had, which only meant that she was save. So why she was scared of them especially of Eddie was confusing him. Pushing his luck a bit, he hopes that she trusts him enough to not bite his arm off in his attempt to shoo her away. The trailer park was a dangerous place to be as a wolf, every trailer pretty much had a shot gun inside.

Eddie moves his hand carefully, not to fast so he didn't make her think that he was trying to attack her. Signaling for her to go before someone else saw her and decided to take manners in their own hands. He smiles gently as she moves in understanding. She wasn't all that dumb after all. Though unlike the last time he seen her, her frame had gotten bigger. Bigger then what a typical wolf looked like. Another observation that her fur looked a lot more soft, and somehow more clean. He wondered if he ever got the chance to run his hands through her fur whether it would feel less matted compared to last time. Though how she got it that clean was beyond him.

Then she was gone. A blur with the trees as he finally moves himself to pick up the trashcan. He shakes his wet hair around a bit before standing up and arching his back a little in a attempt to pop it. Acting as if it was any other day in the neighborhood. Wayne was still standing pretty shocked. "I've never seen a wolf listen to somebody before." He comments suspiciously. He knew how Eddie was with animals in the surrounding area. Helping any stray that he could. Even if it risked his own life. He could still feel the pain in his ass from the time he had to a rabies shot after getting nipped by a stray cat. The shot hurt more then the bite itself.

"Eddie... you aren't trying to make friends with her are ya boy?" Wayne asks with a raised eyebrow. Crossing his arms around his chest, trying to act authoriative. Which was a bit amusing to watch as he had never ever laid his foot down to Eddie ever. Never said no to one thing the kid wanted. Even if he couldn't afford to get it, he would somehow get his hands on what it was.

"No, I am not Wayne." Eddie huffs amused. Moving over to be a bit closer to him. With a soft sincire smile. "This is honest to god, the first time I've seen her in the last couple of months." He says truthfully. Playfully patting his Uncles shoulder. Then he walks around the older man to be the first back into the trailer, leaving the door open. Not to worried about letting the bugs inside. He moves to the fridge first grabbing a beer, before he is plopping himself back down on their couch. Flinching when he feels a particularly hard spot hit the the bottom of his spine. Grunting in pain he rubs the spot gently before he watches Wayne walk in. Gently closing the door behind him.

"So..." Wayne drags the word out. Moving himself around their coffee table carefully as he pulls out a cigeratte to smoke. Eddie would have shared it with him, but he found himself more interested in pulling his grinder off from the side and a small bag of weed and papers that he always made sure to set in his normal but very hidden spot. Already in the process of rolling up a joint as the other tries to bring up a subject.

"So?" Eddie asks. Unsure what the other was trying to get at now. Sometimes it was a serious so, where they had a conversation about his grades. Sometimes it was a good so, where Wayne would tease him about forgetting something, or breaking something that had already been broken numerous times before.

"So... Did you go to the pool for the same reason everyone else went?" He teased playfully. Nosiness was very common in the Munson family so Eddie wasn't to surprised that Wayne had caught onto him already.

"Yeah, we both know I look like a drowning possom when I try to swim. Nothing in this world could every convince me to get in water again." Eddie complains. Still fumbling with his hands. A few minutes pass and Eddie has finally got the thing lit and in his mouth. Sucking the smoke in and releasing it into the trailer around him. The smell was a common thing in the trailer park so neither of them flinched to much. Or worried. Silence falls around then along with the smell of pot.

"Seen him come in to get his car checked out earlier. First time it was driven since he disappeared," Wayne comments not moving his eyes away from the Tv. Eddie shakes his head amused, Wayne was worst then any neighborhood gossip. "Didn't look to hot either," he adds.

"No- he didn't act like it either." Eddie comments. Not many more words are passed about the topic. It had been one that came up a few times around each other but other then that they pretended to not be interested in it.

"Make sure to be more careful, don't want to be putting up missing flyers with your goofy ass face. God knows they'll scare half the town away." Wayne jokes smoothly. Causing Eddie to laugh, throwing his head back. High settling in as he feels warmth blooming through his body. Though he knew the other was being serious, in his own way.

"I will Uncle Wayne, I will."

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