#just want to add: i know eddie wasn't the only one going through something

[alkaysani]

i know we're tired of the lawsuit arc because it was beat to death by the uwu buck stans but c'mon it was actually so good especially if you, i don't know, actually watch it and take in the fact that it was all about eddie and how he's starting to fall apart after repressing so much of his hurt and anger about shannon wanting to divorce him, he doesn't get to feel anything about that because she dies, and before he can grieve him, he's surrounded by family that's wanting to take his kid, and so he focuses on that

and he gets back to work as some sort of reprieve but no, this guy he met a few months ago who has now become one of his closest friend gets crushed by a firetruck, and i know we don't see what happens between s2 and s3 but s3 really starts with eddie having enough access in buck's life to be able to come into his apartment and pull him out of his bed, so they got close. they're best friends, and he knows his best friend is going through it, and he had a moment of 'maybe he should just suck it up' and was corrected and he tried to correct himself by giving said friend his heart because nothing lightens his day more than chris, and a tsunami hits them, and he thinks everything is okay because they're in the movies but no, suddenly, he's living in a world where his kid is dead, even for just a few seconds, eddie lived in a world where chris was gone, atop of everything else

and we know he feels a lot about it, feels so much about it, that he gives his best friend his heart again, because there is no one else in the world he trusts more than him, and there's that lightness, that reprieve for a little bit you know, but then the nightmares start. the nightmares start and his kid is suffering and hiding things from him and suddenly he feels like he is dragging his kid down, and he wants to help him, and he needs help to, but at this point there is still so much pride in him, he never want to see weak, so he turns it all in, and leaves it there and he doesn't ask for help, he wants to ask for help, but at this point he can't because he can't talk to his best friend because he sued, so when he sees him again, he's just so sad and he's so angry, and there's so much pain in that, and it's easy to just ignore it, and be angry because at least that hurt he can control. but he's only angry at himself for never being good enough, but never angry towards his friend, never his friend, who he forgives the moment they talk again, because even after all of that, he is still loving and he is still kind despite of all the pain and the anger

eddie goes through so much and he works through so much during the lawsuit and i hate that it's shadowed by how a lot of folks in fandom just made it all about buck when it had some of eddie's best character development full of hurt and angst and hope and life, and just, it's so good, but nah, majority don't see that. they just see this angry man being mean to their boy that can do no wrong and it's just unfair

[undreaming-fanfiction]

In honor of Easter...

Eddie Munson can't sleep. Maybe it was the almost expired can of spaghetti that he had for dinner, maybe it's the new campaign he's itching to plan, maybe it's being back in the Hawkins High with yet another fight for graduation he's bound to lose because his literature teacher was yet another victim of Danny Munson's petty crimes, and what better revenge than to repeatedly fail his son that Danny lost to social services ten years ago?

Or maybe it's the weird rustling under his window.

Now Eddie, he's a survivor. He runs, yes, but that's because there's nothing to protect. His honor? Oh please.

But if there's someone trying to break into the only real home he's ever known? That's different.

He grabs an empty beer bottle that he's been intending to throw out for a week or so and heroically - and stupidly - jumps out of his window. He expects to maybe land into a bush. Do a superhero landing or something.

What he doesn't expect is a pained wheeze and "what the fuck?!" yelled by his landing zone.

Eddie scrambles back to his feet and raises the bottle. Perhaps he should have broken it first to make it more threatening? He swings it against the trailer wall and it shatters almost completely, leaving him with a small ring of glass in hand.

The figure he landed on curses again and tries to scramble back on their feet.

Eddie raises the pitiful remains of the bottle. "Uh. Stop you...you scoundrel!" he threatens, except it doesn't sound like a threat, more like a plea. "Or I'll stab you with this..." he looks at the glass ring again, "...with this."

He hopes the intruder will flee. More likely, he's going to be jumped, punched and killed. But what Eddie absolutely does not expect is the town's pretty boy, Steve Harrington, dusting his knees and glaring at Eddie with hands on hips like a pissed off soccer mom. "Jesus Christ, Munson, are you trying to wake up the whole park?" he hisses.

Eddie suddenly feels very stupid. He lets go of the broken bottle and it lands in the dirt with a quiet clink. "Harrington? Uh...dude, I mean no disrespect and all, but why are you under my window?"

Steve's look could kill. "It's Easter tomorrow, what do you think I'm doing? Hiding eggs." He points to the basket full of eggs nearby.

It makes sense. Except it doesn't. Eddie pokes the eggs and they don't explode, so at least that's good. "Why on earth would you, Steve "the Hair" Harrington, be hiding eggs in a trailer park? Don't you have like, a fancy neighborhood to do this in? With Belgian chocolate eggs and champaigne for the bored moms and stuff like that?"

Steve sighs and runs fingers through his hair. Eddie notices with a pang of guilt that it's flattened where his foot landed. That's also a good moment to realize that he's only in his boxers and a t-shirt and barefoot.

But Steve doesn't seem to notice. He just vaguely gestures around. "Those neighborhoods have committees and stuff like that. And it's normal there. Look, I don't think local kids have a lot of good stuff going on. I know one of them, and she deserves to have one day like a normal kid, no worries, no thinking if her mom can afford it. So I'm preparing an egg hunt here. Or I was, before someone half-naked dropped on top of me and shattered a bottle over a pretty good hiding spot I found."

"Shit! Sorry!" Eddie immediately starts picking up the shards, or at least tries to in the dark. At least until a large hand grabs his own.

"Christ, Munson! Stop!" Steve hisses. "Do you want to cut yourself? I will just move the egg somewhere else and pick up the glass before it starts in the morning. And for fuck's sake, stop moving! Do you want to step on a shard?"

That finally calms Eddie down. He sighs and hangs his head down. "You know, Harrington, one might think you're a good dude. If one wasn't careful."

Steve nudges his side. "One should be careful. Now come on, I will give you a boost." When Eddie stares at him, he adds: "to your window. You want to go back to sleep, no?"

Eddie clears his throat. "Actually, I was thinking I'd love to grab my sneakers and help you, I know a lot of good hiding spots. Is that cool?"

Harrington thinks for a moment, then he nods. "Yep, cool. Now, do you need a lift?"

Back in the familiar clutter of his bedroom, Eddie thinks it was a fever dream, a hallucination from a food poisoning, the final revenge of the spaghetti can.

But then he hears Harrington whisper after him: "Don't you dare come out without those sneakers, Munson! No bare feet are getting near shattered glass on my watch!"

And Eddie just snickers, leans out of the window and whispers back: "For you, big boy? I'll even wear pants!"

[dearhargrove]

Reassurance

summary You comfort Evan after he has to deal with his parents over the course of four days.

word count 730

tags fluff, just someone being there for my bb buck, short and sweet

a/n So basically I was watching the Buck Begins episode and died every minute where his parents neglected him and generally every second of that episode :( so expect some more Buck fics to come (Eddie too tho !!)

masterlist

You didn't know but you were probably the sole reason Buck wasn't completely breaking down every day he wakes up and has to deal with the two people that call themselves his parents.

After the first dinner he had felt bad, but he'd felt like he usually does with them. Alone, unwanted and never enough. That day he'd come home to you, quiet and dull.

You hadn't made him talk about it when he didn't start explaining himself, instead you simply wrapped your arms around him and held him close. That's when he'd felt loved. That night he waited until you had fallen asleep before letting himself cry.

What did he expect? For some reason he had hoped they'd changed. Or at least that they would be proud of him. After all, he'd saved a lot of people and does so every day. Instead he is reminded that they hadn't bothered to check on him when he almost died twice - first by being crushed and second because of the blood clots - and then laid in the hospital.

Those were the people supposed to love him no matter what and all he got was constant criticism.

That night you had woken up not long after him because of his missing warmth. With a worried expression you'd found him and once again, held him close. He had melted into your arms, tears starting to fall again as he clutched you close as if scared to lose you.

After reassurance you would gladly give any day you had gone back to bed, your hand on his cheek and caressing his birthmark.

Today you hadn't even known Buck would see them or be confronted by their doings. The last time you'd heard about them was when he explained that he had a brother. That he was only conceived to be a match for a bone marrow transplant.

That night had been harder than the one before. You're quite sure no matter how much you tried to show him that he wasn't just a failed way to save someone you don't think it got completely through to him. And you didn't blame him; you couldn't imagine living with something like that weighing you down.

You're in his kitchen trying one of Bobby's recipes when the door opens and Buck comes in. You could read him like a book; there wasn't a moment you weren't able to tell what he was feeling. But now? You genuinely didn't know.

He was frowning but there's a smile resting on his face and his eyes are red.

“Buck?”

He looks up, seeing you there in his sweater with a knife in your hand as you chop vegetables for a recipe from Bobby he loved, and he breaks. But instead of simply crying he chuckles, too.

“Buck, what's going on?” Your voice is worried and he just shakes his head as he wraps his arms around your waist and presses his forehead to yours. You put the knife down and reach up to cup his face and your index finger soothes over his birthmark, something you'd made a habit over the year of being with him.

“I think they're finally accepting me for.. me.” He only says and you sigh but nod. He notices your slight apprehension and quickly adds on, “But I don't want them to. I don't need their acceptance. They don't decide how much I'm worth.”

Your mouth forms an ‘o’ in surprise but you laugh breathlessly and nod, “Exactly. You're saving lives on the daily, you don't need anyone to tell you how good you are. Not your parents, not your friends, not me.”

He nods along until the last part where he cocks his head and looks at you with his signature half smirk. “I do need you to tell me how good I am, actually.” That makes you smile as well and you sigh, “That's not what I meant and you know it.”

He just shrugs and unlike when he first came in you can see pure happiness and love on his face.

“God, I love you so much, Evan Buckley.”

He grins and surges forward to kiss you passionately, his hands gripping your hips as if you'd slip through his fingers any moment.

[valenschmidt]

Let’s not spread false information - it’s never been said it WAS supposed to be Tommy & Eddie. It was said it was a possibility, not a guarantee, but it quickly fell through.

Then Tim revisited the idea of bisexual Buck that got shot down (by Fox, I assume cause, well, Fox) and he then made the effort to specifically get Lou, because he is fond of him and yes there would be no need to introduce a brand new character and thus Tim started writing his lil romcom as he calls it.

Well if you wanna get technical let's get technical...

Tim Minear confirmed that he wanted Lucy in the very beginning but since Arielle was not available THAT LEFT TOMMY. So no, he didn't get Tommy because he was revisiting the idea of bi Buck. It was the other way around. BECAUSE Lou was available and Arielle wasn't, Tim decided to revisit the idea he had had during s4.

So no... He didn't make the effort. Lou just was available and Tim didn't want to introduce a new character to explore Buck's sexuality and therefore Tommy

They even let us know in the show that Hen requested for Lucy and Tommy just happened to be there

And then he had to choose... Ryan himself confirmed during my previously mentioned podcast interview that he didn't know to which one of them that storyline was gonna go so yes it was a "possibility" but it went to Buck because Tim (and maybe Ryan) didn't believe that it was a storyline that fit Eddie so Tim went to Oliver instead. Oliver also confirmed that he was approached with the Tommy idea in the early days of preparing either eps 2 or 3 so it was something that was decided as they were filming so Tommy definitely wasn't the original plan

It was ALSO confirmed yes that the main reason Tommy was chosen to be Buck's first male love interest is because Tim didn't want to introduce a new character which doesn't go into bt favor since Tommy's place could literally be filled by any other man

So yes Tim chose him but trust me when I say he's no Endgame. Especially after all the trouble bt have been causing. Tim called it an entry relationship and yes Tommy is important to Buck because he's his first boyfriend. But there are no wedding bells in the horizon...

ALSO LET ME ADD! Thanks to the lovely @/fiooredimaggioo on Twitter that Buck was supposed to have a big storyline involving Natalia and their break up that was gonna go throughout s7 but because Natalia's actress wasn't available this was scrapped

And as we've been able to see in canon... there is nothing tender and positive about their relationship because Tommy doesn't actually listen to Buck or understand him. So yes... bucktommy is canon now but with the way he's been excluded from every promo/bts/content since they started filming (even though we all know he's coming back) well that doesn't sound good, does it???

AND because I'm petty I'm gonna add this. During the days previous to S7 Tim kept posting buddie stills on his Facebook account (the first one he ever posted was of Eddie himself)

Clearly you can tell Tim has a favorite right??? And I shouldn't even bring up the first still of s8 he posted just a couple of days ago...

Oliver liked a couple of bucktommy posts yes but after 7x04 he never liked a bucktommy post again and just kept liking and posting buddie content

And to finalize...

The ONLY post he liked post 7x10 was a buddie one so... if Oliver himself had to choose Buck's Endgame well the choice is pretty clear

Hoped this helped...

[of-a-chaotic-mind]

Hey Bartender

Summary: Reader thinks it's just another shift of bartending but instead meets a drunk golden retriever that sets her up with his best friend.

TW/CW: Eddie Diaz x Reader, Get Together

Requested?: No 

Word Count: 4,087

A/N: I realized I always write reader as a fellow firefighter and wanted to try my hand at not doing that lol. You know I just had to add a drop of angst in there lmao. Anyways, hope you enjoy the read! Much love to all! Requests are Open!

--- Your POV --- 

    It's another Saturday night, and I'm expecting just as many jackasses as usual... Let me tell you, bartending pays well but damn does it suck ass. If I had a nickel for every time a douche bag hit on me, I wouldn't need to bartend, I could just live on my own private island. If I had a dollar for every decent man that ever hit on me, I'd be living on the streets if it weren’t for my weekly paychecks.  

    I drop my bag in the back office and head to the bar, throwing my hair up into a messy bun on the way. When I round the corner of the hallway out into the main area, I can see my coworkers Tiana and Grayson struggling to keep up. I slide through the swinging door with ease and begin taking orders. Soon, the chaos has died down some and I'm able to send Tiana home.  

    A rowdy bunch of college guys, that I see often, come in as she leaves. I raise my voice, "Hey! Don't come in here acting a fool, y'all know better." They sarcastically salute me or wave dramatically before making their way to their favorite table in the corner.  

    A tall, older, and muscular guy takes a seat on the stool in front of me, "You must be the boss lady around here," he states pointing back toward the college kids. 

    I scoff, "Might as well be but no. Our boss tends to only show up when it's slow. What can I get ya?" 

    The man laughs, "Two Jack and Coke, please." 

    I nod and turn around to reach for the Jack Daniels but find it exactly where I had repeatedly told Grayson not to put it, on the top shelf. Placing my hands on my hips, I turn toward my coworker, "Hey, dickhead!" He looks up immediately but I only point in the direction of the bottle I need. He grins with a laugh as he approaches me, grabs the bottle, and passes it down to me. As he returns to the customer, he was helping I gripe, "I swear you only do that to piss me off." 

    He looks at me, still wearing that stupid grin, "Yup, sure do!" 

    I roll my eyes and proceed to finish making my customer's Jack and Coke. When I set the glasses down in front of him, he admits, "If he wasn't making my gaydar go off, I'd be concerned." 

    I laugh, "Yes, Grayson is gay. He's basically my annoying little brother that enjoys making my life difficult." 

    The man laughs, "I'm Tommy," he points behind him, "The one waving his arms around like a crazy person is my lovely boyfriend, Evan." 

    I watch Evan animatedly tell his story for a beat before responding, "I'm (Y/N). What on earth is he talking about?" 

    Tommy shakes his head, "I don't really know. I love listening to him speak, don't get me wrong, but sometimes I zone out because I'm too focused on how pretty he is." 

    This makes me laugh extra hard, "I could see that." 

    Tommy pulls far more than enough cash out of his wallet to pay for the drinks and hands it to me, "Keep the change. See you around, (Y/N)." 

    I nod and watch him leave before jumping because Grayson speaks right in my ear, "He was cute!" 

    I shake my head, "He's gay and taken." 

    Grayson pouts, "Damn... A loss for us both I guess." I laugh and start cleaning up around the bar. 

    Sometime later, I notice something suspicious out of the corner of my eye. There's a gruff looking man leaning far too close to a girl who looks at least half his age. At first glance, I wouldn't even be sure she's old enough to drink but considering they card everyone at the door, she's at least 21 and this man looks to be in his late 40s or early 50s. She is very obviously uncomfortable and from the way her eyes dart around I can tell she's looking for an escape route. 

    I place my hand on Grayson's shoulder, still keeping an eye on her, "I'll be right back." He follows my line of sight and nods in understanding. As I pass the cooler on my way to her, I blindly grab a bottle of water. I step beside her, opposite the man, and place my hand on her shoulder and the water on the table in front of her, "Here's that water you ordered, sweetie." 

    "Aw, I just brought you a drink, Baby. You haven't even touched it yet. You don't need that water, do ya?" the subtleties his voice makes my skin crawl. 

    She avoids eye contact with him as she opens the water and takes a sip before looking me dead in the eyes, "Thank you. Could you point me to the bathroom, please?" 

    I nod, "Sure, I'll walk you there." She hops down from her stool and I put myself between her and the man.  

    I point in the direction we need to go but as she starts that way, the man grabs my right arm, "I think I can handle walking her to the bathroom. Besides, your coworker looks pretty busy over there." 

    I turn slowly to face him. I look down at where his hand is clamped around my right bicep and then back at his face, "I suggest you remove your hand from my body before I remove it from yours." By now everyone in the bar is zeroed in on us. I even notice Tommy, Evan, and a couple of their friends get up from their table. 

    His grip tightens, "I said," spits flecks across my face as he speaks through gritted teeth and with a menacing smile, "I can show her to the bathroom." 

    I wipe my face with my left hand, "Last chance, pal. You have three seconds." I give him a few seconds as promised before using my right hand to remove his hand from my arm, twisting it outwards with a small crack. Anger now replacing the smile on his face, he lunges at me but I drive the palm of my left hand straight into his nose.  

    He doubles over in pain, holding his nose as blood leaks through his fingers, "You bitch!" 

    I glare down at him, "That shit doesn't fly in my bar," I point to the bouncers, snap my fingers, and point down at the piece of shit at my feet. Already on standby, they immediately make their way through the crowd to collect him. I turn to check on the girl and escort her to the bathroom. 

--- Third Person POV --- 

    Bobby and Athena meet the bouncers at the puddle of filth who is still writhing in pain, "My husband is just gonna make sure he doesn't need a stop at the hospital on his way to the police station," she says, as she flashes her badge. The bouncers take a step back to let Bobby work. Athena turns to speak to (Y/N) but finds her already heading toward the bathrooms with the girl.  

    Bobby stands and wipes his hands on a napkin, "Alright, Athena, to the slammer. As far as I can tell she just broke it. No serious damage."  

    Athena nods and looks toward the door where two officers enter. When they approach her, she explains what happened and gives them instructions. A few feet away, Buck leans toward Tommy, "I wonder where she learned to do that." 

    Wondering the same thing, Eddie looks over as Tommy answers, "She had an Army Sergeant's insignia tattooed on her wrist." 

    Eddie nods, "That'll do it." 

    Buck looks toward the bathrooms, "A badass, former Army Sergeant, who can take down a man twice her size...," he looks at Eddie, whose eyes are locked in the same direction, "You should get her number." Eddie rolls his eyes and soon the three are ushered back to the table by Athena and Bobby. 

--- Your POV --- 

    As we arrive at the bathrooms, I wait with the girl in silence. When the door opens and another lady exits, she moves to enter before looking back at me, "Thank you." 

    I nod, "I'll be at the bar if you need me." She nods before entering the bathroom. I make my way back towards the bar and as soon as I round the corner, the college boys in the corner start whooping and hollering. The rest of the bar erupts to join them. I quickly return to the bar, grinning and shaking my head.  

    When the commotion dies down, one of the college kids loudly slurs out, "That, ladies and gentlemen, is why we don't fuck with (Y/N)." Many in the bar laugh before returning to their friends and drinks. Not too long later, I watch the girl meet a few friends at the door and make their way to a table. She smiles at me as she passes. I smile back. 

    I take and make a few more orders before letting Grayson know I'm taking a few minutes for a smoke break. After what feels like too short of a break, I'm checking notifications on my phone when I pass Grayson who grabs my shirt. I look at him in confusion, "What?" 

    He nods toward the other end of the bar where Evan is sat blowing bubbles into a fresh Jack and Coke, "said he wanted to ask you something." 

    Still bewildered, I make my way over to Evan, "What's up, Buttercup?" 

    He snaps his head up from his drink and grins at me before slurring out, "I was wondering if I could have your number," and is quick to add, "b-but not for me! I have a hot pilot boyfriend," the grin on his face gets even bigger, "I'm gonna give it to my friend Eddie who's been staring at you all night," he thinks for a split second, "He also seemed very disappointed when he saw you leave a little bit ago."  

    I laugh but before I can say a single word he goes on, "I came up here and asked your coworker if you were done for the night but he said you were just on break so I waited until you came back." He keeps rambling on and on as I grab a sticky note pad and pen from under the counter. I jot my name and number down. Normally, I wouldn't do this but these Evan and Tommy dudes seem decent so I figure their friend Eddie can't be too bad.  

    Evan is still going when I remove the note and press the sticky side to his forehead. He stops abruptly mid word, "Sweet! I'm Buck by the way." With that, it seems our conversation has come to an end as he gets up and returns to his table, not even removing the sticky note. 

--- Third Person POV --- 

    Hen giggles, “I think the golden has retrieved something.” 

    Tommy follows her line of sight and notices Buck stumbling back toward the table with something attached to his forehead; question already locked and loaded for when he's in earshot, "Whatcha got there?" Buck stops and attempts to pose heroically which makes everyone giggle. Tommy reaches up with one hand to remove the note and pats the bench beside him with the other, prompting Buck to plop down and lay his head on Tommy's shoulder. Realizing what his boyfriend has done, he looks over to Eddie, "I believe this is for you," and hands him the note. 

    Confused, Eddie takes the paper and reads it before looking at Buck with a facial expression that reads, "Seriously?" 

    Buck grins proudly as Maddie nudges Eddie, "You so should text her." 

    Chimney grins, "Or if you're man enough you can call her." Eddie glares at him, very clearly annoyed. He looks down at the paper in his hands and thinks for a few seconds before nudging Tommy and Buck out of the booth. He ignores the excited gasps and "ooo"s that break out behind him and makes his way to the bar. 

--- Your POV --- 

    I look up from the beer I'm pouring and notice one of Tommy and Buck's friends heading my direction. I top the beer off and hand it to the college kid in front of me just as the newcomer takes a seat to my left. He's staring straight ahead and hasn't said a word. 

    I wipe my hands off on a towel and grab a glass before crossing the short distance between us, "You're either a whiskey guy or a fruity cocktail guy. What'll it be?" 

    He smiles and tilts his head as he looks at me, "Whiskey, please." 

    I nod and turn around, aiming to grab the bottle of Jack I left on the other counter but find it has mysteriously moved back up to the top shelf. I whip my head in Grayson's direction but his back is turned to me. Placing my hands on my hips I glare up at the bottle. "Do you need me to-" Eddie tries to ask but instead I step up onto a shelf under the counter and climb up to stand on the granite, promptly procuring the bottle, "Guess not," I hear Eddie chuckle behind me as I scrunch up the towel on my shoulder and throw it at Grayson.  

    It nails him right in the back of the head, although not all very hard. He turns around grinning until he notices me still standing on the counter. An expression of fear almost crosses his features before he speaks, "Rodney will have your ass for standing on his counter," a teasing hint of humor in his tone. 

    I flip him off, "Rodney can suck a dick. I'd say you should too but you'd enjoy it too much," I punctuate my sentence by jumping down from the counter. Grayson doubles over in laughter as I turn back to my customer, who is also laughing his ass off. 

    As I pour the whiskey, I ask, "So, are you the Eddie that Buck mentioned?" 

    He looks back at the table where his friends are very clearly pretending to not be watching, minus Buck who is staring at us with his chin in his hands. He looks down at his whiskey, "Yeah," and takes a sip. 

    I tilt my head at him, "You don't seem too thrilled." 

    He makes eye contact with me, "To be honest, my heart is racing a mile a minute. I'm not like wasted or anything but uh," he looks back at the table and then at his glass, "I've got enough liquor in my system right now that when Chimney challenged that I wouldn't call you, I was like, 'Oh yeah? Watch this,'" he looks up at me again, "So, here I am with no clue what to say and possibly making a fool of myself." 

    I can't help but laugh, "I've had plenty of men make fools of themselves in front of me. I promise, you sir, are not one of them." 

    He smiles at this and is quiet for a few beats before asking, "Would it- would it be okay if I called you?" 

    I give him an "are you serious?" look, "Eddie, if it wasn't okay for you to call me, I wouldn't have given Buck my number." I swear I see him blush as he looks down at his glass again, nodding. I hear a customer call my name and grimace, "Give me a sec." He nods so I move to serve the customer and when I return to where Eddie was seated, he's back at the table with his friends. He's left cash on a napkin that has a note scribbled on it: 

I'll call you tomorrow when I can actually form coherent sentences :) - Eddie P.S. Keep the change! 

    I smile softly to myself and look up toward their table to find him already looking my way. I wave and he returns the wave before I slip the napkin into my back pocket and move on to take some more orders on Grayson's end of the bar. 

    The next morning, or rather the next afternoon, when I roll out of bed I immediately reach for my phone. I find a text from an unknown number: 

This is Tommy from the bar. Just in case Eddie loses the sticky note, I added your number into his phone. Figured I'd shoot you a text so you have his :) 

    I smile and lay my phone back down on the side table. My excited anticipation dwindles quickly as hours turn into days of not hearing from Eddie. I'm beginning to think he was just drunk that night and wasn't actually interested. One afternoon, as I'm getting ready for work, I glance at my phone for the millionth time hoping to see something from Eddie. No such luck... I open up the text conversation and my fingers hover over the keyboard trying to decide what to say. This isn't the first time I've done this in the past few days. Once again, I finally give up and shove my phone back in my pocket. I head to work with a pit in my stomach and disappointment heavy in my chest. 

    That evening, Grayson and all of my regulars notice how down I am and a few even try to cheer me up or be an ear to listen, including Grayson who hasn't stopped pestering me about it every chance he gets. "So, did things not work out with Lover Boy?" I brush him off and start wiping down the bar. "Come on, (Y/N). Talk to me," he sighs, "I know I'm a dick sometimes but I do care about you and I don't like seeing you so upset." 

    I take a deep breath as I toss the dirty towel into the laundry bin, "He never called. Never even texted either. And it's not because he lost my number, Tommy saved it into his phone for him." I can't hide the disappointment and hurt in my tone. 

    "Are you serious? Dude was absolutely entranced by you but doesn't bother to contact you?" Grayson asks, dumbfounded. 

    I shrug, heading for the cellar door, "I'm gonna restock. Holler if you need me." 

    He lets me go and as the door shuts behind me, I feel tears prickle against my eyes. Why am I about to cry over some dude I've only met once and only shared a few sentences with? Frustrated, I wipe my eyes and grab a few bottles that I know we need. Half way up the stairs, tears threaten to spill again. Sighing in defeat, I descend back down, place the bottles on a table, and drop to the floor against the wall with my head in my hands. This shit is why I don't let myself get hung up on guys anymore. The tears are flowing freely when I hear the cellar door open, "(Y/N)?"  

    Grayson sounds worried so I answer, "Yeah?" but my voice comes out weak and shaky.  

    I hear his footsteps descend the stairs rapidly before he drops to the floor beside me, "Hey, you okay?" 

    I look up from my hands and make eye contact, "I thought this one was different. I let myself hope. Now look at me, crying on the floor of a dusty ass cellar." 

    Grayson rubs my back comfortingly, "It's okay to cry, (Y/N)." 

    I drop my head back in my hands, "No it's not, not over a man I don't even know. I'm an independent woman who don't need no man. I shouldn't be this heart broken." 

    "First of all, yes, it's still okay to cry. Second, you may be independent but everyone needs somebody to love," Grayson says softly. 

    From the top of the stairs, a voice rings out, "Hey Grayson, quite a few people wanting drinks up here." 

    "We'll be up in a minute," he answers before pulling my face to look at him, "Get up, dust yourself off, and let's go have a good time, okay?" 

    I sigh deeply, "Okay," and wipe my tears. On our way up, I grab the bottles I had set down earlier and by the time we reach the top of the stairs, I've promised myself I won't shed another tear over this man unless he earns it. 

    Later that evening, I'm wiping down the bar again after a rush. In my peripheral, I notice someone take a seat and toss the towel away to tend to them. When I finally look over, my heart starts racing. It's Eddie. He's staring at his hands where he interlocked them on the bar top. I look around, hoping to pass him off to Grayson but find him helping other customers. I take a deep breath before smoothing out my shirt and walking over to Eddie. 

    "What can I get for you?" I ask, attempting to keep my tone friendly and even but it still shakes the slightest bit. His head shoots up and he makes direct eye contact with me. There's something in his eyes that makes me tilt my head. 

    He breaks eye contact and breaths deeply, looking back to his hands, "Listen, I- I'm sorry. I know I haven't called or texted. I tried to several times but I didn't know what to say. Buck says I was overthinking it too much but... I don't know, I just- I didn't wanna fuck it up." 

    A small smile touches my lips but I squash down the hope that's trying to breach the surface, "Eddie, a hello would've been sufficient." 

    He looks up at me and grimaces, "That's what Tommy said but I didn't wanna sound so- so casual I guess?" 

    Bewilderment replaces my smile, "What?" 

    He hesitates a second, "I guess what I'm trying to say is, I didn't want to sound so uninterested when you're all I've been able to think about for days. I also didn't want to sound too interested and scare you off... Which I may have just done anyways," he shakes his head in embarrassment as he looks back down at the bar top. 

    The grin on my face kind of hurts as I tuck my finger under his chin and lift it. His eyes have a touch of worry in them when they lock with mine, "I almost texted you several times too but didn't for the same exact reason." For some reason, I let myself get a little vulnerable, "I may or may not have cried a few hours ago because I was so disappointed that I didn't hear from you..." 

    I pull away as shock etches across his features, "I'm so sorry." 

    I shrug, "Forgiven, as long as you take me out on a date at some point and remember that my number exists in your phone." 

    He grins, nodding, "I will. When are you off work this week?" 

    I look up at the ceiling trying to remember, "All day Wednesday and Sunday and then until 3pm every other day." 

    When I look back at him, he smiles, "How does coffee sound Wednesday morning? 10am?" 

    I mirror his expression, "Sounds great!" 

    I can barely contain my excitement over the next few days and wake up before my alarm even goes off Wednesday morning after tossing and turning all night. I jolt up in bed, checking my phone in a panic, thinking I've slept through my alarm going off. Relief courses through my veins when I realize there's still an hour until it will. Excitement quickly floods that relief out of my system and I hop out of bed with a spring in my step. 

    Sometime later, as I enter the small outdoor café early but too excited to wait, I see Eddie threading his fingers through his hair at a table, having beat me there. I smile brightly and approach his table. He stands as soon as he sees me, pulls out my chair for me, and motions to the coffee in front of it, “I wasn’t sure how you like your coffee but if it’s wrong just let me know and I can order you something else.”  

    I giggle, take a sip and grin, “It’s perfect,” and as I look at him sitting across from me, knee bouncing and fingers fidgeting with his coffee cup I can’t help but think he’s perfect too. 

More 911

Main Masterlist

[glorious-spoon]

a miserable pile of secrets [9-1-1 | Eddie Diaz & Hen Wilson | 1/1]

1.8K words | friendship | emotional hurt/comfort | implied/referenced cheating

a miserable pile of secrets [on AO3]

She finds Eddie up on the rooftop, which makes sense, given that Buck is currently working out his feelings on the heavy bag after Bobby finally snapped at the two of them to get their acts together unless they wanted to be benched. Chim's down in the weight room with him, which means that Hen is up here in the warm night air to talk some sense into the other half of their codependent little unit, who is currently perched on one of the folding chairs that they usually leave up here. He's as still as a statue, tense like he's afraid of what his body might do if he lets it move.

"Hey," Hen says, and he gives a jerky little nod of acknowledgement. "Mind if I sit?"

"Go ahead."

"Thanks." She pulls out one of the other chairs and sits down. "So."

"Bobby sent you."

"I sent myself," she corrects mildly, and watches Eddie's shoulders hunch a little. "I don't think I've ever seen you and Buck fight like that."

Though the truth is, she really only caught the tail end of it. Buck's frustrated voice rising on, "Do you hear yourself? How did you think this was going to work out? Have you even thought about Chris? What, you were just going to introduce him to her like—"

"Chris? Since when is how I parent my son any of your business?"

"I don't know, Eddie, you kind of made it my business when you put me in your fucking will!"

"Yeah, well, maybe that was a mistake!"

There was ringing silence in the wake of that. Then Buck said something quieter, inaudible from where Hen and Chim were standing frozen outside the locker room door, and Eddie spat, "Go to hell. I'm done talking about this."

The door slammed open and he stormed out, only pausing for a moment when he saw the two of them standing there. It wasn't until he'd already stomped up the stairs to the loft that Buck emerged, scowling.

"I don't want to talk about it," he snapped, before either of them could speak.

That was six hours ago. Neither of them has said a single word to each other since outside of the bare minimum on calls. The tension in the back of the truck has been thick enough to cut with a knife, and none of Chim's increasingly desperate jokes has done a damn thing to lighten the mood.

Hen doesn't blame Bobby for being fed up with the pair of them. She's caught somewhere between that and worry, herself. This isn't like them. Either of them.

Eddie shrugs again, tense. "I don't really feel like talking about it."

"Mm." 

Hen kicks her legs out, relaxes into the chair and waits him out. It doesn't take long. Maybe two minutes before he lets out an angry little huff and says, "Marisol dumped me this morning."

"Oh," Hen says. That explains some of the mood, anyway. "Well, I'm sorry to—"

"I cheated on her. She found out."

She closes her mouth. For a moment she just looks at him: his tight jaw, his hands in fists on his thighs, so tense he looks like he's about to snap. Like looking through a warped mirror to a younger version of herself, and maybe that's why she manages some gentleness when she says, "That doesn't sound like you."

"Yeah. That's what Buck said. Shows what he knows."

"Why'd you do it?"

"It doesn't matter. It was stupid. I fucked up."

"If you're waiting on me to tell you otherwise, you'll be waiting a while." Eddie lets out a sharp, bitter little bark of laughter, and Hen adds. "I've been there, you know."

"Yeah. But it's not—Karen forgave you."

"Eventually, yeah. She didn't have to."

"Yeah," Eddie says, and then doesn't say anything else. 

"Is that what you and Buck were fighting about?"

He shrugs again. Like talking to a damn teenager, Hen thinks. Not Denny, with his easy sweetness, but like one of the other kids who come through their home sometimes on temporary placements: already on the defensive, claws out, ready to fight. 

"I guess," he mutters finally.

"You put him in your will?" Eddie scowls at her, and she shrugs. "Hey, if you want it to be a secret, maybe don't have your domestics at the top of your lungs in the locker room we all use."

He scoffs, clearly annoyed, but doesn't get up and storm off, so she's counting that as a win. Finally, he says, "Yeah. He's down as Chris's legal guardian if something happens to me. Since—uh, since I almost died in that well collapse a few years back."

Oh. Hen contemplates that for a moment, squares it up in her head with what she already knows about Eddie. It's not, she'll admit, completely out of left field. But still. "And you think maybe that was a mistake?"

Eddie groans, dropping his head back. "I shouldn't have said that. I didn't mean it."

"Maybe you should tell Buck that."

"He's pissed at me."

"Seems mutual."

"Yeah," Eddie says, wry and still kind of irritated. But then he sighs. "You ever do something where you know the whole time you're doing it that it's going to blow up in your face, and somehow that still doesn't stop you?"

"Yep," Hen says, remembering a dark little motel room and the sharp cut of Eva's smile. A whole damn pile of fuck-ups, that relationship was, and she dragged it along with her to almost ruin the best thing in her life.

"I keep thinking I see Shannon. It's like she's just around the corner, like if I turn around fast enough, she'll be there, and I'll be able to go back and make it right. But I can't."

"No. You can't."

"It's been five fucking years."

"No timeline on grief."

"I went on a date with a woman just because she looked like her." Hen raises her eyebrows at him. He slouches lower in his seat. "A couple of dates. It—didn't end well."

"Mm. You mean because she turned out to be a whole damn person who wasn't Shannon, or because your girlfriend found out?"

"Both," Eddie mutters. "Believe me, I already heard it from Buck."

"Oh, I believe it."

"But he's—" Eddie snaps his mouth shut.

"Kind of a hypocrite on this particular subject?" Hen offers.

"That's not what I was going to say. He's with Tommy now. So."

"So?"

"Never mind. It doesn't matter."

Hen would dearly love to interrogate that line of thinking, but she keeps her mouth shut. For a little while, they don't speak. It's a transient kind of peace; their next call could come at any minute. But for now, the city's as quiet as it ever is, lit up and beautiful in the distance.

Eventually, Eddie shifts in his chair, straightens up like he's bracing for something, then says, abruptly, "Can I ask you a personal question?"

Hen raises her eyebrows. "Go ahead."

"Have you ever been with a guy?"

"Excuse me?"

"Forget it," he says quickly, hunching in on himself again. "I don't even know why I asked. You can tell me to go to hell."

She almost does tell him to go to hell. Has her mouth open and everything. But then she takes another good look at his face and lets the words dissipate. 

"No," she says finally. "Kissed a couple of boys in high school, but I pretty much always knew it wasn't for me."

"Oh." Eddie's mouth twists. He's still staring a hole in the concrete by his feet, and Hen wishes like hell that this was easier for him, that he could have stumbled into it with wide eyes and open arms without leaving a trail of wreckage in his wake. Buck managed it, but it's not like that for everyone. She knows that.

"Karen was engaged to a man, you know," she says, and she watches him still, watches him turn, finally, to look at her. 

"I didn't know that."

"It was a long time ago. College sweetheart. She called it off a week before the wedding. Broke his damn heart, from what I hear. Probably better in the long run, though, all things considered."

Eddie laughs at that, a raw, horrible little sound. "I was a bad husband to Shannon. I loved her so much, and I still could never—and I always thought that maybe, if we'd just had more time, maybe I could have gotten it right, and we could have been a family again, and it would have been okay."

"But she died."

"She asked me for a divorce."

"Oh." Hen takes a breath, lets it out. Careful, careful. "I didn't know that."

"Nobody knows that. I mean. Bobby does. But nobody else. Because she died two days later, so I never had to—to tell anyone. I never had to admit it. I could keep pretending. But it doesn't even matter, because I've also fucked up every relationship I've been in since. So it's kind of obvious where the problem is."

"Mm. You know what my mama used to say?"

Eddie cuts her a look. "What?"

"Get down from that cross, we need the wood."

When he laughs this time, it sounds a little more real. Hen nudges her knee against his, and for a minute they sit there together in silence.

"I fucked up," he says again, but it's calmer.

"Yep."

"What the hell do I say to Buck?"

Not Marisol, Hen notes. Though the truth is she's pretty sure that whole relationship was dead and gone long before whatever went down this morning. Maybe from the very beginning. Eddie's just got a bad habit of dragging those corpses around. "Sorry might be a good start."

"He's gonna ask why. I don't have a good answer. I can't—" He looks over at her, and all Hen can think is that he looks so damn young. "I can't."

"So tell him that. You know he's not gonna push it."

"Yeah, he will."

"He's worried about you."

Eddie scoffs. "Yeah."

That was, Hen surmises what the fight was about in the first place. Unstoppable force, immovable object. Sometimes she wishes she could just knock their stubborn heads together until they showed some sense.

"He loves you," she says, and Eddie flinches.

"I know that," he mutters.

Hen sighs. "Just talk to him. You don't have to tell him anything you're not ready to tell him, but just—talk to him. Okay? For all our sakes."

"Yeah, okay," Eddie says, sounding defeated. "Sorry about that."

"We'll survive," Hen says. She bumps her knee against his again, and they sit there together in silence, watching the city lights, until the bell starts going off below.

[libraryofgage]

Please write for 42. Maybe it could be something dealing with Steve overhearing something he shouldn't have,maybe something the kids say, or Eddie says to someone. Whatever it is it makes him feel like shit. He talks to Eddie, or Robin (or both!) about how much he's changed over the past few years and how he didn't end up being the person everyone thought he'd be, but after what hes overheard he's crying because even though he did all he could he feels lonelier than ever.

Anon, I love you

Prompt 42 for this prompt list!

“Who’s laughing now?”

“…Clearly not you. You’re crying, dear God.” 

I didn't use these quotes exactly, but I came close. It still fits them, though lmao

---

"I should be right back," Steve says, throwing open the van door before hopping out. The moment it closes, Eddie blasts the heavy metal he usually can't because of Steve's sensitive ears. Steve snorts with amusement and heads towards the diner, the smell of fried food and grilling beef overwhelming him the moment he opens the door.

Steve heads up to the counter, flashing a charming smile at Paula, a woman who's been working at the diner longer than Steve has been alive. "We got your usual almost ready, sugar," she tells him, returning the smile as she grabs a receipt from the turning rack and leads him over to the register.

It's a Friday night, which means the diner is bursting with teenagers hanging out in groups or trying to have a romantic date. Steve doesn't usually see anyone he feels like greeting when he picks up food, but a quick sweep this time reveals a table where Jonathan, Argyle, Nancy, Mike, and Will are sitting. Their table is close to the bar, but none of them seem to have noticed Steve because of their conversation, which is just fine with him.

If he gets dragged into a conversation, he might take too long and make Eddie worry. And if Eddie worries, he'll come bursting into the diner, and there are too many people in here that still blame him for...well, everything, for that to be safe.

"Your total is gonna be $12.93," Paula says, watching as Steve distractedly pulls a twenty from his wallet.

"Keep the change. I'll be waiting over there," he says, nodding to a bar stool somewhat close to where his friends are sitting. He then slides into said stool, leaning on the counter and trying to ignore how sticky it is.

He's close enough now to hear the tail-end of Argyle saying, "--eems like such a nice dude, though."

Mike snorts at him. "You didn't know Steve when he was dating Nancy," he points out.

Oh. They're...talking about him. Steve gets the feeling he should walk away, but he also feels stuck in the stool.

"He wasn't that bad," Nancy says. Silence follows her words, and Steve can imagine the looks she's getting. "Okay, yeah, he was an asshole."

"He smashed my camera," Jonathan says, and Steve wonders if he's imagining a trace of bitterness in his voice.

Here's the thing: Steve apologized for smashing the camera (though, he feels it was still justified) and got Jonathan a new one. A fancy, new one. But it doesn't sound like Jonathan is going to include that detail, too.

"He's a lot better now, though," Will says, and Steve wants to get him a new set of dice for trying to stick up for him.

He then wants to cry and maybe break something when he hears Jonathan and Mike snort and bark out a short laugh.

Steve feels himself grow tense as Nancy and Jonathan regale Argyle with how shitty he was in high school. He keeps waiting for one of the kids to refute or bring up how he's changed, but Mike only adds to it all while Will stays quiet, probably unwilling to get himself laughed at again (not that Steve blames him, honestly).

None of them actually point out how Steve's changed. They laugh at how much of a douchebag he was in high school, and Jonathan tells Argyle to "watch out for King Steve coming through" now that nothing is trying to kill them again.

And Steve feels sick to his stomach. Has...has he not actually changed? Is he really the same King Steve he was in high school? Is he still that asshole who didn't give a shit about others because he was just trying to survive himself, no matter who it hurt? Is this how everyone sees him?

"All right, sugar. Here's your cheeseburgers," Paula says, placing a bag in front of him and jerking him out of his thoughts. "One without tomato but with extra ketchup, and the other with grilled onions."

Steve blinks and smiles at Paula again. "Thanks. Same time next week?"

He waits to see Paula's amused smile and playfully dismissive wave before grabbing the bag and practically running out of the restaurant. He doesn't know if it's good or bad that nobody at the table seems to have noticed his presence or departure.

Steve jerks the door to the van open, not waiting for Eddie to turn the music down before hopping in and slamming it shut. He silently pulls on his seatbelt, holds the food in his lap, and stares at the glove compartment.

"Uh, you okay, Stevie?" Eddie asks, his hand lingering on the volume dial.

"I don't wanna talk about it here," Steve says. Because he's going to talk about it with Eddie, the only other person he trusts to be honest with him is Robin. But this is date night for him and Eddie, and even when he's drowning in self-doubt, Steve doesn't want anyone else to interrupt their date night.

Thankfully, Eddie just nods. "Okay, sweetheart," he says, pulling out of the parking lot and onto the road.

Steve doesn't say a word the whole drive, too consumed by forcing himself to focus on Eddie's hand on his thigh. There's a warmth that he feels through the fabric, grounding him and keeping his brain from spiraling too far.

When they finally park (a secluded area close enough to the local make-out spot to still see the romantic stars in the sky without getting caught by anyone else) Eddie turns to Steve and softly asks, "Wanna move to the back, sweetheart?"

Steve grips the bag in his lap tighter, takes a deep breath, and looks at Eddie. He feels a little bad for ignoring the question, but he can't help his worries and fears bubbling out now that they've stopped driving. "I've changed, right? Since high school?"

Eddie blinks, caught off guard by the sudden question. But then he nods. "Yeah, Stevie, you've definitely changed."

"Jonathan and Nancy were in the diner with Argyle, Mike, and Will," Steve says, trying and failing to seem more nonchalant by unbuckling himself and moving to the couch that barely fits in the back of the van. Eddie follows, sitting closer than necessary to eat the burger Steve hands to him. "They were...talking about me. High school me. King Steve. And Jonathan told Argyle to be wary of me. Do they really think I'm the same person?"

"Stevie-"

Steve doesn't let Eddie get far. He's too wrapped up in what happened, too consumed by self-doubt and guilt and the wish that he'd said something to them. His chest feels tight, he feels like the world is going to cave in on him, and the only thing keeping him steady is the way Eddie puts down his burger and pulls Steve into his lap. "And the worst part is that they were laughing. Will tried saying that I was better now, and they fucking laughed. Like it was ridiculous. Like I could never change.

"And I just....I wish I'd said something. I could have ruined their night so fucking easily, Eds. I could have turned around and asked if they always talked shit behind the backs of people who saved them. I could have asked if Jonathan didn't like the replacement camera I got him, or if he still used it to sneak photos of Nancy."

"Is that why you broke his camera? Fuck, I don't blame you."

Steve manages a slight smile for Eddie. "Thanks. I...I don't know. For all I've changed, it would have been so easy to just turn around and be who they thought I still was. And then I would've torn them down to the size of ants. And...and...I wish I had but I don't but I do, so I could've ended it with who's laughing now?"

Steve's chest feels a little looser, and that's a fucking relief, but then he feels Eddie's hand cradling his cheek. "Well, it's definitely not you, sweetheart. Your crying."

Oh. Eddie is right. He is crying. Steve hastily wipes at the tears before just giving up and leaning into Eddie's touch. "Sorry," he mumbles.

"Don't apologize. I almost wish you had done it. And that I'd been there to see it."

"No, you don’t."

Eddie grins, pulling Steve closer so they're chest-to-chest, heart-to-heart. "Yeah, I do. I love when you get bitchy, sweetheart. Especially when it means we can be bitchy together."

Steve blinks, and he can't help laughing. The words were simple, but they still managed to erase all the doubt and some of the hurt. He still probably needs a few days before he can actually look at Jonathan or Nancy or Mike again, but he doesn't feel so immediately devastated.

"Somehow, that was the perfect thing to say," he tells Eddie, closing the distance between them to kiss his lips, getting a hint of ketchup on his tongue.

"Perfect enough to earn me some fun?" Eddie asks, wiggling his eyebrows playfully.

Steve sighs dramatically, pretends to think about it as he actually laments that their burgers will get cold, and then pushes Eddie down on the couch.

[joekeeryswife]

Deadbeat dad - e.m

hello angels! i hope you’re all okay. i am not after writing this, i’m legit in floods of tears. it is a sad dad/rockstar!eddie. i am legit heartbroken at this omfg. anyway, enjoy reading🩷 eddie’s part two x steve’s part two x

taglist (add yourselves 🩷) @eddieamoremio @theshireisonfire @thankingjoe @livsters @sadbitchfangirl @hellfire1986baby @ladyapplejackdnd @alexxavicry @juleshadalittlelamb @hollandweather @lovurry @bibieddiesgf @plk-18 @Heyyimmissunderstood @m-rae23 @sheisjoeschateau @hargrovesswifee @shiftingmack @chxrrysprxut @Idkjoequinn (if there’s a line through your @ i can’t tag you, lmk if you’ve changed your name🩷)

"i can't make it today, i'm really really busy" you sighed, rubbing your forehead with your free hand as you held the phone to your ear with your other. "this can't keep happening Eddie, she has been wanting to see you for weeks now" this was the third time this month Eddie had cancelled.

your sweet girl Penny had been ecstatic when Eddie spoke to her last week to say that he would be here this weekend and he wasn't. "well i'm sorry y/n but i have things to do. this band is really important to me" you weren't shocked. Eddie had always put the band before his family, that was why you and Eddie split up.

"she's your daughter, she can't fit her life around you anymore. she should be more important then that stupid band you have" you could hear Penny's footsteps upstairs meaning she was now awake. "you know what fuck you. i'm busy all the time and i've only cancelled once, get over yourself" you scoffed, not wanting to argue over the phone you asked one simple question.

"are you going to be here for her birthday next Saturday?" you just hoped for once that he would put his daughter first, she loved him but he just left her hanging all the time. "yes y/n i'll be there. what time" he sounded uninterested, like he didn't really care for the party but it was important to her that he was there.

you felt a little glimmer of hope that maybe he would change and make an effort for one day "be here by three, let me know before if you can't come because i'll have to tell her-" he cut you off "i got it bye" with that he ended the phone slamming it down harshly. you put the phone down and heard Penny quickly approaching the living room.

"mama i need to get ready for daddy" you looked at her with a sympathetic smile. her curls were all over the place but she looked so adorable, holding the small bear she had gotten for her first birthday. you opened your arms for her and she climbed into your lap allowing you to wrap your arms around her, you kissed her forehead a couple of times and sighed.

"daddy can't make it today sweetheart" you felt her shoulders drop. "but why?" her voice was quiet and filled with sadness making your heart break. you brushed her curls out of her face and stroked her cheek "i don't know baby". you saw her cuddle her teddy bear closer and felt her sigh deeply.

"it's okay mama we can do something together right?" she looked up at you as you looked down at her. her eyes were exactly like her dads, it was like looking at a mini Eddie was staring up at you. she only got a few features from you but she was beautiful, the prettiest little girl.

you smiled and nodded your hand running through her hair "of course we can, you pick" she smiled at you and thought about what she would like to do that day and you just prayed that Eddie made it to her party. it was one day, would he really miss his daughters birthday?

-

"is daddy coming today mama?" you heard Penny say as you set up the snack table in your spacious living room ready for the party which was in a few hours. you turned to look at her, she was dressed in a white dress with her curls laying perfectly in a ponytail. "i think so honey, he told me he was coming so i don't see why not"

today was the day you would see if Eddie would show up for his daughter. one day that was so special to her and you were still hoping that he would show up and surprise you all. Steve and Robin had come over to help with everything around the house and you were so grateful to have friends like them, who were willing to take the time to come to your house and help you.

"come on birthday girl, why don't we go upstairs and play with your toys" Robin said as she left you to finish up the snack table. once you heard her bedroom door close you sighed, you knew the chances were very slim that Eddie would show up and you just hoped that he would prove you wrong.

Steve was on a step ladder hanging up a huge banner when he turned to look at you, being careful he wouldn't fall off. "do you think he will turn up?" everyone who knew the situation with you and Eddie knew it was very unlikely that he would turn up.

"i don't think so but i can't say that to her today, i'm just hoping that he does. not for me but for her she deserves it" it had been three years since you and Eddie split up and he had seen Penny maybe 20 times. it went from him seeing her every time he came back here from work to him not making the effort in showing up for her.

"he is being stupid. if he doesn't show up he it's unforgivable. i'll punch him if you need me too" you laughed loudly. it was well known that Steve was not a good fighter but you appreciated the thought. "with your track record i think we should leave the fighting" you smiled at him and looked up at the clock on the wall.

three o'clock had been and gone meaning the party would start soon. "i think Wayne has taken the day off to see her though so that's nice. all her friends are coming so if he doesn't she might be distracted enough to not notice" Steve felt sad for you but especially Penny.

he knew what it was like to have parents that didn't care, didn't bother showing up and he was happy that Penny had you. you always went above and beyond for her and he always admired it. you heard the doorbell ring making you smooth out your dress "it looks perfect okay? i'll go get Penny you open the door" Steve stepped down from the ladder and took it with him as he left you.

you walked to the front door and looked through the peephole to see Wayne standing there with a small, neatly wrapped gift in his hand. "hi Wayne" you said as you opened the door with a smile on your face. Wayne smiled and opened his arms to greet you, you were lucky you always had an amazing relationship with Wayne.

he was always here when you needed him, he helped loads when you and Eddie split up and he always made time for Penny which was the most important thing. "how you doing?" you pulled away from the hug and moved to the side so he could come in.

"i'm okay, very emotional. i can't believe she's five, she's growing up" you followed him into the living room and sat down next to him on the sofa. "i know, seems like only yesterday i got the call from ed's that she'd been born" he instantly realised what he had said and stuttered out an apology which you dismissed "it's okay really, it's a happy memory" it was a touchy subject and you knew Wayne had no ill intentions saying that.

"grandpa Wayne" you heard Penny scream as she saw her grandad was here. "hi princess" he smiled as she ran to him and squealed when he picked her up and placed her on his lap so he could cuddle her. "happy birthday" he kissed her forehead and you smiled at the interaction.

even though bad things happened between you and Eddie, Wayne was always there to tell him that what he did was stupid and that he'd let go of the best thing that would ever happen to him, he was also there for you when you and for that you were forever grateful. Wayne never left.

"did you get everything you wanted" he asked as the two pulled away. you wanted to stay and watch the two of them but another knock at the door pulled you away from the small group.

the next people to arrive were Nancy, Jonathan, Dustin, Will and Mike. you could see a few cars pulling up outside your house so after you greeted them you kept the door open and waiting for them. you could hear Penny giggling in the living room which meant she was happy and that was all that mattered to you today.

once everyone was in the party the kids were dancing and singing whilst the adults lingered around the living room and kitchen talking to one another. you saw Penny and Lottie, one of her school friends dancing with one another making your heart swell with adoration. she looked just looked so happy.

you were standing with Dustin and Steve, watching the kids closely just incase something was to happen. "so, where's Eddie?" Dustin asked as he looked around the room you only sighed and shook your head. "i don't know, i told him to be here at three and it's now four thirty"

you knew something like this would happen just like your gut feeling was telling you it would. "maybe he's just running a little late? i mean it's his daughters birthday for gods sake he needs to be here for her" Dustin rolled his eyes and Steve felt anger filling his body. how could someone do something like this to Penny? the sweetest little girl didn't deserve this.

"i doubt it Dustin. its been almost a month since he last saw her and every weekend he tells her he's gonna be here and then that day rolls around and he isn't. she is heartbroken every time and i'm honestly so close to just cutting off visitation, it's not like he sees her anyway" Dustin nodded and scratched the back of his neck, Eddie was his friend but it was getting harder and harder to defend him.

"he's unfortunately going to find out the hard way, have you told him how this is making her feel?" you nodded and looked at Penny again who had the biggest smile on her face as she danced with more of her friends. "of course i have, every time i get hit with the 'this band is so important to me' but i just keep remembering what it was like before Corroded Coffin took off you know?"

before the band got recognition he worked as a mechanic with Wayne, he made time for you and Penny but it was like as soon as they got the fame he didn't care. his priority changed. "he used to care, he was an amazing dad and i loved him but now i'm stuck wondering how can one person change so quickly. she loves her dad and it breaks my heart seeing her excitement fade as soon as i tell her he isn't coming. it's just too much for her, it's too much for me"

you looked up at the ceiling as you felt tears fill your eyes, you could feel your lip tremble as you tried to keep them in. of course when you and Eddie broke up it broke you, you thought the two of you would be together forever and just seeing the man you love change within a few weeks hurt you badly.

"hey no no don't cry, he isn't worth your tears honey. you're doing an incredible job and he's an asshole" you felt Steve's arm wrap around your shoulders as he pulled you in for a hug. you took a deep breath shocked that you were managing to keep these tears at bay. "it's just one day that i wish he tried, i can manage the other times but it's her birthday and he can't even show up" both boys nodded and you felt Steve's hand stroke your arm.

"he's a dick, but i promise you have all of us and i know it's not how you envisioned your family but you make that little girl so happy and you've done it all on your own. let's try forget about him and enjoy it yeah?" you nodded and kissed Steve’s cheek.

it was now nearing the end of Penny’s party and she was sat on the small sofa which was by the window overlooking the front garden watching as each car drove by the house. she was hoping that one of them would stop and her dad would be there to surprise her but every time the car didn’t stop she felt sadness fill her body.

“sweetheart, everyone’s in the kitchen ready to do your birthday cake” you said as you walked into the living room. “daddy’s not coming is he” you could hear the upset in her voice and it just broke you. you sighed and walked to her and sat down next to her, it was just big enough to fit the two of you.

you stroked her cheek softly and nodded “i don’t think so baby, i’m so sorry” you just watched as she nodded, she wasn’t sulking but you could tell she was really upset. “do you think we could call him maybe? maybe he’s stuck in a jam” you knew what she meant, a traffic jam was a common excuse that you had used for Eddie not turning up.

“of course we can” you got up and walked to the phone which was by the tv and dialled Eddie’s number. the phone rang but of course there was no answer and you watched as she got up from the sofa a frown on her face. she walked to you and held out her hand so she could take the phone as she heard the voicemail beep meaning she could leave a message.

“daddy. are you coming to my party, i miss you” with no response she placed the phone back down on the holder and you kneeled down. she grabbed your hand tightly “it’s okay sweet girl, we will sort it i promise. come on everyone’s waiting for you” you kissed her cheek and stood up so the two of you could walk to the kitchen.

it was evident that she was sad as she listened to everyone sing happy birthday to her and when she blew out her candles, she wished that her dad would turn to her party and surprise her. but her wish unfortunately never came true.

-

it had been a week since Penny’s birthday party and you hadn’t heard from Eddie at all, he never returned the voice message Penny left and you couldn’t help but cry once Penny was in bed and everyone except Steve and Robin had left. you couldn’t get that sad look on her face out of your mind.

today Steve was round and had decided he was going to take you and Penny out to the mall for some shopping and some ice cream, he had promised Penny last week when she was sat on his lap crying into his neck that Eddie didn’t turn up.

it was four o’clock and all three of you were finally ready to go to the mall, Steve and Penny were in her room finishing up a puzzle they had started that morning. it was an easy one but Steve had acted like he didn’t understand it which made Penny explain it in what he described as the most perfect explanation he had ever heard.

you were putting on your shoes and waiting for them to finish up when a knock at your door pulled you out of your thoughts. you opened the door and was shocked to see Eddie standing there with a gift in his hands. “hey y/n, where is everyone. the party started an hour ago” he tried to brush past you but your hand stopped him from coming in.

“the party you’re talking about was last week Eddie, you knew that” you were furious, he’d turned up a week late. “no it’s not it’s today” you shook your head. “it wasn’t Eddie and if you answered your phone you would know that it was last week. did you not listen to the voicemail Penny left you?”

he shook his head and ran a hand through his hair “look i thought it was this weekend, it’s only a week why does it matter. i’ve come to spend the day with her” you scoffed and shook you head again, it was almost laughable.

“you’re joking with me right? you think that you can just turn up here a week late and act like that’s not okay? it was one day where i had begged you to come and you couldn’t even make the effort to show up. she’s devastated Eddie, you promised her” you almost shouted but you didn’t want to alert Penny and Steve that Eddie was here, you wanted him to leave.

“she’s busy today, like i said she doesn’t fit around your schedule anymore” Eddie rolled his eyes “i’m her dad, you can’t just stop me from seeing her” you looked him up and down, you hadn’t even realised how terrible he looked. pale, lifeless.

“you are no father Eddie, you stopped being her dad the minute your band got fame. you have no idea what it’s like to see her get hurt over and over again when you decide to not show up. maybe it’s because you’re with one of your groupies or maybe you’re too busy that day getting high with your friends i don’t care, i asked for one day. one day where you’d prove me wrong and you couldn’t even make the effort to see her on her birthday”

you just felt sad, he was nothing like the Eddie you had fallen in love with all those years ago but now when you see him you just feel angry, hurt and disgusted. “i’m sorry okay? i’ve come here to see her and i’d like to if you’d let me. i am her dad y/n and we can’t change that”

you head heavy footsteps walking down the stairs and footsteps approaching the door. you turned your head as you heard Penny laugh loudly at something Steve had said to her making Eddies focus change from you to her. she was in Steve’s arms hugging him exactly like she used to hug him and that hurt.

it took Steve a minute but he finally noticed Eddie standing there with a small gift in his hands. “oh shit” he whispered, his smile falling as he noticed yours and his hurt expression on your faces, both for completely different reasons. “hi Penny” she looked at the voice and saw Eddie standing there.

he had a small smile on his face as he took in her features. big brown eyes, curly hair which was exactly like his and lips, it was all him except for the small button nose she had obviously gotten from you. she looked at him with no expression, still hurt from what happened last weekend.

she turned away from him and dug her face into Steve’s neck. he took that as an indication that she didn’t want to see him so he walked away to the living room. Eddies smile dropped as he watched her and Steve walk away.

“he can’t just walk away with her, i wanted to see her. im her dad y/n, you can’t just take her away from me” he wasn’t angry, he was hurt that she’d turned away from him like that. “she doesn't see you as a dad anymore Eddie because you're never here” it hurt to tell him that but it was the truth.

his breathing stuttered as he heard that. yes he hadn’t been the perfect dad but he loved that little girl even if he didn’t show it. his eyes filled with tears, he wanted to say more, he wanted to stand there and fight but he didn’t want to cry in front of you so all he did was nod and hand the gift over to you. he bowed his head “i’m gonna uhh, try and change. i’m sorry y/n i really am” with that he walked away.

“i hope so Eddie” you whispered as you watched him walk to his car. you really did hope so.

[lawrites]

Rubens Can Suck It!!

Sweet Gotham S1! Edward Nygma x Plus Size! Female Reader

You are having an awful day when someone leaves a note on your desk, describing your figure. It sets you off, and Ed is the one who seeks to comfort you.

This fic features a LOT of insecurities, specifically around being plus size. It talks about the feeling of being seen by others and how shitty some officers at the GCPD are. But Ed is sweet. No warnings beyond that EXCEPT some dirty thoughts from Ed 👀.

It's been an awful morning and it's only 8 AM.

As a woman who works in a field primarily made up of men, especially a plus size woman, you have made your confidence into your armor. Yeah some of the officers could be pigs, (most of them, actually), but you do love your body and how it looks, so it doesn't bother you.

You enjoy wearing bold colors, pretty dresses, structured pant suits, and even pencil skirts to work most days. They make you feel infallible, and you KNOW you look cute in them. No matter what those tiny men say, you can get through the day feeling good.

And usually...it works. There are some days that you think everyone struggles with their looks, no matter their size. It's what happens when your society is constantly screaming "YOU CAN BE BETTER BUY THIS PRODUCT" at you from all angles.

And so, while you are beating yourself up for letting your confidence slip, you decide to go ahead and make yourself more comfortable while you get it back. Especially because trying to force it wasn't working.

Every glance in the mirror was followed by a critical voice, today. Your hair just didn't sit right, your chosen outfit was too tight and the textures were bothering you, and the high heels you sometimes wear would clack and bring eyes to you. All of that sounded just...exhausting, especially when you just want to get through the day and go home without drawing any attention to yourself.

While usually a pair of eyes on you wouldn't bother you, the thought of Harvey Bullock only staring at your tits when he talks to you, or Jim glancing up and down in what he thinks is a subtle way, or any of the officers giggling when you walk by...yeah it would take only one thing to set you off today, you can tell.

So, while it isn't the most flattering outfit you own, you throw your hair into a ponytail and pull an oversized sweater and linen pants on. Comfy, cozy, still professional enough, and properly disguising your body from any eyes, appreciative or insulting.

After that rollercoaster of emotions while you were getting ready, you don't have time to stop for coffee on your way in, which just adds to your mood. And, of fucking course, some guy decided to begin terrorizing Gotham at 7 in the fucking morning, so all public transport is delayed.

You barely manage to get to your desk by 8 AM with no coffee and already in a bad mood. Setting your stuff down, you dig your palms into your eyes, trying to fight off the urge to just leave. A small slip of paper in neat handwriting makes you smile just a bit, though.

What is always found on the ground

But never gets dirty?

You struggle for a second, your brain moving at a slow pace thanks to the lack of coffee. That is, until you hear footsteps and something blocks the lights streaming in from the windows. You gasp and turn towards Edward Nygma, who is standing right next to you and casting a...

"Shadow!" You blurt out.

He gives you one of his sweet, tight-lipped smiles and nods. "Correct!"

You force a cheery tone to your voice so you don't spoil his mood. Ed may be a bit...odd, but he is one of your best friends here, and he doesn't deserve to be brought down just because you aren't in a good mood. "Great! How many is that so far, Eddie?"

He immediately recites, "That would be 85 riddles correctly guessed out of 90 I have shared with you. 3 you needed a hint for and 2 you did not solve entirely."

You cross your arms in mock anger. "Hey! I did my best! Those ones were hard. It's almost like you wanted me to fail or something."

He hurriedly scrambles to get the next sentence out, "Oh! Oh I would n-never! I j-just..."

Whoops, guess your bad mood made that "mock" anger sound more like actual anger. You take on a placating tone, "Ed, it's ok! I know you just enjoy riddles. And sometimes that big brain of yours makes up a new one that stumps me."

You laugh, maybe a bit bitterly, now, as your bad mood forces itself to the front again. The next sentence is nearly mumbled, "I mean, it must be difficult, sometimes, making puzzles for someone who isn't as smart as you."

Ed seems confused more than anything, now. "I'm...I'm not sure what brought that on, but writing down riddles for you every morning is f-fun for me!"

You sigh, twirling a pen from your desk in your hand to avoid eye contact. "It's just...it's just one of those days, Ed. I couldn't find an outfit that made me look nice..."

Ed interrupts you with his insistence, but he still stumbles over his words, "B-but you always look n-nice!"

Your smile comes out as a grimace, "You're sweet, Ed, but everyone doesn't think so." You glance around to make sure that your next words aren't overheard. "I know that I can usually brush cruel insults away, because I try to tell myself I'm beautiful..." You choke out the last part of your sentence, cutting yourself off before you get too emotional in the middle of the office.

You get up and decide to leave the main lobby to get some of the shitty coffee from the break room. At least there you could better disguise the tears in your eyes. "It's really not a big deal, Ed. I guess I'm just not myself, today. Give it a day or two and I'll be more amusing."

And without waiting for a response, you hurry off.

He stands there awkwardly for a few moments, unsure how to respond to the dismissal you just gave him. Usually the two of you would talk for at least 5 more minutes.

Wracking his brain as he walks away, he tries to think of something to cheer you up.

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

Rubens

Flashes of his paintings fly through Ed's mind as he attempts to type out a sweet note to you. Every time he gets a glance of a plush thigh or your soft belly, he thinks of how he painted Venus, the Goddess of Beauty.

A voice he's been trying to avoid for a while now pipes up, Yeah, Goddess of only beauty? I'm sure that's all you're thinking about, Ed. How about Goddess of Se-

Ed cuts the voice off before it can finish that thought, but now he is unfortunately thinking about it, even at work. Rubens didn't paint all of his women clothed, especially Venus. Her nude form fuses with yours in Ed's mind, haunting him, taunting him.

There's just...so much he can play with. Your body...so much he can sink his long fingers into. He goes back to your belly, what he has ascertained to be the main source of your insecurity. He empathizes with that, but all he can think of whenever you wear something tight is bending you over in the medical lab on site and holding onto that plush belly as he-

Again, he cuts himself off. He would like to think that the other voice took over again there, but those thoughts were all him. He adjusts himself a bit as he sits at his desk, trying to be subtle.

Then he looks back at the screen in front of him, remembering your mood today, and that hits him like a bucket of cold water. He curses the tears in your eyes from old insecurities popping up again. He has seen you become more and more confident in your time at the GCPD, learning to ignore the pigs that giggle at everything that isn't "normal" to them.

Ed knows that feeling, and especially the taunts from those cops, well. He's off, to them. He never quite knows when to start or end a conversation, and he injects his interests even when he knows people are tired of them.

And that's why he likes (loves) you. You always smile and try with his riddles. You even continue to talk to him after, and are interested in who he is outside of work! That's rare. And if he could return that joy you have given him every day, it would be worth it for the possibility of you figuring out his true thoughts.

Unfortunately, while he has a mind for riddles, analytics, and all things mathematical, he has not been as blessed with poetry. So he wants to type this out...if nothing else than to keep you from feeling like you owe him something.

He types and deletes and types and deletes, looks at the clock, drums his fingers on the desk, and then types slowly this time. Reading it over, he nods at what he has written. It's not amazing, but he hopes it will make you feel like there are people in the office that are on your side, maybe even a secret admirer.

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

And now you're soaking wet. You just wanted to escape your desk and get a simple sandwich and the sky decided that it was a perfect time to begin a deluge right before you got back to the GCPD building. Why? God hates you, apparently. There's no other explanation that would satisfy your overdramatic mind at this point in time.

Luckily you managed to keep your precious food dry by stuffing it under your coat, but the rest of you is definitely not so lucky. You huff and start towards your desk. Bullock sees you on the way, starts a sentence of some sort, (most likely to quip at your condition), but the glare you send his way shuts him up immediately.

You end up collapsing at your desk and peeling off your outer coat, feeling the air conditioning of the building start to combine with your wet clothes to make a chill seep into your bones. Trying to ignore it but unable to suppress a shiver, you place your food on your desk...wait...is that? It is! Someone left a little typed note to you under the bag.

You pick up the note, giving it a quick glance to see if there was anything to connect it to someone. There are no initials or name...hmmm.

Your eyes read over the words on the page once...twice. And your heart shatters. How could...why would...how could someone be so heartless that they would taunt you today of all days?

There is a group of those rude, awful officers that like to congregate together around the water cooler, gossiping and laughing at anyone who wasn't them. But right now, one of them is talking while looking directly at you, and when he stops he throws his head back in laughter, with the rest following.

Holding back a sob, you crumple the letter in your hand and get out of the room as fast as you can without running. As soon as you are out of their sight, tears start streaming down your face and you run to a nearby empty room. It doesn't even matter what it is, you just care that it's empty and safe and lock the door behind you, collapsing against a wall and trying to catch your breath as you gasp for air.

You hold that position for only about 30 seconds, trying to muffle your sobs so they couldn't be heard by anyone outside, but apparently you weren't quiet enough. A quiet knock sounds on the door.

Tap tap tap

You do your best to school your voice, but it still comes out shaky as you reply "Please find another room."

But the voice that filters through the door is one you recognize well.

"Y-you looked cold, so I brought you an emergency blanket. Oh! And a-also your lunch."

You let out a sob, unable to stifle it. "T-thank you, Ed." And you walk over to the door to unlock it, opening it just a tad so he can't see your state.

But Ed is observant, and even with what little you present to him, he can see you are massively upset. Your eyes are bloodshot, and you are trembling, whether from the cold or from your current emotions, that he can't tell. He tries his best to gather some courage.

"W-would you mind if I sat with you for l-lunch?" He holds up your bag of food and you notice that his own lunch is clasped in his hand behind it.

Quickly, you try to consider if you are ready to fully cry in front of Ed, but his kind, if nervous, smile and his own insistence on joining you made you certain that he wouldn't be too judgemental.

You turn your head to the side to try and hide it a bit more as you step back to open the door. Your arm sweeps over to gesture to where you were sitting. "Be my guest, Mr. Nygma."

This makes him let out a nervous chuckle, but he enters anyway. You close the door behind him and lock it.

"I hope you don't mind, I just don't want anyone to see me...well..."

He nods, "That is perfectly understandable."

You both stand awkwardly for a few moments, but you eventually feel the floor calling to you again, so you nestle against the wall where you previously had collapsed. Ed slowly settles down at a respectable distance from you, his gangly limbs shuffling until he finds a comfortable position.

When he hands you your bag of food, he decides it's better to talk about what happened than sit in silence. "M-may I ask why you are upset?" You glance at him, and your eyes start to fill with tears again. He hurriedly starts to stutter through another sentence, "Oh! B-but if you p-prefer not to talk about it, t-that's ok!"

You shake your head, glancing down at the floor. "I just...I guess people like to take advantage of you when you're down sometimes, Ed."

You sigh, but begin feeling more angry than sad. "I mean, I've been in a bad mood all day, I got rained on when I was just trying to get some food, and then some asshole leaves me this."

You open your hand to reveal the crumpled note to Ed. He keeps his face as neutral as he can, recognizing it. Oh no, you fucked up, Ed! The voice in his head gleefully taunts.

Your sniffle brings him back, and you look down at the note, spreading it out so you can read it out loud.

"While you are not seen by others as a beauty

I cannot keep myself from glancing at your desk.

Your figure is full, and yet one word sticks truly,

I can only describe you as such: Rubenesque."

Ed ponders over the poem, while a bit rudimentary, it was full of his true compliments to you. But your face crumples when you get to the last word, stuttering it out.

Your eyes look to him, "I mean, Ed! How could someone write this?"

You see his face scrunch in confusion. "I admit, I do not quite understand. I see nothing wrong with the note?"

Feeling frustration well inside of you, you gesture with your hands wildly. "Nothing wrong? It's that word, Rubenesque!! It's an insult, I know it, especially with how those assholes were glancing at me as I read it, laughing once I was done."

Ed seems to be more confused now. "I was not aware it was an insult?"

You nod, and remember all of the times you have heard it in the past, "It's always been used by people who want to try and appear to be kind, but truly aren't. They call me Rubenesque in this snide tone, like it's something they can barely stand to spit out of their mouths."

Ed tries to interrupt, but you continue, softer now. "I just don't know Ed. The whole note seems to be mocking me...calling me full figured and not a beauty. Am I really that bad?" He shakes his head while you feel tears starting again, so you look down at the floor.

Now at a whisper, you barely get out the next words. "I just...I don't even want someone to like me anymore. I just want them to leave me alone." With that vulnerable confession, you sob, and bring your hands to your face, trying desperately to cover it. A shiver runs through you again.

After a few beats, you feel warmth around you, and you glance up to see that Ed has moved closer to cover you with the blanket he brought. His long arms stay in place in a hug after he positions it, keeping you close to him. You are a bit taken aback, as the most that Ed has touched anyone in the past was maybe a handshake.

He leans down so you can hear him, his voice more sure, now, even if it is soft. "Do you know about the painter, Rubens?"

You shake your head. "Is that where the term comes from?" He nods. Not feeling charitable, you grab the blanket and bring it closer around you as you grumble out, "Rubens can suck it."

He lets out a giggle at that, and you feel your heart warm at the noise. "I understand that you feel it is an insult...would you mind if I explain what it really means?"

You nod, because even if it is as bad as you make it out to be, at least you can hear his voice as he explains it.

One of his hands strokes the blanket surrounding you, right on top of your arm. "Rubens painted many different subjects, but the descriptor of Rubenesque usually refers to his nude paintings of women. Specifically, women like Venus."

You lift up your head to look at him. "Venus as in the Goddess of Beauty?"

He nods, gently. "Yes, among...other things." His eyes darken for just a moment before returning to his informative rant. "The women he paints are known to be full-figured, yes, but they are beautiful because of that, in my opinion."

You sit as still as you can, barely breathing, wanting to hear every word he says. A long finger comes under your chin and guides your face until you are looking right at him. "I wrote you that note. I think you are the definition of beauty."

And with that, he brings you gently forward, looking in your eyes the whole time. You let him, and lean forward to meet his lips. The kiss you share is sweet and short, but it fills you with a giddiness that makes you feel like a teen experiencing her first kiss again.

You separate smiling at each other, and Ed reaches up to kiss your forehead. "I apologize for upsetting you. I was trying to be a secret admirer."

You chuckle, "Yeah, well, it didn't help that I read the note as uncharitably as I could." You glance up at him, "I'm sorry for crumpling it up in anger."

He shakes his head. "D-don't apologize. I'll write you as m-many bad poems as you want." One of his long arms slowly moves down, and a finger traces your hip over the blanket. "Is this ok?"

You feel a warmth spark through you again as he makes contact, and all you trust yourself to do is nod. He nuzzles into your neck, whispering in your ear.

"I want you to know, right now, so there is no doubt, I love your body. These hips, your plush belly...even your soft arms." You feel his warm breath on your ear, and it makes you shudder. "They all remind me of art, and they make me want to..."

He trails off, and brings his hand away from your hip quickly, as if burned. You miss his touch, already, and confusedly ask, "What? Ed?"

You can't tell anything from his neutral face, but he gets up, suddenly, grabbing your lunches together again. "Let's find a better place for lunch, more comfortable...maybe with a table."

You nod, standing up with him. As you position the blanket around you, Ed wraps an arm around your waist.

"A-and...if you would like...have dinner with me tonight. I'll cook for you and...tell you more of my thoughts."

Your cheeks heat up, and his do as well. "Ed, I..." You think for a moment. "I'd love to have dinner with you."

He grins at you, again-one of his sappy, closed mouth grins-and leads you out of the room in his embrace. The two of you chat and giggle, seeking out a proper place for lunch and ignoring all of the stares you get. If you have each other, the rest of the world doesn't matter.

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

[dwobbitfromtheshire]

Wake Me Up Inside

18+ MINORS DNI for Smut and Smut Talk.

A/N: I wasn't originally going to add smut because it's not my strong suit, but then I really liked how I wrote it, so here we are. It's only a little bit.

Eddie is a bisexual who just doesn't know it yet. . . not until after he dies. When he awoke, he was alone the Upside Down, and he definitely felt different. Every emotion was heightened along with his senses. He knew that he had died. He had watched Dustin weep over him. Dustin. The first emotion he felt was guilt. Oh God, the poor kid. What did he do? Oh, he wasn't supposed to do anything stupid. That's what Steve said. Steve. Well, actually, he said don't be cute. He was talking to Eddie. He didn't want Eddie to do anything cute, implying that he thought that Eddie had done cute things before. Why did that thought make him want to giggle?

Oh God, now all he could think about was Steve. The image of Steve wearing his vest popped into his head as well as Steve ripping off his sweater and throwing at him. The look Steve gave him just as Eddie called out his name. Had Steve wanted Eddie to kiss him? Did Eddie want to kiss him? Yeah, Eddie wanted to kiss him. He wanted to kiss him badly. Well, not badly. Goodly. No, that's not a word. He wanted to hold his hand and write a song about him. Ugh, did he want to be Steve’s boyfriend? He never wanted to be anyone's boyfriend before, even when he was with Paige. He did get close with her. Eddie frowned. There was another voice in the back of his head trying to get through to him.

"I am dealing with something here! Go away!" Eddie shrieked.

The voice faded away. Eddie pulled himself off of the ground and started walking towards the trailer. He frowned at the gate that was definitely bigger than it was before. It was going to be a bitch to get out of. As he was crawling out of the gate, the voice returned.

"Edward. . ."

"Oh my God! What the hell do you want?" Eddie asked.

"You. . ."

"Sorry, man, this ass is about to be taken. . .hopefully. Find someone else," Eddie said.

The voice was gone again. Eddie sighed with relief as he climbed out of the Upside Down. He looked up and frowned at the dark, red sky of Hawkins. Fuck. He started walking in the direction he felt that Steve was. As he was walking, a figure blocked his path. It was a fleshy, tentacled man with no hair and long claws. Eddie sighed.

"I'm guessing you're Vecna," he said.

"That is what you've been calling," he nodded. "You've been ignoring me, Edward. I don't like it."

"Well, I'm sorry that you're such a pathetic needy bitch but that's not my problem," Eddie said. "I've got somewhere that I need to be."

"I want you to join me," Vecna said.

"Look, I'm flattered, but just because I just started to realize that I might not be straight doesn't give you a free pass to hit on me," he said and looked him up and down. "Especially in that get up."

"I am not hitting on you," Vecna frowned.

"Well, I don't know! I'm new to this!" Eddie frowned and looked into his head. "Hey, wait a minute! You're the reason that Max won't wake up! Wait, you put Max into a coma! Fuck you, definitely not interested! Stop it!"

He went into Vecna's head again. He's not sure how he was doing this or why he had been so quick to break Vecna's connection with Max, but he did it.

"How did you do that?" Vecna asked. "It doesn't matter. We can do great things together."

"Nope! Okay, this is taking way too long," Eddie sighed.

He grabbed his head and tore it from his body. Vecna's lifeless body dropped the ground. Eddie sighed and tucked his head under his arm.

"You'll get this back when I say you can," he said, stepping over his body. "Although, I don't think that's going to be possible."

Eddie continued walking until he had made it to what he assumed was Steve’s house. He had never been here before. Eddie frowned. It was kind of ugly looking and unnecessarily big. He leaned down and extended one of his nails to pick the lock. He was successful.

"Nice," Eddie said as they slid back to normal.

He walked into the house, following Steve’s scent all the way to his bedroom. Steve was lying in bed, sleeping fitfully. His brow was furrowed.

"Eddie," he whimpered.

Eddie set Vecna's head onto Steve’s nightstand and sighed. He began to stroke Steve’s face gently, smiling when Steve started to relax. That's when Eddie caught a whiff of himself. Ew. He needed to take a shower before he crawled into bed with Steve. He quickly grabbed some clothes and went to the ensuite bathroom. He quickly stripped and stepped into the shower, hoping he didn't wake Steve. It was too much to hope for. He had just finished washing up when he heard Steve scream. He turned off the shower and rushed into the room, completely forgetting a towel. Steve was awake, sitting up in bed and staring at Vecna's head. When Steve saw Eddie he screamed again.

"What?! Oh, yeah. I should probably get rid of that," Eddie said. "I killed Vecna on my way over here."

"You're alive?!" Steve shrieked.

"Oh. Yeah. That too," he said, putting his hands on his naked waist. "I'm alive. Again!"

Eddie grinned at Steve and threw himself at him, hugging him tightly. Steve squeaked, dropping the sheet and revealing the fact that he was a briefs man who slept in his underwear.

"Am I dreaming?" Steve asked.

"That depends on what kind of dreams you have about me, Stevie," Eddie whispered in his ear, grinning when he felt him shutter.

Suddenly, the house began to shake, and Eddie fell backward onto the bed, pulling Steve on top of him.

"What was that?" Steve asked.

"Oh. That was probably the gate closing," Eddie said and then paused. "Steve? I'm definitely not straight."

Steve looked down on him, suddenly aware of how close they were, and Eddie enjoyed watching the way his cheeks flushed.

"Yeah, me neither," Steve said.

Eddie flipped them until it was Steve that was underneath him. He crashed his lips to Steve, smiling when Steve kissed him back immediately. Eddie broke the kiss and started kissing his neck. He moved his kisses, his lips moving down Steve’s stomach until they reached the elastic of Steve’s underwear. He dug a finger inside the underwear, pulling back the elastic and letting it snap against Steve’s skin.

"It's a shame that I'm the only one naked here," Eddie said.

"Do something about it then," Steve said, his eyes dark.

Eddie's fangs slid out and bit down on the underwear, quickly tearing it off with his teeth. Steve gasped and bucked his hips. He raised a hand and pressed his thumb into Eddie's mouth to feel his fangs. He hissed when he cut his thumb on the sharp tooth. Eddie growled as he tasted Steve’s blood. He wrapped his lips around Steve’s thumb and started to suck, remaining eye contact with Steve.

"Please," Steve whimpered.

"What?"

"Fuck me."

"Okay."

It was all happening so fast, but Eddie didn't really care. He was quick to fuck Steve, almost forgoing the lube in his haste to get inside of him. Once he did, though he was fucking into Steve roughly. He growled as he snapped his hips, the sounds of skin slapping against each other, and Steve's euphoroc screams filled the air. It was animalistic, the whole thing. Steve was hanging on for dear life. His legs were hooked around Eddie's, and his nails dug so hard into Eddie's back that it drew blood. Steve was screaming Eddie's name, spurring him on. He could tell when Steve was about to cum and as he did, Eddie bit into his neck, enjoying the way his blood tasted when Steve was so high on Eddie. He could hear and feel himself in Steve's head. It was all he was thinking about in every corner of his mind.

Eddie. Eddie. Oh, Eddie. Fuck, Eddie!

Eddie remained inside of him for a moment, long after he spilled inside of Steve. He pulled his fangs out, though, licking the wound with his tongue. He watched with interest as the wound closed. Finally, Eddie pulled out of him with a loud pop. He rolled out of bed and grabbed a rag. He cleaned them both up and shot the rag into the hamper like it was a basketball. He crawled back into bed and pulled a sleepy, naked Steve into his arms.

"Get some sleep," he whispered.

"I don't want to wake up and find out it was all a dream," Steve whispered back.

"Go to sleep, sweetheart, I'll still be here," Eddie said.

They both woke up the next morning to a woman's scream. Eddie's eyes snapped open to find Robin staring at him in shock. There was a thundering of footsteps, and Hopper burst through the door. Wasn't he supposed to be dead?

"You're alive?!" Hopper asked.

"Apparently, so are you," Eddie scoffed.

He realized they were both naked, having kicked off the covers during the night. He grabbed the sheet and quickly threw it over both of them.

"I was told you were dead," Hopper frowned, and then his eyes wondered over to Vecna's head. "Jesus."

"No, Eddie," he grinned. "No, I killed Vecna on the way over here last night. I think he was trying to get me to join him. Oh, I also think I might have woke Red from her coma."

"You did?" Steve asked with wide eyes.

"Yeah, he did. She's awake. The gates are closed, and the skies are clear," Robin said. "We came over here to check on you and tell you that. Why weren't answering your phone?"

"I didn't hear it. I guess I was really tired," Steve blushed. "I'm surprised Eddie didn't hear it."

"Oh, I did, but every time I spoke on the phone, Dustin would start crying," Eddie said.

"That's why he was crying? We thought Vecna got you," Robin said. "Scared the shit out of us, especially when El couldn't see you with her powers."

"Why didn't you wake me up?" Steve asked Eddie.

"You looked so cute when you were sleeping," Eddie cooed.

"Okay, as great as this is. . .how the hell are you alive?" Hopper asked.

"I think that the demobats turned me into a vampire," Eddie said with a shrug. "I'm good, though. I don't want to kill people."

"It's true, he could have killed me when he drank my blood last night, but he didn't," Steve shrugged.

"Everything about me is just heightened, including my morals. My first thought when I woke up was of Dustin and how guilty I felt that the kid had to watch me die. I was overwhelmed by it. I wanted to stick to the plan, but I also wanted to buy you guys more time. I didn't want to run away anymore. I didn't want to be a coward. Then I thought about Steve, and it was all Steve. It was how I felt about him, how I realized that it clearly wasn't just girls that I liked, and then I had to get to you. To tell you that I wanted to write songs about you and how I wanted to be your boyfriend," Eddie said, now talking to Steve.

"You wanted to write songs about me?" Steve asked shyly.

"Yeah," Eddie said, and Steve kissed his cheek.

"Continue. . .boyfriend," Steve grinned.

"Wait, wait, so you woke up, and then you woke up?" Robin asked.

"Yeah, I guess," Eddie said.

"Okay, just checking. Continue," Robin said.

"Anyway, I wasn't focused on the voice in my head. The dude kept talking to me, and when he wouldn't leave me alone, I killed him. I had to get to Steve, and this dude was getting in my way," Eddie said.

"So, you were so filled with lust and feelings for my best friend that you were able to just take off Vecna's head," Robin said.

"It wasn't that hard, actually. It just popped right off," Eddie said.

"Jeeze. I would be careful with letting this guy give you a helping hand, Steve," Robin said and mimed a hand job.

Steve and Eddie snorted with laughter. Hopper groaned, rolling his eyes.

"Toss me the head. I'll dispose of it for you," Hopper said.

Eddie grabbed it and tossed it at Hopper. He quickly left the room with it.

"Poor guy, I don't think he can handle being around young adults with no boundaries," Robin grinned and plopped down on the foot of the bed. "So, tell me all about your new boyfriend, Steve."

"Well, we haven't cleaned the sheets yet," Steve grinned.

"Gah!" Robin jumped and started walking out the door. "I'm leaving!"

"Okay, I guess there are some boundaries," Eddie grinned.

Eventually, they managed to pull themselves away from the bed and got dressed before walking downstairs. Robin was sitting on the counter, swinging her legs as she ate a bowl of cereal.

"Hopper went to pick up some stuff," Robin said.

Just as Robin was about to take another bite, Eddie dove in and took it. Robin hissed at him.

"Yeah! I can still eat regular food," Eddie cheered as he swallowed.

"Steve, I hate your boyfriend," Robin said.

The front door opened, and they all heard the sound of someone running right before Dustin skidded into the kitchen. He burst into tears and threw his arms around Eddie's waist.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry that we just left you there," Dustin sobbed.

"Man, I was dead. I was actually dead. You had no choice but to leave. I'm sorry that you had to watch me die. You shouldn't have had to watch that. I was trying to be a stupid hero," Eddie said.

"Steve told you not to be cute!" Dustin exclaimed glaring at him and wiping his nose.

"Well, Steve knows exactly how hard that is for me," Eddie said, flashing his dimples.

"What?" Dustin asked.

"What? Oh, hold on," Eddie moved to whisper to Steve. "Are we telling people?"

"If you want to tell him, then you can," Steve whispered back.

The door burst open once again before Eddie could say anything else, and Wayne came barreling into the kitchen. Eddie let out a broken sob and threw himself in his uncle's arms.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Eddie sobbed.

"You're alive. That's all that matters," Wayne said.

"Well, undead, technically," Eddie said.

"What?" Wayne asked, pulling back.

"I'm a vampire now," Eddie said, flashing his fangs.

Wayne sniffled and shook his head, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"You're still my boy," Wayne said.

Eddie hugged him again, holding onto him tightly. Dustin let out another sob and hugged them both. Eddie looked down at him surprise.

"It's okay," Dustin sniffled. "We're sort of family. As it turns out, your uncle used to sleep with my mother."

Eddie laughed and broke away from the hug. He leaned against the counter as his body shook with laughter. Once he calmed down, he moved back over to Steve.

"Uncle Wayne, I'd like you to meet Steve Harrington," Eddie said, pausing. "He's my boyfriend."

"What?!" Dustin exclaimed.

"As of last night. As it turns out, I'm bisexual," Eddie said proudly.

"You're still my boy," Wayne said softly.

"Really? So, you're okay with this?" Eddie asked.

"Yeah. If I'm okay with you being a vampire, I'm more than okay with you having a boyfriend," Wayne replied. "Besides, I would be a hypocrite."

"Wait, what?" Eddie asked.

"Yeah, I also used to sleep with Dustin's daddy," Wayne said. "I don't really label myself. I like to keep people guessing."

"What?!" Dustin shrieked.

"Yeah, it was before he died, and before they first moved out of Hawkins," Wayne said.

"Oh my god!" Dustin exclaimed.

"Don't worry, it was way before you were born," Wayne said. "You're too much like Walt for there to be any doubt that you're his son."

"That's not what I'm worried about, not that there would be anything wrong with you being my father. I'm just wondering how many more Munsons there are sleeping with the people I love?!" Dustin exclaimed.

"Well, my dad's still on the loose," Eddie grinned.

"Poor little guy, that's a lot of information to throw at him," Robin said as she hopped off of the counter. "You want Auntie Robin to put you down for a nap?"

"Yeah, I think that would be good," Dustin said. "And I'm not a baby!"

"Sure, you're not, big guy," Robin said.

She put an arm around him and dragged him out of the kitchen.

"What's that about?" Eddie asked.

"Oh, Robin has money on Dustin accidentally becoming rich," Steve replied.

"He make you happy, son?" Wayne asked.

"The happiest," Eddie said and kissed Steve.

As Eddie stood in the kitchen with his boyfriend and his uncle, he was very happy. They still had a lot of stuff to figure out and a town to clean up, but Eddie knew as long as they did it together, he knew they could get through it.

[kikidoesfanfic]

Dragon Master, master of dragons

Written for the spicy six winter fanworks challenge! Hosted by the lovely @thefreakandthehair :D

My prompt was the dialogue prompt "I love it//no, no you don't"

Relationships: Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson

Characters: Steve Harrington, Eddie Munson, The Party (Stranger Things), Jeff (Stranger Things), Gareth (Stranger Things), Unnamed Freak (Stranger Things)

-3k words, rated G, 1 chapter

Additional tags: Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, Christmas, Mentioned Jeff/Chrissy, Mentioned Chrissy lives, Eddie Munson is a Little Shit, Eddie Munson is Whipped, comeuppance

Read on Ao3

---

As soon as Steve lays eyes on the dragon he knows it's the perfect gift. After weeks spent agonising over what to get Eddie for their first Christmas as a couple, one had practically fallen into his lap.

Or okay, not fallen into, he'd been to basically every record store, book store, and games store in Indie before coming across it, and the guy behind the counter said it was the last one in stock. Apparently they'd sold out so fast because it was part of the first run of a new release... module... thing? Something like that? Steve wasn't entirely sure, but it was expensive, seemed popular, and was made for dungeons and dragons.

What he is sure about is that Eddie has been talking about preparing a red dragon for the next leg of the hellfire campaign for weeks, and right in front of him as if by fate is a giant red dragon. Gray dragon. Ready to be painted, but whatever it says red dragon on the box is the point, perfect gift, meet lap.

He considers the paints as well, he knows Eddie has a preferred brand when he can get it, but all the little containers look the same to Steve, the labels are tiny and he probably should have brought his glasses. Would one little pot of this stuff even cover something so big?

Ah, he sees it, small pot, black label, gold writing! Eddie definitely has that on his desk, so Steve grabs an extra red one for him just in case. And then another, because they really are tiny, he doesn't want Eddie to get half way through painting the thing only to need to go out and more before he can finish. He adds a third.

Wrapping up his gift he'd felt smug, pleased with himself, he should have known then that something was wrong. He rarely gets to be smug without consequences anymore.

Continue reading on Ao3

[strangersteddierthings]

Steve, Gareth and Chrissy are cousins AU (sad edition) [prologue] [part 1] [part 2] [part 3] [part 4] [part 5] [Part 6] [Part 7] [Final Part]

He knows he promised Robin he wouldn't smoke anymore, but honestly, he thinks he's earned this one. Saving Eddie from his stupidity had been a full time job that still amounted to Steve getting a repeat chow down from the goddamn bats. Not that Eddie made it out much better, but fuck, if Steve hadn't been here to keep Eddie in the trailer for the extra five minutes, all of Eddie would look like hamburger instead of his sides looking like steak (all of those five minutes spent fucking wrestling each other while Dustin kept screaming at him to stop Eddie, don't you fucking dare let him out that door, Steve).

Not that Eddie had won the wrestling match, Steve wasn't joking when he said he knew Eddie wouldn't be able to overpower him. Instead, Eddie'd given up, rag-dolled in Steve's grip with a quiet sob.

"Steve, I have to. I have to make sure they have enough time. That's my uncle!"

And yeah, Steve was surprised to learn Wayne isn't his dad, but that took a backseat to the new issue wiggling its way into his brain. Vecna had taken Chrissy. Had threaten to add Gareth to that list. The fear of losing the only family you have... "Fine. But we go together. A loop around the park and back here. I swear to God, Munson, if you get us killed, I'm ruining your afterlife."

"What!? Steve, no! Steve!" Dustin screams above them.

"As if we'd end up in the same afterlife," Eddie had huffed.

And it had worked well, until the end there. Eddie went down, tripped over a dropped bike just yards from the front door of his home, and Steve couldn't leave him there to become bat dinner. They'd held their own, barely, and then the bats had started dropping.

They'd exchanged startled looks before bursting into hysterical laughter of relief that only slowed when Dustin came busting through door, screaming at them some more.

So, yes, Steve earned this cigarette, which Eddie had climbed the sheets to fetch a pack from the stash in his room. He'd offered to bring a joint back if Steve wanted but he'd declined that, citing Dustin as his excuse. He doesn't feel like having to explain why he doesn't get high anymore, especially since he used to be a frequent customer back in the day. Goddamn Russians under Starcourt.

Eddie and he sit on the porch, side by side, and watch the horizon for any sign of Wayne, Robin, or Nancy.

The monster falls from the attic, and they all advance to look down at the smoldering body. "You girls go down and confirm he's dead."

"Yes sir," Nancy says while he hears Robin mutter, "confirm!?"

He waits for the girls to be down the stairs before he draws his pistol and takes aim. The burning has slowed, and with as much buckshot is in the bastard, he should be dead. But Wayne follows his training anyway. He takes aim, and fires three shots in a row. The first lands next to Vecna's head, and he sees the body startle, but the next two land true, and there's no movement after that.

The girls appear soon after and he watches as Nancy pulls his matching pistol out with no hesitation and doesn't even flinch as she fires point blank.

Well, he's certainly dead now.

Wayne joins them shortly. Vecna's dead, for sure, but the girls hesitate. "What's wrong?"

"It always comes back," Nancy says, "I just. What if it's not done? What if Vecna wasn't the source? If there is something worse out there? What if he's just faking it?"

"Whoa," Robin says, placing a hand on Nancy's arm slowly, both girls tracking the movement, like Nancy's a wild animal. "I am the one who freaks out like this, so you can't be doing that, because then what will I do?"

That gets a laugh out of Nancy. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right."

"What'll make you feel better about this situation?" Wayne asks.

"I don't... How do we know he's dead?" Nancy replies.

"Well, he's a man, ain't he? Magic or not, ain't no man survivin' what we just did to him."

"Sure, he was a guy once but now he's. Look at him!" Robin flaps a hand in the direction of the body without looking at it.

Wayne does look down at him. He doesn't much resemble any person Wayne's used to seeing, but he's distinctly human. Still, the girl's going to worry. "Right. Well, someone give me a hatchet. I'll remove his head."

Robin reaches for her hatchet, the one Steve gave her, but something predatory reflects in Nancy's eyes and she reaches for the hatchet first.

"I'll do it," Wayne says, "you shouldn't have to. You already killed 'im."

Nancy just looks at him. The girl looking back isn't a girl anymore. She looks as hardened and haunted as any other vet he knows. "I got this."

Wayne reaches for Robin instead, pulling her into him so she doesn't watch. He does, though. Watches as Nancy raises the hatchet up and brings it down on Vecna's skull with a scream filled with grief and anguish and repeats that process again and again and again.

The ambulance doesn't have room for all of them, so Lucas, and Max shuffle into the back of Chief Powell's police car. Erica climbs into the ambulance with Gareth in it. Lucas doesn't know what Gareth did to earn Erica's loyalty and worry in such a short amount of time but he also isn't thinking too hard about it.

Chief Powell follows the ambulances to the hospital. Ambulances because there is one for Gareth, and one for Jason Carver.

Jason. Who had shown up with a gun and pointed it at him. Gareth, who'd taken that shot instead and-

"Hey," Max says in a whisper, squeezing his hand hard, pulling him from his own mind. "Hey. They said you did good. That you bought Gareth time. Like... like, hopefully, we did. For..."

"We had to of. It can't be for nothing," Lucas whispers back.

They arrive at the hospital, where Erica and Max are given a look over, since Erica was tackled by a boy twice her size and Max was limping down the stairs after the paramedics. Erica has a scrape on her arm where she landed on a rock, and Max's ankle is sprained, but otherwise they're fine.

They get shuffled into the waiting room, where Chief Powell stands guard while their parents are on the way to collect them. They do get left to themselves, so they brave talking in public.

"El was there," Max confesses, voice low. "She found me and was fighting him. I don't know if she got to finish him. Or if they did."

"I don't like not knowing," Lucas says.

"They had help," Erica says, causing Max and Lucas to whip their heads to her. "I followed Gareth to the payphone. He wasn't calling his mom. He called Eddie's uncle instead. Said he could help them."

"He what?"

"Shhh!" Erica shushes him, looking around the empty waiting room before leveling a glare at him. "I know, okay. But Steve's not a real adult and we needed a real adult."

"Steve's a real adult."

"Sure," Erica agrees, using the tone that Lucas knows means she doesn't agree. "He's also the guy that sacrificed himself to the Russians and had to be saved by Dustin and me, and it hasn't even been a full year since then. So, hopefully having a real adult made him not take stupid risks."

"Well, we'll just have to wait to find out," Max says, then adds, "do you think Chief Powell will let me go with you guys when my mom doesn't show up?"

Gareth is released from the hospital into his parent's custody two days after getting shot. He is a little surprised the hospital stay was so short -he was fucking shot- but with no organs hit, Gareth was released after minor surgery to remove the bullet and a full day of monitoring him.

It's been a whirlwind. Police wanting statements, and his parents screaming at the police every time they show up to get those statements, that they're pressing charges on Jason as soon as possible. (Which might not happen, because Jason hasn't woken up yet.) The kids come in and out, and he gets to learn that the only person dead in the Upside Down is Vecna. Robin looks very haunted as she says it, but he can imagine that killing a telekinetic wizard is a haunting ordeal.

Steve makes an appearance at his beside and lies to his parents, claims he was out of town and got back to hear the messages on the machine too late for Chrissy's funeral but just in time to hear about Gareth getting shot. Gareth lets him have the lie. How can he explain to his parents that Steve wasn't at the funeral because he was too busy hunting down Chrissy's real killer?

Before he leaves, he asks if Gareth wants to come over, once he's well enough to.

It takes Gareth three more days from his hospital release before his parents agree to drop him off at Steve's. They're worried for both him and Steve. They know there's been a rift in their friendship, and his mom sniffles when she says she's so sad that it took Chrissy's death to reunite them again.

He's not going to say it out loud, but Gareth's sad about it, too.

His dad doesn't walk him to the front door but it's a near thing. He does sit in the driveway until Steve answers the door and gives him a wave. Even then, Gareth doesn't hear the car leaving until he's beyond the threshold of Steve's house.

Steve lets him sit on the couch before apologies and explanations start pouring from him.

"Gareth, I'm so fucking sorry. For everything. For pulling away, and staying away, and also for ever agreeing to act like we weren't cousins to begin with. I should-"

"Steve, shut the fuck up."

And Steve does. Blinks at him, surprised.

"I don't care. None of that matters. You were- fuck, how long have you known about this? About monsters and shit?"

"Since, uh, since '83. With Will Byers and Ba-Barb Holland... They weren't just missing."

"Was that... related to the other dimension?"

"Yeah. A demogorgon took 'em. Will got away. Barb didn't."

"And it's been like... a yearly thing?"

"Yeah. I didn't want you or Chrissy involved, and look what good that did."

"Dude, I'm involved because of Eddie. I didn't go looking for you."

"Chrissy's dead because of me!" Steve shouts, "I pulled away! And we- I tried to reconnect and it wasn't enough. Chrissy was struggling and she didn't tell me."

"She didn't tell me, either," Gareth says, voice quiet and even. "Is it my fault she's dead, too?"

"What? No, of course not."

"We reconnected. Last year," Gareth confesses. "Hung out every weekend until she got with Jason. Then it was less, once a month about. But we talked, were friendly. And she didn't tell me what was bothering her. It's not your fault any more than mine."

Steve's pinched face says how much he wants to argue, and because he's Steve, he opens his mouth and argues verbally, too, "I knew about the Upside Down! I should have told you guys. Warned you about it!"

"Dustin said you guys didn't know Vecna existed until this year. What would you have warned about? The Demogorgon I've heard about but never saw?"

"Well, they were in Russia this time, apparently, so-"

"What do you mean they were in Russia!?"

"Oh, uh, not important right now. But. I just..." Steve huffs and deflates against the couch. "I thought I was doing the right thing. For you, and for Chrissy. By keeping you at arm's length. Pretending I didn't know either of you. And then it wasn't pretend! I don't know you, not anymore. But I... You got hurt anyway. And- and Vecna had said- Fuck!"

Gareth blinks at him. "Hey. You did your best. We were safe for years, and it's. This situation is shit, and fuck, we'll miss Chrissy the rest of our lives, but she'd want us to keep living, right? Even if you think you didn't know her anymore, you have to know that. So, fuck whatever Vecna told you in your head. Whatever it was, it's not true."

And that. That makes Steve sob. A full, loud, choked noise before he curls in on himself, shaking his head. "It is true. He said- he made all of you say- and it's true but the truth is-isn't e-even the worst of it."

Gareth scooches down the couch to rub awkwardly on Steve's back. "Um. It's. He lies, right? Twists things in your mind to make them worse. That's what Max said wh-"

The mention of Max brings out a whole other sad, wailing noise from Steve and Gareth is not equipped to handle this. He needs Robin. Or Dustin. "Hey, hey. It's okay. Shhh. Shhhh..."

He keeps shh-ing until Steve's sad noises gives way to a hiccuping laugh.

"You're shit at this comfort thing," Steve says.

Gareth snatches his hand back, offended. "Well, fuck you, too."

Steve looks at him, eyes red but otherwise looking like regular, snarky Steve. "Hey. Are we... okay?"

"Man, I forgave everything when Vecna was giving you that shit vision, or whatever. Nancy told me it was Vecna's curse and I just. I thought you were gonna die. All the anger left. I thought it might come back but I'm still just glad you're alive. So, yeah. We're okay. Friends again?"

Steve nods, smile a little watery. "Alright. Then, can I tell you a secret? I haven't even told Robin yet."

"Shit, dude, spill. I love secrets."

"I- I think I like guys, the same as girls."

"Good for you man," Gareth says easily.

Steve looks at him like he's surprised. "That's it? Your- it's okay? That I do?"

"I'm not the police of you," Gareth scoffs, "whatever makes you happy, dude."

"Cool. Cool," Steve nods to himself, then looks at the time on the clock. "Oh, shit. We're late."

"Late? To what?" Gareth asks.

"Well, just to going to the basement. But it's an important basement trip, so come on."

"Are you going to murder me now that I know your deepest secret?"

"I will if you keep talking about it," Steve says as he stands from the couch, heading towards the door to the basement. "Seriously. The surprise down there involves people so you cannot say shit once I open this door."

"Got it. Wait. People!?"

The surprise, it turns out, is Eddie and Wayne. Eddie, still wanted while someone works on clearing his name, has been hiding here with Steve apparently, and Wayne comes and goes, but is here to thank Gareth for calling him. Wayne seems to be under the impression that if Gareth hadn't, he would have lost Eddie forever.

Steve is avoiding Max. Hopper has come back from the dead. The Hopper-Byers have moved back to Hawkins. Eddie has been cleared of all charges thanks to government intervention and many eye-witnesses putting Jason Carver at the scene of all crimes (does not help that the police found him holding Patrick's body, nor that he can dispute the chargers, what with being brain-dead, possibly. Still comatose for sure). Wayne and Eddie have moved into a little duplex near the Hendersons.

All these things happened before Steve spoke with Max.

He'd still be avoiding her if it wasn't her on his doorstep currently, two months post-Vecna. He was expecting Dustin when he pulled the door open in annoyance. "Max."

"Steve."

"I-what-why are- do you want to come in?" Steve asks, wincing at himself.

Max rolls her eyes. "No. I just have something to say to you before I head to El's."

"Ah."

"I forgive you. But I'm still..." Max pauses, breathing harshly through her nose as if mad at the situation. Or Steve. That would be fair. "I'm still hurt, but I get it, so I forgive you."

Steve swallows. "He told you. Didn't he?"

"Vecna? Yeah. Said he asked you to pick, and you picked me," Max says it, so matter of fact. The grass is green. Sky is blue. Steve would rather Max die than Gareth.

"You shouldn't forgive me until I apologize."

"No, don't think I want to hear it. 'Cause here's the thing, Steve. I get it. Billy was awful, and I hated him, hate him so fucking much. But if he were still alive? If he were, and Vecna said him or you. I'd give you to Vecna. And it's fucked up, hell, it's worse than the choice you were given! At least Gareth is worth having a life, getting to live, and Billy's not but. Like I said. I get it."

Steve is stunned to silence. He doesn't know what to say, or if there's anything he can say. Doesn't really have it in him to call her on all her cussing either, because if any kid has earned swearing around him, it's Max. "Max. I am sor-"

"DON'T!" she shouts, "I'm not ready to hear it yet! I'm hurt, and I- that might take a while to change or whatever. But. I know you. So, I have to tell you that I forgive you. Or, like, I will one day. It was a shit choice to be forced to make. I get it. So, just take the forgiveness and quit avoiding me while walking around like a kicked puppy. It's unbecoming and I'm never going to really forgive you if you avoid me."

"Ok. Alright. No more avoiding."

"Good. You still got that letter I wrote you?"

"Oh. Uh, yeah. Do you... want it back?"

"No. I want you to read it after I've actually forgiven you, and not a second sooner. Okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah, okay."

"Good," and she turns on heel and heads down the drive to a car Steve doesn't recognize, and realizes it's because he's never seen it. The driver is Max's mom, and she gives a small wave to Steve when they make eye contact. At least until Max bats her mom's hand out of the air and then must say something that makes her mom laugh.

Steve stands in his doorway and watches them drive away.

Max is hurt, and that's his fault. But she's not mad at him, so that's great. Max is a woman of her word, so Steve thinks that one day, they might be good again. One day, he'll be able to look her in the eye and not feel like the scum on the earth.

Until then, he'll be okay. Gareth's back in his life, he has a new crushfriend in Eddie Munson, and Robin and he have been gotten even closer since he told her he likes boys, specifically one boy at least.

Chrissy is gone, and Steve will always mourn that. Will probably always feel like it's his fault, deep down. But he's got reasons to make it to each new day, and that has to count for something.

[undreaming-fanfiction]

Someone is eager to see Mafia Mamma and that someone is me. So anyway.

When a twenty-two year old Steve Harrington gets the call, he isn't in the best spot in his life. Sure, he survived all the Upside Down crap, but his parents finally had enough of his so-called trauma ("the earthquake was bad, Steven, but you can't let that influence your life forever! It's like you're not even trying!"). He didn't get to college and his love life is abysmal, but hey, at least he does something useful now - he's training to be a paramedic and he lives in a small, old flat, regularly calling Robin and his gaggle of kids and hanging out with Eddie whenever possible. So maybe it's not the best spot in life, but it's his.

Well, apparently his great-uncle that his mother never really talked about died and asked that Steve takes over the family business in his will. Family business that is in Italy. Cool.

Look, Steve likes first aid, saving lives and all that, but, after the second shared joint with Eddie, admits he's curious. No one said it has to be forever, but maybe it would help him to try something else for a change. Eddie absolutely approves, squeezes Steve's shoulder, but - a little sadly, it seems to Steve - admits he's going to miss the only person who went through all the shit and stuck around. He even jokes he'll hide in Steve's suitcase and will go to Italy with him. "You know, somewhere far away from the Satanist rep. Well, Vatican is there so that's not ideal, but maybe with no murders and levitation this time, I'd just pass as the weird American?" And without thinking, Steve blurts out: "Come with me."

They land in Italy with almost nothing, Eddie with a beat up backpack and his guitar ("not even death or other fucked up dimensions will us part, Steve!"), Steve with a sports bag full of clothes and graduation pics of his kids plus Robin and Nancy, and his trusted hair spray. He really, really wanted to take his spiked bat, but apparently that would be a hazard on the plane. Go figure.

And of course, the "family business" is full of black suits, guns, rapid Italian threats and on top of that, the other families know that the old head of the family is gone and they smell the blood in the water. Especially when the new leader is barely an adult who looks more like a model than a criminal. And his friend who looks like a criminal? That one looks more like a petty thief or vandal than an actual mafia member. Now is their time to strike.

Turns out, that wasn't the best idea. Not when the doe-eyed metalhead grabs the nearest chair and smashes it repeatedly over the assailant's head while yelling "I-DID-NOT-SURVIVE-BEING-CHEWED-ON-TO-DIE-TO-A-FUCKING-BULLET-YOU-MOTHERFUCKER!" while the new boss reaches for the nearest lamp and, like a bloody ninja, renders three assassins unconscious, then setting down the bloodied rod (goodbye, lamp shade and light bulb) and tells his advisor that he wants a baseball bat, a hammer and a bunch of nails. For...reasons.

They gradually settle in. Steve excels in keeping his family in line by adopting his best mom pose, hands on hips, while sternly uttering "What did we say about excessive violence, Francesco? Hm? If you start there, what do you do when you need to escalate? Why do you start with the worst? And they call me dumb." When his bodyguard cocks his gun and asks who called him dumb and where do they live, Eddie snorts into his coffee. (also Steve later apologizes to Francesco for calling him dumb, but also adds that rules are made to be followed, especially those that save a lot of blood and pain)

As for Eddie, without the academic pressure he becomes and unstoppable language student. He's like a sponge, being semi-fluent while Steve struggles with basic phrases. They study together and Eddie begins feeling more confident, takes up more languages and slowly starts functioning as Steve's interpreter and teacher in one. Also a bit more, when they have to evade another assassination attempt and Steve finds himself laying on top of Eddie, on the ground where he pulled him to save him from a nasty punch, and no one comments on it when they get up a few seconds too late, their lips and faces red.

Eventually Steve becomes fluent as well and that's when Eddie experiences the best time of his life - when they walk together in a market, bodyguards giving them just a little bit of privacy, and someone spits on the ground behind them - "stupid American." But before Eddie can react, Steve throws a bitchy look at the offender and says in perfect Italian: "and you look like a poorly shaved goat, yet I'm not judging."

Eddie howls in laughter and nudges Steve's side. "Careful, Stevie. I might think you don't need a teacher anymore."

Steve wraps his arm around Eddie's waist. In here, surrounded by the bodyguards and his family, he can finally do that. "Maybe not. But I'll always need a boyfriend. Wanna apply?"

[captainlunaxmen]

Be My Queen

Chapter 6

Eddie Munson x reader x Steve Harrington

This is a repost since the old blog doesn't work anymore. 🥰

Chapter summary: someone's back

Chapter warnings: none.

The sun lingering through the hospital's windows wakes me up, luckily no unbearable nightmares, not that I remember at least... still luckily.

I slowly open my eyes, getting used to the light and I notice someone talking, or better reading something. Once I focus a little more I recognise Dustin's voice.

" 'this thing all things devours: birds, beasts, trees, flowers; gnats iron, bites steel; grinds hard stones to meal; slays Kings, ruins towns, and high mountain down. What am I?' "

Before he can go on reading I cut him off.

"Time!" I say sitting up slowly.

"Y/n!" He exclaims excited.

"Hey, boy genius. How is it going?"

"It's great. Do you feel better? Steve told me you were still in pain yesterday" he checks.

"Oh yes. Actually, it's more stingy than painful, which is good improvement" I smile at him to reassure him "where are the others?"

"Interviewed by the police..?" He mumbles.

"What for?"

"Well... for Eddie's innocence, your accident... stuff like that" he explains "they already talked to me so... I offered to be here for when you woke up" he sends me a sweet smile.

"I hope everyone realises Eddie is innocent" I chuckle "I mean... take one look at that guy and you realise he couldn't hurt a fly"

"I know right!" He laughs.

"Is that my copy of the Hobbit?" I ask looking down at the book in his hands.

"Yeah, Robin and Nancy brought it here when they arrive to drop me off and take Steve. I didn't wake you, did I?" He suddenly looks guilty and is about to apologise.

"No, no, Dustin, I think you helped getting me out of a nightmare" I reassure him.

He looks a little relieved, but soon his expression turns into a concerning one.

"I'm really sorry, Y/n" He softly says.

"Can we please invoce a council with everyone so I can make it clear that it was no one's fault?" I chuckle "you have nothing to be sorry for, just like Max and just like El. And just like everbody else."

"But..."

"Hush. Nope. I don't wanna hear it. No one's fault" I lift my hand up to stop him "repeat after me: it was no one's fault"

He stays silent, letting out a small chuckle and shaking his head.

"C'mon, Dusty, repeat after me. It was no one's fault"

"It was no one's fault" he says it, way too quietly.

"What? What did you say?" I pretend not to have heard him.

"It was no one's fault" he says a little louder.

"That's right, also next time something like this happens-"

"Hey! No! It won't happen again! And even if it does I don't think any of us will let you be the bait again" he cuts me off, with a stern look.

"Alright, alright... I was just saying-" I try to say.

"Nope"

"But-"

"Aahhh!" He uses his hands to cover his ears.

"Dustin-"

"I said no"

"Alright!" I exclaim with a laugh "alright, there won't be a next time. Got it" I raise my hands up on surrender.

"Exactly" he smiles brightly. "But, I guess you earned the right to choose the movies for the next... uh... 4 movie nights"

"Really? Yes!" I cheer then I stop "Wait... only 4? Man, I almost died! Ten at least!"

"We all almost died." He clarifies.

"Oh now you want to specify I wasn't the only one, uh!?" I scoff chuckling.

"Alright... the next 5 times"

"9"

"What? Nah, 6"

"8"

"Oh c'mon, you chose the last time too though!"

"Alright... 7, but I also get to choose what to eat" I take out my hand for him to shake.

He looks at me and let out a sigh, he grabs my hand and shakes it.

"Deal"

"Always a pleasure dealing with you" I smile at him. "I'll make pasta" I wink.

His face lightens up immediately.

"Your pasta?" He asks.

"Of course" I chuckle at his satisfied expression.

"But don't stress yourself too much" He immediately adds.

"Oh, not you too" I laugh exasperated.

"You didn't exactly went for a walk!" He exclaims.

"I'm fine" I laugh, then I calm down "I'm fine, Dusty" I say softly to him.

Dustin's face changes again, from serene to almost disconsolate.

"Dustin" I try to regain his attention "Dustin, what did we say?"

"It was no one's fault" he says.

"Good, now come here and give a good Dustin-hug" I open my arms waiting for him, letting out a sigh of relief when he finally hugs me.

When he pulls away I notice a little tear on his face, so I quickly wipe it away.

"It's all good now, okay?"

"Yes... yes you are right" he nods.

"We did it again"

We high-five and in that moment there's a knock on the door.

"Can I come in?"

It's Steve.

"Sure!" Dustin yells and I laugh.

Steve opens the door and lingers a little before entering.

"Hey, sweetheart, how do you feel?" He asks.

"I'm feeling better, thanks. Henderson here helped" I say patting Dustin's shoulder.

"Good, that's good" Steve mutters, a small smile crepping up his face, he quickly glances at the door "so... are you in the mood for a visit?"

"I guess..." I say, a little sceptical after seeing his behaviour. "What's going on?"

"Oh nothing, love" he smile and then opens the door and someone walks in.

My blood immediately runs cold, I tense immediately, as soon as Hopper walks in... I thought my hallucinations were getting better... and now he's using Hopper, too.

No no no no no... not this.

"No, no, please..." I start sobbing, and I cover my eyes.

"What's wrong?" I hear Dustin whispering to me.

"I thought the hallucinations were... were getting better... I can't." I sob.

"What are you talking about?"

"I see Hopper standing there... I... he's using Hop to torment me, " I explain. "Please... make it stop, make it stop" I sob into the pillow as I curl up in bed.

"Y/n," Steve's hand gently caresses my back. "Love? He is here."

"What?" I ask, confused.

"Hop is here." He tells me.

"What... how...no... he's..." I stutter.

"I honestly don't know, but he is here. He's alive. Do you trust me? You know I wouldn't mess with you."

I slowly look up to him, seeing how sincere he is, and even more slowly, I look to the door.

I look at Hopper standing there, a visible worried look on his face. He doesn't know what to do. He softly smiles at me, to reassure me everything is fine.

"He's really here?" I ask Steve and Dustin.

"Yes, babe,"

"Yap"

I cautiously stand up and walk to Hopper, I look up at him to check if he's actually here or not.

"Is it you? Like... for real?" I ask.

"It is" he smiles, eyes watering a little.

"Oh my god" I don't waste any more time and hug him. He immediately reciprocates.

"Everything is gonna be fine now. I'm here, kid," he says softly to me once he lets me go.

"I'm sorry... I... I thought.."

"It's okay, they told me everything." Hop reassures me "I'm sorry I wasn't here,"

"Oh don't say that to her. She hates it," Dustin chimes in.

"He's right " I say wiping away the tears "it's not like anyone could've stopped me"

"Of course" he chuckles "too stubborn for your own good."

"I wonder where I took it from" I tease.

"She's right, you know" Joyce appears from behind him, I just realise she's been here the whole time.

"Oh my god, hi" I quickly hug her too.

"Hey, sweetheart" she holds me tight, she then lets me go and cups one of my cheeks "You got us so worried"

"I'm sorry" I chuckle.

"When they told us you ended up here... God... even though you two are not related by blood, you definitely took your stubbornness from him"

"Well... I'm definitely proud of it" Hopper interferes with a big smile. "Oh... and they also let something slip"

"What?" I look from him to Steve, who has a guilty look on his face.

Before he can answer the door opens once again, only to let Eddie walk in, dressed in his own clothes, meaning he's ready to be dismissed.

"We bumped into Eddie on the way here..." Steve explains pointing to Eddie.

"Oh..." I nervously chuckle.

"Oh indeed."

"Yeah... I wanted to apologise" Eddie awkwardly scratches his neck "I knew you were dead and... you kinda spooked me... I'm sorry"

"What..?" I chuckle amused.

"He used me as a shield... and then he pushed me toward your dad.." Steve explains, rather exasperated.

"Aaw, poor baby" I joke.

"And while I was explaining to this dingus he wasn't a ghost-"

"Steve blurted out we are now.. a thing" Eddie finishes awkwardly, still avoiding eye contact with... everyone.

"That he did" Hopper says.

"And...? Do you have a problem with that?" I ask, cautiously.

"As long as they won't hurt you, I'm fine with it" he smiles, almost devilishly, "it will only mean I won't have to cover up a murder... anytime soon at least."

I see Eddie and Steve share a, not very subtle, scared look. They then turn to me asking for help, but I can't help but laugh. I know Hopper is only messing with them.

"Alright!" Joyce claps her hands to change the subject. "How about after you are dismissed we all gather around and have dinner together? Uh?"

"Definitely" I support her saving my boyfriends from Hop.

"C'mon, let's go, Jim. C'mon, you scared them enough" Joyce gently grabs Hop's Armstrong guide him out.

"Eh... not exactly enough. But there's plenty of time" he teases. "Take care, kids. Anything happens you call me, alright?"

"Sure, Hop" I smile at him.

"I'll come check on you tomorrow" he says.

I wave at them as they walk out.

"What a perfect way to say to my father we're in a relationship... Great job" I laugh.

"Yeah, you couldn't have chosen a better way, guys?" Dustin asks, with a amused grin.

"Hey don't look at me, man, he did it all" Eddie defends himself.

"Yeah yeah, it just came out... I'm sorry" he says, coming up to me and gently taking my hand in his.

"Hey, it's fine. I never thought I'd ever have to tell him something like that in the first place... so... it's actually better this way" I smile at them.

"He... he wouldn't actually.. murder us right?" Eddie asks.

"In the most brutal way" I joke and he glares at me.

"Very funny" he sarcastically says.

"I know" I wink at him.

"I came here to tell you they're dismissing me, by the way" he tells me "Wayne's outside to take me home. As a free man, nonetheless"

"Rightfully" I smile" do you feel better, though? Like actually okay?" I ask him.

"Yeah, yeah, I do, don't worry, my beautiful girl" he says getting closer to me and Steve.

"Alright, I'm still here" Dustin announces.

"Not my problem" was Eddie simple answer.

"Okay. My queue to leave. Bye, guys, get better Y/n. Bye" he quickly rushes out of the room.

"There you go... you scared Dustin" I say.

"Thankfully" Steve comments.

"You two are terrible" I laugh.

Eddie smirks before kissing me softly on the lips and then lets Steve do the same.

"About going home..." Steve starts " my parents won't be home for the next... uh... couple of months. Not surprising, I know, but... well... if you guys want to stay over and... maybe start to actually figure our whole situation out... we could"

"That's not a bad idea, Harrington." Eddie's still smirking "what do you say, sweetheart?"

"I say it's a great idea" I say and the kiss each boy on the cheek.

"And once you're out of here, we're taking you to the most amazing date you can ever imagine" Steve declares with a big loving smile.

"Easy there, Stevie... let's not create expectations we can't live up to" Eddie says making me laugh.

"Even a simple pizza and a movie at home would be absolutely perfect" I assure them.

"See?" Steve points at me looking at Eddie "she has no expectations at all. We're safe"

"Yeah... I guess you're right, man" Eddie agrees.

"C'mon, don't let your uncle wait too long." I say to Eddie kissing him.

"Oh fine fine. I'll leave." He sweetly smile down at me "you better get better soon. I can't deal with this guys here alone"

"Yeah, please, don't leave me with him" Steve begs.

"Oh c'mon, you two will be fine"

"Doesn't matter. Get better soon, we want to spoil you" Steve softly says, still playing with my fingers.

"I promise" I smile at them.

"Alright, let's get going. I'll prepare the house for the both of you" Steve says and gives me a kiss.

"Fine, I'll meet Wayne and go home to prepare my things instead" it's Eddie's turn to kiss me.

"See you two tomorrow" I wave at them as they exit.

I go sit on the bed taking everything in.

Hopper is alive... I definitely need him to tell me everything. It's so good to know it wasn't one of my hallucinations.

We're gonna be a family again, with El too. I can't believe it, it's great.

Everything is actually going to be fine.

[theclaravoyant]

platonic 911 prompts? please please pleeeease buck coming out to hen

AN ~ omg yes! technically this is set after the actual coming out part (compatible with 7x06) but they get to talk more and be ridiculous queers about it. I LOVE THEM

-

The next day, as Buck bounds back into the firehouse kitchen, Hen is waiting. She has a massive grin on her face, only barely concealed by the coffee mug as she takes a sip.

“Soooo,” she greets. “'Evan,' huh?”

“Shut up.” He rolls his eyes, but he can't help grinning and blushing, like he does every time so much as the thought of Tommy crosses his mind.

“Come on, I'm teasing,” Hen promises. “I think it's cute.”

“Yeah. Me too.”

This - This euphoria, he's heard people call it, is still buzzing through his veins like it has been since the moment Tommy first kissed him. It's been fuelled by a bunch of Googling. The learning, the rabbit holes, the everything falling into place, it's a wicked high. And a bit of a mindfuck. Then again, he supposes, he is making up for lost time.

He takes a deep breath and asks;

“Did you... know?”

“About me? Or about you?”

“Either.”

“Well, me is easy. I knew for a long time. Had a crush on a girl in my high school science class. I just knew I wanted to kiss her, and that was that.”

“Okay. About me, then.”

He almost winces as he waits for the answer. He can't look at Hen, so he fixes his eyes on the window above the sink. He doesn't even know what he's worried about. Honestly. That she's going to say he's been somehow walking around with a limp wrist and a big flashing neon sign above his head this entire time? That he's the last one in on the joke?

Sensing his panic, Hen drops her teasing air.

“No one ever really knows, Buck,” she explains. “That's something straight people made up to feel better about stereotyping us.”

Us. It sparkles in his chest.

“But honestly?” she continues. “I wasn't surprised, no.”

“Why not? 'Cause I was a massive jealous dick about Eddie?”

She laughs. “Well, that might have been a point in the column. But no. There's just sort of... something about you. Once you've been around the block a while you'll probably know what I'm talking about. The overcompensating, the feeling lost, the whole found-family thing you've got going on... It's very queer of you.”

If you say so, he thinks at first. But it does make sense. He'd spent so much of his life jumping from job to job, country to country, relationship to relationship, searching for something that he'd only found when Tommy'd kissed him; the answer to a question he'd never even thought to ask. But it wasn't just that. He'd never really understood why so many people found it weird that he was so invested in Christopher's life or that he'd die for Bobby but barely called his relationship with his parents love, but it was something a lot of the queer people in his life seemed to take without question. Maybe because so many of them had, or knew people who had, been disowned or thrown out of home or kept out of hospital rooms or from seeing their own kids and turned to their own friends to make a family. Their own 118.

“Huh. I guess it is.”

“Plus, I mean,” Hen adds – biting her lip because come on, she's only human. “You do put a rainbow flag in your bio every Pride month.”

Buck groans. “Tommy told you about that, huh?”

“Buck. I love you. But did you really think I didn't know that same sex adoption's only been legal in California since 2003? I've literally same sex adopted a child.”

“I just think it's bullshit!” he protests automatically. “You're a great parent!”

“And you're a great Ally.”

He snatches a tea towel, balls it up and throws it at her as the sirens began to ring out. She cackles and darts away, and Buck follows. Beaming.

[kaaaaaaarf]

Chapter 9 of everywhere, everything by @lynxindisguise is up, so it's playlist time! I really tried to go for a certain dreamy vibe with this one because this chapter felt that way to me, but...that is not what happened. 🤷 I still think it's a vibe, though!!

Universe 1,237: Fairytale songs and explanations under the cut (beware spoilers!)

+ Nature Boy by AURORA

This was the first song I decided I wanted to add when I heard about this chapter. Nature Boy fits this chapter in several ways. The emponymous nature boy could be construed as Teddy or Remus, but I really think the lyrics make the case for Sirius.

There was a boy A very strange enchanted boy They say he wandered very far Very far Over land and sea A little shy And sad of eye But very wise was he And then one day One magic day he passed my way And while we spoken of many things Fools and kings This he said to me The greatest thing You'll ever learn Is just to love And be loved in return

+ Dear Fellow Traveller by Sea Wolf

This is very Sirius wishing Remus could come and save him from himself and the choices he made that sent him on this journey. I also love the idea of the mirror being a magic mirror for this particular chapter.

You spoke my language and touched my limbs It wasn't difficult to pull me from myself again And in our travels, we found our roads You held it like a mirror, showing me the life I chose [...] Dear fellow traveler under the moon I think I'm growing weary and I'm hoping you'll come soon And if I see you in clean new clothes I hope you hold the mirror up to show me what I chose [...] And I know you're out there in the shadows I know you're out there in the shadows I know you're out there in the shadows Dear fellow traveler underneath the moon Dear fellow traveler underneath the moon

+ In Memoriam by The Oh Hellos

This is one of two songs I used from from the Hut of the Mistold playlist that Lynx made. I thought it suited this chapter very well.

Well, it's a long way out to reach the sea But I'm sure I'll find you waiting there for me And by the time I blink, I'll see your wild arms swinging Just to meet me in the middle of the road And you'll hold me like you'll never let me go And beside the salty water, I could hold you close, But you are far too beautiful to love me It's a long climb up the dusty mountain To build a turret tall enough to keep you out But when you wage your wars against the one who adores you, Then you'll never know the treasure that you're worth But I've never been a wealthy one before I've got holes in my pockets burned by liars gold, And I think I'm far too poor for you to want me It's been a long road, losing all I've owned And you don't know what you've got until you're gone And it's a nasty habit, spending all you have, but When you're doing all the leaving, then it's never your love lost And if you leave before the start, then there was never love at all And heaven knows I'm prone to leave the only god I should have loved, And yet you're far too beautiful to leave me

+ Teddy's Lullaby by Teddy's Wonderland

An instrumental song for everyone's favourite Teddy bear.

+ The Stars Shine In The Sky Tonight by Eels

This one really made sense lyrically, and I wanted something Decembery considering that's when this chapter takes place. The when you wish upon the star / there's two of us you need to save lines especially got me. Original universe wolfstar in this is just 🥺

I can't live in a world that you have left behind Seen a lot, been through too much But this is where I draw the line It's not where you're coming from It's where you're going to And I just want to go with you December it's a lonely month In a year of lonely days It's hard to tell which way is up Or down or out or through the haze [...] The stars shine in the sky tonight Like a path beyond the grave When you wish upon the star There's two of us you need to save

+ Without You by Eddie Vedder

This is just quintessentially wolfstar in this fic. Musically it also fits the vibe I was going for.

Wherever you go Whenever we part I'll keep on healing all the scars That we've collected from the start I'd rather this than live without you For every wish upon a star That goes unanswered in the dark There is a dream, I've dreamt about you And from a far, I lie awake Close my eyes to find I wouldn't be the same I'll shine when you shine Painted pictures on my mind Sun sets on this ocean Never once on my devotion However you are Or far that you fall

+ True Love's Kiss by Thomas Newman

Instrumental. I liked that while this does have an emotional swell, it's ultimately a little darker. True Love's Kiss only counts if it's really your true love.

+ A Fairytale Ending by The Boy Least Likely To

Sirius loves this world he's fallen into, but ultimately it's not home. How is this whole situation going to end for him? Will it be his own fairytale, or something else?

When I was young I was valiant and bold I fought off dragons and wrestled with trolls I was stupid, but I was brave I'm still as stupid as I was before And now though, I'm not that young anymore I'm still valiant in my own little way Limping off into the sunset With our tails between our own legs Remembering how it all started And wondering if this is the way that my fairytale ends [...] In the end everything has to Turn back into pumpkins and frogs I wish that it didn't have to And I'm wondering if this is the way that my fairytale ends Limping off into the sunset With our tails between our own legs Muttering quietly to myself And wondering if this is the way that my fairytale ends