#lavender steve

[fandomfluffandfuck]

Not an ask, just an anonymous whisper: google "jake dupree lavender" - and that is very much good inspiration for your lavender steve c:

Jake Dupree Instagram

Yes

I have seen Jake Dupree a handful of times, and let me tell you, every time they take my breath away 😮‍💨😮‍💨 thank you for reminding me of their beauty again!

You're so, so right, though. BIG lavender Steve vibes 👀

This post

[morganbritton132]

Steve is sitting at the table in the kitchen FaceTiming Tommy to help his daughter with her math homework when Eddie brings his live-stream into the room.

“While Isla’s in the bathroom, I’m going to do the same,” Steve says, standing up. He tells them both, “Play nice.”

They do not do that because it’s funnier to keep the rivalry going. The first thing Eddie says when Steve steps out is, “Does it still eat you up inside that I married him?”

Tommy replies easily with, “Are you still jealous that I kissed him first?”

Carol chimes in, “Actually I kissed him first.”

“Doesn’t count,” Tommy and Eddie say at the same time. “There was no tongue.”

“And no declaration of love,” Eddie adds. “Only I got that.”

“Actually…” Robin says, never letting anybody forget. “He confessed he was in love with me and I didn’t have to kiss him.”

[findafight]

Severely neglected component of modernish rockstar Eddie fics is Robin deciding to become an internet hater for Eddie. Like she finds out Eddie is semi/famous and is like "oh, you know what'll be hilarious?" And makes a twitter account dedicated to dissing him. You cannot convince me she wouldn't. Eddie knows she runs the account (it's not even negative it's just to rag on him. Tweets like "Eddie Munson seems like the kind of guy who would tell his friend he'll get her dr pepper and then get some bullshit knockoff. What the hell is a peppo" and "Eddie Munson has probably gotten so distracted by his SO that he walked into a wall and then was still so distracted said SO thought he was concussed." Or "Jeff is actually the best member of CC Eddie probably walked on cafeteria tables in HS" And of course "everybody says I hate on Eddie too much but they don't know he woke his SOs bff up just to ask if there was any peppo left. Twice.") But he can't do anything about it. It's a bit of a meme, because the account never says anything actually mean about Eddie, or his music. Just. Bizarre hypotheticals. (They are not hypothetical)

People are like "how do you feel about EddieMunsonh8r at twitter dot com"

And he has to grit his teeth and say people can have their own opinions about him, ignoring the fact that Robin was literally sitting beside him poking him when she tweeted earlier that day about him wiggling his fingers and saying he'd like to have a little morsel (in reference to cheezies).

When asked why she does it she just says "to keep him humble. And also it's funny to see if people believe he would do this stuff."

Gareth proposes one of them make an account like that about Steve, semi famous stuntman who's doing some more acting now, and the next day Robin tweets "CC seems like the kid of guys who'd make a fake hater account about Steve and use actually silly billy things he does as content" (Jeff tattled)(Eddie groaned)(Steve and Robin cackled)

[princessstevemunson]

Famous actor Steve Harrington known wife guy. Spends decades of interviews talking about his wife Robin and all their misadventures—a lot of those stories also include their friend and next door neighbor, Corroded Coffin frontman, Eddie Munson. Then with the advent of social media a lot more people are posting about him being seen with Eddie, and are convinced that Steve and Eddie are cheating. This makes Steve have to out himself and explain that he and Robin are in a lavender marriage. (Not that it wasn’t an open secret in Hollywood especially with how close Robin and international pop sensation Chrissy Cunningham are)

[unfinishedslurs]

RIP Mike Wheeler’s heterosexuality

“Is being gay contagious?”

Steve stares at his phone groggily before putting it back against his ear. “…Mike?”

“Is it?”

“It’s three in the fuckin’ morning is what it is.” He rubs his nose, Mike’s words finally catching up to his brain. “Seriously, Mike? No it’s not fucking contagious, you’re not gonna get the gay disease or whatever from me. I promise you’ll keep liking girls.”

He’s a little hurt, even though he knows the question is innocent. They’ve been asking a lot of questions, like the inquisitive little assholes they are, but none of them had seemed like they weren’t okay with it. Until now.

“…that’s not what I meant,” Mike says. Steve realizes that his voice sounds shaky, even over the phone.

“Then what—“ he cuts himself off, realizing halfway through his bitching that there was only one reason Mike would call about this. “Oh.”

“Can you pick me up?”

“It’s three in the morning,” he repeats, even as he starts wondering where he left his keys. “Your mom…”

“Steve,” Mike pleads. “Please?”

He sighs. “I’m on my way.”

Mike is sitting on his doorstep when he pulls up, head in his hands. Steve doesn’t have to get out of the car, he stalks to the passenger door with all the vitriol of a boy with too many emotions to hold in, and wrenches the door open hard enough that Steve worries he’s going to break it.

“Watch it, noodle arms,” he says, trying to pretend this is normal. Maybe if he acts like it’s not well past midnight, Mike will relax.

It doesn’t work. Mike slumps in his seat, not bothering with the seatbelt. “Can you just drive?”

Steve drives. Doesn’t really know where they’re going, but it doesn’t matter. Just away seems to suffice.

He eventually pulls into a side road

“I’m scared to even touch another guy now! Because apparently hugging is gay when you’re older, and so is sleeping in the same bed, and telling your friends you love them, and…and I’m fucking scared all the time, ‘cause what if they’re right? How do they know? How can they tell by just fucking looking at me? It’s bullshit!”

“Shit, kid,” Steve says, heartbroken. “Shit. C’mere.”

He pulls him close, and Mike turns his face into the crook of his neck, shaking. His shirt collar starts to get damp.

“I don’t know what to do,” he cries. “I thought it was normal, I thought everyone was just…so scared all the time, and we just didn’t talk about it. But then you said that thing about being afraid and pushing it down, and I didn’t— I tried to ignore it. I tried so hard not to think about it, Steve, I swear I tried.”

“I know you did,” he says quietly. It hits him that he might be the only one who really gets it. Eddie gave up denying it long ago, deciding to evolve into something else for them to focus on. Robin’s a girl. Which doesn’t mean jack shit in most cases, because being a lesbian fucking sucks in a town like Hawkins, but girls aren’t as obsessive about it. Sometimes when they compare notes, Robin will just stare at him.

Mike shakes his head. “I don’t know what I did wrong,” he mumbles tearfully into his shoulder.

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” Steve says with a surprising amount of vehemence. He grabs Mike by his scrawny little shoulders, pulls him away so he can look directly into his bloodshot eyes. “Not a damn thing, do you hear me? There is nothing wrong with you, and anyone who tells you otherwise deserves a swift kick in the balls. Got it?”

Mike responds by bursting into loud, messy sobs.

Steve just keeps holding him, running a hand through his hair and soothing him gently, like he wishes someone had done for him or Robin or Eddie when they were young. Finally Mike pulls away, embarrassment starting to set in.

“Sorry,” he mutters.

“Can I tell you a secret?” Steve asks instead of a meaningless platitude he knows Mike wouldn’t accept.

Mike gives him a suspicious look. “I guess.”

“I’m scared too. All the time.”

“No you’re not,” Mike snorts. “You don’t need to make me feel better just because I’m a pussy.”

“I’m not joking,” he says. “Why do you think I dated girls? Why do you think I went through so many lengths to hide it? It’s fucking terrifying, man. But you know what makes it less scary?”

“Dating girls? Marrying a woman?”

“No.” He pokes Mike’s chest, right over his heart. “People. Friends who love and accept you. Friends who know what you’re going through, even.”

“Do you…” Mike chews his lip. “Do you think Nancy would be okay with it? With me?”

“Absolutely I do. She was okay with me, wasn’t she? And I was her boyfriend.”

“Yeah, but it’s different when it’s your family, right? Sometimes people don’t care if someone is… people don’t care until it affects them. Do you think Nancy is like that?”

He knows Nancy isn’t like that, but that's a talk they’re going to have to have themselves. “I really don’t,” he encourages. “I think she’d be really glad to know this part of you, actually. She loves you.”

“…I know,” he says, shifting uncomfortably. “I don’t… we made this dumb no secrets pact the first time the Upside-Down happened, I don’t know why. It’s stupid. But…I don’t want to keep secrets from her anymore.”

[thestobingirlie]

stobin’s lavender wedding is beautiful and full of tears and love. (it’s a late spring wedding, erica is a bridesmaid, dustin is the best man. he and steve have matching coloured ties, and robin wears an incredible 80s puffy wedding dress). robin’s dad sobs walking her down the aisle, steve’s crying before he even gets to vows, robin starts crying during the vows, and there’s no way dustin’s getting through his speech without tears, let alone the rest of the wedding.

they give each other a little peck, their vows are heartfelt, and from that day they call each other husband and wife. because yeah, it’s not sexual, but that doesn’t matter!! they love each other. they’ve chosen to get married, not just for tax benefits, but because they want to stay at each other’s side for the rest of their lives!! they’re still dedicating their lives to one another. their love being platonic doesn’t make it any less real than anyone else’s.

[stevieharringtonwifeguy]

time travel au that has everyone circa season 1 travelling like ten years into the future and s1 steve and robin, who do not know each other in any way, have to come to terms with the fact that in ten years they'll apparently be married?????

and also eddie munson apparently lives with them which is definitely super weird but steve's too worried about his apparent fall in standards and robins too worried that she's like. failed as a lesbian and caved to be in a loveless heterosexual marriage to notice that older steve and robin are clearly close, yeah, but they never kiss or do anything explicitly romantic, and older eddie munson is literally hanging off older steve looking like he's gonna die of laughter any time s1 steve asks if older him and robin are trying for kids

[dreamofbecoming]

more stobin nonsense from your resident trash goblin. feat. shitty harrington parents, lavender marriage, full party found family shenanigans, steddie flirting, steve&will bonding, and a severe lack of dialogue tags

rating: t wc: 5k ao3

“I knew it!”

Steve sighs. Listen, he knew the minute he opened his mouth that this was coming. There was always a zero percent chance Dustin was ever gonna let him get out the whole thing before bursting in with this exact interruption, but that doesn’t make it less annoying. If the little shithead would just let him finish--

"I knew you were perfect together, I can't believe you didn't tell us you were dating! How long have you been a thing? I have money to collect! Can I be your best man? Never mind, obviously I'm gonna be your best man. You so owe me for not telling me sooner! I cannot believe-"

"Henderson!"

"What?"

"We're not together like that."

In fairness, Dustin is not the only one to give them an incredulous look for that one.

"Steve. You literally just announced you and Robin are getting married. What is even the point of pretending you're not in love anymore? What are you still trying to prove? Just admit I was right the whole time!"

Steve pinches the bridge of his nose and forces himself to take a deep breath, instead of wringing Dustin's weird little boneless neck. It's not his fault, he reminds himself. They haven't gotten to the second part of the announcement, so his assumptions are natural.

Now, it is Henderson's fault that they haven't managed to say the rest of what they came here to say, so maybe he can keep blaming him after all.

"Do you remember when we sat down and we asked you guys to let us say everything we were gonna say without interrupting?"

"Uh, yeah dude, it was like ten minutes ago. We're not stupid."

"Has it occurred to you that maybe we weren't done saying everything we were gonna say, considering I was halfway through a sentence when you jumped in?"

"I mean, I guess, but like, it's pretty obvious where you're going with this, Steve. You're not a complicated guy, no offense. Now, where did we land on the best man issue?"

Nancy must see the offense very much taken on his face, because before he can open his mouth and say something probably horrifically rude that would feel amazing in the moment and which he would immediately regret, she jumps to his rescue.

"Dustin, you're being very rude. Steve and Robin came here to talk to us, and we promised to listen. Let them finish."

It's nice of her to back Steve up, considering how weird this conversation must be for her. Hopefully it gets less awkward soon.

Henderson grumbles mutinously, but years of dealing with first Mike and then the rest of the little dickheads have left Nancy's control ironclad, and he waves sarcastically for Steve to continue.

This kid is spending too much time with Eddie, the attitude is getting out of hand.

"Right. Thanks, Nance. As I was saying, Robin and I are getting married, yes. But not because we're in love. I mean, I love her, obviously, but as a friend. Only a friend. Or, well, I guess a friend and soon a...friend...wife? Frife? Wend? You guys get it."

"We very much don't." Alright, well, fine, add Max to the shitlist.

He looks over at Robin, hoping for help, but she's stiff as a board and trembling all over.

He doesn't want to be the one to say the words for her. They agreed together to tell everyone the truth, it was her idea even, but the last thing he wants to do is steal that moment from her.

Maybe he can just…talk around it, until she feels up to it. And if not, he’ll just tell them his part of it and call it good.

“We’re getting lavender married.”

Okay, so that’s probably not like. A normal way to say that or whatever. Robin just used that term like fifty times last night, alright? She was really excited about the article she just read about it, something about how it was a thing in, like, olden times or whatever, and now it’s coming back because Reagan is a fucking tool, Steve’s not sure, he was only kind of listening. Regardless, now it’s stuck in his head. Sue him or whatever, geez.

Anyway, he isn’t sure how many people in this room will actually understand what that means, but Nancy’s mouth drops open in a perfect little O the way it only does when she’s genuinely surprised by something, and there’s a tiny gasp from over by the table that he thinks might have come from Will, and Max mutters to herself “Oh shit, that explains so much,” so it’s not none of them, which helps. No pitchforks yet, at least.

Jonathan is eyeing him speculatively, and Argyle is offering him an enthusiastic thumbs up, which is nice.

Unfortunately, the other boys and El are giving him blank, expectant stares, and Erica is eyeing him with both confusion and annoyance, so it looks like he still has some explaining to do.

“What the hell does your color scheme have to do with this? I’m not helping plan the wedding, dude, I don’t care that much.”

Steve mumbles a “Language,” on reflex, but his heart isn’t in it. This is somehow more nerve-wracking than evil Russians.

“Mike, that’s not what it means. Now shut up and listen, or I’ll tell Mom how that red sock ended up in her load of white delicates.”

“Oh come on, she’ll kill me!” When all he gets in return is a single raised eyebrow, he groans and slumps further into his seat, glaring at Steve.

“Right. Okay. So basically, last night, my parents--”

“I’m a lesbian!”

There’s a beat of dead silence, which in this group is more unsettling than just about anything else.

Steve keeps his eyes on Robin, who looks just about as shocked at her own outburst as everyone else in the room. He takes her hand, squeezing gently until she unfreezes a little and looks back over at him. She looks terrified, and it breaks his heart a little.

“You okay, babe?” He keeps his voice low, murmuring just loud enough for her to hear. He knows this moment is the opposite of private, but she needs him to pretend for a second, so that’s what he’s gonna do.

She nods, a little jerkily, but she grips his hand back and intentionally evens out her breathing. She’s so fucking brave. He would burn the world down for Robin Buckley, and he doesn’t care who knows it.

He can’t believe she’s willing to do this for him, but he’s so grateful he feels like he’s choking on it.

“Henderdork will literally never shut up and let you live it down if we do this and he doesn’t know the truth. Not even for a single second for the rest of forever, and I, for one, am not putting up with that shit until death or legal marriage reforms do us part, Dingus.”

It was a solid point last night when they came up with the plan, curled on her bed while she stroked his hair and generously pretended he hadn’t soaked the shoulder of her shirt with his sobs, all his worldly possessions packed into a duffel on her bedroom floor, but he knows her insistence was more about knowing how much he hates lying to the kids than it was about protecting herself from irritating teenagers.

He doesn’t think there’s enough room on the whole planet to hold all the love he feels for her, even if you count the Upside Down and any other weirdo dimensions floating around out there waiting to ruin his day.

“I’m okay, bubba. Don’t let go?” Her hand is shaking in his, but he just squeezes harder.

“Never.” He turns back to the room, eyes hard as he scans the faces of their family for any hostility. He wouldn’t have agreed to this part of the plan if he thought any of them would be a problem, but he’s not taking anything for granted with Robbie’s safety. Not now, not ever. "Everyone's gonna be cool about that, right?"

"Of course we are, right, guys?" From the pained grunt that follows her words, Steve assumes Max has dug her elbow into Mike's ribs.

"Yeah, sure, whatever."

"I suppose this makes you slightly less lame, Buckley. It's definitely better than when I thought you liked this loser." Wow, okay, thank you Erica.

"Yeah totally! Thanks for trusting us, Robin." Lucas is a sweetheart, he really is. He's also glancing surreptitiously at Will while he nods enthusiastically, who is still staring open-mouthed at Robin with wide, shiny eyes.

"Yes, thank you for trusting us, Robin." Nancy is smiling kindly, but she's got that glint in her eye that Steve knows means she just came up with more questions and is waiting for the right moment to strike. Fair enough, at least she's letting Robs have her moment first.

He finally drags his eyes back to Dustin, who he doesn't really want to admit, even to himself, he's a little worried about. Not that he'll be shitty about it, necessarily, but there's nothing that brings out Henderson's bitchy side like being wrong, and he's been so fucking wrong this entire time. It's bound to upset him.

And maybe Steve will never say this out loud where the other kids might hear, but the truth is that Dustin's opinion matters to him more than just about everyone else's. Dustin was the first person in the whole world who saw Steve, the real Steve, and decided he was worth keeping around. If Henderson can't accept this part of Robin, it means he can't accept this part of Steve, and if that happens...if that happens Steve isn't sure he'll be able to come back from it.

So he's...not worried, okay? Worried is not the right word. Anxious, maybe. Concerned.

Okay fine fuck off he's worried.

Dustin...looks like he's about to cry. Shit.

"Did you think you couldn't trust me?" His voice is so small. Steve doesn't think he's ever heard it so small. It feels wrong. Henderson's voice should fill every room he's in, always. "You didn't have to lie. You could have told me the truth."

Aw, fuck.

"Buddy,--"

"It's not that simple, little man."

Steve whips back around to look at Robin. Are you sure you’re up for this? She purses her lips and narrows her eyes. Yeah, Dingus, this is my mess. Let me clean it up. Put the lance down, White Knight. Well, alright then. He waves for her to continue, ignoring the looks the others always shoot them when they do their silent conversation thing. Not his fault they can’t read each other as well, it’s not like it’s hard.

"Before today, Steve was the only person in the world who knew about me. And honestly, I don't know if I would have told him if we weren't both coming off torture and truth serum. I've worked hard to hide it my whole life, baby Dingus, that's not an easy thing to stop doing. It's scary."

"But we're your friends. We're your family! We saved the world together! You should trust your family, right?"

Aw, jeez. Steve forgets, sometimes, how young they are. They've been through horrific supernatural trauma, but they're still the kind of kids who think life is a story with a happy ending, like their little dragon game.

"Yeah, bud, you should, but it's not always that easy. There can be really serious consequences for telling the wrong person. Like, last night my parents found out I'm bisexual by accident and now I...well. Now I don't have parents anymore." Oof, okay, little blunter than he meant to be, but Robbie's getting anxious again so he has to take the focus back.

There's an eruption of sound, as every voice in the Party starts shouting all at once, turning the Wheeler's basement into Steve's own personal migraine generator.

"Did they kick you out?"

"You're bisexual?!"

"What's bisexual?"

"They can't just do that!"

"Does this mean we have to find somewhere else for Hellfire nights?"

That last one earns Erica several Looks, but she doesn't flinch. "What? I'm just being practical."

He wishes Eddie was here. The gremlins actually listen to him, unlike Steve, on account of as their Hellfire DM, he has leverage they care about to threaten them with. Well, most of them, but it's definitely a help when he's around.

Sadly he and Wayne are at some kind of Munson family reunion down in West Virginia this week, so Steve is gonna have to do this whole spiel over again when he gets back. He and Robin thought about waiting until he got back and the whole Party could be together, but the kids would definitely notice him not living in Loch Nora anymore pretty much immediately. And Steve hates the idea of telling him over the phone, so double coming out/engagement announcement it is.

"Alright, Jesus Christ, enough! One at a goddamn time, you animals."

He looks back at Dustin, who's definitely crying now. "Yeah, buddy, they kicked me out, but I'm okay. I'm staying with the Buckleys for now, and Rob and I have been saving up to move in together soon anyway, so all this did is move up our timeline. I'm safe and I'm fine, okay? I promise."

Dustin plasters himself to Steve's front, squeezing like he's worried Steve is going to shatter into pieces and he can hold him together by sheer force of will. It's very sweet, even if it's crushing his lungs a little.

"I'm sorry you felt like you couldn't tell me." The words are muffled in Steve's chest, he's not sure anyone else heard him.

"Aw, kid, it's okay. I trust you, alright? Always. You die, I die, remember? I was just...figuring my shit out, that's all."

"Your parents are mouthbreathers." Steve chuckles a little at the mutinous glare on El's face, not pausing his hand where he's stroking Dustin's hair.

"You're not wrong, Supergirl. But it's fine, honestly. They've always been dicks, I've been planning to move out for a long time. They just...gave me the final push, is all." He's definitely leaving out the part where he broke down sobbing in Robbie's bed last night, asking her over and over why he was so broken that his own parents couldn't love him, but the kids don't need to hear that part of the story.

"Does this have something to do with your whirlwind engagement?" There she is, ace reporter Nancy Wheeler. Observant as always.

"Yeah, pretty much. They disinherited me, but they're still legally my next of kin."

"And Dingus has had far too much head trauma for me to trust he's not gonna end up back in the hospital for something at some point, and the last thing we need is Mr. and Mrs. von Child Neglect getting that call. And I was just reading about gay men and women who are marrying each other so they can have someone allowed in to see in them in the hospital, because of the virus, you know? And I thought, hey that's not a half bad idea! We're gonna be living together anyway, and it's not like I'm marrying anyone else, and it'll be good for both of us to have someone who knows about, y'know, monsters and all that jazz, to do our power of attorney stuff, so, voila! Mr. and Mrs. Bucklington!"

"We are not changing our name to Bucklington."

"Well Harringley is worse, so suck it up, buttercup."

"I'm not interested in keeping the Harrington name, Bobs, I'd rather just be a Buckley."

"Aw, bubba, you're gonna make me cry!"

"You should both become Hendersons! Then we'd really be brothers!"

Steve erupts into laughter, the tension effectively broken by Dustin's wide, toothy grin. "What d'ya say, Bobbie? Steve and Robin Henderson?"

"Would we get access to Claudia's lasagna recipe? Because if so, I'm behind this plan one hundred percent.”

"By 'we' you do mean me, right? Because I love you more than life, Bobs, but I'm not letting you anywhere near a casserole dish. I've learned that lesson."

"It was one time!"

"It took me three days to get all the cheese off the ceiling! There's still a stain!"

"Well good! Ceiling grease stains can be the Harrington's problem now, anyway. They deserve it!"

Argyle is nodding sagely from on top of the incredibly deflated bean bag he's sharing with Jonathan. "I do like Bucklington, it makes you sound like a fancy butler. But family is important, brochachos, and so is lasagna. I vote Henderson."

This spurs impassioned arguments from all corners, which Steve is more than happy to relax into the couch cushions and let wash over him.

There's a light, bubbly feeling in his chest. For the first time since his dad walked in unannounced yesterday, interrupting his phone call with Robin at the worst possible moment, the knot of fear and grief in his stomach starts to loosen.

Robin smiles at him, and he grins helplessly back. Who needs parents when he's got a soulmate? They're together, they're safe, they're surrounded by their family. Steve holds Dustin tighter to his side and lets himself feel loved.

He takes advantage of a lull in the Last Name Wars to get out the last of the speech he'd planned. "Anyway, we decided to tell all of you the truth when we came up with this plan last night, because we do trust you and we didn't want to lie to you, and also because we knew you shitheads would never shut up about us being in love if we didn't and that sounded awful."

He laughs delightedly at the chorus of indignant outbursts this gets him before continuing.

"It's really important that you don't tell anyone outside the Party the truth, alright? We're gonna tell Eddie when he gets back, and we might tell Joyce and Hop eventually, but that needs to be our choice to do. You can't do it for us, and you absolutely can't tell anyone else. The whole point of this is to keep us safe by keeping people from finding out the truth, okay?"

El looks vaguely uncomfortable, but not upset. "Will you tell my Dad soon?"

Steve glances at Robbie, who's looking anxious again, and then over at Will. His shoulders are tense, hunched up around his ears, and he's staring intently at the table in front of him.

Steve isn't sure if anyone else knows what he thinks he knows about Will, but he's pretty sure he recognizes the specific flavor of isolation he can see Will struggling with sometimes, and he's definitely sure he recognizes the looks Will shoots at Mike whenever Wheeler isn't looking. Tommy used to look at him like that.

Either way, he knows the kind of fear the kid must be suffering, just like he knows how terrifying today was for Robin. For Steve, the worst case scenario has already happened, so he has a lot less left to lose. He can afford to smooth the way a little, to test the waters and make sure they're safe for everyone else.

It's not that different from his normal role in this group anyway, just a different kind of monster. He's always been good at taking hits so the others don't have to-- this is just another threat to step in front of.

"Tell you what, Ellie, I'll talk to Hop and Joyce this weekend, that way you won't have to keep secrets from him for too long. I'll just tell him about me, though, at first, okay? That way we'll know if it's safe for Robbie." Or anyone else, he doesn't say.

Jonathan hears it, at the very least, and shoots him a look that's equal parts surprised and grateful. Maybe Will has someone else in his corner after all, then.

El nods happily, satisfied with that.

Before anyone else can jump in, there's a clattering on the basement stairs. None of them have time to tense up too badly before the door bursts open and Eddie comes tumbling through it in a flurry of dark curls and frayed denim.

"Fear not, my wayward wastrels, for I have returned from far off lands, bearing tidings and the promise of libations!"

Steve only recognizes, like, four of those words, but seeing Eddie gives him the same happy, fizzy feeling in his gut that it always does these days, so he grins.

"You're back early, Eds, everything ok?"

Eddie blinks at him, then around the room, looking surprised to see it so packed.

"Yeah, my cousin Clarence accidentally broke my MeeMaw's pasture fencing and set all the goats loose in the hills, and if we stuck around we were gonna have to help round them back up, so Wayne and I snuck out early. I was coming to invite the gremlins out for pizza to tell you all about it, but this is more people than I was expecting. Y'all having a family meeting? Without little old moi?"

Steve valiantly suppresses the shiver that the twang in Eddie's voice triggers. Steve's not sure if Eddie notices the way his accent gets stronger when he's been talking to family, but he's had to work very hard to make sure he doesn't notice the way it affects Steve.

Steve has barely tested the flirting waters with Eddie since admitting his crush to Robin, he's definitely not jumping right in with 'It makes me tingly all over when you start talking with a drawl, wanna call me darlin' and see what happens?'

Luckily Bobbie notices his inner struggle and comes to his rescue.

"It was kind of a time sensitive issue- not a life or death one! Or like. Not a monster one, anyway. But shit went down last night and we needed to brief everyone before the geek squad figured out something was funky and came beating down the door. Steve wanted to tell you in person so we were gonna wait til you got back, but here you are!"

Eddie's looking at Robin with an amused smile on his face, one eyebrow raised and his lips quirked in a lopsided grin that is, frankly, unreasonably attractive. "Here I am indeed, my fair Lady of Feathers. So what's the scoop?"

He plops down next to Jonathan and Argyle on the beanbags, nearly sending them all toppling before Argyle hooks both of them around the waists and drags them practically into his lap.

Steve is not seething with jealousy. He's not.

A half a dozen voices chime out all at once.

"Robin's gay!"

"Steve's homeless."

"Robin and Steve are getting married!"

“Purple married.”

“It’s lavender, dummy.”

“Lavender’s a kind of purple!”

"They're gonna be Hendersons!"

"No they aren't, weirdo, they're gonna be Buckleys."

"Bucklington is clearly the superior choice, even if Argyle was right about the butler thing."

“Bucklington my ass, y’all dumb as hell if you think Mom and Dad aren’t gonna try and make him a Sinclair after this.”

"Mama and Papa Harrington didn't like that Stevie boy has double the love to give. Totally bogus. Bi bros for life, man."

"I still call Steve's best man!"

Eddie blinks a little when everyone quiets down, looking vaguely shellshocked. "That was. A lot of information to get in thirty seconds."

And, listen, Steve is like, 97% sure Eddie's cool. More than cool, even. He moves that bandana to the same pocket every time he changes his jeans, no matter what outfit he's wearing. There's no way that's an accident. But if Steve is being totally honest, which he's trying to do more these days, at least inside his own brain, this is maybe not the way he'd have chosen to come out to his crush. It's somehow way more nerve-wracking when he didn't even get to say it himself.

Oh well, it's out there now. It's fine, probably.

Still, there’s a definite feeling of relief when Eddie turns that megawatt grin on him again.

"Man, I wish I'd known there were other queers in Hawkins, I might have listened sooner when Henderson told me how cool you guys were!"

Steve laughs, only a little hysterically. "Dude, if you thought you were the only one, what the hell have you been wearing that hanky for? Who are you hoping will see it?"

It's a little gratifying to see Eddie go flaming tomato red in seconds. "I am not talking about that in mixed company, Steven. There are children here!"

"Ugh, we're literally teenagers."

"Tiny baby infants! If you're so curious, you can ask me again later."

"Promise?" Steve can't stop himself from grinning wolfishly.

Eddie tugs his hair in front of his face to hide, and the frantic little giggle and the quiet "Oh my god," he lets out both sound more than a little strangled. Steve's having the time of his life right now.

"Gross." Ugh, rude. He glares at Robin for ruining his fun. She sticks her tongue out at him.

Before they can devolve into the inevitable slapfight, Nancy cuts in again.

"Alright, unless anyone else has anything to share in private, I think we should take Eddie's suggestion and get something to eat." Good thinking, Nance. "To celebrate the happy couple, of course," she adds with a smirk. Yeah, that makes more sense.

"Onward then, my noble companions, to pizza and to paradise!" Eddie vaults off the beanbag, sending Jonathan and Argyle tumbling. Argyle laughs and accepts Eddie's hand up, while Jonathan just rolls his eyes good-naturedly.

Eddie slings an arm around Robin's shoulders as they head for the basement door. "So, Birdie, what's this I hear about a wedding? I need context."

As the kids go thundering up the stairs, arguing about who gets to drive in which car, Steve lingers. He noticed Will hanging back from the others, and now they're the last ones left, Will still slowly packing up the pens and notebooks he seems to carry around with him everywhere. Jonathan is hovering anxiously in the doorway, so Steve sends him a nod and waves him off. He's got this.

"You ready to go, kid?"

Will fidgets with the zipper on his bag for another few seconds before looking up at Steve through his, frankly tragic, fringe. "I'm sorry your parents suck."

"Yeah, man, me too." Steve shoots him a wry little smile. "It's alright though, sometimes we're better off without them. I've got plenty of family here that love me, I'll survive without Richard and Diane."

Will studies him for a minute. Steve's not sure what he's looking for, but he hopes he finds it.

"That's what Jonathan says about Lonnie." Steve nods, trying not to wince at the memory of the things he spat at Jonathan that day in '83 when everything changed. "I used to think it was my fault he left, but Jonathan says he was just a bastard, and it's better he's gone anyway."

"I didn't know Lonnie," he's careful not to say your dad, "but from what I've heard, Jonathan's probably right. And he's definitely right that it's not your fault."

"Like it's not your fault your parents kicked you out?"

"Yeah, exactly like that. If it was my fault, that would mean I did something wrong. The only thing I did was exist, and be different than they thought I would be. If they can't love the kid they had, then they shouldn't have had a kid at all. That's their problem, not mine. There's nothing wrong with me."

It doesn't matter if he heard all of these things from Robin first, if he's still trying to learn to believe them. Will needs to hear them like they're true, the same way Steve does.

"Are you sure?" Will's voice is trembling now. He's looking at the floor, but Steve can tell there are tears coming. "How can you be sure this is how you're supposed to be? Wouldn't you rather be normal?"

Oh, kid. "I mean, yeah, maybe it would be easier if I only liked girls, but I don't. I tried for a long time to pretend that I did, but it didn't make it true. And yeah, part of me wants to hate myself, because that's what they taught me to think, and I still kinda wish doing that would make them love me, but it won't. But honestly, you wanna know the biggest thing?" Will nods.

"I can't hate that part of myself without hating Robin, and there's no universe where I could hate Robin. Robin's perfect. She's the best person in the world, and she's gay, so being gay can't be bad. It's impossible. So whenever that voice in my head starts saying shitty things to me, I just think about how much I love Robin and tell it to shut up."

There's a beat where Will seems to be absorbing this.

"How did you know it would be safe? To tell us the truth?"

"I didn't."

Will stares at him in shock.

"Not a hundred percent, anyway. I was pretty sure, but it's never a guarantee with stuff like this, you know? But the other option was never telling anyone, and that...it gets tiring, you know? Always having to hide. Always having to check yourself. Lying when people ask the wrong questions. It wears you down. And I've fought monsters with you guys. I've been tortured by spies with you guys. If I can't trust this group to have my back, I can't trust anyone, can I? And I didn't want to live a life of not trusting anyone. I didn't want Bobbie to live a life like that. So, we took a chance. And it paid off, because all of you are the people we thought you were, and we were right to trust you. But it was a leap of faith, dude. It always is."

"What if I'm not ready?" Fucking shit, this kid. He's been through more than any of them, except maybe El, and he's still so goddamn brave. Steve would have crumpled like a tin can in his place.

"Then you're not ready. It's not a test, Will. There's no right or wrong answers. But I will say that every single person out there loves you, and they'll keep loving you no matter what you do. They're not like my parents, or Lonnie. Our friends aren't broken inside the way they are. Their love isn't conditional. You won't chase them away. You couldn't if you tried."

Will lets out a shaky breath, clearly fighting back tears. Steve leans against the table and keeps his head down, offering the kid the illusion of privacy while he pulls himself together. After a few minutes he speaks up again.

"You ready to go, you think?"

Will nods. He goes to walk past Steve to the stairs before hesitating and, to Steve's surprise, wrapping his gangly arms around him in an awkward hug.

"Thanks, Steve," he mumbles into Steve's shoulder.

Steve runs a hand down his back uncertainly. "Anytime, kid."

He keeps his arm around Will's shoulders tentative, but when the kid doesn't shrug him off or move away, he lets it settle more firmly, tugging him closer.

“Come on Baby Byers, let's go get some pizza. You think I can milk the disownment thing to get Eddie to pay for extra toppings?"

Will snorts. "I think Eddie would pay for as many toppings as you want as long as you do that little eyelash thing at him again."

Steve throws his head back and laughs, long and loud from his belly. Yeah, it's gonna be a good night.

my head hurts too much to keep writing this but please know that the pizza parlor engagement party involves plenty of arguing about roles in the wedding party, resulting in MOH erica/best man dustin (scoops troop babeyy), flower girl team lumax (max demanded the role bc her wheelchair means she can carry extra baskets of petals, and lucas will be pushing the chair so her hands are free. he's just excited to be there.) nancy/el bridesmaids and byler groomsmen (mike grumbles and groans but he's secretly thrilled). jonathan does the pictures and it turns out argyle got ordained back in cali as a joke so he officiates. eddie plays crimson and clover for robin’s wedding march. there’s a bit of a kerfuffle when claudia and the sinclairs both try to claim steve as their son, but after someone makes the argument that charles and sue have two kids to carry their name while claudia only has one, they end up hyphenating and becoming the buckley-hendersons. yes, claudia cries. yes, they get the lasagna recipe.

(at the pizza place, eddie asks what his role will be and steve says he doesn't know yet, but he'll save him a dance regardless. eddie has to hide in the bathroom to stop blushing.)

[inklessletter]

I just wanna stay in that lavender haze

🔮🔮🔮

Keep trusting the process with me, you're gonna love this.

(bonus pic with some notes under the cut, I know for sure some of you are me)

[mothofmyth]

Lavender marriage Stobin and Eddie/Nancy moving into a pair of semi-detached houses as strangers, gradually realising they're both lavender marriages and their respective partners are incredibly attractive and available...

ft lots of pining, misunderstandings, unconventional flirting, and eventually either knocking the adjoining wall down or at least adding a door so they can be with the people they want to be with.

[withacapitalp]

Forehead Kiss

For the STWG prompt today!

In the end, they had decided to keep getting married a secret. 

“Do you, Steven, take this woman to be your wife? To live together in holy matrimony, to love her, to honor her, to comfort her, and to keep her in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, for as long as you both shall live?”

“I do.”

It was just easier to not have to explain it.

“And do you, Robin, take this man to be your husband? To live together in holy matrimony, to love her, to honor her, to comfort her, and to keep her in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, for as long as you both shall live?”

“I do.”

Dustin would crow about how he was right that they had been together they whole time, and be kind of a buttface about it. The kids would have an endless list of questions that had no satisfying answers. 

“Then repeat after me- I, Steven Harrington, take you, Robin Buckley, to be my wife,”

I, Steven Harrington, take you, Robin Buckley, to be my wife,” 

Hopper and Joyce would want to sit them down and discuss the importance of knowing what their plan was for the future, which would be well intentioned, but extremely stressful. 

“To have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, and to cherish, till death do us part.”

“To have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, and to cherish, till death do us part.” 

But most importantly, Steve and Robin kept it a secret, because Robin wanted to be able to come out to the rest of their family. And if any of them ever found out Robin was a lesbian after they got married, they might think that the marriage was a joke, or just some cover to hide who she was. 

That wasn’t why they were doing this. 

“Repeat after me- I, Robin Buckley, take you, Steven Harrington, to be my husband,”

“I, Robin Buckley, take you, Steven Harrington, to be my husband,"

They were doing this because it felt wrong to sleep alone in their beds now, and because of the terror that had gripped Robin’s entire body in a vice when they told her she couldn’t see Steve in the hospital after their final battle against Vecna. 

“To have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, and to cherish,"

“To have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, and to cherish,"

They were doing this because there wasn’t anything in their vows that wasn’t true. Steve was it for Robin, and Robin was it for Steve. In Hawkins, in Chicago, in a mansion, or under an overpass.

"Till death do us part.” 

"Till death do us part.”

Robin knew now more than ever that there wasn’t anyone else on Earth who would understand her the way Steve understood her. There was no one he would feel safe with the way Steve felt safe with Robin. 

“Then by the virtue of the authority vested in me under the laws of the state of Indiana, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss your bride.” 

Two rings on chains around their necks, a marriage license slipped into Steve’s back pocket, and a soft kiss to the forehead was all they had to show for what they had just done, but that was more than enough for Robin. 

[dwobbitfromtheshire]

I'm suddenly imagining Steve’s parents as James Marsters and Charisma Carpenter.

"Have you ever played the Floor is Lava game?" Eddie asked Steve.

They were lounging at Steve's house, watching TV when Eddie suggested the game. They had flipped through the channels, but they found nothing they wanted to watch at the moment.

"No," Steve scoffed. "What's that?"

"Oh, right. You're an only child with boring parents. My mom used to play it with me when I was little. The concept of the game is that you have to avoid touching the floor because it's made of Lava," Eddie grinned. "You wanna play?"

"Sure."

An hour later, pillows were rearranged on the floor as well as the furniture. They had been hopping around on them for a while now, Eddie telling an outlandish tale of Lava Pirates. Steve had made it safely to the couch, but Eddie was still on the coffee table. The pillows in between them had been knocked aside, and now Eddie had to make it from the coffee table to the couch. There was a huge gap.

"I don't think I'm going to make it. Tell everyone that I love them," Eddie said dramatically. "Go on without me!"

"Oh, for fu - just jump, Eddie!" Steve exclaimed.

Eddie jumped, his feet barely making it to the edge of the couch, and he almost stumbled into the Lava if it hadn't been for Steve grabbing the front of his shirt. Steve pulled him onto the couch and into his arms, wrapping one arm around his waist to stable him.

"My hero!" Eddie said, batting his eyelashes.

Eddie pressed his hands to Steve’s chest, breathing heavily as he stared into his eyes. They were both breathing heavily. Steve pulled him closer until their bodies were pressed together. He took the opportunity to kiss Eddie, pressing his lips gently against his. He smiled when he felt Eddie kiss him back. It was brief, though, because Eddie was suddenly pulling back.

"I'm sorry," Eddie said quickly. "I'm not like that. I mean, it's okay if you are, but I'm not - I'm not like that."

"Okay," Steve said, his voice filled with emotion, and he tried not to look at Eddie, his face red from embarrassment.

Eddie stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to do as he watched his friend's eyes fill up with tears. He jumped down from the couch and started putting on his shoes.

"I'm going to go now," Eddie said, but Steve didn't say anything. "Uh, see you later."

Eddie started walking towards the door, and as he left, the last thing he heard was the sound of a sob coming from Steve. He hated that sound. Eddie's chest fluttered with this heavy weight, and he found it hard to breathe. He wasn't like that, was he? Shit, he needed to call Ronnie.

A couple of days later. . .

Steve thought he had been hiding his emotions all day at work, but apparently, he was wrong.

"What the hell's wrong with you?" Robin asked as soon as they sat down for their break.

"What are you talking about?" Steve asked with a sigh.

"I mean. You've been in a mood all day. You were even rude to the customers," Robin said. "So, rude that they gave you looks, they made complaints to me. You even snapped at me earlier."

"I did?" Steve asked in surprise.

"What's going on?" Robin asked softly.

"I, uh, kissed Eddie," Steve revealed, fiddling with his lunch.

"Okay, so it didn't go well. What happened?" She asked.

He told her all about the game they played and how Steve had saved him. He trailed off near the end.

"We were wrong about him, Robin," he said.

"What?"

"He's not like us," Steve said, shrugging. "He told me. I just need some time to move on, get over him, and then we can go back to being friends. I just want him to be a part of my life, and I'll take whatever he can give me."

"No! No! He is like us! There's no way my radar is off about this," Robin frowned.

"It's okay, Robin. I'll be okay," Steve said.

"Are you sure he didn't kiss you back?" Robin asked.

"I didn't say that he didn't," he said.

"So, he did kiss you?" She asked.

"Yeah, but I'm sure it was like a reflex," Steve said.

"Okay. What did he say exactly after that?" Robin asked.

"He said that he wasn't like that, but it was okay if I was, but he just wasn't like that," Steve replied.

"Wait, so he said it twice?" Robin asked.

"Yeah, why?"

Robin frowned thoughtfully as she tapped her chin. She placed her hands on the table in front of him.

"Okay, I don't want to give you false hope, but maybe it was us who's the problem. We kind of assumed that Eddie's the kind of guy who always knew about himself like we did," Robin said. "But maybe that's not the case."

"Are you saying that I awakened something in him?" Steve said.

"It's a possibility," Robin said softly. "Maybe he just needs time."

Steve smiled, feeling a little more hopeful than he had in days. Yeah, he could give Eddie all of the time in the world.

A few days later. . .

Steve was sitting on the couch, pouting as he stared at the blank TV screen. Every so often, he would glance at the direction of the kitchen, where the phone was, and hoped it would ring. Maggie Harrington plopped onto the coffee table in front of her son and placed his feet in her lap.

"Whatcha doing, Bebie?" Maggie asked.

"Wishing that the phone would ring," Steve said.

"Well, you know what they say about a watched pot," Maggie chuckled, but Steve didn't laugh. "Honey, you have to give him more time than this. Not everyone is like us."

"I know," Steve frowned. "I just don't want to lose him."

"No matter what happens, he'd be an idiot not to be a part of your life," Maggie said.

Thunder clapped loudly outside, and suddenly, there came the sound of hard rain beating against the roof. Steve jumped, and Maggie squeezed his feet to calm him down. A few moments later, the front door opened and closed.

"Mags, do you know anything about this wet metalhead loitering about outside? I don't think he belongs to anyone. I don't see any tags. Do you think Steve might like him?" John asked.

He and Eddie appeared in the door, a wide grin on his face. Meanwhile, Eddie's eyes were wide as he looked at Steve, his hair dripping wet.

"Dad!" Steve exclaimed, blushing.

Eddie pulled crushed, wet flowers out of his vest and held them out for Steve.

"These are for you," Eddie said, and Steve took them with a smile.

"Aw, he got him flowers," Maggie said, cooing.

"Mom, Dad, can you give us a minute?" Steve asked.

"You're right, Steve, he is cute," Maggie said, flipping up her thumbs at him.

"Mom!" Steve yelled.

"Come on, Mags," John said, pulling her out of the room.

"I'm sorry about that. I didn't even think about if your parents even know about you," Eddie blushed.

"Oh, we know, and we were so proud of Bebie when he came out to us!" Maggie yelled from the hallway. "Besides, we're both lavender married. I'm a lesbian and John's gay!"

"Mom!"

"Sorry, son, she got away from me!" John called. "Slippery little witch."

"Bebie?" Eddie asked in amusement.

"When I was little, I had this lisp, and I would pronounce my name like Stebe," Steve rolled his eyes. "Then mom kind of ran with the name."

"And it was the cutest little lisp," Maggie said, popping her head in. "You should have seen him when he was little. He was such a mama's boy. You know, I have a picture of him, trying to walk around in my heels. It's so - "

"Mom! Please!" Steve yelled, torn between laughing and crying.

"Mrs. Harrington - " Eddie started to say.

"Maggie," she corrected with a grin.

"Maggie, you know, if you wanted to talk about how cute Steve is, then we can have lunch, and you can tell me all the embarrassing stories about him then?" Eddie asked with a grin. "Okay?"

"Okay!" Maggie exclaimed and left the room.

"Sorry about them," Steve said, shaking his head.

"So, if they're, uh, lavender married, how did - " Eddie started to say.

"I'm adopted," Steve said.

"Ah," Eddie said, and suddenly, he pulled a rock out of his pocket. "I also found this because it reminded me of your eyes."

"Thanks," Steve said, grinning, clutching it to his chest.

"Look, when I said I wasn't like that, I thought that I wasn't like that, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I really am like that. It wasn't just because so many people assume that about me. I always scoffed at them because I'm a freak, so that must mean I must be like that too, right? You came into my life and woke me up. I've always been like that, I just didn't want to recognize it because I'm already different enough, even though I know that there's nothing wrong with being different," Eddie said. "I want to be with you, but I'm still sort of figuring things out."

"We can take things as slow as you want," Steve said.

"A little kiss wouldn't be too fast, though," Eddie grinned as he took Steve’s hands in his.

Steve leaned forward and kissed him gently, pulling him close. He broke the kiss and leaned his forehead against Eddie's.

"I think we can tell your parents to come back in now," Eddie laugh.

"Mom, Dad!" Steve called out.

Maggie came in with a pile of clothes and a towel.

"I brought you some clothes and something to dry off with," Maggie said.

"Thanks, I had completely forgotten that I was dripping on your carpet," Eddie said cheerfully.

When he came back, dressed in Steve's sweats, he plopped down next to Steve on the couch and snuggled into his arms.

"So, Steve always complained about how you guys are away a lot and how much he misses you," Eddie said. "Like an idiot, I assumed the worst. I think that's because of my own shitty dad, so I apologize because you guys are awesome."

"Well, the last few years have kind of been difficult," John replied. "We've been trying to retire my dad's insurance company for a while now so we can spend more time with Steve, but my partner of 15 years who has occasionally been my partner on and off as well, revealed to me that he's been embezzling from the company over the last few years so we have been trying to clean that mess up. We were supposed to hand over the company over to him, and now that's all fucked up. So, we have also been looking for a suitable and trustworthy replacement to take over the company that my dad built from the ground up, a company my dad built to be inclusive for everyone."

"Shit, that fucking sucks," Eddie said with wide eyes.

"It does fucking suck," John sighed. "But Steve and Mags here have been my rock. Couldn't get through this without them."

There was silence for a while and then Eddie leaned forward with a smirk.

"So, Maggie, where is this picture of Steve in your heels that you spoke of?" Eddie asked, and John laughed while Maggie shrieked.

"I'm going to get the photo album," she said and jumped up.

"You're in for it now, son," John said.

"Mom! Please!"

[dynamic-power]

I can't stop thinking about lavender marriage Stobin so here's this thing I guess :)

They are sitting at the table eating when they hear the official decision. Nancy realizes it first and freezes with a fork halfway to her mouth.

The other three gradually tune in to the news caster, and before long, all four of them are grinning at each other madly. Steve is biting back tears as he reaches out and grabs whatever of Eddie that he can, which at the moment is his arm. He squeezes.

"Holy shit," Robin breathes out. "I mean, we kinda figured, but - holy shit."

And then Steve is laughing and standing up, pulling Eddie out of his chair and into his arms, only half aware of Nancy and Robin doing the same.

With his chin tucked over Eddie's shoulder and his arms around his neck, he catches Robin's eye. Grinning at her, he pulls himself out of Eddie's grip. He approaches Robin as she wriggles out of Nancy's arms and he drops to one knee in front of her.

"Robin Buckley," he breathes out, and she's crying and he's crying and his cheeks ache from the way he's smiling so hard.

"Steve Buckley," she says back to him, and his heart is going to burst.

"Will you do me the honor of divorcing me?"

"Of course," she breathes out between giggles before falling back into Nancy again.

Eddie's hands grip his shoulders and pull him up. "You absolute sap," he says, and then Steve lets himself be kissed by his future husband.

[findafight]

The power that famous Steve and some guy Eddie could have if we let it....

[unfinishedslurs]

bedsharing (future stobin lavender marriage) (steddie)

“Why do you have tampons in your bathroom?” Eddie asks, toweling off his hair. “Wouldn’t your mom just keep them in hers?”

“They’re Robin’s.”

He can feel Eddie’s eyes on the back of his neck, and turns around from where he’s hastily folding his clothes. He has another towel wrapped around his hips, and Steve’s gaze drifts there before snapping back up to his face. 

“What?” He asks.

“I thought you guys weren’t together.”

Steve sighs. “Just because I have tampons for when she stays over—“

“It’s just—why wouldn’t they be in the guest bathroom?”

“She stays in my room,” he says, and then realizes how that sounds. “Okay, yeah, but we’re not dating. That’s never gonna happen.”

“So you’re just hooking up?”

Steve instinctively makes a face, and Eddie’s eyebrows jut up. “No. I’m not her type, and even if I was, at this point that ball has left the court. I don’t like her like that, she definitely doesn’t like me like that, and next time Henderson tries to convince someone we’re soulmates I’m going to wring his little neck.”

“I thought you said you were soulmates.”

“Yeah, but not like that.”

“Just enough that she sleeps in your bed and has tampons in your bathroom, apparently.” Eddie bends over to wrap his hair in the towel, and Steve spends a long moment staring at the curve of his bare spine. 

“Hey, man,” he says belatedly. “We got caught off guard one time. I’m not doing that again.”

Two loads of laundry, and Robin had cried in anger and embarrassment. Steve of ‘83 would have found it disgusting. Steve of now was a little grossed out, but also had been bled on in ways much worse than a period, so he just took her out to milkshakes and stocked up on enough supplies to last for a lifetime. After that, all bets were off when it came to the few boundaries they had left. 

Eddie grimaces in acknowledgment, grabbing the pair of sweatpants on the bed. Steve turns around before the towel drops, because years of locker room experience can’t possibly prepare him for seeing Eddie Munson’s naked ass. 

“So no dreams of a white wedding and gaggles of grandchildren running around?”

“I mean, we’ll probably get married at some point,” Steve says absently, fiddling with his bedspread to keep from turning around. He can have self control. He’s capable of not ogling his friends. “It’ll be safer that way.” Shit, why did he say that? He might as well hang a neon sign that says QUEER over his head. “Easier,” he corrects himself, knowing damn well it’s useless. 

There’s a thud and a groan, and Steve whirls around to see Eddie on the ground, halfway into his pants. 

“Are you okay?”

“So you’re not together, and you’re not hooking up, but you’ll get married?” Eddie demands from the floor, wiggling into his sweats. “And…what? Have a loveless, sexless marriage? Because it’s easy?”

“Just because the love isn’t romantic doesn’t mean our marriage would be loveless,” he protests, mind whirling with excuses he can’t use. Why did he open his big mouth? Why couldn’t he have just said anything else?

“That’s what you’re focusing on?”

“I don’t know what to tell you, man,” he shrugs, trying to get his heartbeat under control. “We’re already going to spend the rest of our lives together. Might as well get some legal benefits out of it.”

“Sure, sure,” Eddie laughs, disbelieving. “Getting married for legal benefits and safety. Harrington, if I didn’t know better, I’d say this sounds like—“

“Sounds like what?” Steve cuts through what Eddie was about to say. He doesn’t know what it is, but there’s a bone-deep certainty that Eddie will end up on the truth if he keeps talking. “Are you coming to bed or not, man?”

Eddie falls silent in the middle of standing up, dark eyes pinning Steve to the spot. He knows, Steve thinks, and tries not to picture what Robin would say if he got another concussion. He hasn’t confirmed anything, and Eddie seems like a good guy, maybe even their kind of guy, but if he’s wrong then he’d better grab Robin fast and get the hell out of dodge. Dustin might forgive him eventually, if he knew the reason why.

The silence is getting unbearable. 

“Yeah, alright,” Eddie finally shrugs. “Don’t get your panties in a bunch. I want the left side.”

“You asshole,” Steve hisses, pretending the relief in his chest isn’t damn near killing him. “You know that’s the side I sleep on.”

[shitpostingperidot]

imagine if tony stark kissed steve rogers on the cheek in captain america the winter soldier (2014). tony only appeared for less than a minute, and spent that entire minute holding steve’s hand and calling him pet names and making Significant Eye Contact.

and in this alternate reality catws, steve and bucky only interacted in the most tender and heartbreaking flashbacks known to man, never in the present, never touching even in the past, but always yearning. but you know what, we all thought bucky was 100% dead, died offscreen sometime after the first cap movie, with the possibility of resurrection off the table. we never thought we’d see him again at all after that.

a couple years after catfa, bucky made a surprise cameo in some other avengers movie, let’s say, thor the dark world. but oh no, in that movie he promptly died from being crushed to death by a giant statue sculpted to look like tim curry. not that the statue obviously looked like tim curry, but it was like, a subtle easter egg put there to piss off the gays.

so honestly, in this version of catws (2014), we’re just glad we get a tiny smidgen of emotional closure from the first cap movie, and we’re thrilled that sebastian stan got to come back to our screens. is it what stuckies wanted, no, but it’s not nothing. hell, we got some stony! we got steve constructing the intricate rituals! given marvel’s well established track record, it’s more than we could have ever wanted for captain america: the winter soldier (2014) and we get up to exit the theater with huge smiles on our faces.

but then! in the post credit scene, there’s a bucky. not Our bucky, but one who’s alive and well and seemingly happy wherever he is. a bucky who’s one of the most powerful people in his universe, a bucky who’s collected his universe’s infinity stones. a bucky who’s one of the only people who can make a portal across realities to get back to Our steve. and apparently this bucky is friends with sue storm.

imagine this, really think about it, and you will understand why I am going insane over The Marvels (2023), and especially Maria Rambeau, right now.