#stranger things royal au

[evil-ontheinside]

Michael turns mid-step at the sound of a new voice, gentle but with a sense of purpose that makes it hard to ignore. When he lays eyes on the person it had come from it feels like Themis decides to blow time in the other direction until it stands still.

It’s like staring at the sun.

[...]

Yes, it’s like staring at the sun, and while staring at the sun for too long makes everyone a little blind, it seems to have the additional effect of making Michael an idiot. An idiot who trips over his own two feet and lands face-first in a puddle of mud. Michael would rather drown himself in the dirty water and save himself the embarrassment than look at the sun ever again.

Life, as usual, doesn’t want to spare his dignity.

“Are you alright?” Michael wants to groan when he hears the genuinely concerned voice and hurried footsteps on the forest floor. 

[...]

Wow. That is a strong pair of arms. 

Michael's face feels like it's on fire.

"You look like you bathed in mud."

I really need to think of a title/tag for this au but yeah

[wheneverfeasible]

🧠🪱Wriggly Wednesday🪱🧠

Thanks for the tag @augustjustice! I was actually just thinking about how I had something for one of these.

So I’ve been reading a lot of historical fic lately, and it really got me wanting to do a royalty au. I don’t have a lot of solid details for it yet, and I don’t know if I’ll ever actually write it as I have a lot on my plate currently, but my basic idea is this:

The kingdom of Hawkins is ruled by a tyrannical king; lazy, prejudiced, and greedy. His queen is beloved by the people for the charity work she does, yet the king never hides the fact that he’s disloyal to her. He doesn’t have to, he’s the king. He doesn’t care if the woman he’s interested in is married or not herself, if he sees her and wants her then he’ll take her and the husband just has to deal with it. It’s almost an honor at this point. (Think very JFK.)

The queen hates it, however, and is just as vicious as her husband, only behind closed doors. She married for the crown, not for love, and her kindness is only a front she puts on for the public. Behind closed doors she is cold and vain and uncaring of the plight of others.

And then they have a son. The prince. He is just as rotten as his father. Lazy, greedy, thinks himself above all others. When he grows bored, he demands a plaything. That’s when the soldiers will sweep the streets and bring him beggars and street urchins and, sometimes, the prince will also demand for a petty criminal to become his plaything instead of being shipped off to slavers or executed. The playthings never seem to last for long, and they’re never seen from again.

One day, Eddie is brought forward as a criminal. It wasn’t actually him, or course, but his father. His father however skipped town and left Eddie to fall in his place. It’s known that Alan Munson was the worst sort of miscreant. A petty thief with a silver tongue that somehow managed to avoid being caught. Until one day he strove for too much and the kingdom was out for his head.

With Al having fled, however, sights turned to his son, Edward. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, does it? Of course not. At least, that’s what everyone says. So Eddie is brought to trial in his father’s stead. Eddie is certain he will be sent off as a slave or worse. Except.

Prince Steven whines that he’s bored, and he doesn’t want to sit through a whole trial. Can’t he just have the criminal as a plaything since his last one broke?

The king grants his son’s request.

Eddie has heard rumors of what sorts of things the prince gets up to with his playthings. According to some, it was a fate worse than death. At least a judgement of death was swift.

Except.

Well, Steve learned how to wear a public mask from the best of the best: his mother. His mask is more extensive, however, because he wears it inside the castle as well. Even his parents believe him to be nothing more than a spoiled, pampered brat. But in truth, it is quite the opposite. And the playthings?

Steve purposely seeks out the destitute, the needy, the ones who one more night out on the street could mean their death, and brings them in. Criminals too, if he knows they’re innocent, or only stole from necessity to survive, or if he believes the punishment far too harsh for their crimes. He takes them in too, as many as he can without his father growing suspicious.

He takes them in, acts for the public like a monster, and only when it’s just him and the “plaything” does he drop the act and let them know the truth. He’s going to get them out. He’s greedy and materialistic to the public because he gives the items away in secret, helping his playthings start a new life elsewhere. He helps them sneak out of the castle and out of the kingdom, if only they promise to leave their old life behind. It is the only way to keep them and those after them safe.

Eddie, of course, believes the worst of the prince, even when Steve’s mask drops alone in his room. He learned long ago not to trust royals. There’s a little bit of enemies-to-friends-to-lovers here then, as Eddie doesn’t trust Steve at first, and also refuses to leave the kingdom without his uncle.

So Eddie and Steve bicker about it, and Steve says fine but Eddie has to play the part of his plaything for the public and his parents, which involves a lot of being caught in compromising positions sometimes to sell it.

Except Eddie starts to grow real feelings when he realizes that Prince Steven really is a good man. Eddie soon has another reason why he doesn’t want to leave the kingdom, even if he believes a prince could never return his feelings.

Plot Possibilities:

- Steve’s last “plaything” was Jonathan. A rare volunteer to be the prince’s plaything in exchange for goods for his poor family. He initially does not trust Steve for a while, but eventually they build a kind of wary friendship.

- Steve was in talks for a betrothal with a noble lady, Nancy. She thought him a cretin as she only knew the mask he wore, while her lady-in-waiting, Barb, would mutter insults about him to her making Nancy have to cover her laughter. Steve heard them and thought they were hilarious, but pretended to be clueless.

- Jonathan sees Nancy and falls in love immediately, making Steve have to figure out a way to get the two of them together without blowing his cover. He eventually succeeds and Steve makes everyone believe Jonathan “broke” and was discarded when on reality he helped smuggle him out with Nancy’s entourage when the betrothal talks fell through and she returned to her land.

- Steve still anonymously takes care of Jonathan’s family like he promised he would, the only way Jonathan would leave with Nancy.

- Robin was originally given to Steve as a tribute, the daughter of an enemy soldier, and Steve keeps her as a plaything for a while (she attacks him the first night before he can explain the truth) and when she “breaks” he shortly thereafter obtains a new servant who looks remarkably like her, named “Rob”.

- During one of the times Steve is manhandling Eddie in public to keep up the act, Eddie gets a very ill-timed boner at the fake threat Steve growls at him, finding out the hard (pun not intended) way that maybe he might like some of the things evil Prince Steven is supposed to be doing to him.

- Eddie seduces Steve realizing the man would never force himself on Eddie. They try out some of things Prince Steven threatened him with and eventually Steve can make his mask’s threats seem far more genuine when Eddie follows him with bruises and a stiff gait afterwards. (Eddie loves every second of it.)

- A minor nobility cannot pay taxes so the king takes his young daughter for his son as payment and to humiliate the noble as a lesson for others. Her name is Chrissy.

- Robin is instantly smitten with Chrissy. The feeling is swiftly mutual once Chrissy realizes “Rob” is a woman.

- something something something

- Steve’s parents die/are murdered/are executed/idk

- Steve is made king and people are wary at first expecting him to be like his father. He can finally drop his mask and it’s revealed that all the good things people thought was his mom was actually him doing it.

- One of the first orders of business he does is grant Rob a title of nobility for loyal service and saving his life (stripping another noble of their title for their disloyalty/treason?).

- Steve tells Rob “he” can have any one wish of his granted. Rob asks for Steve’s concubine Chrissy as his wife (as per previously plotted by the three of them) and Steve grants it.

- Steve frees Eddie from his bondage, expecting Eddie to leave and never look back. He tries not to show how much that hurts.

- Eddie stays. Obviously.

- They go to bed with a bit of role reversal. Steve loves every second of it.

- Steve remains a bachelor king with a questionably close friendship with one of his advisors that the people of the kingdom knowingly smirk about but support because he’s an amazing king who always takes care of his people.

- Steve appoints his heir as this loudmouth whippersnapper with an attitude he takes under his wing for whatever reason. He questions his sanity every day after.

- Years later, King Dustin and Queen Suzie rule the land following in his predecessor’s footsteps; with care, humility, and equal justice for all.

~

(No pressure) Hostage Hotties: @derythcorvinus @katyawriteswhump @honeii-puff @scoops-aboy86 @dotdot-wierdlife @everywherenothere

Other no pressure tags: @steddiecameraroll @mundaneone @endlessmusings1801 @stervrucht @hotluncheddie @eddiethebrave

[miwiromantics]

Prince William and his knight in shinning armour

@i-promise-i-am-not-on-drugs

[penny00dreadful]

My @steddiebang2024 fic is finally here! None of this would have been possible without the amazing support of my best cheerleader and best beta reader in existence, @hbyrde36 and the girlies constantly keeping me encouraged and cheerleading me on. On top of that, I had the absolute pleasure to be working with one of the most talented artists in this space and all around good bean and very sweet person, @arelliann. I literally screamed when I found out we would be working together for this Big Bang and continued to melt down at every single piece of art they sent me. Beautiful artwork and dividers by them. Go check them out and show them some love! Hope you enjoy this fic as much as I do. 🥰

Part 1

[Part 2] [AO3] [Art]

Down in the meadows, surrounded by fields of blooming flowers and bountiful crops as far as the eye could see, a lone figure on horseback cantered along.

He wove expertly through the rough and small roads and walkways, moving behind farmhouses and grain storage buildings, trying to stay out of sight of the gleaming white castle behind him.

The mid afternoon sun glared down from above, but not as stifling as it had been earlier on in the day. The sweet fragrance of thousands upon thousands of flowers wafted through the air from the Rainbow Sea, mixed up with the gentle rustling of the tree branches and the babbling of the river.

The figure had to duck down low toward his horse's neck to avoid taking a branch to the face as they came upon the riverbed, his gray palfrey barely being led, confident in her route.

Slipping expertly from his saddle, Crown Prince Steven Harrington glanced behind him, knowing well he couldn’t be seen from the castle in his hidden little refuge, but still, he checked every time.

It was a small little curve along the shore of the River Vita, blocked in by trees and shrubbery with enough grass and space for Bimmer to entertain herself while Steve stole however many hours he could, hiding away here.

The river itself wasn’t a terribly fast moving one but it was deceptively deep, a danger to anyone who didn’t know what they were doing. Luckily for Steve he’d been swimming in this river for as long as he had been able.

It might not have been the smartest thing in the world, sneaking out here alone to work off the stress of the day, stealing a moment alone, but he couldn’t help it. It was one of his most favored spots throughout the kingdom and it always helped him to relax his racing mind.

Steve was a strong swimmer, at least that’s how he justified it to himself. He was trained and careful and able.

Not that Robin or Hopper ever saw it that way. But he’d managed to slip away without either of them noticing and he would take the opportunity to swim whenever it was presented to him, though he didn’t think it would be long before his absence was realized.

Being the Crown Prince was full of benefits, but the downside was that he always seemed to be constantly needed, though that was mostly due to his own unique situation, rather than something the first born of other kingdoms had to deal with.

Steve’s father, King Robert wasn’t a cruel or uncaring man, but he was extremely uninterested in ruling.

He preferred the hedonistic and enjoyable parts of being a king. Celebrating, hunting, whoring, drinking.

However, dealing with the day to day? Meeting the people to hear their concerns, acting as an intermediary between warring guilds, overlooking the treasury, directing their surplus crop, trading the flowers, making sure their people were happy, provided for and treated well, organizing the guard...

King Robert didn’t have any time for it, and as such, his one and only child Steve had been shadow ruling the kingdom for as long as he could remember. Almost as soon as the king came to the realization that Steve could, he had set him to it.

It was all Steve had ever really known.

And he loved it. He really did.

This was his home, his kingdom, his responsibility. He wanted his people to be happy, he wanted to maintain the beauty of the Rainbow Sea, he wanted to carry on the Harrington legacy, he wanted to be good.

But sometimes… sometimes it was a lot.

It was a lot all the time, if he was being honest with himself, but he was comfortable with it.

This was what he had been raised for after all and in his short twenty four years, he’d become almost expert at it.

Steve didn’t think there was anything he wouldn’t do for the good of his kingdom.

Bimmer shook her head with a frustrated snort, bringing him back to the present where he had been standing, staring out over the River Vita with her reins in his hand.

“Sorry, girl.” He muttered, patting her muzzle and draping the reins over her neck. “Go on.”

She bumped his hand once and then wandered off to graze.

She was an expertly trained horse, strong and tall with a gleaming light grey coat, almost white in color to go with her bright mane and tail. She was beautiful and one of the many loves of his life.

He rarely needed to tie her off to stop her from wandering, she liked to keep watch over him while he swam.

Steve stripped himself bare, taking care to hang his carefully embroidered doublet and undershirt from a tree branch to keep them as clean as possible.

He didn’t want to give the staff in the laundry more work than necessary.

Most of his clothes had been expertly decorated with delicate flowers and climbing vines, occasionally even with some of the kingdom’s sweetest fruits. His clothes were beautiful and he took great care with them, not wanting the hours of work put into them to go to waste.

The cool breeze brushed against his skin and Steve sighed, feeling the stress of the day get washed away in the current of the river as he submerged himself completely, the shock of the cold enough to inject some energy back into him.

Steve took off, up and down the bank, swimming with and then against the gentle current until his muscles began to ache and tire and the sun had dipped a little lower, slowly bathing the clouds in soft pinks and oranges.

He was catching his breath, sculling along on his back, eyes closed, head tipped to the sun when he heard a throat clearing above him.

Steve was intimately familiar with that gruff and perpetually irked sound and he continued to float for a moment before peeking an eye open to look up at the figure towering above.

Captain Hopper glared down, his arms crossed over his leather clad chest, a deep frown on his face.

He raised an eyebrow at Steve’s complete shameless nudity and huffed, much in the same way Bimmer did when she wasn’t getting her way.

“You’re giving me gray hairs, kid.”

Steve grinned to himself, allowing his eye to slip closed again.

“You’ve been saying that for years, Hop.”

“You’ve been giving them to me for years, Harrington. The hell are you doing out here alone?”

Steve shrugged, the water sloshing around him.

“I’m fine.”

“But you might not have been.”

“I’m a strong swimmer.”

“Not stronger than mother nature. If your royal ass was to drown out here, then where would we be?”

Steve scoffed.

“I wasn’t going to drown, Hop. Don’t be so dramatic. And anyway, haven’t I taught you what to do in that kind of situation? Press on the chest, breathe into the mouth-”

“Steve.” Hopper sighed, closing his eyes as if praying for patience and Steve had to give in.

He knew Hopper was right, knew that it wasn’t exactly the safest thing to be doing, going outside the castle walls alone, to swim in a force of nature alone.

But… it was fine.

It wasn’t like anything exciting ever happened in his life. Things were calm, normalized. Day in, day out, Steve always knew what was coming and he was happy with it that way. He was happy with where he was right now.

“Get your clothes back on, kid. C’mon.”

Steve knew he had to, knew that he couldn’t hide away here forever, but he was feeling a little petulant. He shot Hopper the biggest pout he could muster.

“Five more minutes?”

“No.” Hopper growled at him. “You better be out of that water in the next ten seconds or I’ll take Bimmer back with me and make you walk.”

Steve straightened up in the water, with a performative squawk, shaking droplets from his lashes. He was still deep enough that the water flowed across his stomach, taking some power away from the effect of putting his hands on his hips.

“On my own two royal legs?” He exclaimed in mock outrage. “Hop, how could you? I demand my litter!” He slapped a hand against the water.

“I’ll litter you in a minute.” Hopper scowled. “I’ll bring you back in your very own casket if you keep pushing. Out. Now.”

Steve crossed his arms with a scowl of his own, really hamming it up with a comically furrowed brow but Hopper didn’t waver. Didn’t even crack a smile. So Steve sighed and waded back to the shore, stepping out without an inch of shame in his nakedness.

Hopper wasn’t phased in the least.

“Your nudity doesn’t scare me, Harrington.” Hopper said, leaning against a tree while Steve pulled his britches on over his legs. “Or have you forgotten that I was the one who had to try and catch you as a three year old when you decided you hated clothes and went on a run around the castle? Do you have any idea how irritating a naked, angry three year old is?”

Steve scrunched up his nose but still tried to not let too much of his embarrassment show.

Tugging his undershirt back on over his head, he scraped his wet hair back from his forehead and shrugged his doublet back on, not bothering to lace either of them up.

“Did you happen to notice my absence or did someone send for me?” He asked, tucking his shirt away into his pants.

“I fear Your Royal Highness has had a duty of today slip his mind.” Hopper answered, not cryptic at all, with a little glimmer in his eye.

Steve paused in his movements, trying to remember what he could have forgotten he had to do today.

He’d met with Merill and Eugene about their land dispute. He’d met with one of the Coin Keepers, Ted Wheeler about potentially taking on Erica Sinclair as an apprentice. He’d read the letters and memos sent to him from the various guilds. They’d finally figured out how to streamline their flower trade route through the River Road, what else could he possibly be forgetting-

It hit him all at once.

He let his head drop back with a loud groan.

“Yep.” Hopper sounded way too happy about it. Steve supposed this was some kind of justice for escaping away to swim today.

“Fuck.” Steve whispered.

“Steve you promised!” Dustin’s shrill voice echoed off the stone walls of the kitchens, cutting through the low din of the cooks and servers finishing up their work for the day and beginning to prep what they needed to for tomorrow.

By the time Steve had gotten back to the castle, evening had set in and Dustin was glaring up at him from a wooden table in the corner, his arms crossed and his foot tapping against the flagstone floor like an angry parent.

“I know, Dustin.” Steve sat down at the table as well but almost immediately had to lean out of the way as a kitchen maid was forced to reach across him to get to a stack of bowls piled up and needing to be washed.

Steve handed them over to her with a warm smile and she grinned back at him with a small, “Thank you, Steven.”

“I’m sorry.” He turned his attention back to Dustin. “Things started piling up today and I forgot.”

Dustin scoffed, sticking his nose in the air. “How can you expect to be a good king if you forget your people. Your promises?”

“Dusty!” Claudia exclaimed, hovering like she almost always was, in front of the large suspended cast iron pot, hanging over the constant burning hearth, stirring.

The rest of the kitchen staff reacted to Dustin with varying levels of shocked laughter or badly hidden snorts.

Joyce poked her head out of the walk-in pantry, just to swat Dustin lightly over the head with a rag. “Show some respect!”

“Yeah, Dusty.” Steve gave his shin a gentle kick. “Show some respect.”

Dustin grumbled to himself, something that sounded distinctly like show you some respect before slamming both hands down on the table. “Lucas gets to ride all the time!”

“Lucas is Captain Hopper’s squire. It’s pretty much his job description. It’s different.”

“And he’s learned how to hunt and shoot and bow and he’s not even using a training sword anymore! Hopper’s got him practicing with a blunt metal one now!” Dustin threw his hands into the air, nearly swatting a kitchen boy a year or two older than him in the arm, but the boy seemed so used to it, he just expertly weaved around the flying gesticulations with barely a glance. “I could be a squire.”

“It all sounds very fanciful, Dusty.” Steve leaned his elbow on the table. “But are you forgetting all the other things Lucas had to do to get to where he is? Yes, he gets to ride all the time, but he’s also up at dawn, shovelling shit from the stables. Yes, he’s learned his way around a sword and bow but don’t you remember all the cuts and bruises he was walking around with? Or this time last year when he couldn’t train for two months after he broke his collarbone on his good side after getting thrown from his horse?”

“I wouldn’t have that issue! I don’t even have collarbones!”

“And,” Steve pressed forward, “Lucas doesn’t have time for much else besides those things. He doesn’t get to harass the librarian for hours on end with constant questions.”

Dustin glared at him from across the table. “I’m not harassing Mr. Clarke. He loves my questions.”

“If you were to be in Lucas’ position, you couldn’t do that. You couldn’t study the natural sciences and alchemy like you love to. In addition to that, Lucas has been in training since he was six years old. You’d have a lot of catching up to do.”

Dustin slumped back in his chair, arms crossed again and a frown on his face. He looked disappointed if not a little upset and it just about broke Steve’s heart.

Fuck, he was too soft with these kids.

“I promise, Dusty. First thing tomorrow morning, I’ll take you out riding, okay?”

He’d have to shift his schedule around a little. He usually went through his correspondence with the further villages and towns of the kingdom in the mornings, but he could put them off for an hour or two.

“Can I ride Bimmer?” Dustin asked, almost immediately perking up.

Steve shrugged. “I don’t know. You’d have to ask her. But if she’s okay with it, then I am.”

“She’s a horse, Steve.”

“So? Doesn’t mean she has to put up with a little shit-head with no collarbones if she doesn’t want to.”

“But- okay. If she does let me, then I can? I can ride your horse?” There was such a hopeful glint in Dustin’s eye. Steve was powerless to deny him.

He heaved a put upon sigh and hands on his hips, “Yes, okay. But only around the perimeter!” He shouted the last part after Dustin who had shot up from his seat with a whoop and burst out of the room.

“Mike! He’s gonna let me ride Bimmer!”

Mike had only just come in from the gardens, arms full of herbs which were dropped to the floor with an angry squawk, beginning an argument because Steve never let him ride Bimmer.

Claudia giggled to herself as Steve slumped back in his chair.

“You give in too easily, dear.” She said over her shoulder to him.

He leaned his cheek into his fist. “You know what he’s like.”

Claudia smiled again, tuning back to the pot.

Steve was just about to open his mouth to offer some help when there was a great clatter on the stone steps leading up from the kitchen.

Robin nearly ran into the wall, her face was flushed from exertion, one pant leg was untucked from a boot which was coming unlaced and her undershirt was half hanging out of her still beautiful but not quite as lavishly embroidered waistcoat.

She’d caught herself against the archway, her wild eyes scanning the room before Steve felt them land on him.

“Oh shit.” He breathed, springing from his chair in the next second and making a break for it through the kitchen.

“You!” Robin screeched, footsteps pounding after him while the staff scampered,  like they were jumping out of the road to escape a wayward horse and cart. “Get your fucking ass back here, Harrington!”

“I didn’t do anything!”

Steve burst through the door leading out into the herb garden, Robin hot on his heels. He didn’t know why he’d chosen the damn herb garden to escape to, it was enclosed.

He literally had nowhere to run.

“You call trying to drown yourself in the river not doing anything?” She shouted, swinging a gardening glove she’d picked up at him as she slowly stalked closer while Steve was backed up against an impenetrable stone wall.

“I wasn’t going to drown, Buckley.” He snapped back, trying to catch the glove in his own hand as she swatted at whatever part of him she could reach. “I’m a strong swimmer!”

“Stronger than the river, Steven?” She was able to pop him over the head and he finally managed to catch her wrist and wrench the glove from her grip, swatting her back.

“Get off my ass, adviser. I’m fine aren’t I? Forgive me for needing a moment to myself.”

Robin was trying and failing to bat his hands away.

“You can have as many moments to yourself as you’d like, Your Highness, but not on a dangerous river when no one knows where you are!”

Steve whapped her on the arm and in retaliation she levelled several slaps against his chest.

“The river’s not that dangerous!”

“You wouldn’t even be the first monarch to drown in that river!”

“I didn’t fucking drown!”

“Yet!”

“Is that a threat?”

“You’re damn right it is! I will drown you myself next time, I swear on your stupid hair-”

“Hey! Don’t call my hair stupid, your face is stupid.”

“Ugh!” The sound came out of Robin like some kind of cross in between a scream and a groan. “I can’t believe this is the thanks I get for my years of service!”

“Service, my left nut. You’re a pain in my ass, Buckley.”

Steve still had the glove clasped in his hand, though it was down at his side now and Robin had stuck her hands on her hips, the two of them glaring.

“You’d perish without me.” She sniffed, looking down her nose at him.

“Whatever.”

Robin pursed her lips, tapping one finger against her hip.

“Did you enjoy yourself, at least?”

Steve grinned, swatting her lightly one last time over the shoulder.

“Yeah.”

“You said first thing tomorrow morning, Steve!”

Steve stuffed his goose feather pillow over his head, trying to block out the pinks of the early morning sky invading his room.

The light was barely there, the sun hadn’t fully risen yet, but it was still reflected around the room. The brightness of Steve’s lime-washed and plastered walls seeming intent on keeping him awake, the delicate paintwork of climbing vines and florals doing nothing to dull the glare since Dustin had thrown open the curtains.

“I didn’t mean the ass-crack of dawn, shit-head!”

“You’re up now aren’t you?”

Turning his head a little, Steve peeked an eye open to glare at him.

“I shouldn’t be.”

“Not all of us are royalty who get to sleep in.” Dustin snarked back with his arms crossed.

“Sucks for you because I am royalty who gets to sleep in. Now if you don’t fuck off and come back at a more reasonable hour, I’m telling your mother what happened to her good copper pot.”

Dusting scowled back just as hard before turning on his heel and stomping out.

“Fine, asshole!”

“And close my curtains!” Steve shouted after him, but Dustin had already slammed his bedroom door closed again.

He was still yawning and grumbling to himself as Dustin dragged him by the arm down to the stables. What he wouldn’t give for some kind of injection of energy, some way to wake himself up. He prayed for the day something like that was discovered. Maybe he could talk to the castle herbalist about it. Argyle always had something strange cooking.

Steve squinted against the glaring sunlight, slumping when Dustin finally let go of his arm to shoot off into the stables on his own, shouting at Steve to keep up.

Fuck, how did the kid have so much damn energy?

When Steve finally made his way inside, his senses assaulted with the smell of wood, leather, hay and horse, Dustin was standing in front of Bimmer’s stall, blinking up at her with wide nervous eyes.

“She’s bigger than I thought she was.” He muttered. “I’ve only ever seen her at a distance.”

Steve placed a hand down on Dustin’s head, using the other to pet over Bimmer’s muzzle.

“She’s very gentle. But you don’t have to ride her if you don’t want to. I could take you out on a smaller-”

“No.” Dustin turned to look up at him. “I said I would, so. I will.”

It took a little bit, getting Bimmer to respond positively to Dustin after she had reflected his nervousness initially, but soon enough he was comfortably in the saddle, practically vibrating with excitement. Steve stuck close by, astride Thunder, a jet black stallion prone to wandering but easy enough to pull back.

Dustin’s smile only grew wider as they went on a slow trot around the curtain walls and before long he was in top form, spewing about the latest things he’d learned whenever they passed something that caught his interest.

“Hey Steve, did you know that Mothers Bounty used to spit liquid fire and ash?” Dustin said, pointing over at the lone flat topped extinct volcano that always loomed in the background. “It’s where our pumice stone comes from and the reason we can grow so much here.”

“Yes, Dustin, I did know that.”

“Hey Steve, did you know that Queen Vita drowned in the River Vita,” The river itself babbled up at them. “Isn’t that crazy?”

“That’s a rumour.”

“Hey Steve, did you know that the people of the Abyssal Forest use needles and ink to mark their skin?”

Steve blinked rapidly over in Dustin’s direction while a soft breeze blew through the trees next to them.

“They do what?” He asked, trying not to think too hard about sticking needles into his skin. Willingly.

“Yeah!” Dustin turned to him with the brightest smile. “They have to get the needle in quite deep for the ink to stick, but if they do, their designs can stay there forever! Isn’t that so cool?”

Steve had to repress a shudder. “Yeah, man. Sounds… so cool.”

They continued to ride on in silence for another moment and Steve would have found it peaceful if he didn’t think that Dustin suddenly falling silent after spitting out endless facts was very strange. He was fidgeting ever so slightly with Bimmer’s reigns, like he was trying to build up to something.

“So. El and I have been talking.”

Well, that was never a good start.

Steve just hummed in agreement, waiting for Dustin to continue, reaching up to pluck a leaf from an overhanging branch as they slowly made their way back to the stables.

“She’s hit a blockade on her studies of the Rainbow Sea. You know how she’s been trying to figure out how to grow the Nightbloom?”

“Absolutely not.” Steve didn’t quite snap, but it was a close thing.

“I didn’t even say anything!”

“You’re gonna ask me to take you and El on an expedition to the Abyssal Forest so El can talk to the people who live there about her flower and so you can harass them about their inked skin-”

“But, Steve! The Nightbloom doesn’t grow anywhere else and no one else I have read about inks their skin-!”

“Over my dead body, Dusty-Buns. There’s a reason their community is so closed off. That forest is dangerous to those who don’t know how to traverse it. Most who try end up lost forever. You think I’m gonna lead both you and El to certain death just for a flower and some ink?”

“Steve-!”

“Dustin.” Steve pulled Thunder a round to a stop in front of Bimmer. “I’ve said no. You’re just going to have to find some more books about it. It’s not happening.” He stared him dead in the eye. “Have I made myself clear?”

Dustin scowled at him, and the rest of the ride back to the stables was frosty but Steve wouldn’t budge.

Dustin could sulk and complain and be as upset as he liked, but Steve was not going to lose him or El in a dark and endless forest just because he wanted to meet some inky people and find out how to grow a flower.

In his haste to get off Bimmer once the stable hand had taken her reins, Dustin’s foot slipped from her stirrup and he fell hard onto one knee.

Steve threw himself from his own horse, swinging down in less than a second but Dustin had already sprang back up, brushing past him with a muttered “I’m fine.”

Steve stared after him, not knowing whether he should feel hurt or indignant. He only wanted what was best for the kids and he understood Dustin’s disappointment at not getting to go on some kind of stupidly dangerous mission but at the same time, did he really expect Steve to put all their lives at risk for no reason?

“Shit, what happened?”

Steve turned to find Robin walking through the stable doors, coming from the direction Dustin had just left in.

“We had a disagreement.” Steve sighed, hands on his hips. “He wanted me to take him and El into the Abyssal Forest.”

Robin’s eyes widened. “What the hell for? Is he trying to get you all killed? And no offense to the kid, but your death might not be the best thing for the future of this kingdom.”

He snorted, a little deprecatingly. “I know, right? Someone should have told my parents to have another kid. Would help to take the pressure off.”

Robin gave a little nod, sucking her lips into her teeth. “Speaking of pressure…”

“I know, I know.” Steve shook his head, giving Bimmer a pat and nodding at the stable hand who was corralling the two horses back into their stalls. “I’m going up to my study now to start on my correspondence so there’s no need to bully me.”

He grinned at her but it slipped from his face almost immediately when she didn’t follow suit, just continued to bite her lip.

“What is it?”

Robin took a deep breath in, like she was bolstering herself.

“Your parents have requested an audience with you.”

Steve’s eyebrows shot up into his hairline.

“What for?”

“I don’t know. They wouldn’t tell me.” She shrugged, trying to hide the worry in her eyes, but she was never able to fully hide from him.

The fact that they hadn’t shared what they wanted to talk to him about was not a good sign.

“Well.” Steve put his hands back on his hips. “Fuck.”

Robin nodded.

[Part 2] [AO3] [Art]

This fic will be updated daily! 🥰

[daydreampending]

The Lost Princess

Years after running away from your kingdom, escaping your regal duties and joining a pirate crew, you find yourself back under the hand of a royal realm. Forcefully entwined amongst a palace’s workers, you struggle to hide your true identity.

An identity that once had the entire seven seas searching for you. An identity that grew up accustomed to stately etiquette and its rules. An identity that once belonged to the heir of a throne.

Word Count: 4.1k

Series Masterlist

Chapter 5

[artaxlivs]

Please share with me all of your favorite baseball AU's in honor of the Yankees going to the World Series.

And because my husband thinks I'm some kind of baseball savant because I suddenly started watching the Yankees with him and I know so much baseball terminology. Ha. No. It's the mlm fanfiction.

I don't care what fandom they're from! (No RPF tho please)

[evil-ontheinside]

Yes, everything had been well.  Regrettably, in the four, nearing five weeks of travel, they have yet to find a group of bandits to attack, but it seems Dustin is in luck after all. Michael would have loved to tell him a story of their heroic deeds when they see each other again, simply to see the aghast expression on his face and to hear the exaggerated scolding. Being scolded is sometimes the simplest way to see that someone cares. Though, perhaps he will get scolded even without the bandits. Their current situation is surely enough for Dustin to unpack all that he’s got. He's been a little more sensitive about Michael in dangerous situations since he got an infection on one of his more reckless adventures and had to stay in bed with a high fever for almost two weeks. Now that Michael has confirmation, that all of Dustin’s outbursts come from a place of worry, he’s almost looking forward to it. He has to suppress an embarrassing happy little bounce where they’re huddled between bushes and undergrowth to not give them away. His smile still earns him a strange look from Holly, pressed right against his side with both hands clamped over her mouth.  He can admit that he deserves it. Their situation is certainly not one to smile about.

another wip! still the royalty au but it's fun to write even if I take forever

[miwiromantics]

Someone please write a prince!will and knight!mike fanfic because I don’t think I can do it by myself

[penny00dreadful]

Hark!

Pray, attend to the tale I have penned for @steddiebang2024 , to be unveiled upon AO3 on the fourth day of October, brought forth by myself and my partners in mischief, @hbyrde36 and @arelliann.

’Tis a tale of two neighboring kingdoms, soon to be united by a contract of marriage betwixt the crown prince of Torthúil, Steven Harrington, and the crown princess of Stoirmeach, Christine Cunningham.

Yet these are not the two lovers whom Cupid’s arrow shall strike. In a world where love knows no bounds of gender, yet a class system doth rend hearts asunder, how shall Steve and Eddie find their way to one another?

Take my hand and accompany me to read of a sparring match fraught with desire's tension, a villainous foe, mounting suspense, a protective prince, the endless depths of friendship’s love, the tender unfurling of romance, love’s sweet kisses, a hint of lust, a joust, an escape into the woods, and perchance a brush with death!

Dare ye venture into the realm of knights and the courtly system, where prejudice against those deemed different flows as freely as the clouds that drift above? Let us traverse the winding paths of passion, where each kiss doth hold the promise of adventure and discovery.

’Tis a story woven with passion and peril, where destinies entwine and hearts are laid bare. Come, let us embark upon this journey together, and witness the fates of these noble souls unfold! Thy presence shall bring joy to this revelry, so mark thy calendars, good friends!

[vegasol]

For the fairytale and fantasy/royalty AU lovers, I've just published a Steddie Cinderella AU which I hope can bring some holiday cheer :)

It's based on Europe's favourite christmas version of Cinderella, "Tři oříšky pro Popelku," which means it's got a fun little twist to it for those of you who are used to the Disney version.

Three acorns for Eddie Words: 12,564 Rating: Gen Relationship: Steve/Eddie Tags: Royal Steve Harrington, Eddie Munson as Cinderella, Jason Carver being an asshole, Minor violence, First kiss, Getting together, Happy ending

Summary under the read more:

Eddie had thought he would have the whole woods to himself today, all is quiet apart from Brego’s hooves in the snow and his huffed breathing as they canter and jump over fallen logs in their path. But when he slows down for a break he sees people in the distance, their colourful clothes lighting up like beacons between the dark gloom of the trees and the blinding white snow. Eddie halts and jumps off, whispering to Brego to stay still as he sneaks closer.

There are three of them, and Eddie is pretty sure he recognizes one of them as the prince, prince Steve, remembering his face from when the king’s family traveled past their lands last summer. Evidently, he has been blessed not only with the fortunes of royal birth, but with disgustingly good looks as well. His hair catches the rays of sunshine filtering through the trees like drops of golden honey, framing his handsomely chiseled jaw, and the cold weather has given his cheeks a healthy red glow. For some reason it irks Eddie, and he can’t resist the idea of playing a prank on the prince and his friends.

Or: A Cinderella story, where destiny brings Eddie and prince Steve together, but they take it into their own hands to stay together.

[cannibalismyuri]

perpetuating my young royals byler au agenda . agree or die by my blade.

[daydreampending]

The Lost Princess

Years after running away from your kingdom, escaping your regal duties and joining a pirate crew, you find yourself back under the hand of a royal realm. Forcefully entwined amongst a palace’s workers, you struggle to hide your true identity.

An identity that once had the entire seven seas searching for you. An identity that grew up accustomed to stately etiquette and its rules. An identity that once belonged to the heir of a throne.

Word Count: 4.7k

Series Masterlist

Chapter 2

[steventhusiast]

little fantasy-ish royal au drabble yayy

prince steve’s parents are detached yet controlling of him, so every so often he rebels and sneaks out of the castle to go visit events and areas in the kingdom he knows will be densely populated. he wears plainer (but still obviously expensive) clothes as well as a thin but long scarf he bunches up around his neck to hide as much of his face as he can, and lets his hair fall naturally rather than his signature styled look. the disguise is barely there, but as long as the attention stays off him and no one gets too close, he never gets caught.

until this time. he’s at some type of crowded market, with everything from herbs to crystals to food being sold there, watching distantly and leaning against a wall. he likes to listen to the people speak so casually and carefree while he’s out, and yearn for the easy companionship people seem to have. but as he’s watching a couple lean against each other as they argue fondly about which baked goods to buy, someone leans on the wall next to him. he glances to them, and finds it’s a man in plain clothes with long dark curls, studying him.

“i was intending to ask for one’s name, but i suspect i already know it.” the mystery man says with a quirked brow, and prince steve adjusts his scarf to cover more of his lower face.

“i know not what you mean.” he tries to play off the observation, but in response he gets a smirk from the man.

“his royal highness is not interested in one peasant’s name? one should not have expected more, i suppose.” the man sighs and drops his head forward slightly. his dramatics cause some curls to fall in his face, and prince steve feels his cheeks redden slightly for a reason unbeknownst to him.

“you may speak plainly, sir.” prince steve suggests to fill the silence.

“only if you speak plainly, your highness.”

“hm.”

“and my name is eddie, though i like ‘sir��� in certain situations as well.” and with that, the man winks and pushes off the wall. he saunters toward a stall held by a small group with what looks to be tarot cards, dramatically flicking his hair back as he goes.

prince steve sighs, and continues to yearn for a life he cannot have, but this time with a slight blush on his cheeks.

[evil-ontheinside]

Why is writing Dustin literally the funniest thing? I don't know how it keeps happening but I wrote at least three different times from his pov and every time it has the best lines. Have some various snippets from my WIPs to prove my point:

"Why do you have to be so negative about this? You will not be the one in trouble should something go wrong, I will handle the consequences." He has his arms crossed in front of his chest and it might have been intimidating - especially with that dagger still in hand - but it's not because it's Michael. The Prince, sure, but also the person Dustin had seen sitting drenched in the fountain of the main plaza, looking like a wet cat and grumbling about it with the dignity of a small child. The cut-off curtains, draped over his shoulder like a makeshift cape, don’t command much respect either. ----

Dustin had been playing one of his favorite songs, approved of by all the important people at home, including the royal family. He knows it better than the back of his hand, could perform it in his sleep if he had to, had played it while being attacked by a ranger in the forest - yes Lucas, this story will be made into a song sooner or later, there is no escape. ----

Dustin knows nothing. Prince Michael, who? Wait, no, Dustin knows something. But nothing important. Yes, that sounds better. ----

“You won’t believe this.” Dustin almost chokes on his drink when he looks up and sees Hopper storm into the Byers’ kitchen. He did not just hear the chief of police Jim Hopper say You won’t believe this also known as the most stereotypical sitcom-drama sentence ever, right? “Try me,” is all Joyce answers, completely unphased, from the kitchen table where they all sit together and try to complete a 2000-piece jigsaw puzzle. It’s going worse than he anticipated. At the same time Dustin triumphantly fits a piece into the right place, does he realize that this must be a normal occurrence. Jim Hopper, taken right out of the afternoon’s soap opera.  He’ll need some time to process this later. -----

If anyone asks why he decided to spend one of the last days of summer vacation with Max underneath a lonely tree in the middle of an open field? They’re studying, obviously. Or having a romantic getaway that lasted for a few hours and will never happen ever again. They had planned to make this an extended Party event but, as usual, life just won’t go according to Dustin’s plan. He had it all planned out: camping for a night in a - of course completely randomly selected, no doubt about it - field in town, a DnD campaign crafted by Eddie himself to celebrate the last days of summer and far away from prying eyes to not disturb anyone. But no, the Byers and Hoppers - soon to be only Hoppers, Dustin is more than just a little excited for that wedding. He also had that fully planned out years ago but his planning was, as usual, not appropriately appreciated - had to make an impromptu family trip to god knows where, Steve, Eddie, and Robin - this betrayal maybe left the deepest wound - had suddenly all decided to take a road trip without telling anyone else beforehand, and the Sinclairs had all been jammed into their family car and carted off to visit a dying relative somewhere in Indianapolis. This left Max and Dustin all alone in Hawkins. At least Max was always down for a little espionage to search for possible gossip. Though Max had almost ditched him when he complained - totally justified by the way - about everyone leaving them behind when they should’ve been here with them, lying in waiting for the newest information. -----

Dustin doesn’t care. The others can hide their interest for all they want but he’s here to gather information and he’s not ashamed of it. His observations might as well be for science. His curiosity doors are wide open, he can’t risk only looking through a crack if he wants the full picture. -----

What the fuck do they need an old wooden chest for? Why doesn’t Dustin have an old wooden chest? He could totally pull off an old wooden chest in his room.  Maybe, and Dustin thinks this with reluctance of the highest order, the rumors aren't as ridiculous and farfetched as they sounded at first. This family might not be quite normal. [...] A few more boxes join the wooden chest - and Dustin is still not over that. This thing looks like it was taken straight out of a medieval fantasy story. The cheek, the gall to show off their cool wooden chest in front of Dustin without considering his feelings - neatly stacked on top of it before he simply gets behind the wheel and takes off without giving them an answer as if he hadn’t even heard them.

[apomaro-mellow]

Part 4

Dustin kept his promise to help teach Steve how to find food. Sources were getting scarce though. And after some time, Dustin decided his energy would be better suited to finding out where the fairy prince lived.

"If I can find him, he can get you home."

"Or you can find my home. Or better yet, fly me there", Steve suggested.

Dustin rolled his eyes. "Look at this wingspan. I'm lucky if I can carry a twig with some berries. Strength is not my forte. But finding things is. I've already found you twice. Maybe this Eddie guy is just bad with directions."

"Go, leave me here to fend for myself."

"I thought you were supposed to be the adult between us. Don't die!", he said as a reminder before taking off.

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

Steve's mother Lina waited as one day turned into two, then three. She waited as more of the leaves changed colors, and as the first frost appeared. While others prepared, and later celebrated the fall season, she waited by his bedroom window. She didn't make the dresses she normally did for the girls to dance in. Instead she spent her days making new outfits for Steve. One lucky aspect of having such a small son was that she needed very little material.

When night fell and it was too dark to sew by, she kept his window for as long as possible, singing lullabies, hoping he could hear and follow her voice home. Sometimes she looked to the book of tales, still open to the page with the fairy prince.

Steve's prince had promised to return him. Lina believed in chivalry and love. But she was also aware of how difficult to small people looking for each other in this big world could be. Steve could be right in the garden or a whole town over and she wouldn't know.

Tonight snow was falling and a powdery blanket was beginning to cover the ground. Feeling helpless but not hopeless, Lina closed the window for the night. She'd get started on a new blanket for him tomorrow.

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

Eddie pushed Honey on, even as the winds got colder. Royal authority didn't give him the power to stop the seasons, even when he asked. He heard a commotion going on closer to the ground and flew in to see what it was all about. There was a toad, so he counted his luck.

"Hey!", he called out when he landed and hopped off his bee. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about the guy I'm looking for. About yae high, beautiful brown hair, was last seen in blue?"

The toad sneered at him. "I ain't got nuthin' to tell a fairy. Buzz off." He turned to stomp away, muttering something about a Carol and a wedding.

Eddie flew past to head him off. "Wait just a second, I'm not done. Now I've lost someone and he could be in danger."

The toad was about to tell him off when his expression changed to something more conniving. Eddie got on his guard. This could very well be the toad that had taken Steve.

"Lost someone, you say? Maybe he just didn't wanna be around you", he said with a harsh shove, nearly knocking Eddie over.

"I don't want any trouble. Just some info."

Then he felt someone grab him from behind, arms surrounding his neck in a chokehold. Eddie immediately launched but was surprised when his assailant didn't fall behind. Instead they cackled and he also heard the sound of beetle wings. They wrestled in the air before Billy got the upper hand and threw Eddie against a tree.

He was disoriented as Tommy picked him up and shoved a knee in his stomach.

"I think if we wanna get our hands on that princess, we better keep a hold of the prince", Billy said.

"Yeah, but I'm not babysitting him."

Eddie regained just a bit of his fight to whistle, ordering Honey to bulldoze right into Billy. Tommy pushed at Eddie to get out of the way, making him fall into a deep puddle.

His wings weren't much use in the water. And he was fatigued from searching endlessly. He felt himself moving slow but it wasn't just his body. The water froze around him, sealing as he reached for the surface.

Honey hovered before she was shooed off by Billy. "Looks like we got some crown royal on ice", he grinned.

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

To his credit, Steve felt like he did pretty well for a while after Dustin left. Still, there was no beating the cold when you had zero walls to shield you. By luck he was able to find a discarded holey sock to wrap around himself. His shivering only stopped when he passed out, praying he'd awaken in the morning.

When he did wake up, it was to warmth, so he was sure he was dreaming. He stretched out and instead of a worn sock, he had a much nicer cloth on top of him. This was nicer than the toad's barge, but he was so over waking up in unknown places.

"Oh good. You're finally awake."

Steve looked to the side and saw that he was in the presence of a weasel. A smartly dressed weasel at that.

"Did you bring me here?", Steve asked, looking around. The space was small, but that made it easy to keep warm. Which seemed to be accomplished with a stove.

"That I did. I'm a doctor around these parts. You can call me Brenner." He was stirring a pot as he spoke. "Are you hungry, Steve?"

"Starvin-wait, how do you know my name?"

Brenner chuckled to himself. "It's a small forest. I know all about you. How you were being courted by those toads and all. How you turned them down because of your previous engagement with the prince."

"We're not quite engaged", Steve took the cup that was offered to him. He didn't know what it was but it was warm and smelled of spices. "But, I suppose something like that was on my mind."

"Mhm", Brenner went back to stirring the pot. "Of course with him being dead, your plans must've changed."

Steve barely got a sip before the cup dropped out of his hands, startling the doctor.

"Certainly you knew about that?"

"No....", Steve whispered. He backed away until he came to a wall. Suddenly the cozy space felt much too small. "Eddie can't....he can't be...de-" His voice broke off with a weak gasp.

"My apologies. I assumed you knew."

Steve sunk down to the floor and pulled his knees up this his chest. If Eddie had been looking for Steve, if he had died out there while on the search...he could never forgive himself.

"Good food and good company can get your mind off that terrible dreariness. Come now." Brenner took a piping hot tray out of the oven. "We're going to take these to a dear friend of mine."

Steve didn't get up. "I'm really not up for visiting anyone right now."

"The way I see it, I just saved your life. And you can't muster up the energy for a stroll to my closest neighbor?"

Steve didn't even want to move. He thought his heart broke at the idea of never seeing Eddie again. Him dying was so much worse. It felt like his heart had been ripped out and left a whole in his chest; like he would never be full again. Brenner was looking at him expectantly though, so slowly, Steve rose to his feet. The weasel did bring him in from the cold and revive him. And it wasn't Brenner's fault that Steve was lost or that Eddie was...

His body moved on its own as Brenner put the pan in his hands and led him through a small door. The tunnel was dark and Brenner filled the space with whoever this neighbor was. A Mr. Henry Creel apparently.

Little did he know, Dr. Brenner had his own ulterior motives for Steve.

Part 6

Tag Team

@telidina

@novelnovella

@ajeff855

@mars-the-witch

@ceejay-955

@punctualhowell

@child-of-cthulu

@estrellami-1

@cupcakesnwhiskey

@spectrum-spectre

[sporadicnerdunknown]

Stanger Things fanfic I would love to write (but I won't because I'm too lazy) 3

Modern AU where Will's favoutite fanfiction writer is Mike (but he doesn't know it's Mike) and Mike's favourite fanart artist is Will (but he doesn't know it's Will

Red White and Royal Blue AU with Robin as Alex and Nancy as Henry

Dustin finding out how Lucas and Mike (especially Mike) treated Will in season 3 and being upset/ asking them to apologise

Robin coming out to the Party and El being confused by the idea of being a lesbian (maybe asking things like ''if you can kiss girls, why would anyone kiss a boy'') and then understanding she might be a lesbian

Soulmate AU where you start sharing dreams with your soulmate when you turn 16 : Mike could panic once he realises he's in Will's dream and hide, making Will believe he doesn't have a soulmate ?