#theyre kinda shit to steve a lot

[stevesbipanic]

El doesn't understand her friends sometimes.

It's to be expected she supposes, growing up in a lab there's sure to be things you don't understand about the real world.

There's things like the war of the stars and the ghost catching car that are stories her friends like. There's things like mouth breathers and bullies and jocks she thinks are a lot like papa. There's things like maths class and school projects and all the things her friends understand so easily.

Her friends are never mean about it, they show her the movies she's missed, they stand up for her against bullies and they explain their maths homework like it's fun and easy which makes her smile.

The biggest thing she doesn't understand is why her friends are mean to Steve about the same things. Steve called the funny little green man Yoba and Lucas laughed at him for two weeks. Steve was watching the sport game on tv and Mike called him a dumb jock, but Steve is nothing like papa. Steve gave Dustin the wrong change and yelled at Steve for not knowing how to count.

El doesn't understand her friends. Don't they know it was hard for Steve too. He didn't grow up in a lab but at least El had siblings growing up, Steve was all alone in that big house he has. Steve didn't have a Papa but once Steve's dad came home and they weren't allowed to see him for a week, El checked on him, Steve's dad yells a lot. Steve got to go to school, but El knows he has trouble reading the big books sometimes.

El tries to tell her friends this, but they say it's different for Steve, and that Steve doesn't mind them teasing him. El doesn't like the word teasing, Angela would tell her teachers the same word. So El helps Steve. She brings Steve over to the cabin to watch the war of the stars together, they giggle at the teddy bears. El asks Steve to teach her how to throw a basketball, she thinks jocks can be nice. El asks Steve for help with her homework, Steve's really good at dioramas. They read the big books together, el shows him how she learnt to sound out the big words, Steve smiles.

El doesn't always understand her friends, but she now she understands Steve a lot more.

[mochamadeleines]

Sins, Two Through Four <3

Javi doesnt do good girls. Literally and figuratively.

Theyre nice, sure. Honeyed voices and beautiful eyes. But theyre just not for him. He prefers to stick with what he knows best. Messy, broken, women who are looking to distract themselves with him and his body. Sharp eyes topped with heavy eyeliner and eyeshadow. Women who know what to do with him.

Hes been soiled by the world, therefore belongs with others whove met the same fate. But, hes okay with that. (3.3k words)

tags!! 18+ javier peña x reader ! one shot! inoccent reader i guess?, no set era just vaguely somewhere in the late 80s early 90s :p, since its like entirely from his perspective hes only referred to as Javi and not javier sorry if that bothers u </3, corruption, religious allegories, steve and connie r there for five seconds, dubious I suppose cuz they be drinking, smut but its not like Good and its also there for about five second lolol.., p in v sex, blow jobs, rough sex, lots of depressing internal dialogue for javi Uhhhhhh, Sus thoughts abt causing harm to u I GUESS?? Toxic javi of course lol. kinda bad boy x good girl concept here but he wants to make u WORSE. mannn idk, some dom/sub dynamics if u squinttt

authors notes!! hi! Ok my first Javi fic LOOOOL been binging narcos and i had to take a break from my joel fic in the works to write this shit. I SPENT THE ENTIRE DAY PUMPING THIS OUT AHHHHH Beinf as that ive been working on it For One whole day it may not b my best work but i still had fun!! i kinda like the religious allegories Uhh IM NOT RELIGIOUS OR SCHOLARYLY OR ANYTHING so take whatever i reference with a grain of artsy salt.. enjoy!!!!

Javi doesnt do good girls. Literally and figuratively.

Theyre nice, sure. Honeyed voices and beautiful eyes. But theyre just not for him. He prefers to stick with what he knows best. Messy, broken, women who are looking to distract themselves with him and his body. Sharp eyes topped with heavy eyeliner and eyeshadow. Women who know what to do with him.

Hes been soiled by the world, therefore belongs with others whove met the same fate. But, hes okay with that. 

That brings him to now, at this crowded bar with Steve, later Connie. And you, he guesses. Hes never met you but hes heard of you. Tonight youre tagging along so thats that.

Anyways, Steve is updating him on his daughter and something else about enrolling her in private school but New York City is wildly expensive. Javis caught the eye of a pretty brunette further away from the bar hes sitting at. Shes in a black miniskirt begging to get taken off.

“Stop eye-fuckin’ her, Im talkin’ to you.”

“Relax, Im listening.” Javi takes another drag from his cigarette, tapping away the ash into a tray.”Youre a hard worker, Im sure you can find a way to move up and earn a little more for Olivias private schooling.”

Steve sighs, nursing his beer as he thinks. “Maybe. Just dont wanna be away from her more than i have to be.”

“Mm.”

The brunette beckons him over, and Javi is already sliding off the stool to meet her. “Ill be r-”

“Steve!” 

Connie is here, and so is her-

Friend? 

Youre wearing a baby blue slip with sheer white tights and a thin, white cardigan. Youre pretty. Its only when you introduce yourself and he meets your eyes that hes sure. Youre good. And he doesnt do good. Youre not his type, Javi decides. Lame.

He moves down a seat so you can sit next to Connie whos also next to Steve, and you seem nervous. He gets the feeling you dont come out to places like this a lot. Its too.. Grungy. People smoke inside and get crazy drunk and dance. Probably not your speed. Youre easy to read.

Steve, “Remind me again how you know each other?”

“From work! Shes a nurse.” Connie smiles at Steve first, and then to you. A nurse, of course. Because youre good and its practically oozing off of you. Maybe hes wrong. He hopes hes wrong. Only because youre so pretty, with pretty pink blush and lipgloss. 

You now, “I work in pediatrics.”

You work with children? Jesus christ.

You help people- help your community and take care of children. Javi had to watch children die, over and over, all too complicit each time it happens. No, youre not his type. Hes not into angels. Javi is far from holy and isnt about to desecrate you.

Then there's this feeling that starts to stir in his gut. An ugly feeling that wants to scratch through flesh and bone to get out.  He takes the final drag of his cigarette before smushing it into the ashtray. Why do you bother him so much? Maybe its because upon your arrival that pretty brunette he was eyeing disappeared. A real shame.

But youre here, and your breasts are softly spilling over the neckline of your dress, and while the length is enough to cover your ass when youre standing, the way it looks while youre sitting is a whole different story. Youre good eye candy. Glass half full thinking.

He clears his throat. “How long-” 

The bartender interrupts with a pearly smile. Hes asking if you want anything and hes obviously into you. Annoyingly so.

While youre ordering, Steve and Connie walk away to dance, and Connie stops by Javi, dipping her head to his ear. “Please, please dont fuck my friend.”

Ironic.

“Dont worry,” He leans his elbow on the counter, finishing the rest of his whiskey. “Shes not my type. Go have fun.”

You order three shots of vodka and apple juice. Its a little cute the way you hold your nose while you down each shot and chase it with some juice. Javis on his next glass of whiskey, watching how some of your drink rolls down your collar bone and into the valley of your breasts.

The sight of you is downright sinful. Its not fair.

“You need another shot or are you good now?”

Youre laughing, batting your hand dismissively. “No, No. Im good. I hate alcohol so I wanted to get this part over with and loosen up a little.”

“You dont have to drink it if you dont want to.”

“I like being drunk, just not drinking.”

“Fair enough.”

You fold your hands in your lap, and spin your seat side to side. “You were asking me something earlier?”

“How long have you been a nurse?”

“Three years now. I was working at a different hospital until recently. Thats how I met Connie.”

“Ah.”

“And you? What do you do?”

Javi lets the silence linger a bit. Fuck it. “Uh, CIA- but im retired now.”

“Oh- Yes! Right! Connie- She told me. Im sorry, you probably dont wanna talk about it.”

This is what makes his gums start itching. Most women- who are just as tragic as him- just bat their lashes and tell him its sexy he works for the government.

But you- Youre good. So you actually care about how hes feeling, and arent just trying to fuck him. Maybe that could change?- Ugh- No- no. Just no. Youll be ruined. Youd get dirty and thatd weigh him down like everything else does. Plus, Connie told him not to.

“Um. Have you done anything fun recently? Aside from all that?” Cute how you try to change the subject to spare his feelings.

Javi breaks open a new pack of cigarettes, slipping one out and putting it between his lips, then flicks his lighter on. Once, twice. A fifth time. No dice. The fucking thing ran out fluid. 

“Fuck,” He grumbles.

“Ah! Hold on!”

An eyebrow is raised.

You dig through your purse, and pull out a disposable lighter. You thumb the sparkwheel a couple times to get the flame going.

“Do you mind?”

Javi hums no and leans forward. You do too, cupping your hand over the flame in case it goes out. It lights, and he gets a good drag in.

“Thank you.”

“Youre welcome.” And youre smiling again and Javi wants to shake you around and see where youre hiding your halo. Hes good at getting information out of people. He could get you to confess.

“Any reason you carry around a lighter?”

“Uhh. For medicinal purposes.”

“Cheeky.”

You spin in your chair once, all the way around then wobble when you stop. Javi shoots his arm out to grab yours and keep you steady. 

“Careful.” 

“Thanks.” A short breath. “Still think I need another shot?”

Javi smirks. “Oh, definitely.”

And youre ordering two shots. Bold.

“To answer your question, I havent done any fun things, no- Oh actually, you know what? I went to the art museum the other day.”

“The MET?”

“Mhm.” 

“I went there a few months ago! Its beautiful isnt it? Do you have a favorite exhibit?”

“Probably European sculptures. The ones under the skylights were my favorite.”

“Yeah, those are beautiful.” You look off, dreamy. 

Youre a childrens nurse, youre bad at drinking, you like art, and Javier feels sick just sitting next to you. Theres so much ugly out there, hes sure youre aware, and yet youre as bright as ever infront of him. Youd probably fit right in with The Triumph of the Church. 

 Theres only one word that can describe that ugly feeling swirling in him. 

Envy. He wishes he could be as untouchable as you feel right now.

Theres a push and pull. He wants to taste your lips and roll up your dress and roughen you up, but he cant- he shouldnt. You dont deserve to get felt up by someone so unclean.

And yet,

Your beautiful smile, one that always reaches your eyes, and your precious laugh, and the way youve been nervously playing with your hands this entire time makes him want to break you. To rip those wings out and keep you from flying. 

Javi really is devilish.

“Okay, shot time!” You push one of the glasses towards him. 

“Im not taking a shot,” He takes another puff from the cigarette, then lets it rest on the ashtray.

“C’mon, Javier! Pleeeeeaaaase?” 

“Javi.” He emphasizes.

“Okay.” You nod, “Javi, please?”

“Fine.”

Alright, alright. It didnt take much, but to be fair ‘please’ and ‘Javi’ just sound so good together when you say it. 

Clink! 

You count to three, and together you take the shot. Javi only grimaces at the taste and youre scrambling for the juice after letting go of your nose. Youre so damn messy about it too. Javi gets the bartender to get some napkins.

“I think I'm done,” You cough.

“I think youre done too.” He smiles, “Do you normally spill your drinks on yourself?” 

You patiently hold still while Javi wipes down your mouth, then your chin, then your collarbone, careful to not get too close to your chest. He eyes the dainty necklace that carries your first name initial. 

“Noooo, it all just happens so fast, you know? Oh! And thank you for cleaning me up.” Youre smacking your lips together, “Ah shit, my gloss.” 

“Yeah, looks like you ate it all in the chaos.” He glances over at the four shot glasses, all stained.

You groan after digging through your purse. “Fuck, I left my compact at home.”

“Being a girl seems hard.”

“It is.” You sigh, albeit dramatic. “Ill be back.”

You slide off the stool and almost eat shit actually. At least Javi is there to catch you. Again. This might be a recurring theme tonight considering how many drinks you had. Must be a lightweight.

“Im sorry- Fuck, Im so sorry,” Youre laughing again, and it gets a laugh out of him too. Back on the stool you go.

“If you fall again Im not gonna catch you.”

“Thats okay, I wouldnt catch me either.” 

Javi thinks for a moment, curious. 

“I could, yknow, put the gloss on you. If you want.”

“Really? Youd do that?”

Your eyes are big and bright, lashes accentuated by your mascara. The way you look at him makes him feel oddly special. Its not sultry, or wanting. You have this natural allure to you. Angelic. That alone makes him want to touch you again. To yank you down from the clouds.

“Yeah, gimmie the gloss.”

You put it in his palm and lean towards him. Javi messes with the applicator, listening to the squish of product inside the tube. Seems easy enough.

Javi situates himself more comfortably in the chair, then holds your chin as he applies it. Youre well behaved the entire time, like he expected, except for the fact that you lost your balance again and gripped onto his thigh to keep you from falling. He clears his throat. There are blaring alarms in his head telling him to put distance between you both.

“Sorry.”

“Its alright. I dont mind.”

You swallow nervously. Any angel would be nervous if they were this close to an agent of hell. Get it? Agent?

Javi tucks away the fly aways first. The applicator swipes across your bottom lip, and hes squinting at the little sparkles in the gloss. Its a nice touch. His thumb rubs away any excess to keep it neat.

“Good job for not falling again.” 

“I had some help.” And youre both grinning now.

“Mkay, all done.” 

You smack your lips, nodding. “Thank you.”

This is the moment where Javi should let you go. He should excuse himself and find someone who isnt you, someone whos filthy just like him, and have them instead.

You tilt your head in his palm, letting him cradle your face.

But youre so pretty, and youre so sweet, and youre right there. 

That feeling from earlier is bubbling up again, the need to ruin you. You might look prettier covered in bite marks and sweat, with your hair messed up and your recently applied gloss all gone. Again. 

He shouldnt.

But then again, what are sinners even good for if not this? Converting others and carrying on the missions of the Devil himself, you know, the works. Fuck, its not like he wasnt doing it anyways. Shout out to the government.

Javi observes you, trying to make a decision. “Hey,” 

“Hiii.” 

“Can I take you home?” 

Its was easy, and you were so well behaved about it too. You did a little nervous yapping on the way to his apartment but it was cute. He learned you had a pet cat, and he tells you about the dog he grew up with. You talk about the shitty weather recently and Javi tells you he got rained on and slipped going up the stairs. It settles your nerves. Good. His phone keeps ringing in the glove compartment, but he just tells you to ignore it. Steve no doubt.

He makes sure to hold your hand on the way up to his apartment, giving it a squeeze before he lets go to open the door.

Javi’s heart never usually pounds this hard bringing any woman to his place, and its downright sinnister how excited he is. 

When the door closes, you both leave your shoes at the door. 

“Want anything? I dont have any apple juice but I can give you orange juice? Water if you want that instead?” 

“Orange juice sounds good.”

You begin to linger about his living room. Youre probably getting a feel for how impersonal it all is. Plain. His room is a bit more interesting, at least. 

Javi hands you the glass and shucks off his leather jacket, draping it over one of the kitchen chairs.

The first time he kisses you, is while walking through to the entrance of his bedroom. One hand gripping your hip and the other cradling the back of your head. He swallows ever whimper, every sigh, every squeak until the back of his knees hit the edge of the mattress. Javi pulls away, watching the string of spit snap and cling to your bottom lip.

“Are you good at following directions?”

“Yes-Yes. I am.” You choke out.

Now sat on the bed, “Great. On your knees then.” 

Tonight, youre going to pray. Youre going to sing.

You hesitate to get down, but do it with no complaints. Javi stretches over to the bedside table, grabbing a spare pack of cigarettes and lighter. 

Your eyes are on him, patiently waiting for another command. 

He continues to smoke at a leisurely pace, petting your head and caressing the apples of your cheeks. Youre leaning into his hand affectionately again.

Youre hit with some of the excess smoke he breathes out, coughing a bit. 

“Javi-”

“No more talking. Understand?”

A beat passes, and you nod again, only shuffling forward to rest your head on the inside of his thigh. Javi taps away the ash.

“Good girl.”

You stay down there for a little while, only squirming and wiggling to relieve the soreness settling into your knees. You dont talk, you dont whine, you dont go grabbing at him. You stay put because he didnt tell you to do anything else. Youre good. Angels are loyal to a fault.

When you do get a command, youre perking up like a dog. Cute. Javis telling you to take his cock out.

You go for it, and he tuts at you. “Do it slow.”

And so, youre doing it slowly now, pulling out the leather from under the buckle, opening it up and then popping open the button to his jeans. Your lips press into a thin line, looking up at him for reassurance.

“Go on.”

His zipper is pulled down at a snails pace, and your eyes widen at the lack of underwear. No surprise there. Javi sighs when you take him your hand. 

He lets you feel him up curiously, your thumb wisping over his flushed tip, smearing along the white beads gathering there. 

“Put it in your mouth.”

You stiffen, unsure. Javis reminded that youre good and you probably dont do this kind of thing a lot. 

“Its not hard, nena. Promise. Want me to teach you?”

Youre nodding now, more eagerly.

“Start by kissing it.”

Tentatively, you kiss starting from the bottom up- That much you know how to do- So its a good start. He sighs out the last bit of smoke and stretches over to the bedside again to put out the cigarette. 

After kissing, youre licking, and after licking, youre finally trying to swallow him. He groans, holding the back of your head and coaxing you to take more.

You gag, backing out to catch your breath then taking him in again.

“Jus’ like that- Fuck-”

And somehow the slight inexperience gives you the upperhand. You want to be good for him, and your  clumsy hands are doing as much as they can to make up for your lack of deep-throating capabilities.

Its when you suck harshly on the head that he hunches forward with a gasp. “Yeah-Yes.”

You do it again, and again, and hes so fucking close now but he stops you. Not yet.

“You did good.” Javi reassures you. “Get up.”

You wobble up onto your feet and hes pulling you into a kiss, hands exploring you all over with urgency. He needs it now, to do what he wanted to do at the bar when he first started talking to you. He needs to drag you down with him.

Javi pulls your cardigan off, and then your dress, and as more layers of your clothing come off the more he cant wait. Youre moaning under his tongue, only squirming when he nips at the flesh of your torso, leaving a trail of blossoming bruises in his wake. He tells you to lay down and you follow accordingly. 

Javi kisses up your stomach, and the junction between your neck and shoulder. You almost speak, almost. And it has his dick harder than he thought it could get. Youre still obeying. Fucking incredible.

He pulls your hips forward, making you whimper. A finger traces through your folds, and he practically gushes with pride just feeling what hes done to you so far. He hasnt even gotten to the best part.

“Talk to me,”

Youre babbling now, “K-Keep touching me- Dont stop. Please, Javi.” There it is again. ‘Please’ and ‘Javi’. He cant say no to someone whos been so reverent thus far.

He rewards you by tracing soft circles around your clit, watching the way your abdomen flexes at the pressure. The combination of nervousness and arousal has your thighs quaking around his forearm. You give in so easy. 

Javi tells you to lay on your stomach, Then, hes pressing kisses up your spine to soothe you. To sedate you. 

You practically crumble when his cock reaches all the way inside you. This is it. Hes going to rip those obnoxious fucking wings out of your back.

“Javi,” You wheeze, clawing at the sheets. His hand sits on the nape of your neck to keep you pinned down. Javi grunts, doubling forward over your back. Its almost like hes punishing your guts just because youre you. 

He grabs your wrists instead, pulling them behind your back and anchoring himself with one hand. The other curls into your hair, yanking your head up from the pillow you covered in drool. 

You sob, trembling when Javi buries himself to the hilt. Hes panting over your neck like a dog, licking and nipping there like one too.

“Thank you,” You sniffle, twisting your neck to get a glimpse of him. Your mascaras running down your face. Humble, even in the face of your own sacrilege. 

Javi shushes you with a sloppy kiss. Hell only accept your thanks when hes finally run you dry.

Tonight is the night you fell from grace. All because of him.

[stvharrngton]

okay u gotta hear me out on this one, cus I have no idea how to put it into words properly BUT

know how in a lot of fanfic and shit theres always the trope of reader being super loud with moans or that kinda thing? well.. well.

Steve/Eddie with maybe a best friend or s/o who's noises during sex are like, the breathy, high-pitched breaths out kinda thing? like sorta whines and full on whines and the whole "wow that moans gonna be so loud but I dont wanna breathy-whine-moan louder than I already am so im gonna have to breathe this moan in and swallow it until it comes out as a closed mouth whimper" like embarrassed that theyre actually being loud (so many ppl have to get off as silent as they can and I can just imagine reader being used to having to be quiet in sexual moments cus who wants to get caught touching themselves lmaoo like idk its just a very untouched, real trope)

like the breathy moan-whines that make ur eyebrows knit up together like ur almost in pain?? like so breathy idk how to get this across bro I hope u get me, like reader being so into it still

idk I have a feeling that it'd be different to what theyre use to and the first time they hear it theyre like.. all blood just rushes south no thoughts.

im a sucker for the Not In A Relationship Yet trope cus the pining is good but they somehow hear u like that ^^^^^ and its like the straw that broke the camels back - they gotta make you make those sounds asap

bonus points for when they try and give you so much that you actually end up letting a standard-regular moan out instead of ur whimpery- breathy - sweet - overwhelmed noises

i totally get you babe dw

i feel like either with eddie or steve maybe you’re best friends so obvs they know where you keep the spare key under that plant pot outside your house and yeah you were expecting them to drop by later but not until later and you’re feeling a little frustrated a little pent up and you’re home alone so why not take it into your own hands right? but you’re so into it and making yourself feel so good that you don’t even register the sound of the door going or the sound of someone climbing the stairs and then they hear it. that sweet moan you let out as you edge closer to your orgasm and they all but stop in their tracks, cheeks flustered and mouth hanging agape as they keep listening cause they can’t possibly stop listening to you moan as you get yourself off from the other side of the door

i feel like when you and steve finally get together and you start getting intimate you maybe hold your moans back a little still, cause you know you can get loud but you don’t wanna embarrass yourself and get all flustered in front of steve but this time he’s fucking you so good, so deep, your legs wrapped around his waist, his cock all up in your guts and it’s just too much. so you moan. and you moan loud and it catches you off guard a little as your skin heats up and your eyes bug out of your head but like. it just riles steve up even more, makes him even more cocky and confident than he is around you. chucking at the sound he smirks at you, cupping your face as he says to you ‘oh, was that good, baby? you like that?’ and ‘such a good girl, where’ve you been hiding that all this time, huh?’ and ‘moan so sweet, angel, could listen to you all fuckin day’

but eddie is a little different i think. maybe he’s fucking you from behind, body bent as he presses your chest down into the mattress, but keeps your hips raised enough for him to fuck into them. your loud moans thankfully being muffled by the pillow but eddie’s had enough, so he wraps his fingers in your hair and pulls you up towards his chest, his fingers loosely wrapping around your throat as his hips snap against yours still and he’s all like ‘come on, sweetheart, i wanna hear it, know you can’ and then when you finally do moan all high pitched and loud he’s all ‘oh, fuck, that’s it, baby, that’s what i like to hear’ and ‘y’sound so pretty, now was that so hard? gonna make you scream’

😵‍💫

[palmviolet]

Hii, not wanting to seem weird or bother u, but what happened to Parallel Lines? It was a work in progress of yours and It was steddie so maybe thats why u never finished It, but did It have anything cool in It, i love music aus even more If theyre in the 70 with lots of acurate facts 😭😭😭😭

omg... parallel lines... i'm so pleased you remember that lmao this made me go reread the 5k or so words i had written for it. i'm afraid to say i'm not all that pleased with them (given my style has changed a huge amount since 2022) but the base ideas are so much fun — steve as an ordinary guy who put his passion for music behind him at his dad's behest, dating nancy the rolling stone reporter who interviews eddie munson, top of the world as the guitarist/frontman for marchwarden, a huge hard rock band with a three-day residency at the roxy to kick off their third us tour. nancy brings steve along backstage; steve and eddie hit it off. they spend the whole tour talking over the phone; when eddie gets back to la, things evolve.

the idea was that the fic would span three volumes and several years. this all begins in 1976; by 1978, they're broken up and eddie is living in london having written a breakup album, including the song 'parallel lines.' this of course is not the end of the story: steve and eddie get roped back together by robin, who's an up and coming artist under the same label as eddie, management attempting to make them each other's beards, trying to convince steve to join her band. they meet again at the marquee club in london when eddie gets her a supporting gig there.

steve eventually gets into music himself, at the perfect time for the ascendancy of synth in the late 70s/early 80s and the decline of the golden age of rock — steve on the way up and eddie (relatively) on the way down. add to this queer culture, love songs with the pronouns changed (or not), and david bowie. steve as a solo artist names himself vanity; robin's band (which includes max) is called giraffe; eddie's is marchwarden (as i was going for a more 70s vibe, led zep style, vs. corroded coffin as a very 80s metal name). at some point nancy starts dating photographer jonathan, probably breaks that off and winds up with robin instead. eddie's manager is lonnie until lonnie turns out to be a piece of shit. everybody's lives are tangled up together and it would have taken me years to write lmao

so yeah. i will not be writing this, probably, given the steddie interest is lingering only long enough for me to finish better by you and no longer. which is a shame, but c'est la vie.

thank you for reminding me of this! it's fun to talk about.

have the interview that would have opened the fic beneath the cut, anyway:

MW. So, let’s talk Parallel Lines. It’s quite different from the other songs on the album, isn’t it? Almost a surf-rock feel to some of the chords.

EM. Well, let’s not go quite that far… [laughing] But yeah, I guess it is pretty different. That’s not by design, necessarily, it just kinda turned out that way as a result of the lyrics and my idea behind the song.

MW. Which is…? I mean, it sounds to me like a breakup song, but that seems a rather simplistic explanation for a songwriter whose catalogue includes — expanding for the readers, here — an entire concept album about an evil wizard.

EM. [laughing again] Shit, well, thanks, Mick, I’m honestly very flattered by that. I mean, like, sixteen-year-old me, all teenage angst and growing my hair out of a really bad haircut, he would have died if he’d known I was writing a song about a breakup. Like, he’d totally have killed me! And maybe I’d deserve it! But, yeah, you got me, I wrote a song about a breakup.

MW. The lyrics aren’t simplistic at all, though, I mean, the mathematical concepts, the metaphors… I think it’s safe to say no one’s going to mistake this for your typical breakup song. There’s something almost hauntingly analytical about it. 

EM. Hauntingly analytical… yeah, I like that. It’s sort of an attempt to process something that happened in a way that doesn’t come all that naturally to me — or, I guess, to anyone. Who relates to a breakup through math, right? But if something totally alters the way you see the world, it’s like… a total paradigm shift. Sorry, more math speak. You wanna know the ironic thing, Mick? The person this song is written about hates math. Like, loathes it. Even more ironic, I absolutely hate it too. I had to call my friend at Caltech, he’s majoring in Physics, I had to ask him to check my math…

MW. [laughing] I’m impressed at your dedication to accuracy. So is that the point, then, trying to connect with someone in a language that neither of you understand or enjoy?

EM. Yeah, pretty much. I mean, that’s the thing with parallel lines, right? Never the twain shall meet. Always separate, doomed by fate, if I can put a horrible little cliché in there for you. Magazines love that shit.

MW. But they run side by side still, don’t they? Going in the same direction?

EM. There is that. 

MW. You’re famously reluctant to talk about this song, if I may say so, yet you’ve been incredibly generous with me — thank you! Is there a reason for that, or did you just decide that now’s the time?

EM. Now’s the time, I guess. Different country, different magazine. Maybe I’m hoping the person it’s about won’t see it, [laughs dubiously] if you can believe it — who knew I was such a coward? Had to cross the Atlantic before I could talk about a song I play to tens of thousands every night.

MW. Well, I’m honoured, whatever the reason. One last question on it, before we move on to that killer performance on Top of the Pops — I think you changed a great many British women’s lives with that one — any relation to the Blondie album?

EM. Y’know, I get asked this a lot. I mean, I’ll tell you the usual stuff: I have great respect for them as artists, the album’s great, the song’s unrelated, we just happened to release them within a couple months of each other. Debbie’s great, we caught up at the VMAs the other week and we’re totally cool about the title. But what I will add, since apparently I’m in a, um, confessional mood — something else ironic is that the person the song’s about probably prefers the Blondie album.

MW. Well, what can you do? Birds do like Blondie. 

EM. Sure. Sure they do.

— from ‘Eddie Munson: Parallels to the Past’ Interview by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 16th August 1978

[stevie-petey]

okay hello hi, took entire 24 hours to process (it's 1am yet again) and now im here for insights !!!

firstly, i LOVE hopper and bug SOOOOO MUCH DUDE. YOU ATE WITH THEIR SCENES, THE CONCERN, THE CONNECTION, THE HUGGGGGGGG I FUCKING LOVE IT !!!! (can u tell i have daddy issues) and just now that their relationship was getting good, he goes & dies (lol) and will come back in the end of s4 ://///

also really wish to see more of murray x bug too, chaotic duo would love it !

the. casual. fucking. intimacy. between stug omg, it was there before too but it just HITS after they've kissed. lovely.

the seperation goodbye, especially with jon & nance <3

mind flayer is such a cockblock bruh, they're at a hill looking over hawkins and talking like screech later bitch.

reaching the mall, her sitting in steve's lap & SINGING NEVER ENDING STORY HELLO?????? kinda rlly wanted a suzie bug interaction (hoping you pull it off somehow)

the fucking mall scene. holy shit i had goosebumps, m. her running down AFTER KISSING STEVEEEEE and shit dude shit your foreshadowing went HARDDDDDDDD. billy saying he tried to find her?!?!?! still hate him but OMG?!?!?!?!

genuinely the foreshadowing is insane, bug already carries so much guilt but now billy AND hopper ON TOP OF will and maybe barb???? wow m wow i cannot fucking wait for s4 im so excited for EVERYTHING !!!!!! the vecna angst is gonna be CRAAAAAZZZZYYYY AND OH EXCITED ESPECIALLY FOR EDDIE X BUG !!!!! pls be a friendship pls be a friendship pls be a friendship pls be a friendship-

okay ANYWAY back to the chapter, steve and bug's conversation about her luck running out THEN THE LOVE CONFESSION !!!! I WENT FUCKING FERAL I TELL YOU LIKE GENUINELY I WAS SCREECHING IN THE DEAD OF THE NIGHT. literally could not be more PERFECT.

ik max and bug in s4 will be closer than ever, cannot wait to see that dynamic <3

okay the LOVERS LAKE SCENE ?????????????????? THE MAKING OUT ???????? THE I LOVE YOUS ???????? THE FUCKING BRACELET ???????? i was literally fanning my eyes trying not to cry because it was just so adorable and wholesome and i was MELTING. couldn't be anymore perfect.

the finding out of jon moving :((((

AND the goodbye scene :(((((

with joyce, with WILL !!!! love how she already knows about him and im sure she will be the first person he'll confide in :'))) i love their relationship so much, i will need some will x bug blurbs pls m.

and the goodbye with jon <!3 it was so emotional, alsoooo FOREHEAD TOUCHES ????? (loved it. adorable.) but nancy you're one STRONG soldier, i would NOT have tolerated lmao

anyway got real teary eyed during the end. and one tear dramatically rolled down my cheek as i finished reading but very grateful we have season 4 coming up next BUT THE BONUS CHAPTER BEFORE THAT I WILL BE WAITING EAGERLY FOR THAT !!!! bonus chapters are literally my favourite since it's completely m original and im a big m fan :3

so yes ! we're done with s3 insights, thanks for tuning in and thanks for DELIVERING. i will see you when the bonus drops, bye goodnight love you <3

TRUST if i ever get a chance to foreshadow ,,, im always taking it <333 i looooove foreshadowing its my drug tbh

and i LIVE for ur insights oh my god i giggled so hard reading everything

the main takeaway here im gonna focus on is jon n bug ,,,, because i really do want yall to know that theyre besties BUT (and i say this lightly) theyre obsessed with one another. nancy is also stronger than me, and i think season 4 will really show how lenient shes been with jon n bug. while theyve done well refraining from how they used to be (reminder they would cuddle and kiss each others cheek every day), theyre still realllllly close in a very uncomfortable way and bug will get a taste of her own medicine when nancy does it with steve lmao. yes, theyre childhood best friends, but christ they can be a lot to be near. bless nancy

AND BONUS CHAPTER !!! i have a few ideas where i want it to go, specifically a scene with bug and all the kids for their first day of high school. besides that: its fair game since we have a good few months to cover between seasons 3 and 4

[desolateyears]

1k of ldr/online steddie angst…enjoy🫡

long distance relationships are hard. but they are so rewarding. 

theres something thats so intentional about online relationships, the amount of commitment in them. its not as easy to take for granted the time that you spend together. 

eddie cant just jump in a car and drive for twenty minutes to get to the person he loves.

it takes calculated thought. budgeting, organizing, commitment, and so, so much patience. 

its eddie picking up hours for that extra bit of money so he can take steve on a date he deserves when he finally visits again. 

embarrassingly enough, its buying a bed frame and asking wayne to help him put it together because hes not making steve sleep on the fucking mattress on the floor with him. its putting way more effort to make your shitty apartment into something more cozy, to feel comfortable and safe. 

its brushing teeth and taking meds together because eddie and steve kinda have a hard time remembering small things like that. the small things that make you take care of yourself just a little better.

its purposefully making space in the otherwise busy parts of their lives. slowing down the seconds for one another. 

sometimes literally. eddie and steve somehow are always a few seconds off when they watch tv shows or movies, even though they both count 3, 2, 1, together. 

eddies a bit of a mess, is the point, and theyre slowly putting all of his pieces back together. not for steve, but with steve. and, in person or not, thats one of the most rewarding things about being in love with someone.

steves the kind of person that makes everyone around him want to be better. theres something effortless in the way that he loves people. and eddie feels like a god damn cat taking a nap in the sun with the amount of warmth that he feels thinking that hes one of the lucky few that steve gives that blinding love to. 

its insane how much phone calls, texts, face timing can still shine so much light on the careful gentleness that steve gives freely. right in stride with the sassy bullying. he’s endearing, the little quips and snarkiness that he gives everyone, but not too mean. never too mean, never mean enough for someone to doubt how much steve loves them. its the endless patience he gives eddie, where eddie gets easily annoyed by shit and it takes him a bit longer to cool down. 

its pretty safe to say that he knew within like 2 weeks of meeting online that he was falling in love with him. 

which is probably why this is the hardest break up Eddies gone through.

he didnt want to break up but it just wasnt. working. steve cancelled the trip he was supposed to be taking to visit eddie while they were fighting. 

he didnt think they were fighting like that. like breaking up fighting. he didnt want to break up. 

and thinking that steve gave up, just throwing in the towel? well, its safe to say that eddie did not handle that really well.

so the fighting gets worse, eddie gets madder and then steve gets madder. and at this point the original problem has been forgotten and every other problem theyve had has been brought up again.

and listen, theres lots of good things about long distance relationships. 

but the worst thing?

the worst thing about it is getting blocked when you’re in the middle of fighting. when someone just gets so mad and its so easy to press a button.

it feels like a physical wall has been put up and he has no hope of tearing it down. he cant just, go and talk to steve when theyre both calm. its just over, done, nothing to do anymore. 

no closure. 

so it tears away at the bits and pieces that they built up together. and eddies not blaming him. its just, the grief of losing someone like steve? well it kinda brings on this tunnel vision, he cant focus on anything else.

it feels like hes finding ghosts in every corner he finds himself drawn to. 

something that eddies completely forgotten only to be brought right into view again. 

and the worst is the mundane things. things that steve doesnt even know that he’d remember. things that steve didnt realize that eddie was taking note of.

like he was reading this book one night, and steve had a nightmare so eddie read to him on call, and he really really doubts that steve even remembers because of how tired he was. 

but eddie remembers. 

music is an obvious one. 

or oh yeah, eddie passed by this tree where he took a picture of himself to send to steve and it was so inconsequential at the time but now he'll think of it any time he walks past.

its the train ride home.

its even being at work, calling him because eddies having a panic attack again but he cant leave just yet but even if hes just hearing steve talk to robin or mumbling under his breath while doing something, it just helps.  because eddies kind of bad at asking for help, but somehow steve made him feel like he was always there and could trust that. 

and now when eddie has a bad day at work or a fight with his friends, he instinctively thinks of steve. and not even because these things are so drastic or anything, steves just the first person he thinks to call.

every time it rains it reminds him of steve. but not even because steve liked rain all on its own. but because he said it reminded him of eddie when they were together. how he just thinks of the rain because eddie always sends him pictures of rainbows. or snails that come out to soak it all up. or how eddie looks like a wet poodle when hes drenched in it, because he forgot to take his umbrella with him again. 

so steve tells him, yeah the rain reminds me of you. and so now eddie doesnt even like the rain that much because its something that steve loved about eddie and it just hurts that he took that little piece of eddie, he took his own notes of inconsequential things to love and he's still gone.

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[resident-gay-bitch]

Jay's Steddie Fic Recs :)

because i have so many, I needed to make a fresh post of them :)

some of these fics are found on tumblr, some on ao3, maybe some on wattpad? all of them are spectacular. i’ll tag the creators tumblrs if i know them :)

happy reading! <3

Steves First Bruise spiderman!steve x roommate!eddie - eddie has a crush on his roommate steve, who also happens to get into a lot of fights. he also ends up with a crush on spider man. how long will it take for him to figure it out he’s only crushing on one person? please its so adorable

Till I Kissed You steve x eddie - super angsty. eddie doesnt get the big deal about kissing, steve calls him a bad kisser, they kiss to test it out. oh god, now theyre both questioning everything. perfection.

The Boys Of Summer eddie x steve & wayne - for all you wayne lovers out there. steve dreams that eddies alive, he’s so sure that his dreams are real, he tries to break into the upsidedown by himself to get the boy he loved back. wayne tags along for the ride. please, this is so good it has me dying i love it so much.

Not Exactly Nappa Valley eddie x steve - ultimate fake dating scenerio. steve has a family wedding to attend and he wants to piss off his parents, so he brings eddie and they gay it up and… oh my god, plot twist, who wouldda thought they both harboured feelings for eachother?

Needles steve x eddie - eddie gives steve a stick and poke and he kinda gets hard because hes a sadist. steve gives eddie a stick and poke and eddie almost busts in his pants. its pretty funny and has some fabulous smut.

If Your Heart Surrenders steve x eddie - super angst. dates back pre s4 and is very soft and angsty and i loveee it. i binge read the shit out of it. it has a very sweet ending. an alternate version can also be found here on tumblr. @asbealthgn

Recipe For Disaster steve x eddie - princess diaries au?! excuse me, hello. this is everything to me. it is pure perfection. please give this a read because it has me sitting on the edge of my seat, biting my nails and pulling at my hair. everytime a new chapter drops i get so excited. prince steve?!? yes. yes yes yes. @frankenstein-ate-my-left-shoe

Crashed The Wedding steve x rockstar!eddie - steve is forced into an arranged marriage and eddie comes to save the day after nine years apart. HELLO this is amazing. pure beauty. please take the time to read this because it’s magnificent, makes my heart swell. it’s very very good. makes me feel things. i love them so much. @piratefishmama

Eddie’s Memory Log steve x eddie - eddie is in hospital post vecna and can’t remember anything, steve visits every day and writes down what eddie can remember - hint hint, eddie always remebers steve. this is so good, i love it very very much, please give it a read. @harmonictechnicality

This Love Came Back To Me famous!steve hopper x ‘dead’!eddie munson - steve rescued eddie’s guitar after his death and processed his grief through song writing, pouted his heart out into the lyrics and took the world by surprise. I LOVE THIS SO MUCH okay, just read it. it’s so fucking good. gut wrenching stuff, okay!? have a read. it’s beautiful. so fucking beautiful i was going through every single possible emotion known to man. @strawberryspence

Bad News First steve x eddie - steve grieves for eddie’s death and becomes close with wayne in the process, slowly falling in love with what could have been with eddie. until… I LOVE IT. it’s beautiful. one of my favs. @strangersteddierthings

Melt Me On Your Tongue wounded!sub!eddie x caring!dom!steve - this is a spicy one, basically pure smut, but it’s got a lot of feelings. i love the style, the atmosphere, and the feeling the author has created for this fic and steve & eddie’s dynamic. it honestly feels delicate to read, and i love it very much. highly recommend. very soft but very spicy and hot :) @steddielations

Black Out Days (Fairground Nights) - eddie x steve - no monsters, modern au. nancy and eddie are best friends, robin and steve are best friends. when nancy and robin date, steve and eddie clash… a lot. ‘tis brilliant. this fic is so fucking angsty, it’s got some really fucking heavy themes (please read the warnings before proceeding) but it’s written so effortlessly beautifully. this has easily become one of my favourites now. it’s more than worth the read. @azrielgreen

[scalproie]

OKAY LAST SEASON BABEY last time we left the bots were going in hiding and optimus took a fucking nuke to the face what will our silly heroes be up to now

So smokescreen is hot rod in anything but name (the wiki even agrees) (HE EVEN GETS A BOW AT THE END) but the more i think of it, the more im like. The phaseshift gimmick smoky got wouldnt have worked so well with hot "I have flames on my paintjob" rod. Then i was wondering is phaseshifting was smth smoky had back in g1 but apparently not and i didnt find anything else so. Shrug.

The smokimus prime bait-and-switch still makes me feel some sort of emotion to this day. I mean i get it and i dont think i wouldve liked the alternative but gnhgnn

Team prime being separated in my opinion couldve lasted longer to do interesting stuff buuuuuut im really fine with the brievety. Plus the humans reuniting scene was very cute

Knockout's back must be suffering being the ONLY non-decepticon high command member and therefore carrying the goon quota on his own. Speaking of.

SHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOCKWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAVE

I keep forgetting Ultra Magnus is in tfprime BUT I like him. I remembered being kinda annoyed with him back in the day but I now recognize that I was stupid, hes literally fine and I like him a lot :) hes a hammer main

Predaking is so fucking cool its unreal. Put him in monster hunter

Cant believe that compared to S1, the tables have turned and there is now more bots than cons. its legit just decepticon high command + knockout now

Con side is still better tho. literally any scene with two different cons interacting is amazing as per usual

Shockwave after predaking got got and starscream is now mocking him: Fine. I'll do it my damn self *jumps off the tower and bags two autobots*

OPTIMUS' NEW DESIGN IS SO BULKYYY WHYYY THE ONE HE HAD WAS LITERALLY PERFECT. I GET WE HAVE TOYS TO SELL BUT CMONNN

He is also heavy weapons guy now so nvm

Optimus really hit megatron with the 1️⃣+2️⃣-> ➡️⬇️↘️1️⃣->➡️➡️2️⃣

SO LONG GAY WARLORD

Shockwave just casually walking off while the fortress is about to collapse on him is such a move. Insanely cool

The community joke that tfprime is just one massive macguffin collect-a-thon is so fucking real lemme tell you. Now we need BONES

ALSO. KNOWING THAT IT DOESNT ACTUALLY AMOUNT TO ANYTHING. LEMME TELL YOU.

"We could have beast wars on our hands" ENOUGH

The scouts vs waves fight was cool tho. Also soundwave running is so really uncanny

We are turning the screamer patheticness to fucking 11 this season and im having a blast. Steve blum screaming in a high pitch for 3 hours

Conceptually, "spunky teenage girl joining the giant robots version of the black ops on equal terms thanks to a mystical indestructible technology" is fucking awesome and I still do like that the show went that way for miko. Also major miko W for that starscream burn

Theyre also retroactively making wheeljack more like wheeljack

"You know what they say about vehicon troopers?" / "Theyre easily distracted" I cant believe they made them by cloning a bot with adhd

FYM "no mom dont go its not safe!" YOUVE BEEN LIGHTYEARS AWAY ON ANOTHER PLANET. GET YOUR SON'S ASS JUNE

S3:E7 is a great episode bc it has some KO action and for once he actually succeed. I kid you not some episodes (this one in particular) I got stressed over if knockout would get shit done bc his failure ratio is so high that if i didnt know better i wouldve thought megatron would fire him at one point. cons' only medic or not. Thats what happens when the writers kill off every evil goons in the show save for one

Just why is knockout french all of a sudden

"So go on, Big M, tell me you love me more than starscream~... my liege? hello? ... too familiar?" I HATE HIMMM

"Never let a decepticon take you to another location" yeah the animators would have to make another desert

I take it back about starscream, hes an essential part of the decepticons bc by pissing megatron off so much he makes everyone else look good in comparaison

I remember when megatron was struggling against ONE (1) insecticon and now wheeljack just killed like three middair in a single strike

Ive literally just realized the insecticons' insect mode are legit just seltas from mh4 (or vice-versa i guess, tfprime came first)

S3:E8 is the best episode of the season (the show maybe even) and I believe the fact that its the ONLY episode that is 100% full decepticon is related. A travesty it is the only one imo

I know the reason behind that is that the cons were literally too strong and they needed to nerf them somehow but still.

Too many good and noteworthy things in this episode for me to say but i will have to say that even tho they wrapped up the cylas plotline "well" enough I still have issues with airachnid's. I mean who doesnt

Ok i lied megatron basically saying "starscream if you so much as looked at my evil drugs cookie jar again i will fucking kill you for real this time" is hilarious

God I love this episode

The fact that shockwave is the one who made the zombie containment protocole meant that megatron had to fucking call him for help and explain and i so badly wish we got to hear that conversation

Predaking robot mode is one of the prettiest in this show ngl

Meanwhile the bots are introducing ultra magnus to the main theme of fast and furious

THE CONS DOING A TEAM HUDDLE IN THE FUCKING CLOSET IS KILLING ME

"I think we're gonna have to kill this guy, shockwave."

Predaking vs wheeljack and ultra magnus is the best fight in the show and its not even close. hunting dreadking rathalos with your dual blades and a hammer buddy be like

Ok i take it back the whole plot about the bones is not completely pointless and it goes into the conclusion of the show well enough. but still.

SHOCKWAVE KILL‼️

"Master! Are you going to allow one lieutenant to harm another!? ... Master?" / "I'm thinking >:)" guys did you know i love megatron very much

"Exemplary teamwork" GUYS DID YOU KNOW I LOVE M

Ultra magnus really came into this show just to face the horrors huh

I'll say it again, soundwave really didnt actually do much in tfprime BUT on the other hand he really did nothing but win :)

One complain I will have about his one (1) line is that there actually wasnt enough effects on his voice to really capture that G1 feel

It took 3 seasons and we are 4 episodes away from the series finale outside of the movie but the cons FINALLY figured out they could just. follow fowler to the autobot base. And they needed shockwave to have this epiphany as hes the only one with a braincell on the cons side rn. Genuinely im starting to think they werent that invested in finding the base of their enemy until they absolutely needed to

"This is no place for a one-handed autobot" shockwave one of your hand is a cheese grater cannon

I know predaking is actually a combiner originally and aligned/tfprime wanted to have a big dragon but honestly? He would be a neat rival to grimlock, he kinda reminds me of him during his fight with optimus. And dinoBOT vs predaCON yknow? (Or at least. The aligned version of the predacons)

WHY DID THEY JUST BLOW UP THE ONE HANGAR??? WHY DIDNT THEY BLOW UP THE WHOLE BASE??? IN MY MEMORY I WAS SURE THEY QUICKLY RELOCATED WHAT DO YOU MEAN STARSCREAM JUST FUCKED UP AGAIN BC OF SOME PAINT??? WHAT??????

I love megatron when he is completely honest about being an untrustworthy asshole

Honestly if i were jin kazama i would be ecstatic about having job security once i turn 18 bc i hanged out with giant alien robots a lot. Also raf picking up after ratchet is cute

Ratchet said "megatron i will NEVER help you in your plans" and meg was like "ok then lemme give you a tour of the ship" and that was all it took for ratchet to help

Loved that scene with ratchet, shockwave and KO. Also love when cons are surprised when given basic decency

Optimus and starscream running into each other in the sky like that scene in malcom in the middle where the mom pass by the son driving a car

MEGATRON PULLING THE OVERLORD/PIPES SPECIAL ON RATCHET

Really loving how literally all of the autobots plans failed and the only reason they dont lose is bc the decepticons ONCE AGAIN caused their own downfall. And like a coinflip its either starscream or knockout. here its knockout

Predaking vs megatron is. Very good. To me.

"[out of breath] Thats the spirit... but I was a champion of the pits of Kaon not only due to my savage might... but also my CUNNING." 😳😳😳

We are starting the series finale strong

Genuinely genuinely genuinely what they did to soundwave is so fucked up to this day and I KNOW rid15 fixed that but still in the context of this show in a vaccum this horrifies me. He was the coolest and got such a "I have no mouth and I must scream" end. Which i know is fitting for him but GOD.

Smokescreen being an errant boy for this finale is a good representation of his treatment for this (short) season. Im sorry buddy youre still the mvp

I am SHOCKED by how little focus the last optimus vs megatron fight got

Megatron's last moments. Augh. Give him the oscar 😫

I forgot how much of a chill team player shockwave was like that in this show

Funny to hear the evil theme of the nemesis getting turned into smth heroic

Predaking is really pretty

Tfprime has a very efficient ending. The goodbyes were really well done and the score really makes you feel emotional

Not closing words from peepaw? Alright. I guess they knew they had the movie next

OK THAT WAS SEASON 3. It sure is a lot more rushed than previous seasons which is a shame bc the events follow each other nicely enough. Predaking also took a lot of the focus bc we had toys to sell. Oh well many such cases. ONLY PREDACON RISING NEXT AND IM FREE

[voidpacifist]

steddie headcanons that are keeping me awake at midnight

steve and eddie never formally met until after chrissy died. they really only knew each other through a culmination of rumors and gossip, so both of them felt like colossal idiots when they got to know one another and just realized, oh, this is actually a really cool guy who i wanna get to know better once all of this is over

which means, of course, that eddie lives after the bat attack. he has to deal with new and unknown prospects like chronic pain and literal battle flashbacks but hey! he has his friend steve harrington who can relate on both fronts

it's how the two of them start hanging out more – both of them wanna make sure the other is being safe and doing self care and shit

eddie's love language isn't just gift giving – its handmade gifts. lots of sewing or homemade enamel pins. he of course makes a bunch for the whole party after vecnas defeat to commemorate in their own special, sacred way that they did it. they won. but he also makes a bunch more for just steve, and steve doest realize how special it is until robin is over one day and is just like

"you have a whole crate of eddies weird patches and pins and shit."

"yeah, so what?"

"steve...literally nobody else has as much as you do."

which then leads to steve exercising his own personal love language on eddie, which to me is quality time. steves an event kind of guy, and even when he pretends it annoys him, he drives eddie everywhere. new appointment for some medication for the nerves in his legs and left arm? no biggie. a cool movie just came out? name the date and time. this band you really love is coming to a town nearby? cool, let's hop to it

it's almost scary how at the drop of a hat, he's at eddies beck and call. it gets to a point where eddie has to remind steve that he has a life outside of driving eddie and the kids to places. he also really just doesn't want his boyfr best friend burnt out

eddies not a terrible cook by a long shot, he's just never had a big kitchen to work with before, so when he sees steves kitchen? he's all hands on deck trying to make the best fucking food he can think of

i adore the headcanon that steve is italian and an incredible chef as much as the next steve truther. but i also love the headcanon that eddie has mexican roots. put that together with him being good at cooking? oooh baby, is steve in for a treat

neither he nor steve are bilingual, but they'd both like to learn the languages of their respective heritages. if/when steves hearing starts going caput, they also start taking asl classes together (I imagine robin and nancy tag along with them to said classes. it's like they're all in school together again minus the drama and ridiculous social expectations)

eddie taking the time to learn more about basketball and hair and "jock" things because he sees how invested steve is in them >>

also steve venturing into new music and style horizons because he loves how confident he feels when he doesn't give a fuck about looking "normal," and eddie melting into a puddle because punk steve is so. fucking. hot. >>

steve putting stickers on eddies mobility aids if he uses any post vecna. also eddie doing the same to steve's hearing aids/glasses case, etc.

decorations during holidays being just simple ribbons and tinsel since the christmas lights are just...nope. eddie and steve buy a huge wreath for steves front door

steve and nancy teaching eddie some self defense with a baseball bat

eddie and nancy teaching steve how to do eyeliner

movie nights galore, and once a month going to see a new musical in indianapolis or chicago or whichever other big city is close enough to them to access without incurring time off of work or a massive dent in their budgets

going to see hawkins high performances too, because mike wheeler became a fucking theater kid

everyone knows theyre dating before they do, or nobody knows and neither do they. there is nothing smooth about how they finally formally label it, they both just kinda realize it one day

it's during truth or dare and everyone's zooted out of their minds and eddie and steve are dared to play seven minutes in heaven. nancy dares them. because if anyone's gonna pick up on it first, it's nancy

steve is actually the one to convince eddie that they need a cat, especially since steve found the little fucker in a ditch off the road sick and malnourished. guess what eddie names it

(it's not a hard guess. the cats name is ozzy)

cat dads. and then fish dads, because eddie is too high maintenance himself to take care of an animal that needs much more than feeding and occasional supervision, so he finds a fish at the pet store and scares the shit out of steve with it when he gets home from a family video shift

one movie steve and eddie both equally adore besides rocky horror is the addams family. eddies gomez to steves morticia

(this is all I can think of for now)

[ghosttalksalot]

t4t steddie is ABSOLUTELY the move bc imagine the two of them finding comfort in each other, looking out for one another even though they werent close because they were kinda in the same boat as trans men who were stealth. growing closer and starting to care more about looking after each other because they feel empathy for each other and then empathy turns into a genuine compassion and going out of their way to do things for each other unneeded. steve gave eddie his old binders (he is post op) and helped him to feel comfortable binding. they look out for one another and help cover in any situation necessary (steve covering when eddie cant do something requiring lots of exercise while binding and the like) and they start to feel more comfortable around each other. this relationship becomes something of a friendship in a way they never expected. and then eddie starts to flirtsl first because of COURSE he does and maybe steve thinks hes joking. shit, maybe EDDIE thinks hes joking but steve jokingly flirts back and eddie is so very flustered. and then soon enough there is no joking and soon theyre sitting on the couch closer together then they used to and theyre holding hands and steve is kissing eddie and eddie is definitely kissing back. then somehow theyre dating and still providing that same knowing care that only each other understands. and they have a bond unlike any other.

[elidoesntbreathwee]

Steve and Eddie die, Eddie first then a month later, Steve does too. Theyre reborn in Indianapolis, Indiana, and for 17 years they have no clue who they were in their past life or that they new each other. They have new names, of course, Everett and Scott. They live their lives like normal people, something they rarely got in their previous life. Normal parents, normal school, normal life. No alternant dimensions or near death experiences. (they go to the same school but its a REALLY big school) the first time they talk is when they were assigned seats next to each other at graduation and they become friends. They go on a graduation road trip and travel to small town Hawkins, Indiana.

They mess around for the first few days and do random shit, like normal people their age would. Then, one day, one of their last days there, they stop by an abandoned school called "Hawkins High School". They walk in the doors and explore some. They look through the abandoned classrooms, and empty janitorial closets. All they really see is broken desks and chairs and a lot of cobwebs. When they walk into the gym, though, they both stand in shock for a moment.

"Hawkins High? How? I- I'm dead though."

"Eddie?"

"Steve?"

"Wow! You sure look different" Steve, who looks nothing like himself, smiled

"I missed you so fucking much, Steve, like, holy shit!"

"Me too, man, me too"

"Steve, i don't know how long whatever this is is gonna last, so before we go back to normal, I gotta tell you something" Eddie takes a deep breath, and Steve walks closer to him, faces almost touching.

"Yeah?"

"Steve, I love you." Steve smiled and then kissed him.

When they pulled away, they went back to their own minds. They weren't Eddie and Steve anymore, they were once again Everett and Scott. Why wouldn't they be? But they had a feeling that something happened while they were spaced out. How else could they have moved if something hadn't happened?

"Scott."

"Hm?"

"You feel it too right?"

"Yeah, I do." Scott looked around "What do you think happened? Possessed or...?"

"Nah, I feel like i was something else." Everett and Scott went to sit in the middle of the gym. Sitting next to each other, trying to think of what could've happened.

"Do you believe in reincarnation, Everett?" Scott broke the silent thinking with his question.

"I mean, ya can't rule it out, right?"

"What if- No, never mind. It's dumb"

"No, no, tell me, man. I won't judge." Everett got up all in Scott's face, trying to convince him to tell him what his idea was.

"Fine." Scott took a deep breath. "What if our past selves knew each other, and they went to this school or something, and when we came in here we briefly got our memories from then back for a little bit and... oh god, im rambling, sorry"

"No, it's ok, Scott. To be fair, your prolly onto something with that."

"Maybe..."

"What do you think we did? Like, when we got our memories back."

They thought about it for a few minuets. Scott had a tense face, very obviously deep in thought.

"Heh, what if we kissed or something." Everett laughed quietly.

"DUDE! I- I-" Scott blushed and bit his lip too keep form saying something embarrassing.

Everett chuckled at Scott. "Even if it happened, Scott, it wouldn't have technically been us. It would've been past us, y'know?"

"Yeah, but still. I- I just... I dont know...I- I kinda wish it..." He mumbled the last part of his sentence quietly.

"What?" Everett's hearing wasn't the best, so there was no way in hell he could here what Scott had said.

"Listen. Just- promise you won't get mad or something, ok?"

"Yeah, of course I won't get mad. Promise."

"I- I kinda wish... that it was really us who, y'know, if it happened at all." Scott was really nervous, messing with his hands, and biting his lip.

"Oh." Everett was wide-eyed and a faint blush was brushed over his cheeks.

"Y-yeah..."

"I- I wouldn't be... like, against it"

"Can I-" Scott leaned closer to Everett

"Yeah. Yeah, you can." Scott kissed him, and Everett leaned in to kiss him back.

Steve and Eddie may have died, but whether they're in heaven, or hell, an everlasting emptiness, or if they're completely new people, they'll always be together.

-

HELLO!! I hope you like this! im tryna make up for being MIA so long lol. A like would be super awesome, and a reblog would be SOOO appreciated :)

Hope u have an awesome day/night :D

ALSO sorry that most of the story is dialog, i hope u could pick up what i was putting down regardless :)

[eldritchmochi]

A N T for that alphabet ask game

A - Ships that you currently like a lot. (They don’t have to be OTPs because not everyone has OTPs.) Friendships, pairings, threesomes, etc. are allowed.

okay uuuuh i mean, obviously shadowgast i have only written like 300k of it in the past few years. im also quite the fan of ashrym/dashrym and callowmore (tho i like my callowmore on the platonic side personally). i will happily make the dirt wizards kiss ANYONE i do have a widomauk fic in the works and i have an idea for a caleb/yussa fic percolating and theres that one porny art by newt with c3 era caleb paired with ashton and orym that im just :lasereyes: yes i will one day write something for it i stg. also fun fact my First Ship for cr was beauyasha like, ep one. i got like 30 seconds into their first interaction and immediately texted cherry at like two am like PLEASE TELL ME THEYRE A SHIP and lo, they were cannon fucking incredible

outside of cr.... stucky, my beloved, especially with skinny steve because i love that sickly twink; big brother hobie creating Situations for gwen and miles (its hard being wingman to two people when you want them to kiss each other and also theyre idiots); kylux, obvs; rey/finn/poe/rose in basically any combination (i wish i didnt have One Hyperfixation Only type adhd because i would LOVE to write my rey/finn/rose idea where rey and rose are mechanics and finn is having car trouble and then they double team him in the office dont ask me why they have straps in the filing cabinet this is pwp); with hs at one point i would literally randomly generate pwp ideas. i didn't often finish them but it was a good exercise especially in characterization but i was mostly read davekat, daverose, any combo of erisolkat, and davejohn because i fukken pavlov'd myself into liking the ship lmao

shit this is gonna get long here is a read more

N - Name three things you wish you saw more or in your main fandom (or a fandom of choice).

hhhh i am so sorry if this sounds mean but the bulk of why i dont read a ton of cr fic when i was constantly devouring kylux fic largely boils down to two things

1. the technical stuff is eeh and 2. there is just not a ton of nuance in characterization or plot

both results in me being perpetually frustrated whenever i try to read most of what i open. theres been some gems!! theres also been a lot of stuff with promise where i can tell in a couple years the writer will knock it out of the park!!! but theres also a god awful amount where i'm just like that is not how dicks work lmao

i am sure a lot of that is because the cr fandom skews a lot younger than kylux (where folks are like 20-30 on average instead of 35-50 kinda younger) plus cr has a LOT of esl speakers compared to kylux whereas a TON of kyluxers have degrees in literature or library science, so like, it makes sense that there's a difference, but it still drive me bonkers that i cant just open a fic and read it without closing it halfway through because its too one note :I

T - Do you have any hard and fast headcanons that you will die defending? 

nope!! i am very ship and let ship in all regards. there are many things i enjoy (like short!essek or the idea that caleb would and probably has made out with all of his friends) that crop up repeatedly across my fic but i'm down for basically any good faith interpretation and i LOVE when someone writes a weird headcannon so well i have to steal it

there are many letters left of this ask meme if anyone else wants to send me a q!! pls enrich the mochi this is fun

[thatonegaybastard]

Ok here are emy shinies I think they're very cool and I want to brag about them

Legends Arceus Shinies - I have a lot of shinies in legends Arceus because shiny hunting is actulay kinda easier in this game

Sans the Parasect - my first ever shiny pokemon!! I got her in a mass outbreak I named her sans because I asked my sibling what I should name her and they kept naming Undertale things

Pyrite the Golem - ok so I was in the coronet highlands doing the quest where you helpt the spheal down the mountain and the path you go down has a static alpha golem spawn so I was just going down and BAM SHINY FUCKING ALPHA GOLEM. WHAT THE FUCK. One of my coolest pokemon in my opinion

Casper the Hisuian Zoroak - ONE OF MY DREAM SHINIES!!!!!!!!!!!!! I got him kind of recently and he's one of my dream shinies I fucking love him so much

Nanab the Ambipom - Ok this was also one of my first shinies I got not long after Sans. I just evolved her into Ambipom just now because I realized I could do that I got her pretty quickly from a mass outbreak I didn't even have to reset I named her nanab because nanab berries are basically banana and theyr pink and shiny aipom id a pink monkey

Kyle the Glalie- Ok so I was trying to catch thundurs and there's a shit ton of glalie around that are. Annoying. and I was flying around and suddenly this mother fucker shows up. Out of the blue. I don't have any particular feelings about him so I named him Kyle

Mossy the Zubat - I was looking for wisps and she spawned way below me and I was like "OH MY GO" one of the few green shiny pokemon I like

Polaris the Ponyta - the game actually gives you this one for free you have to catch it for a request and it's a guaramteed catch. I wanted to name it after a blue star and I thought Polaris but Polaris isn't blue. But the word Polaris feels blue to me so shhhhhh

Pokemon Infinity - This is a fangame so it doesn't exactly count but I still think they're really cool

Ourple the female Nidoran - At the beginning of my playthrough was walking back and forth in he grass on the first route because I wanted to catch an egho fearow and on my second encounte FUCKING SHINY NIDORAN OUT OF THE BLUE I was amazed

Godzilla the Feraligatr - I'm pretty sure this one's a guaranteed shiny? Donny the shiny hunter mentions "hey a discolored feraligate went into the sewers" and I went to the sewers and I see a pokemon standing there and m like what Pokemon is that so I fight or and realize it's shiny feralgator so I caught her. apparently feraligatr is greener but I guess in Pokemon infiniy they changed it to be black and pink because Godzilla is black and pink. Also I caught her in a love ball I bought which was nice. She's ob my team currently but I don't really know if I'll keep her because i already have a good water type on my team (cross the Blastoise)

Pokemon Sword

Valentine the Slyveon - I got them from my friend valentine dime @hopjam and they're so fuxking cool. They know the egg move wish and they have the pokerus. And the great friends ribbon. And they carried me through opal's gym I would not have won without valentine. I love them so muchajajanansjajajjahshshahabahhahshdgdhshs !!!!!!!!!!!!!

The pokerus can spread btw so bc of valentine my starter Steve now also has pokerus

I don't have any shiny Pokemon in pokemon scarlet. I almost found one I remember I tried to make my pokemon autobatrle another pokemon and they refused even at full health to which only happens when it's a shiny (I don't remember which Pokemon it was) but I didn't know this at the time. So I didn't realize it was shiny. So I think I missed out on a shiny Pokemon and I'm so disappointed about that

[alyssalikestoreadbooks]

The Way I Am Now - Amber Smith

"Eden and Josh never had a fair shot at a healthy relationship. When they dated in high school, they each had their own problems getting in the way of the deep connection they felt toward one another. Unbeknownst to Josh, Eden was carrying the burden of a devastating sexual assault, while Josh was dealing with his own private struggle of having an alcoholic father.

Months after Eden and two other girls publicly accuse their rapist, Eden is starting college while her case goes to trial. Now when she and Josh reconnect, it seems like it might finally be in the right place at the right time for them to make it work. But is their love strong enough to withstand the challenges and chaos of college and the crushing realities of a trial that will determine whether Eden gets the justice she deserves?"

Read Date - November 2024

Length - 432 pages

Genre - Romance, Mental Health, Realistic Fiction

Rating - 9/10

Stars - ★★★★★

Notes - I like that the book starts off with Eden having a panic attack. We get to see her reaction to coping with everything that happened, and we also hear that Kevin has been arrested. Eden goes out to a concert, see's the jock guy who tried to attacked her last book, and she bumps into Josh. It's all very sudden and yet its played out smoothly. Eden is with Steve, but it's not exactly love. She holds things against him still. The dynamic between Dominic and Josh is so sweet to me! They're such good friends and i'm so thankful Josh had someone to look out for him while he was drunk off his ass. Eden getting triggered during sex was a really traumatic scene to read and i can't believe how vivid the writing is. It's phenomenal, truly. The way Eden held Steve during the break up was so intimate and sweet, and it was better than break up sex ever could have been. I really want Josh's dad, matthew, to get his shit together. He's doing to well, and i want him to STAY doing well, for his sake, and josh's. He's such a good father when he's sober and present, and its an accurate depiction to have him relapsing at LEAST once, maybe even twice. It's apart of getting clean and sober. Cold turkey is hard for a lot of people, and relapses are common, and should be handled appropriately. Eden getting accepted to a college was awesome!! I'm so glad her life is moving forward. the way josh reacts to the news is SO CUTEEE THEYRE SO PERFECT UHGGG. I'm glad that Caelin and Josh got to make up and apologize to each other, as well. Eden going off to college and starting a relationship with Josh is so sweet, but its kind of bittersweet knowing that the hearing is coming up soon and it wont be happy joyous occasions for long. The hibachi scenes are so adorable and i just love Josh and Eden together. They're SO perfect as GF and BF :) Josh offering to come back home with her was sweet and I'm kinda glad he ISNT if i'm being honest. Its a really traumatic moment for eden and she just needs someone to vent to. The talk of self blaming that Eden has is really interesting because its been nearly a decade and she's just now processing this. Her meeting Gennifer was a shock, and i really hope it doesn't ruin the trial. I'm so glad that Mara and Eden got to talk to each other, and I'm SO glad she's coming to the hearing. The transition scene between Mara at the park listening to the details to the hearing taking place was SO COOL in the most respectful way possible. I like how this book talks about how survivors are retraumatized by the system. It was triggering to listen to, I literally wanted to pull my hair out. The retelling was so raw and real, even though we've heard this one in the first book. Its such an obvious symbolism to how the victim in this case are traumatized by these shit faced lawyers. Eden dissociating and not remembering leaving the courtroom was a very real moment that i'm glad was included. The nightmare scene was so crazy and the way josh got hurt was unexpected. This trial is fucking Eden up. The pregnancy scare was another unexpected moment! I didn't see this coming but i should've. Imagine she was pregnant LMFAOOSDFHSJKDF SDHJF HELPPP. Josh deciding to take a break because she lied to him is needed because he needs a therapist. Not his fault obvi but he needs help. The high scene is so fuckin funny to me. The breakup is necessary in my opinion (and also follows the romance novel stereotype of writing technique) and i saw it coming eventually. i REALLY like the scene with Josh and his dad, and the fact that josh was honest with him about the fact that he cant trust him, and it makes him not trust other people in return. Eden thinking of joining the band is so cute. I also like that Josh is giving Eden her time. Eden absolutely nailing her trial was great and i'm so glad she got her moment after faltering. Her meeting back up with josh in the end was nice, and leaves their relationship open ended and up to interpretation. I interpret them getting back together with their new improvements and stability in life.

[cactuseri]

Hi there 😊 if your asks are open, are you able to do some headcannons for room-mates Steve, Robin & Eddie?

anon i am kissing u gently on the forehead here’s some stuff i had in mind:

• first of all i declare these tags as canon:

(via @frogs-and-lilypads and @wynnyfryd )

• i was thinking theyre in an apartment but if house makes more sense to u then godspeed bc its a small town in 80s indiana that ppl think is cursed so i cant imagine property value is super high

• incomprehensible jean-marc explanation i posted at 4 am

• not a headcanon but while i’m at it, @lilshitwayne linked this fic where they move into the creel house by fivecenturiesverse: i finally got around to reading it last night and aaa it’s very cute!! thank u for the link!

• as drawn, no one wears their own clothes lmao. they’re always stealing each other’s shirts, sweatpants, they mostly lose track of whose socks are whose

• half their furniture is just . stuff they found in back alleys & the cheapest shit they could find at a furniture store, plus some hand-me-down things from the (actual) adults. after a few months, though, especially with eddie’s hoarding habits, the place becomes pretty cluttered

• everyone tagging the art as “steddie (kinda)” is correct of course they r pining for each other

• (the first time the kids show up unexpected they ask steve “is that eddie’s shirt????” & he’s just, *sweating* “yes and? it’s comfortable”)

• im thinking robin goes to community college? it’s a bit of a drive but she wants to stay in hawkins (or more specifically: with steve and eddie and the kids)

• steve teaches her to drive over the summer. while he and robin bicker and she almost takes out 4 mailboxes and a stop sign, eddie’s in the backseat also helping (read: adding to the chaos) but he’s a bit less stressed than steve is bc lets be real he does not drive much better than her

• nancy is at emmerson or whatever that college was in canon idk. shes living her best life & calls/visits here and there. i feel like out of all of them she’d want to get out of hawkins the most idk

• uncle wayne has his own place, paid for by either those lab people or the gov or insurance or something — he visits too (and they go to his place for thanksgivings)

• the kids r over all the time of course. steve isn’t even sure how they keep getting in

• for the most part, steve cooks. one time (maybe for steve’s birthday) eddie’s like “hey robs what if we cooked something fancy for him it’ll be a surprise he’ll love it” and it is indeed a surprise when steve comes home from his shift to find a firetruck in the parking lot & the whole building evacuated. when he gets out of the car he spots robin and eddie standing awkwardly to the side of the crowd and when they see him they simultaneously point at each other

• im not actually sure what eddie’s job wld be. still dealing? housewife? tattoo artist? working part time at some store? idk

• the neighbors file a noise complaint bc of eddie’s guitar playing [eddie: “can i smear butter on his doorstep. it’ll be hilarious i promise” steve: “dude he’s like 94 we are not making him break a hip. be reasonable. we’re gonna fill his mailbox with gravel for a month”]

• all the cuddle sessions!! especially angsty ones where one or more of them has a nightmare, quite often the wake-up-screaming kind & they help each other then end up piling up in one bed for the night

• just . the joy of living away from parents for the first time. them realizing they can set their own rules. them realizing no one is stopping them from making pasta at 3 am while high and eating it straight from the pot in a circle on the floor

• especially when it comes to stuff like robin having sensory issues, for example maybe the texture of the bathroom rug bothers her. and when she mentions it steve is just like “aight” and throws it out then & there. and she just has a moment of realizing “oh. no one’s going to yell at me for not liking something. no one’s going to roll their eyes and say i’m being stupid or dramatic.” & tears up a little bit

• eddie has the same issue, to a degree. (i headcanon him as having ADHD bc i love projecting) but they both really like the feel of steve’s sweaters so they steal them a lot & when steve does have a chance to wear one he has to deal w them petting his arms for like 20 mins (and pretends to be annoyed lmao)

• them just learning to b patient with each other for the things they can’t rlly help

• oh and. the jean-marc funeral procession involves eddie reading the plant its funeral rites (the religion changes each time) as robin plays the flute and steve — who needed a lot of convincing to play along — lowers it into a small grave they dug near the property (and keep having to dig up for the next unfortunate jean-marc)

ok i should probably stop here LMAO this post is already so long 😭😭 also sorry that i took forever to answer work was killing me and im a mess in general

[hellfireclubofficial]

𝐢 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐨𝐥𝐟

concept board | soundtrack

𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬 -> youre the only person who knows eddie's big secret- well, you, your little brother dustin, and all of his friends.

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 -> 7.6k

𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 -> eddie munson x henderson!reader, gender neutral!reader

𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 -> werewolf au, starts angsty, gets fluffy, gets kinda smutty, gets angsty again, and the cycle repeats bc im unstoppable, lots of cursing, ex boyfriend!steve, secret relationship trope, weapons, lots of blood mentions, little bit of violence (?), unexplicit depictions of sex (id rate it like 17+), eddie being a little shit, henderson sibling dynamic for the win, robin and steve dicking around, let me know if i missed anything. i havent even read the full thing myself bc im scared

𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞 -> thank you all for being so patient with me while i pulled this out of my ass. love you guys for real <3 be sure to check out the concept board and playlist linked at the top too !! i think theyre cool and i have decent opinions

saturday

by the time you arrived, the group had already debriefed, and they looked at you with the same mixture of concern and confusion that ted and karen did when you knocked on their door.

the stairs creaked with every careful step you took. it was difficult to make a subtle entrance when you were possibly several hours late to a meeting that was, evidently, very urgent. the fear that pulsed through your body when your mother relayed a message to you from your brother, one that was A) not particularly kind and B) possibly dooming.

"you look like shit," dustin noted when he saw the smudges of dirt on your jeans, paired with the dried blood on your hands and the bits of twigs in your hair, "and way to be on time. does 'code red' mean nothing to you?"

"i dont carry a walkie with me everywhere, dustin," you narrowed your eyes at him, an action to which he responded with a middle finger, "i actually have a life."

"is that why you look like you slept in a cave?" dustin smiled proudly at his taunt, but he made a fair point. suddenly, you became extra aware of just how disheveled your hair was, and you tried to dust some of the mud from your pants.

if it were just dustin, youd have left him thinking that, yeah, you did sleep in a cave, but everyone was there: lucas, max, nancy, robin, and even steve, whom you hadnt really spoken to all that much since things went south between the two of you. in all fairness, he didn't look too pleased to be there, either, nor did he look like he was going to put up with your bullshit. his arms were permanently crossed as he loomed in the corner, leaning on the arm of the couch and as far from you as he could get.

"im sorry that im late, guys, really, but-"

"but nothing," steve interjected, "no offense, y/n, but we have bigger problems than your midnight scavenger hunt or whatever the hell you were doing."

"i dont think thats true, but okay," you breathed a laugh before realizing that everyone was staring you down, and not in a haha-y/n-is-making-a-joke way- they were burning holes in you. your laugh got caught in your throat, "wait, bigger how?"

nancy scooted her chair at the small table over to make room for you, and, as you stepped down off the stairs, the items on the table became clearer: a bear trap, a torch, a shotgun, and a new can of farah fawcett spray.

"the demogorgon is back," max sighed, not breaking eye contact with you, no matter how many times your eyes flickered from hers to the weapons on the table, "i heard it last night near my place, and mike and nancy said they heard it here, as well."

"it was loud," nancy piped up after you looked to her for confirmation, "scratching around, but it was different somehow."

"we think, maybe, one got left behind when joyce closed the gate and, i dont know, adapted to hawkins," robin lifted and dropped her palms onto the tabletop in confusion.

you were confused, too. you watched all the creatures from the upside down shrivel up and turn to dust as soon as the gate began to close, so it didnt make sense for one to somehow adapt. slowly, you began to put the pieces together, weaving flashes from the previous night together to realize what was actually going on. it frightened you to your core.

before you could open your mouth to speak, steve reached for the can of hairspray, shaking it vigorously back and forth, just how it says to in the directions printed on the back, "maybe the son of a bitch hibernated. now its hungry, and im not gonna wait around for it to eat."

talk erupted of plans to set up a trap in both locations, stakeouts, buying ammunition, getting gasoline for the fire trails- you tried to interject, but kept getting talked over.

"i say we go to max's tonight, since she heard it first," lucas added.

"guys-"

"yeah, this demogorgon is going down," dustin chimed in, handing lucas his trusty slingshot from the table, "for real this time."

"hold on, guys-"

"were gonna need bait," robin said, more like asked, cocking her head towards steve who replied with a series of small nods and a snap in her direction, "oh, yep! were gonna need a shit ton of raw meat."

"that wasnt a demogorgon," you finally croaked, loud enough to shut everyone up. it helped that you also moved from your place at the table and back to the stairs, blocking steve from his impromptu grocery run. the step gave you the height advantage over him, "that was something else, someone."

silence is hard to read. did they believe you? did they think you were messing with them? you liked to have fun, but not during a code red. that meant nothing to them. being late erased any form of reliability you had left, and everyone was too serious to give you the benefit of the doubt. especially steve.

"thats very funny, y/n," he gave you a fake smile, gentle eyes squinted and determined. you knew if you didnt move, hed move you, pick you up by your shoulders and slide right by you.

"im not joking, steve," you said, squaring , "i usually am, but not this time."

it was never easy keeping secrets, let alone secrets about secrets.

"what do you mean, 'someone?'" asked nancy, her brows furrowed, and rightfully so with all the nonsense you just spilled in front of her, in front of everyone.

"the sound you guys heard last night wasnt a demogorgon," you restated, taking a deep breath before finishing, "it was eddie."

voices in unison exclaimed, confused, "munson?"

it was important to note the way steves jaw tensed at the mere mention of his name. he had always been the jealous type, and its exactly why you broke up with him. sweet little steve turned into a major pain in your ass. maybe it was because he liked you, or maybe it was because he just hated everyone else. you liked him better as a friend anyhow.

and it was good, too, since you two had a common factor: dustin. your little brother was also one of his closest friends, in the least weird way. it was how you met steve, through dustin, but it was also how you met eddie.

steve breathed a laugh, almost a scoff, and turned his back to you, a reaction you would have never predicted. he threw his hands up in defeat, landing them on his hips, "alright."

your face contorted with confusion, "really?"

"no, y/n," steve turned back around to you, briefly startling you and, clearly, everyone else in the room. the air became a little thicker, like fog as you held your breath. he laughed again, "hell no."

"you honestly want me to believe that eddie 'the freak' munson is running around on all fours in the goddamn woods growling and shit like a demogorgon?" steve asked, nearly choking on a laugh in the middle of his sentence. his hands waved when he talked, motioning towards the window before they found themselves back on his waist.

every eye in the room was either widened as far as it could stretch or covered with a disappointed palm. they thought you were lying, your friends. you were never one to lie, ever. a fib here or there for comedic effect, maybe, but a bold faced lie was not on your list of tricks. all you could do was dig.

"more like a, uh," you gulped, "demo-dog."

"jesus christ," steve mumbled and rubbed his temples.

the room filled with sighs and similar muttered exclamations of irritation as it typically did when you suggested a theory. in all fairness, you werent always right on the money, but this was different. you didnt blame them for not believing you, though.

"y/n, im going to need you to be a little bit clearer," robin sat up straight in her chair, giving you her best comforting and patient smile, "about the dog part, i mean."

"yeah, a lot clearer," steve added, "because i dont think i like what im thinking."

you crossed your arms over your chest under all the scrutiny, "steve, i know it sounds crazy, but-"

"crazy?," steve laughed, running a hand through his hair, one of his more admirable habits, "no, crazy doesnt cut it. honestly, the image of him doing that for fun is not that outlandish, but if youre trying to tell me eddie munson is a werewolf, y/n, youre out of your mind."

it was a tense moment, then and there, with steve teetering even closer to hating your guts and everyone else terrified of possibly feeling the same. all you could do was shrug, uncrossing your arms, wiping your sweaty palms on your pants, and striping the dried mud with new moisture. you sighed,

"then i guess im out of my mind, harrington."

friday

youd never been to the hideout before. social gatherings of any kind werent really your scene unless they had to be. in fact, the smell of the hideout alone was enough to keep you away, a thick fog of sweat, booze, and smoke. it crawled under the door as you pulled it open and stepped inside.

it was small, intimate, despite the weekend drinkers that packed in like sardines. there was quite a bigger crowd than the usual five that hung around on tuesdays, or so youd been told. the soft hum of conversations floated over of the sound of microphone feedback as you wove your way closer to the front of the room.

showing up was a last minute decision. your friday nights are best spent in your bed, alone, and in something much more comfortable than the clothes you were wearing. you pinched yourself every time you picked up an item of clothing and thought about whether or not eddie would like it, as if he didnt drool over you regardless. still, you dressed to impress, and it worked.

"holy shit," eddie deadpanned as he stepped off the shallow drop from the stage onto the main floor, his hair bouncing off his sweat soaked shoulders as he trotted to you, "look who finally decided to show. you missed, like, most of the set by the way."

"wait, actually," his eyes lit up as he raised a finger into the air in faux contemplation, dismissing the thoughts just as fast as they arrived, "you know what- i dont even care. just glad youre here."

that was a bit of an exaggeration- you were only twenty minutes late. when you made it to the front, eddie was lost in his own version of reality, fingers dancing on wires. thats how you knew he didnt notice the exact time you arrived. when he played, he ditched the old picture-everyone-in-their-underwear stagefright trick and opt for something a little bit stranger, as expected. he told you about it once, and you tried to forget. but, alas, something that absurd was permanently seared into your mind.

it made it kind of difficult to support him from the front row when you knew he was picturing you as a centaur.

"i didnt want you to mentally horse-ify my bottom half," you protested. eddie gasped, clutching his chest dramatically.

"ill have you know, y/n, i dont do that anymore," he said, "ive matured. grown, as a person."

he leaned a little closer to you, his stray curls tickling your skin at such proximity, sending goosebumps down your arms. "i've moved onto minotaurs."

you smacked his arm, and he stuck his tongue out at you before rustling the top of your hair with his hand. he quickly flipped his wrists towards you, flashing you two middle fingers as he backed toward the stage again. you shot him one of your own in return.

he was truly in his element up there, no denying it. his passion was so evident in the way he moved that you could hardly pull your eyes from him, no one could. it was entirely possible you were eyeing him a little more intently than the old drunk guys next to you. maybe just a little, though.

you waited outside after the show. it rained while you were inside, so there was hardly any relief when you exited one humid space to another. the parking lot was riddled with pothole puddles and oil slick rainbows under the street lamps. the clouds were thick in the sky, so much that it almost scared you. the moon was lost, the only indicator of her a shallow ring of white seeping through the slate of grey. you busied yourself kicking rocks in the parking space next to eddies van until the moment he was within view.

as he got closer, you could see his forehead was damp with sweat, his curls sticking to the sides of his face. with his guitar case draped over his shoulder, he waved his arm in your direction despite being only a couple feet from you.

"you guys were amazing," you beamed, closing the distance between the two of you and following him the rest of the way to the van.

"you think so?" eddie smirked. he opened the sliding door of the van and placed his guitar gently in the back, clearing the empty cups, papers, and ashes on the floor to make room.

you hummed in response, "mhm."

"well," he said in harmony with the clicking of the door back into place and grabbed you by your hips, gently backing you against the side of the vehicle, "you looked amazing. look... look amazing."

you could feel the mix of rain droplets and dew that remained on the side of the van through the back of your shirt, but the heat beneath eddies fingers distracted you from the chill that managed to cling to everything in the humid, post-rain air. your arms snaked up and around the back of his neck, your fingers threading into the mess of his hair. you struggled to maintain eye contact with him for several reasons, but mainly because his lips were so inviting. plump, dark pink, and a little swollen from being tucked between his teeth all evening.

his eyes never left yours, though, even when they abandoned his face entirely to scan the activity in the parking lot. he knew what you were doing, and he sighed, shaking the hair from his view before softly clearing his throat.

"y/n," he brought a hand to your cheek, his rings soothing against your flushed skin, "you know what im going to say."

this thumb dragged gently across your cheek, ghosting your lip.

"im just checking," you said, your voice higher in defense, "can never be too careful."

"you can and you are," he mimicked your defensive tone and brought his other hand from your waist to the other side of your face, now cupping your cheeks, "just once, i want to kiss you in semi-public, preferably in daylight but im not picky, without you thinking about steve. youre going to summon him."

"i just worry," you placed your hands over eddies wrists, "about you. about him. about everything, really."

his lips turned up, ever so slightly, at your sentiment, his eyes glossed over and shining like syrup in the orange hued lights. eddie took a step closer to you, pressing your body against his, and he craned his neck, hovering his lips above yours. he let your lips brush over his, smirking when he pulled back and brought you with him, chasing them.

"i love that you care about my wellbeing, y/n," eddie muttered, his breath a phantom on your tongue with how close he was to your mouth, "but i am going to kiss you, right here, right now... and i dont even care if harrington kicks my ass."

youd never imagined that you would be making out with eddie munson, pressed up against his shitty van, let alone writhing under his touch, enjoying it. he let his hands fall from your face, one of them resting on the side of your neck and the other providing him with some leverage against the metal siding of his van.

he told you once about how you make him weak in the knees, but you didnt realize how literal he was being until you grazed his bottom lip with your teeth and felt him tremble against you.

"you," eddie breathed, pressing a heavy and needy kiss to your lips, one you thought would bruise if it had been any longer, "you drive me fucking crazy."

hastily, he placed another kiss on your lips, nearly missing them. you couldnt help but smile into it, smile at how he was kissing you like youd melt away in his hands. maybe youd evaporate and turn into a cloud, or hed kiss you so hard youd seep into the side of his van and hed have no choice but to wash it more than once a year to keep you sparkling.

"how about you," you wrapped your arms around eddies neck, pulling yourself up to his ear and whispering, "drive us to your place."

letting eddie drive you anywhere under normal circumstances was a death wish in itself since he was notorious for basically breaking all traffic laws at least once a week, sometimes for fun. youd never seen him drive so fast. never before had you felt the need to use the little handle above the window, but your knuckles were white around both the handle and eddies hand as he turned too wide around curves and crossed solid lines and whipped it into his driveway with such an abrupt stop that the screech of his tires woke the neighbors dog.

"ah, shut up," he shouted over his shoulder and across the road, pushing the door open and stepping out of the way, "after you."

you stepped through his doorway for what felt like the hundredth time. youd only grown close to eddie within the last few months, and youd been romantic with him for even less. dustin was the one to introduce you after eddie had bugged him about you one too many times. youd noticed him before that, though, sneaking glances at you when youd pick dustin up from hellfire and hiding his blush under a strand of hair hed pull across his face.

the last thing you expected eddie munson to be was shy, but he was putty in your hands.

he was nothing like everyone made him out to be, including steve who had deemed him "the freak." steve wasnt a bad guy by any means. he rebounded onto you after things went south between him and nancy, and you knew it wouldnt last. it was possible that his only flaw was his jealousy. you couldnt talk to anyone without him feeling a little insecure. thats all he did, though, was feel insecure and make you miserable for it, and you didnt want eddie to face the consequences of your actions, no matter how out of character those consequences would be for steve harrington.

eddies uncles mug collection rattled against the wooden shelf when he pulled the door to behind him, rubbing his hands together mischievously as he scooted his feet towards you. an evil smile tugged at his lips when he moved swiftly past you, ignoring your outstretched arms and continuing his scoot to the fridge.

"check this out, babe," his voice was muffled from inside the appliance, buried under the rustling of items and the clinking of glass bottles, "actually, no. close your eyes first."

it could have been anything. youd have been lying if youd said you weren't mildly terrified of what he was pulling from his fridge. your arms fell limp at your sides, fists clenched to conceal the sweat that was glistening on your palms. with your eyes squeezed shut, you could only hear the door rattle as it fell closed closed.

anytime eddie had you close your eyes to build suspense, he would check to see if you were peeking, catching glimpses through your lashes.

"how many fingers am i holding up?" eddie asked after waving an open hand over your closed eyes, the air dusting over your cheeks.

"one."

"fuck you," eddie spat, "are you cheating right now?"

you laughed at how genuinely offended he was that you guessed it right. although, it was impossible to get wrong. "its always one, eddie. literally always."

if you knew that if you had opened your eyes, you would have seen him standing, mystery object tucked under his arm with all his weight on one leg and a grand gesture on display in front of your face: his middle finger.

"yeah, okay," he sighed in defeat, "just open your eyes, cheater."

this might have been the first time youd opened your eyes and been actually surprised. usually it was a freshly rolled blunt or something you left behind that you asked him to return to you-- things you expected. this time, it was different, and a smile found itself on every corner of your face.

eddie held a glass bottle by the cap with one hand, the other gesturing beneath it like a shelf, metal clad fingers wiggling in sync with his eyebrows. his smile was tucked between his teeth.

"picked it up just for you, sweetheart," he said before ceasing all animation, deadpanning when you didnt immediately say something, "it is your favorite, right? i didnt... make that up or something?"

"no, it is," you smiled, gently taking the bottle of soda from his hands and flashing him softened eyes, "thanks."

"i couldnt finish mine," eddie confessed, rocking on his heels as you twisted the metal cap away, letting an exaggerated shiver rack his shoulders.

"didnt like it?" you wiped your lips on the back of your hand.

"shits disgusting, y/n," he held back a fake gag, "tastes like fizzy piss."

you raised your eyebrows at him, "and youd know?"

"id know."

the liquid in the bottom half of your bottle sloshed around as you followed eddie down the hallway, watching the bounce of his hair dwindle to nothing when he reached the door. everything seemed to make noise over there, the floors squeaked, the lights buzzed. it didnt help that eddie mimicked every sound he heard, a high pitched voice ringing with the creak of his bedroom door as he pushed it open.

you werent sure that he even had a lightbuld in the ceiling light. his room was always dark, always still. the blinds in his window were broken, though, so the yellow glow from the street lamps bled through.

"oh, wow, munson," you smirked at him, picking up a pair of dirty underwear from the foot of his bed, "did you clean up for me?"

he was quick to snatch it from between your pinched fingers and stuff it in his closet, kicking the pile of laundry he scrambled to hide from you before you noticed it back into the small space.

"for sure, babe," he breathed a laugh, shrugging, "yeah, i cleaned... mopped and shit."

you raised your eyebrows, glancing down at his carpeted floors, "mhm."

eddies room was usually messy, but you could hardly tell unless you took careful notice of the clothes in the floor. his walls were cluttered with posters and random paper clippings, like a collage of his personality: movie tickets, parking tickets, and every test he got an F on, which, honestly, was most of them. honorable mentions include his guitar hanging from the mirror and a paper desk calendar duct taped to the wall beside his headboard, detailing the global holidays and farmers almanac harvesting and planting times.

"could you be anymore obvious, eds?" you breathed a laugh, tracing the scribbles on the calendar with the tip of your finger.

"what," eddie said rather quickly, like you startled him. he looked up from the floor where he was still trying to force clothes into the closet.

"phases of the moon," you smirked, feeling the ridges of the sketches before whispering, "real subtle."

eddie pulled the accordian style closet doors closed as you continued behind him, standing up and turning to face you with his hands strategically placed on his hips, "should i write a reminder for your grooming appointment next week? behavioral training?"

"honestly, y/n," he motioned towards himself, from his head to his toes, "do i look like i need either of those?"

you closed the gap between the two of you, stepping over the bits of laundry he missed in his last minute cleaning frenzy, and raked your fingers through the sides of his hair, smoothing out the curls that were sticking out. you whispered, "i dont think i should answer that."

"youre mean," eddies lips were turned downward in a slight pout before his gentle expression dissolved entirely, "wipe that shit-eating grin off your face."

your eyes held onto his, "why dont you?"

you pulled that confidence directly out of your ass. shaking hands became steadied by his shoulders as his lips melted onto yours. you would have never admitted how badly you wanted eddie munson, but here you were, settled on his lap, pulling his tshirt over his head and bursting at the seams to feel his lips on your skin. you smoothed your fingers over the black lines on his chest and arms, even one you discovered on his hip. he hissed through his teeth as you pressed your lips to the ink on his forearm, up his bicep, his shoulder, and trailed up his neck. lips parted, breath growing heavier.

his fingertips dug into your thighs on either side of him, pulling you closer to him. as if it were even possible, as if your chests werent adhered with sweat. he looked so beautiful like this, a mess. his hair was plastered to his forehead and his chest heaved, shining even in the dull overhead of his room. he seemed to glow when he would sweat, something that you strived to see every time you ended up like this. it was the only benefit of his room having zero air flow.

one thing about eddie munson: he was a biter. oral fixation for days. hed bite your neck, licking stripes over the red trails his teeth left, bite your wrists to taste the bitter sting of your perfume. hed bite your lips. that was your guilty pleasure with him, going so slow when youd kiss him that hed take control. he couldnt stand it.

you decided, this time, to try it on him instead. you wrapped the hair at the base of his neck around your fingers and tilted his head back, exposing his pretty neck.

"h-holy fucking shit," eddie managed to breathe out when he felt your teeth scrape down the side of his neck. his grip on you tightened, hips bucking up for any friction he could get, "please, do that again."

you dragged your tongue up the length of his neck, placing tiny kisses along his jaw and up to his lips, where he was eager to taste you, resisting the hold you had on his hair to chase your lips. you caved; you had to. eddie moaned softly into your mouth when he felt your teeth sting at his lip, soothing the area with your tongue.

what happened next was unexpected, but not the strangest thing that could have happened. especially given what youd witnessed the past couple of years. in fact, you should have been more concerned when you felt a sharp pain in your legs, like knives were pricking your flesh. you gasped against eddies mouth and pulled back, breaking a kiss that left a trail of bright red spit from his lips to yours. blood. your blood, and it was pooling in your gums, gushing from two minor gashes in your bottom lip.

you covered your mouth with your free hand, releasing eddies hair when you glanced down at how much blood had actually been drawn. no big deal, you thought, this is fine.

and it was. until you looked down even further and saw the curved, thick nails that adorned the tips of eddies fingers, the nails that were partially sunken into your flesh. having your lips bitten off was a risk you took every time you kissed eddie, but the sight of his claws in your thighs set you off just a teensy bit.

slowly, you raised your head, breath trembling to match your shaking hands, and met his gaze where he was staring at you with unadulterated horror. his usual dark eyes were glowing a dim amber, and they were glossed over with tears.

"i...," eddies voice was soft and wavering as he gulped, "im sorry."

saturday

"no way you did the devils tango with eddie," dustin deadpanned, his hands clasped over his mouth in disgust. similar reactions plagued the table of people surrounding you, with lucas pretending to retch behind him and mike plugging his ears with his fingers. they all sat and listened contently to a certain point. apparently, you were a pacer, so you moved over every available inch of the wheelers basement while you recounted the previous nights events.

everyone was more shocked by the fact that you were hooking up with eddie munson and less shocked that he was a fucking werewolf.

"im gonna be sick," max buried her head in the bend of her arm.

"when i said to tell us everything," robins hands were scrunched in her hair while her elbows rested on the table, "i didnt mean... everything."

you shrugged, "im thorough."

"thats a word for it," steve rolled his eyes, "what happened next?"

"of course youd want to know," dustin snickered, and steve smacked the bill of his hat. steve looked to you for clarity.

"i just mean," he ran a hand through his hair, "somehow eddie ended up in the woods and y/n looks like shit."

"wow thanks," you snarled your nose at him, but he was right. youd never tell him, though, "it gets a little blurry here."

you explained it to them, and it sounded even more absurd the second time around. eddie was just as freaked out about the whole thing as you, maybe even more.

"he cleaned me up," you said, "you know, gave me bandaids and shit for my legs. ive known about it for a while, but he said that his lycanthropy had been dormant way past the time it should have activated. he just assumed it skipped him, which made sense to me. you know, like, how diseases skip a generation, but this disease has no cure and it makes you, like, a dog."

"oh yeah, y/n," max laughed, throwing her hands in the air in defeat, "total sense."

"he thinks it only got activated because he was... excited," everyone gagged, covering their faces to sheild you from their obvious disgust, "can you guys be mature, please?"

"the adrenaline," nancy chimed in over top of the younger kids snickering, "it could have triggered his fight or flight or something."

lucas leaned into the huddle of boys, "more like fight or bite," and max smacked the back of his head.

"i think its the drugs," steve rested his weight on the stair railing beside of you, "dudes always stoned. or drunk. could have altered the way his brain received the triggers or whatever."

it wasnt a bad idea, and there werent exactly scientific studies on the adverse effects of substances on lycanthropy. steve harringtons shot in the dark was the best you had to go on.

"wait, so, where is eddie right now?" dustin asked, smacking lucas's arm after he said something else. you couldnt hear it, but it was probably stupid.

youd wondered the same thing as you were trekking through the flora and fauna of hawkins in the wee hours of the night. you knew all of eddies favorite spots, but none of them were necessarily great hiding spots. you werent even sure if thats what he was doing, hiding.

"i was hoping maybe you all could help me find out."

"did you check his place?" dustin immediately followed your proposition with the most obvious solution.

"did i check his place," you restated the question, blinking at dustin dumfoundedly. he threw his hands up, mumbling sarcastic apologies as you spat, "yeah, dustin, i checked his place."

actually, you wished it had been that simple. after the... incident, you were both shaken up. it was a risk you had known about, the werewolf thing, but you knew he wouldnt hurt you on purpose. mainly because he was too gentle. youd assumed that any increase in intensity would just make him an average amount of dangerous. did that make you naive? maybe.

eddies shaking hands smoothed the final bandaid over your thigh, lining it up next to the other four. his brows were drawn close in a combination of guilt and concentration, making sure you were alright and that the bandages would stick. you were sitting on his bathroom counter, back pressed against the barren drywall where a mirror once was.

you lowered your head, tilting it to meet his eyes. eddies gaze flickered to yours and back to your lap, a deep sigh forcing itself out of his lungs and through his nose. "hey," you whispered, raking your fingers up his forearms, "we're okay."

you knew as soon as he looked up that all he could see was the two gashes on your lip, barely scabbing and glistening, and the hickies bruising at the bottom of your neck beginning to look more and more like injuries than a mark of passion. he was afraid to touch you, but you needed him to feel that you were still there.

"can you say something, eddie," you pushed the hair from his face, gently, his eyes still fixed anywhere but on you, "anything?"

"please leave."

he mumbled the words, almost like he was hoping you wouldnt hear them, that youd ask him to repeat them and he could say something else. you squeezed from between his body and the counter and gave him one final glance before doing what he asked.

of course, you forgot in the midst of your grand exit that your car was still at the hideout. thanks, munson, for the ride.

"there was a half hour period last night where i was doing the walk of shame home. not my proudest moment," you shrugged that bit off, "but i went back for him..."

"and he was gone," nancy finished your sentence for you, nodding to herself and sorting out the details.

"we have to find him," dustin added, "at least before someone else does."

steve, taking initiative, took large strides towards the table full of demogorgon repellent. "lets go, then," he announced, grabbed the shotgun, and held it up to the light before everyone shouted in confusion, layered insults and exclamations dissolving the tense air.

"what the hell, steve?"

"hang on, harrington-"

"what, are you gonna shoot him?"

youd never seen steve look so taken aback, surprisingly. he was either one step ahead or ten steps behind. he looked at you, mouth agape, "is this guy not a giant, burly, flesh eating dog right now?"

"no, steve," you dragged, "have you never seen teen wolf?"

the previous evenings rain was still lingering in damp patches on the sidewalks and in the air, thick as smog as you walked down the sidewalk in a cluster. you had all piled in karens car and went to every place you figured eddie would go, starting with the hellfire room at the high school and, consequently, some minor breaking and entering. you dragged them to the hideout, reefer ricks, and even the factory his uncle worked at.

"i didnt think he would be in there, but theres no harm in checking," you sighed into the brisk atmosphere, a cloud forming on the cusp of your lips as you shoved your hands into your pockets. you just snooped around a little bit at the factory, afraid of getting into too much trouble. how would you look for eddie if you got arrested for trespassing?

dustin placed a hand on your shoulder as everyone made their way back into the car, "is there anywhere else hed have gone? somewhere unexpected?"

you hated to admit that youd never thought to check somewhere he wouldn't typically go. why would he go somewhere youd be able to find him if he was hiding?

you hoped he was hiding, at least, and not mounted on someones wall or laying in the road like a stray cat.

"not to be that guy again, but," steve poked his head out of the passenger side window, "munson has to be the biggest virgin ive ever seen. dudes probably never even seen skull rock."

nancy smacked his arm, and he mumbled a hurried, "im just sayin'!" but he was right. you werent even sure if eddie knew how to get there, but there were no downsides to checking. steve made sure to add that, if eddie were to be a giant, burly, flesh-eating dog, skull rock would be an all-you-can-eat buffet on a friday night.

steve graduated the year prior, which made him essentially ancient on the hip spots to hang out in hawkins. no one went to skull rock anymore, especially since a group of people got busted there a few months ago, so you didnt have to worry about eddie possibly eating a horny teenager or two. you didnt tell steve, though. you couldnt break the news to him like that. robin could, though.

"no one hooks up at that stupid rock anymore, dingus," she slapped the side of his head from the backseat as nancy pulled onto the main road. they bickered the entire drive to the edge of town, and dustin, lucas, and mike snickered in the back about steves virgin comment. but you tuned them all out, watching the trees bleed into one another through the fogged window as the pop songs from the radio crackled between shards of broken static.

the sun had set by the time nancy pulled onto the shoulder of the road, nothing suspicious about that. nothing suspicious about the bag of bear traps that steve slung over his shoulder, either. "can never be too safe," he said. there was especially nothing suspicious about the trail of raw meat chunks that lucas and mike dropped behind them as the seven of you navigated your way through the woods. in front of them was nancy and max monitoring police radio interference, in front of them was steve and robin with a compass, and in front of them was you, shoulder to shoulder with your little brother.

dustin flickered his flashlight on either side of the uneven pathway as the two of you walked. it was silent aside from the crunching of leaves and twigs against the soles of your shoes, thick silence that was only broken by dustin quietly murmuring to you. he said, "steve was jealous when i started hanging out with eddie, too."

"i feel like its a little bit different for me," you breathed a laugh.

"meh," he shrugged, and the shallow beam of light moved with him, "kind of, but not really. cant help it that we hendersons are harrington magnets."

"what are you saying about me, henderson?" steve questioned from behind the two of you, kicking a rock into your path.

both you and dustin answered, "nothing," and exchanged knowing grins. yours was small and sly, but dustins was full and bright.

moments like this with dustin were rare for you, and it ached a little to say that the only thing that brought the two of you together was steve. it helped having a mutual friend and, even more so, friend group. youd always felt a little distant from dustin, so any time he willingly hung out with you felt paper thin, like if you stepped too hard youd fall right back to where you started.

so you looked at every gap in the stones before you stepped along the beaten path. the chatter of the group bounced from tree to tree behind you, dissipating into a muffled mess under the sounds of everyones shoes crushing dried leaves. behind you, every sound ceased except for robins voice calling, "i think we need to go right!"

of course, steve chimed in to correct her, "no, robin, i told you we need to go left."

"which means we should go right!" she retorted, and bickering ensued. you rolled your eyes, turning on your heels to face everyone.

"left or right," you asked, planting your arms at your side in defeat, "cut the shit, guys. we have to find eddie."

"find me for what?"

dustin screamed, causing you to scream, overlapping the staggering shouts from steve, robin, and nancy who were climbing into each others arms and covering the frightened curses the kids were spewing, clutching their chests at the back of the line. the voice came from the greenery, from steve and robins right for the record, and was comfortingly familiar once you came down from the initial scare.

"holy shit, eddie," you sighed, scrambling over the fallen tree along the side of the path to get to him. your hands basically melted onto his shoulders when they touched his skin, his warmth as present as ever as you fell into him. you couldnt care about the leaves in your eyes or the sticks prodding your hair, "youre okay, yeah?"

"well, im in a bush," eddie laughed, his hand cupping the back of your head as he stepped out into the pathway with you still wrapped tightly around him, "but, uh, yeah... yeah, im okay."

when you finally looked at him, you could tell he was tired. there was a weight beneath his eyes, sunken and dark, and he had bruises along his arms and cuts on his fingers and dirt streaked everywhere you could see. he gave you a smile, anyway. "hi," he whispered, just to you, tracing the slope of your jaw with the backs of his calloused fingers. you returned his kind eyes, muttering, "hi," through your smile.

"uh, hi," steve greeted, waving his hand a mere three feet from the two of you, "remember us?"

"oh, harrington, hey," eddie straightened up. you could tell he was immediately intimidated, his demeanor hardening as he cleared his throat, "nice to see you."

you snicked to yourself remembering not 24 hours ago, when eddie said with utmost confidence that he "didnt care if harrington kicked his ass," now weak in the knees at the sight of steve carrying around a sack of dangerous items.

eddie took a step back, "is that a gun?"

steve looked over his shoulder and spun around, grabbing it from behind him, "oh, yeah. sorry, i was prepared to shoot you, man."

"what the hell," eddie clasped his hands over the top of his head, visibly at a loss for words, "dude, have you never seen teen wolf?"

under different circumstances, you would have loved to see steve and eddie laughing together, getting along, but not in the woods in the middle of the night after youd spent the entire day searching for him. he didnt seem too shaken up about anything, so you were confused as to why he was out here.

nancy spoke for you, "eddie, is there a reason youre creeping around out here?"

he pressed his lips into a line, rocking on his heels and smacking the sides of his legs as he began to speak, "well, wheeler, if youre so curious, i was looking for y/n. im gonna assume youve been filled in on everything up to this point, and hendersons very thorough, so im also gonna assume it was unnecessarily detailed and vivid," everyone hummed in agreement, "great- so, imagine me, but cleaner and a little more upset than i currently am, wandering the streets of hawkins, a little tipsy because apparently alcohol is the only thing that keeps me from fucking biting people. im walking, trying to find the henderson residence, but ive only been there once so its hard, and my senses are off the walls heightened. its insane how much i can smell- cant lie, that shit's kind of awesome-"

dustin interrupted him, "eddie, did you kill someone or not?"

"kill someone?" eddies mouth hung open at the question, his eyes glancing around to gauge everyones reaction to the question, which was a unanimous answer-the-kid-or-steves-gonna-shoot-you, "uh, no, dustin, i didnt kill someone. im not a monster."

"well, then, why are you hiding away in the woods like a serial killer on the run?" lucas leaned up against a tree with his chin raised high, "seems kind of suspicious to me."

eddie sighed, swallowing audibly before answering, his voice lowered, hushed, "i wasnt hiding from you."

as if on command, an eerily familiar growl filled the distant silence like static, gutteral, and close. eddie flinched, almost habitually jumping back into the shrub you found him in, but reaching for your hand instead. steve immediately handed the shotgun to his left, planting it in nancys grip.

she raised her eyebrows, drilling holes into the side of your head with her glare. "told you," she muttered, holding out a fist towards max, who quickly reciprocated the gesture. a celebratory fist-bump for being stuck in the woods with a werewolf and a demogorgon.

"does, uh," steve started, his voice hushed and his grip tightened around his trusty baseball bat that he had shoved in the bag. he motioned between you and eddie, specifically, and asked,

"does teen wolf say anything about fighting demogorgons?"

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