#weird vampire fic

[megumismom]

there are only two types of devil's minion fics:

the ones where daniel calls armand baby and sweetheart

and the ones where armand does major surgery on daniel so that he can drink daniel's blood directly from his heart

[queenie-ofthe-void]

Tainted

Steddie || wc: 3k || rating: E || cws: DEAD DOVE DNE, steve harrington whump, Vampire!Eddie, post break up second chance, blood (like a lot of blood), blood drinking, chronic pain and illness, heavy angst, THE HAPPY ENDING IS HERE! || ao3

Part 1

Steve wakes up to someone pounding on his front door.

It’s well into the night, which means he’s been out for at least an hour. Dried lube flakes from his skin as he shifts his legs to stand. He reaches up over his head and points the tips of his toes, stretching a full-body ache that finally feels satisfying instead of vaguely awful.

The pounding continues and Steve starts to wonder why Robin even bothers before it stops. Steve rolls over onto his side, landing in a puddle of something cold soaked into his carpet. He’ll have a hell of a lot of scrubbing to do in the morning, but at least this time Steve won’t have to replace the carpet of an entire room again.

He sits up to flick on the small lamp sitting on the end table next to him. A small red patch of blood is puddled under where Steve woke up, with a stream of red dots sprayed out into the middle of the floor. He wonders why the wounds from nail punctures haven’t healed yet as he reaches up to his neck. Sure enough, the top two fangs hang haphazardly from his throat. When he pulls the contraption free, a fresh stream trickles hot down his chest, wetting his chest hair next to the matted patches of dried snot and tears.

Fucking pathetic.

Steve balls the blanket up in his hands and holds it firm against the bite. Cold and sticky, he heads towards the bathroom when he hears the sound of a key slotting into his door.

In unbridled panic– the slow trickle rising to a steady flow– Steve’s never been more aware of his own body. Completely naked, covered in an array of various fluids, bright red blood soaking into the oversized white blanket. He turns and rakes his eyes over the absolute shit show crime scene in the living room, including the paraphernalia.

This is the last thing he wants Robin to see, let alone Vickie. They don’t deserve to see him like this.

“Wait!” Steve shouts, untangling a stretch of blanket from his neck to hang in front of him like a disgusting shower curtain. At least it blocks most of the horror show. “Don’t come in!”

The door swings open.

Steve can’t quite see through the dark hallway, but the lack of greeting tells him it’s not Robin. He’s frozen to the floor, legs filled with cement as he watches the person close the door behind them. Their silhouette’s shrouded in darkness. Inside, Steve’s screaming to run, even as the dark shadow rushes towards him faster than he’s ever seen.

Faster than any human.

Red eyes and a mess of curly hair cloud his vision. It’s been so long since he’s seen or touched Eddie that Steve’s skin breaks out in violent goosebumps when he feels sharp claws wrap gently around his biceps and squeeze.

“You smell…” Eddie’s ragged voice tapers off. He’s on edge, and Steve can’t help but wonder how many feedings he’s missed. Steve catches the bobbing of Eddie’s throat as he swallows the saliva Steve knows is pooling at the back of his throat. He’s hungry. But there’s also a slight tilt to his brow and a pool of tears on his lower lash line, illuminated by the moonlight filtered through the curtain.

Steve instinctively swipes his thumb across Eddie’s cheek in comfort. His own unwarranted sympathy churns his stomach. “You look awful.”

Eddie’s laugh is self-deprecating at best and pained at worse. He nuzzles into the warmth of Steve’s hand and shudders, lingering at Steve’s wrist. A slow, high-pitched whine escapes between Eddie’s parted lips as he starts to mouth up Steve’s arm.

It’s Steve’s deepest fantasies come to life. He’s desperate for Eddie’s touch, pining for mouths and hands and slick, sweaty skin rubbing together. Eddie’s whine is even more beautiful than Steve remembers and the sound goes straight to his dick, which twitches with renewed vigour.

This is all wrong. He tries to remind himself this is a reality where Eddie left him, high and dry, to move across the country and never speak to him again. The man in front of him isn’t his anymore, and maybe never was to begin with. Maybe everyone was right about Steve falling under some kind of blood spell. He can’t help wondering now if no one stopped to consider if Eddie’d fallen under his own spell, craving Steve every time hunger cramped his stomach.

Steve slowly takes a step back, lowering his hands away from Eddie’s now tear-stained face. He reaches out for Steve, reluctant to let go. So Steve decides to indulge just a little and takes Eddie’s hand as he guides them into the kitchen. He flicks the microwave light on and turns to look at Eddie, who’s perched himself on the countertop next to the sink.

“You need to eat,” Steve says, maneuvering the blanket down around his hips to give Eddie easy access to his neck. He’s at least still a little optimistic he can get out the small puddle of blood already soaked in, Steve doesn’t want to make it any worse.

Eddie violently shakes his head, reaching out a shaky hand to Steve's shoulder, holding the blanket in place. “No,” he swallows again, heavily breathing in and out through his mouth. A man in the desert, dying of thirst yet refusing to acknowledge the oasis within arms reach. “That’s not– I’m not here for that. Please, Steve, I just came to talk.”

It catches him off guard. Surely Eddie’s only looking for the same release Steve made for himself only a few hours ago, apparently deciding a four hour plane ride would be worth drinking straight from the source. Except now he’s pushing Steve away. Eddie hops off the counter and opens the fridge, rummaging for what Steve knows he won’t find. So Steve gestures back to the counter before heading out to the garage himself, grabbing three blood bags instead of the usual two.

When he comes back, frozen bags in hand, Eddie’s got a bowl waiting. Steve grabs a glass to pour them in once thawed, but again Eddie surprises him. He snatches the bags from Steve’s hands, slitting the top of the bag off with his claws and dumps the frozen mush into the bowl. Eddie shoves a crazy straw right into the middle and slurps the mess down. It’s a horrific slushie, but the man seems to be enjoying himself until Eddie squints his eyes tight and winces.

“Oh shit, brain freeze,” Eddie groans, waiting for it to pass.

What starts as a small giggle to Eddie’s very human problem morphs into a manic cackle. Steve’s bent over the counter next to him, clutching his stomach as it begins to cramp from his uncontrolled, and frankly unhinged, laughing. This has been one of the most bizarre nights Steve’s had in a long time. Nothing about it seems real, everything from the guilt at using his makeshift toys to the love of his life sitting on the kitchen counter like he never left.

“This is insane,” Steve cackles, wiping tears from his eyes.

Eddie sighs. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for it to happen like this.”

Steve leans back against the counter across from Eddie and sees a man that’s more familiar yet so distinctly different from the boy he used to know. Eddie’s crimson-haloed eyes have faded back to their normal umber brown, his fangs have fully receded, even though his lips are still stained with a ruby red glisten. There’s a concerned wrinkle on his forehead that Steve refuses to reach out and smoothen.

But even through Steve’s feeble attempts to add a false shine to his memories of Eddie, he’s more beautiful than Steve’s ever seen him. There are small crinkles at the corners of his eyes, and the beginnings of laugh lines around his dimples. The few strands of silver in his hair sparkle against the shitty microwave lighting every time he moves. He’s dressed down in well-worn black sweatpants and an oversized black Led Zeppelin sweatshirt littered with small holes in the collar.

He's so fucking gorgeous, and it's eating Steve alive, much like whatever Eddie’s dying to say. So Steve leans against the counter across from him and waits, admiring the man he loves but lost, as he watches Eddie stare into the middle distance to collect his thoughts.

“I just– I needed to see you, but then it just all went to shit.” Eddie starts and stops, briefly looking at Steve before his gaze flits away. “My flight was delayed. Then, when I finally found an open seat, there was a layover and they lost my luggage. They said they’d send it to the motel I was staying at, but it never came and I got so thirsty that I couldn’t wait anymore. And then I found you–” Eddie’s sentence trails off, left hanging as he rakes his gaze over the now closed wound on Steve's neck and the dried rivulet of blood trailing down his collar bone into his chest hair.

“Jesus Eddie, how long have you been in town?”

Eddie sheepishly replies, “about four days.”

Steve shakes his head. Fucking unbelievable, this guy. “So you haven’t eaten in four days.” Eddie averts his gaze, chewing on his lip as he twists the skull ring on his finger. “Eddie, when was the last time you ate?”

He mumbles something incoherent, and only after a decent shove shouts “seven days!”

“What the fuck Eddie,” Steve scoffs. He pushes himself away from the counter, pacing the kitchen just to do something, to keep his body moving and stop himself from smacking Eddie on the back of the head. Steve focuses on the cold tiles beneath his feet as he tries to pull himself together. “Why would you do that to yourself? What the hell were you thinking?”

“I was thinking about you,” Eddie shouts at him again. Steve spins on his heel, turning so fast to face him he almost loses his balance. He catches himself on the counter as Eddie starts to rant. “I’m always thinking about you, Steve. Constantly. Every concert, every new song, every goddamn date, it’s always you.”

Eddie hops down from the counter, a fresh wave of energy and a healthy, red hue to his cheeks. Where his eyes roamed the room before, they’re now locked on Steve. Unwavering devotion rolls off him in waves and Steve feels bulldozed by the intensity of the moment. Eddie takes Steve’s hands in his, gripping tight as he continues to carve out his heart, bleeding his confession all over the floor as he places it still beating at Steve’s feet.

“I love you, Steve Harrington. I never stopped, no matter how hard I tried. And I’m sorry it took so long for me to realize that I don’t want to stop. Even if you don’t feel the same way anymore, or if you blame me for what I did to you, I couldn’t go another day without telling you everything. I know it’s not fair, and I want to be sorry. Sorry because you deserve so much better than a monster who destroyed your entire life, all because I was selfish and hungry and in love. Now I’m here, doing it all again.

“But this time, I want to do it right. I’m not going to poison this relationship. Again.”

He raises their conjoined hands to wipe the steady stream of tears from Steve’s cheeks. Steve can feel his heart beating wildly in his chest, his pulse rabbiting in his neck. Even though he knows Eddie can smell it coursing through him, his eyes stay locked on Steve’s.

Steve hears Eddie’s words, but he can’t get them to settle in his heart. He hasn’t really eaten anything all day, he drained a full bag, then shot himself full of venom as he fucked himself to exhaustion and passed out on the living room floor in a puddle of his own fluids.

This could all be some fucked up fever dream he concocted to torment himself with on the worst day of the year. It wouldn’t be the first time he’s had a nightmare this vivid.

A small prick to the back of his hand jolts him from his ruminations. Eddie’s still gazing at him, concern woven between his scrunched eyebrows. He knows Eddie’s waiting on him to say something. The silence draws on, the small light of hope shining in Eddie’s eyes fading every second it takes Steve to wrap his head around the concept that Eddie is here, right now, in the kitchen and we’re holding hands.

“Look, Steve, I– I’m sorry. This is so fucked up,” Eddie’s voice cracks. He drops his hands from Steve’s and takes a measured step back. “I shouldn’t be here. I’m– I’m just gonna go.”

It’s not until he’s turned away, rounding the kitchen island that Steve calls out and rushes after him, managing to grab Eddie’s wrist just as he turns back. They’re left standing close, almost nose to nose.

“How will–” Steve clears his throat around a strangled whisper– “would it be different. You know, if we tried again.”

Steve sees the moment relief hits Eddie like a lightning strike. He gasps, ragged against the hopeful tears brimming to fall down onto his wide smile. Long, sharp fingers gingerly slip between Steve’s like they’ve always been there and Steve squeezes back.

Eddie relaxes, leaning into Steve’s space until their foreheads are pressed together, curls curtained around them. “Oh don’t worry sweetheart, I’ve got some ideas.”

~~~

It turns out Eddie did, in fact, have quite a few ideas. Some good, like taking it slow by not moving back in together right away. Start out slow with a few dates, catch up on each others’ lives, and find their way back to friendship before anything else.

Eddie also had some bad ideas, like throwing himself prostrate on Robin’s front stoop only for Vickie to open the door and scream as she tripped over him in her hurry to work. It was just one more log Robin got to add to Eddie’s funeral pyre. Steve’s not quite sure what happened there, neither of them willing to go into detail. All Robin had said to him, a wicked smirk stretched across her face, was that she handled it. On the other hand, Eddie with wide, terrified eyes just assured him everything’s fine now.

Their ultimate saving grace was for Eddie to keep drinking from the bags. Steve fought him on it, defensive and heartbroken that they’d be giving up one of the most intimate parts of their relationship. It was their hardest conversation, but in the end Steve realized Eddie was right.

“Stevie, this all happened because we were both so wrapped up in feeding that we never cooled off long enough to figure anything out. I want to show you that I love you for who you are, not for what you can give me.”

Eddie swipes a stray lock of hair across Steve’s forehead, away from his eyes. Steve cranes his neck behind him, pushing the back of his skull into Eddie’s chest just to get a good look at him. The low evening sun shines through the living room window and lights a golden fire in Eddie’s eyes. They’re warm as they gaze down at Steve, full of love.

Eddie’s been in Hawkins for almost two weeks, and he’s spent every evening at Steve’s for dinner. Some nights they just catch up, others they eat side by side on the couch watching old nerd show reruns.

This is the fourth night they’ve talked about their future, and only the second time it hasn’t turned into an argument. There was too much left unsaid for it to not blow up at some point, and Steve assumes it’ll happen again. But every night ends the same, perfect way.

Eddie wears Steve’s old sweats, leaning back against the arm of the couch with one foot on the ground and the other leg wrapped over Steve laying between his legs. Steve can feel the steady rise and fall of Eddie’s chest against his back as he blindly grabs for Eddie’s hand. He spins the ring around and around, tumbling in time to his churning thoughts.

“I know you’re right,” Steve concedes. “Plus, it’ll be nice for everyone to see that it’s not your love venom tricking my brain into doing stuff I don’t want to do.”

“Steve, we don’t have anything to prove– wait,” Eddie shifts back, the shock in his voice causing Steve to sit up to face and turn to him head on, “what do you mean love venom? What the hell is that?” Steve snorts at his high-pitched screech. It’s been years since he’s seen Eddie, but thankfully, some things never change.

Steve throws his hands out in front of him, a picture of innocence as he defends himself. “That’s just what Robin called it?”

“Jesus Christ, it sounds like you’re talking about drinking my–” Eddie lets his sentence fall dead on arrival as he dramatically gestures to his crotch. Steve rolls his eyes, but now that he’s thinking about it.

“You know, she might actually think it’s come.” She doesn’t.

Eddie gapes at him, eyes bursting to pop from his head, mouth flailing like a fish out of water, until Steve finally cracks. He’s never been great at poker. A dangerous grin spreads across Eddie’s face as he chides, “oh you’re so dead, sweetheart,” before tackles Steve onto the living room floor.

Happiness sings in his veins. Hope fizzes in his chest and yeah, he knows they’ve got a long road ahead of them. They’ve got some shit to work through, trauma to hash out and years to catch up on. Steve’s willing to give it a shot if it means Eddie’s back in his life– either as a partner or even as a friend. And as Eddie pins him to the carpet– sans bloodstain– he can’t help but see the same hope in Eddie’s crinkled, brown eyes shining back at him.

Header graphic kudos!

[licncourt]

On my beginning-of-IWTV psychosexual Louis and Paul bullshit with a side of Louis/Magnus parallels is anyone picking up what I'm putting down

[lizardkingeliot]

I haven't done WIP Wednesday in foreverrrr so who wants a little sneak peek of the Lousat post-season 2 finale thing I'm currently working on? I'm trying soooo hard to finish this thing as quickly as I can but I've just been so busy and distracted these past couple days. I'm hoping to have a nice chunk of time to get some writing done today tho. Fingers crossed I have this up within the next week or so! 🥰

—

Lestat was talking in his sleep.

“Louis, Louis…”

Louis opened his eyes to the sound of his name falling from Lestat’s mouth like some sacred litany. He drew a breath. He could feel Lestat’s withered heart beating where they lay so close together. Could hear it pulsing on the air like some flagging piece of machinery.

“Louis. Louis.”

He was pressed to Louis from his head to his feet. Wrapped around Louis in the coffin like he was trying to meld their flesh together. His face tucked into the hollow of Louis’ throat as he muttered and dreamed.

“Louis. Louis. Louis—”

“Les. Hey…” Louis rubbed tiny circles against Lestat’s back, right between the pale crests of his shoulders. Feeling the cool skin under his tattered robe. Feeling the bones and flesh underneath. “Lestat. Hey. Wake up.”

Lestat flinched. Inhaled. Gasping, desperate sound of waking. “Louis…” Shaking in Louis’ arms like something on the verge of collapse. Skin like vellum, like breath. The quivering, fragile skin of a human being. “Louis. You’re…”

“Hey…” Louis pressed a kiss against Lestat's golden head. Outside the dark cocoon of the coffin, hurricane Odette was still raging. Wind howling through the shattered windows of the cottage on Dumaine Street. Rain falling through the cracks in the ceiling, pattering the coffin with its melody. “Hey. It’s okay, I’m—”

“Louis. You’re really here with me?”

[friendlynaborhooddisapointment]

yk what im thinking? the fentons are 100% crazy enough to be Waynes. so what if they were? Jack could be Thomas Waynes' great-grandfather's brother who lived at Wayne Manor with his wife and kids. and they still open the portal with danny in it, so hes still a halfa. but either Jack and Maddie find out and they stick him in a stasis tube to try and fix him (what if they were also the people who figured out how to make the court of owls dead guys????) or Danny got stuck in the portal when he went inside and it doesnt open until the bats find it.

when the bats find him im thinking either they know (as well as danny) that hes half dead (the stasis tube) or they dont (stuck in the portal) and they find out all the fun stuff together. but, if they know hes dead already and so did danny there could be more creepy ghost shenanigans that could happen before they found the laboratory. which is v important

[eightstarr]

a random line i like from the vampire!ellie fic that i've been (slowly) working on <3

[frickifiknowman]

I feel like we get so lost in the sauce in fandom and fanfic spaces that we forget trans people exist. And it's kinda concerning. like is it cool and interesting to make a story where someone who physically couldn't get pregnant does? Yeah. But also trans people exist in every shape, form and fashion.

I've also been seeing some interesting takes regarding Mystique technically being Kurt's "father". Like yeah it's implied that she was the sperm donor parent, but it's not outrageous or even inconsistent that she would want to be referred to as his mother. She is (to my limited knowledge) referred to as a woman and uses she/her pronouns, why is it seen as out there to some people that she would refer to herself as his mother?

Now if we wanted to play with Mystiques potential genderfuild-ness then my all means go ahead. I'll eat that shit up. But that not what I'm seeing and it's concerning.

Basically what I'm saying is trans people exist and I'm tired of it being handled weird in my fan spaces.

I want more trans people, damnit

[that-weird-thing-in-the-woods]

Misunderstanding Vampire Danny

Things to add to story line thing I don’t really know what to call the stuff I write at this point

Danny and Vlad (With fetuses Dani and Dan or in this their new names are Eleanor and Jordan) have to leave their OG universe because the GIW and The Fenton parents with them almost killing Eleanor and Jordan so Danny and Vlad had to dip

Danny and Vlad end up in the DC universe where this is where the main misunderstanding is from the ecto from the DP world looks red like blood red in the DC universe, anyway Vlad is doing his usual shady business man things and moves them all to Gotham to be exact the manner closest to the Wayne manner so in classic Batfam fashion they go to greet (investigate) the new neighbors

So Bruce and Tim go to greet the new neighbors they meet vlad who is 100% a vampire (your so close) but before they can ask him to many questions vlad shuts the door and says goodbye and to the Batfam this is very suspicious behavior

And a few days after vlad and Danny move in while the just vlad to everyone else vlad has to go on a work trip to metropolis and leaves that same night Danny decides to go outside to get some fresh air but that the same time Damien decides to go outside as well and they meet to Damien it looks like Vlad has been keeping a halfing vampire and got him pregnant who is the same age as him that is 13 and to Danny he just sees a potential new friend so they talk and Damian misunderstands literally everything Danny says about his home life and his relationship Vlad

Before Damien leaves to go tell the rest of his family so they can do something about it Danny ask Damian to come and talk to him again

And that’s all for the main plot of this now on to the little things of this

Danny has bandages around his neck from the GIW or Bad Fenton reveal so it gives more to the vampire misunderstanding

Danny only goes out that night because vlad gets a bit overprotective when Danny’s outside during the day

Danny is wearing a nightgown because he’s a bad ass bitch like that (and because I want more fic of Danny in a dress and if you want to see what I’m thinking for the nightgown just look at the OG post there are pics of it)

Danny has very long white hair that looks like it’s never been cut

Vlad’s business trip is to go overshadow and scam Lex Luther

Vlad got overprotective of Danny because his obsession switched with Maddie to Danny (not romantically that’s just the Batfam misunderstanding)

Danny looks mysterious af when he and Damian meet

Heyy probably will add more when I feel like it byeee

[writeraid]

Currently envying the comic fic writers that don't have to worry if the British slang they're using is right in a specific context or not.

I mean my rule of thumb is 'eh someone will yell at me about it anyway' but still.. y'all are lucky.

[hamspamandjamsandwich]

come on Xander a little siring never hurt anyone that much okay maybe a little

[voidcat]

Maybe I will write something about insatiable hunger with Kaiser or smt too

[stabbyfoxandrew]

okay so apparently the reason writing has been hard lately was that i was writing on the wrong shit! 🤯

[jeskerthefool]

what if. Buffy the vampire slayer human au (for now)

[divineatrophy]

“Did it work? Do you feel protected from all the pieces of yourself that you can’t remember? Do you feel less burdened?” His eyelids flutter again like he wants to close them, but he doesn’t look away. Credit where credit is due—he doesn’t flinch. “No,” Armand says. One word. Small, tight, subdued. And for once, true. Daniel’s mouth is dry. “Yeah,” he says, holding Armand’s gaze, and in the moment he feels made of glass. “Me neither.”

chapter 5: a list, surgical scars, and a dream (everybody cheers)

[skepsiss]

Modern Problem, Modern Solution pt3

Steddie fic, this is the 3rd part of the mini-series (I guess?) that I'm writing. This is the one where Eddie pretends to be a vampire for fun. More just Eddie being awkward as all hell and teens being teens. The next part (pt4) has the conflict so hang in there angst lovers.

PT1 PT2 PT4

--

Eddie chewed his nails as he stood outside the classroom in the mostly empty hallway at school. It was 3:30 and he was debating if he wanted to risk stepping into the club room or not. So, he chewed and chewed on his nail until he bit the top off and then spat it into the nearby bin, not paying attention to whether or not it made it in.

The door before him was decorated with rainbow paper that blocked the little window to see into the classroom. It was an old craft that had obviously been there for too long judging from the faded quality of the coloured parchment. It was Mrs. Goodwin's classroom, but that wasn't why Eddie was there, she just happened to be the "support staff" that advocated for the LGBT-Alliance club. Every club needed an "advocate" even if the teacher didn't participate in anything related to the club after it was made. Hellfire's club was "officially" endorsed by the school's drama teacher, Mr. Lobuskwits, but Eddie could count on one hand how many times he had actually spoken to the guy.

No, Eddie was here–and currently stressing out over whether or not he wanted to take the last 3 steps to walk into the club room–because he was trying to decide if he wanted to join in today. He had been thinking about it for a week or more now and he hated _why_ it had been on his mind. He hadn't a real interest in the club activities, but a part of him felt drawn to supporting some of the members–okay, well, maybe just one of the members. He had convinced himself that he felt bad for Steve being the oldest boy in the club with no one else to really relate to. He seemed to get along fine with Robin–Steve also had sports and Eddie seemed to remember he was part of the Key Club or something–but there was something different about getting to know someone close to your age that also happened to have similar lived experiences.

Who was he kidding? He and Steve lived leagues apart from one another, their lives were completely different, but Eddie couldn't help but feel a certain kind of kinship with Steve Harrington. Eddie had never really had another boy his age around that was also queer. It felt like a friendship that could maybe work out... a type of friendship Eddie had only momentarily glanced at on social media and online forums.

Eddie grumbled to himself and wiped his hands on his pants before finally taking the plunge and letting himself into the room.

Robin was standing at the front of the classroom and everyone else was spread out casually in either the desk seats or up against the wall. It was informal while also having a semblance of structure. Robin paused talking for a moment as Eddie walked in, and everyone half turned to see what the disruption had been–which made Eddie's hair stand on end. But that stopped soon enough as Robin flashed him a quick smile before continuing to talk.

"Okay, refocus. Alright, so that's what we're considering. We just have to figure out what we want the exact acronym change to be." 

She blathered as Eddie quietly found himself a seat in the back of the room until the conversation was over. He didn't know what they were talking about, but there was humming and hawing from everyone before some girl Eddie didn't know spoke up.

"LGBTQ plus alliance?" She asked, or more suggested Eddie guessed.

"You're missing like a bunch of people though," another girl chimed in, sounding annoyed, "we want people who are intersex or asexual to feel welcome too, don't we?"

"LGBTQIA plus?" Will commented, making brief eye contact with Eddie to acknowledge that he saw him. It was a friendly look and Eddie half smiled back before his attention drifting.

This was the kind of stuff he liked to avoid. He didn't understand why they had debates over these things, but they seemed to be wondering if they should change the club name to be more inclusive or whatever. He was behind it in theory, but he hated having to actually put in the effort to figure out what the best thing to do was. Still, it was a good idea at its core, just not an idea that made Eddie want to pay attention.

So instead, his eyes drifted and he caught himself staring at Steve who was leaning with his arms crossed against the wall watching Robin. He wasn't chiming in, but he seemed to be listening. It was sort of hard to miss Steve with how brightly he was dressed–he was wearing a striped white and blue shirt that was partly covered by an open red button-up and gray pants. The red was this deep colour and it stood out rather charmingly against the muted tones of his shirt and pants.

The debate continued and Steve turned to look at Eddie who instantly tensed as they made eye contact. Steve seemed to consider for a moment, looking back at Robin before quietly leaving to walk to the back of the classroom where Eddie was.

"Hey," he whispered, obviously trying not to disrupt the conversation they were having at the front of the class.

"Hey..." Eddie replied, sitting up a bit as Steve took the seat beside him so they could talk in hushed tones.

"We're talking about renaming the club, just like... I guess looking for suggestions to be on the ballet or something," Steve offered as an explanation. Eddie had figured that out already, but he nodded anyway as he clasped his hands together on top of the desk.

"The acronym is too long," Eddie sighed lightly, not wanting to disrupt the room for once. He felt weird sitting here with Steve though, both comforted and anxious about their proximity.

"We should just call it the Alphabet Mafia and be done with it," Eddie joked lightly which surprisingly got a quick bark of a laugh from Steve.

Everyone turned to look at them both and Steve covered his mouth, waving their attention off.

"Sorry, sorry," he exclaimed, putting his hands up in an apologetic way. The room went back to discussing and Steve sat back, crossing his arms again as he smiled.

"You've never heard that before?" Eddie asked, feeling the swell of anxiety be replaced with glee at how big Steve's reaction had been.

"No, it's a thing?" Steve asked, looking amused.

Eddie smiled back at him before slumping across the desk and reaching his hands forward– just needing something to do so he didn't go stir-crazy.

"I have much to teach you young padawan," he joked, putting on a bit of an accent but not leaning too hard into the bit.

Steve breathed another small laugh and grew quiet as he sat there. It was a comfortable silence though and one Eddie didn't feel scrutinized while occupying as they sat there.

Steve's phone buzzed and he took it out before tapping away at the screen and half laughing at something before swiping it away. He started to type and Eddie glanced at him, noting the little yellow border and the casual way Steve was acting while he texted. Steve seemed to notice Eddie staring and then waggled his phone at Eddie.

"Do you Snapchat?" he asked, not having any shame in showing Eddie his screen. Eddie hesitated, feeling put on the spot all of a sudden. He wasn't much of a social media guy and only really existed on platforms out of necessity to stay in touch with friends and the likes, but he didn't pay attention to it really.

"Uh, I think so?" Eddie said, taking his own phone out. He felt a bit self-conscious holding his old, beaten-up phone next to Steve's brand-new one. Eddie's screen was smashed in the top corner and you could vaguely see the hint of pink glitter around the edge that was partly covered by Eddie's phone case. He had gotten the phone second-hand from someone else's trade-in, but he had been unable to pick the glitter off the back of it. He didn't like to think about the little girl this phone probably belonged to before he got it.

"I don't use it," Eddie explained, finding the app downloaded in his files and opening it for the first time in ages. He looked at the screen and then shrugged, trying a couple of times at the log-in before getting into his account.

"Take a picture with me," Steve said, already leaning towards Eddie and holding his phone out to take a selfie. He was obviously intent on sending it as a snap to someone, but Eddie blanched and pulled his hair in front of his face.

"No, no, man, don't. I'm good–" Eddie stammered, putting his hand up to cover up the camera. A part of him was flattered so he was still smiling, but the horror he had felt hearing that sentence was undeniable.

Steve stopped, but he gave Eddie a confused look, half laughing as he put the phone down.

"Why?" He asked, finding it a bit amusing no doubt. He could probably see that Eddie was smiling and wasn't taking the whole thing too seriously. 

"Cause I forgot to do my makeup this morning," Eddie squeaked, hamming it up as he put his hand dramatically over his forehead and then turned his shoulder away like a demure lady.

Steve chuckled and leaned forward, pinching his brows in. It was obvious he was willing to accept the answer, but he didn't really get the joke. Eddie had only started to act silly because he felt uncomfortable, but he didn't want to tell Steve the real reason he didn't want his picture taken was because it would be a picture of them... together.

"I just don't really like my picture being taken," Eddie lied, sounding awkward enough that the delivery had been convincing.

"Okay..." Steve agreed, looking away and not pushing the subject. He seemed a bit amused by Eddie's comment–almost in a charmed way–even if Eddie could tell he didn't really understand. Eddie felt his heart twist at that, appreciating that Steve wasn't forcing him even though it was obvious that he was confused.

"You can add me though..." Eddie offered pushing his phone towards Steve and feeling nervous about the whole thing.

Steve huffed a laugh and then sat up again, taking Eddie's phone and starting to type.

"Snapchat kind of involves taking photos of yourself," he teased lightly, and Eddie felt his cheeks go a bit red. This felt so weird... Steve was adding him on Snapchat? What the ever living hell?

"You have Insta?" Steve asked and Eddie looked back at him, feeling a bit shell-shocked.

"Yeah, uh, yeah. But I uh..." he started, feeling like a fish out of water.

"Don't really use it?" Steve asked back, mocking Eddie a bit. Eddie felt his face getting hotter with embarrassment even though he could see Steve shaking his head and smiling. 

"Here," Steve asked, handing the phone back over, "I added myself."

Eddie nodded and took the phone back, looking at the screen and observing the new follower that popped up on his phone as Steve typed away on his own screen. SS.Harrington, it read with a little picture of Steve standing with his back to the camera in his baseball uniform. It was so painfully jock Eddie didn't know what to do. He wasn't even sure what his icon was anymore and he cringed slightly as he checked and saw his own page for the first time in a while. His username was something he had thought up on the fly years ago, MangledMetalMunson, since just Mangled Metal and Metal Munson had been taken and his icon was just a photo of one of his hands covered in rings. Weird... lame. Super lame. 

Eddie pocketed his phone and resigned himself to unpack all of that later as he tried to force himself to look forward again and pay attention to whatever Robin was saying. They were still debating back and forth and Eddie could feel himself getting frustrated by 'this acronym is better' over 'that acronym is too confusing.'

"We should really just drop the acronym," Eddie said quietly, slouching down again and putting his head in his hand. This was boring... and despite getting a chance to talk to Steve some more, he wasn't very interested in staying.

"What do you think it should be?" Steve asked, crossing his arms again and leaning back. He looked suave sitting like that: superior somehow as if he was some noble and the rest of them were peons.

Eddie shrugged and looked forward again, not wanting to get wrapped up in how Steve was posing.

"Just queer or something. Queer Alliance, Queer Club–I don't know."

"Not everyone likes being called... queer though, right?" Steve asked and Eddie noted that there was less hesitation in how he said the word compared to before.

"I guess, but not everyone likes being called gay either, so like..." Eddie half shrugged, hoping he made his point. He would much rather people individually choose what they wanted to be called and then just use the "big bad Q-word" as the universal phrase instead of cringing at it.

"Queer literally just means everyone who isn't cisgender and heterosexual, that's it. It's not that deep. The only people really pushing the 'don't say queer' agenda are people who hate that we can be united by the word and those who have been tricked by those people," Eddie said, sounding bored and a touch annoyed. He believed that pretty strongly actually, and hated that there always seemed to be this 'separation' between all the letters of the LGBTIQIA+ rather than unity. It was important for everyone to have an identity, but not when it created in-fighting.

"GSA!" Eddie yelled from the back of the room without warning, not even bothering to sit up.

Everyone stopped and looked at him, the silence drawing out a bit. It looked like someone was looking for an explanation before Eddie spoke up again.

"Genders and Sexualities Alliance," Eddie explained, sitting up a little now and crossing his arms again, "or Pride Club or something. You're never going to fit everyone into one acronym, so it's better to go broader."

"Okay..." Robin replied, obviously a little annoyed. She didn't seem to dislike the idea but probably wasn't grateful for the way the information was delivered.

"I still like LGBTIQA plus," someone offered which got a murmuring of replies.

Eddie shrugged, not too concerned about the attention being taken away from him again as the club went back to discussing.

"Y'all doing anything else today?" Eddie asked Steve quietly, sounding a bit put out. 

"I don't know," Steve snorted slightly, taking his phone out again and just sort of surfing. 

The next thirty minutes or so continued like that until the group had settled on four options to put on the ballet–two of which Eddie had suggested and that privately made his ego swell–before calling a close to the discussion. They had a week to think it over and then hand in their ballet at the beginning of the next club day before they came to a conclusion.

Much to Eddie's relief though after the discussion the club seemed to devolve into something more fun. Games were brought out and there was a rousing round of Cards Against Humanity that Eddie actually enjoyed. People broke off into little groups after some time and just socialized, with no real structure to it at all. Robin and two other girls–Hannah and Vickie–split off to gather with Steve and Eddie as the club's older members. Hannah was in Steve's grade and rather sporty from what Eddie could tell–volleyball or something–but he had never interacted with her at all. And Vickie seemed to be Robin's age; Eddie could remember vaguely seeing her at a house party or two he had been to in the past. He couldn't be sure, but at the time he had thought she was with a boyfriend and had quietly noted that he seemed like an ass. He was from out of town or something, and seemed to be older than Vickie–maybe out of high school old. He hadn't really liked that all too much, especially since the crowd they were all hanging out with was a bit rougher. That didn't mean much to Eddie himself–hanging out with pot-heads and punks was kind of a given for him–but Vickie was 15 and already seemed to be getting in over her head.

It was an enjoyable visit and Eddie decided by the end of it that he liked Vickie and confirmed that he thought Robin was pretty cool too. She was a nerd and while Vickie seemed to be much softer-spoken and a bit more "basic," she didn't lack interest or involvement in the conversation. Hannah on the other hand felt just too... sporty. It wasn't even like a butch sporty, Eddie couldn't really put his finger on it, but it felt like she just didn't have a ton of options for queer people her age so she hung out here even though it wasn't really her scene. Whatever though, it didn't really matter, Eddie was the odd one out too in this scenario.

Club closed and Robin locked the classroom door as they all left, the younger crowd having filtered out earlier while Steve and Robin had stuck behind to close up. Eddie had lingered and secretly hoped Steve would offer him a ride home again. It felt a bit presumptuous of him, but they lived near one another, and... they seemed to be getting along. Robin had stuck around though and was even bumping shoulders with Steve as they walked out towards the parking lot. It was nice actually. It was nice seeing that Robin and Steve got on so well and Eddie couldn't help but think that Steve’s smile looked a bit more genuine compared to how it was in the hallway when he was talking to his jock friends. 

"You need a ride?" Steve asked, half looking over his shoulder at Eddie. 

"Uh, yeah, sure," Eddie stammered a bit, hands stuffed in his pockets. He had been looking for that question and he privately hoped he hadn't come across as desperate for having hung around. 

"No complaining about what we listen to, Munson," Robin threatened as he trotted towards Steve's car and got to the passenger's side before anyone else could.

Oh, great. Robin was coming too.... Eddie supposed this was their routine after weeks and weeks of club meetings. Steve probably gave her a ride most days. That was nice, but Eddie couldn't help but feel a jealous twist in his gut.

"You're a proper chauffeur," Eddie commented, trying to keep the moodiness out of his tone as he went to the back seat and got in.

Steve shrugged and didn't make a fuss over any of it as Robin fiddled with the radio dial before settling on some kind of pop station. Charming.

Eddie stayed quiet for most of the ride and despite being annoyed that he wasn't up front he had to admit he liked watching Robin and Steve interact. They were both animated and would talk over one another, arguing here and there about nothing in particular. It was fun and had Eddie smiling by the time they got to Robin's place. Even then, Robin had sat in the car for an extra 10 minutes so the two of them could finish their 'fight.' She didn't leave until Eddie chimed in finally.

"Okay, Jesus H. Christ, Buckley," Eddie grumbled in a good-natured way, getting out of the car and going to the passenger's side door. "Get going, Lord, not all of us have until midnight to get to their front porch. I'm sure this conversation can rage on tomorrow."

"Jealous much?" Robin asked, scoffing and crossing her arms. "You're just trying to get Stevie here all to yourself."

Eddie scowled at her, still holding the door open. While that was partly true, it wasn't for anything nefarious and genuinely Eddie was getting bored with waiting in the backseat while Thing 1 and Thing 2 hotly debated whether or not Justin Bieber's "redemption" was real or not. Eddie seriously did not care about celebrity news and had zero interest in learning more. 

Robin did eventually get out and say her goodbyes which had Eddie sighing dramatically before he eventually climbed into the front seat where she had been previously. The first thing he did was turn off the radio and then glance at Steve who was laughing a bit and leaning on his steering wheel. Eddie paused, his stomach turning before dramatically putting his hand to his forehead.

"Aaaalllooooonnnee at llaaaaasssstt," he sang, putting on an exaggerated version of the piece 'At Last' only to realize that the song was something of a love song. 

Steve chuckled anyway, shifting his car back into gear. 

"What?" He asked, looking amused but confused. 

"Etta James?" Eddie asked, lifting a brow at Steve. He was shocked he didn't know the song. It was a classic and even though he didn't listen to a lot of music outside of punk, metal, and rock, he still knew Etta James. 

Steve gave him a confused look, obviously not recognizing the name.

"Come on man," Eddie egged on, "At Last by Etta James. Release in 1960? You gotta know her, it's like... a really popular song."

"A popular song in the 60s? You know I wasn't alive, right?" Steve teased back which got an eye roll from Eddie in return.

"Har, har, and I was?"

"How am I supposed to know?" Steve quipped, driving off towards the trailer park, "I'd believe it if you told me you were a vampire."

Eddie snorted, leaning back in his seat before taking his fingers and putting them up by his mouth to mime fangs.

"Ah, yes, it is I–you have discooovered by deeeepest secret. I, Edward Munson, am in fact a vam-PIRE! And I simply love attending high school like a freaking weeeeiirdo as if I lived in Grand Forks. Curses, you must keep my secret Steben, for I know where-ist you liiiiive," Eddie joked, putting on an over-the-top Transylvanian accent which spurred a laugh from Steve in turn.

Eddie smiled at him before lowering his hands, feeling pleased with himself.

"Grand Forks?" Steve asked for clarification, pinching his brows together.

"Yeah, Twilight or whatever," Eddie answered before pausing for a moment, "I think it's Grand Forks? Maybe just Forks? I don't know man, I never actually read or watched the damn thing. Kind of ruined vampires in my opinion."

Steve laughed a bit again, obviously not having much of an opinion on the matter. The Twilight movies had been pretty big in the last couple of years and it was hard to avoid retaining at least some knowledge about it. Still, Eddie had avoided the books and the movies like the plague and had felt pretty strongly that Twilight truly had ruined the legitimately cool image that most fantasy vampires had before they sparkled and crap. 

"Ruined vampires, huh?" Steve asked, sounding entertained by the idea.

"Oh, shut up, vampires are cool–or were cool, whatever," Eddie quipped back, crossing his arms and looking out the window. Honestly, he was a bit embarrassed for having gone on about vampires and nearly sung a love song to Steve. He liked that Steve was friendly, but he sort of forgot that they weren't really friends and his usual weird antics might not be cool to bring around this space, yet. 

"Name one," Steve said suddenly and Eddie looked at him with shock. He was being invited to talk about vampires of all things? Did Steve even care? Or was he just on an argument kick from his conversation with Robin?

"And it can't be Dracula," Steve explained further, the two of them starting to get close to the trailer park.

"Oh, I can't comment on thee classic vampire, and I only get like 5 minutes to convince you?" Eddie asked, smiling despite himself.

"Tick-tock, Munson," Steve sighed sarcastically.

"Fine–jeez. Uh, vampire? Well, we can get all into Buffy the Vampire Slayer if you want–and no, it's not just about killing vampires. Some vampires are pretty chill, good even, but you've got Camilla and Spike–"

"Spike?" Steve interrupted, laughing incredulously. 

"Don't! His name is stupid, I get it, but he's pretty cool. Him and Angel are–"

"Angel?"

"Oh, shut up! Angel is a bit of a priss until he turns evil, but Spike is like kinda evil but then a begrudging good guy. Anti-hero style," Eddie could see his trailer coming up, and felt pressed to explain in length why Spike was a cool vampire after all. 

"Okay–I'll just leave with like, my fav line he's ever said. Classic really," Eddie was unbuckling as Steve crept up towards his place, still looking amused.

"So he's like going by Buffy's house or whatever and she comes out all accusatory and is like 'what are you doing here?' and before he can answer she cuts him off and is all 'explain in five words or less.' So, Spike–who dresses like a total punk by the way, bleach blonde hair and red leather jacket and stuff–looks so put-out and lifts his hand and goes: out for a walk... bitch," Eddie explained, half posing and delivering the line with the same level of enunciation Spike originally used in the show. 

Steve snorted slightly, pinching his brows together at Eddie's rushed explanation, watching him. Eddie wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not, but Steve seemed entertained at least.

"Sounds... interesting," he finally said and Eddie could tell he wasn't actually all that interested.

"Whatever man, you have to see it. If you ever have time, I highly recommend 'What We Do in the Shadows.' It's a mockumentary about vampires in New Zealand and it's genuinely hilarious,"  Eddie said, trying to cover his anxiety with a hand wave as he let himself out of the car. 

"Okay?" Steve answered, confused in the same way he had been when Eddie explained why he didn't want his picture taken.

"It's good, trust me," Eddie huffed, half hanging out of the door of Steve's car.

"Alright, man. Let's watch it sometime then," Steve offered nonchalantly. 

Eddie didn't process the offer right away, too busy trying to get his limbs to work properly so he could climb out of Steve's car without face-planting. He was standing with the door open before he realized what had been said and he had to bend over to look at Steve inside the front of the cab. 

"What?" Eddie asked, knowing full well what he had heard, but not really believing it.

"Yeah, we'll watch it sometime or whatever," Steve repeated, not even looking at him as he adjusted his stick shift.

"Oh... sure," Eddie replied a bit weakly before swallowing thickly. He had been lingering for too long already, and he felt self-conscious about prolonging Steve's stay any longer. 

"Well, later then," Eddie concluded, carefully shutting Steve's door and hovering for a moment before Steve pulled away. It wasn't night this time so Steve didn't really need to wait for Eddie to get inside–not that Steve really had to wait at all for something like that. Well, maybe for girls he guessed....

Eddie covered a flush as he walked to his front door considering the fact that usually you'd wait for someone to get inside if you were either their parent or their date. It was something you did for girls you took out to make sure they didn't get jumped going to their house at night, which... sort of made Eddie feel soft for some reason. It wasn't like Steve was teasing him or calling him weak, maybe it was just habit, but Eddie couldn't deny that it had been a vaguely romantic gesture.

Eddie shook the thoughts off as he rolled his shoulders and walked to his room. He felt utterly stupid and he hated that he wanted to impress Steve. Maybe impress wasn't the right word, but he wanted Steve to like him. It felt like such a desperate plea for a friendship and he quietly wondered if he was barking up the wrong tree. He wasn't going to college next year–he wasn't even going to apply, he couldn't afford tuition and there was no reason to go into debt over a degree he didn't want–which meant he was stuck in Hawkins for a while yet. Sure, he wouldn't get as many opportunities to meet guys his own age he didn't already know sticking around here, but it sort of felt lame to be holding out for a friendship with Steve. They really didn't have anything in common. He wouldn't be trying so hard if Steve wasn't so... nice. Like he was surprisingly nice and Eddie wondered idly if he had always been this nice or if that was a new thing that came along with coming out.

PT4

[goldeneyedgirl]

Tonight's Vibes

Anathema-verse: every time Alice sees Jasper, she gives him a hug. And every single time, he jumps a little because being casually touched is still unexpected, especially with affection. Alice notices but never says anything.