#wiggly worm wednesday

[someforeignband]

🪱Wiggly Worm Wednesday!🪱

having thoughts about eddie and steve going to visit steve’s grandmother! (im spending the week with my nanna and am having thoughts)

It starts with this nebulous idea that Steve’s parents didn’t want to take care of Francesca’s mother after her husband died, so they moved Steve’s maternal grandmother to a 65+ community in Sun City, Arizona. Just like their son, they’d much rather ship off Franny’s mother instead of dealing with her needs. So, they leave sweet Cecilia in a massive 2,900 square foot condo in the Arizona desert, all by herself.

One afternoon in march, Steve gets a call from his Nonna. She explains she has had some plumbing issues and neither Franny, nor Richard is returning her calls. She complains that there’s palm fronds in her yard, and with the state of her back, she just can’t fix all of these things on her own.

“How do you feel about a trip to Arizona?” Steve would ask Eddie, after a two-and-a-half hour long conversation with his grandmother.

Thusly, a PanAm flight to Phoenix was booked. It was Eddie’s first time on a plane. Despite his nerves prior to getting on the flight, he has a marvelous time. Eddie discovers that he loves turbulence and puts his hands up and giggles the whole time.

Steve, to Eddie’s dismay, is the exact opposite. He squeezes the armrest the entire 3.5 hour flight. He can’t stand how relaxed Eddie is, not understanding how someone like Eddie could just be so calm.

Once they land, Steve tries to brief Eddie on his Nonna’s disposition. “She’s sort of a firecracker, Eddie. Very particular about pretty much everything. I’m sorry if she’s mean to you.”

Eddie tells him not to worry about it, assures him they’ll get through the weekend.

To Steve’s delight (and Eddie’s utter surprise), Nonna takes to Eddie like a fish to water. He can talk about the Bible with her. Wayne’s been pretty devout his whole life, so when Eddie makes a comment about her dish towel with Philippians 4:6-7 printed on it, Steve knows Eddie’s going to practically be family.

Cece is ecstatic to be able to show the boy pictures of Italia and tell him stories about her upbringing. She shows him pictures of Franny, pictures of her late husband, and her collection of photos of Steve’s baptism. It keeps Cece distracted, while Steve gets to work fixing her kitchen plumbing.

Steve can’t help but grin to himself like a madman as he tinkers with her pipes, listening to his Nonna and his boyfriend volley back and forth. Sharp as whips, the both of them, and god it was nice to watch Eddie get on with someone who was blood to him.

Steve didn’t have much family that bothered to be in his life.

It was nice.

And best of all— at least for Nonna— Eddie can eat her food. Eddie can seriously put it away. Steve stops after one helping of Parmigiana di Melanzane, but Eddie has two more servings, and saves room for dessert.

“Eat up, Edoardo,” Cece pats his cheek. “Too skinny, Stephano. You starving him?”

“Never, Nonna,” Steve laughs, shaking his head, watching Eddie shovel another spoonful into his mouth, grinning at Steve across the dining room table.

Despite the fact that they’ve been seeing each other for a few months, after dancing around each other for the better part of two years—Eddie’s feeling things about Steve fixing his grandmas plumbing, doing yard work, etc. The flush in Steve’s face, hands on his hips, complaining about the state of the yard: Eddie’s never felt more in love (and other tingly, warm sensations).

Further, Eddie watches Steve and Cece scream at each other in stilted Italian as she tries to pick up a scorpion and take it outside with her bare hands. Finally, after about forty-five seconds of screaming and the scorpion trying to wiggle away, Steve takes Eddie’s boot and smacks the thing with a scared squeal. It crunches under the sole and twitches a few times before dying on the salmon colored tile, guts splattered everywhere.

“You handled that well,” Eddie muses, once the whole ordeal is over, taking a dishcloth and floor cleaner, scrubbing at the thing’s guts.

“I couldn’t let her get stung. She’s seventy-nine!” Steve says, then shudders. “I never wanna do that again.”

Later that night, Eddie sips coffee out of a lumpy clay mug, a Stephano Original, while she and Steve play rummy. Catching eyes over the table, they smile at each other, knowingly. After a while, Eddie gets tired, slinking off to the office, where Cecilia had set him up with an air mattress.

Before Steve retires to the spare bedroom that night, his Nonna pulls him aside, wrapping him in a warm hug.

“Ti voglio,” She whispers, kissing his temple, smoothing his hair back.

“I love you too,” Steve answers quietly, thrown off by the unexpected display of affection.

“And,” She pauses, scrunching her dark eyebrows together, deciding exactly what to say. “I really like that boy, Stephano.”

Steve’s chest fills with warmth, not knowing exactly if she means what he hopes she means. But at that moment, he’ll take it.

“Me, too, Nonna.” He whispers, grinning at her. “Me, too.”

TAGGING ONLY @yours-etc!!!! WRITE SOMETHING I MISS YOUR WRITING

[starshideurfics]

Wiggly Worm Wednesday 🧠🪱

Thanks for tagging me @bilbosmom-belladonna!! It took me forever to remember to do this on a Wednesday, but my obsession with historical omegaverse continues, and I’ve got one that I’m excited to work on once my current WIPs are finished.

It’s based on a historical practice (I think mostly from the medieval German kingdoms) called a foot of the gallows marriage, where a condemned person could be saved if someone offered to marry them, no matter the crime. So, I thought it was ripe to Steddie-fy:

Eddie’s the son of the village drunk, and with poor church attendance and no trade he becomes an easy target when the Cunningham girl is found dead on the edge of the wood. The conviction is swift, no matter how much he protests his innocence.

All of Hawkins turns out for the hanging, hungry for vengeance, whipped to a fury by the girl’s betrothed. Which leaves them all dumbfounded when the prized omega son of the richest family in town offers to marry Eddie just before the noose is tightened around his neck.

They’re married immediately, in front of the gallows tree. Eddie is pardoned, the crowd filled with whispers over why such an upstanding omega would choose to tie himself for life to one such as Eddie. 

Eddie is just as confused. For how small Hawkins is, he’s rarely interacted with Steve, so all he can do is ask, “Why?” 

Steve simply takes his hand and whispers, “Not here.” Fearing a riot, the sheriff rushes them away, bringing the couple to his house first safekeeping. 

Once they’re alone, Steve says, “I don’t think you did it. Christine was my friend. She kept talking about wanting to leave Hawkins. To take holy vows. But no one would listen to her… Plenty of people had reasons to hurt her, but not you.”

No obligation tags for @hullosweetpea, @itcanbepalped, @mixsethaddams, and anyone else who wants in!

[wheneverfeasible]

🧠🪱Wiggly Wednesday🪱🧠

Thank you for the tags @scoops-aboy86 and @endlessmusings1801!

Okay so hear me out. This was a worm I’ve been thinking about lately, which is bizarre, because it isn’t inherently Steddie…

But we get all kinds of fics of if Eddie and/or Robin were pulled into things earlier than their seasons. But…

What if Tommy and Carol were pulled into things with Steve? Like, picture it…

Instead of ditching Steve after his fight with Jonathan, Steve and Tommy and Carol hash it out a bit more, get into a bigger argument maybe even, and maybe they do separate for a bit. But then they’re still friends, so maybe they huff and puff about it but they talk things out too. Maybe Steve even gets to somewhat convince them that they should all apologize, even if Tommy and Carol don’t really want to or care all that much.

So all three of them go to do so, and all three of them see the demogorgon, and all three of them have that life altering paradigm shift. Maybe Carol and Tommy don’t change completely, at least not immediately, but they’re forced to confront that there’s more than just high school popularity contests, and maybe they become just that little bit of better people.

Maybe Carol and Nancy have a genuine talk, genuinely open up to each other, and no one can ever replace Barb of course, but it’s nice to have another female friend, even if they’re pretty much polar opposites.

Tommy isn’t fond of Jonathan at all, because demogorgon aside, it was creep behavior taking photos of them like that. Tommy helps pitch in to get Jonathan his new camera though, because he egged on Steve’s insecurities (brought on by the fact that Steve’s dad has cheated on his mom so he’s really sensitive to potential cheating in partners) and he guesses he’s partly to blame. He rolls his eyes about it, but Steve is happy he has his friend beside him still.

Tommy and Carol don’t really take to the kids much, but Carol does secretly enjoy getting into bitching sessions with Mike, and later Erica.

When Billy shows up, maybe Tommy and Carol start backsliding. Maybe they have to have a big blowup. Maybe they aren’t there when Steve gets dragged in helping Dustin, at least not immediately, but maybe they hear about Steve dealing with that without them because they chose Billy and they just…they…

They can’t believe they left Steve to deal with that horror by himself. They feel guilty and terrible and they tell Billy off. They can’t believe they chose some stupid popularity that doesn’t even matter over the guy that literally went to bat for them. They’re at the end with him, apologizing for not being there before, and they become even better people.

They come around to lovingly tease Steve at his job at Scoops, wheedling free ice cream out of him. And who knows, maybe telling Billy off changes the third season, maybe them being there, better people and supportive of Steve changes things, maybe the three of them can even change Billy to an extent. Maybe, Steve and Tommy and Carol and Billy hashing it all out and coming to terms with the toxicity of high school and judgemental parents and a society that believes you need to be a certain way to matter…maybe it changes things for the better.

Idk. I’ve just always wondered how things would have gone if Tommy and Carol had been exposed to the truth the first season.

And then blah blah blah, Steve and Eddie eventually fuck about it. Because I am nothing if not a Steddie truther in everything. And who knows…maybe Robin and Carol fuck about it also 😏

-

Hostage tag: @derythcorvinus

Co-Hostage tag for this: @katyawriteswhump

No pressure participation tag: @stervrucht (I know you’ve been tagged already but lmao I’m tagging YOU first this time anyways lmaoooo) @fkinkindagauche @steddiecameraroll @henderdads @queenie-ofthe-void

[bilbosmom-belladonna]

Wiggly Worm Wednesday 🧠🪱

Thanks for the tag, @soaringornithopter! I’ve never played this game before, and I happen to have been recently attacked by gifted with a new story idea that I definitely don’t have time to write in the near future. So I’ll share it here!

It’s a Steddie omegaverse fic set after Season 2…

Steve Harrington is an omega without a pack. For most of high school he was in a pack with Tommy and Carol, but after things fell apart with them he and Nancy (an alpha) became a little pack of their own. But after they broke up she’d decided to end the pack as well; they’re still friends, but not packmates. Steve’s other friendships aren’t nearly deep enough to make a pack, and while the kids from The Party are great they’re too young to have presented yet, so they can’t be part of Steve’s pack.

And on the surface, that’s fine. Most people his age are still part of their family pack, and their pack of friends isn’t their primary one. Steve being packless at school shouldn’t be a big deal—except it is, because Steve’s parents are out of town so much these days that any pack benefits they once provided him are long gone.

Omegas have to be part of a pack to survive long-term, or go on medication to prevent isolation sickness. But that medication is tightly controlled because it has a euphoric effect on healthy omegas—thank you, Nancy Reagan. Steve’s parents won’t let him get a prescription (“It can’t be that bad, you have so many school friends, dear! What about your little friend Tommy?”) and Steve is too embarrassed to go crawling back to any of his former packs.

So, out of options, Steve goes to Eddie Munson, alpha and resident drug dealer, and pretends that he wants the isolation sickness drug just to get high. Eddie clocks the symptoms of an omega in distress right away, and he knows he doesn’t have a large enough supply to help for long, but he gets Steve the pills and keeps his mouth shut. After all, it’s none of his business what King Steve gets up to in his private life and Eddie has a policy of not getting too involved with his customers. It’s less messy that way.

But every time Steve comes back for more pills he looks worse and worse; they’re clearly not cutting it. One day he actually collapses in the middle of a deal, right there on the picnic table. Panicking, and with his alpha instincts clamoring, Eddie invites Steve to become a member of his pack with the Corroded Coffin boys. And Steve is just desperate enough to take him up on it.

Things are about to get pretty messy after all.

~~~~~~~~

There’s more, but I’ll leave it there for now. Maybe one day I’ll actually write it!

Who wants to share their own brainworms??? I’ll tag @starshideurfics @mojowitchcraft @loverboy-havocboy and @violentcheese. No pressure, of course.

[carolperkinsexgirlfriend]

Wiggly Wednesday 🧠🪱

Tagged by @medusapelagia (sort of), but mostly by @eriquin who sent me their post after I complained that no one tagged me the one time that I actually had one ready! Lol.

Anyway!!!! I wanted to do this, mostly so I wouldn't start a new WIP, but then I had such a specific vision of how this wiggly worm fic would start that I accidentally wrote 1k just now instead of just...explaining it. SO:

Robin can’t sleep. These days, she never can, and even when she does, it’s the dreams that get her. Sometimes, Steve’s there, sometimes he’s already gone, and the space where he should be rots the world straight through. 

Sometimes, it’s Steve alive, sitting by her side and laughing the same way they had in the stupid Starcourt bathroom, dirty sneakers knocking together.

Those are the worst.

She should be used to it, but the loss hits fresh each time she wakes; an open wound she can’t quite curl around. She can still feel his hand in hers, warm even as her sweat-damp body slowly dries and sends shivers racking through her. 

Steve Harrington is haunting her. 

So, when she wakes up from a dream and that hole opens up in her heart all over again, she does what she always does now: she propels down the side of her house, grabs the bike she’d strategically left leaning up against the toolshed, and peddled like the Mind Flayer was on her heels. 

Hawkins is dark around her. 

The shadows loom, stretching out to ensnare the wheels of her bike until she’s snatched up just like Will Byers has been. She’s not afraid; all her ghosts lay behind her. 

She’s got a system to it now. First, it’s the Wheeler and Sinclair residences, both with motion-sensored security lights that stop her from lingering. Then it’s the Henderson’s, always silent and dark by this time of night.

She’d used to ride by the Byers’ next, but it’s dark and vacant now, all its residents moved on to sunnier pastures, another hole carved straight into the group, just as deep as Hopper’s or—

The Harrington house looms, windows dark the way they are every time she rides past. As far as she can tell, the Harrington’s haven’t been back since the funeral, had barely stuck around long enough to sprinkle dirt on his coffin before jetting off to god knows where. 

She’s never even been inside. 

It’s a bit of a ride to the Mayfield’s trailer, now that her stepdad seems to have permanently split and left Max’s Mom scrambling to keep a roof over their head and food in the fridge. 

Robin doesn’t mind. The more her calf muscles burn, the less room she has in her head for thoughts. Maybe that’s why all the jocks enjoy their sports so much. Robin swallows the thought, lets it sink like led to the pit of her stomach never to be thought of again. 

She pedals faster, still. 

Even with how densely packed the trailer park is, no one’s ever out this late. It’s always just her and the dark slowly fading away, the glimmers of a gray dawn’s light filtering through the blanketing black of the night. Sometimes, a dog barks, or she can just barely hear the sound of a TV left on in the night. 

This time, she can hear someone laughing, so clear in the dead air that it must be coming from outside. Robin pedals past the Mayfield’s trailer, the sound of her tires turning loud against the trailer park’s gravel drive. 

There’s never anyone out here, but as she rounds the corner, she catches sight of Eddie Munson’s distinct messy mop of hair cascading down his back. He’s sitting on the edge of a picnic table, the porch light of a nearby trailer barely illuminating him. His rings glint in the light, and it’s cold enough that he’s got a jacket on. 

A very distinct green and gold letterman jacket with the white sleeves rolled up to his elbows, showing off a riot of black tattoos. Eddie Munson, third time senior, showing his school spirit. Will wonders never cease?

The guy throws his head back and laughs like someone’s said something funny. He even seems to jam his elbow into the space beside him, like he’s expecting it to meet flesh. 

But, there’s no one there.

Maybe he’s got one of the walkie-talkie’s the kids are always using and the rest had been a trick of the light? But, then she catches the skunky scent of marajuana, and the mystery gets a lot less mysterious. 

The dude’s just high. 

Robin’s in the middle of turning her bike around, hoping he doesn’t hear her tires past his own tomfoolery when a breeze hits, sending shivers through her, and sending Munson’s hair flying with the breeze. 

On his back, emblazoned in big, capital fuck-you letters, is the name HARRINGTON.

She slams on the brakes so hard that her tires skid out on the gravel, sending rocks ricocheting all around her as just barely manages to stay on her feet as her bike drops to the ground, forgotten. 

Eddie squeaks at the sound, leaping up from his perch on the picnic table to spin around, back to the wood, and hands raised, joint somehow still tucked between two knuckles. 

His hands drop as Robin storms up to him, something hot and viscous coursing through her. She wants to rip the jacket from his back, punch him in the eye, and leave him there, bruised and swollen to think about his fucking actions.

She stands there, shaking. 

“Buckley?” Eddie asks, squinting down at her like she’s a particularly bizarre new species of avian. “What are you wearing?” 

Only then does she remember she’s still in her pajamas, hair plastered to her face with sweat. She’s not even wearing socks, much less shoes. She doesn’t care.

“What am I wearing?” Robin asks, jamming her finger so hard into his chest that it hurts her knuckle. “What are you wearing?”

Eddie looks down at himself, brow furrowed like he doesn’t even know what he’s fucking done. “My pajamas?”

Robin screams deep in her throat. She pushes Eddie in the chest, and he goes sprawling awkwardly on the picnic table as Robin yanks at the sleeve of the jacket. He slaps her hands away, shrieking something that sounds strangely like, “your girlfriend’s crazy, dude!” as he scuttles backward until he’s on the other side of the picnic table. As if that will protect him. 

She’s faced down monsters. She’d face worse, for Steve, and a three-time super senior is nothing. 

“Look,” he says, empty hands raised in supplication. The joint must’ve fallen in their tussle. Good. “Did you take something? Because, I can–”

“Take?” she demands, fists clenched at her sides as Eddie flinches at the volume of her voice. Somewhere in the distance, that same dog starts barking. She doesn’t care. “You took his jacket.”

At the last word, her voice breaks. Horrifically, embarrassingly, she can feel tears pooling in her eyes, only moments away from cascading down her face. All dignity gone, Robin drops to the bench of the picnic table and buries her face in her hands. 

The silence between them is acute. Even the dog stops barking, like the entire trailer park is holding its breath. 

So, she knows she hears correctly when Eddie Munson says, “Uh, Stevie,” in a quiet voice, like he’s trying not to let her hear, even though she’s only three feet away. “Help me out here?

Okay, so picture this: Steve dies during the battle of starcourt, but after the bathroom scene. I'm thinking, a brain bleed because come on, did you see his face? So, they've bonded, Robin came out to the guy, they become starter platonic soulmates, and then he up and DIES.

And then here's Eddie, who's been literally haunted by Steve since that day. They've bonded. He wants to hold his hand so bad. Steve told him to steal his stuff to keep it from his parents. He collects the freshman after Steve talks them up.

So, things are pretty good! He's sharing a joint with a ghost, and here comes said ghosts platonic soulmate, left out of the loop, downright FURIOUS that a presumed hater of jokes would where her dingus's jacket.

My no pressure tags are: @eriquin @devondespresso @museumgiftshoperaser @queenie-ofthe-void @strangersteddierthings <3<3<3

[derythcorvinus]

🧠🪱 Wiggly Wednesday 🧠🪱

Okay so I finally had something take over my brain for one of these things. So, please hear me out. Thank you for the tag @wheneverfeasible!

Steve develops hip problems

Just walk with me here.

I don't know how accurate any of this would be, and it's based on my (very) limited knowledge of my own hip problems. But imagine with all the years of sports, and eventually getting shoved to the ground then being yanked to the bottom of the lake and slammed onto the ground of a dry lake bed; one of Steve's hips gets jostled enough times to start causing issues.

It doesn't start until a few years after everything, but when it does start Steve just thinks it's a one time thing. He's doing stretches or some shit and his hip started to hurt and feel like it's about to pop out of the socket. He adjusts his stance, having a mini panic attack until the pain is gone. He calms himself down and eventually forgets about it.

Until it happens again.

Now, Steve laughs it off, seeing as he's with the party at the time. He stood up from fiddling with the cables behind the entertainment center, trying to find the blasted cord for the record player. He stands to full height and his hip catches, making him falter and suck in a sharp breath. But when he sees all the concerned looks, he laughs it off and tells them he stood up too fast and got a little dizzy.

Of course, with this being Steve, he doesn't say anything to anyone about it until he absolutely needs to. Imagine he and Eddie are curled up on a couch watching a movie and with the position Steve's legs are in, his hip starts to ache with that sharp pain. The only issue is that Eddie has Steve's leg trapped between his. Steve doesn't mean to but he tenses, sucks in that sharp breath again and pushes at Eddie's leg. “Off. Oh my god oh my god off.”

Eddie of course moves and sits up, wondering why the hell Steve is laughing while also looking like he's about to panic. Steve's hands are pressing into his bad hip and Eddie blinks down at his boyfriend. Steve explains that his hip was starting to hurt and answers any questions that Eddie has about it.

His hip seems to age faster than Steve does. It gets to a point where Eddie and Steve both laugh about it, especially when it happens during their spicy alone time. They both know that Steve will have to have hip replacement surgery if it gets worse, but Eddie has already promised to get him the best custom cane to ever exist if that happens.

Yeah, that's it. Just needed to add some more physical trauma to Stevie boy. No other moots to tag, but hey, I like participating sometimes

[formosusiniquis]

🪱 Wiggle Wednesday🪱

Thank you @paperbackribs who tagged me last week, I saw it while I was in class and immediately forgot until I saw people posting their things today. But I'm always excited to share my current brainworms

This is a scene from a fic that I pick at every now and then, so it's basically always on the brain. It started as something about Lucas and Steve and trying to explain away the slight anachronism of Steve (popular and rich) being in Nikes before Jordan made them cool (thank you Air) and it has turned into something much more about Lucas and also his Mom relating through a shared love of basketball and Steve is also there.

It’s a Friday night after the end of the world, and strangely Lucas is at a basketball game.

Or maybe it’s only strange because it’s so normal.

A Friday night in a small town and there isn’t much to do except support the home team. Only Mom won’t watch football, she calls it barbaric, so she reserves all her team spirit for November when basketball season starts. Lucas’ skin itches a little under the Hawkins Tigers shirt he’s wearing, as he’s pretending to be normal when a couple weeks ago he learned monsters were real. What can he do though? Mrs. Byers has Will on house arrest, Mike is still mourning Eleven, and Dustin hasn’t been allowed out since Will’s Lazarus act.

Maybe he’s being too sensitive. Steve is here, who Lucas mostly knows from Mike complaining about being Nancy’s stupid boyfriend. Steve is playing like everything is fine, even though Lucas knows Steve knows. He heard whispering about it with Nancy when he went to the bathroom the last time he was at Mike’s. But Steve is smiling as he paces down the court. Miles better than the other players around him, when Steve has the ball Lucas feels like he does when he’s watching a real basketball game on the couch with his Mom.

If Steve can act like things are normal. If he can sink three pointer after rebound after assist, maybe it’s okay that Lucas is wearing his Tiger green. He floats down the court and everyone cheers. But no one cheers right. When #21 Hagan gets a rebound off of Seymour’s best player, a girl’s voice screams so loud it makes his throat hurt. No one cheers that way for Steve. It’s just excitement for the game, not for him and the way he is playing.

When the game ends, Hawkins 73: Seymour 42, and the crowd storms the court Lucas stands by his Mom in the bleachers. She hates feeling the push of the crowd against her and as he gets older, and people’s hands get rougher, he’s starting to understand. He’s too old to be caught standing by his Mom though. After everything, he knows better than to move too far away from her; going to the game with your Mom is one thing, being the kid getting called out over the intercom because she can’t find you would be life ruining.

Lucas watches the thinning crowd while he waits. Parents and girlfriends crowding their sweaty players. He doesn’t want to get caught looking at any of those boys for too long now that they aren’t playing. He isn’t sure why. So he keeps looking for something familiar.

Steve is standing beside a short, dark haired man who’s got what his father calls a beer gut. He doesn’t look anything like Steve, but he’s also the only adult anywhere near him. He’s the only person at all that’s really near Steve. They’re talking excitedly about something. He claps Steve on the back and whatever he says next has Steve looking down toward the floor.

“Is that Steve’s dad?” he asks his mom before thinking about why that might be a weird question to ask her.

“Who?” The way she says it makes him sure she hadn’t actually heard the question. She’d caught a name, when he interrupted her conversation with the lady next to them, but not enough to answer. It’s a free chance to drop the issue. To say sorry, never mind, and go back to watching people move on the floor below them.

“That guy,” she slaps his hand down as he goes to point. “The guy next to Steve, number 8, is that his dad?”

“How do you know him?” The question, instead of an answer, startles him enough that he looks at her instead of Steve. Stern, he knows he doesn’t want to lie to her, but he also isn’t sure how to say that this random high school boy saved two of his best friends’ older siblings' lives.

“He’s Nancy’s boyfriend. Mike talks about him.”

If he’d just waited. He would have gotten his question answered without asking Mom. They both watch as that man says one more thing to Steve, shakes his hand, and walks out of the gym. “I don’t see Nancy here.” Because they both know he doesn’t really need his other question answered anymore.

“I don’t think she really likes sports.”

Mom sucks her teeth, a judgmental tchk that has heat climbing the back of his neck when it's not even for him. "Well that's a shame, he's a good player." There's finally enough space on the floor that they could leave. He wants, desperately, for them to just go cause something about this conversation is making him feel guilty again. "Do you want to to say hi?"

There's nothing he wants less than that. Lucas thinks if he has to go up to this guy, who went toe to toe with a monster, while his mom trails behind he'll die. Lucas thinks if he says hi to a guy who has only seen him maybe twice in the context of Mike Wheeler's house, and has to sit there while Steve blankly accepts his congrats he'll melt into the floor.

"Can we just go home? I still have homework."

And some tags to @fuctacles, @cauldronoflove, @thefreakandthehair, @stevespookington, @stevieharringtonwifeguy

@eriquin, @grasslandgirl, @augustjustice, and anyone else who wants to play!

[queenie-ofthe-void]

Wiggly-Worm Wednesday Thursday

Tagged by one of my faves @devondespresso

My worms this week are one thing I'm just tossing around and one fic I'm pouring my soul into.

The Brain Worm

For almost a year I've been tossing around a Moulin Rogue Steddie AU. I've had trouble feeling satisfied about casting, which is the main reason I've put it off. But earlier this week I was listening to my Steddie playlist at work, and picked out a bunch of songs to replace the originals, which got me all worked up again. So this is what I've got so far.

Steve is Satine and Eddie is Christian. Dustin is Tolouse and the boys are the rest of that group, with Lucas as the Argentinian (I want him and Max for the Roxanne dance -- but won't be violent in my fic, just strained). Billy is The Duke and Jason is his Bodyguard. Thought about making it Tommy, but The Bodyguard hunts Christian almost the whole time, hence Jason. I mostly just can't decide who's going to be Harold.

My main goal with the playlist is to still keep it 80s Steddie themed, with pop songs for Steve and metal songs for Eddie.

Eddie's intro to Dustin and The Party (The Sound of Music part) will Be Stairway to Heaven

Steve/Satine's intro will be an ABBA medley including: Dancing Queen, Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!, and Money, Money, Money

The dance sequence that follows will include a lot of Queen including Don't Stop Me Now and Good Ol Fashioned Loverboy

Steve's Solo ontop of the Elephant will be Dancing in the Dark

I'm still putting together the Elephant Medley because that's my absolute favorite, but it will be a back and forth between metal and pop songs

But most importantly, I'm switching out Roxanne for Tainted Love. I honestly considered just keeping it, but Tainted Love is one of my favorite songs so I'm doing it lol

My WIP what I've been working on

A Litany for Survival by @theheartofthekoko aka @carolperkinsexgirlfriend

Been pouring my whole soul into beta editing this past week for Koko's A Litany for Survival. I've been helping out since December and they've wrapped everything up and uploaded to Ao3 WHICH IS SO FUCKING EXCITING ahhhh!!!! Goddamn babes you did it, birthed a whole 180k AU and it's so fucking good. Honestly so proud you though fr.

Now that that's finished, I'll be helping with a few spin-off one-shots in the same universe.

As for my own stuff, I'm going to work up another fic for the July microfic prompt One, but I'll do the 1,111 option since I've done Moles for 111. I really want to get back to my A Desperate Fool series, and I'm going back to The Babysitter Chronicles. I swear I'll finish it one day.

[after-the-end-times]

🪱 Wiggly Worm Wednesday 🪱

A scene in my head I keep thinking of fleshing out, but probably won't:

Steve and Eddie in the middle of a scene, Eddie's hands tied to the bedposts, and a hair keeps tickling his nose no matter how much he tries to subtly blow it away

And instead of stoplighting or safe wording out, he exasperatedly huffs out, "ok, time out!"

And Steve's just slightly confused and really endeared that that's what Eddie went with when he wanted to pause for a bothering hair

🪱🪱🪱🪱🪱🪱

Thanks @just-my-latest-hyperfixation for starting this! So much better than letting the ideas sit in my head with nowhere to go!

[mojowitchcraft]

Wiggly Worm Wednesday!! 🧠🪱

tagged by @someforeignband and @bilbosmom-belladonna 🩷

Full disclosure: my worms have been on strike lately!

I've bounced around working on different WIPs to try and get my writing mojo back, but nothing was really lighting that spark. I'm trying not to force things and just write when I feel like it. Also trying not to get too in my feels about it and hope that I'll be able to post things again.

Things I've got in the works and hope to finish one day:

Steddie Dads aka We Part To Meet Again Chapters 1 & 2 posted last year, I was working on Chapter 3 and need to finish outlining the overarching plot and figure out how long I actually want to make it (I originally projected 3 chapters)

Foot Fic Was an idea for sub eddie week where Eddie develops a foot kink that I didn't finish and need to get back to!

Underwear Fic Based on a tweet. I have a page or so written for it and would love to get back to it one day!

Frat Boy Steve aka Acta, Non Verba This one i've talked about lots, probably too much, and I'm grateful that I waited before posting any of it cause I've been back working on the doc the past couple weeks and I've changed some things and worked on the outline. I'm really excited about this one but I'm making myself wait to post any of it so I don't have another unfinished WIP looming over me

I have a bunch of other things I need to work on like finishing Bat Eddie aka Living In A Lunar Spell, and Part 10 of Night Drives but being burnt out and having writers block has been a challenge!

Sending my love to all the writers out there who are still trucking along and posting stuff, it's rough out there! Fingers crossed people still want to read my writing when I finally get back into posting again. 🤞

[lingeringmirth]

Wiggly Worm Wed-thursday!! 🧠🪱

Was tagged by @devondespresso!

-

I'm only just getting back to consistent writing after absconding to Scotland and then being sick (still sick, wear masks, children!), and am swamped with my bangs, but here's a brainworm anyway.

I keep thinking about movie-au's, or whatever they're called when you take the plot of a movie and use your blorbos. And, darlings, my fellow steddie-brainrot afflicted dears... I give you Romeo+Juliet, the Baz Luhrman movie, not the Shakespeare play. (I just wanted to specify, okay.)

It has EVERYTHING.

Eddie would, of course, be Romeo and Steve Juliet, although casting Stev as the hopeless romantic would be one's initial response, but no, the Capulet's ARE the Harrington's, especially Capulet senior (I forget his name, sorry!)

IDK who everyone else would be, maybe the Corroded Coffin boys are Eddie's posse, with Gareth being Mercutio (who has secretly been banging Tybalt, who is... dundundun, Billy.)

The priest would be Mr Clarke and Wayne would be both of Eddie-Romeo's parents.

Yeah. That's all I got. WIll likely never write this.

BONUS WORM!

You know that lovely old film, Some Like It Hot? Make it Stobin, is all I'm saying.

-

Sorry, too tired to tag anyone. Feel free to do this, if the mood strikes you!

[someforeignband]

🪱Wiggly Worm Wednesday!🪱

more of a wip wednesday, but! heres a snippet from Tie Em In A Knot, which i've been working on for the past couple weeks! CW: implied parental abuse; steve's dad is a piece of work and this (when i eventually post it,,,) will be DD so heed this warning now i suppose

Steve stares at his mother’s lifeless form, the bandages around the front of her head, the various tubes and machines hooked up to her body. 

Eddie doesn’t answer, but Steve can hear the squeaking of his boots’ soles on the tile floor, approaching his chair. 

“Visiting hours are over,” Steve states, crossing his arms and leaning back in the chair. “So, you’d better get out of here.” 

The boy behind him reaches out a ringed finger to flick at the dead flowers. “Those need a drink.” 

“How’d you even get up here, anyway?” Steve asks, beginning to get irritated by Eddie’s seeming lack of ability to respond to his statements. 

“Who gets flowers and doesn’t even get a plastic cup to put them in?” Eddie asks, still completely ignoring Steve, finger running along the emaciated stem of the carnation nearest to where he stood. Steve’s father hadn’t even bothered to cut them out of their ugly plastic wrapping. 

“Munson,” Steve huffs, finally turning away from his mother to look at the guy. “Seriously?” 

Eddie rolls his eyes, all theatrics, and that smirk is back. He bounces a couple of times on the balls of his feet, shrugging. 

“Look, man,” Steve runs a hand over his face. 

“Not that I don’t appreciate you coming to… do whatever you’re here to do,” He motions over all of Eddie before continuing. “But, my dad’ll be back any second and he doesn’t want any vis—”

“Well, lucky for you…” Eddie’s tongue darts out and licks at his bottom lip. He’s looking at Steve with this glint in his eye that makes the hairs on the back of Steve’s neck stand up.

But then, he’s popping his hip out, grinning and whispering, “I don’t care.” 

The side of Eddie’s mouth twitches, dimple in his cheek threatening to make itself visible, and Steve’s stomach goes warm. 

Oh shit. 

In the quiet of the hallway, Steve can hear his father’s footfalls, his over-confident gait, and suddenly damn near every hair on his body was standing on end, shoulders pulling upward, spine going stiff. He sits up, taking a quick peek over his shoulder, trying to gauge how much time he and Eddie would have before—

“What the hell, Steve? Who is this—” 

“Mr. Harrington, hi,” Eddie holds out a hand for his dad to shake. “I’m Eddie.” 

His dad, naturally, completely ignores it, fiery gaze fixed on Steve. 

“Visiting hours are over.” He says, and Steve’s eyes flick down to where his dad’s hands rest comfortably on his hips, thumbs in the belt loops, right forefinger pressed against the gold belt buckle. “You know you’re not allowed to have friends up here.” 

“Steve and I were supposed to meet up, and he didn’t show up, so I figured maybe time got away from him.” Eddie supplies easily, coolly even. 

Steve watches in horror as Eddie mirrors his dad’s stance, spreading his feet, hooking his thumbs through his belt loops. He stretches his neck a couple of times before flashing Steve’s father a cocky grin. 

Steve closes his eyes for a moment, trying to get ahold of his breathing. He felt like he was going to be sick.  

“He knows he isn’t supposed to have people up here,” His father repeats, and Steve can feel his pulse in his toes. 

“My mistake,” Eddie concedes. “I just came up here looking for him.” 

Steve swallows, trying to will himself not to die right there. 

“Steve,” His father snaps. He immediately looks up at the man, uncrossing his arms, placing hands against the front of his jeans. 

“You know this boy?” 

“Yes, sir,” Steve nods. “He’s my friend. From school.” 

His dad makes a dissatisfied noise, then breaks eye contact with Steve, focusing in on Eddie, studying him. 

Steve, panicked, glances in Eddie’s direction, and he’s got this sick smile on his face. Like this is exactly what he wanted, like he couldn’t wait to get up here and do whatever he was doing right now. 

“Like I said earlier,” Eddie licks his lips again. “My name’s Eddie. You went to Hawkins High with my old man, I think.” 

That seems to catch Steve’s dad off guard, and something akin to hope that Steve might get out of this better than alive flickers in the center of his chest. If there’s one thing Steve’s dad likes to talk about, it’s those Hawkins High Glory Days. 

“Is that so?” He throws Eddie a tentative smile, studying him, trying to figure out just who Eddie could look like. 

Eddie maintains his easy demeanor, that blinding smile painted on his face like he’s none the wiser, like he doesn’t know he’s toe-to-fucking-toe with a Copperhead. 

But, Steve watches something behind his eyes flicker, like he’s taking some kind of pleasure in this, like there’s a sick sense of satisfaction building there. 

“It’s so,” Eddie nods, smile pulled tight. 

“I always thought Al and Maria only had a daughter,” His dad finally decides, before following up, “But, I guess I must be mistaken. You got that Munson nose, don’t ya?” 

God, does his dad look proud of himself. 

And for the first time since he’d set foot in that room, there’s a flash of something akin to fear across Eddie’s face. But, it’s gone in a split-second, and the shit-eating grin returns. 

“You’re good, Mr. Harrington.” Eddie laughs, and god he’s a good actor. "You're scary good."

All those years in drama class must’ve done him some kind of good. Steve supposes there are rare plusses to flunking senior year. 

“Well, that was fun, wasn’t it?” Eddie breathes out a small sigh, looking down at where Steve still sits, stock-still, in a chair at his mother’s bedside. “C’mon, Steve.” 

Steve scrambles to his feet, shoving his hands deep in his pockets. Eddie starts a leisurely stroll toward the door. 

“Give your old man my regards, won’t you?” His dad asks, and it feels oddly genuine for the man, like he really cared about that kind of thing. 

Eddie bleats out a surprised laugh, then his smile gets impossibly wider, and that look is back. Steve’s knees feel like jelly. 

“Oh, sure,” Eddie nods, licking that bottom lip again. “But, uh, you might see him before I do… that is, if you’re planning on sticking around town for a few more days.” 

“Well,” His dad nods towards his mother, who lays slumped against the rails of the hospital bed. 

“My mistake,” Eddie quickly offers, giving a sympathetic nod. “My sympathies.” 

And for some reason, his dad laughs. 

“Accidents,” His dad shrugs. “They’re a bitch.” 

Eddie hums, eyes on Steve’s mother. “So sorry to hear about something so unfortunate.” 

Steve’s heart is in his throat, but he’s breathing shallowly through his nose, attention rapidly alternating between his father and Eddie. 

“Let’s go, Eddie, come on,” Steve places a tentative, sweaty hand against Eddie’s arm. 

“So nice chatting,” Eddie practically sneers, turning over his shoulder and walking into the hallway. 

Tagging: @yours-etc and @pearynice and @sageclipse and @kaspurrcat because i allllllwayyyysss love to see what you guys are up to ! <3 <3 <3

anyways see u guys never bc this burst of inspiration will inevitably not last long

[eriquin]

Wiggly Worm Wednesday!! 🧠🪱

Tagged by @pearynice!

What brainworms do I have about my WIPs today?

I'm almost done with both The Third Task and High Marks and Low Riders. With The Third Task, I just need to figure out how to wrap up the magic stuff going on with Sil and either get the leads married or clearly on their way to it, happily ever after. The whole point of the regency-style fic was having Prince Malroth find a bride, so it wouldn't work if it doesn't end up that way.

With HM&LR, I'm finishing up the big fight and then there's recovery. And they also end up married, but they're going to say it's for spousal testimonial privilege reasons. The fic seriously needs editing, though.

Once I'm done with both of these, I need to replace them with something on my regular WIP work list. I don't know what, though. Probably the sequel to Of Queens and Builders.

Crown of Thorns isn't exactly wrapping up, but it's getting to part 2. I don't know if I want to cut it and actually make a part 2 or not. The tone shift will be significant. Basically, Eddie's alive again (yay), Vecna's dead (yay!), Wayne isn't back yet, but he's coming back, and pieces are moving around in such a way to set up some steddie cohabitation scenes. Also, Eddie has powers but doesn't know that he has powers because of the trauma of coming back from the dead (sort of). And Will might be haunted by Vecna's ghost. Whoops.

(I'm torn about expanding Claudia's family backstory and maybe giving Wayne something similar. I think he's probably familiar with the weird shit that goes on in the world in one way or another, but I don't know how that's going to work out.)

The Trolley Problem is cruising towards the climax of Season 1, probably a day early. There are so many more players now that the kids are not going to be left alone in the school to deal with the government, but that isn't necessarily a good thing. That means more potential victims for the demogorgon and/or the government agents. I don't think I want to kill any of them off, though. I might kill off Carol's dad, but he hasn't been in any scenes yet, so maybe not.

The Oracle of Roane County is coming along but I'm not ready to start publishing it yet. We're going to see some Jason Carver not being an asshole, which should confuse the hell out of everyone. Chrissy's not dead, so he's more willing to listen.

Cat's in the Cradle is also coming along, to the point of me hitting my limit of how much I want to put in one doc before publishing it, so maybe more posts about it will come out soon. I know how it ends. Eddie's as a shapeshifter will be a key player in the big fight, and he gets at least one more cool form before the end.

That's all the active stuff right now. It's been hot here so I haven't been actively working on much, but there are always stuff in the back of my head for where things were going.

Tagging:

@beenherewaytoolong @weronlystardust @afewproblems @too-many-blorbos @hbyrde36

[wheneverfeasible]

🧠🪱Wriggly Wednesday🪱🧠

Thank you for the tags my lovelies! @queenie-ofthe-void @steviewashere

So we all know the florist/tattooist trope, yeah? Steve is the pretty little florist and Eddie is the tough looking tattoo artist, maybe their shops are even next door to each other, or at least nearby. It’s a great trope.

Except…

Eddie is the florist and Steve is the tattoo artist.

A bit of modern AU here too maybe but…Eddie got in trouble as a kid selling stuff , okay? He ended up in juvie for a bit, and he was terrified that this was it and his uncle would finally declare him a lost cause just like his father, but…he doesn’t. He encourages Eddie, knows his nephew could be better than any other Munson, and it helps. Eddie wants to be better.

He handles juvie well, gives up dealing, and serves community service helping out at the local garden (it wasn’t his initial choice, but he takes to it almost immediately). After everything is all said and done, community service over and he’s fully free once more, he still volunteers at the gardens.

Eddie, he discovers, likes flowers. He likes discovering the meaning behind them, the totally rad Latin names of them, and he likes growing something from nothing and watching them bloom. Eventually, when he’s older, he opens his own little shop.

He doesn’t look like your typical florist, all dark colored clothes and long hair and tattoos and piercings, but he’s knowledgeable in what he does and his flowers always look so pretty and nice and he’s happy.

Steve was a pampered rich kid, until he wasn’t. He did sports, and he liked them, but not enough to make a career out of it. He never felt that pull towards anything. He did like babysitting well enough, even if the kids were more like friends than clients, but it wasn’t something he wanted to do forever either.

Will, one of the kids he babysat, was an artist. He sketched and painted and even took up a bit of pottery for a while, though that phase passed quickly. But Steve was intrigued by the drawings Will made. He tried to recreate them, and Will actually helped his technique a little, but it still wasn’t quite what Steve wanted to do.

And then one day, bored while waiting for his little friends to finish gawking at the nerd store he took them to in the city, Steve grabbed a pen from the counter and started his little doodles on his own arm, since he didn’t have any paper. And…he kind of liked that. One of the kids, Jane, noticed his drawing and held out her own arm for him to draw on. And he liked that a lot better.

After that, Steve began noticing tattoos on people. Permanent drawings that didn’t wash off, and things his father absolutely hated. And there were a lot of different styles, he noticed. And soon Steve was purchasing books about tattoo techniques and styles, about the history of tattoos in different cultures, and, with the last money he ever got from his father, he bought himself tattoo equipment and fake skin to practice on.

Steve really likes drawing, but he loves tattooing more. He looks nothing like your typical tattoo artist though, with his pastels and polos and styled hair that still speaks of his prep upbringing. He’s not covered in tattoos or piercings, but he slowly makes a name for himself. He gets a job in a studio, attends conventions and things, growing in skill and practice until one day he can afford his own little shop all his own.

When a new tattoo parlor opens up right next door to Eddie’s flower shop, he’s ecstatic at first. He could use a new tattoo. Then he meets the owner and there’s no way this jock looking pretty boy can handle the sort of ink that Eddie wants. He sees the work the man does, pretty watercolor flowers and cliché anchors, and figures the guy would run screaming for the hills if he had to tattoo a screaming skull or something.

Maybe they kind of snip at each other in passing, though Steve seems to enjoy it and laughs at Eddie’s sarcasm, and Eddie…Eddie likes his laugh and his smile. Maybe Steve buys a single flower one day, then tucks it into Eddie’s hair with a smirk before leaving silently, and Eddie…doesn’t know what to do with that.

Maybe one day Eddie sees an original piece Steve is working on, a bipedal monstrous creature with slimy looking skin and a head that opened into petals full of teeth. It was metal as fuck. Steve explains it’s his own interpretation of a monster from this game these kids (not kids anymore) he used to babysit would play, and Eddie…Eddie realizes he’s in very real danger of falling in love with this man.

Lucky for him, Steve is already smitten with the metalhead florist who works next door; he’s just been waiting for Eddie to catch up.

For their first date, Steve tattoos him for free, then they go and get honest to Satan milkshakes afterwards. Their next date, Eddie takes him to the local public gardens and tells him all about the flora there, their scientific names and history, and afterwards they get coffee and talk about what they want in life. Their third date they go to a vintage drive-in movie, though neither could tell you what it was they went to see, far too busy with…other pursuits.

A few years later, after Eddie says yes to the ring, they get matching tattoos of the other’s initials in the petals of a flower with teeth. When they get married, they get the date they met tattooed to their inner wrist.

Later, they add the date the little girl they adopt officially becomes part of their family. A few years after that, that same little girl grins as she watches a new date be added to their wrists, holding the boy who just became her little brother.

By the time Eddie and Steve retire, their wrists are full of dates. Eddie tends to a little garden outside their home, their kids helping out whenever they visit with the grandkids, taking over when Eddie just wants to sit and enjoy the flowers. Steve is there with him, a canvas open as he sketches and later paints Eddie and their family amongst the flowers.

Sometimes, as a little treat, he’ll even add a little demogorgon hidden amongst the blooms for Eddie to find. Eddie always likes those ones the best.

-

No pressure tags: @derythcorvinus @katyawriteswhump @fkinkindagauche @sp0o0kylights @skitchskatchbat and you guessed it, tagging you first 😤 @stervrucht

[bilbosmom-belladonna]

Wiggly Worm Wednesday 🧠🪱

Thank you for the tag, @endlessmusings1801! I am SO behind on tag games but this one comes with a deadline so I'm gonna roll with it.

Fall is coming to the northern hemisphere, and with it the inevitable arrival of All Things Halloween, which has got me thinking: if there was any kind of professional haunted house/forest/hayride/corn maze/whatever in Hawkins, Indiana, YOU KNOW Eddie Munson was working there every October.

I mean, it combines his three favorite things: theatrical performances, spooky shit, and terrifying normal people! You cannot tell me Eddie wasn't working late every night, jump-scaring assholes from high school or cackling maniacally at the suburban moms that sneer at him in the grocery store.

There's a LOT of fun ways this could go in my mind, both in the 80s and in a modern AU. I am stirring it around in my head like a big gooey cauldron of possibility.

With that in mind, here's a quick little modern AU meet-ugly, based off of a real interaction I saw at a haunted forest many years ago.

Steve scoffed, but didn't let go of his hand. "No, he didn't. You were the one who screamed!" They could see the lights of the parking lot up ahead of them, the wide mulched path leading them out of the trees and away from the haunted forest.

🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃

"Okay but the mad scientist totally scared the shit out of you," Tommy said, laughing meanly.

"It was a manly scream," Tommy insisted, pouting. "Like, to let him know I meant business."

Steve laughed and rolled his eyes. He hadn't thought much of Tommy's choice for their first date, but he had had more fun than he thought. He had promised himself there would only be one date—Tommy had whined at him long enough to get that—but maybe he could be convinced to try another one. It hadn't been that bad, especially because they had spent most of it screaming and not actually talking. Not even in Steve's top five worst dates.

...maybe the top twenty though.

Tommy started describing the horrors of the werewolf den in detail, as if Steve hadn't been there too, when suddenly from behind them there came the rumbling sound of a chainsaw.

Steve looked over his shoulder and saw a man in a hockey mask barreling down on them, running full-speed with a chainsaw held in front of him, revving it menacingly. On instinct he started running, pelting along the path toward the parking lot.

Tommy was right beside him running until Steve tripped and went down, his ankle twisting painfully under him. Tommy instantly dropped his hand and kept running.

"Tommy!" Steve cried, but Tommy was already too far ahead, racing full-speed for the safety of the cars.

Steve grimaced and tried to stand, pushing up onto his knees but faltering when he tried to put weight on his ankle. Behind him, he heard the chainsaw revving. He turned to see the man in the hockey mask stalking toward him.

It was an actor, of course—Steve felt stupid for not realizing it, a last-minute scare when they thought they were finally safe. He looked back down and tried to get up again, but fell back with a cry when his ankle couldn't take it.

"Holy shit, dude," came a muffled voice. Steve looked up to see the man in the hockey mask—the actor, he supposed—standing above him, hand outstretched.

"You okay?" the man asked.

Steve made a face and grabbed his hand to pull himself up, managing to stand awkwardly on one foot and lean on the man's arm.

"Think I twisted it," he gritted out.

"Shit," Hockey Mask said. He clipped his chainsaw—his fake chainsaw—to his belt and pulled the mask up, revealing messy curls and big brown eyes. "You, uh, you want me to find your date?"

"Fuck him," Steve said immediately. "I'll call a rideshare."

Tommy had just landed himself in the number one spot of Steve's "worst dates" list.

"Yeah, what an asshole," Hockey Mask agreed. He wrapped an arm around Steve's shoulders. "Come on, I'll walk you over to where they pick up."

"Thanks," Steve said gratefully, leaning into his warm side and trying not to wince as he hobbled.

"I'm Eddie," Hockey Mask said with a smile as he walked slowly along. "Sorry about your ankle."

Steve huffed a laugh. "I'm Steve," he replied, "sorry for making you, uh, break character or whatever."

Eddie smiled, his bright eyes reflecting the flickering torches that lined the path. "Nah, don't worry about it. I got plenty of good scares in tonight. Though your boyfriend might take the cake."

"Not my boyfriend," Steve said emphatically. "And he's not even getting a second date."

They reached the edge of the parking lot, where a couple of benches were set up for people waiting for rides. Steve gratefully collapsed onto one. He gingerly tried putting some weight on his ankle and found it a little more stable. Eddie hovered awkwardly over him.

"Thanks," Steve said with a grateful smile. "I'll be okay here, don't want you to get in trouble for slacking off," he added reluctantly. Eddie, he thought, had a really nice smile.

"Look, um," Eddie stammered. "I—uh, I get off in about twenty minutes anyway. If you want I could, um. I could drive you home? Make sure you get there safe?" He twisted his hands in front of him, looking awkward and hopeful despite the fake blood spattered all over his shirt.

Cute, Steve thought.

"Hmmm, I dunno," Steve said slowly. "Wouldn't want to let an actual serial killer drive me home to my apartment." He smirked up at Eddie.

"The mask and the chainsaw are company property," Eddie said quickly. He spread his hands wide. "It would just be little ol' me."

"Okay, well, as long as you're not gonna murder me, I guess it's okay," Steve grinned. "I'll just wait here then."

Eddie's eyes went wide, then he grinned so far his cheeks stretched all the way out. "Okay!" he agreed. He dropped his hockey mask back over his face and picked up his chainsaw, revving it again. "Back to the grind," he growled from behind the mask. Then he was stalking back across the parking lot, terrorizing a group of girls who were huddled by the apple cider stand.

Steve shook his head and carefully lifted his leg up onto the bench. Maybe this first date was salvageable after all.

👑🎸🎃

I will tag @itcanbepalped @soaringornithopter @mojowitchcraft

Looking forward to whatever you've got cooking!

[sleepy-steve]

🧠🪱 Wiggly Wednesday Thursday 🧠 🪱

thank you for tagging me @stervrucht 🖤

no pressure tags: @frankenstein-ate-my-left-shoe @stevesbipanic and of course anyone else that would like to ♡

thinking about Steve and Eddie who, after going through rounds of physical therapy after everything, continue to work out together because Steve obviously loves it and loves having a friend to work out with. and Eddie notices the difference in his stamina when he gets back to performing on stage. (and if Eddie likes to watch Steve work out a little bit, and likes Steve coming over to help his form more than a little bit, well that’s his business.) but Steve takes a dance class and shakes up his usual warmup, leaving Eddie with some… thoughts.

***

“Okay, Munson,” Steve says, pulling his arm across his body for a shoulder stretch. “You ready?”

“Ready to be tortured? Always,” Eddie jokes. It was their thing. Eddie acts like he hates being there, but he still shows up every other day to their local gym in Indianapolis. And he won’t ever deny the benefits he’s noticed since starting their exercise regime. He's faster on stage, doesn't get winded near as easily, holding those screaming notes without feeling like his lungs will explode. Little did he know that today his joke would come to be true.

Steve liked most kinds of exercise. He was a sporty guy. He liked the pull and stretch of his muscles, the feeling of accomplishment after achieving a new goal, that delicious soreness the day after a really good workout. But mostly he loved trying new things. He’d give anything half a chance if he thought it might be fun. Which is how he ended up at a dance-aerobics class the week prior, finding himself having a lot of fun, blushing furiously when the women in the class complimented how quickly he picks up the steps.

He went back three more times that week. Part of his enjoyment came from the new warmup he was taught in the class. Steve’s usual warmup consisted of basic stretches and a light jog, covering all bases to ensure he didn’t get injured, but not very exciting.

This, however, was far more enjoyable. Steve found himself sinking deep into stretches he didn't know he had flexibility for, and moving his hips to a beat, ultimately just having way more fun with the warmup. And it was about to become a huge problem for Eddie.

Steve pops his headphones over his ears, the tape deck tucked securely in his shorts pocket. He bends over, inhaling deeply as the song starts, rising up with his hands overhead, exhaling as he rolls his wrists, hips moving side to side with the beat. His already short cropped t-shirt rises, showing off a good amount of his chest. He lets his arms come down, bending over again, feeling the pull in his hamstrings. Gripping his elbows, he lets the top half of his body hang, swinging from side to side, his hamstrings fully stretched out.

Eddie looks up from his own basic stretching, shocked to see Steve fully bent over, because hey, since when was he so flexible? With Metallica blaring through his own headphones, Eddie just stares, completely forgetting where he was at in his warmup.

Steve lets his hands drop, moving to one foot, back to the centre, then the other foot. Ass just up in the air, his shorts way too tight. Eddie swallows. He’d been denying his crush for months at this point, and good god this was not helping.

Rolling his shoulders as he stands up, Steve lets his hands travel down his bare thighs, sinking into a squat with his back arched and head tilted back. Eddie's eyes are wide as he watches those tight little shorts with the little cut-ins on the sides ride up, showing far more of Steve's glorious hairy thighs than Eddie can handle. Steve drops his head forward, hunching his shoulders as he moves back to standing. He repeats the motions, and Eddie wishes he had the strength to pull his stare away from Steve's ass.

Seeing Steve's head tilted back and his back arched is sending Eddie insane. Like, he geninely thinks he might evaporate on the spot if he keeps watching. But he just can't look away.

Turning himself sideways, Steve has one foot stepped out in front of the other, legs perfectly straightened into a triangle shape, bent over his front leg. Just when Eddie thinks he’s about to get up and end his suffering, Steve lowers himself down into a lunge. His little shorts definitely way too small and tight for the movement, Steve lunges back and forth, fingertips resting on the ground on either side of his front foot. Eddie watches as the t-shirt rides up with each lunge, the desire to get his lips and tongue all over Steve's chest overwhelming him.

Shaking himself, Eddie tries to remember which shoulder stretch he was up to. He attempts something close to a stretch, but he can’t be sure he's doing it right, because Steve has lowered himself to the ground, front leg bent and back leg perfectly straight, and is fucking thrusting into the ground. If he were to ask Steve, he’d find out this was a hip flexor stretch. But Eddie’s forgotten how to form words entirely, suddenly imagining nineteen different ways he wants to get dicked down by the man before him.

Eddie suffers in silence, heart racing in his chest, watching as Steve repeats the movements on his other side. He prays that the torture ends soon, that they can just get to the workout, and Eddie can go back to pretending he doesn't want to ride Steve until his thighs give out. But Eddie gets no such luck.

Steve has moved into some kind of triangle position, hands on the ground, legs straight, and of fucking course, his ass in the air. Eddie marvels at how straight the shape is, only for a moment, because then Steve is lifting his heels up and down in turn, and jesus christ those tiny little shorts are just riding up, and Eddie can see a hint of Steve's ass peeking out. His jaw drops. He may actually explode.

Just when Eddie's thinking he can't take much more of this, Steve lowers himself down, knees spread wide, arms stretched out in front of him and head tucked down. A wild and rushed series of thoughts fly across Eddie's mind, all centred around Steve kneeling down in front of him. Eddie needs to get it together quickly.

As Steve brings himself back up to the triangle position, walking his feet to meet his hands and rolling his spine up, shoulders and head rolling back last, he sees Eddie taking off for his warmup jog. Assuming that he probably just took too long with his new warmup, Steve shrugs it off and starts his jog shortly after.

Eddie hits his personal best in several weights that day, desperately trying to expend his excess energy in some way. He barely registers the wins, mind still stuck on Steve and his perfect ass in all those new positions. He almost dissolves on the spot when Steve claps him on the shoulder in congratuations.

At the end of their session, Eddie takes a freezing cold shower and prays for the sweet release of death.