#Some steddie au to soothe soul

[oatmilk-vampire]

Steve Harrington needed hearing aids.

He wasn't born needing them. In fact, he was just about as healthy as a young man in his social class could be. But numerous head injuries eventually led to gradually worsening hearing loss, leading him to needing mostly useless hearing aids.

His damage was so severe he actually needed cochlear implants but his parents kicked him out of their house and off of their insurance plan when he got caught kissing his teammate back in high school. With his minimum wage job and splitting rent with his roommate Robin, he currently did not make enough money for such a luxury.

So he did the next best thing: he learned ASL.

It was free, other than his time invested, and Robin was the one to suggest it. After all, she was already fluent in five languages and had been in band for twelve years. If anyone could teach herself and a hard of hearing person to sign, it was Robin Buckley.

The only bad part was, they were the only two who seemed to know the damn language, leaving Steve to strain to hear or read lips lest he get (mostly) silently yelled at by some deranged customer.

So when he spotted a guy around his age with long, dark curly hair and perfectly round black glasses with side shields, he knew he had to act.

He knew what it was like to have people gloss over the fact that you exist, or even berate you for it; so he took a page out of Robin's book.

He learned braille.

Sure, technically Steve could still speak to the boy, but wouldn't it be more special if he could read what Steve wanted to say?

So he practiced and practiced until he was happy, bringing the card to work where his crush appeared to be a regular.

As Steve sees him walk in, he knows today's the day.

⠓⠊ ⠊ ⠁⠍ ⠎⠞⠑⠧⠑ ⠎⠕⠗⠗⠽ ⠊⠋ ⠞⠓⠊⠎ ⠊⠎ ⠺⠑⠊⠗⠙ ⠃⠥⠞ ⠊ ⠚⠥⠎⠞ ⠺⠁⠝⠞⠑⠙ ⠞⠕ ⠎⠁⠽ ⠽⠕⠥ ⠁⠗⠑ ⠗⠑⠁⠇⠇⠽ ⠉⠥⠞⠑ ⠁⠝⠙ ⠊ ⠺⠕⠥⠇⠙ ⠇⠊⠅⠑ ⠞⠕ ⠁⠎⠅ ⠽⠕⠥ ⠕⠥⠞ ⠕⠝ ⠁ ⠙⠁⠞⠑

Hi I am Steve sorry if this is weird but I just wanted to say you are really cute and I would like to ask you out on a date

Steve is giddy when he wanders over to the boy in dark clothes. He had on black jeans that are ripped at the knees, a Metallica band tee, a leather jacket, and a denim battle vest. He's perfect. He's hot.

Steve's footsteps must be louder than he expects because the object of his affection immediately turns in his direction.

"Hi," Steve greets as he presses the thick stock paper into his hands.

The boy angles his head down with a frown as he traces an index finger over the raised dots, before looking right at Steve behind those dark frames.

He takes them off, and Steve learns after so long that his eyes are brown.

"I'm sorry," his crush says, Steve recognizing those syllables easy enough, "But I can't read this. What is it you're trying to say?"

But now that response is too much, Steve can't keep up. All he knows is the card he worked so carefully punching little holes in with a special tool he had to buy was now being pushed back into his hands.

Steve doesn't try to answer, he just wants to get the hell away before his tears spill over, but a hand on his shoulder stops him in his tracks.

He tenses, squeezes his eyes shut and braces for impact, but when a familiar hit doesn't land on his face, he cautiously opens his teary eyes to find him staring right at Steve.

"Are you okay?" He asks, but Steve can't be quite sure if he's checking on him or asking if he's gay.

Steve's own frown appears on his face as he points to his ears.

"Can't hear too good."

His mouth drops open, rushing to spiel something Steve doesn't catch. He must realize this because he's taking Steve's card back from him now as he mimics writing something with raised eyebrows.

Steve nods his head, more confused that the guy he thought was blind seemed to be understanding him perfectly.

He fishes out the little pad of paper and pen he keeps with him for moments not quite like this, passing the two items over.

He scribbles for a moment before letting Steve read what he's written in big loopy letters.

Hi, I'm Eddie. Sorry, I can't read braille. What did you say?

Steve furrows his brows.

I thought you might know it. Aren't you blind?

Eddie shakes his head with a little smile.

The glasses? I have killer migraines. Never go anywhere without them.

Steve smacks himself in the face. He's been such a fool!

Eddie taps him to gain his attention once more before handing him the notepad and pen.

What did you say? I'd like to know :)

Steve worries his bottom lip.

Hi I'm Steve. Sorry if this is weird but I just wanted to say you're really cute and I would like to ask you out on a date

He's nervous as he hands it back, but Eddie's wide grin and eager nod does wonders to knock back those worries.

I thought you'd never ask, Steve.

[libraryofgage]

Steddie Pokemon AU

So, Pokemon Concierge is on Netflix, and it's just so good guys. Like, it gives me the same vibes that Pokemon Soul Silver does. I can't explain it, but it hit right in the yearning part of me that wants to live in a Pokemon world.

Anyway, I wrote this to kinda counteract that yearning lmao

This is a fluffy AU, very wholesome and little-to-no angst. If there is any, none of it is related to Steddie. It also jumps back and forth, showing Steddie's life now and the journey of them getting together and settling down.

Let me know if you'd like to be tagged!

And, as always, if you see any typos, no you didn't ;)

------

Present

Steve slowly approaches the agitated Rapidash. His hands are raised to be visible, his shoulders are relaxed, and Dustin is standing with his Vaporeon a few feet away just in case he needs to put out a fire or two. Steve's Dragonite is standing behind Dustin, ready to pull him away at the first sign of trouble. The Rapidash glares at Steve warily, smoke billowing from its nostrils as it moves back and forth in its tiny enclosure. A fire-proof strip of leather is wrapped around its snout, keeping it from biting or snapping at anyone who wanders too close.

On his head, Steve's Buneary, named Bunna on a whim by El, shifts anxiously, her ears perked as she tugs at his hair. He doesn't give any indication that he notices, keeping his eyes on the Rapidash. When he's a few steps away, the Rapidash's eyes widen and it rears back, making Steve freeze.

He takes a deep breath, keeping his heart at a calm pace. "I'm not gonna hurt you," he says, his voice low and soothing. "My name is Steve. This is one of my partners, Bunna. We're not really from around here, but you could probably tell, huh? We traveled here from Hawkins. That's a tiny little town off Route 86. Really pretty, big fields to roam and a forest all around. You can even see the stars at night."

As he speaks, the Rapidash slowly calms down, shifting occasionally but no longer rearing back. The animosity in its eyes has diminished some as well, leaving behind a hesitant wariness. Steve smiles gently, taking another step closer. When the Rapidash doesn't try to warn him away, he continues to slowly approach.

He reaches the fence of the enclosure this time and slowly exhales. "Can I?" he asks, slowly reaching out only to freeze when the Rapidash snorts in warning. "Okay, no problem."

When Steve drops his hand again, Bunna takes it as her cue. She hops off Steve's head, balances carefully on the fence, and chitters as she approaches the Rapidash. It's fine with other Pokemon, allowing her to come close enough to reach the leather strip wrapped around its snout. Bunna pokes it a few times with a pink-topped ear, jumps onto the Rapidash's snout to step on the strip with her paw, and then hops back down.

"Bun!" she shouts, waving her paws at the Rapidash. "Bu, Neary, Ne Ne, Bunear." As she speaks, she gestures to Steve with her ears.

After a few moments, the Rapidash puffs out another little cloud of smoke, and Bunna nods. She turns and jumps onto Steve, landing on his shoulder and settling there happily. "Thank you," he says, reaching up to gently scratch under her chin before approaching the Rapidash.

This time, it doesn't move, but it does watch closely. Steve continues to be slow and gentle, reaching up to feel along the leather strip. He eventually finds the clasp holding it in place and carefully pulls it loose. Once he's gently tugged it off, the Rapidash snorts and stretches its jaw, revealing teeth that could easily clamp down on Steve's hands.

They don't, though. Instead, the Rapidash studies Steve for a few more seconds before nudging its snout against his hands. Steve smiles wider, gently smoothing the fur that had been flattened by the leather. "I'm gonna let you out now, okay? And then we can go back to Hawkins and you can rest for as long as you'd like," he promises.

Once he's finally gotten the Rapidash out of its enclosure and comfortable enough to travel, he waves for Dustin to slowly approach. The Rapidash moves to stand behind Steve, wary but not aggressive with Steve acting as its shield. "Man, I thought it was gonna bite your hand off," Dustin says, his shoulders slumped with relief as his Vaporeon winds around his feet. "I was ready to call out your Chancey."

Steve waves off his concern. "No, it wouldn't hurt me unless I spooked it," he says, feeling the Rapidash gently nudge him in the back. He looks over his shoulder, noting the impatience in its eyes and its eagerness to leave this place already. "All right, all right, we're going."

"Can we visit Eddie when we get back?" Dustin asks, watching as Vaporeon scampers up Dragonite's tail and settles on his head.

"If he's not busy. It's spring, Dustin. You know he gets more challengers in spring."

Dustin grins. "Yeah," he says, "I wanna see him kick their asses."

Steve snorts, reaching over and shoving the bill of Dustin's cap down.

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

Past

Technically, this is the third time they've met, if Steve could even call it meeting. The first two times he and the other boy crossed paths, it was while Steve was leaving a gym, riding the high of victory. He'd nodded to the boy in greeting before hurrying to the Pokemon Center to heal his team and plan a celebration dinner.

The third time they meet, they're in Juniper Village, and it's raining. Steve is sitting in one of the many fields in the village, letting himself get soaked as he wallows in his own misery over his third failed gym battle. His Dratini is curled up next to him, his Ralts is moping in his lap, and his Riolu is leaning against his back, nearly as devastated as Steve. If not for the rain, his Growlithe would be out as well.

Maybe it's dramatic of Steve, but he's allowed a little drama sometimes. It's not like he walked into the gym expecting to win with ease, but the wall he keeps hitting shows no sign of cracking, and a quiet whisper in the back of his mind keeps saying this is where his journey ends. He'll never get past the Juniper Village Gym, he'll never reach the Elite Four, and he'll never prove to his parents that wanting to spend his time with Pokemon is more than a childish fantasy he should get over.

His eyes are just beginning to sting when something rolls into his knee. Steve blinks, looking down to see a Sandshrew pop open and tilt its head at him. He's about to cover it with his jacket (it can't possibly be comfortable in the rain) when a hand with ring-covered fingers reaches out and gently knocks the Pokemon on the head. With a quiet poof the Sandshrew disappears and a Zoroa snickers.

Someone plops down on the ground next to Steve, huffing softly when the Zoroa jumps into their lap. "So, is this some new training tactic I don't know about?" they ask.

When Steve looks up, he locks eyes with the boy he's met in passing outside the last two gyms. His hair is plastered to his face, and he seems to have no intention of picking up the umbrella he's abandoned to the side. "What?" Steve asks.

"This whole sitting in the rain thing," the boy says, waving one hand to gesture to the weather as his other rubs between Zoroa's ears. "I've heard of sitting under waterfalls, but this one is stumping me."

Without thinking, Steve blurts out, "I'm moping."

He blinks, feeling his face grow hot as he quickly looks away. It just gets worse when the guy snorts, the laughter piercing right through Steve's chest. It makes him think of his parents and the way they'd derisively laugh whenever he spoke about fighting gym leaders and traveling the region. His Ralts shifts in his lap, burying its head in his stomach as it picks up on his emotional shift.

"Hi, Moping," the boy says, "I'm Eddie."

Whatever Steve had been feeling comes to a screeching halt, his emotions nearly tripping over themselves as he processes what he just heard. When it finally clicks, his whips his head around to stare at the boy, Eddie, taking in his amused grin. "Did you just...make a dad joke?" he asks.

"Yep," Eddie says, making the 'p' sound pop. "Did it work?"

Surprisingly, yes. It was so abrupt that Steve suddenly feels that sitting here in the rain because he lost a gym battle is just absurd. "Yeah," he says, his voice soft.

Eddie grins wider, leaning closer and bumping their shoulders like they've been friends this whole time. "So, what's your name really, big boy?"

"Steve. My name is Steve." he says, getting a slight smile of his own. Then he realizes something and looks around them. The area is completely empty except for him, Eddie, and their Pokemon. Everyone else in Juniper Village is smart enough to stay inside when it's raining like this. "What are you doing?"

"Well, I saw this guy who usually looks very proud of himself just moping in the rain, so I figured I'd try to cheer him up a little out of the goodness of my heart."

"Really?" Steve asks, narrowing his eyes. "The goodness of your heart?" He wouldn't be surprised if it was less the goodness of Eddie's heart and more the prospect of getting acquainted with the heir to the Harrington TM/HM corporation.

"Okay, fine," Eddie says, holding his free hand up in surrender. Steve braces himself, trying to cut off any disappointment before it can be felt. "You just looked like such a pathetic little depressed Lillipup that I couldn't help approaching you."

Steve blinks again, utterly speechless as he stares at Eddie. After a few seconds, he finally manages to say, "I'm not a Lillipup."

"Really, Stevie?" Eddie asks, his tone and grin becoming amused, "That's the part of that sentence you got caught on?"

For some reason, that's what makes Steve crack. It starts slow, with a tiny smile, and eventually becomes breathless laughter as he leans back and nearly crushes his Riolu. It ducks out from behind Steve, sliding to sit next to his Dratini, and stares at him in utter confusion as he falls into the muddy grass behind him. Raindrops fall into his mouth and mud stains his clothes, but Steve doesn't care.

He hears Eddie fall onto his back as well and looks over to see his Zoroa circling his stomach before settling. Eddie grins at Steve, and they enjoy the rain together for a few more minutes before dashing to the nearest Pokemon Center to get dry.