#Steve was kidnapped by the newest big bad or vecna

[inkstainedheartbeats]

Steve smiles. It’s hard not to smile when Eddie is looking at him. When Eddie’s hands touch him gently. Big brown eyes bore into his. Surroundings don’t matter. How can they matter? But they should matter, shouldn’t they?

“I got ya, Sweetheart,” Eddie murmurs.

Eddie’s got him. Nothing can hurt him now. Everything hurts. There’s a choked sound that Steve ignores. Eddie’s here. He doesn’t have the energy to turn his head. He doesn’t have to be strong. Doesn’t need to be the hero.

“That’s right, baby, just be our support.”

“Bard.”

“What?”

“Last… last time… wanna… bard.”

It’s hard to talk. Throat raw, aching. Pain. Like he’s spent weeks screaming. Don’t think. Doesn’t matter. Eddie’s here.

“You… you wanna play a bard?”

“Yeah.”

He hums a few notes of the song Eddie had been playing for weeks nonstop. Before. It kept him going… Made the hurt hurt less. Thinking of Eddie. Thinking of the game he promised to play in. Singing has never been his skill, violin or piano he could do, as his mother says with her sad little smiles; he’ll never sing in the theater. Robin disagrees. Robin thinks he has a nice voice. Eddie likes his humming, smiles his own sad little smile. Steve is tired of sad little smiles.

“Tired,” he breathes out.

“Can’t sleep yet, Stevie.”

“Please? Safe now.”

He can hear the retort of Nancy’s guns. The breaking of glass and whoosh of fire. Eddie is here.

“Just stay awake a little longer.”

“Kay.”

He tries to stay awake. Listens to sounds of battle. Focuses on the calloused hands on him. Moves with the motion of the chest he rests against. But he’s so tired. So very, very tired. Fought for so long cause he knew they’d come. It’s safe now. His eyes close.

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Small edit there is now a Part 2

[redflagsandbanners]

Concept _ The year's 1998. Hawkins, Indiana.

PI Robin Buckley x Jurnalist Nancy Wheeler

Two years ago, local private investigator Robin Buckley solved the cold case of Terry Ives' long, lost daughter -- finding the twelve-year-old kid in Hawkins Lab, all the while charging everyone involved with the violation of a decent number of civil rights, kidnapping and experimenting on children.

Since then, the only real case Robin has solved, is how much is the most money she can make when presenting evidence to cheated wives and cheated husbands and wrecking their already wrecked households with some stalking and photos taken in the night.

Fresh and bright after publishing a career changing story on Boston’s biggest newspaper, journalist Nancy Wheeler searches for the next case to follow through. The thing is, unmasking of a Soviet, military base, buried underneath Boston’s newest Commercial Mall, means phonecalls and attention from fellow journalists all the way from goddamn DC.

It would be great --- if she hadn't had to choose the Soviets over a relationship with a woman that, if the times or Nancy's job were any different, she could have very well been the one to build a life with. With the big story published, Nancy thinks she deserves some months of writing at her own pace while processing the intense breakup.

After a series of child murders suddenly haunts Hawkins, the small town community paints the suspect -- nineteen-year-old Eddie Munson -- as Satan's vessel of destruction and leader of a cult performing the seemingly sacrifice rituals.

Private Investigator Robin Buckley thinks the serial killer's profile doesn't describe the poor kid, Eddie. The pack of gremlins defending their older friend and apparent mentor through high school, and proclaiming him innocent, grabs her attention.

Journalist Nancy Wheeler thinks this is possibly the best case to write about after the Russians; uncovering a serial killer in her childhood city, studying the complexity of religious motives and proving small-town-assholery absolutely wrong.

Neither of them expect a partnership or -- well -- falling in love.

Notes _

They are on their early thirties.

"Aren't you supposed to be the city’s hero?" "No, huh... that's Police Chief Jim Hopper". "So who are you supposed to be?" "City's... conspiracy theorist with a PI license?"

"You don't remember me, why would you remember me, we never talked back in--" "You were playing the trumpet in band. Sat way back in chemistry class. Doodled your shoes". "..." "..." "...what the f--"

The kids are sixteen. Eddie and Steve are both nineteen. Just for the fun of the dynamic.

Autistic Robin Buckley.

Closeted bisexual Nancy Wheeler.

Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism (because i want the complexity of poor coping mechanisms to trauma i am so sorry)

We're stepping into the '90s for a change.

Murray Bauman.

Slowburn.

Resentful Allies to Friends to Lovers.

With a supernatural twist in the middle of the investigation, where they discover the Upside-Down completely on accident and freak the fuck out.

Vecna is the Bad Guy, but make the theme that of a True Crime novel. The psychic powers come as a secondary detail to the Serial Killer whole character study.