cafecito-by-thewindow

[cafecito-by-thewindow]

Saving this for later.

Murder in the Heartland Part 1

Here it is, the most wonderfully insane idea I've ever come up with and I've had some whoppers (Steve in a mental institution and Vecna's Timeloop from Hell for example). This is still the wildest. Only that's a twist that's coming up way down the line. My wonderful discord peeps @forgottenkanji, @dreamercec, @bookworm0690 know all, but you'd have to join my discord to be in on the secret (there are other lurkers there who might know, but they might not *shrug*).

Summary: When a serial killer strikes Hawkins, the police zero in on Eddie Munson. But when the last would-be victim Robin Buckley says that it Jason Carver who was trying to kill her and not Eddie, the police are further put in their place by an anonymous tipper who did all the work they should have done instead of going after clearly innocent Eddie. So Eddie becomes a PI to find this anonymous tipper. Featuring Mystery Writer Steve, who will play into the later plot. ;)

You will see snippets of Steve as the story goes on, but it will be Eddie's story for about 2/3 of it. It is also set in canon time for reasons that will become clear as the story goes on.

~

Interviewer: I’m here with Steve Harrington who has put just put out his seven novel in the thrilling Joe Keery books, ‘The Hollow Promise’. How are you this morning?

Steve chuckled: I’m tired. I’m a writer, I spend all my nights writing and my days sleeping, so this is a little outside my normal waking hours.

Interviewer: Gosh I wish I could do that, but I chose to have a morning talk show instead. Won’t you tell the listeners about your latest book.”

Steve: It’s about a series of murders in a small town and our hero comes to town to investigate and finds a bigger mystery than he anticipated.

~

Eddie’s life went to hell the day Steve Harrington blew town. Not that he would find that out until years later. But then again people were more preoccupied with Robin Buckley swearing up and down that Jason Carver who had been trying to kill her and not Eddie than remember a kid being thrown out of his parents place for being gay so... yeah.

Well, okay, so his life had been hell a little bit before Steve blew town. But that wasn’t as interesting an opening as the day Steve blew town. So he still had a flare for the dramatic, sue him. After all it was that flare that made him become a private investigator in the first place.

When Chrissy Cunningham had been murdered just after Eddie dealt her Special K, that made him the prime suspect in her death.

Which, rude.

She had been dealing with some pretty fucked up shit. Like being queer in a small town levels of shit on top of her mom being constantly on about her weight and her boyfriend pressuring her wear a promise ring. In high school.

Then another student died. A boy on the basketball team, Patrick McKinney, who someone else claimed had bought steroids off Eddie. Which couldn’t have been true, not if it was performance enhancing drugs. He had offered to sell them to high schoolers when he first started dealing, but Rick assured him he already had someone for that.

Then another girl died. Someone Eddie hadn’t known. He knew of her. But she wasn’t even in any of his classes, in any of his senior years. She also didn’t do drugs. Hell, Molly Masters was a known Straight Edger. She wouldn’t have gone near Eddie unless she wanted to throw hands.

Which is why he was blamed for her death, actually. They insinuated that she had finally had enough of his drug dealing ways and had gone after him.

He even had an alibi for that one, not that it mattered. Playing in front of five random drunks and a stingy ass bartender wasn’t exactly as air tight as it could have been. Because as far as witnesses go, they were pretty shit.

Then Barb Holland died. And that was a kick in the teeth. He knew who she was but only in a tenuous ‘best friend of the girlfriend of the most popular boy in school’ kind of way. Eddie was starting to see the pattern, even if the cops didn’t.

Then the final one which ended in the death of Jason Carver, Chrissy’s boyfriend. Only Robin Buckley was still very much alive.

But for the those first three days, she was in a coma. So the police spun the narrative that Eddie had been trying to kill her when Jason had interrupted them; saving her life, but losing his in the process.

Until she woke up and blew the whole investigation out of the water.

“I’m telling you Jason Carver was trying to kill me,” she said for the tenth time to a motley crew of Hopper, Powell, and Callahan from her hospital bed.

“Now why would he go and do a thing like that for?” Powell huffed. “Jason was a good, upstanding young man. Captain of the basketball team. He loved Chrissy. He wouldn’t hurt her. Not for anything.”

Robin let out a long sigh of frustration and buried her head in her hands. She looked up at them, weighing her options before she finally snapped, “Because I’m a lesbian!”

They stared at her blankly.

“Apparently Chrissy was too and that’s why he killed her.”

“You telling me that Jason Carver, all American boy next door was a murderer killing queer kids?” Callahan huffed in disbelief. “There’s no way.”

“And I’m telling you it’s true,” Robin hissed. “Plus whoever saved my life and killed the rat bastard wasn’t Eddie Munson.” She crossed her arms over her chest and settled into the bed, grumpy.

Hopper pinched his nose. “Let’s say we follow this line of inquiry, why do you believe Eddie Munson wasn’t involved at all. You keep saying you never saw your rescuer’s face.”

She looked up at him like he was stupid. “Because the guy that took the bat to Jason’s head was wearing a short sleeve shirt.”

The cops all looked at each other in confusion.

Robin threw her arms up in the air. “No tattoos, assholes! Eddie very famously has bats on his...” she looked at her own arms for a second, “right forearm. And whoever this Jesus with a bat was, he didn’t have any tattoos on his arm.”

“Robin!” her mother admonished. Melissa Buckley was there to ensure that the police didn’t try and twist Robin’s words into saying something that wasn’t true.

Robin just shrugged, unrepentant. They were being assholes and someone should tell them to their faces.

“Well, shit!” Powell snapped, throwing his hands into the air in frustration. “If it wasn’t Eddie then who the fuck was it?”

Just then the door to Robin’s room burst open, startling all those inside. Officer Glenn Daniels came running up to Chief Hopper, a large envelope in his hands.

“Florence got this this morning,” Daniels said, panting for breath. “And we wanted to verify its authenticity before bringing it to you. So me and couple of the other officers looked into it.”

Hopper opened the envelope, his eyes growing wider the more and more he looked through it. “And how much it of is accurate?”

“All of it.”

“There is no way,” Hopper growled, slamming the envelope on Powell’s chest. “No evidence is that air tight. There must be some kind mistake or error in there somewhere.”

Powell took the envelope and looked down into it. His eyebrows shot up. “There are actual fucking writings by Carver in here. Where the hell did they find those?”

Daniels just shook his head. “Whoever found this shit was meticulous. There are no other fingerprints than Jason’s on anything. But there is a letter.”

Powell went searching through the envelope and pulled it out, handing it to the Chief, who read it, mumbling to himself.

“Well, as much as I would like to say the bastard is wrong,” Hopper said with a resigned sigh. “He’s not. Or she or whatever. They’re not wrong. The victims wouldn’t have gotten justice, not with them being queer. Jason would have been lauded a hero and paraded in the streets for taking out the trash.”

“‘To the police,” Powell read out loud. “I am sending you all the evidence you failed to collect when you were too busy trying to pin these murders on an innocent man. It didn’t take a lot to realize the true connection the victims had. I’m just sorry I was too late to save Molly Masters. She didn’t deserve to die in that horrible way.

“Once I figured out who it was, I knew that there would be no justice for these kids. Not when Jason Carver was who he was, and why he was killing his peers. So I quietly compiled all the evidence I could. His journals. His distinct lack of alibis for any of the murders. His emotional connection to the first victim, his girlfriend, Chrissy Cunningham.

“I’m just glad I was able to stop him from killing that final girl. But if she did die later, I hope Carver rots in the hell of his own making. No one deserves to die because of who they love.

“-Jason’s Executioner.”

“Well, that ain’t creepy as shit,” Callahan said sarcastically. “Well it’s not as though we could have used any of this evidence anyway.”

“And when is Eddie Munson being released?” Melissa huffed, pulling herself up to her nearly six feet of height.

Hopper blinked at her for a moment. “I’m not sure I understand the question, ma’am.”

“That boy is innocent!” Melissa said sternly. “And what? You’re going to just sweep this all under the rug and leave Jason Carver’s reputation intact?”

“That’s not what I said,” Hopper replied, low and dangerous. “And I don’t appreciate you putting words into my mouth.”

Melissa crossed her arms over her chest and stared him down.

“He is innocent of the murders, yes,” he said, “but he still sold an underaged girl ketamine. And last time I checked that was still very much against the law.”

“I don’t believe you actually have proof of that,” Melissa said with a winning smile.

“He confessed,” Powell said in confusion. “We have it on record of him confessing to selling the drugs.” He put his hands on his hips. “There’s no way he’s not going away for the drugs.”

“Under duress,” Melissa said smugly. “Which any lawyer worth his salt will get tossed out in a heartbeat. You have nothing on the boy and you know it.”

Robin grinned up at her. “Isn’t she so cool? And she’s my mom!”

“Stop calling him a boy!” Callahan hissed. “He’s twenty! He knew full well what he was doing and I’m not going to stand here and let you pretend otherwise.”

Melissa scoffed, eyeing him up and down with a raised eyebrow. “I’d call your dog to heel there, Chief, we wouldn’t want me to scream police intimidation, now would we?”

“Don’t make me arrest you, Mel,” Hopper growled. “Again.”

Melissa grinned up at the chief. They had been on very opposite sides of the Vietnam War. Him having been in the army and her having been in the protests against the War. Hawks and Doves.

“And just what would be the charge this time, Chief?” she asked with a wink.

Hopper squeezed his eyes closed and then opened them slowly. He let out a long exasperated sigh. “Eddie Munson will be released without charges by the end of today.”

But before his underlings could protest he held up his hands. “It’s either release him and sweep under the rug that some rank amateur or we don’t release him and Melissa here goes to the press about how we put away an innocent man and get the national media up in our business.”

They stared at him for a moment before they grumbling agreed. Hopper bid the Buckleys goodbye and then led his officers out the room.

So how did Eddie know all this? He talked to Hopper, Daniels and the Buckleys and while some details varied they pretty much confirmed that how it went down and how Eddie got out on a ‘technicality’ as the cops were calling it.

When he stepped out into the fresh air outside of the jail with Wayne waiting for him, he took a deep breath and let it go.

“I don’t know how you can stand living in this hell hole,” he groused as he hopped into Wayne’s truck.

“Can’t afford to leave,” Wayne huffed and started the truck. “If I could scrape up the money to get out of here, I would and I’d take you with me.”

Eddie gave his uncle’s shoulder a squeeze. “Maybe I’ll be able to get a job and get enough money for both of us out.”

“If wishes were horses,” Wayne said ruefully as he pulled out into traffic. “I’m just glad you were released without charges.”

“You and me both, old man,” Eddie huffed. “I was sure I was going to be Reading, Pennsylvania, Short Line and B&O railroaded.”

“Good thing Melissa Buckley was there when they interrogated her daughter,” Wayne growled. “Or you might still be sitting in that cell.”

“I hope you sent her flowers,” Eddie said. “She certainly deserves it.”

“Delilahs and some of my grandma’s shortbread,” Wayne confirmed. “I even offered to help out any handwork they may need in the future too. And if I were you I’d offer your way around an engine too.”

Eddie saluted. “Aye, Aye!”

Wayne snorted. “If the way she tells it is true, some rookie wannabe detective is the one that provided the most damning evidence against that Carver kid.”

“Wouldn’t surprise me,” Eddie said with a snort. “These backwater cops wouldn’t know their ass from their elbow.”

“Still it makes you wonder who it was...” Wayne said softly as they turned into the trailer park.

“It certainly does that,” Eddie agreed. “It certainly does that.”

~

Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8

I am ridiculously pleased with the railroad joke. It still makes me smile every time.

Tag List: TEN SLOTS OPEN

1- @itsall-taken @estrellami-1 @zerokrox-blog @sadisticaltarts @dolphincliffs

2- @gregre369 ​@a-little-unsteddie @irregular-child @cryptid-system @kultiras

3- @maya-custodios-dionach @goodolefashionedloverboi @val-from-lawrence @carlyv @wonderland-girl143-blog

4- @bookbinderbitch @bookworm0690 @forgottenkanji @dreamercec @blondie1006

5- @yikes-a-bee @awkwardgravity1 @genderless-spoon @fearieshadow @thesecondfate

6- @dragonmama76 @ellietheasexylibrarian @thedragonsaunt @useless-nb-bisexual @disrespectedgoatman

7- @counting-dollars-counting-stars @tinyplanet95 @ravenfrog @swimmingbirdrunningrock @lingeringmirth

8- @gutterflower77 @a-lovely-craziness @just-a-tiny-void @w1ll0wtr33 @beelze-the-bubkiss

[cafecito-by-thewindow]

I am going to save this. For later 😄

Spellbound Part 1

Normally I would post Caged Bird today, but this has a much larger backlog, sooo! Happy himbo witch time!

Summary: It's a quiet, idyllic life in the town of Hawkins. For everyone but Eddie Munson. You see, his look and cottage scream witch. The long, curly, dark curls, the black clothes, and dark and broody cottage all point to Eddie as a witch. But no. That title belongs to Steve Harrington down the way. In bright and cheery house, dressed in green and a sunny disposition. Things start turn in the town when Chrissy shows up on Eddie's doorstep thinking he's the witch.

~

Eddie Munson was everything one expected a witch to look like. He had long, curly, dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. He wore dark makeup and painted his nails black. In addition to the only color palette liked was reds and blacks, he wore lots of jewelry, including many things that people associated with witches like pentagrams, animal teeth, and beads.

The house he shared with his Uncle Wayne was light grey, ramshackle, little cottage with black roof, door, and trim. The front of the house was overgrown with vines and wild flowers.

So he really shouldn’t be surprised when people would knock on the door looking for a witch.

He opened the door with a sigh. “Can I help you?” he asked the stranger.

She was pretty thing, a little younger than him. She had bright green eyes and her strawberry blonde hair was neatly arranged on the top of her head. She wasn’t very tall, but her green dress gave her long lines.

“I need a love charm?” she asked with a blush. “I just want to know if the man my father wants me to marry is the right one, you know?” She twisted her handkerchief nervously in her hands.

Eddie sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “The witch lives two houses down and across the street. Great big sign that reads: ‘Harrington Witchery, charms, curses, and wishes performed here’.”

She looked down the way at the bright yellow house surrounded by neat plants and the perfect ray of sunlight on the door and then back at him in confusion. The door opened and the witch stepped out. He had honey colored hair and hazel eyes. He wore bright blue robes today and had the sunniest smile.

Eddie could feel his face flush as the witch waved over at both of them.

“Here he comes,” he said with a pinch of dismay.

“Hi,” the witch said brightly. “Are you looking for the witch?”

The young woman looked back at Eddie and then at the witch. “Yes?”

“Fantastic!” he said beaming at her. “I’m Steve Harrington, witch extraordinaire. Please to meet you!”

“Chrissy Cunningham,” she said shyly. “I was wanting a love charm?”

“I’d be happy to help you with that,” he said putting his arm over her shoulder, “let’s leave the grumpy Gus to his music playing, shall we?”

Eddie huffed. “That’s Mr. Grumpy Gus to you!”

Someone smacked him on the back of the head. “Don’t you go antagonizing the man who makes my arthritis medicine, boy.”

Steve stopped and turned around. “When do you need a top off on that, by the way?”

“I’m running a bit low,” Wayne admitted. “It was bit rougher this week with that huge storm we had.”

Steve nodded. “I’ll be over with the packet after I’m done with Chrissy.”

“I’ll have the tea ready for you,” Wayne said with a fond smile.

~

Chrissy looked around the house as he led her through to the back of the house. It was neat and tidy with every clearly labeled in a neat cursive hand. There was something bubbling on the fire, but from the smell it was probably dinner and not a potion. She could smell the beef and vegetables.

There were two rooms off the one side and the privy to the other. It was everything the opposite you would expect of a witch’s house. The animals on the other hand fit. One was a raven sitting in the windowsill being fed by a beautiful woman dressed in a dark blue gown. The other was a Tortoiseshell cat with bright green eyes, who meowed at her and jumped away.

“Merlin!” Steve admonished. “Be nice.”

The cat stopped in its hasty retreat and meowed back at him.

“Well she can’t help that,” he answered as if he understood what the cat was saying. “Now, run along and actually catch the mouse that has been stealing your food.”

Merlin meowed again and was off.

“He’ll never catch that mouse,” the woman said.

The raven crowed, seemingly in agreement.

“Then you catch it, Circe,” Steve huffed, hands on hips. “I know you can and you complaining about Merlin’s abilities doesn’t catch the mouse any faster.”

The raven crowed and flew off, causing the woman to laugh. “She won’t catch it either.”

“Yes,” Steve agreed, “but with her it’ll be because she doesn’t like being told what to do and not because she can’t.”

Chrissy shifted nervously from one foot to the other. “So about that love charm?” she asked tentatively.

Steve jumped. “Oh! Oh my god! I got so wrapped up in familiar politics I nearly forgot you were there. Here, just let me...” he began gathering supplies.

Some twine, a bit of silk, some herbs and oddly a couple of flowers too. Ivy, lilac and pansy. He swiftly made them into a doll and handed it to her. “A lock of your hair, and snip of your petticoat will finish the job. Then whisper into its ear all the things you want in your true love. Then the next time you touch your betrothed, you will know if he is your true love.”

“That’s all?” Chrissy asked, staring down at the doll, no bigger than her palm.

“Yep!” he said brightly. “Robin will help you with the hair and petticoat. I’ll be in the front room preparing Wayne’s medicine.”

Chrissy blushed and nodded. Robin stood up and wandered over to the desk to grab the scissors.

“Are you a witch, too?” Chrissy asked as she held still for Robin to clip a bit of her petticoat.

Robin stood up with a smile. “Not yet, but I hope to be. Steve is teaching me. I’m still a little clumsy with the potions but I’m good with the herbs. Steve says that I could be a hedge witch!”

“Oh!” Chrissy cried. “I didn’t know there were different kinds of witch. What kind is Steve?”

“The tired kind!” Steve huffed from the front room.

Robin giggled. “Don’t make me laugh when I’m about to cut her hair!” she admonished.

Steve looked over his shoulder and gave her a completely unrepentant grin. Robin huffed and gently took a bit of curl from the base of her head near the neck. She took the doll back from Chrissy and tied both pieces to the doll.

“Now,” she said brightly, “just whisper all your wants and desires for a future soulmate. It’s actually good you’re doing it now. A lot of people do it as kids with childish hopes and dreams which isn’t great for adult relationships.”

Steve came into the room dusting his hands off on a towel. “That’s unfair,” he huffed. “It’s not childish, it’s childlike. And who knows love better than someone who hasn’t been taught to hate yet.”

Chrissy tilted her head to the side. “I think I’m with Steve on that one, Robin.”

“Yeah, well,” Robin said rolling her eyes and stepping back. “Doing it as a child hasn’t done Mr. Witch over here any good. He had his made by his mom when he was seven and fifteen years later, he still hasn’t found his true love.”

Steve threw the towel over one shoulder and put both hands on his hips. “I still maintain that it’s because I’m witch and can’t get out much that’s why I haven’t found them yet.”

“I still thi–” Robin began and then was cut off with a wave Steve hand. She glared at him.

“It won’t last very long,” Steve growled, “but long enough that Miss Cunningham won’t be here for that particular argument.”

“She thinks you’ve already met your true love?” Chrissy surmised.

Robin jumped up and down and nodded with a huge grin.

“Robin is operating under the delusion that the goth down the road is my soulmate,” Steve huffed putting his hands back on his hips. “Never mind, it’s a guy, he absolutely hates me because people keep mistaking my house for his.”

Chrissy blushed a deep red. “Yeah, sorry about that. But it’s the commonly held belief that witches are–”

Steve held up his hand. “I’m going to stop you there. I won’t gag you like I did Robin. But I don’t know where those ‘commonly held beliefs’ come from, but witches have never worn black or had black cats or flew on brooms. Hedge witches in particular favor nature’s colors of blues and greens and browns. But you’re all set to go.”

Chrissy recognized the dismissal that it was and turned to leave. She barely got a single step when she turned around.

“What about payment?” she asked, uncertain. “Surely you need something in payment.”

Steve’s eyes seemed to glow gold for a moment as he spoke. “There is no need to pay for a love charm, there being more love in the world is enough for the spell. And it is only spell that does so.”

“Your other charms and spells have payments?” she asked, now a little nervous.

“Most of them require a trade or a simple favor,” Steve said, seriously, “like running an errand for me. But if you ask for a potent charm, one would almost call a wish, that is all you will get from me. You’ll never be able to find my house ever again. You’ll see me around town and I can visit you. But you require some powerful magic, then that’s it. I will not be used to fix every problem you see fit.”

Chrissy gulped and nodded. She clutched the doll to her chest and ran off.

“Steve...” Robin said, darkly. “There was no need to frighten her.”

Steve leveled her with a glare. She backed off, hands in the air in surrender. He stomped back to his potion, the small cottage darkening with his foul mood. The raven flew into through the window and landed on his shoulder, rubbing her beak on his temple.

“I’m fine, Circe,” Steve mumbled, scratching the raven’s neck. “I think Merlin was right about her. She wasn’t here for a good reason. I think she just wanted to prove to everyone that Master Carver’s son isn’t her soulmate. I don’t think she’s actually interested in finding true love.”

The raven crowed and cawed.

“Of course you caught the mouse,” he huffed, gently shaking his head not to dislodge her from his shoulder. “What did you do with it?”

Circe cawed again and Steve laughed. “Of course you did. Merlin is probably pouting. He’ll play with its corpse once he’s done.”

The raven made a sound suspiciously like laughter and then flew away. Robin came up and put her hand on his shoulder and then pulled him into a hug.

“I heard what you told Circe,” she mumbled into his shoulder. “You’re right of course. Merlin, too. She was trying to hard to believe in your magic. She was just looking for an excuse not to marry dickface.”

“That’s Master Dickface to you,” Steve teased halfheartedly.

Robin snorted. “Yeah well. That’s probably the last we see of her. He’ll turn out to be her soulmate, she’ll be forced to marry him and she’ll live in the ivory tower the rest of her days.”

He let out a shuddering breath. “I’m heading over to visit Wayne to deliver his medicine. I’ll be back later.”

She grinned and jumped up and down. “Maybe the hottie gothy will be there and you’ll finally touch and it’ll be...” she clutched her hands together and batted her eyelashes, “true love!”

He pushed her off of him and wrapped up the blue packets of medicine. He paused for a moment and then took a jar of Mrs. Henderson’s homemade raspberry jam and added it to the basket.

Robin took a loaf of bread from the cooling rack and wrapped it up. “There you go, little yellow riding hood! Of to Wayne’s you go! Don’t let the big bad goth eat you!”

~

Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12

Tag List: CLOSED

1- @itsall-taken @redfreckledwolf @zerokrox-blog @sadisticaltarts @dolphincliffs

2- @gregre369 ​@a-little-unsteddie @chaosgremlinmunson @cryptid-system @kultiras

3- @maya-custodios-dionach @goodolefashionedloverboi @val-from-lawrence @carlyv @wonderland-girl143-blog

4- @bookbinderbitch @bookworm0690 @forgottenkanji @dreamercec @blondie1006

5- @yikes-a-bee @awkwardgravity1 @genderless-spoon @fearieshadow @thesecondfate

6- @dragonmama76 @ellietheasexylibrarian @thedragonsaunt @useless-nb-bisexual @disrespectedgoatman

7- @counting-dollars-counting-stars @tinyplanet95 @ravenfrog @swimmingbirdrunningrock @lingeringmirth

8- @gutterflower77 @a-lovely-craziness @just-a-tiny-void @w1ll0wtr33 @beelze-the-bubkiss

[cafecito-by-thewindow]

I need to reblog this bc I haven't had a chance to read it yet. Tumblr needs a save buttons. 🥺

Spellbound Part 12

Just two more chapters to go. The climax and the wind down.

Things are really moving along, though to try to sum it up for you it would be easier to say what doesn't happen as there is some much action being packed in a lot of words.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11

~

Robin, Steve, and Eddie stepped out of the front door, high above the ground. Below them, Jason was holding Chrissy hostage with a knife to her throat. He was surrounded by his cronies. Not the Watch. Which considering that when Eddie left the group they had both Callahan and Hopper, but now neither of them were there, was a little disconcerting.

He hoped they were okay.

It was just Wayne. Which meant that Argyle had escaped too. This was starting to look worse and worse.

Andrew and Chase, Jason’s closest friends now that Bav had killed Patrick, were looking up at the three of them.

Steve standing in the middle in glorious golden armor, Eddie to his left in his purple and black garb and even Robin looked more powerful then what she had before.

“Get down here, witch!” Jason snarled. “Or I slit your apprentice’s true love’s throat, spilling her blood and binding my family to land forever.”

“Blood magic?” Steve growled. “You dare to dabble in blood magic? Are you insane? Do you not know the cost? What it does to you?”

“I know full well the cost,” Jason snarled. “The Carvers have been practicers of the art for many generations! An angel came to my forefather Demetrius to teach him the art of using the blood of the Lamb of God to bring the world to his bosom.”

“You think you are bringing people to Christ?” Robin hissed. “Through killing and subjugation? Are you an idiot?”

“I don’t answer to you, witch!” he spat. “You better come down here and submit to your punishment and I might let this whore go.” He yanked on Chrissy’s hair, causing her to gasp in pain.

Robin shook her head and jumped deftly to the ground. “So like a man to resort to insulting a woman’s virtue the moment she displeases you. You know full well that she needs to be a virgin for any kind of sacrifice spell.”

Eddie leapt after her and landed even more neatly than she did.

“You better let her go,” he warned, his face a mask of fury. “Just how much damage do you think we can do before and this is a major if, Jason, you take us out?”

Jason tossed her at Chase and Andrew. “Take her back to my father. We’ll still need her for later.”

Chase nodded and took a strangely compliant Chrissy back into town. But as she walked away something fell from her hand.

Steve’s jaw was in a tight line. “Eddie, Robin, I’m going to need you to back away, please.”

Eddie and Robin looked back up at where he was still standing at the front door, then back at Jason who was standing there smug.

Robin grabbed Eddie’s hand and ran underneath Bav all the way to the backdoor. “We really don’t want to see this!”

“Yeah, once is enough thanks!” Eddie agreed. But as they came out from under the house, he paused and pressed his forehead to Bav’s hind leg.

“Take care of him,” he murmured. “Please.”

Then he let Robin pull him farther away.

He looked up at the house and his eyes went wide. Bav who was once a two storey building with gables and bay windows was now a small hut the size of a carriage and was only five feet in the air.

“Holy shit!” he hissed. He turned to Robin. “Did you know she could do that?”

Just then Max and Billy came running up to them.

“I did!” she said proudly. “But this is not the time to waste it how Bav changes shape! We’ve got bigger problems.”

Eddie and Robin looked back at Steve and Bav fighting Jason and then turned back to her.

“What’s going on?”

“Tommy is leading a lynch mob against Steve and you,” Billy said gruffly. “Pitchforks and torches and they’re coming this way!”

“We can’t let them near Steve and Jason!” Robin hissed. “What do we going to do?”

Billy rubbed his chin and then bit his lip. “We need to lead them away from here.”

“The forest!” Eddie said, snapping his fingers. “The Prince of the Forest would be able to protect us!”

“Who’s that?” Max huffed.

Eddie grabbed her hand and started running for the treeline. “No time to explain!”

Billy and Robin ran on their heels.

“Big white angry deer!” Billy bit out. “It’s a good plan.”

“How is that supposed to help us?” Robin growled. “Gore them to death with his antlers until the rest of the mob makes him dinner?!”

Eddie snorted. “I don’t think they’ll be able to pass the treeline!”

Sure enough the four of the hit the tree line and suddenly the white stag stepped out to face the mob that was coming up on them fast.

Witch Hunter Hagan came to a stop in front of the beast. “I banish you in the name of Jesus Christ!”

The crystal blue eyes turned red.

“Demon!” Witch Hunter Hagan cried.

Then a white hind came out of the forest, its back baring two ethereal beings, glowing in gold.

Lord Eanethreal and Lady Melisande slipped off the beast and Lady Melisande patted the hind’s head gently.

“Protect the young ones, your majesty,” she murmured. “My husband and I will take care of the Witch Hunter.”

Then the stag’s eyes returned to crystal blue as he bowed.

It took Eddie a moment. He put Robin on the stag and Max on the hind. Both beast rose to their feet.

“Billy?” Max asked, her lip quivering. “Why aren’t you coming with?”

Billy shook his head. “Virgins only, brat! I’ll be fine!” He smacked the flank of the hind and both deer turned and broke for the trees.

Witch Hunter Hagan held out a crucifix. “High ranking devils! Stand back! You may have dominion over the beasts of Hell, wench! But you have no power over me!”

Lord Eanethreal growled. “You are the thing fowling this place, I will not let your destruction prevail!”

He pulled out a sword made of pure light and Hagan and the mob pulled out swords.

“Steel,” Hagan said with a smirk, eyeing the fae sidelong. “Made with iron. I wonder if it’s enough to hurt you...”

Lady Melisande pulled out a bow made of yew. Her arrows glowed with the same golden glow as herself. “You would have to reach him to find out, filth! Care you to test it?”

“Fan out!” Witch Hunter Hagan called out. “She can’t stop us all.”

Billy picked up a large stick to use as a club and Eddie did a motion with his hand that he had seen Steve do countless times, the black glow of his magic shoot from his fingers.

The mob roared as vines shot up from the ground.

Lord Eanethreal turned to him and then bowed his head. “Witch it is past time for you to come to your power.”

“Blame the Carvers!” Eddie said with a snarl.

“There you go again!” Hagan growled. “Besmirching the names of good folk! You keep their name out of your mouth!”

Then one of the men cried out, “The vines aren’t real! They seek to deceive you!”

And suddenly the mob surged forward, Lord Eanethreal sighed and then waded into the fray, sword swinging and Billy charged in with him swinging the club at anyone who came near.

While the noble fae fought off the mob, Eddie and Billy struggled against the Witch Hunter. Eddie tried to keep his attention off Billy with his illusions, but before he could stop him Hagan ran Billy through.

Eddie’s heart stopped as the blade pierced Billy’s stomach.

Billy grabbed Hagan by the collar, blood drenching his mouth, covering his teeth. “You should have secured your dagger, imbecile.”

Hagan staggered back, taking the sword with him.

At first Eddie couldn’t understand what had happened until the Witch Hunter turned around and he could see the dagger sticking out of his back.

As both Billy and Witch Hunter Hagan stumbled to the ground, out of the out of the woods, Steve came strolling out.

The Witch Hunter looked up at him in all his combat witch glory. A shining beacon of hope to all those who saw him.

All but one.

Thomas Hagan let out a strangled cry, coughing up his life blood, the dark red vanishing against the black of his uniform.

“You were supposed to be the best of us,” he rasped, struggling to reach out to Steve.

Eddie and the noble fae ran to Billy’s side as Steve knelt by the Witch Hunter’s.

“Oh, Tommy,” Steve mourned. “You always did do what your father told you instead of using your own good sense.”

“A witch let my mother die,” he said around the mouthful of blood.

Steve held up his head and drew it onto his lap. “No, Tommy. Your father refused to let Mother see to her until it was too late. She had come by every night, begging your father to let her use the herbs that would lessen the fever that racked your mother’s body. And each time your father turned her away.”

“He lied?”

“I’m so sorry, Tommy,” Steve murmured.

“I hurt so many people and for what?” he rasped. “But no more.” And with that Thomas Hagan, Witch Hunter breathed his last.

~

Steve knew that Jason wouldn’t give up without a fight. That he would strive against him with every fiber of his being and not stop until he had breathed his last.

He stood in front of his home, now the size she was when they traveled to this town, glamoured to look like a carriage instead of what she was. Long since the days of Baba Yaga, witches have had homes that they could take with them and settle in a new place if the old got too intolerant.

But Steve had no desire to leave. He was happy here and he was determined to fight for that happiness.

“Jason,” he growled, light sword in hand. “What do you hope to gain from this? We just want to live in peace.”

“You witches are a plague on God’s green earth!” Jason shrieked. “And we will wipe out your disease with Heaven’s fire!”

Steve let out a slow breath, it catching in his chest. “We were here before your Christ,” he said with conviction. “And we will remain long after you have returned to the dust of the earth.”

Jason let out a gut wrenching snarl in agony and rage. “Why won’t you just die!” he screamed at Steve. “The old ways are dying! Why can’t you die with it?!”

Steve stepped forward with an air of solemnity. “Because witches are the custodians of the Mother and we speak for the lowly brownies. For the noble fae. And yes, even for the wicked redcaps.”

“You’re insane!” Jason cried. “You allow those vile things to exist!”

“No, Jason,” he continued calmly. “Your family did. All it takes is a blessing from a priest and a crucifix and the beast would have been banished. But when your family came to this town, with your blood magic and its spell you allowed the redcap not only to live, but to thrive.” He waved his arm in the direction of the town. “These people knew to avoid the ruins, but you took that knowledge from them. You opened them up to the dangers of the supernatural world.”

“To save it!” Jason insisted, drawing out his sword and waving it around like a mad man.

“For who?” Steve asked. “For its people? They aren’t happy having chunks of their memories gone. For Chrissy? She’s a puppet on a string. She has no mind of her own.”

“She is supposed to be mine!” Jason snarled, pointing the tip of the sword at Steve. “She wasn’t even supposed to know about soulmates or true loves or whatever you freaks call it! You or that Munson boy must have bewitched her!”

“She’s supposed to be her own person, Jason,” Steve murmured. “Humans aren’t meant to be controlled. Eventually they break free.”

“No!” Jason said, wailing. “You must have done something to her. Something to turn her against me!”

Steve shook his head. “She went to the wrong house, Jason. She had gone to Eddie’s house first. If she had met either of us before then, she would have gone to the right house. But she didn’t. She couldn’t have.”

“Enough!” he cried and ran at him sword swinging wildly.

But before he could get anywhere close to Steve Bav knocked him away with one of her forelegs. His sword went flying and he got to his feet. Blood poured from the corner of his mouth and he wiped it away with a huff.

“If that foul thing won’t let us fight man to man,” he sneered, “then I’m going to have to do this the easy way.” He pulled a gun from a holster on his hip. It was a revolver and he spun the chamber. “Iron is iron, after all. It doesn’t need to be a sword that gets you, Harrington. I’ll just have to put you down like the dog you are.”

Steve flicked his hand and out shot a bright light of gold. Suddenly Jason let out shriek of alarm as the wood paneling in the handle of the gun abruptly sprouted flowers. When it landed on the ground, the flowers grew into a sapling.

Jason stumbled to the ground and his hand felt his sword. He grasped the hilt and leapt to his feet, springing forward to attack Steve.

Every time that Jason felt he was getting the upper hand, Bav would strike and he would be sent scrambling for his footing.

He stood panting for breath and covered in sweat. “Even without the help of the foul demon, you are much stronger than before. You were such a weakling. Passing out from just talking to those two devils and their spawn that the Head Watch dares to call his daughter. Your potions and powders having none of the real potency they deserve. But how? How are you able to best me?”

Steve cocked his head to the side. “Well for starters, dumbass, we are outside of town limits and the spell goes to the gate and no further.”

“But even then!” Jason protested.

“Once every one hundred years,” Steve said, a shield appearing in his left hand, “there are a pair of witches born with the power of the gods to take on such evil the world has never seen. And I think it’s you. You and your family has to be stopped.”

“My family will endure!” Jason screamed. “We will rule this country! In another hundred years and the whole world will be under our control!”

Finally a helmet appeared over Steve’s features. “You will die here!”

They attacked at the same time, only this time Jason wasn’t just being pushed back, he was being defeated.

Finally Steve got him turned around and with one final push from Bav, Steve ran his sword clean through the other man.

Jason began to twitch and writhe, his body twisting and folding in on itself.

Steve threw up his shield and just in time for Jason’s form to explode into dust.

Steve’s avatar form vanished and he stumbled to the ground. As he panted for breath, he felt something under his hand. Circe landed on his shoulder.

“Where the hell have you been?” he snapped.

She cawed at him. “You are my familiar. You are supposed to protect me and not run off at the first sign of danger. You’re in trouble, Missy.”

He dusted off his new found object. He tilted his head to the side. “What do you make of this?” He held it up for her see.

She made an odd croaking noise.

“That’s what I thought too,” he said getting to his feet as she fed him some of her energy. “But how did a protection charm come to be all the way out here.”

“Chrissy?” Steve asked. “You sure she was wearing this the day she came to the cottage?”

Circe cried again.

“Well, shit.”

~

Tag List: TWO SLOTS REMAINING

1- @niniel-karenine @watermelonmite @zerokrox-blog @sadisticaltarts @dolphincliffs

2- @gregre369 @cryptid-system @kultiras @kimsnooks @maya-custodios-dionach

3- @goodolefashionedloverboi @val-from-lawrence @carlyv @wonderland-girl143-blog @bookbinderbitch

4- @bookworm0690 @forgottenkanji @dreamercec @blondie1006 @yikes-a-bee

5- @awkwardgravity1 @oopsallgender @fearieshadow @stedestielfrattficlover @dragonmama76

6- @ellietheasexylibrarian @thedragonsaunt @useless-nb-bisexual @disrespectedgoatman @counting-dollars-counting-stars

7- @tinyplanet95 @ravenfrog @swimmingbirdrunningrock @gutterflower77 @just-a-tiny-void

8- @w1ll0wtr33 @beelze-the-bubkiss @wheneverfeasible @micheledawn1975 @gloomysoup

9- @dotdot-wierdlife @tartarusknight @ollyxar @yesdangerpls @two-vampires-kissing

10- @themoonagainstmers @estrellami-1@steddieislife

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Ok, so I need help I was deep scrolling Tumblr last night...

And came across a few Steddie fic's and thought I bookmarked them but..no dice. Anyway the two I can remember are;

Steve is an omega and Eddie is an Alpha they're in the middle of....stuff but they have switched bodies and Steve is having a really hard time with that. Eddie is on his lap and is in heat and Steve wants to help but is so uncomfortable.

The second, Idk I do know Steve has a Mohawk that's all.

I know it's a long shot.

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It would be interesting if Steve had a sister no one knew about. Or him and Max really were related. Like after their encounter with the UD they find out or maybe before she moved to Hawkins they knew they just never mentioned it to the party. Maybe Steve's dad cheated with Max's mom when Steve was a little younger so he's known since he witnessed his parents arguing about his father's new mistress being pregnant.

He tries asking about it later but that doesn't go well, it's actually Max's mom who starts reaching out to him because she knows that Richard has a son and wants Steve to know his sister. So she sends stuff in the mail so Max is aware she has a brother in Hawkins before they move there. She had a hard time with Billy dying because of how Billy was with her and every time they fought when their parents got married she would tell Billy that she had a brother already she didn't need him.

Which leads to loads of grief and guilt . That Steve tries to help her through. Or alternatively they don't know they are related until after Max's first run-in with the UD and after Steve is beaten by Billy. Or they continue to grow closer without knowing they are related but do have a connection, this pull to each other but don't know why. maybe Steve finds out before Max but doesn't say anything because she just lost Billy and well, he's scared,scared of her reaction, scared of her rejecting him. So when everything happens with vecna and they are all in the hospital and it's late just Steve and Robin watching over Max.

After hours not really saying anything to each other, just processing everything. He quietly, almost a whisper says that she's his sister. At first Robin thinks that it's because of everything they all went through so everyone sees each other as family. But then Steve goes on to say he found out right after Max moved to Hawkins after Billy beat him he has to go to the hospital and they did blood work (I don't know)but she doesn't know they are siblings, he never told her. Or they both know but don't ever say anything to the party until everything with vecna happens and instead of Eddie getting hurt it's Steve. When everyone's at the hospital they find out whether it's max or Steve who lets it out or they find out through the doctor at the same time...

That's all I got. Did I mention I really love the sibling trope. 🥰

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Ok, hear me out. What if there was a Pinterest-like app but for books. Like when you click on a pin/book it will give you the 2 picture slide. The first is the cover and when you swipe the other is a small synopsis of the book. And the red save button would drop down and give you the option to read now digitally, which would then open into a Kindle-like reading style or get the paperback option delivered quickly. (like Amazon two two-day delivery) kinda. Anyway, I thought it would be cool to have an updated app for reading for free. (Excluding the library apps)

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Something I don't buy or have a hard time believing. Was the no-torture thing. When Steve and Robin were captured during StarCourt. I mean I get it they are kids/teens but you don't honestly expect me to believe that in that time they were down there Steve wasn't tortured beyond the physical abuse. In my mind, I have this whole Jack Ryan torture scene going on and for a lot longer then the time they were down there for like maybe days or a week or a few weeks (those who saw that season).

So the scars he has are more extensive but he covers them. Maybe Robin wasn't even there and Eddie doesn't find out either. So when they both come across Steve and the party again they don't know he's a POW. Maybe it starts with Eddie catching Wayne talking to Steve as a favor to Hopper bc they both know how hard it is and what Steve is going through. Maybe Robin catches him in the middle of a panic attack out in public or having an episode/flashback.

Thus it starts her and Eddie on a road to trying to find out what happened I mean they both haven't seen him since his graduation but even before that he kind of disappeared into the background so they only really know 15 or 16 year old King Steve not this Steve the one who along with the rest of the party has gone through cr*p and just trying to move on and survive.

2 : am thoughts.

I read a fic once about Eddie and Chrissy trying to find out what happened to the party and all the weird things going on in Hawkins. It's a little bit of that too. Not just about Steve but the whole party.

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Does anyone else have days where being verbal and talking is hard. Like some mornings I'll get up and talking is like the last thing I want to do. Like if I could do everything with as little talking or no talking at all I would. Or at least until I am ready to be verbal. But, alas I am forced to talk before I am ready too. Which is to mean everyone asking you for things or talking thus you're forced to respond. Is it just me?

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Omg! You read my mind. I had thought of a similar idea. Eddie still has a grudge/ attitude problem but after spring break. So they have that little bit of history there but Steve never takes his scent blockers off. Maybe the fight still happens. Fast forward a few months to maybe a year/years and they meet again after CC has made it and left Hawkins. The kids have graduated and moving on with their lives. Nancy and Jonathan are working. And Steve and Robin own a business (never decided what) and everyone is just trying to find their way .

Since CC has made it big they don't return that often not that it would matter but Steve has decided to just forgo his scent blockers seeing as his scent mate didn't want him and the chances of him ever returning to town are slim. In walks in Eddie and the moment he walks in Steve's scent just hits him but so does everything else. They lock eyes and both come to some realizations. Steve reeks of fear and hurt and Eddie of hurt, anger, and sadness. Eddie realizes that maybe Steve knew. For how long? Was he ever going to tell him? Was it because he didn't want him? On Steve's part, the residual hurt and anger of their last fight and the rejection from the person the universe deemed his perfect match.

It's the fear of his Alpha rejecting him again, telling him off again, or simply crushing him by telling him he met someone else. By this point in time Vecna 2.0 happened and Eddie was gone for it and didn't know about it. But it left Steve needing glasses and deaf and needing hearing aids. I would say mostly mute because of the trauma and everything having to do with Eddie. So now Eddie and Steve have to work at communicating and dealing with the hurt on both sides. Alpha!Eddie. Omega!Steve. Soft Steve. His yellow sweater. That was mostly still in my head.

Omegaverse scentmates fic where Steve wears scent blockers (patches that cover the scent gland in this case) because he wants someone to love him for him. Eddie doesn't wear scent blockers because they're expensive. Steve knows they are scentmates but also knows that Eddie doesn't like him because of who he was in high school. Eddie doesn't know they're scentmates.

Steve spends the fic trying to befriend Eddie to no avail. Eddie will NOT budge on whatever grudge he's holding. Which sucks because the more Steve learns about Eddie, the more Steve likes him beyond the romantic idea of Scentmates. He likes that Eddie isn't afraid to be his honest self, likes that he's loud and in-your-face and slightly obnoxious. Likes that he's genuine friends with the Party outside of Hellfire. Likes that he's not afraid to make a fool of himself to cheer someone up or get a smile out of them (not that he's ever done this for Steve but he had done it for Max and Dustin that Steve was around to witness). And that's just the start of the list.

There would eventually be a confrontation ala "I'll never be good enough for you, will I?" From Steve and Eddie scoffing in response. It turns into a fight where Eddie finally yells, "what do you care if I like you!? Is having the rest of of the world on your silver spoon not enough?"

And Steve just rips off the scent blocker and stares Eddie down until he sees his scent register to Eddie; Eddie's eyes widen and he takes in several deep inhales like his (secondary gender of choice) can't let Eddie stop smelling him. It's only once Eddie opens his mouth to say something that Steve speaks. "This! This was why. I want to be with someone who wants to be with me! And you've made it real fucking clear that's never happening. Have a nice life, Munson." And then he leaves.

Because if Eddie's going to be interested in him now that he knows, Steve doesn't want it. If Eddie couldn't like Steve for who he was, then Steve not even going to pretend to entertain the idea of letting Eddie near him just because they smell good to each other. Steve would rather be with someone whose scent makes him gag but who laughs at his jokes than settle with someone who would just be tolerating him.

Eddie is left standing there trying to figure out how to prove to Steve that he does like him, and has liked him for a long time. Eddie was just trying to protect himself and couldn't let himself believe Steve's interest was genuine.

How does the fic end? Your choice if you write it <3 (please tag me if you do)

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I don't know about anyone else but I came across a fic w/ Steve and Gareth as cousins. I love this idea! Like they're actually really close. Nobody knows. But not because either is ashamed of being related to each other. Though Gareth felt disheartened watching and had tried to help Steve when he was going through his 'King Steve's' phase because he knew how Steve's parents were(abuse/neglect) But that also means they are really protective of each other.

Just not out in the open because Gareth is Steve's cousin from his Father's side? Mother's side? And they don't really care for Gareth or his family. And if it got out that they were still hanging out or that Steve was associating with what his parents deem lower-class people because someone would say something it would mean trouble for Steve.

Steve still hasn't told Robin and Gareth never told Eddie or the rest of Hellfire. But Steve and Gareth maintained that close relationship through the years. I am loving this. ❤️

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Honestly, I don't either. Because in the first season didn't Steve comment on Johnathan being queer? So he had to have some knowledge and understanding of it.

i really don't vibe with robin as the wise worldly self-assured queer mentor patiently coaching steve through his sexuality revelation and relationship struggles, but i DO genuinely love steve and robin earnestly giving each other terrible relationship advice. just. absolute dogshit advice. steve's a 19yo jock and robin has never kissed a girl, neither of them knows shit about anything, but that's not gonna stop them.

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I heard somewhere that Steve and Robin weren't invited to the Christmas party. Did that actually happen? And if so can someone explain why?

That's so sad if it did 🥺

Babies all by themselves on Christmas 🥺

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I want a Kraven/Darcy Lewis pairing! I think it would be interesting to see. Like would you acknowledge he looks like Petro or just ignore it.

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Squeeeeeeeeeze!!! You've been given a hug! Send this to all the people who you think deserve a hug. Let the hugging begin! ♥

Thank U!!! Giving you a big hug right back! So sorry a missed this, I haven't been on recently. ❤️

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Walk With The Shadows