genderthings

[genderthings]

Masterpost @genderthings - Pride Bingo 2025

Fic

Saturday Brunch - Aromantic

A simple Saturday brunch with Steve's partners and friends, makes Dorothy DeMarco to realize and learn about, and just be herself. And maybe, just maybe, making a new real friend.

Five dollars and an unfinished embroidery - Top Surgery + 90s

Eddie Munson is saving money for one of his dreams and main goals: top surgery. But things happens in life, and sometimes the plans needs to be postponed Five things he used that money for something different, but never lost hope to that one time he finally could do it

Episode 68: Who ate Red Riding Hood? - Fairy Tale

Welcome back to your favorite queer and cryptic channel, Queerptids! Our lovely Chrissy, our fantastic twins, Steve and Robin, our skeptic Nancy and me, Eddie, will try to catch real clean irrefutable proof that Werewolves exist. We are going to the Wayne National Forest, spending one night with a beautiful full moon to have fun, catch our werewolf and, possibly, survive one weekend without the internet. Join us in this adventure and judge for yourself. Was that a werewolf, or maybe Eddie needs new glasses? Thumbs up, subscribe, click on the bell and slay, queen! ;)

Art

Eddie Munson + Crop Top

Demigender + Robin Buckley

Nonbinary

[genderthings]

Episode 86 Queerptids: Who ate Red Riding Hood’s granma?

For @genderthings Pride Bingo: Fairytale Thanks a lot for @alwaysurvalentine for beta reading & @skepsiss for giving the push and idea!

Please Read the Tags!

Welcome back to your favorite queer and cryptic channel, Queerptids! Our lovely Chrissy, our fantastic twins, Steve and Robin, our skeptic Nancy and me, Eddie, will try to catch real clean irrefutable proof that Werewolves exist. We are going to the Wayne National Forest, spending one night with a beautiful full moon to have fun, catch our werewolf and, possibly, survive one weekend without the internet. Join us in this adventure and judge for yourself. Was that a werewolf, or maybe Eddie needs new glasses? Thumbs up, subscribe, click on the bell and slay, queen! ;)

It didn't take long before the five of them were in the van, Eddie driving and his Co-pilot was Nancy herself. The Black Sheep Duo, some fans began to call them after many similarities and tight bond. Then would be the Fantastic Twins, Steve and Robin, and the newest member Chrissy, Princess Monster, a well-earned nickname after her series of makeup and fashion based on monsters and Cryptids as inspiration. 

She was holding the camera, framing Robin and Steve, who seemed curious with the notes Eddie gave them a week ago.

“We were replying to fan comments for each one.” Chrissy said. “Are you ready?” 

“Tell them that if anyone asks me how I'm bi if I'm not dating a guy, I will block them for real.” Steve said, fixing his glasses. 

“Nope, no more of those questions.” Chrissy turned to Robin. “alwaysUrValentine wants to ask you if, in the chapter 54 Ghosts and Birds of Detroit, did you pee yourself?”

She and Steve laughed, as Robin just chuckled and shook their head.

“I saw those comments. Why do people think I peed myself?”

“Gareth did a weird edit.” Nancy explained. “It looks like after you and Steve ran away, you had to change your pants.”

“But, it wasn’t because of that! I just fell on the mud and felt super uncomfortable with the wet feeling.” Robin shook their head again, this time disapproving of the editing. “I didn’t watch that episode, honestly.”

“Okay, what about my question?” Steve pulled the camera to himself, smiling and removing his glasses. “What do fans want to know about me?”

“Here is one from FoxScully2525. They want to know what it takes for you to begin to believe.”

Steve frowned and just crossed his arms.

“Honestly? I want a full ghost apparition in front of me, Mothman knocking at the car’s window, maybe even an alien saying something like…” Steve did the Vulcan salute as he spoke. “We come in peace, earthling.”

Eddie heard that, smiling and waving his hand.

“I will make your dreams come true, big boy!” he said as Chrissy moved the camera to him. “I will have real footage from this real werewolf, and you will begin to believe.”

Read on Youtu-- oh, AO3!

[genderthings]

Pride Things Masterpost

Thank you all for participating! Don't forget to add your works to the Ao3 Collection

My masochist college buddy by @felixir-of-moths | Steddie | M | Pride Week #4: Out of the box wc: 8,159 | college AU, modern era, post Vecna, kink negotiation & discovery, impact play, slapping, friends to lovers, Sub Eddie, Gentle Dom Steve, no sex, platonic BDSM

We have 3 finished bingo cards:

@mugloversonly's card here

@coffeewasamistake's card here

@after-the-end-times's card here

Some of us got very close:

@cxwzkeys's fills (8):

🎨Eddie Munson | Eddie Munson + Crop Top trans genderqueer Eddie

🎨Eleven/Jane | Nonbinary

🎨Robin Buckley | Robin Buckley + Demigender

🖊️Saturday Brunch | G | Aromantic 5k | Focus on Steve's mom / Pretty Punk Metal background

🖊️Five dollars and an unfinished embroidery | Polyship (Steddie + 2 OCs) | M | Top Surgery + 90s Genderqueer Eddie Munson, References to Drugs, Overdosing, Pregnancy, Toxic Relationship, Top Surgery Scars, Mention of Giving Birth, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort

@fuctacles's fills (3):

🎨"Sorry guys, it's the only rainbow thing I could find." | pink + eddie munson

🎨"Oh, officer, I think my husband is dead!" | dress transfem gender nonconforming Steve

@alicetallula's fills (2):

🎨"And so the fox fell in love with the rabbit" | sapphic Steddie | butch (+AU)

🎨'She's my cherry pie' | Billy Hargrove Transwoman Billy Hargrove

[genderthings]

BINGO!

A round of applause for @after-the-end-times for finishing her card! Here are her fics:

I've Built My Life Around You | Queer Platonic Steddie & Robin | T | Queer Platonic Relationship Words: 865 🤍 Future fic, Family Hurt/Comfort and Fluff, Slice of Life

Under the Skin is the Truth (I'll show you me, show me you) | Steddie | E | High Heels Words: 999 🌹 Indulgent Daddy Dom Steve, Sub Eddie, Voyeurism, Feminization, Mild Public Play, Renegotiation during scene, Patronizing, Mentions of Impact Play

Daylight | pre-Steddie | M | Eddie Munson Words: 2,498 ❤️ Vampire!Corroded Coffin & Wayne, Canon Divergent, Use of lowercase to show Eddie's blood loss delirium, Eddie needs Steve's blood to recover from the bat attack, Of course Steve willing gives it

Marjorie | Steddie | G | Suit Words: 1k 🧡 Vampire!Corroded Coffin & Wayne, Immortal Steve, Eddie's melancholy about not being able to remember his family after 200 years on Earth

Stevie Rescues a Blonde | Steddie, pre-Buckingham | T | Chrissy Cunningham Words: 700 🤍 CW: Chrissy unknowingly dead names Stevie 🤍 Trans!Steve Harrington, Spicy Six go to a Pride Parade, Chrissy's first time at Pride, Community building Fluff

Summerween in Hawkins | Steddie | M | Make up Words: 4.6k 💚 TransFem!Steve, Trickster!Eddie, Buffy Halloween Episode Vibes, Everyone's turned into their costume, Stevie's pretty happy about it, coming out to the party

Lady in Black | Steddie | M | Dress Words: 1,700 🖤 Genderqueer Steve, Modern AU, Pining Steve, Eddie loves Steve, Bratty Steve

Serendipitous Fate | Steddie | M | Beard Words: 830 💛 Future Fic, Meeting up again 10 years later, Undernegotiated Dom/sub undertones, Dom!Steve, sub!Eddie

Prelude to Happily Ever After | Stobin, pre-Steddie | G | Queer-Owned Words: 480 🧡 Steve and Robin own a gallery, Artist Eddie

[genderthings]

BINGO!

Tip of a hat to @coffeewasamistake for finishing her card! Here are her fics:

Wedding Ink | Steddie | G | Tattoo WC: 1230 | Summary: Steve wants to marry Eddie and wear a wedding ring to show the whole world they belong to each other, homophobic laws be damned. But Steve is a nurse, and hospital rules are hospital rules.

Strawberry | Steve & Eleven | T | Lipstick WC: 3999 | Jane Hopper & Maxine "Max" Mayfield, implied future Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson | Summary: Max and El have fun with makeup at the Harrington's. Steve is not jealous.

Billie Jean (Eddie's not the father, dude) | Steddie, Corroded Coffin | T | 90s, Eddie Munson WC: 1239 | Rock star Eddie Munson, interview, coming out | Summary: After five albums and two tours, Corroded Coffin has made it. They're famous, they're beloved, and everyone want to interview the new metal phenomenon. But now a groupie is telling everyone she's pregnant with Eddie's child. You can't blame the guy for losing it on live TV.

Interview with Eddie Munson | Steddie, Corroded Coffin | G | Representation WC: 2121 | Rock star Eddie Munson, interview | Summary: A year after coming out on live TV, Rock star Eddie Munson finally ends his media break for an exclusive interview. Between a solo album and his personal projects, he has a lot to say.

Fuck Around and Find Out | Steddie, Stobin | T | Crop Top WC: 1583 | Summary: Robin gives Steve a makeover. Eddie is going to regret his mean comment about Steve's clothes.

Home is where the heart is | Wayne & Eddie, Steddie | T | HRT WC: 1184 | Warning: Implied/Referenced child abuse | Summary: Eddie meet his uncle Wayne in a hospital room. From that point, his life improves significantly.

Mary's son | Steve Harrington's mother/Karen Wheeler | G | Karen Wheeler WC: 608 | Summary: Karen Wheeler has complicated feelings about Steve Harrington. She's mature enough to admit it's because of his mom.

A lesbian and a straight bi guy walk into a bar | Stobin, Steddie | T | Leather community WC: 862 | Summary: Robin goes to a gay bar with her emotional support Dingus. They weren't expecting to cross paths with a leather clad Eddie Munson.

[genderthings]

Eleven/Jane - Nonbinary

A little extra for the pride portraits because I was like "wait, Nonbinary characters??? I know which one I can draw!"

🏳️‍🌈Want to see more for the Pride Bingo?🏳️‍🌈

@genderthings

[Patreon] [ Open Emergency Commissixns ] [ bsky ][ instagram ][ ko-fi ]

[genderthings]

Eddie Munson

For the @genderthings bingo I was supposed to finish last month 8D Prompts: Eddie Munson + Crop Top

I have Robin here! And I may add my ST OCs later on, but the rest will be on my patreon with a little extra Steddie.

🏳️‍🌈Want to see more for the Pride Bingo?🏳️‍🌈

[ Open Emergency Commissixns ] [ bsky ][ instagram ][ ko-fi ]

[genderthings]

Robin Buckley

For the @genderthings bingo I was supposed to finish last month 8D Prompts: Robin Buckley + Demigender

Gotta share Eddie and my OCs as well, but the rest will be on my patreon with a little extra Steddie.

🏳️‍🌈Want to see more for the Pride Bingo?🏳️‍🌈

[ Open Emergency Commissixns ] [ bsky ][ instagram ][ ko-fi ]

[genderthings]

Saturday Brunch

Aromantic Prompt for @genderthings

5k Multiple POV Focus on Steve's mom / Pretty Punk Metal background

A simple Saturday brunch with Steve's partners and friends, makes Dorothy DeMarco to realize and learn about, and just be herself. And maybe, just maybe, making a new real friend.

Steve could see that his mom was getting used to this new life; Dorothy DeMarco wasn't as social as before, but enjoyed every time she came out with her new friends or even taking care of the kids. At least that's what she called both the Party and the young adults. Especially Steve and his two boyfriends. 

That weekend was slightly different. Johnny wanted to show them his new puppy, and Steve saw it as an excuse to have some nice brunch with all of them. The whole thing of wanting to have reunions and parties maybe was from his mom's side, as Dorothy quickly organized everything for that Saturday morning at her home.

The smaller pool was great for the kids, while the table had food and drinks to enjoy. Steve arrived earlier with Robin and Eddie to help his mom fix all around, and was easy to listen to when Johnny and Caroline, Johnny’s mom, arrived.

Eddie threw such a scream that made Dorothy jump and turn over.

“What was that?!” she said, frowning at one of his sons-in-law.

Read in AO3

[genderthings]

CONGRATS, IT'S A BINGO!🎉

@genderthings

✅️Make Up - Summerween in Hawkins M

✅Beard - Serendipitous Fate M

✅Queer-owned - Prelude to Happily Ever After G

✅Eddie Munson - Daylight M

✅High Heels - Under the Skin is the Truth E

✅Queer-Platonic Relationship - I've Built My Life Around You T

✅Suit - Marjorie G

✅Dress - Lady in Black M

✅Chrissy Cunningham- Stevie Rescues a Blonde T

COMPLETE

[genderthings]

BINGO! CONGRATS!🎉

Last entry for the Pride Things Mini Bingo !

A lesbian and a straight bi guy walk into a bar

For the Mini Pride Bingo hosted by @genderthings.

[AO3]

Prompt: Leather community | Rating: T | WC: 862 | Relationships : Robin Buckley & Steve Harrington; Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson

Summary:

Robin goes to a gay bar with her emotional support Dingus.

They weren't expecting to cross paths with a leather clad Eddie Munson.

The club was packed. Robin had be told about it by some pretty girl apparently working at the bookshop were she had found all her lesbian informations. Of course she had insisted on showing up tonight, when the mysterious hottie had advised his best friend to come. There was an event, something something, lots of queer people from every horizon, something something. Robin's explication had been severly lacking, and Steve was pretty sure she hadn't heard a third of the cashier's speech, too occupied trying to not melt into a  pile of goo because an attractive girl had told to her.

Whatever. It was not the first overpacked party he had attended. Buying a drink would be a bit difficult with so many people around, but as long as he Robin's hand in his, they would at least stay together.

"I didn't think it was your scene, Big Boy..." 

Steve turned around, startled. He knew that voice. He had heard it so many times in the high school cafeteria while its owner was flouncing on the tables.  

Eddie Munson was standing in front of him, clad in leather pants and a goddamn leather harness. He wore nothing else, and Steve found himself almost hypnotised by the expanse of naked, tattoed skin in front of him. He swallowed heavily, trying desperatly to find something to say, anything, before Munson go too weirded out by Steve's lack of answer.

"Oh, hi Munson! He's with me!" Robin pipped, saving him from looking too much like an idiot. She was smiling like crazy. "I was a bit scared to come alone, and Steve was all 'I'm a great winngman Robie, I'll get you laid'. And I thought, yeah, this guy is known as the ultimate lady killer, the Panties Whisperer. So I thought why not? He could help me find a girl, because, lesbian, you know." Her smile dropped for a second, and she winced. "Though I saw him try to flirt with the girls who came at Scoops during the summer and he was absolutely awful, so I don't know if his expertise is to be believed. Maybe his technique is not that good and I'll end up alone at the end of the night... But at least I would have been to a gay bar once in my life."

"So first time being here. I though so, but I didn't want to assume."

Robin grimaced. "Why, do I look out of place?" She glanced at Steve. "Do I seem straight to you Dingus?" Steve shook his head.  Robin turned back to Eddie. "Is it my clothes? I try do wear something cool, but clearly," she gave him a once over, "I'm falling short right now."

"Nah, you're fine. I just never saw you here, and well, we live in Hawkins. You look good for a girl, don't worry. "

"Oh." Robin visibly relaxed. "I was scared there was a dress code I had missed or something." 

"No, I'm a special case. You like it, Birdie?" he asked, grinning.

"I'm not gonna lie, you look amazing in leather. Very dramatic. Does it works with the boys?"

Eddie laughed.

"You have no idea. People are coming on to me right, front and center. I'm nearly as popular as our own King Steve." He winked.

Robin started fidgetting with her rings. "Does it... Does it works well with girls too? Do they even make things like that" she gestured at the harness Eddie was wearing, "for girls? Whoever create these, I mean."

"Oh believe me, they do. It's less common for lesbians, but some girls dress like that too. I've seen it, it looks great with tits. Why, you wanna try?"

Robin hesitated. "You think it would look good on me?" 

"What I think, my lady Robin, is that you would look very butch in leather. And that would make a lot of panties drop." He winked. "I know a few girls who could tell you all about it. Interested?"

"Oh my god, Eddie! Yes!"

He turned toward Steve, and the strange look in his eyes made him shiver. He felt like a poor little gazelle staring at a dark haired lion.

"And you Stevie? You haven't used your pretty mouth in a second, now. Tell me, pretty boy, do you like the leather?"

Steve blushed, opening and closing his mouth like a fish. For once he had nothing to respond to someone who was flirting with him. He was accustomed to girls batting their eyelashes at him, smiling, playing with their hair. But now, in front of Eddie Munson's burning intensity, he found himself barely able to look at the older guy. He kept glancing at his almost naked torso, at the glorious contrast between the leather and his pale skin. He felt an insane urge to lick at the sweaty expanse of flesh right in front of him.

Did he like the leather? Steve averted his eyes. 

"Yes." he mumbled.

A beat. Steve found himself glancing back at the other guy, drawn to him like a moth to a flamme.

Eddie's eyes met his own. His smile was blinding.

"Good to know, sweetheart. Good to know."

[genderthings]

Mary's son

For the Mini Pride Bingo hosted by @genderthings.

[AO3]

Prompt: Karen Wheeler | Rating: Gen | WC: 608 | Relationships : Steve Harrington's mother/Karen Wheeler

Summary:

Karen Wheeler has complicated feelings about Steve Harrington. She's mature enough to admit it's because of his mom.

Steve Harrington is upstairs with Nancy, looking for a sweatshirt he left here last month.

They’re not together anymore, apparently.

It happened last week. Karen has thought at first that Steve was the one who broke her little girl’s heart. It made perfect sense. The popular boy, a Harrington at that, leaving Karen’s daughter without looking behind? Of course that’s how it went down. Karen never really liked him in the first place. He’s always too nice to her and Ted, and she knows these eyes. She has seen the coldness it hides.

At least that’s what she thought. She knows better now.

Even with Nancy slipping through her fingers more and more as time pass, she still plopped herself on Karen’s bed last evening while Ted watched Mike play with Holly downstairs and told her about everything. Her pain about Barb, the way Steve didn’t seem to understand, the party, their fight. The conversation they had the following day. And Jonathan Byers.

It hurts to know she failed her daughter. She should have been more present in the days, weeks, months even after Barbara’s disappearance. She should not have had to rely solely on her boyfriend.

It hurt in a different way to think about Steve Harrington’s broken heart. 

She can’t make that little voice in her head shut up.

You can’t be serious, Karrie. You want me to run away with you? And what, leave everything my marriage got me? You think I’m going to raise two toddlers in a dump just to be with you? That’s ridiculous. We’re just having fun and you know it.

It’s not the same. Mary didn’t break up with her to get with Richard, she was already married. Karen was just stupid enough to dream about leaving Hawkins with the woman she loved and their respective children and spent the rest of their days somewhere sunny. 

She had forgotten she was just an affair.

Mary had been distant after that conversation. Something had changed: maybe knowing Karen was actually in love was too off-putting for Mary. Karen had not insisted. At some point she had simply stopped trying to see her. She wasn’t stupid.

It was worth it in the end. If she had left for some sunny beach, she would never have had Mike and Holly, and just thinking about the possibility of not having two of her children is horrifying.

Maybe Ted is not the great love she wanted, but she is content, even if she isn’t exactly happy.

Nancy, however, deserves a happier life than Karen’s. She is strong, her girl, and she’s the kind of person who would fight for what she wants in life. It is becoming clearer by the minute that Steve is her Ted, and leaving him was definitely for the best. She’s not eighteen and pregnant like Karen was, she has time to find her great love.

But the thing is, Karen is certain that Nancy is Steve’s Mary. She has seen the way he looks at her girl, the same she saw in the mirror so many years ago. He must be hurting something fierce.

Part of her hated Steve when he first started dating Nancy. She’s adult enough to admit it was because of his mother. Now she sees the truth: Mary left her, then abandoned her own son, and now that Nancy broke up with him, that poor teenager is all alone.

Maybe a little company wouldn’t hurt him.

She stops him as he walks down the stairs.

“Oh, Steve, can I ask you something? Mike’s friends need to get home and it’s raining, maybe you could drive them…”

[genderthings]

Prelude to Happily Ever After

🩷Rating: G 💛 Words: 480 🧡 Tags: Platonic Stobin, Pre-Steddie, Steve and Robin own a gallery, Artist Eddie 💚For @genderthings Pride Things Bingo: Queer-Owned 💙Ao3

“Ahh!” Robin’s startled yelp pierced the gallery from the back room.

“Robin?!” Steve called out. “You alive?! Marco!”

“Polo! I’m fine! The large canvases tried to crush me, but I’m fine! Though, can you come here and get them off me?”

Steve jumped up, jogging to the back room. He wound around the metal shelves and found Robin sitting on the floor, one foot under a pile of their large art. Steve sighed and grabbed the top artwork and hoisted it up.

“How did this even happen? This is the two-person area, Robin. Don’t know if you realize this, but you’re one person.”

“Yes, thank you, Steve, I can count.”

“Really?” He lifted the last heavy artwork off of Robin, leaning it solidly against the rest. “Could’ve fooled me. Come on, up you get.”

Steve grasped her hand and stepped back, pulling her to her feet.

“Ah!” She fell forward into him, grasping his sleeves.

“Your ankle?” He held her around the waist, taking most of her weight, and led her over to a stool. “I’ll go get the first aid kit. Don’t move.”

“Ha ha. You’re so funny.” She glared at him and he grinned back at her before spinning around toward the bathroom.

He returned, shaking the ice pack. He lifted her ankle up onto the worktable, pulling back her pant leg, revealing her swollen ankle. He shook his head, wrapped the ice pack in a cloth off the table, and gently placed it on her ankle.

“Gotta keep it elevated and iced.”

“Aye aye, Doctor Harrington. As long as it’s just for five minutes.”

“Robin.”

“Steve, there’s a new artist coming in, like, five minutes. I really want to get this guy’s art. It’s a perfect match for us, so I need-”

“Dude, it’s fine, I’ll do it. He’d be a fool to not want to show his stuff here.”

Robin groaned, dropping her head back. “Do you not remember the last artist you tried to get? He stormed out, never to return again. La Galleria Asshole got his art instead. Do you remember how much they made from him? A lot, Steve, a lot.”

“Yes, Robin, I know how much they made, because I told you. But it wasn’t my fault. He shouldn’t have been a homophobic douchebag. This whole place is clearly queer and he sneered at our flag, Robin. What was I supposed to do, hm? Not tell him off?”

She sighed. They’d had the same argument at least ten times. “Just be nice, Steve. We’re trying to sell ourselves here. We want his art, okay? And what I’ve seen from it, he’s obviously not homophobic. Steve, just do whatever you have to do to get his art in our gallery.��

The moment Steve walked out and laid eyes on Eddie Munson, he knew he would do whatever he had to to get him, in their gallery and in his life.

[genderthings]

Home is where the heart is

For the Mini Pride Bingo hosted by @genderthings.

[AO3]

Prompt: HRT | Rating: T | WC: 1184 | Relationships :Wayne Munson&Eddie Munson; Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson. Warning: Implied/Referenced child abuse

Summary:

Eddie meet his uncle Wayne in a hospital room. From that point, his life improves significantly.

It’s not something he would ever say publicly, but Eddie was so glad his father had broken both his leg and arm when he had pushed him down the stairs. The fact that he had done so while totally drunk in the middle of the day, in full view of three neighbors and the very same cops who were coming to arrest him may have been part of the reason he was so happy about it.

It had hurt. It still did, even with the meds he was under. His body felt like a giant bruise, and he had nearly fainted when he had seen his arm bent in a really, really abnormal way. Said arm was now in a cast, along with his leg, and it sucked. At least his right side had taken the brunt of the fall, and he was still able to write and eat almost normally.

He didn’t know where he was going to end up now that his dad had been locked up, but after two days spent at the hospital, a social worker showed up with a vaguely familiar man she introduced to him as Wayne Munson. His uncle. Or “that fucking fairy,” according to his father.

Eddie was hurt, high on painkillers, and in presence of an authentic degenerate. The kind of person who was different from everyone Eddie had ever met and was proud of it, enough to get in trouble with the pigs for being involved in a riot. That was insane.

 As soon as the social worker left them alone, Eddie started to vomit all his problem for Wayne to hear. The man listened in silence, barely nodding a few times to encourage him to talk. When Eddie finally ran out of secrets to tell, Wayne only said one thing.

“So, you’re a boy, right?”

And that was the end of it.

A couple of days later he found himself in small-town Hawkins, while his father was probably in the clink for good, this time. He was now the proud owner of the only bedroom in his uncle’s trailer, because according to Wayne, teenage boys needed their own space.

Three days after his arrival, Wayne sat him on a chair and carefully buzzed his hair. Eddie watched each lock fall to the ground, feeling strangely bereft. Afterwards, he kept running his hand against his bare scalp, fighting against the burn in his eyes.

Wayne put a hand on his shoulder, firm but kind. “It’s safer like that, son. You’ll be able to regrow it soon enough.”

He left the next day, having arranged for a woman living two trailers from them to watch over Eddie for the weekend.

“Don’t tell anyone you were not born a boy, you hear me?” Wayne told him just before the neighbor arrived. “I can help you be yourself, but you have to be careful if we want it to work.”

“Never?”

“As long as you’re still a kid. Keep it under wraps at least until you can vote.”

The neighbor was blind as a bat, made the best casserole in the state, and called him Edward in such a nice tone that by the time Wayne came back, he had decided that he liked that very, very much.

He was still going to go by Eddie, though.

It turned out Wayne had a lot of friends, and all of them were the wrong sort. Not the kind that ended up in jail for grand theft auto and assault, like his dad, but the kind dear ol’ Al Munson would have called “a bunch of degenerates that should be hanged.”

Wayne came back with a stack of falsified papers, a box, zines, and a whole spiel for him.

By the end of the week, he had been enrolled in the local middle school for the next year as “Edward Munson” and was starting to wince less and less each time his uncle stuck a syringe in his thigh. 

Eddie spent the last of the spring and most of the summer holed up in the trailer, writing page after page in a notebook and devouring each book Wayne brought him from the local library. By the time school started again, his arm and leg were healed, the duvet on his upper lip had slightly darkened, and his voice was cracking. 

Ten years after his first trip to the ER, Eddie had been left in the tender care of nurses way more times than most people, and he had almost always gotten along with them.

That one, though, was his favorite.

“Hiya, nurse Harrington. Nice scrubs.”

Steve dropped his key in a bowl and turned around to face his boyfriend. 

“Hi, babe.”

Eddie stretched his neck, and Steve gave him a quick kiss when he passed by the couch in the way to the bedroom. Fifteen minutes later he was back, wearing his pajamas, his hair damp and in disarray. 

“Rough day?”

Steve slumped on the couch and curled up against Eddie. “Could have been easier,” he mumbled.

“I made lasagna.” 

His head shot up.

“You did?”

“Yep. Followed your recipe to the letter. It’s in the oven.”

He got a kiss for his trouble. Then another. 

By the time his watch biped, they had been making out for nearly ten minutes.

Steve pushed his boyfriend back a bit. 

“Is that for you shot or for the lasagna?”

“For my shot.”

“I’ll be right back.”

Eddie smiled dopily and leaned back on the couch. Soon Steve was back with a syringe and a wipe.

“Take your pants off, will you?”

“My, my, nurse Harrington, you’re taking some liberties.” He shuffled out of his jeans, throwing them to the other side of the room. “Aaaall ready for you, my good sir.”

Steve laughed and sat down beside his boyfriend. Eddie immediately put his legs on his lap and lied back.

“Stick me with the boy juice, sweetheart.”

The only answer he got was a kiss on his thigh. Steve cleaned up a square of skin with the cotton wipe and emptied the syringe.

“Ouch,” Eddie said in his most indifferent tone.

“Awww, did that hurt, baby?”

Eddie had been jabbing a needle in his thigh daily for the last ten years and was thinking about getting a new tattoo. He could barely feel needles anymore, and his pain threshold was very high anyway. But being the center of his very caring boyfriend’s attention was always nice.

He batted his eyelashes. 

“Yes, terribly.” Eddie sat back and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend’s neck. “The pain is immeasurable, my liege. I need your lovely kisses to make it all better.”

Steve put down the needle with a laugh and dropped a quick kiss on his lips. “And now?”

“Still hurting…”

They were still laughing between kisses when Steve pushed Eddie down to better make out with him on the couch.

BEEP BEEP BEEP

“Hey, what’s that sound?”

“Oh, that’s just the alarm for the lasagna.”

“What???”

“It can stay in the oven for a bit longer, don't worry. No! Come back here!”

[genderthings]

Fuck Around and Find Out

For the Mini Pride Bingo hosted by @genderthings.

[AO3]

Prompt: Crop Top | Rating: T | WC: 1583 | Relationships : Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson, Steve Harrington&Robin Buckley

Summary:

Robin gives Steve a makeover. Eddie is going to regret his mean comment about Steve's clothes.

It starts with a comment. A mean one, perhaps.

Okay, scratch that. Eddie had definitely been too mean this time.

For his defense, his whole thing is going against the grain. Fuck conformity, right? And Steve is his friend, but no one can deny that the guy’s wardrobe is the quintessence of conformity. He wears jock clothes, all the time.

But still. Eddie’s comment was mean.

And now he’s stuck in hell.

He really walked right into that one.

------

“Robin, what do you think about the way I dress?” She looks up, startled.

“What?”

“My clothes. Is there something wrong with them?”

She considers it. Steve is wearing typical boy jeans, with a typical boy polo-ish shirt. She looks down. His shoes are boy shoes.

“You dress like a guy, Dingus.”

He winces.

“Okay, but do I dress like a guy who dresses well? Or more like an asshole?”

“Where does it ever come from?” Steve is Steve. He can spend more than twenty minutes doing his hair in the morning, she saw it. He is a bit like a preening peacock, her boy. He can be insecure about some things, like his romantic life, but she has never seen him be worried about his clothes. He was the high school king, he knows how to dress. Something is up.

“Did someone told you your clothes weren’t nice?”

Steve hesitates. Bingo.

“Steven, who was it?” She tries to do her best Nancy imitation, but she can tell by the closed look on her best friend’s face that it’s not working that well.

“No one. It’s nothing! I just wanted your opinion, that’s all.”

She drops the magazine she was reading on the table and turns toward her boy.

“Listen, babe, there’s definitely something going on. I’m not asking for a name,” she’s going to get it anyway, whoever made Steve feel insecure is going to DIE, “but if you want my help, I need to know what the problem really is.”

Steve drums his fingers against the table. She waits.

“Eddie doesn’t like my clothes,” oh that bitch “apparently I dress, like, full jock. So, like an asshole I guess?” He looks small, for once. It’s not something she can tolerate.

Munson is an idiot, but she can’t exactly murder her best friend’s crush and bury his body in the woods. She doesn’t have the upper body strength needed to dig a hole big enough for his sad ass, and Steve would probably cry if the guy died, instead of helping her with the body. And they worked hard to save him from Vecna and like, half of Hawkins, so that would be a waste.

And damn it, she likes him when he doesn’t put his foot in his mouth. With a bit of effort, he could be a good boyfriend for Steve. But before that, he must suffer for his crimes against her best friend.

“Eddie is a dumbass who preaches about nonconformity but shit on everyone who has different tastes than him. Don’t take his stupid criticism to heart.”

Steve is silent for a moment. When he finally talks again, his tone is dull.

“I know, but he’s not totally wrong. I still dress like King Steve.”

Hum. Eddie may have hit something important here.

“Forget about Eddie for a second. Do you like your style?”

Steve looks down, biting his lip.

“Yes? Sort of? But I feel a bit boring sometimes.” He looks up. “Remember when we went to that gay bar in Indianapolis?”

Like she would ever forget about Steve flirting with lesbians for her. It had been so weird.

Strangely effective, though.

“Yes, Dingus, I remember the gay bar.”

“Everyone was so cool, I felt a bit underdressed.” He sounds small, again. She can’t stand it. “Sometimes I feel like I’m stuck in the body of Steve From Before. The Asshole. So when Eddie told me I dressed like a jock…”

Robin feels her throat tighten. She had no idea Steve was hurting this way. She has to do something, and quick.

“Do you want my help? We can play around with clothes. See what you like.”

“Like a makeover?” Steve smile is faint, but there. It’s the important part.

“Yep.” She leans toward him. “A total reverse breakfast club.”

Steve whines and bury his face in his hands. “They did Allison so dirty.”

“I’ll reverse Allison you, babe.”

Steve’s smile is like a ray of sunshine.

“Let’s do it.”

Steve looks at the scissors in Robin’s hand with trepidation.

“You’re sure about that?”

“Be honest. Are you going to wear that tee-shirt ever again?”

The fabric in his hands is both stained and ripped. The bottom of the tee-shirt has fallen victim of Steve’s drunk shenanigans after a winning game. It had been fun at the time, but there had been no way of salvaging his clothes afterwards. He had thrown his shorts in the trash, but the tee-shirt had still s somehow ended up in the back of his closet.

"...No.”

“Then we can cut it!” Robin crows, triomphant. « We’re keeping the sporty look, because that’s very you, mister let’s run at 6 a.m., but we make it different. More fun. A bit slutty, too, if you want. »

Steve blinks. There’s something interesting here. If he can make something wearable to a gay bar…

It’s a thought. Maybe next time they drive to Indianapolis, he will not feel so out of place, like he doesn’t belong. Maybe a cute boy will look at him and not just see a stupid jock. He could kiss a boy who’s not dating a girl or is one bad morning away from breaking his face.

Maybe Eddie would change his mind about him. Who knows.

“Alright. Let’s do it.”

He grabs the scissors.

“Wait, wait, wait!”

Steve freezes.

“Put it on first, if we’re doing this, we’re doing it right.”

Ten minutes later, Steve is wearing jean shorts Robin procured from whoever knows, and a newly cropped tee-shirt. He… doesn’t dislike the way he looks. It’s fun. A bit sporty, a bit slutty. 

“What’s the verdict?” asks Robin, sprawled on his bed.

“Yeah. I think I look okay. I sort of dig it.” He hesitates. “I’m just… not quite sure it’s the best top ever.”

“But you like the length?”

“Yeah, definitely. It’s flattering. I wouldn’t wear it all the time, but on occasion, when it’s hot outside, it could be fun.”

Robin clasps her hands together.

“Perfect! Now that we have something cute for the summer, let’s find a good club look! Something a bit more in-your-face.”

Steve blinks. Stare at his bare stomach. At the shorts. He is already very much exposed. What does she want him to wear, mesh? Nothing?

“What?”

She’s already on her feet, rummaging in the pile of clothes on the bed to unearth her bag.

“We’re going shopping, Dingus! I know a couple of good thrift stores not too far from Hawkins, and you need clothes with more humph. I can’t do miracles, and sports uniforms and polo can only get us so far.”

Oh no. 

What did he get himself into?

----

As stated previously, Eddie is in hell.

Maybe his mean comment was the straw that broke the camel’s back. He did a number of questionable things in his life, and now he has to pay the price for it. 

“Do you want something to drink, Eddie?”

In front of him, his skin gleaming with sweat in the sweltering sun, stands Steve Harrington. Wearing tiny shorts.

And a fucking crop top.

It’s yellow. The exact color of his sweatshirt, the one he had thrown at his face just before diving into Lover’s Lake. Eddie feels like it needs saying. Steve Harrington is wearing a lovely little crop top that puts his whole toned stomach on display.

“Eddie?” Steve is frowning, like his exposed skin is not currently wreaking havoc on an innocent guy’s mind. Eddie’s brain is about to leak out of his ears. “Did you hear me? I asked you a question.”

He wants to answer, he does, but his tongue is stuck to the roof of his mouth. He can’t talk, at all. Which may be for the best, because “the sweat of your toned stomach” is maybe not the answer Steve is waiting for.

“Mmmmrrrr.”

Steve blinks and walks toward him.

Jesus H. Christ.

A huge hand is put on his brow, and for a second, he truly believes he is dead. Steve Harrington is leaning over him, half-naked, touching him. 

This is insane.

“I don’t think you have a fever. Did you stay in the sun for too long, Eddie? You look a bit unwell.”

Finally, finally, Eddie finds the strength to talk.

“Never been better, my liege. Anything from your royal stores would be greatly appreciated, but if I could have a beer, I would be grateful.”

Steve snorts and takes a step back. It would be a tragedy, except it puts him back in the sun, and the light reflects on his sweaty, toned abs. 

Eddie is in heaven.

 Eddie is in hell.

“Okay, if you can be dramatic, you’re fine. I’ll get your beer.”

He turns around, and now, Eddie has not only a glorious view of his fantastic ass, but he can also see his lower back, and, oh.

He has dimples.

Steve Harrington has two little dimples on his back.

Eddie wants to bite them.

Fuck. He’s never going to survive this.

[genderthings]

My masochist college buddy

written for : @domstevemonth prompt ‘crisis, honesty, first, impact’ & @steddiebingo prompt 'friends with benefits' & @genderthings Pride Week #4 wc: 8,159 | rated: M | tags: college AU, modern era, post Vecna, kink negotiation & discovery, impact play, slapping, friends to lovers, Sub Eddie, Gentle Dom Steve, no sex, platonic BDSM

a huge thanks to runxgmc for the quick and thorough beta work! 💫

summary:

Something is off about Eddie lately. Steve is determined to know what, because he’s absolutely sure he can help his friend - isn’t it exactly what friends are for? When it turns out that Eddie’s problem is not being able to be dominated properly in order to cool down his general anxiety, Steve doesn’t back up. It doesn’t sound so hard - in fact, it’s just like any other sport. Steve just has to learn the moves, to choose the correct strategy, and voila. What do you mean, there’s no such thing as casual BDSM between college buddies?

AO3 link | ⬇️ read an extract here!

“No, nothing bad happened – wait, why would – why are you so sure something terrible is happening to me?” Eddie snaps, confused. “Because you're covered in bruises, dude!” Steve states, and his voice raises a little, which is not helping. “And I specifically told you – ” “ – to not talk about them, yeah, well - I'm worried about you!” Steve yells properly now, before letting out a loud, frustrated sigh. Perfect , Eddie thinks, we're both screaming now, here goes the calm and mature conversation I was supposed to have with Steve Harrington about my sex life .  “Okay – I'm gonna tell you – only because I don't want you to think I'm getting molested on a daily basis,” Eddie says, lowering his voice, but still avoiding Steve's eyes. The guy is almost as jittery as Eddie himself, and that's saying something.  Steve settles down a bit, stops swaying on his chair, and drums his fingers on the table. Eddie drags his hands along his face slowly, trying not to die from embarrassment.  “You ever heard of masochism?” Eddie settles for, and Steve raises an eyebrow. “The political thing?” “No – that's fascism , dude, seriously – masochism, people who like to feel pain? That's what the M in BDSM is for." “Oh.” “Yeah,” Eddie says quickly before changing his mind, “that's for bondage, discipline, sadism, masochism . That's… me. I do those things.” In all his genuine awkwardness, there's a part of Eddie that hopes Steve will freak out and leave - because then, Eddie doesn't have to open up about any of his personal issues. He can be, in Steve's eyes, the freak he was always supposed to be. Steve can stop trying to be friendly, can stop hanging out with him out of pity or whatever. But Steve is not freaking out. In fact, Steve is tilting his head to the side like a curious Labrador, except he doesn't look as clueless. “So, your marks – they're consensual, right?” Steve asks. “You got them from…playing.” “Not a game,” Eddie says, pointing a finger in the air notedly. “Yeah, no, of course - but you got them because you wanted them, right? So why are you always so sad?" Eddie opens and closes his mouth, powerless. 

[genderthings]

Interview with Eddie Munson

(read part one)

For the Mini Pride Bingo hosted by @genderthings.

[AO3]

Prompt: Representation | Rating: Gen | WC: 2121 | Relationships : Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson, Corroded Coffin&Eddie Munson Tags: Rock star Eddie Munson, interview

Summary:

A year after coming out on live TV, Rock star Eddie Munson finally ends his media break for an exclusive interview. Between a solo album and his personal projects, he has a lot to say.

Last Tuesday I had the pleasure of meeting renowned guitarist, singer and songwriter Eddie Munson. We talked about his new album, Forbidden Fruit, and his decision to sign this album alone, his future projects with Corroded Coffin, and what he hoped the future had in store for him. 

Martha Collins: So, Mr. Munson…

Eddie Munson: Eddie, please. [He smiles.] Mr. Munson is what the cops call my uncle.

M.C. : Right. Eddie then. I’m Martha.

E.M. : I know! I kinda choose you myself for this interview. [He winks at me.]

M.C. : Oh, that’s great to hear! Now, Eddie, after five albums signed under the Corroded Coffin name, you’ve surprised everyone with a more personal creation. Tell me, what made you decide to write a solo album? No troubles with the rest of the band, I hope?

E.M. : Oh, I spent last Friday afternoon helping Jeff get his kid’s puke out of the carpet, so believe me, we’ve never been closer! No, the thing is, I wrote a lot of songs that weren’t really Corroded Coffin material in the last decade, and with everything that happened last year, I felt it was time to properly work on that. So, I spent some time in the studio, and before I knew it, I had an album ready.

M.C. : When you say, “everything that happened last year,” you mean your coming-out on live TV and the subsequent backlash that occurred. 

E.M. : Yeah. I had wanted to say these words for a long time now, but I was afraid of what people would say, and the consequences not only for me but also for the rest of the band. 

M.C. : A lot of people have declared after your coming-out that you weren’t good enough for metal anymore. [He scoffs] With this solo album, which, if I understand correctly, is radically different from Corroded Coffin’s usual style, aren’t you worried about being rejected by your fans again?

E.M. : Listen, I really don’t care if me or my music offend people. That’s our whole thing. If they want to spat in my face because my music is suddenly “wrong" in their eyes, when two years ago I was their idol, then they are no better than the people judging them for their own beliefs and their taste in music. They would sound just like the ones who scream that metal is the work of the devil, and I don’t have time for their hypocrisy. I walk to my own rhythm.

M.C. : So this album is what, an act of rebellion?

E.M. : In some ways, yes, it is an act of rebellion. My music always is. I don’t think I ever wrote a single song without a hint of revolt in it. Even my love songs. Especially them, I think, because when I wrote about love, there was always the reminder that society hated it. Hated me. Hated what I’m sharing with Stevie. That I had to hide who’s my muse because otherwise my label would throw me out with the trash. But now it’s different. I’m not hiding anymore, I’m embracing it. Throwing it back in people’s faces, in a way. Nothing about me conforms to society’s idea of what is "right," or "normal," and that’s okay. So, I guess this album is about rebelling against the system, just like my work with the boys [the other members of Corroded Coffin], but in a more personal way. It’s the quiet rebellion of choosing to be yourself, no matter what.

M.C. : So Forbidden Fruit is about love, amongst other things? 

E.M. : It’s a lot about love, yeah. I talk about my relationship with Stevie, everything that hurt about it and all the ways it makes me feel alive. Why our love is worth the pain, you know? But it’s not just a Stevie-and-I lovefest. I talk about other people too. Prom Queen is about a good friend of mine who struggled a lot with parental and peer pressure, including her choice in romantic partners, and a lot of other very difficult issues. And all of it was tied to this obligation she thought she had to conform to the image other people had of her. It hurt her deeply, and getting past these hindrances was a complicated journey. So Prom Queen is a song dedicated to her strength.

Now, on the other side we have Malboro Boy. This song is about that guy I hated in high school, who clearly felt like he had to be his most aggressive self, like he had to be top dog, you know? If he wanted to be a real man. He’s the reason why Stevie is hard of hearing by the way.

M.C. : How so?

E.M. : Well, real men fight, so, of course, he had to deal with everything with his fists. [His laugh is bitter.] Basically, Steve put himself before Billy, that’s the guy’s name, and one of the kids he baby-sat, and he got his face pummeled in. He got a concussion, and an ear that barely work and rings more often than not. And these two stories are about the same problem, but they don’t end the same way. My friend Chrissy had a very close brush with death and it really changed how she saw life, so she escaped all the conformity, the heteronormativity, you know? But Billy never had the occasion to grow past all the fucked up ideas that had been put in his head by assholes and society as a whole. And even if he was a real bastard, he didn’t deserve that. That’s an important part of the album, I think, this idea that you deserve better than the chains of conformity. Everyone should be free to present themselves to the world as they really are, and I hope my music can help some people in this aspect.

M.C. : That’s a great reason to share these songs with your fans, Eddie. But now, you briefly talked about your partner Steve, and how you sing about your relationship with him. Is that him on the cover?

E.M. : Oh, the cover. Let me tell you, I heard a lot of shit about that cover from basically everyone I know. Apparently, it was very romantic of me, which, okay. I admit, it can be seen like that. I did put my boyfriend on my cover album after all. But there was no need for everyone to heckle me for it!

M.C. : I’m pretty sure friends are contractually obligated to do that.

E.M. : If they aren’t, they hide it well. But yeah, that’s Stevie. Half-naked. Biting in an apple.

M.C. : And the apple is bleeding.

E.M. : Eating the forbidden fruit is fun, but it can hurt. You gotta know what you’re signing up for. Life’s tough like that.

M.C. : Are you the forbidden fruit? For Steve.

E.M. : Our love is the forbidden fruit. First because of the whole gay thing, because according to a lot of angry people, boys aren’t supposed to kiss boys. You just can’t do that. I wasn’t supposed to touch Steve, kiss him, fuck him, and I was certainly not supposed to fall in love with him. That’s like, the first rule of conformity. Love thy neighbor, but not too much if you can’t make babies together. And on top of that huge interdiction, there was a second layer, the social one. I was not even supposed to be friends with my man, because before being Stevie, he was King Steve. The guy who planned the best parties, ran with jocks like him, dated cheerleaders and was captain of two sports teams. Two! The top of the top of the fucked up little society high school was. And me? I was at the bottom of the ladder. I was a nerd, a freak, and a rumored satanist. I couldn’t touch the King. It would have been a crime.

M.C. : But you did fall in love.

E.M. : Yes, and that’s the best thing in my life, our love, but when we were teenagers, you would have never believed we were going to end up together. Our love was definitely of the forbidden kind, but hell did we bite the fruit. And even now, after all these years, we’re still fighting everything and everyone to keep loving each other.

M.C. : It impacted your work pretty badly. Last year, when you came out, it was not just your fans who reacted to it. Your label dropped you. Did the rest of the band resent you for that?

E.M. : No, never. But, you know, I would not have come out without their approval. Because I’m not just Eddie, I’m Eddie Munson from Corroded Coffin, so everything I do has an impact on the boys. In fact, they were the one who convinced me to do it. We had a fight or two about it. They knew hiding my relationship with Stevie was hurting me deeply, and they all decided that we could take the fall. We’ve made a few albums, Stevie forced us to be clever with our money, we were not going to end up on the streets. And Jeff had a baby on the way, so we needed to take a break anyway. I was just scared to take that step. In the end, that whole stupid rumor made me lose my shit a little, and yeah. I did it. 

M.C. : Your real fans will be happy to hear you did not fight about it. Does that mean we can hope for a new Corroded Coffin album in the coming years? Maybe a tour? And what about another Eddie album?

E.M. : Yes, maybe, yes. I’m already working on songs for the band. I’m always sharing a little something with the boys when I see them. It’s going slow, because my solo music and our personal lives get in the way, but it’s going. A tour… It’s more complicated. Jeff is a dad now, and Gareth is looking a bit too wide-eyed when he holds the kid. And I’m not even talking about Stevie, he’s a pile of goo every time a child is involved. So we might not go on tour for a few years. Can’t leave babies at home for too long without seeing them. But if you’re already asking for a second solo album, don’t worry. I haven’t used all my material, and I’m leaving full time with my muse, so… The inspiration is not drying out, believe me.

M.C. : You’re thirty-three, your bandmates are having children… Are you thinking about fatherhood?

E.M. : That’s the plan, yes. Of course, it’s not as easy for us as for the guys, because we don’t have the bits for it, but we have great people around us. We’ve talked about it with Stevie’s best friend and her girlfriend, and yeah, we… we’re going to be parents. Soon, I hope. It’s going to be sort of a communal baby, but that just means they’ll be even more loved! And it’s reassuring, in a way, to know my child will never be left without a parent, even if I have to go on tour, or if something happens to me. And Stevie would not have to raise them alone either. [He smiles sadly.] Sorry, that was a really depressing thing to say! But I didn’t exactly grow up with two loving parents, so…

M.C. : You lost your mother young, didn’t you? Do you think she would be proud of the man you’ve become?

E.M. : [His expression softens.] Yes, she would be so proud. I don’t know if I believe in like, God, or anything, but I hope there’s an afterlife, and she can see me. She taught me how to play guitar, you know. She made me love music. Now I have a career as a guitarist and a singer, I have great friends around me, a man I love by my side, and I’m planning to have a child of my own. What’s not to be happy about?

M.C: No, I think you’ve made it. You won at life.

E.M. : Ah! I definitely did.

M.C. : I think we’re reaching the end of this interview. Do you have anything else to say for your readers?

E.M. : Believe in your dreams, I guess. Never let other people kill your creativity or your identity. Love who you love. And stay true to your friends, always. Family is made of people life gifts to you, and people you choose. Keep choosing them in everything you do.