steddieholidaydrabbles

[steddieholidaydrabbles]

INFORMATION & FAQ

Hello, welcome to paradise the place where you'll have your questions answered!

PROMPTS LIST

Why? WHY? I wanted to complete the set! We have sub Eddie & Dom Eddie week, and I participate in both, but I'd say a great majority of my stories him end up with him—and his partner(s)—as a switch.

What is a Switch? A Switch is someone who enjoys more than one kind of role or dynamic within BDSM play. (Please be aware: this is separate than enjoying the sexual roles of both topping and bottoming. The word you're looking for is Versatile! Topping/bottoming can mean similar things in BDSM, such as a Rope Top or a rope bottom, but that's still not the sexual roles.)

What are the rules here? First of all, this blog is 18+ only. This is a BDSM themed challenge and therefore the whole blog should be considered as for adults only. Other than that, the only thing I ask is that you write about Eddie (and his partner(s) if you'd like) being a switch! You don't necessarily have to write at least two scenes, one where he subs and one where he Doms, but his thoughts and feelings about being a switch should be present. It should be a part of his life experience, or of the POV character's experience of him. Any Eddie pairing is allowed. He can even be by himself, if you want. Any kind of writing and art is allowed. Any prompt is allowed on any day of the week, I just have them for specific days as a guide. You don't have to use the prompts either, though I'm interested to see what people come up with for them. You can combine this with other events. You can post late too, I'll still reblog it. You'll just miss getting added to the masterlist at the end of the event. Posts are due by JUNE 28TH, 11:59:59 AKDT (UTC/GMT-8) to be included! And lastly, anyone being an asshole will be blocked, because I don't want to ruin the experience of everyone else trying to have a fun time here! (This includes top/bottom or Dom/sub discourse. This is not the time, not the place, and I'm so not the person for that.) As you can see, the rules are very lenient with the timing/creative side of things, but this is something I take seriously. With that said, I'm sure there'll be no problems, this fandom has a lot of really good people in it!

How should I format my post? First, if you want me to see it and reblog it, you have to tag me. Otherwise I'll miss it unless you happen to know a very speedy carrier pigeon. Please include Pairing, Rating, Prompts, and any Content Warning Tags. Other than that you can do what you like! If you've got more questions, send me an ask!

[steddieholidaydrabbles]

Steddie Holiday Drabbles School's Out For Summer Pop Up Masterlist

Thank you to all who participated in the May pop up event! We love seeing all of your contributions to the challenge! Please check out the masterlist for this event and all future events this year:

Steddie Holiday Drabbles Pop Up Events 2025

Can't wait to see you all back for the next pop up event on July 4th for some fireworks (literal and otherwise 😉)!

[steddieholidaydrabbles]

Enlighten Me

AO3 | written for @steddieholidaydrabbles pop-up event - prompt school's out for summer | rating: g | wc: 997 | cw: none | tags: post-s4, everyone lives, steve pov, pre-steddie, platonic stobin, besties eddie and robin and steve, eddie munson is a flirt, just mostly fluff and banter

“You know, I kind of wish it had fallen into the void like most of the town did.” Eddie grumbles, sitting on the trunk of the bimmer, crutches leaned against the side of the car.

“Oh, absolutely. That would’ve saved me from Mr. Denson’s bullshit chem final.” Robin sighs, legs crossed beneath her where she’s sat beside Eddie.

“Hey, at least you passed Dickhead Denson’s final, Buckley.”

“You did too!” 

“I didn’t pass shit and we all know it.” Eddie falls onto his back with a thump that makes Steve wince, but Eddie waves him off. “They just took pity on me after three tries and, oh, I don’t know, forming a witch hunt after me.”

Robin throws her head back and groans loud enough that several people milling about the lot turn toward them. Steve glares at the gawkers where he’s leaned against the side of the car until they all turn away.

“There was no pity involved, you piece of shit. You had the grades before the spring break from hell. All Hopper did was,” Robin wrings her hands in her lap, cocks her head, “kindly tell them that you had clearly shown your intellectual prowess enough to get your diploma.”

Eddie chuckles. “Hopper? Kindly? Yeah, next time you wanna lie to my face, Buckley, choose better adjectives.”

“Munson, I swear–”

“I just can’t believe they still forced finals on everyone after everything.” Steve squints against the setting sun, arms crossed across his chest. “You’d think the town, I don’t know, splitting open and, like, a quarter of the student body just,” he throws his hands up, makes a poof gesture, “disappearing would make them waive the rest of the year, or whatever, for everyone.”

“You have far too much faith in the American education system, my dear Stevie.” Eddie laments. 

They fall into silence, staring at the school that they’d spent far too many years, and, for Steve, far too much Upside Down related bullshit, in. People are slowly drifting out to their cars, laughing, hugging, talking about summer plans, which Steve finds kind of laughable himself considering summer in Hawkins has never been anything to celebrate, and even less so now with the state of everything. He watches as the cars pull away one by one, until all that’s left are the three of them and a few displaced graduation caps and tassels across the lot.

Steve turns to look at Eddie, the setting sun casting him in a beautiful shade of orange. “You did earn your diploma, by the way, Eddie.”

“Oh, don’t you go lyin’ to me too, now, sweetheart.”

Robin laughs. “Oh, yeah, he’s not. I think he’s basically incapable. He’s like, so bad, it’s honestly hilarious. There was one time, Jessica Randal came in asking him on a date and–”

Steve slams his hand across her mouth. “Robin!”

Eddie perks up, props up on his elbows. “Oh? Do tell, Buckley. What did our dear Stevie do when faced with the visage of Jessica Randal?” 

“I will buy you both your celebration dinners if you shut up right now and never bring this up again.” Steve spits out, glaring at both of them in the process. 

“Is my, what was it, ‘intellectual prowess,’ only worth a singular dinner, sweetheart?” Eddie hums. “I don’t know, this Jessica Randal story seems to be worth a bit more than that.”

Steve sighs. “What do you want, Eddie?”

“From you? Oh, Stevie, you have no idea.” Eddie chuckles, his tongue slipping out to wet his lips. Steve tracks the movement almost subconsciously, watches as the oranges and yellows of the sunset glisten across Eddie’s lips, making them, like, goddamn sparkle, or some shit. Eddie chuckles, catches his eye.

Steve swallows thickly, tries to will back some of his former confidence in his response. “Ye–yeah? Care to enlighten me?” Yep, super confident there, Steve. Good job.

Eddie’s eyes glint as he pulls himself up to sitting. He leans forward, snakes a finger through Steve’s belt loop, and tugs slightly. “Oh, I’ll enlighten you any night of the week, big boy.”

Just then, Steve feels something hot and wet on his hand, followed by teeth sharp enough to make him jump back with a yelp. “What the hell?”

Robin wipes her mouth off on her gown. “Can you two not obnoxiously flirt in front of me? At least let me rack in that free post-grad dinner first.” She jumps down, walks over and opens the passenger door, chucks her graduation cap and gown into the floorboard.

“Uh, wh– flirting?” Steve stammers, looking between them. Robin stares back unimpressed. Eddie smirks.

“Yes, Steve, flirting, which you two can do over dinner, because if you don’t put food in me right now, I think I might explode. Why is graduation so long?” Robin slumps into the car, slamming the door behind her.

“Don’t slam the fucking door just because you’re mad at graduation!” Steve yells. Robin flips him off through the window. 

Eddie laughs, grabs his crutches, and drops down to the ground. Steve helps him to the back door, moves to open it, but Eddie stops him. Steve lifts his brow in question. 

Eddie leans forward and hesitantly kisses Steve on the cheek. “In case it wasn’t clear, I am 100% flirting with you, sweetheart. Have been, in fact. You gonna do somethin’ about it?” Eddie pulls back, a shaky grin to his face as he opens the door and slides into the backseat, crutches tossed into the floorboard with his cap and gown. Robin and Eddie immediately launch into a debate over where Steve should take them to celebrate.

Steve shuts the back door, a dazed look to his eye as he moves to the driver’s door and slides into the car. As he leaves the lot, Hawkins High nothing more than a memory, he catches Eddie’s eye in the rearview mirror and smiles. 

Maybe there’s some things worth getting excited for this summer, after all.

tags: @sunshine-daydreams0809 @saramelaniemoon

divider credit: @saradika-graphics

thanks for reading :))

[steddieholidaydrabbles]

and watch this feeling rolling in

ao3 Written for @steddieholidaydrabbles prompt, “school’s out for summer,” 942 words. Rated G, Missing Scene, pre season 3, last day of senior year

The bricks are warm against Steve’s back. He shifts his position, stretches his legs out some more. The school parking lot is practically empty; he’d watched as bit by bit everyone left, the giddy promise of summer in the air, until the excited cries and last minute party arrangements faded into nothing. The janitor gave him a weird look as he was locking up, but Steve just waved, and that seemed to give enough reassurance that he wasn’t gonna set fire to the school when no-one was looking.

Now there’s just… quiet. He knows there’ll be a great sunset later; the sky’s already streaked with pink, like it’s anticipating the moment, too.

Footsteps approaching: he can tell from the way the shoes scuff against the ground that it’s another student. Well—he glances down at the English notebook in his lap, the last few pages unused, unneeded—he’s not a student anymore.

The footsteps come to a stop. Steve doesn’t look, not until a shadow blocks his perfect spot in the sun.

“Dude, move,” he says reflexively—it’s not a challenge, not really.

“You move,” Eddie Munson returns, but there’s equally no bite to the words, like maybe the school day has sapped his energy. “I had a whole brooding atmosphere going on, Harrington, you’re ruining it.”

Who says I’m not brooding? Steve thinks. He makes a half-hearted effort to move and pretends that he’s glued to the wall. “Sorry, man. Guess I’m stuck here forever.”

Eddie’s mouth twitches at one corner. He laughs through an exhale, as if it’s snuck out almost without him noticing.

“Last look?” he asks knowingly.

Steve shrugs. “Sure.”

“Yeah, been there.” Eddie gives a sardonic smile. “Over and over. Seriously, this is my ritual, get your own.”

But he doesn’t mean it; Steve can see that from a mile away.

“You gonna sit down or what?”

After a second or two, Eddie does. They sit side by side, just existing in the quiet, and Steve hopes that Eddie’s come to the same understanding as him, that there’s no audience here, if only so he’ll relax. But when he looks over, Eddie’s back is still a little stiff against the wall.

“D’you think,” Steve starts, and Eddie raises his head curiously as if despite himself, “that today’s kind of an anti-climax?”

“Oh, yeah,” Eddie says with a sudden eagerness, like he can’t believe someone’s been thinking the same thing all along. “Like, what’s up with that? I swear, last year, even when I pretended that I’d actually, y’know, it still felt, like, that’s it?” Eddie sighs. “Guess that’s what graduation’s for.”

Steve doesn’t think so. He already knows what’s in store for graduation: parents and kids having to pretend like they know how to be around each other. It’s not the kind of ending he’s searching for.

“You’re quiet,” Eddie says, as if faintly surprised.

Steve raises an eyebrow. “You’re loud.”

Eddie laughs, and as he does, his shoulders finally relax. “That’s fair. Not—not always, though.”

“No,” Steve agrees, but he’d mostly prefer to forget such times; a quiet Eddie Munson typically occurs after harsh words, whether from a teacher or a student, that have plainly, for whatever reason, caught him off-guard.

Eddie indicates the notebook in Steve’s lap. “You got a souvenir?”

Steve idly flicks through the pages. “It’s for English. Almost left it—”

“That’s not your handwriting,” Eddie says, pointing at a page with neat blue print, I’s dotted with hearts, and before Steve can even make a quip about how nothing gets past him, he adds, “Preserving your love letters?”

Steve can’t help it; he laughs. Draws out a low, amused, “Jesus.”

“Hey, what? What did I say?”

“Do they have to be love letters?”

“I—” Eddie pauses, then says carefully, “I guess not?”

Steve shakes his head with a smile. It’s a girl’s handwriting, but they’re not love letters or whatever else Eddie’s dreamed up. It’s feedback on one of his stories from a girl in his English class, the only other person who was submitting a portfolio. Steve recalls the fleeting hope of last September, back when he thought he actually had a chance at…

Eddie’s scrambling for his bag, bringing out his own notebook like it’s a peace offering. “I see where I’m going wrong,” he says, faux gravely, “you’re writing all of that, and I’m—”

He thumbs quickly through the notebook in demonstration. Steve’s eye is drawn to the top of each page, where a little stick figure runs across like it’s in a choppy silent film.

“Impressive,” Steve says, and underneath the joke, he means it. I know you’re really trying, dude, you don’t have to pretend.

Maybe some of his thoughts show on his face, because Eddie looks down while he puts the notebook back in his bag, as if suddenly shy. “I—I better go, my uncle—he works nights so we, um, eat kinda—”

“Cool,” Steve says. “I’ll see you around.”

Eddie shoots him a disbelieving look even while he smiles back. “Oh, sure, like you’re not gonna ditch this place immediately.”

As Eddie walks away, it occurs to Steve that Eddie’s mistakenly assumed he’s leaving Hawkins. He’s only ever told Nancy that he hadn’t got into college, and she’s clearly not spread it around.

With a soft pang he can’t quite explain, Steve calls across, “You assume a lot.”

“Huh?” Eddie says, a hand to his ear.

Steve just waves. “Never mind.”

And it’s still too early for a sunset, but he finds he’s glad that he can see Eddie’s distant silhouette lit up exactly like this. Thinks that, just maybe, he’s not been searching for an ending at all.

and they wouldn’t know what to do with themselves so they wouldn’t do anything except listen to the songs in their heads which were sad ones like nearly all good songs and watch this feeling rolling in, sunshine or rain, we don’t know yet, it’s a good one, it’s the best one, though it has no name. —Emily Berry, No Name

[steddieholidaydrabbles]

if this is a rom-com, kill the director

written for @steddieholidaydrabbles School's Out For Summer PopUp Event/ prompt: lake and as fill for the @steddiebingo prompt: forced proximity

wc: 1.000 | rated: T | tags: Best Friends Steve&Robin, Background Robin/Vickie, (Unintentional) Meddling, Not Actually Unrequited Love, kind of Open Ending but with Implied Friends To Lovers | also on ao3

    ‘It's gonna be so much fun,’ she’d said. ‘We’re gonna have the best time!’

What Robin didn't say, however, was that her aunt's lake house only has two bedrooms. Which would’ve been fine had they stuck to the original plan.

But what his best friend also forgot to tell him, was that he'd be sharing a room with Eddie.

Eddie, who'd not been mentioned once when planning their little trip out of town.

It was only ever about them, until Vickie decided to tag along. Which is- great. Wonderful even. Because what could be better than spending some time crammed into a small house by a lake in the middle of nowhere, to hopefully give the girls a chance to finally stop dancing around each other and acknowledge their very obvious, mutual crush?

He wouldn’t have minded being the third wheel but apparently, Robin had other ideas. Invited Eddie to join them without including Steve in the decision.

    ‘Oops, haha. Thought I’d told you.’

He knows she meant well, but amongst all the glorious ideas she’s had in the past, this one is absolutely the worst.

Steve would've preferred not going over having to spend 72 hours in forced proximity with that guy. Would’ve chosen to stay home alone and mope about it rather than being stuck here with him of all people.

Eddie is... he's nice, okay?

He's kind, and funny, and it never gets boring when he's around. He's chaos personified but never annoying, can make Steve laugh even on his worst days.

Steve likes him.

A lot.

More than he dares to admit even to himself.

And that is the problem.

Because it’s one thing to pretend and fake nonchalance when they’re back home. But here, amidst nothing beautiful nature, away from the suffocating restrictions of their small-town life, it’s suddenly so much harder to keep his feelings in check.

Hard to keep his eyes from wandering. Not to let them linger on the guy lying flat on his stomach in nothing but swim shorts right next to Steve. Hair tied up in a bun, still wet from his dip in the lake, now basking in the afternoon heat.

Here, unsupervised and undistracted, abandoned by his best friend who’s currently wooing her future wife by making her a flower crown, it’s hard for Steve not to let his mind drift. Not to wonder what it would feel like to let his fingers graze over Eddie’s sun-warmed skin. To press his lips against the nape of his neck, his shoulders. To kiss away the drippy trail of lake water and sweat trickling down his spine.

And it’s impossible not to fall a little more in love when they’re sitting by the campfire, later, after the first day’s sun has set. Listening to Eddie softly strum the guitar in his lap, singing folk songs his uncle taught him while the girls talk amongst themselves, huddled together under a shared blanket. Pretending to watch the dancing flames when really, all he can focus on is the man across from him.

Eventually, Robin and Vickie say their goodnights and head inside, holding hands and giggling like stupid teenagers in love.

Steve smiles, is happy for them despite the pang of jealousy he feels when he watches them leave. Robin deserves all the love in the world but is it bad to want a bit of the same for himself?

   “May I?” Eddie asks, pointing to the empty space next to him.

Steve hadn’t noticed he’d gotten up, was too lost in his thoughts.

   “Yeah, sure.”

Eddie sits and for a while, they don’t talk. Steve keeps his eyes on the night sky – prettiest he’s ever seen – counting stars and clouds until Eddie finally breaks the deafening silence.

   “It’s really beautiful out here,” he says quietly and Steve answers with a hum.

His eyes dart down to find Eddie already looking back at him, a soft smile on his lips that Steve wants to taste.

   “Had a great day today,” he says instead of what else is on his mind, “Love spending time with you.”

   “Yeah, me too,” Eddie agrees and Steve isn’t sure to which part, hopes it’s both.

The fire is slowly dying, greedy flames eating away at the few remaining pieces of wood, and although the air is still warm, Steve shivers.

   “Are you cold?”

Without waiting for an answer, Eddie grabs the girls’ forgotten blanket and wraps it around both their shoulders, scoots closer and loops one arm around Steve’s middle.

   “Better?” he asks and Steve can only nod, can’t speak, not with his heart beating so hard he can feel it in his throat.

If this were a rom-com, right now would be the moment they'd share their first kiss, one of many more to come.

But that’s not what happens because this isn’t a movie. It’s his life. Miserable and loveless and-

   “Is, uh, this okay?” Eddie breaks through his spiralling thoughts, a slight tremble in his voice like he’s nervous, unsure, and- oh.

Of course he would be, touching Steve like that. Eddie doesn’t know how much he longs for this. How much Steve enjoys his closeness.

   “Yes,” he whispers and rests his head on Eddie’s shoulder just to feel a little more of him. “I like to be held.”

    By you, he keeps to himself because that would be too revealing, too much of a confession. He’s already said more than he ever allowed to let slip before – a little too honest, a little too needy.

But Eddie doesn’t seem to mind. Because he pulls Steve even closer, fingers slipping under the hem of his shirt, drawing small, circular patterns into his side. Along his ribs and down his back, exploring more of his skin with every gentle stroke, driving Steve wild with tenderness.

   "Eddie?" The remaining question dies on a sigh when suddenly, finally, their lips meet in the middle.

Maybe sharing a room won't be so bad after all.

[steddieholidaydrabbles]

School's out

for the @steddieholidaydrabbles pop up event "School's out for Summer" | rating: G | wc: 474 | cw: NA summary: Amelia doesn't want school to be over, but her dads reassure her that summer will be fun. AO3

Amelia ran from the school building in tears, the last thing any parent wanted. Eddie bent down to accept her hug and hold her close.

“What’s wrong princess?” Eddie whispered as he walked to the car.

“I’m not coming back tomorrow.” she wailed.

“Yeah, honey. It’s summer vacation.” Steve jumped in as he opened the car door for the two. Amelia’s sobs intensified and Steve winced, mouthing sorry over her head. Eddie crawled into the backseat with his daughter and tried his best to soothe her.

“I won’t see my friends ever again! Or Ms. Alice. I’m never coming back.” It was then that Eddie really understood what had Amelia so upset.

“Oh, darling. No, you’ll see your friends all summer! We have all the parent numbers and we’ll be sure to set up play dates. Plus, you can stop by to see Ms. Alice next school year.” He explained.

“It’s only three months.” Steve chimed in. To sweeten the deal, he pointed at the baby seats. “And you’ll get to spend those three months playing with the twins!”

Amelia tilted her head considering.

“Can we go to the park?” She pouted at Eddie, who looked at Steve the same way.

“Stevie, please take them to the park. I can’t with the eyes.” A glance in the rear-view mirror showed two very cute curly haired gremlins.

“Alright, alright! We can go to the park. I’m off from school too you know.” Steve smiled. “We can visit Papa at work when he doesn’t have appointments.”

“Really?!” She shouted and beamed at Eddie. At his nod she bounced excitedly in her booster seat. “Everyday?” Eddie didn’t even hesitate.

“I’ll make sure to have at least an hour cleared for lunch between appointments every day so you can come see me okay?”

“And Auntie Chrissy?”

Eddie stared at the ceiling of the car with a sigh. They’d have to do a bit of rearranging in the schedule but there wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for his little girl.

“Sure, baby. Make sure to bring Aunt Robin too though. So, the babies can get used to us all.” At this Amelia frowned.

“But, they aren’t born yet.” She said confusedly. That was a great point, Eddie had to agree.

“That’s true. But they can still hear us in there. So, that way they won’t be scared of us.”

Amelia considered this news, her little face scrunched up in thought.

“Can they come to school with me next year?”

“Give them a few years. Then they can okay?” Steve bargained. Eddie pursed his lips, anticipating another meltdown but Amelia simply nodded and looked out the window.

“I guess that’s fine.”

With a sigh of relief, the two fathers shared a look. Hopefully, this summer would fly by; but they doubted Amelia would really be too upset to go back.

permanent tag list:

@katyawriteswhump

[steddieholidaydrabbles]

Written for @steddieholidaydrabbles.

Overheated

Pop-Up Prompt: School's Out For Summer | Word Count: 1000 | Rating: T | CW: Recreational Weed Use, Language | Tags: Set Post S2, Car Trouble, Crossing Paths, Confident Bisexual Steve Harrington, Jim Hopper is Done With These Two Kids

Eddie scurries down the packed hallway, knocking shoulders with anyone that dares to get in his way. He slams into the push handles of both of the glass double doors, shoving them wide open. The sun is bright, blinding him, but he doesn't give a fuck.

School's out for summer.

School's out forever.

Eddie can't wait to get out of this place. He's pretty sure he failed his last final, but he's not coming back for a third senior year. No fucking way. He's done forever, graduated or not.

He runs across the parking lot, his wallet chain banging into his thigh. Swinging open the van door, throwing his backpack into the passenger seat with a thud.

Firing up the engine of the van, he puts the pedal to the metal and gets the fuck out of Dodge. 

There's a box of tapes next to his seat, and he's fiddling around. Looking for the Alice Cooper tape he's pretty sure he has. Somewhere. Joint hanging from his lip. Attempting to pull another hit, unsuccessfully trying to keep it lit while he fucks around.

Being done with school is something to fucking celebrate.

When he looks up, he's rounding the curve of the highway, and right next to the road, barely off the pavement and in a really dumb spot, is Steve Harrington.

Eddie taps the brakes, slowing. 

Harrington has the hood up, and by the look of the steam billowing from underneath, that expensive-ass car has overheated. Rich kids really are just like them, it turns out.

And Eddie shifts his foot, aiming for the gas pedal. Planning to press back down on it. Harrington isn't his problem. 

But the van overheats all the time. And Steve's got a gallon jug of water in his hand. He really shouldn't do that.

Eddie honks his horn, and Steve looks up. 

Fuck it.

Eddie pulls over, dropping the joint in the ashtray, and backs up until he's closer to where Steve's parked.

"Don't do that, dumbass, you'll crack the block!" Eddie shouts, hopping out of the van. Both feet hitting the grass of the ditch. "You need coolant."

"I don't have coolant," Harrington says.

Eddie swings open the back of the van, and starts rummaging. Steve leans over his shoulder, he can feel the heat of him, far too close. 

When he gets his hand on the jug, Eddie holds it up, victorious. Spinning around, making Steve take a step back.

"How much is it worth to you?" Eddie asks, grinning with all his teeth.

Harrington puts his hands on his hips, and the look on his face is so goddamn bitchy. Eddie's never seen anything like it on another dude. It's uniquely Harrington, somehow.

"Munson," he says, but reaches for his back pocket, for his wallet.

Eddie laughs. 

"Your car is too hot right now, anyway. You need to let it sit."

And Harrington looks dejected. 

"Just for fifteen minutes or so. Not forever," Eddie adds.

"Oh. Okay. Thanks."

Eddie puts the jug down by the front of Steve's car, shoulder bumping Steve's on the way down on purpose.

"You smell like weed," Steve says, and Eddie barks out a laugh.

"No shit. I was celebrating the end of this torture we've called high school until I saw your dumb ass getting ready to do dumb shit."

Steve laughs, and it's genuine. Eddie's stomach clenches against his will. 

"Got enough to share while we wait?" Steve asks, and Eddie nods even if he knows he should fuck right off and leave Harrington's ass here on the side of the road alone.

But he opens his arm, gesturing towards the van, even against his best judgment.

Steve Harrington's tongue is in his mouth, and Eddie's so fucking hard. His body is traitorous. Steve's hand is in his hair, and—

"Harrington! You in there?" 

Eddie jerks back so fast, so hard, at the banging on the back of the van, that he whacks his head. He is so fucked.

"Is that Chief Hopper?" Eddie asks, but Steve's already crawling through the van, swinging open the side door.

"Hop!" Steve yells, "It overheated again."

Eddie straightens his clothes, his hair, and climbs out behind Steve.

Jim Hopper is bent over Steve's hood, pouring in the coolant. Checking the other fluids, and Eddie wonders if he should run while he has the goddamn chance.

"I told you to get it into the shop," Hopper says, and Steve is making excuses. Like a kid.

They've got a weird dynamic. 

Hopper straightens up, "Start it for me."

Steve hurries around to the driver's door, and climbs in, doing just that. 

Hopper slams the hood closed, gives him a thumbs up, and Eddie hears Steve whoop with delight.

Eddie is just standing there like an idiot. He should have gotten out of here. But no, he's standing around like a fucking fool just because he kind of wants Steve Harrington to kiss him again.

Chief Hopper turns and looks at Eddie, "You smell like marijuana."

"Uh, that was a skunk," Eddie lies.

Hopper rolls his eyes, and takes a menacing step closer, "I know better. You're lucky I'm not on duty, kid."

Eddie nods, swallowing. 

Hopper walks over to Steve's driver's door, leaning down, "Have Munson follow you home and park it until you get it into a mechanic. Got it, Harrington?"

Steve nods.

And then Hopper stomps off, back to his truck, slamming the door.

Eddie gets back in the van, and he wasn't asked, just told indirectly, but he follows Steve back to his house. He pulls in the driveway behind him, rolling down his window.

"It get hot again?" Eddie asks.

Steve grins, shaking his head as he jogs over, smoothly hopping up on the running board of the van, sticking his head through the window, pulling himself close to Eddie's face.

"No. But I did."

Then he grins, like a cocky asshole. 

Eddie suddenly gets why girls always fawned, as Steve kisses him again.

If you want to write your own, or go see more entries for this challenge, pop on over to @steddieholidaydrabbles and follow along with the fun! ❤️

Note: I don't think Eddie's van actually has a running board. Please accept the vision for what it is, lol.

[steddieholidaydrabbles]

Watch your balls, boy!

Written for the May 2025 pop-up challenge of the @steddieholidaydrabbles

Prompt: School's out for summer

Rated: T

Tags: Summer jobs; Country club; Tennis; Eddie has a crush on Steve; Tommy Hagan being an asshole; Steve Harrington is a little shit

“Hey, ball boy! Don’t just stand there, go get it!” 

Eddie jerks out of his heat-induced daze and jogs after the ball that has rolled off to the remotest corner of the tennis court. Another bead of sweat escapes from under his hat and trickles down his burnt neck. 

“I got it,” says a voice, and before he can do anything, he is treated to the vision of a perfectly round, perfectly firm ass in tight tennis shorts wiggling merrily in the hot summer air as its owner bends at the hip. “Really, Tommy. You don’t need to have the staff do every little thing for you. What is he, your dog?”

Eddie bites back a snide remark and retreats into what little shade the wire fence provides. Great, not only is he about to die from heat stroke, now they’re adding unnecessary horniness and humiliation into the mix.

The ad for the summer job at the country club promised exciting tasks and plenty of opportunities to learn lessons for life. So far, Eddie has learned three things. 

One: White is not his color - especially not if paired with the violent lobster red that his skin turns after twenty minutes in the sun. 

Two: Baseball hats make his face look two inches too short - but the stupid thing is part of the uniform, so he hasn’t dared take it off.

And three: Steve Harrington in tennis gear will haunt his dreams for the rest of his life. 

He didn't even know the Harringtons were club members, or he would’ve thought twice about applying. After all, who in their right mind wants to spend their summer melting into a sweaty puddle while their crush prances around them like a bronze-skinned, honey-haired, painfully straight Adonis with a tennis racket? Harrington probably doesn't even know his name - the chances of anything coming out of this are as thin as Eddie’s flimsy uniform shirt. 

On the other side of the net, Tommy Hagan sneers. 

“It’s what he’s getting paid for, isn’t it?” he grumbles. “Maybe they should get a dog instead. It would only have advantages, don’t you think? Cuter, better at following instructions, probably smarter.”

His eyes flick over to Eddie, taking in the way his fingers curl, and his mouth curls into a cruel smile.

Hagan, of course, recognized him the second he saw him. He probably has every single face from school committed to memory - all neatly categorized into those above him, so that he can grovel and bow to them, and the lowly scum at the bottom of the ladder, so that he never misses an opportunity to kick at them. 

“Tommy, come on!” Harrington frowns unhappily, letting the ball bounce off the asphalt and twirling his racket. He, too, is sweating, but while Eddie is a sopping, miserable mess with a bird’s nest of wet bangs plastered to his forehead, he manages to make it look sexy, somehow. “I’d like to finish this match some time today, I still wanna hit the pool.” 

But Hagan is far from done. 

“Say, ball boy,” he drawls. “What does it feel like, being so dumb that a dog could do your job? What do they even pay you, huh?” 

Eddie flexes his hands and stares off into the middle distance, wishing he could ram his fist into Hagan’s stupid, arrogant face. 

“Hey, shitface, I am talking to you,” Hagan says, waving his racket in the air and scowling when Eddie doesn’t react. “Nevermind, whatever it is, it’s too much. Unless they pay you in dog treats, that would be- oooooow, motherfaaaaaaargh.” 

Eddie blinks, trying to understand what just happened. All he knows is that, one second ago, Hagan was standing there and jeering at him, and now he’s doubled over, howling in pain and clutching the crotch of his tennis shorts. 

It probably has a lot to do with the ball that just came zipping over the net and is now rolling away on the asphalt.

“What the fuck did you do that for?” Hagan whimpers, looking up with accusing, teary eyes as Harrinton comes running. His freckled face has gone deadly pale and his voice is about half and octave higher. It’s almost enough to make Eddie cringe in sympathy, but only almost. 

“I’m sorry,” Harrington gushes. “I thought you were ready to continue.” 

“In what world did I look like I was ready?” Hagan snaps, then gasps again as another wave of pain ripples through him. “Oh fuck, you ruined me.” 

Harrington claps his shoulder. “You’ll be fine. Just go back to the club house and put some ice on it, I’ll bring the bags.” 

Eddie watches Hagan hobble away, still bent over and cursing under his breath, while Harrington packs up their gear. He just hopes the guy didn’t have any family plans with his bitchy little girlfriend. 

“Don’t be dramatic,” Harrington says, walking up with two bags slung over his shoulder, and Eddie realizes a bit belatedly that he must’ve said that out loud. “I didn’t ruin him. Not in the way he’d like me to, that is. At least it’ll be a few days before he bugs anyone about balls again.” 

Eddie whirls, mouth wide open. He doesn’t get to say anything, though, because Harrington has just pulled something from his bag and pressed it into his hand. It’s a bottle of sunscreen. 

“This is my favorite brand, you should give it a try,” he says, gesturing at Eddie’s burned nose. And then, more quietly, “And don’t listen to him. You’re at least as cute as a dog. See you around, Eddie.” 

Eddie keeps standing in the middle of the court, mouth agape and staring into nothing, long after he has disappeared into the club house. It’s only when the next couple of players arrive and scare him out of his stupor that he realizes Harrington called him by his name. 

More holiday drabbles

[steddieholidaydrabbles]

future is bright

for @steddieholidaydrabbles pop up event 'school's out for summer'

rated t | 916 words | no cw | tags: mild hurt/comfort, strangers to lovers (implied), open ending, super senior eddie, eddie needs a hug, steve is ready to give it to him

also on ao3

🏫🏫🏫🏫🏫🏫🏫🏫🏫🏫🏫🏫

He cannot believe he failed again.

Well, he can. But he figured the teachers would pass him just to get rid of him.

He avoids the school on graduation day, but he can’t resist moping in his van at the quarry. He knows most of the seniors won’t show up here until long after their celebratory dinners with family. He’s got the place to himself for a few hours at least.

Or he thought so, anyway.

He hears footsteps coming up behind him, and he turns to see Steve Harrington of all people walking up to him, still in his cap and gown.

“Not selling tonight, man. Sorry,” he says as he turns away from him. Hopefully that’s all he wanted and he leaves.

He doesn’t.

Steve sits down next to him, barely leaves any space between them.

“Is this an act of rebellion or did you really not graduate?” Steve asks him.

Eddie turns and prepares to reply with something cutting, something that’ll hurt Steve enough that he’ll leave. Steve’s looking at him with a genuine sadness, concern written in his frown.

“Isn’t it an act of rebellion to not graduate twice in a row?” Eddie asks, giving him a small, sad smile.

“I’m sorry,” Steve says and it sounds genuine so Eddie nods once in acceptance. “Gym?”

“Shockingly, no. Chem.”

“Chem sucks.”

Eddie snorts. “Yeah. I probably could’ve tried harder.”

“Eh. Next time.”

As if it’s that simple. As if a third senior year is an acceptable thing to be doing.

“Not sure I can do another year, man,” he says quietly, voice nearly breaking around the words. “Might just have to be what everyone expects me to be after all.”

“And what’s that?” Steve’s thigh is warm against his, but his gaze is hotter.

“A failure. Just like my dad. Loser who never leaves Hawkins or does anything,” Eddie shrugs. “Everything your buddies used to say I’d be.”

“I never said those things.” Steve pauses and sighs. “I don’t believe any of that.”

Which is at least partially true. Steve never did say any of that to his face, and maybe not even behind his back. Steve’s dad was actually Al Munson’s lawyer back in the day, probably knows more than anyone else besides Wayne and Eddie himself how shitty Al was as a person and father. But he never said anything. A part of him must’ve thought it, though.

“It’s okay if you do. Not much of a case for me to be any different.”

Wayne hugged him earlier, before he left for the shift he picked up, said he was proud of him no matter what. Wayne always believes in him, more than he should. But it doesn’t make Eddie feel any more confident.

“I dunno. The fact that you didn’t give up the first time is already a lot of proof you won’t be like him,” Steve’s smirking when Eddie looks over, but he doesn’t turn towards Eddie. “And the fact that I know you’re gonna try again proves you’re a lot better than he ever was.”

“You don’t even know me,” Eddie has to say, bites it out so Steve stops being nice to him.

“I know what it’s like to have expectations on you to be like your dad,” Steve finally turns to him. “Maybe mine isn’t the same as yours in some ways, but I think we have a lot more in common than you think.”

Eddie thinks about the time he saw Steve getting yelled at in his father’s office when Al dragged him to a meeting with his lawyer, how dejected Steve looked, eyes cast down to the floor. He didn’t know what it was about but he knows he couldn’t have been older than seven or eight, didn’t deserve to be berated in an office full of people over something that ultimately didn’t matter. He remembers Al saying something about rich people getting away with things poor people can’t, and remembers seeing Steve with bruises on his arms the next day.

He may have failed chemistry, but he got an A in math.

“You still trying to make him proud?” Eddie asks, unsure if he ever even tried in the first place.

“Nah. I learned a while ago nothing will. Not worth being someone I’m not,” Steve leans his weight against Eddie. “You gonna keep moping or come hang out at my house?”

Eddie’s jaw drops. “You want me to come to your party?”

“No,” Steve laughs. “I want you to come hang out with me and a few of my friends. Nancy and Jonathan and Robin. They’re cool. Promise.”

“Ah. To bring weed.”

Steve’s brow furrows. “No. To hangout. I mean you can bring whatever you want, but I’ve already got drinks and food and stuff so.”

Eddie thinks about it. He’s been wallowing for days now, and he’s pretty tired of himself. Steve’s offering something that seems like friendship, and he has no reason to believe he doesn’t actually mean it.

Wayne won’t be home until morning, and he probably wouldn’t notice if Eddie wasn’t around. He could smoke a little, maybe crash on one of Steve’s couches.

“I’m in.”

Steve beams at him like he just told him he won the lottery. It’s a beautiful smile, one that has Eddie’s heart skipping a beat traitorously.

Going back to school for another year will suck, he’s sure of that.

But he’s also pretty sure that he’s walking into a pretty great summer.

[steddieholidaydrabbles]

School's out for Summer

Gasoline | read on AO3

@steddieholidaydrabbles prompt: School's out for summer

r: T | wc: 988 | time read: 4min | CW: alcohol, implied sexual content tags: Alternative Universe - no Upside Down, First Meetings, Eddie & Nancy are Best Friends, Graduation, Arson, Friends to Lovers

summary: Three times when Eddie meets Nancy under the bleachers. Two times when Steve is there. OR: the one time with the gasoline.

May 84 Eddie is not crying. Not even the slightest. There’s plenty of reasons for a senior to hide under the bleachers while everybody is throwing their books in the air, running wild on the campus, or even improvising a soon-to-be-dissipated party in the parking lot. Crying could be one of those reasons, but that’s not what Eddie’s doing. He’s holding his knees to his chest, wrapping them with his stringy arms, resting his chin on them: extra hug, comfort and reassurance for those knees. They’ve been through a lot. “Hi?” Eddie twists his head up, meeting wide doe eyes under a brown fringe. It’s one of those preppy sophomores he never bothered to learn the name. Her long pleated skirt ends just before her white socks, and her cardigan is the ugliest thing Eddie has ever seen. “Go away”, he snaps, his voice low and hoarse. “Are you okay?” the girl ask with a tilt of her head and a cute face full of pity that makes Eddie want to hurl. “I can stay with you for a bit, if you want.”

A bitter laugh escapes from Eddie’s throat, and the girl takes a step back. “Go - the fuck - away!” he yells at her, and she flees as fast as her little ballerina shoes can.

May 85 Eddie is already half-drunk when he reaches the bleachers with the firm intention of staying there. He hums absently, taking swings from his flask, feet dragging. “Another fucking failure”, he thinks bitterly. At least he’s not crying, for real this time; emptying bottles, bottling your feelings, same shit. Wheeler almost slams herself into him because she’s not looking where she’s going, apparently. “Watch it, Wheeler,” Eddie cooes with a grin, swaying his bottle away from the junior before she can catch it. “Give me that, you idiot,” she scolds with a frown, aiming for the flask again. “I already have one dunkard to take care of, I don’t need another one.”

“Who said I need to be taken - that I need to be cared -,” Eddie tries with a surprising struggle for someone who’s good with words, “who said - ugh, forget it,” he groans, taking another sip and leaning back, almost tripping. Wheeler sighs loudly and does something so weird - she’s a really weird girl - she takes Eddie’s hand. Eddie blinks with a “Uh?” that makes Wheeler smiles. “I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you this time,” she says gently. “But please, let me help you.” “Are we friends?” Eddie asks in earnest, not really sure if he remembers well. She muffles a laugh with her free hand. “Barely,” she admits, “but only because you’re an ass. I could be a decent friend, you know.”

read the rest on AO3 !

[steddieholidaydrabbles]

Welcome to another pop-up event! It's almost officially summer and it's time to plan those vacations, road trips, graduations, parties, anything you can imagine! When school's out for summer, the world is their oyster. Your drabble should:

be 300-1000 words (checked in wordcounter.net)

tag this blog when posted so it can be added to the queue

be posted by 11:59 PM EST on May 20th

follow all other rules on the pinned post of the blog

ARTISTS

The submission must be made by 11:59 PM EST on May 20th in order to be reblogged by this blog. The image must be Steddie focused, though other characters can be included!

Collaborations with writers are encouraged!

[steddieholidaydrabbles]

Steddie Bang '25: SIGN UPS ARE OPEN

It's tiiiiiiime! Sign Ups for all roles are officially open!

Author Sign Up Form Artist Sign Up Form Beta Sign Up Form

Like last year, we will be sending welcome emails in batches to not overwhelm our email account, so please don't panic if you don't get a confirmation immediately! There should be a confirmation message that appears on the screen once you submit to show that it's been received.

Also like last year, we will have a cap on authors to ensure we can keep up with all of your projects and do our best to pair teams in a reasonable ratio of artist-to-author! This year, we are capping teams at 125 authors on a first-come, first-serve basis. This may increase based on artist sign ups, and yes, there will be a waitlist should someone need to drop out during the sign up period! There is no cap on artists.

Please take a look at our guidelines, FAQ, and schedule linked below. As always, reach out to the mod team with any questions!

We're excited to see what you all create!

-SBB 2025 Mods

Schedule || Guidelines || FAQ || Past Rounds || Twitter || BlueSky

[steddieholidaydrabbles]

While you wait for the May popup event!

Welcome to Steddie Sports AU Month!

For every week of April, there will be a variety of sports-related themes to use as inspiration for writing a Steddie-focused sports AU! Here's the calendar:

WEEK 1 (April 1-5): Olympic Sports (Winter or Summer) Friday Night Lights First Line/First String

WEEK 2 (April 6-12): Solo Sports (boxing, tennis, golf, horseback riding, etc.) Miracle or The Cutting Edge Sports Injury

WEEK 3 (April 13-19): Full Contact Sports (hockey, football, rugby, etc.) Bend It Like Beckham or Ted Lasso Locker Room

WEEK 4 (April 20-26): High School or College Sports Boxing/Wrestling Opponents to Lovers

WEEK 5 (April 27-30): Unique Sports (sled-dog racing, bossaball, swamp football, etc.) Dance/Cheer/Gymnastics Cut From The Team

BONUS: There will be a bonus free space round for May 1-5! You can post anything you may not have been able to finish on the week it was scheduled, or something that may not have fit in any of the previous weeks. Any sport as long as it follows the rules below!

RULES AND GUIDELINES All fics must be Steddie-focused, though other characters can absolutely be involved.

Tag @steddiesportsau for the submission to be reblogged and added to the queue and masterlist for the event.

All posts for the week should be submitted by 11:59 PM EST on the last day of that week. Any late submissions will automatically be added to the bonus round week May 1-5.

There is no word count minimum or limit for this event!

This event can be combined with other events as long as it follows the rules, guidelines, and prompts for this event.

Ratings and content warnings (if necessary) are required on all posts. Here's an example of a post format:

TITLE Rating | Word Count | Content Warnings | Tags | link to AO3 (if applicable)

Any explicit material is required to be placed under a "read more" even if it's a short post.

You can follow this blog and/or the tag 'steddie sports au event' to keep up with posts!

ARTISTS WELCOME!

All artists are welcome to participate in this event! See all applicable rules above for participation. If you post explicit work to another platform, please make sure to link in your post on tumblr so it can also be added to the masterlist for art!

If you have any questions, please send this blog or @steddieas-shegoes a message! Go team!

[steddieholidaydrabbles]

Steddie Holiday Drabbles Valentine's Day Pop Up Masterlist

Thank you to all who participated in the pop up event yesterday! We love seeing all of your contributions to the challenge! Please check out the masterlist for this event and all future events this year:

Steddie Holiday Drabbles Pop Up Events 2025

Can't wait to see you all back for the next pop up event on May 20th when school's out for summer!

[steddieholidaydrabbles]

come sleep with me

written for @steddielovemonth day 14 “come sleep with me: we won’t make love, love will make us” | the @steddiebingo kissing booth mini event, prompt: mutual pining | the @steddieholidaydrabbles prompt: love

rating: t | wc: 915 | no cw | tags: friends with benefits, mutual pining, idiots in love

read on ao3

Any other day Eddie would be thrilled to have Steve like this– half-naked under him, flushed and squirming from Eddie kissing all over his chest. 

Part of him sure is interested, but the rest knows that when Steve called earlier and asked him to come over, he probably should’ve said no. 

But if there’s something Eddie isn’t good at, it’s telling Steve no. 

Otherwise, how would he end up hooking up with Steve on the regular while knowing fully well that he was setting himself up for heartbreak?

So Eddie said yes, and he came over despite being physically and mentally exhausted from an entire week of awful nightmares. He thinks he’s doing a decent job at shoving it all away to pay attention to Steve. That is until he feels Steve’s hand grab hold of his neck and use it to pull him up so he can look at his face and ask– “Hey, what’s wrong?” 

Eddie shakes his head, his hair falling around them. “Nothing,” he lies. Badly if the way Steve arches an eyebrow at him means anything. Eddie heaves out a sigh. “I– I haven’t been sleeping well. I’ve had nightmares all week. I’m so tired and there’s just so much in my head right now–”

Of course, Eddie doesn’t expect Steve to act mad or disappointed but he’s still surprised by how gently he brushes Eddie’s hair off of his face, his eyes soft as he stares up at him. “Why didn’t you say anything?” 

Eddie lets out a snort. “Yeah because telling the guy you’re making out with that you can’t stop thinking about demobats ripping into your flesh is such a turn-on,” he says, his voice dripping with sarcasm. 

Tugging at Eddie’s hair, Steve half-heartedly rolls his eyes. “I meant earlier, Eds.” 

“I guess I was hoping that this was what I needed,” Eddie admits, shrugging. 

“What you need is sleep.”

Eddie sighs. “Yeah, I know.”

When Steve gently shoves Eddie off of him, he takes that as his cue to leave. Especially when Steve walks over to his closet and puts on some sweatpants. Now that he knows nothing is happening between them tonight, it makes sense that Steve is getting ready for bed.  

Which means Eddie should probably get out of his way. 

He just found his jeans and is about to put them back on when Steve tosses something at him. It lands at his feet– a pair of sweatpants.  

“Do you need a shirt too or are you sleeping shirtless?” Steve asks, still rummaging through his closet. 

Eddie stares blankly at his naked back. “Um, what?” 

“Do you want to borrow a shirt?” He asks, glancing at Eddie over his shoulder. His lips tug up into a smirk when he adds, “I have a Tears for Fears shirt you’d look great in, I think.” 

Eddie takes too long to think of a comeback and Steve frowns, probably expecting him to jump at the thought of wearing a shirt of a band that plays anything other than heavy metal. And he would, if he wasn’t busy trying to wrap his head around the fact that Steve seems to think he’s staying over. 

He’s never done that even after they started hooking up. 

Steve’s eyes dart to the jeans Eddie is holding in his hand. “You weren’t planning on sleeping in those, were you?” He asks with a chuckle. 

“No, I– I was gonna go home.”

Steve’s mouth twists downward. “Why?” 

Because they don’t sleep together. They have sex and then Eddie leaves. It hurts every time, but he knows it would hurt more if he stayed and woke up next to Steve –or, god forbid, in Steve’s arms– only for it not to mean anything to him.

“I– we never– we don’t do that–”

“I know,” Steve says, sucking his lip between his teeth. “But what– what if I want us to do that?” 

Eddie blinks. “Sleep together?” 

“No, yeah,” Steve rubs a hand against his neck, “but also, um– other things.” 

Eddie’s breath hitches. “Like?”

“Like going on dates and cuddling and holding hands, maybe not in public but like, in front of our friends if you’re okay with that and–”

“Steve, Stevie, are you– are you saying you want to date me?” Eddie asks, his voice an octave higher, his heart threatening to beat right out of his chest.

“Yeah,” Steve softly admits and Eddie can’t help but gasp. “But I– I promise I didn’t feel this way when we started this, and I was going to say something to you, but I was nervous that you didn’t–”

“I did! I do! Feel that way. Since before we started this, even. If anyone should’ve said anything, it’s me,” Eddie stammers out. “I thought I was setting myself up for heartbreak when you eventually found someone else and stopped wanting me–”

“I wouldn’t, I won’t. In fact,” Steve says, starting to smile. He moves closer to Eddie, one of his hands brushing against his fingers. “I’m crazy about you, Eds.”

“Jesus, Steve,” Eddie mutters, and then he’s cupping Steve’s face and bringing him closer so he can kiss him squarely on the lips. It’s not the first time they’ve kissed, but it’s definitely different.

“So,” Steve starts, pulling back only enough to get the words out. “Is that a yes?” 

“To dating you?” Eddie asks, their lips brushing together. Steve nods. 

And well, Eddie still can’t say no to Steve, so he says–

“Yes.”

[steddieholidaydrabbles]

rating: all ages cw: horror movies mentioned tags: pre-relationship, idiot4idiot, gareth is the hero - always, the older teens, plus max, cute fluff word count: 1000

written for @steddiebingo's Kissing Booth Card and @steddieholidaydrabbles prompt “mutual pining"

read it on ao3

-

Robin was asleep against Steve’s shoulder. He was sure she was drooling and she’d stolen all of the blanket they’d been sharing but Steve didn’t mind. He never did. On the other side, Eddie laid in a ball like a cat and pressed as much against Steve as he could. The guy had never once known the definition of personal space. Again, Steve didn’t mind.

Spread out on the floor were Jeff, Gareth, and Max. The guy they called The Freak was asleep in the recliner and Chrissy had gone off to Robin’s bed two movies ago. Steve was sure Robin was supposed to have joined her.

Nancy left halfway through the first movie. She didn’t enjoy mocking all these horrible movies so once she had her fill of being around others, she left. It wasn’t until the room was completely asleep that Steve wished she was still there. In part because he knew she’d still be awake and could keep him company but another part of him wanted her to find the same bit of rest.

Though Nancy missed their award-winning commentary on Sleepaway Camp, everyone else missed the wildly hilarious Slumber Party Massacre except Gareth and Jeff.

As the movie played Steve had been dragging his fingertips over Eddie’s back, watching the path they took rather than the screen. It was as selfish as it was helpful.

Of course, Steve wanted Eddie to get some sleep but there was something about the wee hours of the morning where common sense was fleeting and the crush was a little too hard to ignore. Steve knew better, it would never happen, and if Nancy and Jonathan were anything to go on, they shouldn’t date within their friend group. But logic didn’t make the feelings go away.

In fact, that’s what made it a crush. Common sense wasn’t invited and it couldn’t be chased away with a million reasons why it wouldn’t work. Instead, Steve did his best to act like a normal guy. One who rubbed his friend's backs until they fell asleep.

Jeff stood up midway through the movie but didn’t say anything other than to ask where the bathroom was. Which felt strange. Steve half-expected Robin to wake up just to mock him, to sense there was something going on that she needed to make fun of but Jeff took it like business as usual.

Now that everyone was asleep, though, Steve didn’t have anything to worry about. He also didn’t have anything else to pay attention to. The remote was nowhere in sight and Steve had no interest in finding it.

Instead, he watched Eddie sleep as his best friend muttered sounds in her sleep. Steve found it easy to ignore that anyone else was in the room and daydream about doing this forever. That there was some other version of things where this apartment was one he had with Eddie and they invited Robin over for dinner and movies.

Interrupting the daydream, Eddie started to stir and shift. Still asleep, Eddie rolled to the other side and Seve cringed so hard he checked to make sure it hadn’t disturbed Robin. No way he should have thought that was cute. Steve was extra grateful everyone was asleep after that unnecessary moment of weakness because he’d have stood up and mocked himself had there been witnesses.

Eddie wasn’t done though and he shifted up Steve’s leg until his head was resting in Steve’s lap. His knees pulled up even closer to his chest in a way that had Steve worrying a little. Maybe this wasn’t peaceful sleep.

So Steve did what he could to try and comfort Eddie. Aside from a comforting hand, the only move Steve had was stealing the blanket from Robin and some crimes didn’t need committing.

After a minute or two, Eddie seemed to calm down and left Steve to his domestic fantasies and wondering if it might be worth it to fuck up this friendship.

Not that she was the authority but she was the other half of his brain and Robin said it wasn’t worth it. The friendship was solid and something Steve didn’t want to lose. With a risk that high, they both thought it was better if things stayed as just friends. Even if Steve had imagined their wedding more than once.

He’d made great progress in moving on but the universe fought dirty sometimes and Steve was only human. Romanticizing things was what three am was for and who was Steve to not give in and think about all the ways it would go well for once?

Steve was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of someone saying “What happened to the movie, man?”

He looked around and found Gareth sitting up, rubbing his eyes.

“It ended. Like, an hour ago,” Steve said back.

“Ugh, why didn’t you put anything else on?

Steve just scoffed. They weren’t close enough for witty comebacks.

Gareth moved on quickly. “Where are the blankets?”

“Hall closet. Second door on the right.”

Instead of getting up, Gareth laid down. He stretched and made peace with having to get up, something Steve found annoying but understood.

When he finally did get up, Gareth stopped at the edge of the couch and looked from Eddie to Steve. “You know he’s crazy about you, right?”

Steve scoffed, the sneer a defense mechanism that he couldn’t cling to through that glimmer of hope Gareth had just tossed his way.

“Yeah, man. Like, obsessed and shit. We actually hate it but, ya know, we love him so…”

All Steve could do was nod.

“He doesn’t want fuck up your friendship so, I dunno. Do something about it for all of us. Please.” and with that, Gareth disappeared down the hall.

The sound of opening doors and Steve’s brain working overtime filled the house. Gareth shuffled back with a blanket and found his spot on the floor like nothing had happened.

Twenty minutes later, Robin said, “Told you so.”

[steddieholidaydrabbles]

Bottoms up

written for the feb pop up challenge @steddieholidaydrabbles

and to challenge myself to write this in two hours

Prompt: love

rated G

Tags : alcohol, dumbass for dumbass, fluff

It had seemed like such a good idea. A road trip to visit Robin on campus, a few days away from the boring day-to-day grind that had become the everyday norm back in Hawkins. Steve had to admit, it had been one of Eddie's better ideas right until it wasn’t anymore. He had been feeling on top of the world as the three of them had danced around Robin's dorm room earlier. Finally he felt like he had regrown a missing limb, part of him had been drowning and had come up for air for the first time in forever. Bottoms up, was very much the stuff of Robin's wildest dreams. They had barely made it through the door when Robin had been pulled away by one of her classmates, leaving Eddie and Steve to work out where the bar was and try to negotiate their way through the throng of sweaty dancing bodies that swayed under the disco lights.

Of course they had descended on the one weekend Robin was caught up doing things with her pride group, not that Steve minded, but he had kind of hoped that they could have spent the weekend doing things together, not sharing their well-earned quality time with strangers. As it stood he had spent most of his time with Eddie, something he could have done without driving across state. He had spent last night asleep next to Eddie on the mattress in the back of the van. Trying his hardest to not question the suspicious stains on both the mattress and the sleeping bag that Eddie had hastily thrown over them both to stave off the cold. Steve couldn’t say he minded that much when he woke up with a mouth full of Eddie’s untamable mane and his body starfished on top of him. He told himself it was because he was missing Robin, and Eddie wasn’t a replacement, just a place for that desperate need for closeness he craved to find refuge. He doubted anyone would believe him though.

Sure they could have forked out for a motel, but Eddie had pleaded his case, saying it would be like camping… and hadn't Steve promised him he would take him camping? Steve had a feeling that it was more to avoid the strange looks that the two of them had to endure whenever they tried to book a room. Eddie always used the excuse that Seve looked like he was turning tricks when you stood him next to a fucked up mess like himself.

Steve hated it when Eddie talked about himself like that, especially when right now most of the eyes that were looking their way were very much not looking at Steve. Two drinks down and on to the third and Steve was regretting the way the night had turned. A dark cloud had descended over him, and he couldn’t put his finger on why? Sure he had Robin back at his side, he should be happy, but right now all he could think about was Eddie. Eddie who had finally caved when the seventh incredibly handsome guy of the night had asked him to dance. Despite appearances, Eddie could dance when he wanted, drunk or stoned and bopping around Steve’s front room to many cheesy or heavy rock songs. Swaying Steve in his arms like he was some damsel that Eddie was destined to sweep off her feet. Now in the strobing lights and under the disco ball, here in a gay club miles away from anyone who knew them, Eddie seemed to have found a shining knight to sweep off his feet instead. Steve’s drink soured in his mouth, as his thoughts record scratched to a clattering halt. He should be the one that Eddie was wooing, he should be the one that Eddie was dancing with all eyes on them. He would call himself stupid, but Eddie had told him he wasn’t allowed to do that anymore, not on his watch. How had he not realised that he was in love with Eddie before now?

Robin grinned as Steve pushed his drink into her hand, “Oh! Is it time?” Robin asked, “Did you finally?” she nodded towards Eddie, “I was starting to think I was going to have to spell it out to you” she pushed him on his way “Go get em tiger.”

Eddie caught his eye as he joined the dancefloor, his eyebrow raising in a question as he looked over his Knights shoulder. He must have read something in Steve’s expression because he dropped his hands from the dashing man’s waist and excused himself to make his way to Steve. Ignoring the fallen noblemans irritated calls as he tried to follow him.

“Something wrong?” Eddie asked leaning in to make himself heard over the pounding sound of the speakers. Like a magnet Steve’s hand’s moved to Eddie’s waist, a possessiveness he hadn’t realised he had until he saw an active threat making him stake his claim.

“Not anymore.” he let his lips ghost across Eddie’s ear as he lent in to speak. He felt Eddie shiver under his touch, face turning to look at him properly.

“Yeah why’s that?”

“Saved something stupidly important that I love from falling through my fingers like a dumbass.” Steve said, sweeping one hand up Eddie’s side and twisting it into his hair. Eddie’s eyes sparkled but not as much as his smile.

“No calling yourself a dumbass either, unless that someone you love isn’t me then you can just go ahead and-” Steve didn’t give him a chance to finish. He had his own prince sweep off his feet, starting with a kiss, and hopefully an upgrade from the back of the van to a hotel on the way back to Hawkins.