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penny00dreadful · 1 year

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Part 1 Part 2 AO3

“Shit. Things move fast in this timeline, don’t they?”

Eddie turned his head and froze, staring wide eyed at the third figure standing next to them.

It was him, he was older and wearing glasses but it was Steve. He was greyer than Eddie’s future self, with a haircut that looked almost the exact same as Future-Robin’s and currently distractingly bare-chested, ripping up a cotton t-shirt into makeshift bandages with a sweater thrown over his shoulder.

He wasn’t as muscular as his twenty year old self, but still devastatingly handsome, still strong with the same smattering of chest hair and a simple gold band on his ring finger.

Yeah.

He’d fuck fifty-something year old Steve.

“C’mon. Battle vest off. We gotta switch those out.”

Eddie had to drag his eyes away from Future-Steve’s chest and back up to his face as he spoke, immediately going red when he was caught. His Steve rolled his head to the side, only sparing his future self a glance before nodding and starting to shrug his way out of the denim.

Eddie and Future-Steve reached out to help. “Careful. Mind his back.” They took the weight of the denim off Steve’s body and Eddie tucked it under his arm.

He ran his fingers down Steve’s arm before grasping his hand as Future-Steve dropped to his knees to start undoing the bandages wound around his waist and oh boy Eddie should not be thinking the kind of fucked up things he was thinking right now.

“You ready? This is gonna suck ass.”

Steve nodded. “Yeah.” He breathed. “Just get it over with.” He pushed his face into Eddie’s neck with a groan as the bandages were quickly peeled off and bit down on the collar of his leather jacket when the new bandages were mercilessly pulled tight.

Eddie gripped at the back of Steve’s head with his free hand while his other hand was being crushed in Steve’s grip.

“It’s okay. It’s okay. You’re doing so good, baby. Just a little more.” He whispered into Steve’s hair, not really giving a singular fuck at that moment, trying to talk him through until it was over.

“Alright. I have enough fabric left over for your arms but not enough for your back I’m afraid.”

Future-Steve got to his feet again and began to wind the remnants of the cotton shirt around Steve’s biceps.

“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it. I’m fine.” Steve protested, but didn’t pull away. Future-Steve rolled his eyes and put his hands on his hips once he was done, muttering “So that’s what it’s like to be on the other side.”

Eddie helped Steve back into his battle vest, placing the weight gingerly over his shoulders, trying not to irritate the road rash over his back. He glanced back over to find Steve’s future counterpart watching him closely with tender eyes.

“God, look at you.” He reached up and tugged at one of Eddie’s curls. “You’re so young.”

If this is what Steve looked like in the future…

If this is how he looked at him?

No wonder his future self was still pining.

Eddie had to avert his gaze for his own sanity, trying to fight away the redness crawling up his face but it was a futile attempt because his eyes just landed on his grey haired chest again. His chest, his stomach, his scars…

The scars.

Those old long healed scars that he’d already seen in a photo with black lace and-

No.

No fucking way!

“Hey! The kids are on their way to the trailer par-” His future counterpart's voice petered off as he rounded the corner of the stairs and took in the sight in front of him. “Stevie, what is with you getting topless in the Upside-Down? Also what the fuck are you doing here?”

“Ellie called.”

“Of course she did. And you didn’t want to miss the reunion?”

“Didn’t want to let you get your ass handed to you again.”

Future-Eddie rolled his eyes before bounding down the last few steps and throwing himself into Future-Steve’s arms.

The hug was weird.

Stilted.

Like they were trying to hold back from doing more, which if Eddie's recent revelation was true, was probably to try and save his and Steve’s sanity from the revelation that they were fucking married?!

The rest of the group crashed down the stairs, surrounding Steve to see if he was okay. In the mess of distraction as the two Robin's started interrogating the two Steve's, Eddie grabbed his own time traveller by the upper arm and dragged him out of earshot.

"Ow! What the fuck, man?"

"I need to talk to you because I'm kinda freaking out."

Future-Eddie shook out his arm. "About?"

Eddie leaned his weight onto the wall behind him, thunking his head back a few times before taking a deep breath in.

"Is it him?"

Future-Eddie looked at him, blinking his familiar deep brown eyes and pursing his lips before nodding slowly.

"Oh Jesus." He put his head in his hands. "Oh fuck. How? Why? How?"

"I have no fucking idea, man." His future counterpart shrugged. "I just count my lucky stars."

"How do you keep your hands to yourself?"

"With great difficulty, I assure you. How did you figure it out? Were we really that obvious?"

"No. I, uh- I saw the photo. I didn't see a face but I saw the scars. And," he waved his hand back towards the group where Future-Steve was thankful fully clothed again, "the scars."

"Ahh… shit. Sorry about that. Spoilers, I guess? But you two already seem to be moving faster than we were on our go around."

"Really?"

"Yeah, man. We danced around each other until Halloween."

"Hey, hi, hello there Double-Trouble. We need to head out if we're gonna get to Forest Hills on time." Future-Steve leaned his elbow on his husband's (what the fuck) shoulder.

Eddie shook his head and tried to get his brain back online. "Why are we going there?"

Steve's smile was just as heart melting thirty-seven years in the future as it was now and Eddie wasn't sure how he'd survive.

"The kids are busting you guys out. And our own exit strategy is there too."

"What is our exit strategy?"

"Ellie said we'd know it when we see it."

Future-Eddie rolled his eyes. "Cryptic."

There weren't enough bikes for all of them so Eddie watched as his future self giddily sat on the bike seat in what was a pathetically transparent excuse to wrap his arms and legs around his husband as Future-Steve pedalled.

Eddie was almost jealous he hadn't thought of it himself except for the fact that his Steve's waist was chewed up to shit. So Steve sat behind Future-Robin, sniggering with her as they cycled, swapping out halfway through so his Steve was pedalling and his Robin was perched on the handlebars.

The gate in the ceiling of his trailer pulsed grotesquely, a thin film of something was stretched over the opening, turning his stomach.

He shoved every thought of Chrissy into the back of his mind.

Something pushed against the gate, poking through, causing their group to jump back but the future trio remained calm as though this was expected.

What wasn't expected was the competing looks of irritation, exasperation, confusion and pride that passed through all three faces at what they saw above.

"What the hell are you three doing here?!" Future-Steve called up towards the gate.

"Do you think you can just run off on some world saving mission without us finding out?" A woman's voice called through followed by a scoff. "Honestly, do you even remember who you're dealing with, dad?"

"Dad?" Steve whispered next to him and before anyone could stop him, he'd darted forward to stare up through the portal, followed quickly by the rest of the group.

Eddie looked up and saw three girls, his girls, his daughters standing in a patch of grass staring up at all of them wide eyed.

"Woah, you two really did used to go all in on the hair, huh?" The one he recognised as Cassie said, a cheeky smirk on her face. "I mean it's one thing seeing it in photos, it's another seeing it in person."

"Hey, watch it, Little Star. It's good hair." Eddie's future self scowled, pointing up towards them.

Cassie rolled her eyes. "Never said it wasn't, pops."

Eddie could feel hig group's eyes on him, flitting between himself, Steve and the girls above. Steve's gaze was burning into the side of his head but he couldn't look away, not from this, not from his future.

"The three of you still haven't answered me. What are you doing here? How did you even find out?" Steve’s future self had his hands on his hips again.

The oldest girl, Rhea, looked like she was fit to burst, practically clamping her hand over her mouth and vibrating with excitement.

The middle girl, Poppy, shrugged the tow rope off her shoulder, holding it up. "Aunt Ellie called. We're your exit strategy."

Future Steve and Eddie glanced at each other.

"We're gonna have words with her once all this is over."

"She didn't have any other option! You three were stuck and everyone else is already at the Lab!"

"What?!” Future-Steve shouted. “Fuck. We have to go."

"Shit. Okay." Eddie's future counterpart grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him away from the portal before enveloping him into a crushing hug.

"Listen to me, everything's going to be alright. It's gonna be shit hard sometimes and you're gonna have to fight for it. You're gonna have to fight so hard but it's worth it. I promise you. It's all so worth it. You're gonna be okay, do you hear me? You're gonna be okay."

Eddie looked at his future self and thought back to everything he’d learned so far. How he’d spoken to him, how he’d talked about his kids, how he’d talked about his husband, about Steve. He wrapped his arms around his waist tightly, reciprocating the hug and whispering, "I think I would've liked to have a dad like you."

"That was the goal." Future-Eddie squeezed him tight, before eventually pulling back. He gave his hair one last ruffle before he moved onto his next round of goodbyes, Future-Steve taking his place.

“It's kinda trippy seeing you so young again.” He said, pulling Eddie against that chest.

Oh Christ, he wasn’t able for this. Yeah, the guy was in his mid-fifties and married (to him, what a mindfuck), but he was still a painfully attractive man.

“It’s kinda trippy seeing you grey.” He really tried not to stick his nose into his neck but it was a damn losing battle when it was right there.

He felt Future-Steve laugh against him before he pulled back. “Still look good though?”

“Shit. Yeah, you still look good.” Eddie grinned.

“Hey, you know I- he- he’ll always be there for you, right?”

“I’m starting to.”

Next came the two Robins. Robin’s future self grasped him by the shoulder, turning him a little so his back was to the rest of the group and pulling the two of them into a tight hug.

“Okay little babies. Always use protection, don’t get anyone pregnant, as soon as a company called Google makes itself known, invest. Look forward to your first pride parade together. It’s gonna be wild. Eddie, don’t be so hung up on the semantics of DnD and metal all the time. Robin, babe, relax every so often. Also DnD is kinda fun. I didn’t have to get married to Steve for a safety net, but it was a close call. Eddie, if they do get married, do not buy the yellow suit I know you were planning to try to stick him in.”

Underneath her rambling Eddie could hear frantic whispering behind him from the rest of the group. When he tried to pull out of the hug to look behind, he was tugged back in firmly, keeping him in place.

He raised an awkward hand to pat Future-Robin on the back, confused but relaxing into the hold regardless.

“Uh…” Future-Robin seemed like she was casting around for more things to say. “Cryptocurrencies are a scam. Steve doesn’t have rabies, so you can stop worrying about that, mini me. But maybe watch out for his eyesight. Make sure you put Prima Nocta in the wedding playlist, he’ll lose his mind but it’ll be so funny. There’s a few of the kids that are gonna come to the two of you with some very personal shit and you need to try to handle it like grown-ups but you’ll probably- oh thank god.”

She finally released the two of them, sounding relieved that her rambling was over with.

Eddie and Robin blinked at each other, confused.

“You’re getting eccentric in your old age.” He nudged her.

“Hey!” Future-Robin flicked him on the nose. “Who’re you calling old? Don’t make me put you in a time out, squirt.”

He turned to try to catch the eye of anyone else to impart ‘you seeing this shit’ energy but instead he found Nancy pale faced and angry, resolutely staring at the wall like she wanted to fight it and Steve…

Steve was looking at him like he would disappear at any second. Similarly pale faced but worried and afraid. He found himself immediately gravitating towards him.

“Are you okay?” He asked, just barely touching his fingers to Steve’s wrist.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.” Steve tried to laugh it off but it fell painfully flat.

Eddie glanced back at their future counterparts as the tow rope fell through the portal, hanging in mid air.

Freaky.

He looked back at Steve who hadn’t even noticed, still looking at him like he was trying to memorise his face.

“Did they tell you something?”

Steve curled his fist into the lapel of Eddie’s leather jacket, holding on so tight his knuckles went white. Once his hand relaxed, still holding on, but looser this time, Steve’s expression had smoothed out, giving him a small easy smile.

“Just to keep an eye on you. Said you’re a real troublemaker.”

Eddie searched his face. His smile was easy however his eyes were still worried, but he seemed to want to drop the subject. Eddie wanted to pry, he wanted to know exactly what had been said, what had he missed but he didn’t really know Steve yet. He didn’t know if he was reading the situation wrong or if he’d be the type of guy to close off if pushed.

So he didn’t push.

“Sounds like me.”

Steve laughed, though it was really more of a strained exhale. “Yeah.” He muttered. “Sounds like you.” He released his grip on the leather jacket and turned back towards the group who were now gathered around the portal, but stuck close to Eddie's side.

They rejoined everyone and looked up at the three girls. Cassie was hanging off the rope, testing its weight while Rhea and Poppy were hissing at each other.

Rhea still had a hand clamped over her mouth.

“Honey, you look like you’re about to burst.” Future-Steve called out. “What’s eating you?”

"Poppy met a boy!" She blurted out, clamping her hand back over her mouth and immediately being shoved by the sister in question.

"Dude!"

“I’m sorry!”

Future-Steve snapped his head up at the revelation. “Here in Hawkins? A Hawkins boy? Who?!”

“No one-”

“Jacob!” Rhea squeaked through her hand.

“Ugh.” Future-Eddie grimaced. “‘J’ name.”

“What’s his last name? Who’re his parents?”

Poppy crossed her arms. “Why does it matter?”

“Because that’s information I need to know!”

“Why? You gonna stop me from seeing him?”

“I can’t stop you from doing shit but I have a right as your father to grumble about it!”

“Well I don’t know, dad! I didn’t exactly get a family history from him when he was giving us directions!”

“I swear to god.” Future-Eddie ran his hand down his face and turned to his husband. “If we ran hundreds of miles away from Hawkins only for one of our kids to end up back here I’m gonna lose my mind.”

A loud crack sounded through the portal causing the three girls to jump and turn around.

“Holy shit.” They said at the same time.

“What?! What is happening over there, fuck, we’ve got to go, Robin. C’mon, up.” Future-Steve frantically waved his Robin over.

“There’s nothing to break the fall!” She shouted.

“So you better not break anything when you fall.”

“Har-har. Alright,” she called up through the portal, “are you listening Little Miss Cheerleader? You better be there to catch me!”

“I’m a flyer, I don’t catch, I get caught!” Cassie called back. “Keep your knees and elbows loose and try to roll with the momentum!”

“Shit. Okay. Gimme a boost, Steve.”

He hoisted Robin up, practically sending her through the portal on her own without the rope. She tumbled out onto the other side landing with a clumsy roll and a groan, but was uninjured, helped to her feet by Cassie and Rhea.

“That was not as fun this time around! And it’s a longer drop now that the trailer is gone!” She called back up to them.

Eddie turned his eyes back onto his future self. “Why’s the trailer gone?”

He shrugged. “It’s a crime scene. You’ll get set up in a nicer place, don’t worry about it.”

“There’s a lot I seem to be ‘not worrying about’ these days.” He grumbled as his future self clapped him on the shoulder.

“Just wait until you have teenage daughters. See you on the other side, kiddos!” He stepped in front of the tow rope, but instead of creating a bridge with his hands for Future-Eddie to step into, Future-Steve just grabbed him firmly around the hips and effortlessly lifted him upwards.

It really wasn’t the time for it, it really wasn’t the time for it but Eddie suddenly felt the need for some smelling salts or a white lace handkerchief to wave in front of his face or something.

His future self landed with far less grace than Robin had but Cassie did dart out this time to stop him from completely faceplanting.

“Okay.” Future-Steve turned back to them, one hand on the rope. “Be good, kids. Remember what I said, mind the vents, find a different spot for Erica and as soon as he goes through the attic window, get back downstairs and finish it.” He directed the last two statements towards Steve and Nancy before giving a dorky two finger salute and starting to make his climb upwards.

Future-Steve had barely landed (without help, the showoff) back in his own time before there was a gruesome sucking sound the portal began to grow another layer of slime skin, cutting off their future and past selves and severing the tow rope in one fell swoop.

Silence was only able to settle around the four of them for a few seconds before something was pushed back against the portal. With a great squelch the skin was broken again.

Though this time it wasn’t grass and their future selves staring back but the grinning faces of Dustin, Max, Lucas and Erica in the Rightside-Up version of Eddie’s trailer.

Over the next day, they formulated their plan to defeat Vecna. Both Steve and Nancy would occasionally jump in front of a suggestion with a simple explanation of ‘that won’t work’ .

When Eddie and Dustin suggested they act as a distraction for the bats with the most metal concert in the world, both Nancy and Steve shouted a firm ‘No!’ before they could stop themselves.

Eddie wasn’t an idiot, he knew they had been told something that, for whatever reason, hadn’t been shared with him and Robin but now wasn’t exactly the time to pry.

As long as he made it out of this with all his limbs intact he supposed he could let it be.

Setting up the stereo away from the trailer park should have worked in theory. They had plenty of time to turn it on and bike back to the portal, keeping a healthy distance between themselves and danger.

But when the bats descended too quickly and he watched Dustin run inside, expecting Eddie to follow because why wouldn’t he, he took his opportunity to lock the door and draw them away.

By the time the bats dropped and he was able to stumble his way back to the trailer, Dustin had the door broken off its hinges. He was pissed but relieved that Eddie was okay. Yeah, his sides had been pretty badly chewed up but it was nothing worse than what had happened to Steve.

Steve and Nancy, however, were incandescent with rage and panic when they got back and saw him bloodied, only really calming down when both he and Dustin started arguing back, confused and bewildered about why they were acting like someone died when they should be celebrating, considering they’d just confirmed Vecna was definitely gone.

He spent the next month holed up in Steve’s house with Wayne, waiting for his name to be cleared.

Barely a week of that living arrangement had passed before they shared their first kiss, wrapped up in their softest clothes in the middle of a scary movie marathon that neither were really paying attention to.

There were a lot of firsts that night.

It was during a particularly heated argument a couple of weeks later between Eddie and Steve that he learned why Steve was so insistent on taking rigorous care of Eddie’s bites even though his own went mostly neglected.

He learned he had nearly died in the other timeline because of the bites he and got it, he did. But this wasn’t the other timeline, this was their own one.

Memories of their future selves were already starting to slip away piece by piece and Eddie didn’t want to spend the rest of his life dwelling, trying to live up to or keep track of his other self. This was his life and he was going to make mistakes but he was going to make the most of it too.

“Make the most of it with me?” He asked Steve holding out his hand and sitting next to him in what was essentially their bed, guest rooms be damned.

Steve looked down at Eddie’s hand then back up to his eyes before allowing a small smile to crack through his worried expression.

Steve nodded before linking their fingers together.

“Okay.”

Part 1 Part 2 AO3

Oh my god, oh my god you guys. I don't know where you all came from but I'm so happy you're here. For my small dinky little blog this story completely blew up and I have not been able to get over it all day. I had a cocktail of happy chemicals absoloutly ruining my productivity at work today and I could not be more thankful.

Thank you for your sweet and kind words, each one sent me into a happy, smiley mess and I'm so completely floored that people like this story so much. Thank you all for coming on this journey with me.

XOXO Penny

🖤

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penny00dreadful · 1 year

Text

Part 1 Part 3

The F-slur is mentioned here but only mentioned, not used to attack or demean.

“I don’t have a wife. I have… I have a husband.”

Future-Eddie slapped him on the shoulder. “Hell yeah you do.”

“They legalise it? They-” Robin looked over at her future self, her eyes glossy. “W- they can get married?”

“Yeah.” Future-Robin squeezed Steve and Robin closer. “Yeah. They can get married. Just in a couple of places to start but then country-wide.”

Nancy nodded along as though this was all tactical information useful for defeating Vecna. “Is anyone else going to come through?”

Future-Eddie shrugged. “Not sure. I think Robin and I were zapped here because our past and future selves were in the same geographical location when there was a pulse. So, sorry to say, Nance, but you’re definitely not about to pop in.”

“Why? Where am I?”

“Still on a plane back from Alaska last I heard.”

“What on earth was I doing in Alaska?”

“Spy shit.” The two time travellers said in unison.

Nancy uncharacteristically stumbled in surprise. “Spy shit? Seriously?”

“Well, personally I believe you’re an international 007, Agent Wheeler, but most of the rest think it’s just plain old boring investigative journalism.” His future counterpart clearly hadn’t lost any theatricality with time.

In fact it seemed to have gotten worse as he waved his arms around. “You’re like, the top dog at it, dude. Literally so good at it that barely anyone knows your name which you definitely use to your advantage. You’re super cagey on details.

“But this time around, you were in Korea when shit hit the fan. Again, don’t know what you were doing there but I did hear Pyongyang mentioned once so you were only a jump away from Kamchatka when Ellie felt a disturbance in the force so you volunteered to go see if it was the Ruskies again, but no dice. Completely filled in with concrete. We have no idea how you got there so quickly but my money is on spy shit.”

Nancy stared at him open-mouthed as he spoke.

“So… So I do it? I make it? I succeed?”

“More than succeed.”

“And,” Nancy bit her lip, like she didn’t really want to ask the question but she was burning to know nonetheless. “The whole… marriage and kids thing?”

Future-Eddie glanced toward Steve, occupied by Future-Robin who was trying to distract him from the conversation and Eddie’s heart sank.

“Nance, don’t take this the wrong way but I don’t think you ever wanted that. I think you were told to want that, as a woman, but it was never you. You don’t have any kids, you’re not married and I don’t think you ever want to be.”

Nancy looked almost relieved at the information and Eddie was so confused.

He still had a thousand questions firing around his head so he decided to latch onto something mentioned earlier.

“Who’s Cassie?”

Future-Eddie smiled softly. “She’s my youngest.”

Eddie choked on thin air. “Kid?!”

“Yeah.”

“Your youngest kid is my age?”

“God, dude. Don’t remind me. You’ll make me feel so old.”

“You are old.”

His future self shoved his arm. “Watch it, whippersnapper.”

“Who’re your other kids?”

“Here, let me show you.” He pulled a slab of something out of his pocket before shaking his head and pulling his wallet out instead. “I think a phone would be a bit too much, so we’ll do the wallet.”

Eddie blinked. “Right.” Like he knew whatever the fuck the guy was on about.

Future-Eddie pulled some photos loose and in the pile Eddie caught sight of a hairy muscular thigh and a torso littered in old scars stretched obscenely out on a bed and dressed in black lace before the photo was swiftly snatched out of sight and Future-Eddie stuffed it down his pants.

“Woah, whoops! You don’t need to be seeing that!”

“Eddie!” Future-Robin called, staring at him wide eyed. “Oh my god, you keep that photo in your wallet?!”

“It was an anniversary gift!”

“He’s going to rip you a new asshole once he finds out.”

“God.” Future-Eddie breathed. “I hope so.”

Eddie knew his face must be lobster red. From what he had just seen of his future husband, he was hot, metal as shit with those scars and willing to do things like… that?! He’d hit the damn jackpot.

If only he’d seen his face.

“Moving on!” Future-Eddie called brightly. “My girls.” He held out a photo of three teenagers backstage at some kind of concert. It looked like they were laughing at something that had just happened behind the camera, their backs to the stage. They all looked wildly different from each other.

“They’re older now, obviously, but this photo… It’s my favourite. Rhea, Poppy and Cassie." He pointed at each of them respectively

The girl on the left looked to be the oldest, blonde and short with glasses, dressed in oversized flannels and baggy ripped jeans. Her mouth was wide open in what must have been a cackle, nearly bent double with one hand on her sister's shoulder, keeping her balance.

The girl in the middle was taller, her hair was dyed a dark purple colour with two piercings over her black painted lips, dressed in flowing black lace. She had both hands up as if she’d just been hiding behind them, her eyes wide and incredulous, seeming to only really let out a giggle.

The third was a similar height to the girl in the middle, black haired and freckled, dressed in bright pastel colours with a cast on her arm. She was half hiding her face behind her hair, turned towards her sisters but her smile was so wide her eyes all but disappeared.

They all looked so happy together.

Holy shit.

He only ever had Wayne and now… well, in the future he has a husband and three daughters (holyshitholyshitholyshit), he’d built a family.

“Pretty unbelievable, right?” Future-Eddie smiled across at him, warm and content.

“Just wait ‘till you find out what he does for work!” Future-Robin shouted at him from up ahead.

Work? Eddie had never had a job before and everything in his future seemed so perfect, maybe this was the downer. God he hoped it wasn’t some corporate bullshit.

“What do you do for work?”

Future-Eddie blushed which was very fucking odd and scratched at the back of his neck. “I’m retired.” He shrugged.

“Eddie. You’re not going to tell him?”

“How can I tell him? Look at him! He’s having the worst week of his life! He’s being hunted by a town full of evangelical nutjobs, you think he’ll believe me if I tell him I have two Grammys and a Tony?!”

“Okay, pause.” Eddie put his hand to his future self’s chest, stopping them both. “I’m gonna need you to run that by me again.”

Because no fuckin’ way, man.

Nuh-uh.

Not a chance it meant what he thought it meant.

Not him.

Not some little rat goblin from rural Indiana.

“Two Grammys.”

Future-Eddie nodded. “Two Grammys and a Tony.”

Eddie wrinkled his nose before scoffing. “Why a Tony?”

“It’s called branching out, dude. Don’t gatekeep, it’s not a good look.”

Future-Robin grimaced from up ahead. “Sorry, he’s sensitive.”

“Yes, I’m sensitive, Rob! Lloyd Webber can suck my dick!” He grumbled and muttered in a way that was clearly supposed to be an imitation, “Not built for writing a broadway musical my asshole.”

“So…”

“So.”

“You’re… we’re like, famous?”

Future-Eddie shrugged. “Yeah. Kinda.”

“With two Grammys.”

“We would have more if we didn’t get banned.” He muttered again, clearly not supposed to be overheard.

Eddie just stared. “Dude! How the hell do you get banned from the Grammys?”

Future-Robin faltered in her steps ahead, stuttering in the middle of her answer to Robin about her work as a translator in Geneva.

His future self started to walk again, trying to brush him off. “Uh… You know what? It’s a long story, I don’t think we should-”

Eddie caught up. “No, no. This is my potential future right? I should know, maybe I can avoid it?”

Future-Eddie raised his hand to his jaw again, almost unconsciously, like those words hit him on multiple levels.

“Some things can’t be avoided, I don’t think.” He sighed heavily. “Alright. I got outed. Publicly. It wasn’t pretty. And it wasn’t just me, my husband got outed too. We called a blackmailer's bluff and they followed through.”

Eddie shook his head, disbelieving. “They banned you because you got outed?”

“No… not exactly. Okay, listen. I was in a really dark place at the time and I was so, so angry and you know what we’re like when we’re angry. It was incredibly controversial at the time and still is, kinda. Like a black stain on the band's past but I wouldn’t take it back if I could, you understand me?

“When I wrote it I was feeling super toxic and bitter and I’m not excusing it because it was so personal but the younger generation have picked it up again and they’re seeing it like it was meant to be seen. Like it’s about having to hide and live in fear all the time and how stressful and unfair it is and-”

Eddie sped up his steps just a little so he could look at his future self. “What did you do?”

“I…” Future-Eddie twisted at his wedding band. “I released a song called ‘Faggot’ and it’s exactly as painful as you think.”

Eddie sucked in a breath through his teeth. “Oh.”

“Yeah. Listen, I don’t really know how this whole divergent paths thing will work, how much of my life you will or won’t experience after this. But everything I went through, everything, made me who I am today. It’s going to be really hard and it really fucking sucks sometimes. But it got me my girls. It got me my husband. I wouldn’t give it up for anything, you understand me?”

He looked back down at the ground, contemplating. Even though he’d just heard of some truly awful shit that might happen to him at some point, he couldn’t help agreeing with his future self. He had the girls. They seemed happy. He had a husband and he seemed truly content with him, even if Steve’s shadow was still overhanging. But he didn’t really know that for sure. He wanted to know about who he was married to, even if he didn’t want to know who.

“Tell me about him?”

Future-Eddie’s face split into a wide grin. “I thought you’d never ask. He’s the biggest fucking dork I know. The sweetest guy in the world, kindergarten teacher, little league coach… he sees everything. Self sacrificial streak a mile wide, giving me grey hairs.” He laughed.

“Sounds like a normie.”

“The normiest. It’s adorable.”

“Eddie!” Future-Robin called, waving him over from up ahead. “I need you, c’mere.”

“That’s sweet, baby. But it would never work between us.”

She rolled her eyes. “Jesus Christ, do you have an off switch?”

Future-Eddie’s grin turned feral. “I-”

“No!” She held up her hand. “Stop. Just come here, fucking hell.”

Eddie watched his own future counterpart practically skip over to the others, throwing his arms around both Robins and Nancy while his mind spun like a record without the needle down.

Fuckin’ time travel, man. What were the odds? But what were the odds of an alternate dimension and demon bats and demon dogs and just general demon fuckery?

And he was fucking married? What the shit. Like he’d pretty much resigned himself to short term secret shameful relationships or quick encounters in whatever club bathroom he ended up at in the city.

Some kind of life of settling down, with kids no less, was not something he’d ever dare believe…

“So.”

Eddie looked over. Steve was walking beside him, staying remarkably steady despite his wounds.

“So.”

He smiled at him but it was a little strained at the edges. “You have a husband.”

“I have a husband.”

And it was only really then that it hit him. Those words. Those words felt so… fantastic to say.

It wasn’t just the fact that he’d come out.

It was the fact that the words ‘I have a husband.’ meant that he had a husband. Someone who loved him unconditionally. Someone who stuck with his eccentricities and his trash panda tendencies. His parents were a terrible example for marriage and he knew, he knew that he would never allow himself to end up that way.

So this had to be it.

This had to be real.

“I don’t think I’d mind a husband.”

Eddie stopped dead.

Steve turned to look at him, a small smirk on his face. He strode two steps in front, continuing to walk backwards, keeping pace before placing a finger under Eddie’s chin and pushing his jaw back up. He hadn’t even realised it was hanging open.

“But… but you’re…”

"Yeah, I'm attracted to girls, I can hide if I want to and have an easy life. But boys are an option for me too. Don’t tell me you think I should play it safe because society tells me to. I thought you’d be better than that.” Steve slowed to keep pace with him again, knocking him with his shoulder and the barest hint of that smug smile on his face.

“Wh- I- I am. I am better than that. I’m sorry I just didn’t expect- you don’t-”

“I don’t look queer? Or act queer?”

“No! No, I didn’t mean…”

But he did mean that. He had thought that. And his shit had now been completely rocked because of it.

His jaw had fallen open again, he just realised. He snapped it closed and his mouth felt so fucking dry. “I think you’d make a good husband.”

“Are you asking?” Steve quirked an eyebrow at him and flashed his teeth with a grin.

Jesus H. Christ he was so pretty.

Fucking hell. Was this what it was like to be on the end of the Harrington charm? God, he was in so much trouble now.

And Steve was still grinning at him, like a cocky little bastard. “I don’t think anyone would want me as a husband anyway.”

“I’m sorry, I’m lost. Who the fuck would ever pass you up for a husband?”

Steve shrugged, a little more subdued than he was before. Eddie only barely caught the glance in Nancy’s direction.

“Wheeler’s loss.”

“No, I mean I get it. I have a lot of baggage and I feel like these bites aren’t going to just smoothe over. What happens then? What’s my spouse gonna do with me once I don’t have my looks anymore, you know?”

“Fuck your looks man, that’s not why people get married. That’s not why I’d get married.”

“It’s why my parents got married.”

“And you wanna have a marriage like theirs?”

“No! God, no. Never.”

“Exactly. So why do you think you’d allow yourself to get tied down to someone who only cares what you look like?”

“Maybe that’s the only reason they’d have me.” Steve grinned as if what he was saying was just fact. “Like I said, I’ve got baggage.”

Eddie shook his head. “We’ve all got baggage, man. I’m not trying to like, invalidate yours or whatever, but everyone has their shit. Yeah your shit is fucking intense, I mean look around, but that won’t matter to the right person. They might have their own. Might not be alternate dimension time travel shit but could be something similar. Maybe you’ll marry a veteran or a refugee. Or maybe you’ll marry someone who’s never experienced anything worse than a paper cut and when they stub their toe they only say ‘oh dear’. Relationships… marriage is a partnership, their baggage, your baggage, it’s there to be shared. It wouldn’t matter to me. I’ll take on my husbands shit and I’ll marry a man who’ll take on mine too. I know I will. I’m sure of it.”

Steve was staring at him like he had six heads.

Fantastic.

After he’d just spilled himself out of his mouth and everything.

But he wasn’t gonna back down.

It’s what he believed in his heart of hearts.

“I just-” Steve started. “I’ve never heard anyone describe it like that.”

“Like what?” To him, it just seemed like common sense.

“Like a partnership. You know like people always say relationships are commitment and dedication and selflessness.”

“Well yeah, they are but it has to go both ways. You can’t have one side putting in all that effort.”

“Partnership.” Steve muttered quietly, considering. “It has to be equal, right?”

“Yeah, now you’re getting it. It has to be equal.”

Steve’s smile was softer now, to go right along with his eyes. “You’re gonna make someone a really good husband one day, Eddie.”

Fuck, wasn’t that just a cupids arrow straight to the heart. And now Steve was looking at him all tender and it was driving him insane.

“You gotta at least cook me a nice dinner first before asking for my hand, there, Stevie.”

Steve shrugged. “Okay. What do you like?”

“Wha- I… What do I like?”

“What do you like to eat?”

Wait.

His mind was blank. He should really be able to improv his way out of this but his head was completely empty.

“Italian, I guess?”

Steve’s grin almost turned conspiratorial. He reached up and lightly tugged at one of Eddie’s curls. “Fuck, you’re perfect, aren’t you?”

“I’m on the run from the law at the moment, sweetheart.”

“Not for much longer if I have anything to say about it.”

They were interrupted by raised voices ahead of them. There was a brief moment of panic before he and Steve realised it was just the two time travellers bickering loudly as the trees started to thin and houses began to come into view.

“Well, why can’t we remember any of this then?” Future-Robin asked.

“Because it hasn’t happened to us in our past. It’s happening to us in our present. And their present. How can we remember something that hasn’t happened yet? Because it’s happening now. To four different people. Their timeline has already diverged from ours just by us turning up. This isn't our story anymore, it's theirs.”

She looked at him in disbelief. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

Future-Eddie waved his hand at her. “Wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey.”

Future-Robin reached out and swatted him over the head. “You’re such a dork!”

“Hey!” He shoved her. “I only got into sci-fi because of you. Before you I was blissfully existing in a fantasy only realm.”

“Yeah.” She shoved him back. “You’re fucking welcome.”

They kept pushing and prodding at each other before it descended into chaos, devolving into some kind of childish slap war until eventually she had him in a headlock.

“Aaagh, Stevie! Help me!”

Steve just blinked at the two of them, probably trying to figure out how he was supposed to corral two adults who were nearly triple his age.

“So in the future, you and Robin seem to have some kind of… friendship?”

“Friendship?” Future-Eddie squawked. “No friendship here. She’s my soulmate by proxy. My sworn fuckin’ enemy.” From his bent over position he managed to grab her behind the knees and haul her over his shoulder.

“Barbarian!”

“Buckley, my tabletop wife, you know I’m a bard.”

“Would you two shut the fuck up?!” Nancy hissed. “You’re gonna get us eaten.”

Future-Robin was let back onto her feet, quietly.

“Sorry.”

It was objectively hilarious, watching two grown adults who could technically be their grandparents mutter their apologies as if they’d just been chastised by the school principal.

It was even funnier watching them punch each other in the arm as soon as Nancy’s back was turned.

“We’re here.” Nancy said, staring out at the houses. “C’mon.” Without a backwards glance, she took off running.

“Nan-!” Robin lowered her volume as they all chased after her. “Nancy!”

By the time Eddie and Steve had followed them through the front door, the rest of them were disappearing upstairs.

“Why didn’t you tell us this earlier?” Nancy was asking, holding what looked like a diary.

“Would you have believed us? You need to see evidence for yourself, you know that.” His future counterpart answered.

“What did I miss?” Eddie wheezed, placing his hands on his knees.

Fuck, he needed to give up smoking.

“It’s 1983.” Robin answered, patting his back.

“Is this more time-travel fuckery?”

“No.”

“Yes.”

Future Eddie and Robin spoke at the same time.

“The Upside-Down is stuck in 1983. The day Will Byers went missing.” Nancy clarified.

“Right. Okay. 1983. Cool.” Eddie gave a thumbs up, leaning heavily against the doorframe. He glanced around. “Hey, where’s-”

He was abruptly cut off as the entire house around them shook, sending him tumbling back into the hallway. The sounds of photo frames and Nancy’s knick knacks crashing to the ground surrounded him but underneath it all his blood ran cold when he heard a pained shout from downstairs.

“Steve?!” He called out, panicked, trying to get to his feet but being defeated by his own severe lack of athleticism and the incessant shaking of the very earth beneath him.

He crawled towards the stairs, thankful that the shaking had stopped by the time he reached the first step.

He flew down them, nearly landing square on his ass again before catching sight of Steve, leaning heavily up against the wall and clutching his sides.

“Steve! Are you okay?” There were red patches starting to bloom under the makeshift bandages around his waist and he hissed in pain, as Eddie took hold of his arms, pressing his forehead into Eddie’s shoulder.

“I just… I just need a minute.”

There was the sound of something ripping beside him.

“Shit. Things move fast in this timeline, don’t they?”

Eddie turned his head and froze, staring wide eyed at the third figure standing next to them.

Part 1 Part 3

I'm thinking one more part for this auspicious anniversary/time travel fic. I'll update the posts with links and the AO3 link too.

Thanks everyone for your sweet comments and tag requests! Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside. 🖤

Tags: @epiclazersharkshark, @estrellami-1, @swimmingbirdrunningrock, @addelyin

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