#Eddie might be a feral raccoon but he's Steve's feral raccoon

[xoxoladyaz]

Deep down, Steve knows that it's only a matter of time until he gets caught.

It feels like he's gone through the five stages of grief, like, twenty times. He can't count how many hours he's spent rationalizing it: what Eddie doesn't know won't hurt him, this is normal, people do it all the time, and besides, Eddie would feel completely betrayed if he knew and their relationship is so new that it's just not worth the risk. The absolute last thing he wants is to upset Eddie and this will just make him upset so really, Steve is doing the honorable thing by just not telling him, by pretending that he's not hiding anything, that everything is fine.

But it's not Eddie that catches him; hell, it isn't even someone in the Party; it's Jeff, Eddie's friend/Hellfire Club member/Corroded Coffin bandmate who shows up too early for D&D at Steve's one day and sees something he shouldn't have.

"This isn't what it looks like."

Jeff walks into the kitchen and frowns, like he's confused by what he's seeing and why Steve is so anxious, why he's sweating like he's just run a marathon. "It looks like you're blending a bunch of veggies together in a blender."

Shit. "Okay, it's exactly what it looks like."

Jeff still looks confused. "And this is a big deal because - "

"Because I haven't told Eddie that the 'special pasta sauce' that I've been using the last three months whenever we have spaghetti and meatballs is actually entirely made of, like, ten different kinds of vegetables," Steve rushes out, and Jeff's face smoothes in understanding.

"Oh, yeah, that makes sense. The dude has a weird vendetta against veggies."

Steve groans, slumping in relief. "Tell me about it. Do you know how hard it is to hide veggies in every single meal that I make for him? Because if I don't, then he's never going to eat them, and I'm worried about his health enough as it is."

Jeff nods. "It's the smoking, right?"

"The smoking, and the drinking, and I know he's sneaking out to smoke with Jon and Argyle, but he doesn't exercise and he only eats highly processed cereal with loads of sugar and I just don't want him to have a heart attack before the age of forty!"

"Hey, hey, Steve, man, your secret's safe with me." Jeff holds his hands up in supplication. "And for the record, I'm on your side. The dude is like a feral raccoon."

"I know," Steve sighs. "But he's my feral raccoon."

That makes Jeff start laughing. "If it makes you feel any better, my mom and I have been doing the same thing for years now. If you want, we could exchange recipes sometime."

"Really?" Steve perks up and now, now he's excited. "That would be great!"

"Sick. Need some help with the meatballs?"

"Please!"

And that is how Eddie and Gareth and Phil and Dustin and Mike and Lucas and Erica and Will find them later, chatting and laughing while Steve tosses his homemade noodles into his now-simmering pasta sauce, Jeff sitting on the kitchen island and drinking a beer.

This time, it's Jeff who looks like he's seen a ghost. "This isn't what it looks like."

"Oh?" Eddie asks, and his voice is totally controlled, which means that Jeff is screwed. "So you're not hanging out with my boyfriend and making him do that cute little blushy giggle that is my cute blushy giggle?"

"Eddie!" Steve scolds, but it's too late, Jeff knows his fate is sealed.

"Okay, it's exactly what it looks like."

(Jeff's rogue is caught in the blast zone when Dustin's ranger kills a large acid toad. Still, he can't feel too mad when he sees Eddie smirk and then lick the veggie sauce out of his pasta bowl.)

[wynnyfryd]

Trailer park Steve AU part 15

part 1 | part 14 | ao3

“Please please please please pleeeeease,” Dustin whines, tugging hard on the hem of Steve’s shirt.

“Dude get off me.” He slips the last of the leftover containers into the fridge, slams the door shut, and turns to glare at Dustin, who oh-so-conveniently had to step out after dinner to ‘walkie Lucas about a homework question’ and left Steve and Eddie to do the washing up.

In the absence of a Henderson buffer, the air between them had pretty immediately gone stale. Hesistant and charged, overly formal; fucking weird. Eddie moves like a weirdo, sways his hips out of the way of counter corners instead of walking a straight path, like some swaggering drunken pirate, and he spent the last ten minutes awkwardly traipsing around the perimeters of the kitchen as if Steve were a landmine he might set off at any time.

So yeah.

Steve’s feeling a little ungracious at the moment. “Seriously, what is so important that you can’t just show it to us tomorrow?”

“Ummm, scientific discovery? Wonder at the natural world around us?? Where’s your sense of adventure, Steve?”

“The last time I followed my sense of adventure out to your cellar I almost got—” His eyes cut sharply to Eddie, who’s doing a terrible job of pretending not to eavesdrop. Steve scrambles for a way to end his sentence that isn’t eaten by a creature with a razor flower for a face. “—uh, mauled.”

“Mauled?” Eddie asks, eyes bugging out. “Henderson, I’m not following you into the woods to get to turned into some feral thing’s chew toy, man.”

“It was fine,” Dustin insists, covertly kicking Steve in the shin.

Steve thinks of his NDAs and plays along. “Y-yeah. Totally fine. It was just, like, a rabid raccoon or something.”

“That… does not sound fine.”

“It’s cool,” Steve tries to reassure him (no idea why, really; that cellar’s nightmare fuel.) He throws a dish towel over his shoulder, nods his head decisively. “I’ll bring my nail bat with us.”

“You’ll fucking bring your what?”

—

Steve drags his nail bat through the leaves on the narrow trail, the wood thudding along behind him as they make their way to the cellar, a detached storm shelter at the far edge of the lot. It’s dark out here. And cold. His breath hangs in a puff of wet fog when he mutters, “Seriously, Dustin, this better be Noble Prize worthy stuff.”

“It’s Nobel,” Eddie says.

“Huh?”

“The, uh- the prize? It’s No-bel.”

“….Well, that’s stupid.”

“Why would it be Noble?” Eddie snorts, but his eyes are curious and kind.

“Because— because you have to be Noble to earn it? I don’t know!” Eddie laughs like he finds the answer cute. Steve doubles down. “That makes perfect sense, and you know it. A Noble Prize for a Noble Effort. Tell me I’m wrong.”

“You’re wrong,” Dustin grunts as he unlocks the cellar doors. “Now come on.”

—

The cellar's just as creepy as Steve remembers: low ceiling, dusty cement blocks, a single, sad lightbulb dangling on a string. He eyes the dark corner on the far side of the squat room, bricked up now but it wasn't before; there were tunnels under here, once, vast networks like blood vessels to the beating heart of a monster Steve still can't fully comprehend. He grips the bat a little tighter.

"—Shit," Dustin says suddenly, cutting himself off mid-ramble about how cool his latest science project is, how it puts Cerebro to shame. "I forgot the remote." "You want me to go get it?" Steve offers. "No!" Dustin says it in a rush, then stammers, "No, that's okay. You won't know what to look for." He seems nervous. Jittery. Maybe the cellar creeps him out, too. "Be right back, just wait here."

"Grreeeat," Eddie replies as Dustin jogs back up the stairs, cupping his hands around his mouth to call sarcastically after him, "We'll just be loitering in your murder basement, then; take your time!"

With Dustin gone, there’s nothing to do but stand there metaphorically twiddling their thumbs. Steve’s idly swinging his bat in a wide sweep around his calves, and Eddie’s staring at the ground, scuffing the toe of his shoe into a streak of dirt, arms crossed over his chest, head bowed. He’s humming something that Steve can't quite make out, but it doesn't sound like the stuff he usually blasts from his van. It's softer. Easy. Almost pop.

“Hey, wait a sec...” Steve holds up a finger, turning his good ear toward the stairs. The leafy crunch of footsteps isn’t getting any quieter, and now it sounds like there are two pairs, getting louder; circling back. “You hear that?”

Eddie nods. Looks serious and spooked. Steve raises his bat, a sudden spike of fear; he creeps over to the stairs. “Hey,” he calls to the darkness. The rustling noise picks up, a swish of movement through the brush, and then the crrrrroak of something metal. Something heavy, groaning on its—

Hinges. Hinges. Son of a bitch, the cellar doors. “Hey!” he shouts, breaking into a run. “HEY—!”

BOOMMMM.

The doors slam shut with a heavy crash and the grating clink of more metal scraping metal. Steve bolts up the stairs, shoves with all his strength against the slanted doors above him. The doors don’t budge. “What the fuck?” Eddie shouts from the bottom of the stairs.

Steve pounds against the doors. “HENDERSON?”

Eddie comes up to join him, using his forearms like battering rams to try to bash the doors open. His voice cracks when he hollers, “Henderson, for real, man! I-if this is some kinda- some kinda sick fucking joke it isn’t funny!!”

“It’s for your own good!!” a voice that isn’t Dustin yells through the gap in the doors, and Eddie squawks, “MIKE?”

Mike?? MIKE?? Oh, that goddamned ungrateful, conniving little—

“We just wanted you two to talk to each other!” Mike says.

Dustin adds, “For real this time."

“Yeah, for real this time!”

Steve punches the doors, and Eddie bares his teeth like he can scorch a hole through the metal with the heat of his glare alone. “Wheeler, you are SO dead!!”

“So fucking dead!!!” Steve agrees.

---

part 16

tag list below the cut, comment if you want to be added tomorrow (or dm me if you want to be removed)

@acedorerryn @ahsokatanoss @annabanannabeth @anne-bennett-cosplayer @awolfstudio @bananahoneycomb @bronwenmarie @burymestanding @cinnamon-mushroomabomination @courtjestermunson @cr0w-culture @cuips-not-cute @dawners @dontwasteyourchances @eddie-munsons-missing-nipple @eriquin @estrellami-1 @evillittleguy @fandomfix8 @foolofentirelytoomanyfandoms @goodolefashionedloverboi @gregre369 @griefabyss69 @grtwdsmwhr @heartsong18 @hellion-child @hotluncheddie @jackiemonroe5512 @jaytriesstuff @littlebluejane @lololol-1234 @marklee-blackmore @messrs-weasley @nburkhardt @noodle-shenaniganery @novelnovella @perseus-notjackson @ppunkpuppyy @runninriot @sadcanadianwinter @silver-snaffles @singmeyoursimpsong @slowandsteddie @slutforcoffein @solalasoforth @spookednsaucy @steddieas-shegoes @steddie-island @stevesbipanic @steves-strapcollection

[kitseddie]

This Must Be The Place

Chapter 3: 1980’s Horror Film

Part 1 Part 2

Part 4

(Eddie Munson x GN!Reader)

Summary: It’s finally time for your not-date. You and Eddie head to the movies and reminisce about your childhoods together.

WC: 5k

Warnings: talk of horror movies (somewhat spoilers for Carrie?) one mention of periods, drugs (weed), also didn’t realise before but I use female anatomy for the reader so still gn just afab!

A/N: Literally get so giddy whenever I see everyone liking or reblogging or tagging this fic for their lists, I appreciate it so much I’ve had so much fun writing this! This is one of my favourite chapters it is fluff central it’s tooth rooting sweet

As soon as Eddie got home, he collapsed onto his mystery-stained mattress and stared up at his ceiling. There was no backing out now, it wasn’t long until he would be meeting you at the movie theatre. Pulling himself to his feet, he started making his way to the mirror. His glance landed on the cherry red guitar hanging from his wall, as he let out a deep breath thinking back to what Robin had said to him the night before.

“You play guitar and you're in a band, people find that attractive”.

He nodded to himself, meeting his own eyes as his ringed fingers attempted to tame his hair. Right on cue, his bedroom door flung open as he quickly tried to mask the shameless grooming. Robin made a beeline for the closet while Steve suddenly became entranced by the posters of heavy metal legends that littered his walls.

“How the hell did you guys get in here?”. He growled as Robin pushed some coat hangers aside and laid his clothes on the bed. She gasped and held a shirt over her torso to show Steve, his eyebrows raised as he rushed over to get a closer look. “Hey! Lisa, Louise, a little help here?”. He wiggled his hands around to get their attention, as they shared a look of mutual confusion. His hand reached for the bridge of his nose, using all his willpower to summon some patience.

“Lisa and Louise Burns? Stephen King? The Shining? ”. It quickly became obvious that the reference was lost on them. He immediately gave up and returned to styling his makeshift mullet in the mirror. Robin chuckled, rolling her eyes as she glanced over at Steve.

“God, he’s turning into you ”. Steve scoffed at her remark, his hands finding their way to his hips. Eddie ignored them, focusing on the task at hand as they had one of their usual back and forths.

“What is that such a bad thing? Good hair maintenance is a great trait to have, sure it might take an extra hour in the morning-” Robin scoffed back, her mouth wide.

“HOUR? Steve Harrington, you are not going to stand here and tell me you spend, sixty whole minutes on your hair. How do you get anything done?”. Eddie turned around and clapped his hands together, making them both look over at him.

“Alright, you two knuckleheads have been here ten minutes and neither of you has been gracious enough to explain why you’re rummaging through my shit like feral raccoons.” He widened his eyes, still receiving no response as Robin picked up an outfit she laid out and held it against his frame with a nod of approval. He really began to wonder how he’d ended up friends with these idiots. Eddie sighed, hanging his head. “This is about tonight isn’t it? What, you don’t trust me to not fuck it up, is that it?”.

“No, Eddie. We just…we know this is sorta new for you and thought you might need some moral support”. Steve nodded in agreement, giving him a hearty thumbs up. “We just wanted to ease the pressure a little, I thought maybe I could help you pick out the right outfit and Steve could give you some advice on how to, you know…” She made incoherent hand gestures. “Woo them”. A laugh escaped his lips, as he shook his head. He couldn’t believe that he was agreeing to this. He reached for the outfit she had picked out and held it against his frame, checking himself out in the mirror.

“See, what I was thinking was that we could put a nice jacket over this? Maybe some combat boots?”. His smile was warm and thankful, he simply nodded and headed to the bathroom to change. The mirror on his bathroom cabinet was much smaller but gave him a better look at himself. He was surprised to find himself liking it. Or at least not hating it. With a small smile, he reentered the bedroom and did a slight turn, modelling himself for his friends. They had settled on a black sabbath shirt that he had previously cut into a muscle tee, a pair of black jeans (paired with his chains, of course) and a pair of black combat boots, just like Robin had envisioned.

Steve let out a whistle and nodded to himself, impressed by his friend’s styling skills. “Looking good, Munson”. Eddie grinned deviously, patting Steve on the shoulder.

“Careful hot shot, I’m not off the market just yet”. Steve chuckled, shaking his head at his shameless flirty nature, as Eddie turned back towards the mirror. The more he looked at himself, the more it all started to grow on him. He had to admit that it had given him a little boost of confidence that he was lacking before they had shown up. Now he was just wondering what you’d think when you saw him.

Nervous was an understatement, it had been almost a decade since you’d hung out and he wasn’t sure how to act around you. And the same question swirled around and around in his mind, was this a date? He was broken out of his thoughts by Steve, practically shaking him out of his mindless daze. “Hey, Munson. Listen don’t get too in your head about this, alright? You just gotta be cool, babes dig cool.” A chuckle slipped through his lips, babes dig cool . “I’m gonna give you some tips for the road. Number one: The yawn and stretch, classic move, 99% effective. Number two-“.

“You know Harrington, I think this is some really solid advice and I really want to make sure I get this down. Maybe you could write it out for me?”. Completely oblivious to his sarcasm, Steve nodded and happily headed to the kitchen to grab a paper and a pen. The second he left the room, Eddie locked the door, hovering over to his drawers and pulling out a handkerchief to shove in his back pocket. Less than a minute later he heard the door handle jiggle, Robin sighing at his immaturity. “Sorry Stevie, the door must be jammed.”

“You know he’s gonna figure it out eventually.” He looked back at Robin, the door handle jiggling before it went silent. He’d clearly given up. “You don’t have to be a jerk, you know he’s just trying to help you”. Eddie laughed, he knew what he was trying to do he just didn’t have the mental capacity for that right now. Not when he had to pick which cologne would be best at masking the smell of cigarettes, booze and weed.

“Hey, I took your help, didn’t I? See? Total stud.” He spun around, his hands stretched out as he showed off his outfit. “I somehow feel like Steve and I have different approaches to flirting”. He picked up a cologne bottle that had a little left in the bottom and sniffed at the nozzle before spritzing himself with it. Suddenly they heard a loud tumble, and they noticed Steve dusting himself off by the open window.

“Not cool, man.” He muttered, running his hand through his hair. Eddie glanced down at his watch, as he started to panic. He should probably leave soon so he would have time to buy your tickets.

“Right, everyone out. You don’t have to go home but you can’t stay here.” Both his friends groaned, as Eddie pushed them out of the trailer and towards Steve’s beemer. “And no telling Henderson about this, alright? That little brat already knows way too much about my personal life”. They both begrudgingly agreed as he saluted them goodbye and jumped into his van.

The drive was nerve-wracking, to say the least, but the deafening sound of Iron Maiden was just enough to drown out his intrusive thoughts. But not by that much. He pulled up to the building and his eyes adjusted to the brightness, it was a crisp dark night and the golden bulbs of the Hawk Theatre sign shone beams that reflected onto the street. In big letters, it read “CARRIE: 10TH ANNIVERSARY”. He smirked to himself, Eddie was a big horror fan and Stephen King was a horror icon. If this was a date, it was the perfect setting. After buying your tickets at the booth, he pulled out a cigarette from the pocket of his leather jacket and took a couple of drags. It calmed his nerves until he looked down at the time anxiously, quickly stomping out his cigarette on the ground. Almost a second later he felt a pair of hands over his eyes, he froze in his spot for a moment.

“Guess who?”. He chuckled, hearing the familiar sound of your voice, letting out a deep breath before smirking to himself.

“Sigourney Weaver?”. You scoffed, slightly offended.

“Younger”.

Without missing a beat.

“Molly Ringwald?”. You paused and slowly removed your hands, raising your eyebrows at him in suspicion. He finally turned to look back and struggled to catch his breath, drinking in the sight of you.

“And how do you know who Molly Ringwald is?”. His shoulders shrugged as he failed to contain the huge smirk on his face, watching how cute yours looked when it was all scrunched up.

“What, a guy can’t like Evil Dead and Sixteen Candles?”. He teased as a devious grin crept upon your face, and then he realised his mistake. “I should have just said The Breakfast Club, huh?”.

“Eddie Munson, a secret lover of romcoms, who would have guessed?”. Your smile was bright and wide and he was memorised by the way his name sounded on your lips.

“Hey sweetheart, tease all you like. Just don’t forget who has the tickets.” He grinned, holding them out and waving them in front of your face. You immediately went to grab them as he pulled them away and shook his head at you, your second attempt was just as unsuccessful as he held them above his head so you couldn’t reach them.

“This was way easier when we were the same height.” You crossed your arms over your chest, as he chuckled at your pouting and playfully shoved you. It was hard to stay mad at him when he had that sweet look on his face, even with the new hair and clothes he still exuded a warmth that always made you feel safe.

“All yours, cross my heart”. He used his pointer finger to draw a cross against his heart, before holding out your ticket for you to take. You sighed and smiled, taking the ticket from him.

He nodded and bowed, extending his arm so you could take the first steps through the doors. A giggle escaped your lips as you curtsied and made your way into the theatre. Hawk was one of the more intimate theatres you’d been to but it had been here since before you left. Moving away from small town life wasn’t the worst thing, but there was something about Hawkins that was comforting. It was one of those small, humdrum towns that were cut off from the rest. Independent businesses, family-owned or even just ones that you’ve always known to be there. This theatre was one of them. You both stood in line at the concession stand waiting patiently to get the giant bucket of popcorn they did, for traditional purposes of course.

“Jesus, this hasn’t changed at all. It’s exactly how I remember from when we were kids”. Eddie watched as you glanced around the room and he looked over at you with those big brown puppy dog eyes. “Did you know the last time we came here was when this movie first came out? Man, I still remember how scared I was, I couldn’t sleep for like a week”. The long-haired boy chuckled, thinking back to when you would beg him to sleep on your floor to keep you safe. And how that lasted half an hour, when he became very aware of the undiscovered darkness underneath your bed. The nights would end with you both sharing your twin-sized mattress until you were sure the nightmares were over. And maybe for a little while after that.

“Oh, how could I forget? That was the first movie I ever snuck into. At least I’ve found the root of my rebellious streak, imagine what a good church boy I could have been if I hadn’t met the likes of you.” He joked, making you gasp in shock at his accusation. He was so dramatic. You missed that.

The line had died down as you teased each other, Eddie not noticing you were next up.

“Seven years and this what I get? Just for that you’re paying for my popcorn”. Before he could argue, you grabbed the bucket and walked towards your screen as he awkwardly pulled out his wallet and silently nodded at the cashier. He noticed you chuckling at him as he shook his head with a smile and followed you inside to where you were sitting.

You settled into your seats, happily munching on the popcorn as you offered him some before he huffed with a small smirk. “Offering me some of the popcorn I paid for? How thoughtful.” You rolled your eyes and stuck your tongue at him as he did the same and you struggled to keep your wide grin at bay. He was cute. Very cute and it was annoying.

It didn’t take long for the movie to start, and as the lights dimmed Eddie began to feel a little nervous. It wasn’t lost on him that the main reason teenagers came to see horror movies was so they could get their dates scared, coaxing them to jump in their laps. Or some just used it as an excuse to make out in the dark. But not you two. You both loved this movie, but Eddie could hardly focus on the view in front of him when he was enjoying the view next to him way more. The flickering lights shone against your face and your bright, wide, eyes were entranced. There was a minor jump scare as everyone yelled and your hand found his.

He froze.

You didn’t even react, you remained attached to him and would even squeeze his knuckles when you got a little frightened. He was emotionless, staring at your hand in his and praying that his palms weren’t as sweaty as they felt. Just as he thought everything was going so well. Ouch. He felt a piece of candy hit the back of his head, as he snapped his neck to check behind him and noticed the faces of the two people he wished to be anywhere else but here.

“Yawn and stretch!”. Steve shout-whispered, Eddie’s eyes growing wide in anger. He was lucky that you were too into the movie to hear him. Robin chuckled at her idiotic best friend, shaking her head at his attempts at blending in.

“God, way to be subtle, Steve.” She kicked his foot with her own as he let out another loud yelp, she was tired of this. “Move your clown feet dingus, I need to pee”. He groaned and moved in his legs, her eyes still looking back at him in disappointment as she made her way down the stairs. As she turned her head, she missed a step and started tumbling down the stairs and landing face upright by your and Eddie’s feet.

She had never seen Eddie this mad before. She was positive that if you weren’t sitting right next to him he would probably murder her. Her fingers tinkled awkwardly, as your eyes glanced down at the short-haired girl. “Holy shit! are you okay?”. Your hand immediately reached out to help her up as she took it and rose to her feet, very aware of her friend’s eyes bore into her soul.

“Peachy. Sorry to interrupt, enjoy your d-d-dirty the floor is so dirty, they should clean this way more. Floor maintenance is super…important. Bye”. She zoomed down the remaining stairs towards the bathroom, stumbling slightly on another step but catching herself as Eddie held his head in his hands. She waved slightly before walking through the double doors towards the ladies’ room. You chuckled at her awkwardness and then paused for a moment, cocking your eyebrows.

“Wait, don’t you work with her at the video store?”. He sighed glancing back at Steve and shaking his head at you with a tight-lipped smile.

“Nope. Never seen her before in my life.” He stood up abruptly, as your eyes slowly travelled up to him, noticing the hand he was offering out for you. “I’ve got Carrie at my place, and it’s a whole lot quieter”. A few people started to yell as he partially blocked the screen but he zoned them out, wiggling his fingers at you. With a wide grin, you grabbed a hold of his hand as he led you out to the parking lot.

-

It had been many long years since you'd seen Eddie before coming back to Hawkins; it had been just as long since you'd seen that ramshackle trailer park too. When you were around twelve years old, your dad decided to sign up for the Army. Your family had been broke and struggling, and it seemed like the best way to get out of Hawkins and move out into a proper house. And sure, it was nice at first. Army bases offered decent housing and things to do and other kids to meet, and the money wasn't terrible. But about the same time you moved to get a fresh start, your parents started having…. issues. Dad was never home to see you and Mom was worried sick about him never being around. It didn't take long for things to unravel, and soon the two of you left it all behind.

Fast forward a few years and you'd moved away again, she'd found a new man and remarried and the dust finally started to settle. Until one day your stepdad came home. He was just offered a new job at a fancy insurance company, and where was it? In goddamn Hawkins, Indiana. Everything about it felt surreal. Small towns never really grew into something new, but Eddie Munson certainly did. You just wished you'd been around to see it. When you stepped out of his van and onto familiar soil, you were in a mindless daze. It was like you never left.

“Must feel pretty creepy, huh? Being back where it all started”. His hand patted the top of his van, as his glance circled the trailer park. Still too stunned to form a sentence you just nodded your head, watching him push open the door to his trailer. The next thing that came into view was an eye sore, Wayne’s trucker obsession never seemed to fade and now there was a decade worth of memorabilia added to the living room walls.

“Ed? You didn’t tell me you brought company, would have spruced up in here”. Eddie chuckled, he didn’t recognise you either. It took everything in you not to bring Wayne into a bone-crushing hug, so you patiently waited for his nephew to enlighten him.

“Forget sprucing, we should have been rolling out the red for this one. Don’t remember our old neighbour, Uncle Wayne?”. It took a second until he glanced over you and his eyes widened, your smile grew even bigger as you jumped into his arms and held him tight.

“Darlin! Wow, haven’t you gotten big? I still remember when you were a ‘lil tike running around in your diapers with Eddie.” You held back an embarrassed blush, leaning away from him and struggling to wipe the grin from your face. He was always so good to you, kraft dinners and crappy reality television were how you’d spent the better part of your childhood. And you wouldn’t change it for the world.

“God, Wayne I missed you so much. It’s so great to see you!”. He nodded and smirked, his eyes flickered between you and Eddie for a minute as if he was trying to figure something out. “How were the new neighbours? Can’t imagine they were as pleasant as me”. You teased, Eddie suddenly becoming enraged.

“You’re telling me, they have fucking sticks up their butts! They’re always on my ass about playing my music, it’s infuriating”. Eddie whined, crossing his arms as he lent against the kitchen counter.

“Well son, you do play it awfully loud…”. Wayne quipped, causing his nephew to look back at him shocked by those big brown eyes.

“That’s beside the point, it’s the principle”. You rolled your eyes and scoffed, had he always been this much of a drama queen? With a small chuckle, Wayne sighed and shook his head.

“Hell am I glad you’re back, at least now it ain’t just me who’s having to deal with him”. He clasped a hand on Eddie’s head and shook it slightly with a grin, you giggled at his teasing watching the act of affection ease him. “Alright kids, I’ll be down the street having a couple with the guys, give you time to catch up. Take care of yourself, ya hear? Don’t be a stranger”. He half hugged your side and you pecked his cheek with a soft ‘you too’ before he winked at you both and headed out.

It was silent and the air felt thick all of a sudden. “Well I didn’t plan on the company, so my room looks like a bomb hit but I have some horror flicks on tape and…oh, do you…do you smoke?”. You could sense the fear in his eyes, smoking is a deal breaker for a lot of people and he prayed it wasn’t for you.

“Marijuana?”. He just nodded silently, holding his breath. “Why, you got some stashed somewhere?”. A laugh escaped him, if you only knew. You followed behind into his bedroom and realised that he wasn’t kidding, it had looked like a tornado had flown through. Guitar picks, cigarette butts and empty beer cans littered the floor. And oh that smell . He pulled out a bottle of fabric refresher and sprayed the room, you coughed at the sudden stench of chemicals and opened his window a crack.

“Right, I’m going in the kitchen to cook us mac ‘n’ cheese.” You wandered into the kitchen and pulled trash bags from underneath the sink. “And you’re gonna throw out your trash, I don’t care how pretty you are, I am not sitting in your filth”. He took the bag and rolled his eyes with a sigh, then he turned back to face you with a wide smirk.

“You think I’m pretty?”. Yeah, pretty insufferable. With a single sharp look in your eyes, he dropped his smile and gulped. He puffed out the bag and stood up straight, saluting you before he started tossing empty bottles inside. This was going to be a long night.

After the room was mostly clean and you had both devoured your pasta, Eddie rolled the biggest joint you’d ever seen. It had been a while since you’d smoked, so when it hit the back of your throat you let out a cough that had him in stitches. You shoved him playfully before you began to ease into it, he finished up and pressed out the lit end with a sizzle. He crawled up the bed and lent over the edge, struggling to push the VHS inside the player. You were a second away from helping him as it ate the tape and he let it play with a proud smile.

You couldn’t speak for him but the first time you saw this movie was the last time you saw it. Those nightmares were really something and though you’d grown into a huge horror movie fan over the years, everyone had those movies that scarred them as a kid. A part of you hoped Eddie had grown out of the fear and would be able to make you feel a little safer. He didn’t seem to be super phased when you were just watching it at the movies.

In the scene that played out, Carrie is in the locker room with her female classmates and she starts her period, she then screams in horror at the blood. Eddie shifts in his seat looking visually uncomfortable, his glance turns to the screen and then slowly back at you as Carrie bursts a light bulb in the shower. You can tell something is playing on his mind, as you lay your head back on the pillow.

“Out with it, Munson”. He seemed shocked that you could sense his eyes on you, even after all this time he was still so predictable. You could see the clogs turning inside his head, trying to figure out the best way to phrase whatever question he had to share.

“Is that actually how it…happens? You know when you…” You almost snorted at the question, he couldn’t even say the word. He tiptoed around it like it was taboo. A chuckle slipped through your lips as you decided to have some fun, veering around to face him.

“Yeah, I can totally burst light bulbs with my mind”. You were being sarcastic, but you could still sense that a part of him believed it. You just rolled your eyes and hit your head against the pillow as there was a sudden burst of lightning and Eddie just about shrieked. The power went out for a second, and the emergency generator must have started up. Suddenly the lights switched back on and revealed a terrified Eddie clutching to your chest like a scared little boy. It was impossible to hold back the laughter that you felt as you held your stomach.

“So not funny!.” He seemed a little mad but you didn't care, you were never gonna let him live this down. Wayne wandered through the door, guess neither of you heard him come back in. Eddie quickly separated himself from you despite really needing to be held right now.

“You alright darlin’? I heard you scream?”. There was nothing to stop the tears falling from your eyes as you laughed yourself into a fit. Eddie was pissed, reassuring Wayne you were both fine as he awkwardly nodded back and closed the door. Your laughing didn’t subside as he growled under his breath and shook his head.

“Alright, that’s it”. He muttered, turning to lay on top of you, reaching fingers out to tickle you. The once melodic laughter melted into playful fear as you screamed and told him to stop, using your free limbs to kick at him. He knew how much you had hated being tickled since you were young and nothing had changed. The more you squirmed, the more he chuckled to himself, watching the tears of laughter falling from your eyes.

“Eddie, you bastard! Truce, TRUCE!”. He sighed and slowly moved his hands from your stomach, watching you relax against the bed in a state of exhaustion. The movie continued playing but it was hard to pay attention since he was still on top of you. It felt stuffy all of a sudden. The air became thicker as you stared at each other for a bit too long and struggled to think of what you could say to break the tension.

“We should probably finish the movie”. His voice was small and anxious in a way that felt different to his usual demeanour. He had always been confident from a young age, eccentric and theatrical. When you would play Dungeon and Dragons, he was always the most skilled Dungeon Master.

You were young and it was the 70s. It took a lot of allowances to save up for the boards and books, but you all worked together to make it happen. The party consisted of Jeff, Grant, you and Eddie and you were the strongest party Hawkins had ever seen. You remembered your Dad having to physically drag you from Eddie’s trailer when you both stayed up late brainstorming ideas for campaigns. He was always confident and open, especially with you.

Then it started to dawn on you, you couldn’t pretend like the past seven or eight years hadn’t changed something in him or your relationship with each other. You were both adults, he was the same Eddie deep down but there was so much growing he had done that you weren’t around for (and vice versa). He had sat up and moved a few inches away from you and you started to wonder if he was seriously upset about your teasing.

“Eddie?”. You called, staring up at the ceiling blankly as his head turned to face you. “I missed a lot when I was gone didn’t I?”. The room had become clearer than it was when you first stepped in and you wondered if it was your new epiphany or the weed.

“Yeah. Yeah, you did.” He sounded sad about it, and you immediately felt a prang of guilt and sorrow in your chest. Why did you have to leave? Why couldn’t you have kept your best friend and grown up with him the way you’d always talked about?

“Hey, it’s okay, alright? I mean shit, I thought I’d never see you again. I mean…I’m so different now, what if...do you still wanna be around me? I don’t want you to feel like you needed to reach out because we were friends before…” You sat up and stared back at him, he was insecure. Eddie Munson. He felt like he wasn’t someone you would want as your best friend anymore.

“You’re a fucking idiot”. You blurted, his eyes widened at your response as he held back a gasp. He blinked at you a few times before you chuckled and shook your head. “Eddie. The second I got back here, I looked everywhere for you. Do you not remember how shattered I was when I had to leave? Dude, I was a fucking wreck for like a month afterwards. You were my best friend! I knew you before I knew how to shit by myself!”. This earned you a hearty laugh as he shoved you and held his hand over his face with a huge smirk.

“I’m serious, Eds. I don’t want this break to change anything, we have forever to learn all the new weird quirks we picked up from when we were apart. I just can’t handle…I just don’t wanna lose you like last time. And who’s to say it won’t be the other way around?”. He smiled weakly, his eyes sparkling as he stared back at you.

“Impossible, sweetheart.” You grinned back at him, both your smiles growing as you realised how lucky you were to have found each again.

“Sweetheart”. You repeated, looking down at your jeans as you picked at the loose threads. “Have you always been such a flirt?”. He seemingly enjoyed the teasing, grinning wider now.

“Hmm. Must be one of my new quirks”. His smirk was smug, it felt more like Eddie. And this felt like a step in the right direction.

[augustjustice]

"Black Comedy Post-Apocalyptic Rom-Com" I gotta know, what's the premise of this one??? The vibes will surely be good!! ^_^

@pizzaqueen​: Totally belated but has anyone asked about Black Comedy Post-Apocalyptic Rom-Com for the WIP game??

Thank you both so much for the ask! I'm excited this one sounds intriguing, even though my word doc is woefully unfleshed out at this point lol. The basic premise of the concept for this fic is that it's set immediately post-Stranger Things Season 4 where Hawkins is basically entering Hell/the Upside Down is encroaching onto the Right Side Up, but...the few citizens of Hawkins left behind are making an attempt to get on like things are business as usual while our plucky band of intrepid heroes have taken up monster slaying on the daily. As you can tell from the doc title, there would definitely be a romance between Steve and Eddie (with some side Robin/Nancy) and the vibes would be very geared toward the mundanity of muddling through an apocalypse while also dealing with silly teenage problems. So, like...Eddie was resurrected after dying in the Upside Down and became a vampire, but he still has to deal with going to school and trying to finally graduate. The older teens decide to ACTUALLY go to prom, and since Hawkins is a ghost town and the dance has paltry attendance of the remaining members of the graduating class they figure, what the hell? And despite it being the 1980s actually openly dance with their real date instead of just acting as each other’s beards all night, that kind of thing. I would mostly just want to focus on the small things in life even during the worst times, with an emphasis on finding the silliness and humor (and romance) in that.

And a snippet to give a sense of what that might sort of look like:

“Eddie spent the night,” Steve says, the casualness of his tone giving way to a grunt as he swings and lands a blow to one of the pack of feral demo–cats? It’s about the size of a cat, at least, and that weird noise it’s making kind of sounds close to a hiss, though who could really tell at this point–that have invaded Mrs. Peterson’s backyard.

Robin just hopes they at least weren’t, like, raccoons, before this. Her fear of rabies is alive and well, and the possibility of getting Upside Down guts all over the ratty jeans that have become her designated monster-hunting pants is not only possible, but inevitable.

“Okay, are we talking spent the night as in…guy time sleepover spent the night, or, you know, spent the night?” Robin laces the words with insinuation, shooting Steve a pointed look, eyebrows raised.

Steve lets out a frustrated huff, running a hand through his hair. Robin doesn’t have the heart to tell him he’s wiped a small streak of black demo-cat whatever viscera right down the middle of his famous ‘do.

He’ll see it later. It’s not like they won’t head straight back to the Harrington house to shower after this.

“I don’t know?” Steve admits.

“What do you mean you don’t know?” Robin demands, the words undercut by an exasperated laugh.

“Don’t give me that look,” Steve levels the bat at her, pointing it accusingly, “it’s hard, okay, and after I listened to you talk about Vickie for months, you’d think I could get a little solidar–behind you!”

Robin spins around just in time, making a critical hit with the shovel in her hand. Despite her natural lack of coordination, her aim’s getting better all the time.

…The fact that Nancy’s been giving her some private pointers certainly doesn’t hurt.

She turns back to Steve expectantly, picking the thread of their conversation right back up again.

“Okay, well, what happened, exactly?”

“I mean, that’s the thing. Nothing happened, not really. Eddie came over, we smoked a little–it doesn’t do as much for him now, what with the enhanced vampire whatever–and then we just…talked. You know he can’t really sleep anymore, so when I finally drifted off, he, uh…he just kinda stuck around and…held me. He was still there when I woke up this morning.”

Robin’s eyes widen, and Steve ducks his head to avoid her gaze.

“I don’t know, Steve, that sounds pretty romantic to me,” she sing-songs the pretty, putting emphasis on the t as she rolls the word around in her mouth.

“Okay, sure, when you look at it from a certain angle, it totally does. But, then again, it wasn’t anything you and I wouldn’t have done, you know? So I can’t tell if he was cuddling me in, like, a friend way, or–”

“A boyfriend way?” Robin supplies helpfully, grinning wide when the question makes his cheek’s flush.

Steve is momentarily distracted by a screech near his ankle, which he silences with a definitive, bone-crunching thud.

“I mean…” he ignores her interjection, gesturing big and wide, bat wobbling in one hand, “you get what I’m saying though, right? Am I making sense?”

“No less than usual when it comes to your love life,” Robin quips, and gets a nose-scrunching, sour look from Steve for her trouble.