#PART 2 EDDIE POV COMING SOON

[ikarakie]

what if they won? what if steve was trying to get the injured eddie out of the upside down as the gates were sewing themselves back up again? what if he knew that not everyone could get out safely, so he sends robin and nancy through. then he sends them eddie and hoists dustin after him and by the time everyone else is through, he knows there's no time.

dustin screams. he curses him out and sobs as the gate closes between them. steve promises it'll be fine, just take care of eddie, he'll be fine, but they both know he can't know that. robin looks so betrayed, so heartbroken, he can't bear to meet her eyes. just looks to the floor and tries to tune out their pleads until the gate's shut for good and he's all alone.

maybe he hadn't really thought it through. just figured his chances were better on this side than trying to squeeze through an actively closing gate and possibly being torn in half between worlds. decided that, out of all of them, he was the one who deserved to go back the least. they all had families that actually cared, that were waiting for them. they had each other, and soon enough they'd forget about him. it was all for the best.

but it still hurt. he still sat in the upside down version of eddie's trailer and wept. wished to tell dustin he loved him like a little brother, wished to kiss robin on her head one more time, wished to know if max was okay, wished that he and eddie could've become real, proper friends.

wished to know if there was something else eddie had wanted to tell him before they split off. if he'd misread things, especially after he'd pushed so hard for him and nancy to get back together. but none of that mattered anymore, because he was stuck here now.

after a few hours of crying and wallowing he gets his ass up and decides he's gonna at least try to survive for a while. he decides to stay in eddie's trailer. doesn't feel like he could make it to his own house, and doesn't even think he wants to. though he does trek to the nearest convenience store (and cries there, too, because he remembers bringing max and the kids here for snacks so many times). picks up whatever non-perishable food he can carry and then holes up.

he thinks of little will byers. cries some more, for him. so small, all alone in this place. how strong he was, how he was braver than steve ever would be, even at his young age. thinks he'd like to tell him that, if he ever could.

he's not sure how long passes. maybe days, maybe weeks. not like it's easy to tell how time goes down here. he would say he lost hope, but he never really had any hope to lose. he never intended for anyone to come and get him, made his peace with the fact he'd die here when he watched the ceiling gate close back up again. it's pathetic, how he mopes around and sits in a single spot for days on end. staring at the walls, not moving a muscle.

that's how she finds him. when he hears the door to the trailer jiggle, he just sort of thinks: ah, this is it. something's come for me. wonders if his parents will come to his funeral, if he even gets one.

it slams open. he doesn't even turn his head, doesn't want to know what it is that'll have him. just closes his eyes and waits, listens as it quietly comes towards him. crouches between his legs and- and takes his hands- what-

"steve." he opens his eyes and the floodgates start up again because it's el. her hair's buzzed again, which breaks his heart because he'd been the one to show her how to take care of it when she was growing it out. knew how proud she was of how long it'd gotten. but she's smiling so brightly, like she's won the lottery.

"el?" he asks, and he's shocked at how broken he sounds. "why are you here?"

"i have come to take you home." she says, rather matter of factly, leaving exactly zero room for argument. there's a fierce determination in her eyes, and she squeezes both of his hands.

but it's so dangerous here, he wants to say, you could've gotten hurt. why go through all of that for me?

and maybe she's been hiding mind reading powers from them, because she adds, "everyone misses you. i would have come sooner, but it took a while to get back to hawkins." then, she smiles. "i think they would have found a way even if i didn't, though."

it's like it all hits him at once. they've missed him. they've all been... looking for ways to come get him, this whole time. however long it's been. they didn't just forget about him like he wanted expected. the very idea suddenly seems so silly.

he takes a shaky breath. "well, in that case, let's not keep them waiting, yeah?" she smiles, big and happy, and nods.

part 2

[writing-blog-iguess]

Online Matchup 2

Summery: Y/n gets sick and gets a surprise. Too bad they're a little out of it, otherwise they would see it.

Warning: teasing, fluff, swearing, mistakes

a/n: I tried something new, with the sections Jason's pov and readers. Let me know if you like it. Otherwise, enjoy!

Words: 2174

ao3 Part 1 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

-----

September 29

Y/N: (3:04 am) Do you think if they didn’t kill Eddie that Steddie would be a thing?

Jason: (3:04 am) Why the ever loving fuck are you awake at three in the morning?

Y/N: (3:04 am) College student

Jason: Aside from that?

Y/N: Sick

Jason: You seemed fine a few days ago

Y/N: A lot can happen as time passes Also, it’s the season where the weather doesn’t make up its mind and it’s cold the one day and warm the next day

Jason: All true all true And it doesn’t help that mr freeze attacked the university the day either

Y/N: I hate the fact that we’ve known each other for like a day, talked for hours And you can read me

Jason: I am a man of many talents I also read the news Though one can say the same for you

Y/N: Ew, who reads the news? I’ll give you that

Jason: I do thank you very much So is it the flu or just a cold

Y/N: Can’t tell But my body feels like it’s been hit by a truck I can’t breathe and I’ve been throwing up a storm I want to die

Jason: Can’t be that bad

Y/N: I’ve been sick for the past three days, I haven’t been school and the only time I’ve left my bed was to throw up It’s that bad

Jason: That sounds like a flu Have you eaten anything? Taken anything?

Y/N: I’ve eaten some crackers, can’t really stomach anything else

Jason: Would you mind giving me your address

Y/N: Sir, I did not message you for a booty call I am a lady of the highest regards

Jason: You’re funny when your sick I was gonna send you some soup that I have when I’m sick But if your gonna be like that, then never mind 

Y/N: … Chicken noodle?

Jason: Only the very best

Y/N: I’m sorry, I’ll give it to you if you give me your number

Jason: Bold words coming from a lady

Y/N: Wow

Jason: You said it

Y/N: I’ve changed my mind

Jason: No you haven’t

Y/N: You're not a mind reader, are you?

Jason: No, but it’s soup and you're sick, are you really gonna say no to free soup?

Y/N: …. I am not

—

After saving Jason’s number to your phone, and confirming that it was actually Jason, you sent him your address. Tossing your phone to the side, you snuggled into your blankets and fell asleep.

A few hours later, a knock at the door is what wakes you from your nap. Blinking away the sleep, you look around confused on why you’re sleeping on the couch. Stretching, you grab your phone to see that soup is gonna be on the way soon.

At another knock, you slowly get up from the couch and grab your wallet and a mask. After putting it on, you open the door. “Sorry. I am a little disoriented.”

“No worries,” the food delivery person said, handing the bag to you. Taking it, you set it aside before opening your wallet.

“How much do I own you?” you asked, and he shook his head.

“There’s no need for it, it was already paid for,” he answered. You looked up and squinted at him as a sense of familiarity hit you.

“Are you sure?” He nodded and sent you a smile. Sighing in defeat, you let your arms drop. “Alright if you’re sure.” And before he can leave, you're quick to add on, “do I know you from somewhere? You seem familiar.”

“Don’t think I could forget a pretty face like yours,” he said, adjusting his hat down a little. Any other day, you would have scoffed and shut the door. But today wasn’t any other day, and you were sick, and that meant your face bloomed like a tomato.

“Aren’t you a charmer,” you managed out, and he smiled as if you said something funny. “Well, um, thank you for the soup. I’ll let you get back to your night.”

“Hope you feel better,” he said, tipping his hat and leaving before you could say anything back. You peaked out and watched him leave before closing the door.

You stared at the soup for a bit, feeling warm for a different reason. Blinking away the warm feeling, you went about and poured yourself a bowl of soup. Once the bowl was finished, you washed up and went back to bed, hoping to sleep off the rest of the flu.

—

Jason 7:30am: Did the soup make it okay? How are you feeling? Okay, I’m going to take the silence that your sleeping Will be check in later 

Jason: Okay, it’s been twelve hours birdie, should I be worried?

Y/N 2:30pm: Holy FUCK What was in that soup?

Jason I take it you’re feeling better

Y/N: Sooooo much I feel like a new person Imma needs that restaurant name. I bet they have good food

Jason: The best But I’m afraid I will not be sharing that information

Y/N: Boooooo

Jason: Where have you been anyways?

Y/n: Sleeping I woke up maybe once or twice to go to the bathroom I’m sore now though, so I’ve been walking around What was in that soup?

Jason: Chicken, spices, water I don’t know, whatever else is in the soup

Y/n: Well it was good soup Compliments to the chief

Jason: Lol I’ll let him know

Y/n: Or I could do it 

Jason: I will not be giving you the restaurants name

Y/n: Boooo

Jason (11:30pm) How does one kill someone and make it look like an accident?

Y/N: Depends If in hospital, inject air in the iv heart attack 

Jason: That wasn’t meant for you

Y/N: If not, still inject air and it’ll still look like a heart attack You just have to hope the M.E doesn’t look for the injection sight. Well, you could always burn that part but I think that’s just a dead give away Hide it in a tattoo, should work Maybe

Jason: The way you didn’t have to think about that should have me worried 

Y/n: Who was it meant for then?

Jason: My brothers

Y/N: I should be worried that you have conversations like these with them But somehow I’m not surprised 

Jason: Excuse me?

Y/N: You’re excuse

Jason: Funny Why do you even know that anyways?

Y/N: Don’t worry about it

Jason: Now I’m going to worry about it

Y/N: But you don’t need too

Jason: Mm, still gonna worry

Y/N: If you say so Man, how out of it was I?

Jason: Don’t know, you seemed coherent enough when we talked Although you did say you weren’t a booty call type of women

Y/N: I’m not But while talking to you, I must have felt a little better Because these emails are not it Prof, am sick, no school. Nobody yours, y/n

Jason: That was beautiful 

Y/n: And all they said was to get better before coming back to class I don’t think I could ever show my face there again

Jason: I’m sure they’ve had plenty of emails like that before

Y/n: Even still

Jason: They won’t care You need to go to class if you want to graduate 

Y/n: I hate that your right

Jason: Always am

Y/n: We’ll see about that

Jason: How are you feeling now?

Y/n: Better I think the worst of it is over Had a shower and eat something that wasn’t soup so things are looking up Not ready to run a marathon but ready enough to tackle the homework that I missed

Jason: That’s good Where were you when the mr freeze attacked anyways?

Y/n: Library The fucking library! Nowhere near the science building! But some asshole decided to bring the fight away from the science building Which I get, can’t really fight around all the chemicals it has But why did they have to move it towards the library Whenever I find the person who’s idea that was its on sight

Jason: Why didn’t you run away?

Y/N: I dunno Maybe because I needed to finish the project that was due the next day But to be fair, I wasn’t the only one who didn’t run away either Like the majority of the students stayed to either watch or finish their homework

Jason: College students are a different bread

Y/N: Death means nothing when your homework is half your grade

Jason: You’re all bark and no play, aren’t you?

Y/n: Only when there’s consent

Jason: Good to know 

—

“You aren’t supposed to be on your phone when on patrol, Todd,” Robin reminded, annoyed. Jason made a face behind his mask, but kept his attention on his phone.

“I think I’m free to do whatever I want,” he said, snorting at the oncoming messages you had sent about wanting to fight the person who thought it was a great idea to lead Mr. Freeze away from the science building and towards the library. He had half a mind to tell you it was Nightwing, only for the sole purpose of riling you up. But he decided against it, wanting you to feel better completely before teasing you. “Besides, it's slow tonight.”

“Did you forget we’re on a stakeout?” Robin asked, leaning over to reach for the phone. Jason stepped back and shrugged.

“I’m paying attention.”

“Not nearly as much as you should be,” he grumbled, crossing his arms and turned back to the building Bruce had wanted someone to look at. “Who are you talking to anyways? You don’t have any friends.”

Jason squawked, offended. “I have friends!” he defended, turning to look at his younger brother. Robin only snorted and shook his head.

“Superhero friends, and I’m pretty sure you don’t talk to them nearly as much as you're talking to the person you are now,” he pointed out. Which is true, over the last week or so, Jason found that he was talking to you more than any of his other friends. But he wasn’t going to tell that to Damian. “So, who are you talking to?”

“Why do you care?” he shot back, turning back to his phone.

“You’re glued to that thing constantly,” he said and just then their earpieces crackled coming to life before hearing Dick’s voice filter through.

“Little D’s got a point Jay. Whenever I see you, you're typing away and smiling like someone made a joke or something,” Dick said.

“There’s nothing wrong with that.”

“No, but you giggle like a schoolgirl with a crush,” Tim said. Jason rolled his eyes, he wasn’t that bad that everyone noticed. Was he?

“Maybe he met someone?” Duke said and the line went dead before it exploded with everyone’s yelling. Jason winced, and turned off his ear piece, relishing in the silence.

“Is Thomas right? You met someone and that’s who you’re talking to?” Robin asked, watching Jason with a calculated look.

“For me to know, and you to never find out,” Jason answered before leaving him be. He ignored Damian’s “we’ll find out eventually!” as he walked. Once he was far enough away, he sat at the edge of the building, and turned back to his phone.

—

Jason: Do you think anyone would notice if I got rid of my brothers?

Y/N: A hundred percent Bruce would know … Well, it depends if he pays attention to how many kids he has Your sisters might notice though Doesn’t Bruce have a butler?

Jason: Yeah, Alfred

Y/N: He will definitely notice And all of Gotham So I’m afraid your suck with them

Jason: Damn And here I was hoping to be an only child

Y/N: Should have thought about that before meeting Bruce

Jason: Funny

Y/N: I try to be Are they giving you grief?

Jason: You can say that They found out about you Well not you specifically They know I’m talking to someone

Y/N: Oooh Am I your dirty little secret?

Jason: Why did you have to say it like that? And no, you’re not my dirty secret I wanted this to be my thing before they started hounding me with question about you

Y/N: Okay that’s fair Wanna get to know me before introducing me to le family I get that

Jason: Have you told anyone yet?

Y/N: Nope

Jason: Now who’s the dirty little secret?

Y/N: You apparently

Jason: I’m okay with that

Y/N: Oh my god I have to go, finish this homework and sleep before class tomorrow

Jason: Yeah, me too. Not the homework part, but I promised Bruce I’d help him with something Talk to you tomorrow

Y/N: Good luck Night!

Jason: Night

[epicbuddieficrecs]

Weekly Recap | April 8th-14th 2024

Managed to put it out slightly earlier this time! 😆 This is still long af and there are still too many fics left in my ao3 inbox but maybe the mini hiatus will allow me to catch up!

As you can see I'm still enjoying podfics and I am happy to report that listening to Coma-Verse made me cry as much if not more as reading it 🙃 You can also looks forward to part 2 of my "BFF fic rec" series which will cover seasons 4 and 5, coming soon!

Enjoy! 😃

Complete

and with each one, i'm a little more free series by honestlydarkprincess/ @honestlydarkprincess (Post-S7E4, Coming Out):

settle (<1K | General): Buck comes out to Chimney. so let the words slip out of your mouth (1,7K | General): Buck comes out to Eddie.

kiss him once for me by 42hrb/ @exhuastedpigeon (S7E5 Spec, Jealous Eddie | <1K | General): Eddie was perfectly happy and accepting about Buck’s sexuality, in fact, he liked to think he was the ideal picture of a best friend when Buck had told him. So, nothing changed between them. Or at least, nothing changed until he sees Buck and Tommy kiss.

when we're barely awake in the heat of the day's weight by trysetmeonfire/ @try-set-me-on-fire (BuckTommy | 1K | Mature): Buck wakes up at Tommy’s place and they have a conversation about taking up space

like an empty bottle takes the rain by glorious_spoon/ @glorious-spoon (Post-S7E4, Sexuality Crisis | 1,2K | General): "I was wondering. You and Tommy—how did you know?" There's a soft intake of breath. "That I was into guys? Or that I was into him?" "Either." Eddie shrugs tightly. "Both."

Yes, Daddy by Tizniz/ @tizniz (PWP, Daddy Kink | 1,7K | Explicit): And really, the shit eating smirk that graces Buck’s too pink lips should have been Eddie’s warning. But he’s so used to his best friend’s antics that he’s become immune to them. Or, well he thought he had. “Yes, Daddy.”

don't stand a ghost of a chance (with you) by extasiswings/ @extasiswings (Post-S7E5, BuckTommy Breakup | 1,7K | Teen): Tommy isn’t stupid. He knows the score from the beginning. But. He’s only so strong. And Evan is both hot as hell and supremely adorable. So Tommy kisses him, and asks him out, and tells himself that maybe he’s just been reading the signs wrong. Maybe Evan and Eddie really are just…very…close friends. He’s imagining things. They’re friends—or maybe Evan has a crush—but that’s fine. Evan asked Tommy out. So Eddie is…a nonissue. Tommy tells himself that right up until he can’t anymore.

don't want to be a fool for you by fallingthorns/ @fallingthorns (Bachelor party, Madney Wedding Spec | 1,8K | Teen): Or, at both the bachelor party and the wedding reception, Buck looks at Eddie.

let’s get lost between the lines by wafflesofdoom/ @capseycartwright (BuckTommy, Post-S7E5 | 2K | General): “You handled that well,” Tommy said, as they left the restaurant and stepped out into this cool evening air. His words were soft, and gentle – genuine, even. As though he really meant it. Buck was baffled, frankly. “I handled that with as much grace as an elephant doing ballet,” Buck glared at his - his date? - incredulously. “Tommy, did you hit your head? Are you concussed? Do I need to take you to the emergency room?” or, after the eddie shaped hiccup of their first date, buck and tommy walk and talk - about coming out and why buck deserves a nice boyfriend.

good luck, babe by hattalove/ @hattalove (Outsider POV, Social Media fic, S7E5, BuckTommy Date | 2K | Teen): sometimes, when you've had a bad week, all you want is a romantic evening out with your wife over terrible pizza, and what you get instead is some kind of intricate gay ritual happening two tables away from you.

say my name and everything just stops by bellabrady (BuckTommy, Endgame Buddie, Getting Together | 3K | Not Rated): Or: Buck accidentally moans Eddie's name while making out with Tommy and it leads to some realizations.

behaving myself. by dylaesthetics (Secret Relationship | 3K | Teen): OR it’s just a regular day at fire station one-eighteen. No one’s acting weird. Nothing’s out of the ordinary. Everything's the same as it's always been. Right?

even for a phoenix (i’m getting tired) by hobbitprincess (Post-S5E18, Hurt Buck | 3K | Mature) : “You’re gonna be fine,” says Eddie again, and Buck hates that he can parse out the slight waver that wasn’t there the first time. Buck doesn’t have the heart to disagree with him, even if they both know it isn’t true.

This Old Love Has Me Bound by allyasavedtheday/ @littlespoonevan (Post-S7E4 | 3K | Teen): In an attempt to better understand his newfound bisexuality, Buck tries to figure out if he ever missed any signs with guys before. The universe keeps interrupting every time he's about to think about Eddie.

so much to say that's subject-sore by hattalove/ @hattalove (BuckTommy, Buddie Endgame | 3K | Teen): in which buck is convinced he's having commitment issues, tommy is there to hold his hand, and the tiramisu won't eat itself.

I get drunk on jealousy by heartbeatdiaz/ @loserdiaz (FWB BuckTommy, Endgame Buddie | 5K | Explicit): Eddie calls Buck in the middle of the night at a not so covenient time, words are said, feelings are revealed and Buck's strenght is tested.

shoot another shot (try to stop the feeling) by withmeornotatall/ @chronicowboy (Bachelor Party Spec, BuckTommy, Endgame Buddie | 5K | General): "He just. He won't let me in, Tommy. It's terrifying. I don't know how to help him because he's refusing to even admit there's something wrong." Buck scrubs a hand down his face. "I'm not crazy, am I? I'm not making things up? He's not himself, right?" (OR: eddie gets drunk and cuts a little too loose, buck tries to pick up the pieces and ends up getting more than he bargained for, and tommy is just happy he got to be with buck at least for a little while)

Threes Not A Crowd by Tizniz/ @tizniz (Buck/Tommy/Eddie, PWP | 5K | Explicit): Follow up to Buck's Boyfriends in which Buck's boyfriends take care of him. Incredibly well. (Part 2 of Buck's Boyfriends)

🔥 To Build A Nest (To Build A Home) by Kwills91/ @kwills91 (Post-S5E14, Getting Together | 9K | Teen): Five times Buck shows his love for Eddie via pebbling and the one time Eddie uses those pebbles to build a nest.

don't go breaking my heart. by dylaesthetics (S7E6 Spec, Madney Wedding, Getting Together | 13K | Teen): Coming to terms with being bisexual and being in love with his best friend is not how Buck expected to spend the month or so leading up to his sister’s wedding. But then again, life has shown time and time again that he has been put on this planet to suffer. - OR Buck can’t take it anymore and kisses Eddie in the middle of his sister’s wedding reception. He’s never been known for making good decisions. (Part 2 of heaven is you.)

🔥 Test Drive by ElvenSorceress/ @elvensorceress (PWP, Buck/Tommy/Eddie, Buddie Endgame | 28K | Explicit): In which Buck wants his boyfriend to give his best friend a queer awakening like he had. For no particular reason at all. While he also has the most inopportune "Oh" moment ever.

WIP

Both Bermuda and Golden (Lost but Doing Just Fine) by letmetellyouaboutmyfeels/ @letmetellyouaboutmyfeels (PWP, Threesome, BuckTommyEddie | 4/6 | 20K | Explicit): In which everyone has two hands and two holes and is keeping their options fluid. (Or: a collection of threesome fics.)

🔥 Things We're All Too Young to Know by Daisies_and_Briar / @cal-daisies-and-briars (Canon S1-S6, S7 Spec | 125/? | 389K | Mature): This is a love story. Even if it doesn’t always look like it. Even if it doesn’t always feel like it. A look back on Eddie and Buck's lives up to now, and what led them to each other, interpreted from the current 9-1-1 canon.

What’s Your Order? by JJK/ @trenchcoatsandtimetravel (Post-S7E5, BuckTommy | 2K | Teen): 5 Times Buck Guessed Tommy’s Coffee Order + 1 Time He Didn’t Have To

🔥 Any Other Way by Daisies_and_Briars/ @cal-daisies-and-briars (Canon Divergent, S2 | 8/18 | 45K | Mature): In a switcheroo alternate universe, Buck spends young adulthood in the military, while Eddie, who has no idea Christopher exists, spends his twenties messing around, finally enjoying freedom away from his family’s expectations. When they both end up in Los Angeles, at the 118, some things are different, and others will be the same in any universe.

🔥 Cowboy With a One Track Mind by Daisies_and_Briars/ @cal-daisies-and-briars (Canon Divergence, Not A Firefighter Buck | 1/4 | 6K | Mature): Spin-off Sequel to Evan Buckley & the Coma-Verse of Madness - Chapter 7 (Land): Grieving and tortured, Evan Buckley has been living alone in Montana in a remote cabin for nearly a decade. After an incident that leaves him missing six months of his life, and suddenly in connection with a group of strangers from Los Angeles, Evan must decide whether to remain in his self-imposed exile, or take a chance at life again.

Podfics

🔥 [podfic] wedding bells by All_I_Ask/ @alliaskisthepossibilityoflove for renecdote/ @renecdote (Friends to Fiances | 10-20 min | General): The background noise of the movie and the warm weight of his best friend against his side is lulling Eddie towards a nap when Buck breaks the silence. “Do you want to get married?” “Sure,” Eddie answers sleepily. “Fall wedding?” “What?” Buck frowns, and Eddie realises: oh, he meant do I want to get married generally not to him specifically. Then Buck is asking, “Why fall?”

🔥 [podfic] do you love me? all you gotta do is say yes by All_I_Ask/ @alliaskisthepossibilityoflove for fleetinghearts/ @shitouttabuck (Outsider POV, Friends to Fiances | 30-45 min | Teen): or, two boy best friends and an ex lover walk into a grocery store. everyone is on their normalest behaviour.

OK with being OK [Podfic] by blackglass/ @blackestglass // fic by S_lycopersicum/ @slycopersicum-in-disguise (Post-S5, Coming Out | 10-20 min | Teen): Buck was about 10 minutes away from the firehouse when his phone pinged. "Message from Eddie Diaz," Hildy's too-smooth voice announced, and Buck laughed at how Eddie's face would scrunch at Hildy knowing his business. "Wait in your car when you get here. I need to talk to you before we go in" Oh shit.

🔥 [Podfic] rainbows have nothing to hide by slipofthetongue/ @burnthatbridge for hattalove/ @hattalove (Getting Together | 20-30 min | Teen): how is eddie diaz like kermit the frog? let buck and christopher count the ways. (Part 1 of the kermit verse)

🔥 [Podfic] Before the Night Fades by slipofthetongue/ @burnthatbridge // fic by MilenaDaniels/ @milenadaniels (Post-S4E14: Survivors, Outsider POV | 45-60 min | Teen): “I have a bottle of champagne, four champagne flutes, one engagement ring to go into one of those champagne flutes, and a note to deliver it all to table 34 with dessert,” Tomas explains, wide-eyed, throwing his hand back to the prep station where said champagne is waiting on ice next to four flutes and a small ring box. “Okay?” “Okay so there’s two men and two women and I have no idea who’s getting proposed to. I’m not even 100% on who came with who." --- Or, EddieAna and BuckTaylor double date and it ruins everyone's night.

🔥[Podfic] Close My Eyes and Stumble (Right Into Your Love) by Ceewelsh/ @mayonnaisetoffees // fic by HMSLusitania/ @hmslusitania (Canon Divergent, S1, Dispatcher Eddie | 2.5-3h | Mature): Eddie's PTSD is just that little bit worse and when he moves to Los Angeles, instead of joining the LAFD, he joins dispatch. Which is all good and fine, except for this one firefighter he keeps ending up talking to.

🔥[Podfic] i did, i did, i do by Ceewelsh/ @mayonnaisetoffees // fic by @hattalove (Canon Divergent | 30-45min | Teen): or the one in which, a couple of weeks after meeting each other, buck and eddie fell in love, broke up, and then forgot to fall out of it.

🔥The Evolution of Buddie [Podfics] by MistMarauder/ @gracieryder for InsaneJuliann/ @marvelingjules (Post-Shooting, Getting Together, Eddie Coming Out, Warning: Homophobia)

[Podfic] Someone Told Me Not to Cry (It's a Lie) (20-30min | Teen): Eddie's fine, he is. Really. He keeps telling himself that until he accidentally calls Buck in the middle of the night after a nightmare.

[Podfic] Just Bros being Bros (45-60min | Teen): It's totally normal to kiss your best friend on the cheek. Eddie has no idea why everyone keeps giving him looks and thinking there's more there.

[Podfic] I was Sinking (Somehow I Forgot) (45-60min | Teen): Eddie tries to figure out just what he may or may not be feeling for Buck. Really, it only leaves him with more questions than any actual answers. His mind keeps twisting around, unable to let him settle with any certainty.

[Podfic] Ready to Suffer, Ready to Hope (S3E18 | 45-60min | Teen): Buck's the one hurting this time, and Eddie wants to help, but he's not sure how, or if he even can. Maybe, he was wrong before. Maybe everyone was. Because clearly, Buck's not as over Abby as everyone seemed to think.

[Podfic] Hard to Learn to Love (45-60min | Teen): Buck's helping Eddie fix Abuela's porch. Eddie's pretty sure he's possibly going to do something stupid, because he can't stop thinking about how much he wants to kiss his best friend.

[Podfic] Someday (Gonna be Free) (45-60min | Teen): Karen points out to Eddie that maybe, his ideas of what a relationship has to look like are something he needs to reassess. She lends him a book, and before Eddie knows it, he's having one epiphany after another.

[Podfic] Bittersweet Triumph (1-1.5h | Teen): Eddie's parents drop by for an unexpected visit. The only thing Eddie can think to do is damage control. Eventually they'd leave, right? Eventually, he could relax again. But he's quickly reaching a breaking point, and he's not sure what'll be on the other side of it.

[Podfic] Pivotal Moment (1-1.5h | Teen): Eddie's stood up to his parents, but of course it can't be that easy. They're still in his house, and Eddie's just waiting for the other shoe to drop. He's frustrated, angry, scared even - and worried about so much at once he can't relax. It's not only leaving Eddie on edge, but Buck seems more and more tense, too.

[Podfic] Hello My Old Heart (1-1.5h | Teen): Eddie needs to check his parents have left - and either way, there's a lot he needs to work through about their visit. Good thing he has family, friends, and Buck to help him figure it all out. And maybe, it's time for him to start showing his hand more, with them all.

[Podfic] Unlearning Lonely After So Long (1-1.5h | Teen): It's the next morning, Buck's still there and making breakfast, and Eddie's realizing that while yeah, the list of things he needs to talk about - with Buck and others - definitely doesn't fill him with anything close to happiness, the rest of it? It's a kind of happiness he hasn't felt in a while.

[Podfic] The More Things Stay the Same (Getting Together | 30-45min | Teen): Eddie's realizing that, now that he's dating Buck, it's not that much different from before, really - except for the increased touching and kissing. That's new. Maybe that's why no one's caught on yet, and they're able to keep it to themselves for now.

🔥 Evan Buckley & The Coma-Verse of Madness by Daisies_and_Briars [Podfic]/@cal-daisies-and-briars by Rhea314 (Rhea)/ @rhea314 (Coma AU, Multiverse | 7-10h | Teen): After being struck by lightning on a call, Buck experiences a plethora of alternate realities showing him different directions his life could have taken. Fighting hard to get home, Buck learns what, or who, is important to him in every lifetime.

Re-Read

🔥 Ace of Hearts by glorious_spoon/ @glorious-spoon (Post-S6, Getting Together | 9K | Teen): "I've been wondering…" Maddie pauses, watches Buck make a face like he's bracing to be smacked. "What happened with Eddie? You two were dancing around it for so long, and then… what, it just didn't work out? Was the date really that bad?" She's expecting another wince, or even for him to duck out of the conversation entirely, but instead Buck is staring at her like she's grown a second head. "Maddie. I've never been on a date with Eddie." Or: the poker game was a date. It takes Buck a while to catch on, though.

🔥 all good things come to an end (but it's not the end) by wafflesofdoom/ @capseycartwright (Pre-S4, Quarantine, Friends with Benefits | 10K | Explicit): “Okay, hear me out,” Buck said. "What if we have sex?” Eddie could be forgiven for choking on his own breath, given how out of the blue Buck's suggestion was. “What?” “You’re my best friend," Buck gestured vaguely. "And in case you hadn’t noticed, we’re living through an actual plague right now, so neither of us is actually getting any. So who better to have sex with than each other?" - or, craving intimacy during quarantine, buck and eddie strike up a friends with benefits situation. because it couldn't possibly go wrong.

[flowercrowngods]

dio. 🤍

ao3 • writing tag • time travel au tag (stories & snippets) steddie drabbles & microfics ☕️ ko-fi vibes only. mostly steddie, sometimes clarkson.

🌷 WIPs & multi-chaptered stories

➤ i’ll try. i’ll try. (but i couldn’t be better) WIP M | 74k | 12/? | time travel au, angst, steve whump Sent back to 1983, Steve tries to save his friends from everything that's coming and takes on the battle against the Upside Down alone with El by his side.

➤ nice to meet you, where you been? T | 12k | 3/3 | tattoo shop au, pure fluff, trans eddie Chrissy sends Eddie to check out a tattoo shop. Little does he know it belongs to Steve Harrington, or that they’ll both be falling for each other at lightning

➤ untitled knight!Steve / bard!Eddie WIP T | 10k | 2/? | tumblr: part 1 | part 2 | ... regency au (freeform), enemies to lovers Eddie is a bard of great renown who returns to Hawkins ready and willing to spite the people who cast him out all his life. He is in search of his muse: the knight Dustin has been writing to him about who has inspired his greatest ballads and poems. Dustin’s Sir Steve is nowhere to be found, but Lord Harrington seems to hold a grudge against Eddie and he wants to find out why.

➤ see the stars shining through the cracks of my broken heart | steddie week fic T | 14.7k | 3/3 | tumblr: part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | part 6 | part 7 in which Eddie and Chrissy get engaged and Steve is heartbroken. yearning ensues. a story about love requited and unrequited, breaking and healing, and hope (steddie & buckingham)

➤ shattered on the cliff’s edge, trapped by the tides WIP M | 5.8k | 2/7 | tumblr: part 1 | part 2 | ... A steddie ghost story. Steve Harrington, disgraced and disowned by his father for moral insanity, has been haunted by eerie dreams of a mysterious lighthouse ever since he was a little boy. His lighthouse quickly turns from recurring night terror to gruesome reality when his superior delegates him to fix the broken light and be the new keeper. But he soon finds out that it is he who is being kept.

➤ tales of blue | who did this to you? WIP M | 13k | 3/4 | tumblr: part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | Eddie POV, pre-s4, injured Steve, hurt/comfort One summer's day in 1985, Eddie finds a very injured Steve in the boathouse, and even though he doesn't want the kind of trouble that this might bring, he can't just leave him there. So, scared though he is, he takes Steve to the one person he trusts to always make everything better.

➤ untitled kas!eddie / steve WIP M | 5.3k | 1/? | tumblr: part 1 | post-canon, hurt/comfort, enemies steddie The extent of his brain injuries and the intensity of his migraines is something Steve has been keeping secret from everyone. When he goes to Kas to let him feed, however, the sudden blood loss gives him a migraine. Kas decides to take care of him.

one shots & ficlets under the cut (ao3) -> ao3 link in the tumblr fic post

🌷 fluff & floaty

floor time fic (ao3) Eddie POV, falling in love, fluff, neurodivergent steddie

eddie likes Good Words (ao3) Steve POV, stablished relationship, neurodivergent steddie, echolalia

rambly Steve in love Eddie POV, established relationship, love confession

soft insomniacs (ao3) Eddie POV, short trans Eddie, soft Steve, bickering, established relationship

3 am phone call (ao3) Steve POV, soft, pre-relationship

car ride in love Eddie POV, floaty, boys in love, Andante, Andante

stargazing Steve POV, floaty & soft, boys in love

sick fic Eddie POV, domestic fluff & silliness, steve is sick, eddie is in love

first kiss Eddie POV, floaty, boys in love

loving eddie munson (is a full body experience) (ao3) Steve POV, floaty, boys in love, introspection, love confessions

floaty steddie date hours Eddie POV, established relationship, date night, marriage proposals, softness, dancing in the rain

sick fic 2 (woollen bat hat) Eddie POV, sick!Steve, soft boyfriends in love, cuddling, Eddie reads Momo to Steve

🌷 yearning

✨yearning hours (a-side) (ao3) Eddie POV, heart-wrenching yearning, light imagery, (mis)communication, vulnerability, first kiss

✨yearning hours (b-side) (ao3) Steve POV, insecurity, trauma, darkness imagery, vulnerability, first kiss

✨yearning hours (bonus track) (ao3) Eddie POV, light imagery, vulnerability, getting together

summer nights were made for steve (ao3) Eddie POV, yearning, getting together, the stars are pretty but steve is prettier

✨yearning hours (hidden track) (ao3) Steve POV, floaty music, getting together, sudden love confession, pining, A Flock of Seagulls

✨ high yearning make-out fic (smutty) (ao3) Eddie POV, recreational drug use, dry humping, coming in pants, so much yearning, so much kissing, spicy six as friends

🌷 hurt/comfort

insomniac eddie & human weighted blanket steve Eddie POV, developing relationship, comfort

Eddie being inexperienced at relationships Eddie POV, established relationship, dramatic eddie, boys in love, cuddles

spiralling writer eddie Eddie POV, established relationship, comfort, emotionally intelligent steve

‘You’d be a great dad’ Eddie POV, established relationship, insecure Eddie, comfort

steve has seizures (ao3) Steve POV, angst, self-isolation, seizures, post-s3, found family, background steddie

nonverbal steve gets a hug (ao3) Steve POV, established steddie, nonverbal steve, caring eddie, touch starved steve

sensory overload steddie Steve POV, soft boys, building relationship, nonverbal steve, touch-averse eddie, floor time as the cure

🌷 angst & hurt/no comfort

spiralling steve Steve POV, traumatised steve, nonverbal steve, established steddie, eventual comfort

breakup Steve POV, steve is not okay, breaking up

My Boy Steve POV, major character death, post-s4, inspired by My Girl funeral scene

memory wipe musings Steve POV, post-canon, established relationship, breakup-ish

post-breakup steddie Steve POV, a follow-up for @steddieas-shegoes prompt-fill | years after breaking up with steve eddie writes him a letter and they talk, mentions of drug abuse and rehab, starting over, 2nd chances (it's hopeful but it's kinda really sad)

knightmærs Eddie POV, prince!steve, traitor!eddie, lovers to enemies who are still lovers but it's intrigue, brainwashing, torture, eddie whump, manipulation, open ending, violence & threats of death

🌷 smut(ish)

steve wants to hear eddie Eddie POV, established relationship, anal sex

sexytimes in a tent Steve POV, trying not to get caught, established relationship, hand jobs

sub!kas eddie (drabble) (tag for more) Steve POV, good boy kas, soft dom steve

school reunion sex Eddie POV, chubby!steve, dom-ish top steve, belly kink, light degradation kink, multiple orgasms, semi-public sex, reunion sex, good boy eddie

misc. & gen

steve and nancy finally have A Talk Steve POV, apologies, communicating like adults, making up, platonic stancy

steve and mike coming out to each other (ao3) Steve POV, bisexual lighting, established background steddie, mike & steve sibling relationship

why'd you jump? (ao3) conversation at the quarry, coming out (kinda), working through trauma together, steve & mike sibling relationship, big brother Steve | cw: could read as suicidal tendencies or intrusive thoughts

a study in grief: steve and mike talking about barb (ao3) Steve POV, Barb's death anniversary, Barb was Mike's friend, grief, mourning, big brother Steve, Mike character study

stobin arsonist tendencies (drabble) Steve POV, robin wants to burn down steve's car and house, fucked up platonic besties, neurodivergent swag

🌷 i'll try-verse (time travel au) oneshots

steve takes el to see her first meteor shower

el calls steve magic

eddie finds nonverbal steve

tina's party steddie hug

steve meets wayne

clarkson fics

meet-sweet | kids duty (ao3) clarkson origin post with @unclewaynemunson. Wayne POV, first meeting, slow burn, pre-relationship, soft

coursework, caffeine and cuddles (ao3) teacher student!steve, domestic fluff, established clarkson & steddie, found family

if i fell in love with you (ao3) Scott POV, soft, established relationship, domestic fluff, If I Fell

home. (ao3) Scott POV, comfort, floaty, established relationship, after-school car ride, domesticity

quiet. (ao3) Scott POV, hurt/comfort, domesticity, established relationship, wayne doesn’t like how quiet scott’s house gets

don’t let go (i won’t) (ao3) Scott POV, hurt/comfort, found family, post-s4, shared trauma, steddie, established relationship, wayne gets a bad flashback and scott calls steddie for help

ronance fics

snow angels for @thefreakandthehair's spicy six winter fic challenge, Nancy POV, pining, first kiss, getting together

yearning hours (ao3) Nancy POV, pining, yearning, realisations, pre-relationship, semi-floaty

[atimeofyourlife]

Part 2 (or 1.5?) of this Eddie's POV of after the argument outside the diner (AO3)

Eddie felt sick as he watched Steve walk away with Danni. He knew he'd fucked up by listening to Gareth, and allowing him, Grant, and Jeff to fill his head with their dislike of Steve and twist what he knew of Steve. Steve who had, as Danni had pointed out, been so hurt by cheating. Nancy cheating on him with Jonathan. His father's constant affairs that Steve had been aware of from a young age, where his mother would leave him home alone in an attempt to prevent her husband's wandering eyes turning into wandering hands. The hurt expression on Steve's face was one that would haunt him forever. It was a hurt that he had caused, by listening to his friends over choosing to trust the one he loved.

He went back inside feeling lost. Had he just fucked up the relationship beyond repair? He didn't even know how to start to fix it.

"How pathetic was he? Was it all crocodile tears and claiming it meant nothing, and he still left with-" Gareth started, but Eddie cut him off.

"I fucked up. Seriously fucked up." He dropped back into his seat at the table, and started to push around his food, he'd barely started it, but couldn't stomach finishing it.

"Yeah, you fucked up by trusting someone like that, but you know now. He's the one that seriously fucked up the relationship, by fucking that-" Grant said, sounding like he was trying to be reassuring.

"She's his cousin." Eddie snapped. "Not some girl that he's fucking. And I fucked up because he told me about her before he left for Chicago. That he'd be spending all his time with her because she's the only person in his family that isn't insufferable."

"If you believe that, you're way less smart than we give you credit for, man. That's just one of the classic cheating excuses, oh she's my cousin. We just grew up kissing and sleeping naked together, so we don't want to stop." Jeff replied, his tone growing mocking toward the end.

Eddie didn't bother replying, just standing up and dropping the few dollars to cover his food on the table. He needed to get out of there. He needed to find a way to make it right.

-

Eddie just drove around for a while, trying to organize his thoughts. Trying to come up with some way to apologize to Steve. His bandmates were obviously no help. He considered talking to the kids, but then he would have to explain to them why he needed to apologize. And they would give him hell for treating Steve like that, not that he wouldn't deserve it. There was no chance of Robin helping, she would have heard it all from Steve and would come out swinging.

He got home, thankful that Wayne's truck was there. Wayne was his only hope for any help, even if it would come with judgement for his actions. Because Wayne liked Steve, and had warned Eddie not to do something stupid and hurt Steve. That warning had come way before the accusation of cheating, and now felt like Wayne had known that something like this would happen.

"What's going on, Ed. I thought you'd be out with the boys longer than this?" Wayne asked as Eddie walked in.

"I fucked up, Wayne. Really seriously fucked up, and I don't know how to make it right." Eddie pulled his hair over his face, not wanting to see the judgement he knew he would get from Wayne.

"How'd you fuck up? Is it anything to do with why you've been avoiding Steve?" Wayne questioned.

"I accused him of cheating. Gareth got in my head about it." Eddie admitted.

"Where in the hell did you get an idea like that from? Anyone with eyes could see how devoted that boy is to you. How much he loves you."

Eddie hesitated for a second, before explaining everything that had happened. Steve's trip to Chicago, how he'd planned to hang out with his cousin. Gareth seeing them out together while he was doing college visits, and assuming the worst. Gareth telling him and Jeff and Grant as soon as he got back from Chicago, as he was back before Steve. Eddie believing him because Steve wasn't there to defend himself, and because he'd assumed that Steve's cousin was a guy. Steve coming home, and Eddie trying to avoid him. Seeing Steve at the diner with Danni, and taking it all out on him. "And it's just. His face, Wayne. I've never seen him so hurt. He was trying not to cry. And it's my fault. I don't know what to do to make this right. I don't know if there's anything I can do."

"Boy, you must've got that stupid from your momma or your daddy, because you sure as shit didn't get it from me." Wayne sighed. "Right now, you apologize and make it a damn good one. He don't have to accept it or forgive you, because you accused him of something pretty big. You chose to believe your friends over Steve, and even I know that they don't like him. That they hold some grudge against him."

"I don't think I'll be able to get close to him, he's gonna have a pair of guard dogs ready for blood." Eddie replied.

"You still got to try. Apologize, make it clear, then follow his lead. If he wants to talk, let him. If he wants space, give it to him. If he dumps you, you leave him the hell alone. He deserves a good apology, and only he gets to decide if it's good enough. And you got to consider which you value more, your friendship with Gareth, Grant, and Jeff, or your relationship with Steve. Because you ain't gonna be able to have both, not in the same way as before. Now, you gotta go figure out how you're gonna fix this." Wayne gave him one last look, before turning back to his paper.

Eddie still didn't know how, but he was going to find a way to fix this.

This will be 3/4 parts long. No guarantees, but I'm hoping to have part 3 done in the next week or so! tags: @kengwisi @oh-yeah-honey @estrellami-1 @hardboiledleggs @zerokrox-blog

[klausinamarink]

One Kid Gone, Another Up and Vanished (part 4)

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 next: Part 5

(no Wayne POV this time sorry!)

When Eddie finally lifts his head up, he’s still on the kitchen floor and everything’s too dark except for the floating ash and vines. It’s a little hard to see clearly when his eyes have tears coming out of them.

Something bumps against his arm. He glances over to see Will sitting next to him, carefully eating soup right out of the can with a spoon. Eddie hopes that spoon got washed.

He watches as Will dips the spoon into the van, stirs it, blows a few nearby ash away, brings the spoon to his mouth and carefully slurps it as if it’s hot. Eddie almost believes that maybe Will did find some way to heat it up while he was silently crying to himself like a baby. But there’s no steam coming off it.

“Why you’re doing that?” He asks without thinking. His voice is raspy as he speak.

Will nearly startles. “Do what?”

“That.” Eddie nods at the can. “Pretending like it’s hot.”

Will makes an ‘oh’ sound and looks away, seemingly embarrassed. “It’s just how I eat soup sometimes…” Then he looks up with a neutral expression. “It’s not that bad. Cold soup, I mean. I think it’s gross when the chicken just, you know, sits around like mush.”

“Hm.” is all Eddie can say.

“You can finish mine.”

“Nah.”

“Are you okay?”

Eddie breathes in and out slowly, but ends up coughing. The air here is starting to taste weird at the back of his tongue. “Yeah, I guess.” He clears his throat. “I mean, I’m sorry you had to…” he gestures to himself.

“It’s okay.” Will looks down at his half-eaten soup again. “My mom has those moments sometimes. Mostly because my dad yells at her. I found it better to sit next to her instead of in my room.”

Eddie has known this kid for probably half a day, but he is already willing to die for him.

Speaking of days…

“What time is it here?”

Will blinks. Then he shrugs. “I don’t really know. The clocks don’t work at all. But we’ve heard people getting up so… early morning? Maybe eight?”

Wayne should either be home soon or is already sleeping here.

Eddie snorts, “Okay, power and time are fu- completely useless. Typical of the Vale of Shadows.” He shakes his head dramatically, tsk-tsking. It makes him feel better somehow. Maybe because it makes Will laugh a bit or that Will clearly knows D&D.

Then he nearly jolts up with a sudden realization. Will Byers knows D&D. Not only that it almost makes him squeal in glee, it also makes the wheels in his brain turn into Dungeon Master mode.

And when he’s on Dungeon Master mode, it helps him think ten times better.

Because what the hell, he’s in an alternate dimension with a missing kid and a monster. That’s like prime campaign material!

“Eddie?” Will cuts in just before his thoughts start to make sense.

“Wait, wait. Shush now, Little Byers. Actually, no. You may now speak.” Eddie gets up and starts pacing around, barely mindful of the vines so he doesn’t trip over.

“Uh, what?” Will tilts his head in confusion.

Eddie stands tall before him yet keeps his gaze even as he starts, “Little Byers the Vanished, you have wandered into the domain you identified as the Vale of Shadows. Is that correct?”

Will’s eyes briefly flicker to one side. He nods slowly.

“Declare your arrival to the Vale of Shadows.”

“Uh… I was biking home from my friend Mike’s place. Then the demogorgon appeared in the road…” His breath shudders but Eddie gestures him to continue, “I fell off and I ran. Went to my shed to shoot it but it got me, well, here.”

Eddie grabs his heart with his classic dramatic flair, though he doesn’t fall to the ground. “Oh, a Nat 1 capture by a local monstrosity! But alas, it seems our fates has been mirrored. Now, together as allies of demonic capture,” he kneels down with outstretched arms and his hushed tone, “we must think not just of our escape, but of our survival.”

Will only nods for two seconds before laughter bursts out of his lips. When he catches his breath, he says, “Sorry! I just- I mean it’s really cool that you’re a DM but it’s kind of-”

“Stupid? Dramatic? Very mood fitting?”

Will snickers before asking, “But what are you saying?”

Eddie dramatically gasps before spreading his arms, “Little Byers! Wisdom check!”

He blinks before he seems to register Eddie’s message and looks around the kitchen. “Uh, this is a kitchen…” Eddie waits until Will looks down at the can of soup still in his hand. The boy’s eyes flicker to the rest Eddie had taken out and they brighten. “There’s still edible food! We can take the cans with us! And- and-”

He looks around almost feverishly until he points at a knife rack. “Take the knives as self-defense weapons!”

Eddie doesn’t stop himself from hugging the kid, squeezing him tight and almost throwing him around in a spin. “Little Byers, you genius! That’s a Nat 20!”

Will shrieks with laughter. Oh to be young and innocent. “No, it’s not! It’s more of a 12 in my party!”

“Nope, that’s a 20!”

After their little celebration, Eddie sets to shoving half of the cans in Will’s backpack. Some of it chicken soup, some beans and vegetables. He also checked for the hard foods like granola bars but they were too covered in vines to be pulled out.

The whole time, Eddie feels some hope in his chest.

Just as Will zips up his backpack, Eddie clears his dry throat again and remembers another vital thing. “Shit, what about water?”

Will stops and shakes his head. “Taps don’t work either. Only weird sludge comes out.”

“Have you drank that?”

He gets another judgemental look in return.

“Alright, fair enough.” Eddie observes the cabinets again, biting his lip. “I reckon some folks in this lovely town have stocks of bottled water. At least some drinks that aren’t weird sludge.”

“Oh yeah! I totally forgot about that exists. We don’t have any in my house, but I know Mike’s place has some!”

Great, they’re not going to die of thirst. Unless they die of something else. Eddie shoves that thought away, trying to remember anything else. “Is there anything-”

A grossly familiar sound interrupts them outside.

It’s a growl. Loud and close.

In their frozen state, Eddie stares at Will, both of them sharing wide eyes. Before Eddie even mouths a question, Will nods fast, terror-stricken.

The growling continues. Crunching of dead leaves. Claws dragging across metal and wood.

Shit shit shit shit shit

Eddie can’t think straight at any high-stake scenario. Hell, he can’t even do any of Ms. Click’s pop quizzes. But Will is urgently tugging him up, forcing him to get up and move move.

It’s only by a miracle that Eddie even thinks to grab one of the kitchen knives as a weapon. It’s cheap and hilariously short when Wayne bought the set few years ago, but it’s sharp. It should stab through a monster’s skin enough, right?

He really hopes this demogorgon doesn’t have any acid blood.

“Back door, the back door.” Eddie hisses urgently as he takes the lead. Will nearly stumbles but they’re both on their feet, being swift and quiet as they possibly can.

But apparently the universe doesn’t hate Eddie enough.

At the hall, he steps on one of the bigger vines.

Before he could even curse, the demogorgon roars.

“RUN!” Eddie isn’t sure if he’s screaming at himself or Will as they burst right out of the door. But they’re running fast as they could. Something breaks and crashes in the kitchen but he doesn’t stop. He runs as fast as he could around the trailer, Will’s hand tight in his grasp.

They run across the rest of the park. The crashing sounds get followed up by a ear-piercing shreeee of ripping metal.

Eddie feels Will tumbling behind, but he keeps yanking the boy up, desperate to keep them both on moving feet. They duck behind the other trailers, hopefully away from the demogorgon’s sight.

Eddie finally stops behind one of the homes, close to the entry gate. His lungs are burning like his average gym class. A quick glance at Will, who doesn’t even look at all winded. He peeks behind the wall, trying to catch any movement.

They both jump at a crash of some garbage cans. There’s another roar, but it’s still farther.

Eddie crouches down, meeting Will at eye-level. “Okay, we’re just gonna run away from that thing. We don’t stop until we don’t hear it, got it?” Will nods. “We’re gonna- god, what are we going to do?”

“We can go to my house.” Will suggests, the brilliant angel he is.

“We go to your house. So-”

He stops at another sound’s arrival. It’s only the rumbling of a truck engine coming up the path. But this one he knows from the bottom of his blackened heart. It’s the way from how it putters every five seconds and how the front wheels click from a card Eddie once superglued there at the lovely age of twelve because other rich boys had cards in their bike wheels and he never had a bike of his own.

“Wayne! Uncle Wayne!” He calls out because what the hell, how could he even forget his uncle? Wayne is coming home from on and Eddie wouldn’t be there.

The truck obliviously rumbles on.

A new kind of hurt clenches around him as he stands up and begins to make chase. “Wayne!”

Before he can take another step, Will pulls at his wrist (his bandaged wrist, ow) with surprising amount of strength. Eddie stumbles back and almost yells at him when the demogorgon roars closer.

For the second time, Will tugs Eddie with him by the hand and Eddie lets him to so. As they run out of the trailer park, Eddie almost turns around and calls out for his uncle again.

But the new hurt stops him from that. He doesn’t know if it’s a good thing.

— —

Taglist: @unclewaynemunson @steves-strapcollection @hellion-child @sidekick-hero @mmmmwaffles94 @demolitionjetstar @hbyrde36 @princessstevemunson @sirsnacksalot @tartarusknight @lyriclight @kodaik97 @plsdontdrinkmylavalamp @wuttttttttttt @bookbinderbitch @gutterflower77 @tentativeghost @soaringornithopter @angeldreamsoffanfic @panicatthediaz @renaissan-vvitch @manda-panda-monium

[ladykailitha]

A Valentine’s Day to Remember Steve’s POV Part 2

Just a reminder: if you want to be tagged in the Eddie POV, you have to let me know both, otherwise I’ll assume you just mean this story.

Part 1

*

Over the course of the week, Eddie would pop into the store asking Steve about his favorite foods, places to go, and even his favorite color.

“What do you want my favorite color for?” Steve had asked with a laugh.

Eddie just shook his head. “Just answer the question, pretty boy.”

Steve shook his head. “It’s blue. Like baby blue.”

Eddie grinned and just flounced out the store like his mission had been accomplished.

“You want to know what I think?” Robin asked, one hand on her hip.

Steve slumped dejectedly. “Come on, Robs. Don’t start.”

“He’s got the hots for you,” she continued, completely ignoring his pleas.

“It might not have anything to do with date at all,” Steve said. “He could just be asking random questions to throw me off.”

“Or...” Robin said with a grin, “and hear me out...it could be that he really wants to get to know you and give you the best date you’ve ever had.”

Steve slammed his head on the counter in frustration.

*

Steve had to go shopping and Eddie decided to come with. And while shopping with Eddie was chaotic, it wasn’t the out and out screaming match that it was when he had one or more of the nuggets with him.

Steve had gotten everything he needed but was wandering the candy aisle looking for the Atomic Warheads El had asked him to buy for her. Apparently Mike had been dipping into her Gobstopper stash and she was going to teach him a lesson he wouldn’t soon forget. And who was Steve to get in the way of sweet, sweet revenge.

Eddie had went off in search of something he wouldn’t tell Steve about when he literally came bounding up to him.

“Steve! Steve! Steve!” Eddie greeted.

Steve smiled at him fondly. “Hey, Eddie.” As if they had been apart far longer than then the two or three minutes it actually had been.

“If you were stranded on a deserted island with a crate of candy to subsist on, which one would it be?”

Steve looked around the small aisle and turned to Eddie with a blush. “Don’t tell anyone, okay? It’s bad enough I got ragged on all throughout middle school for liking them.”

Eddie furrowed his brow. “I wouldn’t.”

Steve walked to the end of the aisle where all the knock off brand candy was and picked up a small bag. He carried it back to Eddie and handed it to him, eyes cast down.

Eddie gently took the bag from him and looked down at it. “Circus peanuts? But that’s‒” he almost said poor people candy, but he stopped himself in time.

“Disgusting? Gross? Lame?” Steve asked, bitterly.

Eddie shook his head. “No, no. I was going to say...but that’s my favorite, too.”

Steve looked up at him through his eyelashes. “You mean that?”

Eddie nodded. “They have to be soft though.”

Steve grinned. “Absolutely. I always give the bag a squeeze to make sure they aren’t stale.”

“Fondling candy, tsk, tsk, Steve,” Eddie teased.

Steve laughed. “Toss them in, you menace,” he said, pointing to their basket.

Eddie laughed too and did as he was told.

*

Steve woke up Saturday morning feeling less like shit then he had all the other Valentine’s days he’s had before. There was no queasiness about whether the flowers would arrive on time. No stress about calling the restaurant twelve more times to make sure they still had his reservation.

Eddie had even told him not to worry about what to wear, him and Robin would have it all taken care of by the time he had gotten off work.

So he was happily humming along, being cheerful even to the customers that wanted movies that had all been rented out by yesterday, because you know, people planned in advance and shit.

And then Tommy Hagen walked through that door.

Steve sighed, but straightened up. “Welcome to Family Video,” he greeted with now false cheer.

Tommy spotted him and laughed. “You still at this dump?”

Steve sighed, but kept the smile plastered on his face. “I like the hours, I get work with my best friend, and I get to watch all the movies I want for free. What’s not to like?”

Tommy rolled his eyes. “You were going places, man. Look at you now.”

Steve put his hand on his hip and let Tommy take a good hard look at him. Because Steve was in better shape than he had been in high school. He still ran every morning and swam as often as he could. He could break Tommy’s face with a single punch. Steve knew how he looked. He looked good.

“I’m very satisfied with my life, Tommy,” Steve said with the cock of his head. “Can you say the same? Because yeah. I’m working here on Valentine’s day. But you’re the sad schmuck who’s here looking for a movie for Valentine’s day.”

Tommy scoffed turning his head. “At least I have a date, Steve-o.”

Steve smiled at him. “And who says I don’t?”

Just then, Keith walked in from the back. “I’m just gonna go take a piss and then you can go,” he told Steve.

Steve and Tommy just watched until Keith was out of sight.

“Nice try, Harrington,” Tommy said with an eye roll. “Word around town is that no girl in her right mind will go near your scaly ass with all your scars.”

The bell above the door rang out and in walked Eddie Munson.

Steve’s brain went offline as he took in the metalhead. From what Steve could see under his leather jacket was grey vest and a black button-up. He had paired this with tight leather pants and chunky combat boots.

“Like what you see, Stevie?” Eddie asked with a grin.

Tommy whirled around and took him all in. He gulped and turned beat red.

“Take a picture, Tommy,” Eddie said. “It’ll last longer.” He sauntered up to Steve. “You about ready to go, babe?”

Steve grinned. “Just waiting for Keith to get back from the bathroom.” He jutted his thumb toward the back of the store.

And sure enough, out came Keith.

“All right, Steve,” he said. “Go ahead and clock out. I’ll see you on Monday.”

“Bye, boss!” Steve replied. He clocked out at the computer and made his way around the counter to where Eddie and Tommy were standing.

“Looking good, Eds,” he said, completely ignoring Tommy.

Eddie grinned. “Just wait until you see what Robin and I picked out for you to wear tonight.”

Tommy’s eyes went wide. “Since when do you like the boys, Steve?”

Steve turned to Tommy with a small frown of confusion. “Always?”

The noise Tommy made was somewhere between a whine of frustration and whimper of defeat. “The fuck?”

Eddie licked the top row of his teeth as he took Tommy in. He put a possessive hand on Steve’s lower back. “We need to go, babe. I have plans tonight.”

Steve blushed, but let Eddie lead him out of the store.

Tommy blinked and then turned to Keith. “Did you just fucking see that?”

Keith looked up from where he had been straightening the display by the register. “No.” And he went back to what he was doing.

Tommy tried to protest, but Keith steadfastly ignored him.

Steve just shook his head as Eddie chatted away happily.

*

“Did you see the look on his face?” Eddie crowed.

“I know, right?” Steve laughed. “I wonder who he paid to pretend to like him enough to let him fuck them tonight.”

Eddie let out a sputtering laugh. “Give a guy some warning before you say shit like that, man.”

Steve just grinned.

They arrived at the Munsons’ new house. It wasn’t much, but it was enough for two bachelors, and some day, just one.

“Your uncle going to be home tonight?” Steve asked.

Eddie grinned. “You looking to score, pretty boy?”

Steve blushed. “No, I’m just not sure I could shower with him home...”

Eddie tilted his head. “Babe, you’ve showered completely naked next to boys all throughout high school. Why are you suddenly shy about my uncle in the house? You’re not his type.”

Steve blushed and looked down. “It’s not that. I‒I mean‒” Eddie just continued to stare at him.

“It’s my scars, all right!” he said, finally exploding.

Eddie pulled him for a hug. “Shit, sweetheart. I forgot. No, baby. He’s not home. Okay?”

Steve just nodded into Eddie’s shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?” Eddie asked, looking down at him.

“I sure got this date off to such a great start...” he mumbled.

“Hey, now,” Eddie cooed. “It hasn’t started yet. You still need to get ready, okay?”

Steve nodded.

“Your clothes and everything you’ll need is in the bag on the vanity in the bathroom,” Eddie said, leading the way. “I just need to step out for a few minutes and I’ll be right back.”

Steve’s shoulders slumped. “If this is about the scar thing, don’t. I don’t mind you seeing them. I just wasn’t sure I was ready for your uncle to yet.”

Eddie kissed his forehead. “Nope. This was already part of the plan. You go get ready.”

Steve blushed but did as he was bid.

He striped down and pulled open the black duffel bag that was right where Eddie said it was going to be. On the top was his shampoo and conditioner as well as his body wash, deodorant, hair dryer and hairspray. He grinned. He loved his friends. They knew him all too well.

He carried his shampoo, conditioner, and body wash into the warm spray of the shower and was a little surprised to see four bottles already on the little caddie hanging over the shower head. One was a three-in-one. The other three were a shampoo and conditioner especially formulated for curly hair and a body wash.

Steve flipped open the body wash and took a sniff.

Oh.

He had always assumed Eddie wore cologne because he always smelled so nice. But it was this.

Christ.

He looked down to see that his body was taking a vested interest in this new information.

He put the bottle down quickly and began lathering himself up with his own body wash, trying to think of disgusting things to calm down.

It worked for the most part and he was able to shower without incident.

He dried himself off with the towels Eddie had provided and tried not to think of Eddie doing the same thing earlier that day.

Steve put on his deodorant and dried his hair. He then pulled out the underwear and again, his thoughts went dirty because there was no way on god’s green earth was Robin going to go through his underwear drawer.

He quickly got dressed. Inside were dark grey jeans, a black sweater, and the stupid black suit jacket he had wore to Tina’s Halloween party. He sighed. He couldn’t fault them for grabbing it. He did look good in it. They just didn’t know why he kept in the back of his closet.

But he set it aside so he could style his hair. Maybe he’d get some good memories with it. But if he struck out tonight, he was burning the damn thing.

The last thing besides the socks where a pair of shiny Oxfords he didn’t remember having. He hoped they didn’t buy them for him.

He threw his dirty clothes into the bag and grabbed the shoes and jacket. He took all them out to the front room to put them on.

He tied the shoes and buffed them a bit with the sleeve of his sweater. He smiled, feeling pleased with himself.

Part 3

Tag List: @zerokrox-blog @bidisastersworld @carlyv @swimmingbirdrunningrock @bejeweledbaby @maya-custodios-dionach @makewavesandwar @estrellami-1 @princess-josephina @abstractnaturaldisaster @a-little-unsteddie @madamonsieur-silvrene

[sleepy-wyvern]

Scars and Stretch Marks (Eddie Munson x female!Reader) Part 1

Chapter: 1/? (in progress) Part 2 here

Synopsis: Reader helps Eddie deal with his body insecurities. Eddie Munson wakes up after the most metal concert in the world covered in scars. These scars bring on insecurity from Eddie when he meets a gorgeous woman with her own scar that she doesn't mind showing off. They work together to win the love of a little black kitten with a scar over its eye.

Dedication: Miniseries for the lovely loony tunes @alienthingstwo 💙 hope you enjoy, more parts to come!

Word count: 1.5k (first chapter)

Smut will be included in later chapters so minors please do not interact! 18+!

Warnings/Content tags: Scars, stretch marks, body insecurity, body worship

Where there once was chaos, suddenly there was peace. The bats have cleared leaving the savior stranded on the ground. Somehow the clouded sky and polluted atmosphere cleared away to a normal blue of Hawkins Indiana.

Eddie Munson woke with a gasp, bringing his hand to his chest. Once where excruciating pain had been had been replaced with… nothing. Nothing but a normal beating heart as if the whole ordeal had never happened.

He looked down at his hands, flexing his calloused fingers. His fingertips were still covered in dried scarlet from when he tried to stop his own bleeding. Had it worked? Surely not, as he had passed out soon after. Yet here he was, breathing and sitting up. No fresh blood.

“What the f-” he mumbled looking at the world around him.

His hands moved down to his torso feeling the drying blood stains and ripped holes through the fabric of his hellfire shirt. The last thing he remember was being chased by a swarm of demobats but suddenly things felt different. He was no longer in the upside down.

He pulled the bottom of his ruined hellfire shirt up to reveal bright red scars covering his chest and abdomen. Dozens of bites and scratches where claws tore away at skin. His heart caught in his throat before smoothing the fabric back down again and running his fingers through his long shaggy hair.

How exactly was he going to explain this to anyone? He had no idea. 

Meanwhile, down by the old metal trailer stood a woman crouched by the ground curiously. She wore jean shorts and a tank top to escape the heat, showing a long scar on her hip trailing down to her thigh.

~YOUR POV~

“Kitty kitty kitty,” you cooed trying to coax the little black kitten out from underneath the trailer. 

Of course once you saw him there you had to try and coax him out. Poor baby was likely in need of some food and a bath. He was small and fluffy but clearly a fighter you could tell. 

You sighed under the heat, wiping the back of your hand against your forehead. You were determined to win this little guys love despite how much patience it would take.

He stared at you from underneath the doorstep, a fearful curiosity in his large green eyes. Part of his left ear was missing and there was a scar above his right eye, perhaps from a fight over some food or god knows what. Even so, he was adorable. Scars and all.

The ceramic dish with wet cat food sat in front of you, you knew it would be hard for the kitten to resist. Now it was a game of patience and wits.

“Come on little guy,” you spoke as softly as you could. “Come on out. I promise you a lifetime of food, cuddles, treats and toys.”

“Sign me up.” The voice behind you made you jump as you turned around. 

You blinked wondering if what you were seeing in front of you was real. Eddie Munson, the guy who had been missing and maybe a week prior a wanted suspected murderer was standing in front of you. His image had been cleared from the police reports but on his forearm you spotted a streak of dried blood.

He wore jeans and a grey shirt with sleeves that ended at his elbows, concealing whatever was hidden underneath. You’ve never seen him in that shirt before when you shared classes together, he was barely seen outside of the hellfire tee. If you didn’t know any better you would’ve thought he plucked it off of a clothesline nearby. 

“Uhh, are you alright?” You asked cautiously, trailing your eyes up the mark of dark red.

People had started rumors about him, how Satanic he was. Stereotypes were never something you cared to follow though. Right here right now he just seemed... Flustered. Messy, chaotic and confused.

He followed your gaze to the dried blood and pressed his lips together in annoyance, “apparently I am.”

“Is… is it a bad thing to be okay?” You asked confused.

He rubbed his forehead with his hands. 

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. It’s fine. Clearly I’m dead and gone to heaven.” He hauls the bandana off of his head, stuffing it into his pocket.

“Uhhh, did you hit your head or something? I think I’d be aware if this was heaven” you shifted your weight from one leg to the next, folding your arms as he watched you. 

“Then why the hell are you here?” He asked, cheeks immediately going red as he realized the implication of his own words. “Uhhh, I mean, I thought you were in California or something.” He avoided eye contact with you.

You remembered sitting across the room from him in high school the year before. You had barely exchanged many words, perhaps only for a group project once. You would have been surprised to hear he knew your name, let alone the fact that he just told you he knew you moved to California.

You tilted your head at him, “I came back. Hawkins is far from any heaven but it’s a type of home.”

He dug into his pockets searching for something. He wasn’t ignoring you, you could tell, just a thousand different things were running through his mind.

“Is this your place?” You asked.

He nodded, an expression of pure relief washing over his face as he pulled out his keys.

This entire situation was odd yet it amused you, “why haven’t you asked why I’m here yet? In front of your trailer.”

“Well, it’s my uncles. Frankly, stranger things have happened to me than a pretty girl standing around my place…” he thought for a moment, “never mind, scratch that. This is the strangest thing I’ve experienced but I assume you’re not into eating cat food on a stranger's doorstep.”

You felt heat rise to your cheeks at his words. You turned back around noticing the kitten unfortunately had taken the food and scampered off. 

“Well, there’s been a stray kitten hanging out around here. I've been trying to catch him.” You sighed. 

He unlocked the door but was more intrigued by the conversation at hand. You turned back just in time to see his eyes flutter up from the scar on your leg. It didn’t bother you, in fact you were used to the looks by now. The way he looked at you felt different than the stares of horror or curiousness. Instead it seemed like adoration?

He was embarrassed though as he looked away, scratching his neck nonchalantly trying to think of something to say to save himself. “Have you, uh, always had that scar?”

“Have you always had an arm covered in blood?” You nodded to him and he shook his head.

“No, believe it or not I woke up like this.” He pulled down on his shirt nervously. Perhaps some questions were better off left unanswered.

You tap your finger against your chin “well, I've woken up in worse states.”

He seemed amused by your response as he chuckled. “Trust me, you wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

“Right, I should see the other guy huh?” Frankly you didn’t believe him. 

He smirked from your comment before shaking his head “I wish. It was a, uh, raccoon attack.” He scratched the back of his head, wincing before continuing, “I didn’t run this time at least.”

You wondered to yourself if perhaps he should have ran instead. “Well, maybe you should get yourself a rabies shot.”

He stuffed his hands in his back pockets, “will do.”

You both stood there for a moment seemingly unsure of what to say yet not exactly wanting to leave.

“Hey, uh, mind if I leave the cat food here and come back around sometime to try and get him? Poor guy looked starved.” Your voice was suddenly nervous and you weren’t sure why. 

“Oh, yeah sure.” Eddie shook his head as if to try and regain his composure. “If you’ll excuse me I'm in dire need of a shower… and the cure for rabies.”

“Right.” You smiled slyly. “I’ll see you around then?”

“Yeah, yeah for sure,” he nodded with a small smile. You could tell he was doing his best not to cringe at himself for not finding the right words. 

“I’ll keep an eye out for your, uh, cat,” he called as you started walking away. 

“Thanks,” You smirked back at him before turning back around, feeling his gaze follow you.

“There’s no cure for rabies by the way!” You called out. 

“What?!” He shouted and sounded fearful as you chuckled, "what do you mean?!"

You wove as you walked away without turning back, "see you later."

===

Scars and Stretch Marks

Hope you enjoyed!!! Next chapters will be coming soon!

Have a great day my lovely readers!

-Wyv

[oatmilk-vampire]

Life Worth Missing || Eddie Munson x Reader

Eddie Munson x gn!ex!Reader

Part 2 of Off My Mind (Read part 1 here)

Summary: Reader goes after Eddie, not willing to let things end without everything being said.

Mostly Reader POV.

Inspired by another song I like Life Worth Missing by Car Seat Headrest. Give it a listen!

Word count: 2k of angst, whump, and happy ending.

TW: Coping with suicide attempt, talking feelings. No actual death.

~~~

Only when you got to your car did you finally let the tears fall.

All of those months of crying because you missed him was nothing compared to finally realizing you lost him.

He hadn’t even had the decency to break the news to you sober, like you had. Neither one of you ever had a problem with substance abuse but you had given up alcohol and the occasional smoke sesh as soon as you and Eddie went on your break. Drinking when you were sad and lonely was never a good idea, and weed held the same sentiment for you. Plus you would never dare to get it from anyone else, it felt like a betrayal.

But here you are, hiding away in the relative safety of your car in the Hideaway’s parking lot as Eddie drinks. To forget you? You’d think yes, if it wasn’t clear that he already had.

You wonder what she’s like, his new lover. If she makes him laugh so hard his whole face crinkles up. If she holds him when he’s had a bad day, smoothing a hand over his scars that you helped patch up as fresh injuries.

You wonder if she’s waiting for him at the trailer you once occupied.

Before you can make yourself leave you finally notice your now-ex pushing open the door, wobbling and swaying as he fumbles with the keys to his van.

You should let him go. You should accept it’s over between you two; he already had.

But you can’t. Instead when he pulls out you quickly turn your car on to follow.

You convince yourself it’s to make sure he makes it home safe, then you’ll leave him and his new lover alone. But as he turns into Forest Hills Trailer Park you still follow, albeit at a slower pace so as not to alert him to your presence. He pulls into his driveway and goes inside. No one comes rushing out to him as you had expected, but he still rushed in nonetheless.

You have a moment of hesitation before pulling in behind him and turning off your car. You wait in bated breath for him to come out angry and ask you to leave, but he doesn’t. You notice Wayne isn’t home either. If you’re going to make one final attempt at saving your relationship this was it.

As if on cue someone in the park lit a firework, bringing you back to reality. That’s right. It’s New Year’s Eve. How could you ever forget? Some part of you remembered when you asked him to meet, hoped it would end with a kiss between you two. A new beginning, not an end.

You run fast to get to him, suddenly feeling like it’s a life or death situation even if you had no reason to believe so. You just sensed it.

You throw open his door, grateful he forgot to lock it but fearful or what that entails.

“Eddie?” You call out to him, not wanting to startle him. But the lack of response spurs you on until you come across the bathroom, door open.

“Eddie!” You scream in horror, racing forward to rip the toaster out of the wall and out of his reach. You throw it behind you, not even flinching at the way it smashes into a bunch of pieces as you direct your fearful eyes at the man you love.

“Angel?” His voice is broken and eyes wild and wide.

“Oh, Eddie. Why? Why?” You crowd around him not caring if there’s a new girlfriend involved. She would be here if she really cared about him.

You drop to your knees and pull his cold freezing frame toward you, wrapping your arms around him tight as if your hold alone could stop him from leaving you in the worst way possible.

“Come on, let’s get you out of here. You’ll get hypothermia.” You pull him up with all your might, and he helps. If he hadn’t there’s no way you’d be able to lift him. He could almost laugh. Here he was about to electrocute himself and you’re worried about him getting hypothermia.

You grab two towels on the way out, wrapping them both around him, ignoring how badly your own body is shaking. You guide him to his bedroom and leave him standing in the middle of the room as you dig through his clothes in search of the warmest sweatpants and sweatshirts. You gather him fresh underwear and socks, the thickest long sleeve he owned.

He watches in disbelief. You’re here. You’re actually here. His Angel.

Maybe he died. Maybe he didn’t feel a thing and he’s in Heaven now. Now that’d be absurd. What’s more crazy? You coming back or him going to Heaven after all this? At this moment he decides he doesn’t care. You’re here and that’s all that matters.

“Let’s get these off of you.” You wait for his approval, just a slight nod of his head before moving with a purpose. You push off his jacket, unbutton his flannel, unbuckle his belt and slip off his jeans. It’s all much more difficult than it used to be thanks to the soaked state of it all, but you don’t complain one bit.

Once he’s fully naked you dress him in the same sentiment. Careful hands avoiding lingering too long but unafraid to touch all the same.

He’s sitting on his bed by the time he realizes you’ve brought out the hair dryer you gifted him a year ago. He hadn’t dared to use it since you left. The memories attached to it hurt him too bad, so he left his hair in the same state you had met him in. The days of having perfectly diffused hair were long behind him.

He notices the clip on diffuser attachment isn’t on it, you must have removed it.

You put it on the highest heat setting before letting the heat roll over him as you dried and warmed him further.

When you’re happy with the state of his dry hair and his contented sighs, you switch off the hair dryer.

You would have slipped it under his shirt for more warmth, but you really needed to talk to him and you couldn’t do that over the loud motor.

You sit beside him, tired of standing. “Eddie, we need to talk. We can’t leave things like this.”

You didn’t want to leave at all, but if there was someone else in his life you knew you had to.

“What’s there to talk about?” His voice is sobered up but you suppose a near death experience and icy tub will do that to you. Hell, you’re still freezing.

“You know we need to.” You insist. “You know we didn’t mean to end things back then. I didn’t want to end things. It was only a break, Eddie. Time we needed apart, so we could handle our own problems without taking it out one one another.”

“Angel, I–”

You cut him off. “But I understand. I do. Just because I waited for you didn’t mean you had to wait for me. I’m sorry we didn’t talk this over sooner. I’m sorry I found you like this, I’m so sorry. But I won’t apologize for ruining your plans.”

You rest a hand on his shoulder, it’s still too cool for comfort but you find some anyway.

“Where is she? What’s her number? I’ll call her and I’ll leave you be.”

He’s so lost in your words he doesn’t remember his earlier drunken lie.

“Where’s who?”

“Your new lover.” You remind him, and his heart drops into his stomach.

“Angel, there is no lover. I don’t know why I said that. I was drunk and stupid and I’m so sorry. I never meant to hurt you.” His dark eyes are boring into yours, glossed over with fresh tears yet to fall.

“You’re not just saying that?” There it was again. Hope.

He shakes his head. “I promise you it’s the truth. I could never move on from you, I tried, not with anyone!” he adds on, “But by myself and I just couldn’t. I was so stuck on hoping you’d walk through that door that I just pushed you away the first chance I actually had at making things right with you. I’m. So. Sorry.”

“I’m sorry too.” You apologize as he pulls you in like he wanted to earlier at the bar, like you did when you descended upon him like the guardian angel you actually were. He’s been so wrong.

“Jesus H. Christ.” He shudders and pulls away from you.

“What’s wrong?”

“You’re freezing, Angel. Let me get you into some warmer clothes too. Why didn’t you change out of yours? I made them all wet.”

“I wasn’t worried about me.” You answer simply as he runs to his closet just as you had minutes ago.

He helps you change, eyes lingering on your face the entire time. You feel flushed under his gaze but you wouldn’t trade it for anything. You were here. With him. You were both alive.

“Eddie,” Your voice gets caught in your throat as you finally lose control over your emotions. You can’t be strong for him anymore.

“Yes, Angel?”

“You tried to kill yourself.” A sob rips from your throat as you finally break down into his arms.

“I’m so sorry.” He’s crying too now, you’re both shaking.

“Why are you apologizing? I’m sorry. I’m sorry you felt like it was your only option. I’m so sorry I wasn’t here for you.” You cry into his chest until he pulls you away and places both hands on either side of your face so you’re forced to look at him.

“Angel. Baby, this was not your fault. Please never blame yourself for my stupid decisions. Since you left I hated myself for letting you go. Even though you said it was only a break and it was for good, I somehow convinced myself you were leaving for good. I didn’t blame you for it. I couldn’t blame you for it. If you ever left me, if you leave me, it’s entirely my fault.”

He pauses to kiss your forehead.

“Today I let all those bad thoughts get to me. Instead of being happy to see you I punished myself more. I hurt you. I lied to you. I felt like I was coming up short in a life worth nothing, and I took that out on you instead of being truthful. I thought I was worth nothing. That I wouldn’t even be worth missing. I’m so sorry I hurt you.”

You brush a stray curl from his face with a shaky hand.

“Eddie, your life is worth missing.”

“I know, sweetheart. I’m so sorry I ever didn’t believe that. Please forgive me for all of my mistakes.”

“Only if you forgive me too.”

“Even if I don’t think you did anything wrong?”

“Especially then. If nothing else please just understand I’m sorry for not getting here sooner.”

He smiles at you, a genuine smile. A smile you haven’t seen in so long it physically hurts to see it again.

“You got here and that’s all that matters.”

You stare into each other’s eyes and hold onto one another.

The both of you think about kissing but are both worried about making the first move. Until the clock chimes, startling the two of you before realizing what that meant.

Midnight. It’s New Year’s.

Now you kissed.

It was soft and sweet and passionate all the same. Everything you didn’t get to say, all of the feelings you both kept bottled up over these six months was felt through the kiss.

When you pulled away to breathe Eddie had a grin on his face and you knew you had one to match.

“Happy New Year, Angel. I love you.”

“Happy New Year. I love you too.”

Everything was so much better than before.

~~~

Tag list: @ali-r3n 🩵

[greazyfloz]

You Don't Love Me Anymore Pt.2

Part 1

Warning: Angst & Swearing

Word Count: 2.0k

[Mark POV]

I am woken up at 4:30 in the morning by a sad looking eddy nudging me awake. “Dude, what the fuck?” I say looking up at the figure in the dark. “Did you and Y/N really break up?” eddy asks. I look at my phone to confirm the time before replying “it’s 4:30, go to bed. I don’t want to talk about it”, “I liked Y/N though. She was cool ”, “You are drunk. go to bed”. Eddy doesn’t say anything but instead turns to the door and leaves. After my door shuts on his way out,  I roll my eyes to the sound of his voice talking to himself in the hallway “Idiot.” 

It was difficult to fall back asleep.  I have so many thoughts running through my head: ‘Was I wrong?’ ‘I should have never called her those horrible things’. ‘I know that her and bone would never do anything’. Maybe I was just jealous. Y/N is a hugger so it was normal for her to hug the guys and I wouldn’t get jealous. I don’t know what got over me. I guess, her legs wrapped around bone is what made it different. The thoughts ran through my mind all night.

I couldn’t sleep, so I picked up my phone to text her. When I opened my phone I noticed about 10 texts from a couple of guys that I just ignored but one text from Moyle left me relieved:

~4:18 am~

Moyle: She’s here asleep on the couch. I don’t know what the fuck happened between the two of you but I know she is going to be a sick one in the morning and I don’t want to be the one dealing with that.

She’s safe. I look at the time, 8:25, I decide to get up and make my way to the couch. Luke is already up and sitting on the couch watching ESPN. I sit across from him on the recliner. “Couple of us are going to breakfast, you coming?” Luke asks. “No, I can’t. I gotta do something”, “It’ll probably be lunch by the time Mackie gets out of bed”. Duker soon joins us watching espn. “Wasn’t it eddys idea to go for breakfast, he still not up?” duker asks as he falls back on the couch, “I’m hungry” Luke starts, “I’m going to wake Mackie up first because I know that he isn’t up”. 

8:55 is the time on my phone. ‘Do I apologize?’, ‘I told her I didn’t love her anymore’, ‘I love her’, thoughts keep messing with my head. As I am sitting here dazed in my thoughts, I receive a hard slap in the back of the head. “Ow!”, “That was for Y/N. Don’t know what happened but what I do know is she was a mess after you disappeared last night” Mackie states. “Go back to bed, isn’t it a little early for you to be up?” I defend myself. “Wait what happened last night” a confused duker asked as he left the party pretty early, “you guys good?” he continued. “No, they broke up” eddy says entering the room. “I leave one party early and the world stops spinning” duker says. Luke comes down the hall and straight to the front door, “alright I am leaving with or without you guys” he announces. “We were waiting for you moron” Mackie replies. “You know what, I don’t like your attitude” Luke defends himself. 

As they leave, I decide that I would go to Moyle’s. Before leaving, I grab an ice pack from the freezer, and Advil from the counter before making my way over. 

Once I get to Moyle’s I open the door and thankfully it is unlocked. “Estapa, you fucked up” moyle starts. “You weren’t there” I defend myself before asking “where is she?”, “She is still sleeping, don’t worry Bone checked about 5 minutes ago, she still has a pulse” moyle tried to joke but the thought of Bone touching Y/N makes my jaw clench, “we figured we’d let her sleep since it’s going to be a pretty rough day” Moyle continued. 

I followed Moyle into the kitchen where I now stand with Grano and bone. “Hey man, we good?” bone starts reaching his hand out for me to bring it in. Looking at bone has me thinking about the last thing Y/N and I said to each other last night : 

“You going back in to fuck J-bone?!”, “Maybe I should! After all I am single now!”

Instead of reaching out for his hand I ask firmly, “Did you two fuck last night”. “Oh my god” Grano says, with his eyes wide. I can see Moyle’s jaw drop at my sudden blunt question. “No way. You're my pal, and Y/N is a pal” Bone says to me. “By the way you guys were acting, I figured one of you would make a move” I say covering up the real reason why the question bursted out of me. 

“Be a little more quiet, she is literally right in the next room. But buddy, I’d think you had a little more respect for your girlfriend”. This conversation is starting to become a little aggressive, right before I could even reply, the conversation was interrupted by the sound of the bathroom door slamming and Y/N sick inside.

[Y/N POV]

I opened my eyes and was awoken by a migraine and a familiar voice. Mark. “Did you fuck her last night after I left”. What the fuck. I sit up to allow myself to hear the conversation a little better. “No way. You're my pal, and Y/N is a pal”, “By the way you guys were acting, I figured one of you would make a move”, oh no, I am going to throw up. “Be a little more quiet, she is literally right in the next room. But buddy, I’d think you had a little more respect for your girlfriend”. Yup I am sick. I start to make my way quickly to the bathroom slamming the door behind me and falling face first into the toilet bowl. 

After releasing what felt like all the contents of my stomach, I lay down on the cold tile floor and hear a faint knock on the door. “No, go away”, “Please, can we just talk.”,”No, you really think I want to talk to anyone right now let alone you” I muffled back. “I have an ice pack and some Advil”, “I don’t care, I don’t want to see you right now”,”Well then I will sit at the other side of this door until you do”. I can’t listen to what he has to say because I know that I will take him back immediately. What he said hurt me and ultimately his behavior has probably made it awkward for me to be around any of the boys including Jay. 

About 20 minutes later I heard the front door open and close. “Mark? Are you still there?” I call out. I can here the figure on the other side of the door shuffle quickly getting up from there sitting position on the floor. “I’m here baby, what is wrong?” mark answers. “You can come in, but bring the ice pack and Advil”. 

Mark enters the room and hands me the ice pack and sets a glass of water of the floor before handing me the Advil. Before I took the Advil, I felt a sudden wave of nausea again. I knelt in front of the toilet again but this time Mark was there holding my hair back and rubbing my back. 

When I was done he got up and washed his hands before wetting a face cloth he found under the sink, then he took a seat on the floor next to me facing me. He took the wash cloth and gently started dabbing around my mouth and rubbing some of the puke out of my hair. “Thank you” i said hiding my face, he smiles gently. “You are still wearing last nights clothes. Let me run out to the car. I have some sweats you can wear” he says as he starts to stand up. I grab his arm though and gently pull him back down guiding him to sit on the floor with me. “No, just lay here with me”. 

He kneels down to pick me up bridal style and carries me to the couch. “I will be right back”, he says before leaving the room. When he returns he has the glass of water, the ice pack and a new Advil since the last one ended up on the floor. 

After taking the Advil, I motion for him to come lay beside me on the couch, but he doesn’t. I sit up and he moves over a bit so I can sit beside him on the couch. I rest my head on his shoulder and we sit there for a second in silence before Mark speaks up. “I lied last night”, I turn to look at Mark who was already looking at me. “I lied when I said I didn’t love you anymore”, I felt my eyes start to burn as I remember the hurtful things he said to me last night. I don’t want him to see me cry, so I stand up and start walking to the bathroom. He quickly stands behind me, “Are you okay? Are you sick?” he says. “No- Yes- No I-um just need to get a-away from y-you” I reply starting to cry. Before reaching the bathroom door Mark grabbed my arm and turned me so I was facing him, he didn’t say anything he just held me in his arms while I cried into his shoulder.

He walked us back to the couch and sat us down so we were sitting there with his arms around me keeping me close. “You don’t love whores” I said, trying to push his arm away from over my shoulder. “You aren’t a whore. I told you, I lied last night. Everything I said wasn’t true. But you, you were right. You told me I was jealous. And you know what maybe I was” Mark started but I wouldn’t look at him, I didn’t want to give in, “I am so sorry baby, please look at me”. I give in and look at Mark, there is a tear in his eye threatening to fall. “Don’t cry” Is the only thing I could say. He lets out a soft chuckle while the tear escapes his eye, “Why are you telling me not to cry? I love that you are so caring even when you're hurt. I love that you care so much about not only me but my friends and teammates. I love everything about you” Mark continues. 

I wipe the tear that traveled down to his jaw line, “I think it’s time that I say I’m sorry” I say looking into his eyes. “No, don-”, “Yes, I am sorry I made you feel uncomfortable, obviously I have broken a boundary”, Mark looking in my eyes gives me an assuring nod before I rest my head on his chest while I am wrapped up in his arms. “And Mark”, “hm”, “I love you too” he lifts my chin up and squares our lips so they are facing each other before I say “Nope, I need a toothbrush and some toothpaste first”, earning a chuckle from Mark. 

We sit wrapped up in eachothers arms for a moment before Mark speaks up, “Are you feeling better?” I nod, “Okay, good. Can we go home because I think it is going to start getting awkward here soon sitting on Moyle’s couch” Mark jokes. “Where did he go anyway?” I ask. “I texted Luke and asked him to invite them to breakfast so I could get you alone”, “kinky” i joke. Mark rolls his eyes laughing, before throwing me over his shoulder and taking me to the car.   As we are driving back home, Mark grabs my hand and brings it up to his lips, kissing it gently before saying “I will never stop loving you”.

[the-wild-wolves-around-you]

even as a shadow, even as a dream pt.1

Pairing: Vamp!Eddie Munson/F!Reader; Vamp!Eddie Munson/You

Summary: Eddie wakes up in the Upside Down, and he is not the same. (Eddie POV)

Rating: M(ature)

Warnings: vamp!eddie munson, angst, mild body horror, blood cravings, feelings of self-loathing, adult language

A/N:  I apologize in advance for any pain this causes lol but this idea would just not leave me alone. Also, I was too lazy to come up with a new "reader" backstory, so I'm keeping "Obi" from my previous two fics. You don't have to read those to understand this one, but I consider this fic an alternate to "i can't carry it for you, but i can carry you." Namely, what would have happened if reader went with Lucas and Max instead of Dustin and Eddie? On a final note, I think this fic will be three parts, and each part will switch POVs between Eddie and Reader. (But there will be an eventual happy ending don't worry.)

Also, title take from this quote if anyone's curious:

Come back! Even as a shadow, even as a dream. -- Euripides

Anyway, hope you enjoy! <3

Ao3 Link: Here 

Pt. 2 Links: Tumblr / Ao3

Update: This fic is now completed.

Reblogs and comments greatly appreciated!

Hunger.

That was the first thing he was aware of. The only thing. It was sharp. It burned. It hurt. Everywhere, always, like needles in his skin. Like teeth.

Hunger, sharp as a blade. Overwhelming hunger. Hunger neverending.

It was his only sense, the only thing he could feel. He was deaf and blind and naked in the dark, the void of his hunger swallowing everything else. He wasn’t even aware of his body until the first drop of cold, thick liquid hit his tongue.

Then he suddenly had hands. Fingers that were clutching something limp and leathery to his mouth. He had a mouth, too, apparently. And a tongue. And teeth he was using to tear into the flesh of… something.

It didn’t matter what it was. What it had been. All that mattered was the liquid he was slurping from its body, loudly, hungrily. It was both delicious and disgusting in turns, made his stomach churn with nausea and then delight. Too soon, the thing was empty, drained dry, but that didn’t matter, either. He just moved on to the next thing, and the next. He drained them each dry.

It wasn’t until the third body, or maybe the fourth, that the word bat fluttered through his mind.

On the sixth body, the next word came. Blood.

He was drinking blood.

Except… that wasn’t right. The liquid coating his hands, his mouth, sliding down his tongue, was black, pitch-black. It was cold, too. And blood should be warm, should be…

Red.

The color flashed through his mind— a red sky, streaked with lightning— but it was gone just as quickly.

Didn’t matter. These words didn’t matter. Nothing mattered except the pit still gaping inside him.

Hungry. He was still so hungry.

Suddenly, a smell. He realized he had a nose just as it twitched, and then he was bombarded all at once.

Something rank and musty, leathery, decaying, with just a hint of metal. This was the most overwhelming scent, and as he blinked his eyes for what felt like the first time, his surroundings came into focus. Piled all around him were crumpled shapes, their dark flesh merging with the shadows.

Bats. The word flickered through his mind again. He was surrounded by dozens of bats, or their carcasses at least. One was still clutched in his hands, its cold, coagulated, too-thick blood slowly dripping down his chin.

But then, that scent again. Sweet. Pulsing. Alive.

He was moving before he realized it, crawling over the bats, staggering to his feet. Everything hurt, hunger stabbing at him from the inside, nearly driving him to his knees once more. But that smell… he needed to get to it. Needed to consume it.

And it was coming from the shadows beneath one of the crumbling structures around him.

Trailer. Another useless word.

Because now the scent was closer. Closer. Something skittered, nails rasping on asphalt. He was right on top of it.

Lunging out, he grabbed something soft, and it squealed, thrashing, in his grasp. He snarled as he yanked the thing to his mouth, and he sank his teeth through coarse fur until…

Blood. Hot as a brand, it poured into his mouth, washing over his tongue. The bat blood had been enough to get him upright, but this blood…

Groaning, he pulled it into his mouth like a man starved. Because he was. But the hunger aching through his bones was an animal, rabid, feral… fading. He didn’t realize it at first, but with every desperate swallow, the hot liquid was coating the razor-sharp hunger seated deep in his belly. Not completely, but enough that his mind slowly began to return, bit by bit.

By the time he drained the thing dry and pulled it away from his mouth, he recognized it as a racoon. And when he looked up, he recognized the shadowed trailer in front of him as the Littens’, who lived down the road.

But then he caught sight of his reflection in the trailer’s window. Caught sight of the dark smear of his mouth, dripping with blood. The flash of his too-white, too-long teeth. The dark pits of his eyes, surrounded by black veins. The twin and curving shadows looming over his back.

A beat passed, then two…

Eddie Munson started screaming.

*~*~*~*~*~*

“Come on, wake up, wake up, goddamnit!” Eddie whimpered as he smacked his balled up fists into his forehead, like he could punch himself awake.

Then the smell of his hands— of the blood on them— reached his nose, and it made his stomach churn and his mouth salivate for very different reasons.

He pulled his hands away from his face, making a sound caught somewhere between a groan and a gag. His breathing was uneven, rapid, shaky. He felt on the verge of passing out.

Maybe… maybe if he passed out, he would wake up from this nightmare. Dream logic, right? Because that’s all this was. A nightmare. Just a terrible, godawful nightmare.

But fuck, he’d never felt this hungry in a dream before. He had never felt hungry in a dream at all. But now hunger was sitting in his belly like a molten rock, smoldering. It wasn’t as all-consuming as it had been, but it was still there, always present, clinging to him like a shadow.

Minutes ticked by while he crouched there on his heels with his brow pressed to his knees, but he could feel that hunger growing stronger again with each passing second. There was also a dull persistent pain throbbing in his teeth, like a headache.

Eddie also couldn’t remember ever feeling pain in a dream before.

Okay, so maybe this wasn’t a dream, a nightmare. Maybe… maybe this was a Vecna trance?

“Shit!” Eddie jolted to his feet, glancing around frantically, but he didn’t account for the extra weight on his back. He stumbled, feeling his shoulder blades shift, followed by a brush of something soft and leathery against his neck, his cheek.

He flinched, and his stomach churned again for yet another reason.

“Don’t think about it, Munson, just don’t fucking think about it,” Eddie muttered to himself, voice tinged with hysteria.

But it was kind of hard not to think about the fucking wings sprouting out of his back. The weight of them was like a yoke, and they twitched and moved without his permission, always flickering in the corners of his vision.

Vecna. This had to be Vecna. Right?

Red— what was her name? Max— hadn’t mentioned being turned into a… a monster in her visions, but maybe Vecna was upping the ante? They had been trying to kill him after all.

“Fuckkk,” Eddie whined as he wrapped his arms around himself, cupping his elbows. His eyes darted around again, but nothing had changed since he’d folded in the middle of the road and tried to slap himself awake.

The Upside Down reflection of his trailer park stood around him, covered in vines and the bodies of demo-bats. He tried not to look at their carcasses scattered across the asphalt. Tried not to remember how they tasted, even though the acrid flavor of their blood still sat on the back of his tongue.

Either way, they were dead. That was the important thing. They couldn’t hurt him.

All at once, Eddie recalled the sensation of the demo-bats tearing him to pieces. Their teeth and claws rending his flesh, spilling his blood. The pain had been terrible. He remembered how it felt to choke on his own blood…

“Wait!” Eddie gasped, grabbing at the front of his shirt.

When he looked down, he saw his Hellfire shirt was shredded, the white stained scarlet, the devil’s face in ribbons. He shoved the ruined mess of fabric up and out of the way and found…

An even worse mess.

“Oh, what the fuck?” Eddie whimpered as he stared down at his chest.

His whole torso was coated in blood, but it was all dried, flaking off in patches. And his injuries— the damage done by the demo-bats— were… scarred over. Instead of gaping wounds was ropy scar tissue, crisscrossing his skin in chaotic patterns. Some of the scars looked more healed than others, some were still tender when he poked them, and as Eddie continued to stare, he could have sworn he saw the tail end of a slash mark on his sternum stitch fully closed…

“Nope!” Eddie whipped his head up. He was starting to hyperventilate again. He reflexively lifted his hand to chew on his thumbnail— a bad habit he’s had since childhood— but he froze when a sharp claw pressed into his bottom lip. He dropped both hands like they were on fire, extending them out to the sides and clenching his eyes shut again. “Fuck! Nope, no, this is not happening. Not fucking happening. Keep it together, Munson. T-This is just Vecna, just Vecna fucking with you, man.”

But if it was Vecna… where was he?

Cracking his eyes open, Eddie glanced around again. But there was nothing. No flocks of flying demo-bats. No snarling demo-dogs, no Demogorgons.

No Vecna.

The Upside Down was eerily quiet and still around him, more so than usual. It made the sound of his panicked breathing that much louder. Why the fuck was Vecna not attacking him? If this was a trance, he should already be dead. Chrissy was dead within moments. So was that basketball kid who was out to kill him. Patrick or something. They were both dead minutes after Vecna got them.

Unless… time worked differently for those in the trance? Maybe minutes in the real world felt like hours in Vecna’s mental torture chamber.

God, Eddie fucking hoped not.

But… on the off chance this wasn’t a trance, wasn’t a dream or a nightmare, then all that was left was reality, which would be so much worse.

Eddie felt the wings on his back twitch again, felt the blood drying on his lips, but before he could start to fully panic, another thought occurred to him.

If this was real, then what had happened to the rest of the gang? Henderson, Harrington, Buckley, Wheeler… you.

The thought of your face was like a sledgehammer to the chest, the breath expelled from his lungs in a pained wheeze.

Instead of going with Harrington’s group, you had elected to stay with Sinclair and Max in the Creel house, said all the kids needed at least one chaperone. Your joke had fallen flat, but Eddie remembered smiling because it was just like you to try and make light of a situation, try to make everyone feel better, if only for a moment.

What had happened to you? To everyone? How long had it been since he…

Eddie swallowed thickly as he once again recalled choking on his own blood. He remembered Dustin being there, could still hear the kid crying in his head. But then… nothing. Just darkness. Maybe he passed out.

A wing brushed his neck again, and Eddie knew he hadn’t just passed out.

But he couldn’t think about that right now. He needed to get out of here. He needed to find everyone. Find you. Find…

Blood.

The word ricocheted through his mind again, and that hunger reared up in his stomach, snarling. The blood of the raccoon taunted him from the corners of his mouth, and his tongue chased the phantom flavor, desperate and wanting.

“No, stop it, stop it!” Eddie hissed, smacking his cheeks and nearly poking his damn eyes out with his… claws. He shoved his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket so he wouldn’t have to look at them, and then he paused and took a deep breath. Let it out slow.

The hunger was still there, like an ember burning a hole through his belly, seconds from leaping into flame. But he could ignore it. He would just… just think of you.

He summoned up the image of your smiling face, and immediately the painful hunger faded a bit. Eddie concentrated, recalling the sound of your laugh, the way you snorted when you were high and found something really funny. He tried to remember the last thing you said to him but couldn’t, but the ghost of your voice trickled through his thoughts, wordless yet soothing. That wasn’t anything new, though. You always sanded off his edges, made the chaos of his mind quiet for just a little while.

Fuck, he’d been in love with you for so long. Ages. Lifetimes.

You hadn’t remembered, but Eddie first met you a few months before your tenth birthday. It was the day before your father had moved you out of Hawkins for some job he got. You’d been so angry at your parents for making you leave the only home you had ever known, so you “ran away,” off into the woods, to avoid having to move.

That was where Eddie found you, or rather where you found him.

He’d been dicking around in the woods around the trailer park, trying to avoid his father who was already drunk at nine in the morning. Eddie didn’t even have any real toys, so he was just throwing rocks at trees, turning sticks into swords with his wild imagination. Then he’d turned around, and there you were. He could still remember the overalls you were wearing, your muddy knees, your red and tear-stained eyes. The two of you had just stared at each other— Eddie bracing himself to be bullied for his hair or his clothes or his dead mom and drunk father— but you’d just smiled at him shyly and asked if you could play with him. He’d stammered something stupid about how he was playing knights and dragons, thinking you would finally realize you were talking to Munson the Freak. But your eyes had just lit up as you picked up your own stick-sword and asked him what the rules were.

Eddie was a goner from that moment on.

Of course, your mother had eventually found you hours later, having been called by someone from the trailer park who saw you and Eddie playing in the woods. Your mom dragged you kicking and screaming back to the car while Eddie awkwardly stood in the tree line. It was only when he’d heard your mother yell your name in reprimand that he realized he hadn’t asked for it all day. You hadn’t asked for his name, either, in the way children can become fast friends with just about anyone given the right circumstances.

But your name and that one perfect, golden, summer afternoon haunted him for years after.

And yet, in a twist of ironic fate, he hadn’t recognized you when you returned.

You’d come back to Hawkins for your senior year and his second. But your hair was much longer, less frizzy, the gap in your front teeth gone. You also kept to yourself and kept your head down, so Eddie passed you in the halls for almost an entire year without a second glance.

Then, during his third senior year, he met Dustin Henderson. And one rainy fall day, you came to pick the kid up from Hellfire.

Eddie didn’t know what it was— maybe it was the way your hair was made frizzy by the rain, or maybe it was the shy smile you had cast the room when you looked up— but he remembered in an instant who you were.

And he fell in love all over again.

He’d bugged— well, maybe more threatened— Henderson to keep bringing you around, using the kid’s bike as an excuse. But you eventually saw through the flimsy lie, and Eddie thought that was it, he’d lost you yet again.

Until he walked out of the next Hellfire meeting, and there you were in the parking lot, leaning against your car and smiling at him, that same, shy smile you’d given him in the woods nearly ten years ago.

Eddie had nearly kissed you that first day, but he managed to control himself. Just barely. Because he finally had you back, and you were as golden and bright as his childhood memories made you out to be. He couldn’t lose you again. So, he kept his mouth shut. He became your friend. Gave you good deals on weed, invited you to his shows, hung out with you in his trailer and listened to you complain about your mom.

And you became his best friend, the one who listened to him ramble about his DnD campaigns, who rocked out in his van with him to the newest cassette he bought, who pushed him to study so he could finally get the fuck out of high school. He had pretended to complain about the studying, but really he enjoyed any time he got to spend with you. And Eddie saw the smile you tried to hide when he called you “Master Obi-Wan,” so he took to calling you Obi, just in the hopes of seeing your lips twitch.

In all that time, you never gave any indication that you remembered him or that day in the woods, so he kept the memory to himself. But that was fine because he had you, the now you, not just the phantom of your past. And every time you smiled in his direction, every time you snorted at something unfunny his said while passing back the joint, Eddie had thought this is enough. More than enough.

Except now you might be dead, and he never got to tell you how much he loved you.

The thought had his eyes snapping open, and Eddie was walking before he realized it. It wasn’t until he turned the corner that his brain registered he was moving, marching, headed for his trailer.

But it wasn’t there.

Eddie’s feet tangled as he stumbled to a stop.

“What the fuuuu…” he muttered, trailing off as his wide eyes stared at the rubble where his trailer used to be.

Because that’s all it was now. Rubble and debris. The Upside Down version of his home had already looked shitty, wrapped in vines and scrap metal from his and Henderson’s shoddy armoring, but this was a wreck. It looked like the trailer had been fucking… split in half.

And in the center lay a burning red line, like a jagged wound in the ground, the crimson light giving everything around it a hellish glow.

Was that the gate? How the fuck did it get so big?

What the fuck happened?

“Shit,” Eddie breathed, feeling that familiar panic start to crawl up his spine. “Shit, shit, shit!”

Did that mean… Harrington hadn’t stopped Vecna? And if Harrington hadn’t stopped Vecna, then Max… and you…

Eddie stared at the massive gate for an endless moment, not knowing what to do. But the longer he stood there motionless, the more the hunger in his stomach was making itself known. It burned in the center of him, started making his thoughts fuzzy around the edges again.

Eddie shook his head, but the back of his throat still itched, felt tight and dry. Unbidden, the refreshing sensation of the raccoon blood pooling on his tongue jumped to the forefront of his mind, and his mouth fell open as he began to pant. The raccoon must have come through the enlarged gate, which meant there were more of them on the other side, more hot, pulsing blood--

“Fuck! Focus, Munson, focus,” he muttered to himself, clenching his eyes shut again.

It was one of your favorite phrases, usually accompanied by you snapping your fingers to redirect his attention to finishing an essay or studying for a test.

The memory of you sitting cross-legged on his bed, surrounded by textbooks, made the hunger recede again, like the tide going out, and Eddie exhaled a shaky breath.

He needed to find you. Make sure you were alright. Everything else— the gates, the hunger, the wings— it could all come later. 

Because you had to be alright. There was no way the world would keep turning without you in it. So you were fine, back in the real world. Just fucking fine.

He just needed to find you. You, then Henderson. Because Henderson would know what to do. That kid always had a plan.

Gathering his courage, Eddie opened his eyes and started walking toward the wreckage of his trailer. He ignored the scattered remnants of his life, stepping over his couch sawed in half, his broken stereo system, Uncle Wayne’s hats, until he was standing on the edge of the gate. With the ceiling of the trailer— and the trailer itself— gone, the portal between worlds was now just slashed into the ground. The red glow was almost blinding this close, and Eddie squinted against the glare.

His breathing was still jagged, his throat tight with fear. Hunger was a perpetual burning coal in his belly, his teeth fucking ached, and the wings on his back continued to twitch and remind him of their presence.

Eddie was fucking terrified, just as terrified as he’d been when the bats descended upon him, tore him apart.

But that didn’t matter. None of it mattered. Just you. Always you.

Your face filled his thoughts, pushed down the hunger, the fear, the throbbing in his mouth.

Just you. Always you.

“O-Okay, I’m comin’, Obi, I’m coming,” Eddie said under his breath.

Then he closed his eyes, bent down, and shoved his hands through the gate.

The fleshy material tore beneath his claws like wet paper, and he crawled forward without thinking about it, trying to ignore how birth-like it felt to pass through the portal.

Thankfully, it was over quickly, and within moments Eddie was hauling himself up and into the real world, the wreckage of his actual trailer still surrounding him. He scrambled away from the gate, trying not to look at his clawed hands, but suddenly his senses were assaulted all at once, and he faceplanted into the dirt with a groan.

It was so warm here. Not hot, not exactly painful, but enough to be uncomfortable, to make his leather jacket feel like a prison. Then there were the noises. The crickets chirping, the hum of electricity, the distant murmur of voices, of cars. Eddie could hear it all. Like it was all being funneled straight into his brain through the best headphones money could buy. It was enough to make him want to rip his goddamn ears off.

But worse were the smells.

Garbage and grass, car exhaust, fire smoke, and underneath it all…

Blood.  

It was everywhere, Eddie could smell it everywhere. The animal hunger in him roared to the surface, clocking the stray cats under the trailer next to him, the rats in the tall weeds, the birds in the trees. And…

People. Eddie could hear people. Someone on the other end of the trailer park was watching TV in their living room. No, two people. He could hear them arguing, the raised tone of their voices, but the meaning of their words was lost because saliva was now pooling in his mouth.

Their blood smelled so much sweeter. Sweeter than the racoon, the cats and rodents around him. Eddie couldn’t describe it, words escaping him as all his senses zeroed in on the scent. From the direction and the raised voices, it had to be Paul and Deb. They were always arguing, always mean, sneering at him even when he was just a boy walking home from school.

The violent image of tearing Paul’s throat out flashed through Eddie’s thoughts, and that animal hunger in him rejoiced before his conscious weakly raised its head again.

No. No, he couldn’t kill Paul. He wasn’t a murder. He wasn’t a…

Monster.

The word whispered through his mind, echoed by the whispering of the wings against his back, and Eddie whined as he tore at his hair, claws digging into his scalp.

The pain centered him for a moment, long enough that he could think of your face again.

He needed to find you. Needed to find you. Needed you, you, you—

Again, a vision flashed across the darkness of his closed eyelids, but this time it was your throat he was tearing out, your wide eyes pleading as he slurped the blood straight from your neck.

“No!” Eddie snarled, carving his claws into his scalp and shaking his head vehemently.

No, he wasn’t going to hurt you. Could never hurt you. Would rather die than lay a finger on you.

But… this hunger inside him was so sharp, so deep. What if he couldn’t control himself? What if he did hurt you?

“No,” Eddie said again, but this time it was a whimper. His tone was pleading, though he didn’t know who he was begging. Certainly not God. The universe, maybe. The very fucking cosmos.

His eyes felt hot, but no tears came. He was starting to hyperventilate again, which only made the scent of Paul and Deb’s blood more cloying. But his trailer was in pieces around him, split in half by an interdimensional gate to hell. Wayne was probably dead. And if Eddie couldn’t go to you, he couldn’t go to Henderson, so he was… alone.

He was alone and so hungry and so fucking scared.

What the fuck was he supposed to do?

“Obi,” Eddie sobbed without meaning to, all but tearing out clumps of his hair now. “Obi, p-please…”

Please, help me.

He crouched there and cried tearlessly for a moment, but his never-ending hunger wouldn’t let him rest. His stomach started to tie itself into knots, painful and tight, and he nearly snapped when Jinx, one of the park’s feral cats, slinked out of the shadows to meow at him. Eddie usually tossed scraps to the mangy feline when he took out the trash, and Jinx seemed to recognize him somewhat. But she kept her distance, meowing from several yards away, which was probably what saved her life.

Because Eddie could hear the blood pumping through the cat, could practically feel its warmth on his tongue. Saliva filled his mouth, his teeth throbbing, and Jinx seemed to recognize the danger because she turned and darted away, fading back into the shadows.

Eddie could still hear her heart pounding from under a trailer several spots down, but the distance gave him some clarity, and he shakily pushed himself to his feet.

He couldn’t stay here. He had to go. Go… somewhere. But away. Away from people, from things he could hurt.

Or kill.

Eddie stumbled out of the wreckage of his trailer and into the woods. It was only then that he realized it was dark, not full dark, but the deep purple bruise of twilight right as the sun slips beneath the horizon. The trees cast black shadows, but Eddie could see just fine in the gloom, like it was midday. This fact should have been surprising except he couldn’t feel anything beyond his hunger. It latched onto his brain, squeezing like a bear trap, and Eddie whined as he fought against it.

Once more, he conjured your face, your smile, the little crease between your eyes that you got whenever you were reading or thinking deeply about something. Eddie recalled every detail he could about you in an effort to stay sane. Your crooked fingers, broken from falling out of a tree when you were seven. Your lips that were forever chapped because you were always picking at them. The constellations of moles and birthmarks spiraling up and down your arms and the glimpses he’d caught of your back. The way you always leaned your head against his shoulder when you were too high and nodding off. The way you wiggled happily every time you had a bite of food you really liked. The way you said his name. Munson. Equal parts exasperated and affectionate.

Eddie clung to these vestiges of you like a drowning man clings to a life preserver, while the hunger, like waves, fought to overtake him. He was trying to keep his head above water, trying to summon up another memory to keep him afloat, when suddenly…

Your name.

It rang through his head like a bell, forcing his eyes open, and Eddie abruptly realized where he was.

He was standing in the woods across from your house, half a step back in the tree line and half hidden by a large trunk. His feet had carried him to you unwittingly, muscle memory from the many times he had walked you home since you lived only a few minutes away. Your street looked largely the same. There was a long crack in the middle of the road, splitting the asphalt, but the houses were all intact. And yours was a little less than fifty yards away.

And you. You were sitting on the steps of your front porch, smoking a cigarette like you were just waiting for him to pull up in his van and pick you up.

Except… god, your face.

Rage ignited in Eddie like a wildfire, and he felt an inhuman growl rumble in his chest, his claws digging into the tree trunk he was hiding behind.

The side of your face was a mottled mixture of blues and purples, and even from this distance— his vision was much better than it should be— Eddie could see the bloody and broken capillaries in your eyes. Your lip was split right down the middle, framed by more bruises, and the hand you weren’t smoking with was wrapped in a white cast that encased your wrist.

The scent of old blood lingered around you, but instead of making him hungry, it made him angry. Wrathful. Vengeful.

Who the fuck had hurt you?

The throbbing in Eddie’s teeth started to spread across his whole head like a virus, a curse. The bark beneath his claws was splintering, crushed by the force of his taut fingers, and his ears rang and rang and rang. He would kill whoever had done that to you. Tear them to shreds. Drink them dry—

Suddenly, the front door burst open right behind you, narrowly missing your hunched back by inches. A new scent— hot pumping blood, too-pungent cologne,  and fear— hit Eddie moments before recognition did.

[snowdropluck204]

Honey - Steve Harrington x Single Mother! Reader - pt 2

Welcome to part two of my single mum fic! Sorry it's taken me so long to get this out, but I sort of screwed myself over, I left it at a place I couldn't figure out where to go from there. But I hope you guys like this! Xxx ____________________________

3rd Person pov

(y/n) hummed to herself as she walked through the aisles of the store, picking up products, glancing at the prices and then putting them back. She had baby Jamie in a wrap, pressed against her chest and Sam was trailing along behind her, holding on to her mama's sweater and her other hand gripping her blanket. A lot of the women in the store had already seen the little family walking around, either frowning in disdain or in absolute shock that the fabled single mother of Hawkins had such well behaved children, she seemed to be taking care of them with such ease!

(y/n) had a smile on her face as she picked up some things for dinner, still slightly humming to herself and the sleeping baby. As much as the glances and the 'quiet' comments bothered her, she was happy, she was away from her past and looking to her future with two wonderful babies!

"(y/n)?" A voice asked from behind her, turning around, she saw a head of dark, curly hair, arms covered in tattoos and a ripped shirt.

"Eddie?" She responded, keeping her voice low and even, looking him up and down, she was shocked at just how little he had changed. The two had been friends when she and her family lived just outside of town. Her father and Wayne had worked at the same car shop until Wayne and Eddie moved further into Hawkins, that was when the two of them were about thirteen.

Leaning an arm over the baby against her chest, she gave him a tight, one armed hug, "It's so good to see you again!" She smiled, already smelling the familiar scent of faint pot... Eddie smiled his signature grin, which quickly dropped when he noticed the children alongside his childhood friend.

"It's great to see you too! Who's this?" He asked, glancing at the baby and again at the toddler. (y/n) smiled shyly, introducing her kids to the metal head.

"These are my kids, this is Jamie, and this is Samantha, we recently moved back here." She told him, seeing his eyes widening in shock as he took them in. They were a family, the three of them, it was immensely obvious just how related the three of them were. They all had the same nose and Eddie could feel they were the same. (y/n) always had a certain aura about her, something that made everyone around her feel calm and soothed. He could see how baby Jamie relaxed into her chest, could see how Samantha got calmer the closer she got to her mother.

Eddie hadn't expected this, he saw her from behind and thought, 'It can't be her, no way, she left years ago...' And obviously there was the sudden show of kids... But she was here, this was the same girl he'd grown up with! And she has kids...

He couldn't wrap his head around it.

"Eddie?" (y/n) was waving a hand in front of his face, he seemed to have broken.

"Eddie?" Another voice seemed to appear from nowhere, coming up behind Eddie and clapping a hand onto his shoulder, startling him from his reverie. "Hey, I couldn't find the cereal you wanted so I just picked up-" Realising the two had company, the voice looked up and saw (y/n).

(e/c) met shocked, chocolate eyes, seeing Steve, the guy she had met the other day. "Steve!" She cheered, earning herself a smile from the young man holding the most sugary cereal she had ever seen and probably wouldn't let her little ones eat.

"Hey! It's good to see you, I wasn't expecting to see you again so soon!" He said, going to shake her hand but realised her hands were a bit full of baby Jamie, who he gave a small smile and a wave to. Turning to see Sam behind her leg, he bent down to say hi, offering her a wave and smile also. Seeing him there, Sam came out from behind her mama's leg slightly and went over to Steve, starting to clamber into his lap, seeing as how he was low to the floor.

(y/n) stuttered, "Sam, honey, Steve might not want to cuddle!" She said quietly, hoping that she would understand and climb down without bawling her eyes out. Steve chuckled and sat firmly on the floor, helping Sam get comfy in his lap.

"It's cool, I'm just glad she likes me!" He said cheerily, smiling up at the young mother, who swore she felt her heart skip a beat at how cute the two of them looked together. At this point, Eddie had finally gotten over the news.

"So... You have kids now! When did that happen? Hey, who's the father?" He asked, his rapid fire question overwhelming even him. (y/n)'s face dropped suddenly, holding Jamie closer to her chest, protectively. Her foot turning towards Sam out of reflex.

Swallowing heavily and clearing her throat, (y/n) responded in a voice Eddie had never heard from her before, "They don't have a dad." It was a sound that was cold and sharp, clearly saying to stop asking. Eddie knew better, so he dropped it, reaching over tentatively to run his finger along Jamie's chubby cheek, eyeing (y/n) cautiously, to make sure that it was okay. She simply smiled her angel smile, her demeanour and bounced the baby in her arms.

Steve and Sam were getting along like a house on fire, she hadn't said a word, happily toying with the man's fluffy hair and listening to him babble and ask questions about how she liked living in Hawkins and what her favourite foods were. (y/n) couldn't help but melt at the scene, she had never seen her little girl so comfortable with anyone other than her, especially a stranger. She worried a little at how her heart skipped a beat, she had felt this feeling before and it hadn't ended well, she didn't want to make the same mistake in men twice.

Eddie seemed to have another revelation seeing Sam and Steve together, "Wait, you two know each other?" He asked curiously, looking between the two of them. (y/n) nodded, beginning to look through the aisles for things on her shopping list again. She began picking up very sensible items, herbs and spice to clearly put in a meal, unlike the children's cereal Steve just picked up for Eddie.

It made Steve realise just how different they were, he was deemed the mom of the group, but (y/n) was literally a mom, and she was kicking ass at it! Steve thought about the amount of times he'd tried to get Eddie to eat a bit healthier, like not buying the cereal that had three times the sugar and was three times the cost of healthy cereal... Seeing how (y/n) was interacting with the kids and Eddie, Steve fully believed that using her angelic voice, her beautiful smile and pure motherly instinct she could get him eating lettuce for every meal!

Steve hadn't realised just how much he had been staring at the young mother until Sam pulled on his hair and Eddie kicked him in the ribs at the same time. "Ow!" He told the metalhead disapproving, rubbing his side. Hearing (y/n) laugh at him was not something he knew he wanted, but it was delightful, like jingle bells... Steve tried to put Sam down to follow her mom down the aisle of the store, but she wouldn't budge, so he lifted himself to his feet, heaving her into sitting on his hip as he himself followed (y/n).

"So what's your plan for dinner tonight lil mama?" He asked the woman cheekily, leading to (y/n) giggling bashfully. Sam began jumping up and down, or as much as she could in Steve's embrace.

"Spaghetti!" She cheered excited, her mom smiling at her lovingly. Steve also smiled at the young girl.

"Spaghetti huh? Your mom's spaghetti must be awesome!" He enthused, loving the look the (y/n) was now giving the both of them at the sweet interaction.

Sam nodded quickly, "It's the bestest!" Causing Steve to chuckle at the sweet error, hearing a soft correction from the young girl's mother, the two practicing the word a few times.

Eddie popped into the conversation, "What's wrong with the word bestest?" He asked, testing the word a few times around his tongue.

"Because it's not a word, Edward." (y/n) admonished gently, "Then again, unless it was vulgar or forbidden, words weren't really your forte, were they?" She teased, Eddie faking a look of offence, placing a hand over his chest.

Sam giggled at the man's antics, "Uncle Eddie's funny!" She laughed, causing (y/n) to smile, but look steadily at Eddie, who had frozen in his shocked ploy, but now the shocked face was incredibly real.

"Did she just say Uncle Eddie?" He asked cautiously, in case he had misheard her, Steve looked on in worry, hoping for both an explanation and to make sure Eddie didn't bail on the small family, instead the metalhead stepped closer to (y/n), asking a question with his eyes.

(y/n) simply smiled at him, "I wanted to have her named after someone close to me," She tried to explain, Eddie immediately interrupting.

"Her name is Samantha, that's nothing close to my name..." He pondered, (y/n) edged closer, taking his hand gently.

"Her full name is Samantha Elizabeth (l/n), I wanted to name her after your mom..." (y/n) looked off, hoping he wasn't angry at her, "I'm sorry if that wasn't okay, I just- I loved your mom and she meant a lot to you as well, so when Sammy was born, that was the first middle name I thought of when I saw her face-"

(y/n)'s rambling was cut off when Eddie pulled her into a hug, being mindful not to squash baby Jamie in the process, "Thank you." He whispered softly, pressing a teary kiss against (y/n)'s forehead in the middle of the frozen aisle.

After the hug was over, Steve watching smiling from the side, not wanting to disturb the peaceful moment between old friends, (y/n) wiped away her own tears. "Well after all that, I am hungry, so I say we get shopping done. You guys wanna come eat with us, I can make plenty?" She offered sweetly.

Steve could see Eddie getting ready to say yes and interjected, "As lovely as that would be, we have to get back to Robin, she'll be getting hangry..." Steve mentioned, causing the sweet smile on (y/n)'s face to droop slightly. Steve was concerned, was it really that hurtful to have to decline her dinner request? Or was she sad about something else? Like him mentioning a 'her'.

Eddie was still buzzing over everything, his old friend returning with two little cherubs, one named after his own mother, he kept chattering, "Robin won't mind, maybe we could invite her, you'd love her (y/n), Robin's our roommate!" He rambled, dancing around on the linoleum tiles, pulling faces to make the kids laugh, and succeeding.

(y/n) paused slightly, "Robin's your roommate? So not a girlfriend or anything?" She tried to ask as subtly as she thought she could be, it wasn't hugely subtle...

Eddie guffawed, a choked laugh, "She should be so lucky! No she's not into either of us in any way!" Eddie laughed, leading (y/n) to relax her shoulders slightly. Steve looked at (y/n), confused but slightly hopeful, maybe she was interested?

At the relaxation, she smiled again, a bright, happy smile, "Sure thing, the more the merrier!" She told the boys, who smiled in appreciation, wondering how that dinner would go... ____________________________________

Sorry this chapter took so damn long! It's been way too long and for that I cannot apologise enough... My brain has been a bit dried up recently, I'm hoping to get back into my writing slowly! I hope you enjoyed it! Xxx

[ash-is-dying]

Mr Perfectly Fine: Chap 4

A/N: Smashed this one out. A bit shorter but just as good I swear. Heavily focused on Eddie's pov this time around. I promise he's getting better with a bit of help from his life coach A.K.A Wayne Munson. Enjoy!

Eddie x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 1.9k

Chapter 4: Mr. I’ve Been Waiting For You All My Life

---

He fucked up.

He would never admit it in a million years, but he knew he had fucked up.

You hadn’t been around in a week. Even on his days off Eddie would come back and hear the others complaining that you hadn’t been in at your usual time. It was doing his head in and his pride wouldn’t let him tell them that it was most likely his fault.

Okay, maybe definitely his fault.

But it was a good thing. No dumb orders with a bunch of substitutions and additives, no analyzing eyes watching over him, no yelling or arguing or anger at all. So it was a good thing. Right?

But if it was so good why didn’t things feel right? He felt himself wondering why he was so off, he’d only known you for a few weeks and every interaction crawled under his skin and made it boil. He was happy to be rid of you. You were too familiar. Made him too nostalgic. Things should have gone back to normal by now. Key word being should.

If his own inner turmoil wasn’t enough, Wayne had also been up his ass every time they spoke. After college, at work, at home. The old man was a ninja. Okay so not Eddie’s best analogy but his point still stood. As soon as he had gotten you off his mind his uncle appeared shoving you right back to the forefront.

“Have you talked to her?”

“Did you say sorry?”

“You have to do something for her.”

“Get off my couch and go fix things Edward.”

God it was a living nightmare there was no escape from. When it wasn’t his own voice it was Wayne’s and vice versa, there was no reprieve.

The voices got louder when he lay sleepless at night. Her face and the tears in her eyes were stuck on loop as he reheard her shaky voice as she last spoke to him. The good part he has left in him regrets it all. Then again the good part of him wants to cry himself to sleep, go buy her a bouquet of flowers and beg for forgiveness. Like hell was that happening. But his mind kept returning to those lingering questions even he couldn’t answer. Why had he pushed her away? She had done nothing wrong and he had yelled at her because of what, her keen observation skills? Her relationship with his uncle?

Because he knew this feeling all too well.

By the time he reached that level he’d given up on sleep opting for a smoke and some coffee. Ain’t no way is he going down that road.

He made his way back inside dumping the cold coffee in the sink as Wayne walked out of his room stretching.

“You’re up early Ed. That’s the third time this week.”

Eddie responds with a grunt of acknowledgement, his eyes darting back to the sink.

“Something on your mind?” Wayne pauses putting his elbows on the bench. “Someone on your mind?”

That was a loaded question. It was very obvious what was on his mind. What Wayne was really trying to ask was what was he going to do about it? And the answer to that was the same as it was the last few days. Nothing.

Wayne sighs and they move around each other as breakfast is made. They both sit on the couch shoveling eggs into their mouths before they had to leave and open the shop.

“You wanna know the four steps to winning back a girl?”

Eddie chokes on his food as he registers these words. He swallows hard and clears his throat. “Okay well first of all I have no need for such tips and second of all I’m in no mood to hear uncle guru’s life hacks this early in the morning when I’m running on caffeine and burnt toast.”

Wayne chuckles. “First off the toast and caffeine is your fault, second, I’m telling you anyway because I think you need to hear it.”

He puts his plate down and leans forward making direct eye contact with his nephew. “Step 1. Break the ice. Step 2. Contact. Step 3. Talk. Step 4. Apologize. 5. Peace Offering. If a girl is mad at you she’ll put up a wall you just gotta charge through that wall. You do something surprising so it stops her from completely icing you out, then you make sure she’s okay with you getting closer again, you start to talk and get her to open up and finally you open up, she feels trusted and she trusts you then to seal the deal you give her something meaningful so she’s always thinking of you. Never fails. Munson guarantee.”

Eddie smiles shaking his head. “Munson guarantee?”

“Munson Guarantee. Works one hundred percent of the time and if it doesn’t then you get a full refund.”

Eddie stands collecting their plates. “I didn’t invest no money in this.”

Wayne stands and scruffles Eddie’s bed hair. “That would be the point my boy.”

Eddie finishes his morning routine in a relatively good mood, every few minutes having a laugh at Wayne’s girl advice.

Five steps to win you back.

Yeah right.

---

He’d been a selfish idiot and sat in his regular spot, placed next to yours. Only for you to walk in, see him, turn tail and sit in the front corner. He couldn’t stop the pang of guilt in his chest when you walked away even though he knew it was coming. The first class in the last fortnight where you weren’t nagging in his ear and he missed it. Nag is the wrong word. You don’t miss nagging. Maybe he just missed you talking to him. But you sat a metaphorical ocean away. He didn’t even have your number. There was no way possible for him to even begin to explain what was going on. Not like he wanted to.

So he moped. He sat with his feet on the desk biting his lip and letting his head fall back. Moping over the unexpected impact losing you had on him. No matter how brief and shallow your interactions were. Suddenly a pop up in the corner of his screen drew his attention. A black textbox with your name at the top.

An email.

A lifeline.

It was just about the project, the first few pieces of sheet music with notes and rewrites. It simply read ‘make sure you have your overlay done by next Monday for when I booked the studio.’ But to him it said so much more. He had a week. Maybe he could fix things.

Wayne’s list got into his head.

Step 1. Break the ice.

Eddie’s first thought of course is, make you laugh. He scrolled through his options for a good minute or so before finding something he had a gut feeling would at least make you smile. He found a gif of a cat typing on a computer with the caption ‘I’m on it!’. He smiled and sent it through, his eyes immediately drifting to you. It took you a few minutes but he watched as your mouth twitched upwards ever so slightly. A huff of amusement passing through your lips before you started typing again. A notification popped up on his screen, a reply.

‘Not funny.’

Progress is progress.

Step 2. Contact.

He didn’t really know how to make contact considering you had been keeping about a miles radius between you two. Luckily his chance came tumbling down some stairs. Quite literally. On your way out of class one of your books had fallen apart, pages falling to the floor. You were on your knees whilst the class had already passed you by. A hand appeared in front of you gathering the spill of paper. You looked up to thank the person it was attached to when you found yourself looking into familiar eyes.

“Thank you so- oh.”

Eddie swallowed holding his pile out to you. You immediately clammed up but took the pile and held it to your chest as you stood.

“Thanks.” You mumbled. He stood slowly to meet you before you walked past him and out the door. He thought that had made no difference until he found you no longer aimed to stay away. You no longer seemed wary of only words of harm leaving his mouth.

At least you weren’t shoving him away with a bargepole anymore.

Step 3. Talk.

Talking to you was evidently not his strong suit but he couldn’t have planned this better. He had your sheet music in hand, half assed notes of his own to make it look like he had questions and concerns. He would tell you he was curious about your style choices and needed an explanation. It was a perfect plan. Yet here he stands in front of you speechless.

“Couldn’t you have just emailed me?”

Shit.

“Well no my laptop crashed yesterday and I didn’t want to just not do the work so uh yeah.” Idiot.

You choose to ignore the fact that you saw him on his laptop in class earlier and you grab the sheet from his hands. You spend the next ten minutes going through his questions and correcting his notes. He fidgets as he sits listening to things he already knows. But you move closer. You point out his mistakes. You make eye contact. You finish your speech and look up at him tiredly.

“Don’t know where I’d be without you angel.”

“Probably be off torturing another girl somewhere.”

Your words hold no poison and he takes that as a victory, he smiles gently back at you.

“Probably. Probably”

Step 4. Apologize.

“Sorry what?” You replied, your face stuffed with a grilled cheese as you rip out your headphones. He was obviously interrupting. Oh well. Too late now.

“I was a dick. I’m sorry.” He said looking to the ground.

You put your food down and turned to face him. “Where’s this coming from? Been waiting for this Eddie all my life. Did your uncle have a go at you or something?”

Yes he did. But he didn’t need you knowing that. “No I just realized you were right. This work involves both of us and its easier when we can tolerate each other being in the same room.”

You sit in a silent state of shock at Eddie’s out of the blue maturity. “Oh. Okay then.” The silence continues as Eddie digs his shoe into the ground and you stare at your food. “Do you um- Do you wanna sit?” You gesture at the opposite bench.

His eyebrows raise. “Uh yeah. Yeah for sure.”

Maybe Wayne was right. It was that easy.

Just one more step.

---

At your usual table sat a familiar coffee cup. One with loafs of bread and leaves scrawled along the rim spotting this you instantly knew where it was from and who put it there. The real question was why.

You walk tentatively closer, eyes catching on the boy sitting in the opposite corner of the room chipping away at his black nail polish avoiding your eyes. Your attention then moves back to the cup as your bag slides off your shoulder and you reach for the cup taking a hesitant sip.

He even added almond milk.

You place the cup back down on the table and only then to you spot the hardly legible writing on the side.

‘Peace Offering?’

---

Taglist:

@micheledawn1975​ , @emma77645​ , @rustboxstarr​ 

[badcaseofcasey]

one single thread of gold (tied me to you) | Part 3 aka: my Steddie soulmates au, Eddie's POV Part 1 | Part 2 | Steve's POV

guess who's baaaaack? Sorry for the long wait between parts, but here's part three of Eddie's POV! I'm back to working on this fic primarily, so will hopefully have the next part sooner rather than later! As always, let me know if you'd like to be added or taken off of the taglist!

As Eddie settled into life in Hawkins, he quickly realized that the universe must be playing a practical joke; there was no way in hell that Steve Harrington was his soulmate.

His assumptions that first day at Hawkins High had proven correct: Steve was popular, painfully mainstream, and had zero time or attention for anyone outside of his circle of influence. In some ways, being so utterly ignored by his soulmate hurt worse than if he’d been outright rejected. It was a reminder every day that Eddie wasn’t even significant enough in his soulmate’s life to merit rejection.

Eddie had learned how to use his outcast status to his advantage well before he’d moved to Hawkins - how to wear the mantle of “freak” like armor. He found the other outcasts and was able to use his reputation (and the fact that he supplied weed to most of the popular kids) to protect them, too.

He carved out a section of Hawkins that was his own and made just enough space there for the people he cared about. Over time, he slowly brought more and more lost sheep into the fold, founding Hellfire Club and Corroded Coffin with people he could legitimately call his best friends. It wasn’t perfect, but it was as close as someone like Eddie could ever hope to get.

Corroded Coffin’s practices were often one of Eddie’s favorite parts of his new life in Hawkins. Gareth had started at Hawkins High Eddie’s Junior year, but he saw Eddie’s Dio patch on his first day of school and was ballsy enough to approach the older teen to ask if he played any instruments. Since then, they’d added Jeff, and Freak (who was actually also named Geoff, but happily went by Freak to avoid any confusion). They were sounding more and more like an actual band these days, and they had a standing gig at the Hideout to prove it.

Of course, sometimes the peace of shredding through whatever insane guitar solo Eddie had learned or come up with that week was shattered by one of the other guys bringing high school into the mix.

“Are you guys thinking of going to the party this weekend?” Gareth asked.

“What party?” Jeff responded. “I haven’t heard of one yet.”

“Harrington’s parents are out of town again,” Gareth said. “He’s hosting; I heard Carol Perkins talking about it during Bio.”

“Probably not,” Jeff said. “My mom’s been on my ass about homework lately - she like, actually wants me to get into college, especially since my brother got denied from everywhere except Ivy Tech.”

The rest of the band nodded sympathetically. Even Eddie had Wayne on his ass to apply to college - as if they both didn’t know he’d be repeating senior year. He had way too many absences and D’s on his transcript for them to give him a diploma this time around.

“What about you, Eddie? Are you going to be there selling?” Gareth asked. “I hear Harrington’s crowd has enough money to throw around.”

Eddie strummed loudly and let the feedback echo through the garage. “I would love it if I didn't have to hear Steve Harrington’s name during band rehearsal for once.”

Gareth looked acceptably cowed by Eddie’s response, but was clearly not going to be deterred. “Come on, guys. You’ll be graduating soon and I’m going to be stuck at Hawkin’s High with Freak and zero street cred.”

“You don’t get street cred by going to parties like that,” Eddie argued.

“Okay, maybe not - but what about girls?” Gareth challenged. “You know all the girls show up hoping to hook up with Steve and when they are inevitably disappointed, they’ll be looking for a shoulder to cry on. I could be that shoulder!”

“Don’t you ever wonder if the King Steve thing is all an act?” Freak piped up. “You hear about all these girls, but do you ever really see him dating anyone? For all we know,  he and Hagan could be hooking up behind closed doors. The way they act around each other, I wouldn’t be surprised if they were the ones who were soulmates, not Tommy and Carol.”

Eddie whirled around to glare at Freak. “What are you even saying right now?”

“I’m just saying that all that bravado is there for a reason,” he said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he was trying to cover up something.”

To this day, Eddie isn’t sure what made him do it. Maybe all the talk about Steve’s words and his sex life had gone straight to his head and stopped him from thinking straight. Maybe he’d been waiting for an excuse to do it and it seemed like as good a time as any. Or maybe, Eddie desperately needed a distraction to a different topic.

Whatever it was that made him do it, Eddie found himself saying, “Would it be so disgusting if he did get his words from a guy? Pretty ironic to be a homophobe as a guy named Freak, huh?” His tone of voice made it absolutely clear which side Eddie found himself on.

“Woah,” Freak said, holding up his hands defensively. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Really?” Eddie said. “What did you mean it like? The only reason it’d be big news if Harrington was a queer is if you have some sort of problem with it.”

“C’mon, Eddie,” Jeff said, always the peacemaker, “you know it’d be a big deal if the ladies man of Hawkins High was actually into dudes. Freak didn’t mean it like that.”

Eddie took a deep breath and blew it out forcefully. “Sorry. I got defensive.”

“No worries, man,” Freak said. “But you know I don’t have problems with people like that. Us freaks have to stick together.”

Eddie huffed out a laugh and accepted Freak’s handshake as everyone went back to their instruments. Luckily, his little outburst seemed to at least have gotten them off the topic of Steve Harrington. They messed around with a few cover songs and even got an original song or two started before Jeff had to leave to go work on homework.

As Eddie was packing up, Gareth came over, trying to come across as nonchalant but missing it by a mile.

“You know, we’d all be cool with it if… if you got your words from a guy,” Gareth said quietly.

Eddie snapped his guitar case shut and turned to look at Gareth. “Yeah, man. I know. Thanks for saying it, though.”

“Imagine if Steve Harrington was the person you got your words from though,” Gareth said. “That would be hilarious.”

Eddie just huffed out a laugh, trying not to give anything away.

Unfortunately, Gareth knew him too well.

“That would be hilarious, right?” Gareth asked, skeptical.

Eddie looked at him and raised his eyebrows, mouth stretched into a grimace.

“Oh no,” Gareth said. “No way, man.”

“Trust me, I’m just as disappointed as you are.”

“No, I mean - I’m gonna have to put up with you falling for Steve Harrington one of these days - if it hasn’t happened already - oh god, tell me it hasn’t happened already.”

“As if,” Eddie said, rolling his eyes.

“Oh good, I still have time,” Gareth said, theatrically relieved. “I need to enjoy my Harrington-free life while I’ve still got it.”

“Fuck you,” Eddie said fondly, shoving Gareth just hard enough for him to lose his balance.

As they walked out to the car, still laughing at each other’s ridiculous behavior, Eddie couldn't help but feel a little lighter. He might not have the same faith as Gareth that he and Steve would ever end up together, but it was nice to know he’d always have friends like this by his side.

taglist: @awkwardgravity1 @infinitetrashbag @vampireinthesun @swimmingbirdrunningrock @maya-custodios-dionach @thev01dd @obsessivlyme @a-little-unsteddie @anything-thats-rock-and-roll @spectrum-spectre @red-panderz69 @magpiemuseum @minjintea @finalmoondragonn @thatonebadideapanda @estrellami-1 @freyaforestafay @biatcgh @sadcanadianwinter @im-sam-fucking-winchester @bidisastersworld @justanothergirlwithobsessions @anaibis @thing-a-ling @rosered93 @newtstabber @void-o-chaos @thegingerrapunzel @baron-zemo-trash @katireads @child-of-cthulhu @the-s-is-silent @i-must-potato @hellomynameismoo @lovelylilbadone @theotalksalot @lydi-cyan @background-noise-headache @idontgetpaidenoughforthisshit @slitherynchiken @grapefruitgalaxy @bookbinderbitch @luthienstormblessed @blues-tunes @murdblurdock @grtwdsmwhr @xpaperheartso @anaibis @thedyingwriter

[scoops-aboy86]

Window pt 2

Eddie's POV on Steve getting stuck in a window.

Part 1

rated: T | words: 3410 | cw: none | tags: chubby steve, pre-relationship, weight gain, eddie has a crush on steve harrington, and he gets to touch the butt

Eddie is having a great night. Practice ran long, but they nailed down the new set list for their next performance at the Hideout and celebrated by way of Gareth sneaking some beers out of his parents’ fridge. 

He’s considering inviting his new monster hunting friends to their next performance—not that it hasn’t been over a year since the spring break from hell, but it’s not really their scene and he wanted to make sure Corroded Coffin would be actually worth coming to see. 

Which really just means worth inviting Steve to come see the show, and Eddie couldn’t exactly ask everyone but Steve. He’s made his peace with having a crush on a dude who listens to Wham!, but he wants Steve to like his music, too. 

As a friend. Because they are genuine friends now, actually. Surprisingly. Eddie is still kind of shocked that Steve keeps turning up and wanting to spend time with him—sometimes with a movie and pizza, or the good brand of microwave popcorn, or both. They’ve shared a bed when Steve was still too out of it to drive home, and now Eddie knows what he looks like first thing in the morning. Fuel to the fire, all of it. And he shares weed with Steve free of charge, because where there’s fire you might as well light up with it. 

Nothing at all to do with Steve’s propensity for getting the munchies, which tends to lead to hours of constant grazing. Eddie would never—It had started with Steve always asking him if there was anything to eat until it became a habit to preempt the question, and the goofy little look that Steve gives him every time, an over-exaggerated ‘aw shucks, for me?’ face that never fails to get some sort of reaction, is something that haunts Eddie’s nicest dreams these days. The fact that it sparks something in Eddie to see Steve so relaxed and happy while thoughtlessly working through anything put in front of him sparks something in Eddie is completely secondary. Watching as, week after week, Steve’s clean lines and chiseled jaw have begun to soften, because of him. Because Steve is sticking around, keeps coming back, still wants to be friends with the Freak.

It’s been a good night, and thinking about Steve always makes it an even better one. Eddie, lost in pleasant reverie, almost doesn’t notice Steve’s car parked near the trailer when he gets home. 

Almost. He notices the BMW parked near the trailer, and that there’s no one in it. And when he turns a puzzled frown towards the trailer to see if Steve is waiting there, he sees… part of Steve waiting there. The ass and legs part, hanging out of his bedroom window. And the only thing covering said ass is a pair of cutoff jeans, rounded cheeks peeking out the bottom. As he stares, they bouncing tantalizingly above thick, hairy thighs when Steve gives the half-hearted wiggle of a man who knows he is not going anywhere any time soon but still has to try. 

“What,” Eddie says to himself in the safety of his van. He pinches himself, and when that doesn’t wake him up from what has to be a dream, he says it again: “What.”

Everything about the sight before him is imminently biteable, and, just. He’s only human, alright? His pants feel a little constricting just from witnessing this, when he should be feeling bad for Steve because the dude is wedged snugly in his window at the hips. (They didn’t have plans tonight. That alone is enough to make Eddie’s fingertips tingle and his leg bounce with restrained giddiness and a burning fondness.)

So he gets out of the van, and he can tell that Steve recognizes the distinct squeak of the van’s driver side door because his legs seem to droop and his ass gives another desperate wiggle that gets him nowhere. 

“Do mine eyes deceive me?” Eddie calls, practically skipping up to the trailer. He feels like his brain is trailing a beat behind his mouth and movements thanks to the vaguely tipsy haze of a couple beers. “Is it the King Steve, what through yonder window breaks?”

“Hi Eddie,” Steve replies, and he sounds so weary that Eddie wants to bundle him up in a blanket and feed him chocolates or something until he cheers up. 

The urge has him just about bouncing on his toes as he reaches the porch. “Hiya, Stevie. Mind explaining what I’m coming home to here?”

It’s silly, but a big part of him is hoping for Steve to say that he just wanted to see him. Instead, Steve sighs heavily and responds with, “I’m a little stuck here, man. Help me out?”

And, okay, fair. Eddie has finally reached him and can’t help touching what his eyes have been glued to ever since he got close enough to notice Steve’s poor middle, caught in the unforgiving grip of the window frame. Whatever Steve has been up to since first getting stuck was well and truly wedged him in, a little lip of reddened belly rounding out from the opening. How did you do this, Eddie wants to ask, but he can sense from Steve’s tone that it wouldn’t come across right. 

“Out, or in?” Eddie asks, snapping his hand back before Steve can notice enough to protest—they’re friends for fuck’s sake, he’s not Eddie’s to touch. He pulls hair in front of his face to hide a blush that Steve probably can’t see anyway, lamenting his poor impulse control that drinking never improves. Not that he even drank that much! He’s fine, this is just… Well, it sure is a situation.

“Whichever gets me unstuck faster, I guess?”

It occurs to Eddie that either way, he gets to touch more, and a delighted little laugh bubbles up his throat before he can stop it. “In it is, then. You must’ve been pretty determined to get in there and wait for me, you made some good progress here. I’m guessing you got to a point where you couldn’t get the angle right, huh sweetheart?”

… Damn Gareth and his beers. Eddie feels like his face is on fire.

Whatever Steve does inside the trailer to demonstrate how almost in he most certainly is not involves a lot of movement and Eddie swallows hard. Jesus H. Christ, the wonders that getting good sleep and three square meals a day without having to worry about monsters dropping out of the ceiling can do, on top of regular smoke-and-snack sessions. 

“I think if you just lift me by the legs a bit I can, like… walk forward on my hands, kinda, and—” 

There’s a thump from inside, prompting Eddie to blink out of his daze. “What was that?”

“… What was what?”

“Steve…”

“Okay okay, it was your acoustic, I’m sorry dude, I just… I’m pretty sure it’s fine.”

He rolls his eyes and rattles off a series of threats pending the safety of the guitar, though he doesn’t really mean them. That thing has been through worse while he was learning to play and still being shuffled around in the system before landing in the trailer park with Wayne. 

At some point the words “document this posterior for posterity” come out his mouth and then he is touching Steve Harrington’s ass. Because it’s better leverage than grabbing his ankles, Eddie tells himself! But that’s half hearted at best when he’s eying the long line of Steve’s legs in those shorts, so close to skimming his fingers over that beautiful golden summer tan peeking out at the waist because of course Steve sunbathes shirtless (or in crop tops… or, god, shirts that ride up just enough), and thank fuck it’s late enough that no one’s around to notice just how hard he’s looking. 

“Hey,” Steve calls sharply when the first push catches him by surprise. 

“Sorry sweetheart, did you need a ‘one two three go’?” Eddie pats at his ass with both hands, tapping out a little rhythm, biting his lip to contain the threat of a whimper at the way Steve’s cheeks bounce. He needs to stop. He needs to bite something. 

“This isn’t funny, Munson,” Steve insists, almost whining, and Eddie’s eyes close briefly at the thought of what else he might do to make Steve whine. Memories of his friend stoned and finally feeling the effects of eating too much providing a helpful soundtrack—Christ, he is definitely rolling disadvantage here. 

“It’s a little bit funny,” Eddie tries to defend. That’s not even why he’d laughed. Whatever. “But, uh, point taken. I'm going to give you another push here. Ready?”

Like Steve has much of a choice in the matter, if he wants to get unstuck. Eddie feels bad for him, he really does. It probably feels really embarrassing. But it’s a little hard to remember that when he has to (gets to) grip (grope) that plush ass and push (grope, but harder) until his brain is dribbling out his ears. 

He’s not some sex-crazed teenager anymore—he’s twenty-one as of not all that long ago, for fuck’s sake! But this is Steve, and way more than just tawdry teen lust brewing in Eddie’s chest. 

“Where were you, anyway?” Steve asks after a few rounds of shoving, as though this is a time when Eddie is capable of holding a coherent conversation. He’s squirming and wiggling under Eddie’s hands and panting a little from the awkward exertion, with occasional little grunts that cut straight to Eddie’s core, and it’s all really very unfair. “You’re usually—oof—here when I finish a closing shift.”

“Practice ran long,” Eddie grunts back.“That, and Gareth’s been having some… shall we say, romantic troubles lately, and needed consolation and advice.” Which was true—there had been an ulterior motive to those beers, even though the band’s youngest member had kept any name, descriptors, and (Eddie had noticed) pronouns close to the vest. 

“What kinda consolation? Been smoking without me, Munson?”

Eddie almost laughs again, because it sounds like Steve is… pouting? Jealous? He must be hearing that wrong. “No, just a couple beers. I do have other friends besides you and the monster hunters club, you know.”

And maybe he overcorrected there, because Steve goes quiet and a little stiff and starts really pulling himself forward hard. He’s making some progress, but it looks painful enough that Eddie shifts his hands from push on ass to hold those thighs without conscious thought, eyes wide and fixed on Steve’s caught love handles. (Which makes something deep inside him do a little dip of want. He wants to touch, to soothe, to kiss and maybe nip at a little—but he can’t, that would be crossing a line.)

“Woah there Stevie,” he blurts out, though honestly he should probably cool it with the pet names here. At least big boy hasn’t popped out of his mouth because that could very well be the ticket to Steve punching him and his freaky little crush right in the face. Or, given their current circumstances, kicking him in the nuts. And then Eddie would still have to get him out of the window. Wincing, he adds, “Don’t hurt yourself, man. We’ll get you out of here and get you caught up if you want, I have beer here too, alright? Just…”

“Just what?” Steve grumbles, grumpy and subdued enough that he’s hard to hear through the trailer wall. 

“Just, uh…” Eddie bites his lip. As drool-worthy as he thinks Steve’s body is—always was, but even more so now that he’s laid down arms and started filling out more—he’s nervous about drawing attention to it. Not that he hasn’t had his hands all over it since he got here, but maybe Steve is too distracted by his predicament to realize that his ass and sides and thighs are being lovingly fondled. Still, for all of Steve’s efforts to pull himself free, there seems to be one thing he hasn’t thought of, and Eddie has to point it out if they ever want to be successful here. “...Try to suck in a bit?”

Steve tries to look over his shoulder at him, not quite managing it but making his ass jiggle again, then shifts to look down at himself. At his belly. Eddie feels his own face go hot as he imagines what it might look like from in there, wonders if it’s touching the surface of his dresser. Falls down a brief rabbit hole of imagining Steve stuck in the window all night and grumpily insisting on smoking anyway, hanging onto the joint while Eddie runs back and forth from the kitchen with food and beverages that do nothing but trap Steve more firmly in place, and yet he keeps asking for more—

When Steve sucks in as best he can, Eddie scrambles to get both hands on his ass again with a “One, two, three, push.” It doesn’t help how fast his heart is racing, but it does work; Steve wriggles through and slides gracelessly to Eddie’s bedroom floor. 

He stays slumped there for a moment, recovering. Eddie takes the opportunity to readjust himself in his jeans so he’s a little less obvious—again, very grateful for the late hour and the lack of neighbors out and about tonight. Max would have a field day with this shit if she weren’t off at summer camp with Lucas.

That done, Eddie leans in the window to check on Steve. “You okay there, dude?”

Steve groans. “I’m fine. That fucking window looked bigger from the outside, that’s all.”

Eddie can’t help a disbelieving snort. Though that kind of answers his question, doesn’t it? Despite what he’d had to point out, Steve is still in denial. Somehow. It’s kind of ridiculous, given what had just happened, but maybe (and he feels a little guilty thinking about this, but not enough to not) that means that nothing needs to change. That Steve will keep coming over, getting high and hungry and keep asking Eddie to bring him more. And what is Eddie supposed to do in the face of that? Deny and disappoint the man of his dreams, who saved his life by carrying him out of hell and enlists their younger friends in elaborate plots to fake summer camp scholarships for underprivileged redheads?? Not a chance. 

Coasting on guilty-pleasure-slash-hope, Eddie slips through the window himself, easily and with a little bit of jazz hands tacked on at the end because he’s nothing if not dramatic. He’s trying to keep things light, okay? From there, he moves fluidly from the showy gesture to reaching out to offer Steve a hand up. 

Which Steve takes with one big, warm hand, a connection that zings up Eddie’s arm and all along his spine to every single nerve ending in his body. 

“You okay?” he asks, completely on autopilot because his thoughts are now scattered in all new directions again. “You were really wedged in there, looked kinda—” head empty, no thoughts, his free hand drifting towards Steve because they’re so close, closer maybe than Steve really needed to step just to stand up “—painful…”

And then he’s touching Steve’s hip, thumb grazing over the bare skin just above his shorts where the skin is scraped and red, hot and soft to the touch. He would give anything to be able to soothe that hurt where the window was pinching for god knows how long. 

“I’m fine,” Steve replies, but there’s a… a tone to his voice that Eddie can’t quite process, something hushed. Like not being sure if you’re allowed to speak in a library or a museum, or something? Shit, maybe Eddie is making him feel awkward, touching him like this, but he can’t seem to pry his hand away. Or let go of Steve’s in his other hand. 

Can’t stop caressing the agitated skin where Steve has been able to soften up after three years of being haunted by monsters, can’t stop his own insides from aching with want for this beautiful boy. 

“Yeah,” Eddie murmurs, and focuses all of his energy on reeling it in before he crosses the threshold of too much and Steve leaves, maybe for tonight or maybe for good—either would feel devastating. But if he can reel it in, just enough… He’s a touchy guy, Steve knows that. If he reels it in, maybe things can stay normal between them. “Yeah, you are… pretty fine…”

… Goddammit. 

It’s too much. Eddie is too much, and his freak tendencies have added too much to Steve, and now that Steve’s noticed he’ll leave, and—

“You, uh. You think so?”

The words are hesitant, as though Steve somehow hasn’t made up his mind on how to react. (Even though Eddie is pretty sure the ‘right’ reaction is hammered into everyone besides him, because. That’s just the way it is, right? Guys like girls, skinny is hotter, and Munsons don’t get to have nice things.) Eddie risks a glance up at his face, just as unsure as Steve sounds, looking for anything that might confirm his assumptions so he can move away already, snatch his hand back before he gets burned. Anything. Is a clear sign too much to ask?

He wants to say, ‘Reject me already. Put me out of my misery. I know how this is supposed to go and the suspense is killing me, being nice about it will kill me.’ But what comes out instead is a soft, “Of course, Stevie.”

Because he does. Think Steve is fine. There are plenty of circumstances in which he would avoid admitting it, but lie? About that, in response to a direct question? To Steve’s face? Never.  

His hand is still just under Steve’s shirt, light little touches that Steve’s eyelids seem to droop in time with—as though Eddie really is soothing the hurt there, and Steve’s actually enjoying it. Wildly, he thinks he might be hallucinating, but the possibility is enough to send a heartfelt “Always” slipping out too. 

Eddie isn’t great at reading the signs, because he has woefully little experience in things like this, but for a second he could swear that Steve almost leans in. It’s a delicate, blink-and-you’d-miss-it moment, but his eyes are so wide open they’re starting to sting. 

And then… Steve doesn’t exactly pull away, just shuffles his feet in a way that signals the moment is over. But he doesn’t go. “So, uh. Wanna smoke?”

“Y-yeah?” Eddie can feel a grin breaking across his face, because Steve wants to stay, and bam. Just like that, the giddiness from when he’d first arrived is back. “We can do that. I’ve got a few joints already rolled, I’ve got snacks—” 

And Eddie’s not sure if Steve is aware of licking his lips as he passes by to get to his stash, but Eddie sure is. His eyes catch and follow the movement unintentionally until he wrenches them more firmly towards his black lunchbox. Heart in his throat, he wonders if… maybe this isn’t as totally one-sided as he’d thought. 

“Oh, and prop my baby back up, will you?” Eddie adds. He flaps a hand in the general direction of his acoustic, feeling weirdly like he’s found some solid ground here. “Treat her right, Stevie, or I’ll be forced to rescind my offer of pretzels and bagel bite pizzas.”

Because he knows Steve’s favorites—that he likes to start with crunchy salty and soft chewy savory, and save the sweets for later. 

And it’s an out. If Steve doesn’t want this, if drawing attention to the weight he’s gained has made him feel any different about their usual routine, this is his chance to back out. Freely offered, no strings attached, because they’re friends first and foremost but also because Eddie isn’t an asshole; aside from some stolen touches today, he’s only ever given Steve what he asked for. 

Steve only hesitates for a second, then chuckles. “Wouldn’t want that,” he agrees, flashing a little smirk before turning to prop the guitar back up. 

Eddie appreciates the view, of course, but tells himself that it’ll be best to cool it for now and roll an insight check once he’s regathered his wits. After all, this is Steve; he doesn’t want to risk acting too impulsively and screw this up. 

For now they can just hang out like normal and have a good night.

[estrellami-1]

Soft Touch Baby

Pt 1 | Pt 2 | Pt 3 | Pt 4 | Pt 5 | Pt 6 | Pt 7 | Pt 8 | Pt 9 | Pt 10 | Pt 11 | Pt 12 | Pt 13 | Pt 14 | Pt 15 | Pt 16 | Eddie’s POV | Song | ao3

(Holy fucking shit y’all. 15 parts to get here and the tag list has just kept growing. Just one more, and you’re in luck; a Valentine’s Day special means I’m posting it right after this one!)

“I’m glad you called.” The phrase echoes in Steve’s head. And here’s the thing; he knows Eddie’s not in the habit of saying something he doesn’t mean. So he knows that even though he woke Eddie up, and even though Eddie’s taking time out of his night to come comfort Steve when he could be sleeping instead, even through all of this, he’s glad Steve called.

Steve finds himself being glad he called, too.

Soon enough the door opens. Shoes drop to the wood floor, kicked aside. A stair creaks. There’s a gentle tap at his door, and Steve turns to look as he says, “Yeah.” His voice is hoarse, rough from sleep and emotion.

Eddie leans on the doorpost. “Hey.”

Steve smiles. Small, but genuine. “Hi.”

“You okay?” He winces. “Dumb question. Don’t answer that.”

Steve ignores him, says honestly, “Better with you here.” He chews on his lip and shifts as he thinks. Eddie’s already here, came all this way, there’s no way he wants-

“Steve.” Steve hums. “What do you want?”

He shakes his head. “It’s fine, you’re already here, you just drove all the way here, you-”

“Steve.” He moves closer, cautious hands out. “Can I touch you?”

Steve nods, leans in when Eddie sits and grasps his forearms, lets his forehead rest on Eddie’s shoulder. Breathes. Decides, here like this, he can be brave. Mumbles, “Don’t wanna be here.”

Eddie rubs his arms. “Wanna go for a drive?” Steve nods, forehead rubbing against Eddie’s t-shirt. Eddie tightens his grip slightly, leans away. “C’mon. Let’s find you a jacket, it’s not all that warm outside right now.”

Steve frowns, taking in Eddie’s outfit. Gets up to walk to his closet. Grabs a sweater for himself. Tosses a hoodie at Eddie, who laughs. “Thanks.”

Eddie leads him downstairs, slips his shoes on, locks the door behind him. Pockets the key subconsciously, then realizes, freezes.

Steve shakes his head. “It’s okay. Keep it.”

Eddie smiles, knows everything he is and isn’t saying. “Okay.” They get situated in the van, and Eddie grins at Steve. “Do you trust me?”

Steve looks at him. Breathes. Nods.

Eddie throws the van in gear, driving off, before resting his right hand on Steve’s thigh. Steve looks at it, considers, then grabs it. Eddie’s fingers tighten around Steve’s like he’d been waiting.

Eddie drives out of town, Dio playing softly, hand branding Steve’s.

Tonight we run / We can hide in the dark when the moon steals the light from the dying sun / Oh run / There's a better thing than we have ever done

Maybe he’s running, but here with Eddie, it doesn’t feel like it. He knows he can’t escape his problems by running. Not forever. He can’t outrun them.

But, he thinks, feeling Eddie’s hand in his, maybe he doesn’t have to.

Eddie pulls off the road, shifts to park, and turns to look at Steve. “How about it?”

Steve blinks. “It’s a field.”

Eddie grins. “Yup. I have blankets in the back, if you want to sit or lay. Or you can run.”

Steve has to look away. Can’t bear the weight of Eddie’s eyes on him, knowing him.

He runs. Heart pounding, feet thudding, arms pumping, hair flying. He finally jogs back over to Eddie, who’s laying on a blanket in the middle of the field. He sighs and collapses next to him, smiling when Eddie’s fingers brush his hip.

He’s feeling a lot, too much, when he threads his fingers with Eddie’s. “Thank you.” He keeps his gaze firmly focused on the sky, but can feel Eddie shift to look at him. “I don’t know how you do it, but somehow you always know what I need or want. You never judge me for it. I just… I feel safe with you.” His breath shakes. He ignores it. “And I… I’m a coward. I wasn’t ready to give this up.” He shakes his head. “And even though I’m sure this is going to have to end, I hope we can at least still be friends.”

Eddie sits up on an elbow, frowning. “Steve, what are you saying? This doesn’t have to stop.”

Steve’s breath hitches. He realizes, distantly, that he’s crying. “It does, though. And I’ve been so selfish and taking this when I know, I know, it was all coming to this anyways, and I’m sorry, and I wish I didn’t feel the way I do, but… I do.” He bites his lip. Releases it. Whispers to the sky, “I think I’m in love with you.”

Eddie’s breath catches, and Steve lets out a self-deprecating chuckle, reluctantly sitting up and letting go of Eddie’s hand. Doesn’t look at him when he says, “Yeah.”

“Well,” Eddie says, and grabs Steve’s hand again. “That’s really good news for me. I thought I was falling for a straight boy.” He smiles when Steve whips around to look at him, tucks his hair behind his ear. “Can I kiss you?”

“Eds,” Steve whispers, eyes wide, and nods.

They lean in, and their lips touch, and the grass beneath them is itchy and Steve can’t quite feel his hands and he can taste his tears but it’s perfect, and all of a sudden he knows.

He doesn’t just think he’s in love with Eddie Munson.

He knows he is.

Pt 16

Taglist:

@thegingervulcan @snapshotmaestro @the-redthread @tiny-enthusiast @thatonepotatochild @maya-custodios-dionach @imsociallyanxiousgetoverit @vhelt @newtstabber @huskysarelife @singmeyoursimpsong @gaysonthefloor @darkwitchoferie @vi-an-te @kato-hoeven @biatcgh @vampireinthesun @goodolefashionedloverboi @awesomeimportantfan @oreos-ate-my-balls @theotalksalot @raysreads