#We're rivals

[daily-streber]

"You remind me of 5am, with your hollow eyes and your claws stained red. I don't know if I want to see you..."

[hairmetal666]

Steve knows he falls in love too easily. Nancy told him, Robin too.

But falling in love with Eddie Munson is hard.

They're supposed to be friends after Vecna. They're supposed to be friends, but Steve can't get past what Eddie did in the Upside Down; how he put himself in a position to nearly die, how Dustin got hurt. It's not fair. He knows it's not, but it doesn't make the anger go away.

Eddie's part of the group now, though, and Steve won't leave him out, no matter how angry. They're all at movie nights, at pool parties, at Hellfire, at Corroded Coffin gigs. It's just that Steve and Eddie don't speak. And Steve is okay with it. If it's what it takes to make sure that they're all hanging out together, not talking to Eddie is a small thing. He's pretty sure Eddie doesn't mind. At least, he seems as uninterested in hanging out with Steve as Steve is with him.

It doesn't need to be anything more than that, and it isn't, not until Steve goes upstairs to get more sunscreen during one of the pool parties, and walks back downstairs to find Munson waiting for him in his kitchen.

"You need something?" He asks, unable to fully hide the way he jolts with surprise.

Eddie twists the rings on his fingers, something Steve's noticed he does whenever he's nervous. "You have a problem with me, Harrington?

"No, of course not," he answers too fast.

"C'mon, man. You can barely stand to be in the same room with me."

"That's not true! We're in one together right now."

Eddie rolls his eyes so hard that it has to hurt. "Don't do that. Don't pretend like you don't know what I mean. You can't stand to be alone with me for more than thirty seconds."

Steve splutters, searching for a plausible reason.

"Is it cause--" Eddie swallows, hand going back to cup his neck. "Is it cause you heard me tell Robin that I'm gay? Back at the hospital. Is it because--" he cuts himself off.

Something in Steve's chest clenches hard, warmth swooping dangerously in his stomach. "No," Steve says, means it. "I didn't hear. I didn't-- it has nothing to do with that. It's--that's cool. Thanks for--yeah, that's cool."

Eddie's smile is a brittle little thing. "Then, what else?" Eddie pulls a chunk of hair over his mouth. "I can't think of any other reason you'd hate me so much."

"I don't." And Steve hopes it's coming off as genuine. "I promise."

He can't help remember the camaraderie, the understanding, that started to grow between them in the Upside Down. The "don't cha, big boy?" of it all. They could be friends. They should be.

They shouldn't get into it. Not right here, not right now when the kids' splashes and excited screams filter through the sliding door.

"You're a shit liar, Harrington."

"Ed--I'm not--"

"You know what? Don't bother. I'll just--" He jolts in the direction of the front door.

"Don't be stupid, Munson."

"God, I can't believe I didn't see it before. You just fucking loathe me."

"I do not. Grow up."

"Oh, yeah? Then what's your problem?"

"There isn't--"

"Stop lying!"

"You didn't fucking think!" He shouts. Loud enough that the noise outside cuts off. "You pulled that shit in the Upside Down and you almost died! Dustin got hurt!"

Eddie blinks his big brown eyes in stunned surprise.

"I told you, I said, 'dont try to be cute or be a hero or something.' And you know what you said? Do you?"

Eddie won't look at him now. "I had to make a choice, Steve."

"It was the wrong one!"

"I would do it all again. No matter what you say. I would do it to draw the bats away. To protect Dustin."

"But you didn't."

"There was no other way to stop them, Steve! They would've gotten through, into Hawkins."

"It doesn't matter."

"You weren't there! You can't tell me--"

"Yes, I can! I know."

"You don't! You think--"

"I almost lost you!" He screams. "You nearly died in my arms, Eddie. And for what?"

Falling in love with Eddie wasn't easy. It was blood and near death; it was weeks in a cold hospital room while Eddie existed in a drug-induced twilight state; it was agonizing convalescence and physical therapy and changing bandages; it was Eddie leading dnd sessions with bright eyes and contagious enthusiasm, herding the kids to the arcade and video store, theatrically serving snacks at movie night; it was festering, senseless anger at the near loss of something.

Eddie's lips tremble. "Steve, I--"

"It doesn't matter." He turns away to slide a hand down his face in an effort to wipe away the emotion. "You're fine and we're--it doesn't matter."

"I'm sorry," he whispers. "Steve, I'm sorry. I wanted--I thought it would help. I thought--"

And Steve has to admit, he does, the whole terrible contradiction of it all. "I know," he whispers back. "I would've--I know."

"I thought I was protecting Dustin. I thought I was buying you guys time with Vecna." Eddie's voice breaks. "I didn't--I--" He squeezes his eyes shut.

In the quiet of the kitchen, they gravitate to one another, foreheads resting together.

"I should have been there, Ed. I shouldn't have left you two alone. You almost died, and I--"

"Sweetheart, I'm right here. We're right here."

They don't kiss, but they're close enough that their mouths brush with each breath they take.

"Don't do that, again." Steve clenches his fists into Eddie's cutoff t-shirt. "Promise you won't ever--"

"I promise, Stevie. I promise. I'll be by your side until the very end, whatever it is."

[trainer---red]

Sorry to the other Red but I am also Red (more commonly known as Eddie) and I will take over this guy's blog but in a very lesbian way so Azure and I can attack each other

[post-it-notes7]

he knows about your midnight habits, Meta

[youhalfwit]

⁉️

[wildflowercryptid]

i think that this redraw trend is freaking hilarious so i had to do my own version with some of my recent blorbos. i really do just collect othered kids who have dealt with the horrors™, huh?

[neirw]

do you mean...

[wildbasil]

group therapy (they make each other worse)

[jeanne-de-valois]

Trying to use this current "waiting on important emails" phase to try and crack mascot characters while I'm still Sonicbrained is starting to come together, and naturally I'm on some rivalshipping nonsense again

[ssaraexposs]

The way Akutagawa NEEDS to show off IN FRONT OF ATSUSHI. It's not just to prove a point to Dazai. He really has the urge to prove Atsushi he's the superior one.

[flymmsy]

Galetav former academic rivals: Tav pulling Gale out of the portal and immediately going, "Dekarios?" It catches Gale completely off-guard, having not heard his last name from someone other than Tara in so long.

[spookierdeer]

i just really like them

[crystalitecloudie]

just had a somewhat crackfic dipplinshipping idea where terapagos tries to hit Kieran (and Juliana takes it instead in typical fanfic fashion), but Juliana is now under a frozen-esque curse where her heart is now crystallized and if she doesn't get that true love's kiss her body will slowly turn to crystal. just curious to see what shit would ensue

[reshiradragon]

I promise I'm not dead lmao have a cozy Lear doodle <3

[etapereine]

But what is the other one, white wolf?

The Sword of Destiny, Andrzej Sapkowski | 2021 Tour de France, Stage 17 | 2022 Tour de France, Stage 17 | 2023 Tour de France, Stage 15

All photos © Jered & Ashley Gruber

[moistvonlipwig]

reason 183 why the majority of ste/rek fics and headcanons make absolutely no sense is that stiles would literally rather kill himself than admit derek was right about anything. stiles could go up to scott and say "hey scott i think we should kill jackson just for funsies" and then derek could walk up to scott and say "Scott we need to kill Jackson. We're brothers Scott. Scott you are my brother and you need to kill Jackson" and stiles would be like "WHOAAA this guy wants to KILL someone ?! jeez i guess SOMEONE'S still a little GRUMPYWOLF about his whole family dying in a fire!!! don't listen to him scotty, we should definitely keep jackson alive" and scott would be like "stiles you Literally just told me to murder him" and stiles would be like "no i didn't, you're misremembering, that was all in your head" and derek would be like "Scott is this guy bothering you. Scott. Do you want me to kill him for you Scott"