#afewproblems answers

[afewproblems]

steddie 💗

💗 Slow Kiss / Gentle Kiss / Inevitable / Soft

(Ahh thank you for the practice! I hope you enjoy 😊)

Steve wakes slowly, registering the feeling of warm sunlight on his face and Eddie pressed along the line of his back. He's holding Steve still, neither have moved since the night before, a novelty when it comes to Eddie.

He feels the arms around his chest tighten slightly, one hand traces down to squeeze Steve's hip as lips caress the back of his neck.

"Good morning," Eddie says softly in his ear.

Steve rolls onto his back as Eddie lifts himself up onto his elbow. There are pillow creases on his face and residual sleep in the corners of his eyes, but he's beautiful.

"Morning," Steve breathes out, reaching up to brush a wayward curl behind Eddie's ear, "you stayed".

Steve winces, acknowledging the unspoken thing was the fastest way to having it all disappear in his experience, and Eddie would be the first person to tell you he was a runner. It would only be a matter of time now until he left, thanking Steve for the experience, telling him they'd have to do it again sometime, and that would be that.

Because that was how it always went.

Right?

Instead, Eddie smiles gently, a small sad frown gathers between his eyes as he looks at Steve.

"Of course I did, sunshine," he says, leaning down to press his lips to Steve's own.

It's unhurried, lacking the fervor of the night before, the clash of teeth and tongue and bruising grip as though he would disappear.

Eddie breathes out through his nose and tilts his head, lifting his free hand to cup Steve's jaw as he brushes their lips together again and again.

Steve tries to speed things up, to open his mouth, to bring things back to where they had been mere hours ago only for Eddie to pull back and pepper his face with more soft kisses.

His eye lids, the tip of Steve's nose, his cheekbones, his chin.

Steve feels something dangerous bloom in his chest as Eddie lifts himself up again to look down at him.

Something he hasn't let himself hope for since Nancy.

But as Eddie dips down to nuzzle his nose into Steve's until they're both giggling in the morning sun, Steve can't help but feel that maybe this time things would be different.

Maybe this time, he would hope.

[steddieunderdogfics]

This week’s writer spotlight feature is: Afewproblems! @afewproblems has 17 fics in the Stranger Things fandom and 16 of them are in the Steddie tag!

Our anonymous nominator recommends the following works by @afewproblems:

The World is Upside Down (The King has Lost his Crown)

You Can Only Remember What You Want To Forget

A Quiet Confession

Essential Songs to Woo a Metal Head

A Clear and Present Threat of Tongue

"I love Linz and her writing. Even though she's not as active as she once was, I think she should still be celebrated. As a fandom, we tend stop interacting with authors when they aren't actively making fic, and that's disheartening." -- Anonymous

Below the cut, @afewproblems answered some questions about their writing process and some of their recommended work!

Why do you write Steddie?

I love the ship! I think it’s mostly to do with the characters and the romantic archetypes they represent. You have two people from different worlds, different social stratas, and completely different personalities that still find common ground in one another. It’s Grease, Wuthering Heights, Titanic -these characters not only balance one another out, but they challenge one another to rethink their preconceived notions about the other. Plus, for that one forrest scene in the Upsidedown to have inspired an entire ship and fanon about these two - chefs kiss, 10/10.

What’s your favorite trope to READ?

Oh there are so many! For Steddie specifically though, I really like reading stories that explore the fanon around Steve’s not so great childhood. I process a lot of my own stuff through fan works so reading about Steve going through the same thing and managing to create his own found family and finding love hits hard in the best way.

What’s your favorite trope to WRITE?

Hmm I don't know if it's so much a trope as it would be considered a genre for fan fiction but I love to write hurt/comfort and angst -angst is my bread and butter! Nothing better than putting your blorbo in an emotionally fraught state and then having someone hold them for a little while.

What’s your favorite Steddie fic?

I could be honest, I could be human by GerryStAmour. The angst, top notch, the descriptions are so well done! The writing is so great, please check Gerry out as a writer, his works are incredible! I also really love the Cousin!AU by @strangersteddierthings her work is absolutely incredible, please check her stuff out!!

Is there a trope you’re excited to explore in a future work but haven’t yet?

Hmm Possibly soulmates I think or soulmarks would be very cool!

What is your writing process like?

So i’ll normally get an idea and kind of turn it around in my head over and over until I can't stop thinking about it and have to get it on the page. Then the snippet or scene will begin to grow and take on more of a life of its own, it's like ‘okay this scene is great, but how did we get here’ kind of thing, that makes me want to flesh out the idea which in turn makes the story and characters expand and grow. I never plot out the whole story before starting, I let it grow from a starting point and let the story kind of take the direction that it needs to go in.

Do you have any writing quirks?

I typically write with Steve as the main character going through as much pain as possible!

Do you prefer posting when you’ve finished writing or on a schedule?

I try to get a few chapters written out before I post my fic, I find it a bit easier to keep myself motivated that way. I don't think I'd be able to keep up with a schedule.

Which fic are you most proud of?

I'm definitely proud of all of them but I think the first Steddie fic that I spent several months on, Warm My Cold and Tired Heart, is still one that I am incredibly proud of and really happy with how it turned out. It was my big jumping off point for the rest of my fics and love for the pairing - which is another point in it's favour!

How did you get the idea for You Can Only Remember What You Want To Forget?

It was inspired by a blend of two prompts in an ask from the awesome @zerokrox-blog “Things you forgot to say and things you were forced to say”. The prompt was a challenge to mix but I wanted to have one prompt reflect Eddie and the other reflect Steve. Eddie forgot to tell Steve the truth and Steve was forced to simply react. The story completely took on a life of its own after that though and quickly snowballed!

When writing You Can Only Remember What You Want To Forget, what was something you didn’t expect?

The table! It was a bit of a throwaway line about the Hellfire club noticing the crack and worrying that they damaged the table, only for it to culminate in Eddie’s apology and confession to Steve when he fixed it. Probably one of the best little ‘Setup’ and ‘Payoff’ moments I’ve ever attempted.

What inspired A Quiet Confession?

This was also inspired by a ask prompt that came in from an anonymous user, ‘You weren't supposed to hear that’. i loved the angst potential of someone saying just how much you love someone, while worrying they don't feel the same for you. Juxtaposing that with the intimacy that normally comes with napping with you partner and you have A Quiet Confession.

What was your favorite part to write from A Clear and Present Threat of Tongue?

Definitely the confession scene. The whole fic was based on the episode from New Girl where Jess and Nick kiss for the very first time and I loved writing down the garbled speech that Nick says when he stumbles over his words. I just had to give that to Eddie - it fit way too well!

How do/did you feel writing Essential Songs to Woo a Metal Head?

I was excited to explore the idea of Eddie completely distrusting Steve and his intentions, which would be fair for the 80s ya know? Why would Eddie believe that a jock and former prom king was being sincere with him, but having Eddie make this mistake and having to turn to the classic 80s rom-com trope of the grand gesture -I loved it! Having Eddie use music the same way that Steve did to confess his feelings originally? I was super happy that it came back around, full circle. (I also worked pretty hard on the music choices for Steve's mixtape so I am so happy people liked this one!)

What was the most difficult part of writing The World is Upside Down (The King has Lost his Crown)?

There were several difficult parts with writing this story, one was figuring out which scenes from the show should be included or left out for the story to make sense and still flow nicely. I didn’t want to spend too much time rewriting scenes to fit the canon divergence but at the same time there were several important scenes that needed to remain in the story for Eddie to specifically react to. Handling Nancy’s character was also difficult but very rewarding. I don’t hate Nancy as a character but I do find her challenging to write. I didn’t want to paint her as a villain either, she cares for Steve greatly but they couldn’t be what the other needed. It was hard to do her character justice but it was really rewarding to get her right - in my opinion.

Do you have a favorite scene and/or line from any of your fics?

I think the scene where Steve smashes the plate in You Can Only Remember What You Want To Forget is up there for me in terms of one of my favourite scenes. Having Steve just completely breakdown, feeling like he's not in control of himself and how frightening that is. It was cool to explore these incredibly intense emotions and having both Robin and Eddie be there to help him process these feelings without looking at him any differently was so so important. It showcased how Robin and Eddie are the two people that Steve could trust with his darkest moments and still love him. Ugh! Still love it so much!

Do you have any upcoming projects or fics you’d like to share/promote?

Oh! I do have a new project that I am working on, I shared a small snippet a few weeks ago but I will be very excited to share the first part soon. It is a Season Three AU exploring what might have happened if Steve and Eddie met in Starcourt mall that fateful summer of 1985. I’ve also been doing some writing for the Psych fandom to get back into writing after a long dry spell, it’s been pretty fun to explore those characters as well!

Thank you to our author, @afewproblems, and our anonymous nominator! See more of Afewproblems's works featured on our page throughout the day!

Writer’s Spotlight is every Wednesday! Want to nominate an author? You can nominate them here!

[flowercrowngods]

Your sensory overload snippet is so beautiful and I'm so worried for them!

My vote for the WIP that needs three more sentences is your 'Who did this to you' piece -because that also sounds very intense in the best way! You have a knack for capturing these moments between characters. It's like you've collected a scene in a glass jar for us and we can see everything, turn it in our hands, bring it up close to our face to analyze. Can't wait to see how these turn out!

hhh thank you!! don’t be too worried for them, they’re gonna recharge together in silence and darkness and they’ll be better soon 🥰

and 🥺 hello?? that is the kindest most wonderful thing?? i’m?? 🥺😭 can’t believe you think that about my writing, thank you so much, i’m. hhh. yeah. thanks 🤍

who did this to you? wip

Steve’s just staring. Eddie isn’t even entirely sure he can see him, or maybe he did and then forgot, or maybe he’s fading and Eddie should do something, he should get help, he should—

“Steve,” he says, and dares to touch the boy when he doesn’t react. A hand on their knee shouldn’t make anyone flinch like that, but Steve’s whole body jumps, and then the shivers and the wheezing gets worse, and Eddie curses again. “Fuck, I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I— Jesus, okay. You’re okay. I’m gonna, I’m gonna grab the first aid kit. And a blanket. I’ll be right back, okay? Don’t move, don’t… Don’t move.”

Eddie takes a shaky breath and moves to stand, nearly missing Steve’s mumbled, “Can’t.” It’s barely more than a whisper, hardly even a wheeze. It’s like he’s just breathing out words because everything else is too much effort.

Right. Right. This is messed up and Eddie’s panicking, but Steve will be okay. Because things like this don’t happen, not here, not today, and not to Steve Harrington.

Eddie stumbles over tools and tarp on his way out, heart racing in his chest and hands shaking as he reaches for his car keys.

(it’s more than three sentences but yknow me, i’m wordy when i wanna be! thank you dearest! 🥰)

[withacapitalp]

Hello! For your How to Rehabilitate a Jock and the ask game, questions 1 and 2 if thats okay! Love this story and your newest installment is *chef's kiss*

Oooooo yay!!! You never need to ask if it's okay I'm always psyched to talk about the stuff I write I'm so happy to hear you're enjoying it :DDD

1: What inspired you to write the fic this way?

I'm going to assume this is referring to the back and forth of Steve and Eddie's POVs, because I think that's the only thing that's really not too generic about the way the fic is written. I specifically wanted to do that because I think that they're really telling two different stories here, and I also love to write Steve's POV and def couldn't do that for the JRP moments.

That or the JRP idea is the thing you meant! I had the idea for this as I was writing that installment actually, and then I loved it. I initally had an idea for a Mean Girls style fic, but then it kind of evolved into its own thing :OOOO

2: What scene did you first put down?

Ough that's a really good question. I think that I can really only answer what was the first scene I intentionally wrote for this knowing it would be a full fic? I was just futzing around for a long time with a bunch of ideas but not really seeing how they meshed, so crazy enough the first scene I really "wrote" knowing it was for Jock Rehab was the final scene! it's going to end with quite the upset ;)

TY for the ask!!!

[steddie-there]

WIP Wednesday

Well, 21 days later I'm finally doing the WIP Wednesday @afewproblems tagged me in 😅 (if you wanna know why it took me so long, i put my whining at the bottom 😅)

Thank you so much for the tag, my friend!

So this is the entirety of chapter 3 from my Steddie longfic I'd Fall For You Twice, which I've been working on since, I think, January (although I took a break for the end of the school year because it's always draining). Also, this part is very clearly part of my "Erica is the favorite nugget" agenda 😅

It only takes a couple of hours, but Steve chafes at the delay. In the end, all they can really do for him is properly stitch and bandage his multitude of cuts, bites, and scrapes, give him an IV of fluids and antibiotics, and make sure he eats something. He refuses to be admitted as adamantly as he refuses pain meds, too worried about Max and Eddie to sit drowsing in a hospital bed. So, clutching a paper with a prescription for more antibiotics, he heads back down the hall to room 193.

Max’s mom is already there, sitting hunched over at the bedside, her hand desperately clinging to her daughter’s much smaller one. She has her other arm around Lucas, tucking him close against her side. His head, too, is bowed, and his shoulders shake ever so slightly. In the corner, watching her brother and Max and Ms. Hargrove with anxious eyes, sits Erica. Steve can’t look at Max for too long, she’s so motionless and silent, her arms and legs in massive casts. And he doesn’t want to bother Max’s mom or Lucas, so he beelines to Erica, dropping to his knees next to her.

“Hey, kiddo. How are they?” he asks quietly.

She turns to him and she looks so lost and so very, very young that Steve just wants to wrap her up in a hug, keep her safe from everything that’s going wrong in the world. He forgets sometimes that Erica is the youngest of their little ragtag band, just barely into her middle school years, forgets that despite her sass and her facts, she’s still very much a little girl.

With a sniffle, she throws her arms around his neck and clings to him tightly. “Steve,” she whispers fiercely. “What took you so long?”

"I'm sorry," he whispers back, hugging her as she buries her face against his shoulder. "But I'm here now, whatever you need, okay, sweetheart?"

He feels her nod, but she doesn't move away just yet, her hold on his neck tightening like she's afraid he'll disappear if she lets go. The movement against the bandages on his neck stings a little, but he doesn't care, doesn't try to loosen her arms. Whatever she needs. Whatever any of them need.

After a moment, Erica sniffles again and pulls away, wiping at her eyes. He smiles gently. "Hey, there, kiddo," he says again.

She tries to smile back, but it's all wobbly and her lip trembles.

"Any updates?" he asks, trying to give her something to do, something to say.

She shakes her head. "Mm-mm. Just hoping she wakes up soon."

Steve nods his understanding. "And Lucas?"

Erica glances over at her brother and, as much as she usually denies it, Steve can see how much she loves him, how worried she is. "He's not great, either," she answers quietly. "He really cares about Max. I don't know what he'll do if she doesn't wake up." And a very un-Erica-like tone of fear and anxiety quivers in her voice.

Steve takes one of her hands to get her attention and she looks back at him. "Well, whatever happens, we're here for him, right? You and me. And Dustin and Robin. He's not alone," he tells her, giving her fingers a little squeeze, hoping she hears his unspoken message that she isn't alone, either.

She gives him the littlest half-smile. "Right." She pauses for a second, then asks, her eyes serious again, "How's Eddie?"

Steve tries not to show how worried he is when he answers, “Still sleeping, same as Max.” But he’s pretty sure Erica sees through him anyway. She’s good at seeing through bullshit.

“And how are you?” she asks, turning that perception on him, pulling her hand away to gesture at the bandages around his neck.

He gives her a wry smile. “Me? Oh, I’ll live. How are you doing?” he tries to deflect.

“I’ll live,” she echoes back at him and he’s happy to hear a bit of her normal sass in her voice, even if it’s at his expense. “But you look like you oughta sit down before you pass out.” She gives him a pointed look.

He holds up his hands mock-defensively. “Alright, alright, okay, I’m sitting, I’m sitting.” He settles cross-legged on the floor next to her chair. After a moment, she reaches for his hand again and he lets her hold it, her grasp so tight it almost hurts. But he doesn’t say anything and they both lapse into a worried silence.

***

Erica is asleep, curled against the chair, her hand still safely tucked in Steve's own, when a nurse steps into the room. Steve recognizes her as Eddie's nurse and he can feel his heart squeeze and threaten to plummet in his chest, he's so sure something has gone wrong. It must show on his face, how worried he is, because she holds up a placating hand and gives him an encouraging smile.

"There's nothing wrong," she says, for good measure, "Mr. Munson just asked me to come find you, let you know he'll be heading to work soon."

Steve feels the vice in his chest loosen a fraction and takes as deep a breath as he can manage. "Thank you," he tells her with a grateful smile. "If you can, let him know I'll be over there shortly?"

She nods before heading back out the door.

Steve looks down at Erica's sleeping face. Even asleep, her brow is furrowed and a frown pulls the corners of her mouth down. He’s again struck by just how young she is; how young they all are. His gaze drifts to Lucas who, like Erica, has succumbed to the exhaustion they’re all feeling and is slumped over on Max’s bed. Then to Max, to the four casts holding her limbs immobile, the neck brace keeping her head still. Even her face is motionless and it’s so incongruous with her normal impudence and spark.

Steve runs a hand over his eyes.

He never should have let her go through with the plan. She’s a child, not fucking bait and he just let it happen. You were supposed to be the responsible one, moron! You were supposed to take care of all of them! And now look - Max and Eddie both nearly dead and the others injured and -

He bites his lip, pinches the end of his nose. Shoves it back down. He can yell at himself later.

Gently, he extricates his hand from Erica’s, prays she doesn’t wake. She needs the rest. He peels his jacket off and lays it over her, then lets Ms. Hargrove know he’s going back to check on Eddie and what room he’ll be in. She gives him a tight smile and nods. Thanks him for being there for Max. He doesn’t say anything, just nods and retreats into the hallway.

Anyway, yeah, I like that part, it's one of my favorites that I’ve written.

Not gonna tag too many people, and the tags, as always, are no pressure. So if you're working on something and would like to share: @scoops-stevie @willowworkswithwords @steves-strapcollection @nitro502 @madaboutmunson @stevesbipanic @unclewaynemunson @henderdads

(And my whiny reason for taking three weeks to get to this: the last week of school was crazy and draining as always, but then these last two weeks of adjusting into summer break got insane, too - between taking care of my sister's dogs while she took two of her girls to London/Paris for two weeks, chauffeuring another niece to and from band or basketball, and yet more family visiting, I think today is the first real day I've had to breathe 😅 life always finds a way to impede me from doing one of the things I love most, which is responding to tags and tag games and wip stuff.)

[acidicbarkbeast]

wip wordsearch game

rules: share snippets of your work containing each of the words the previous poster selected for you (optional addition: if you can't find the word in your WIPs, or you simply don't have any WIPs, you can just write a sentence around the word) invited by: @afewproblems i never get tagged in these so thank you for making yours an open invitation!!! here goes! last two happen together, just my luck. answering to the words -> concentrate, loose, fire, bubble, giddy

concentrate:

He knew that the kids would never take it seriously, how could someone like Steve be so concentrated, each stroke deft and thoughtful, meaningful.

Harrington Senior would call it useless, a waste of time better spent elsewhere, an expensive waste of money too, something that would never return a profit either.

He already knew what his mother thought of it all, when she’d stumbled to the basement instead of the wine cellar. She’d said a lot of things that evening; messy, senseless, uncoordinated and unfocused.

Steve had never stopped. He couldn’t help when the words occasionally got to him, when the basement door would stay closed for days or weeks, but ultimately he never quit. The paintings filled every corner, every wall, some sitting unfinished on easels, others stacked against furniture or piled on top of each other.

loose:

“I’m just saying that it doesn’t make any sense!” Steve threw his hands up in defense, shaking his head as if to clear the conversation from his brain. Eddie wouldn’t be surprised if he had to knock some words loose from all that hair, “Is this guy even a real, actual myth? I feel like I would've heard of him by now, if he was so interesting and important.”

"One; real myth is an oxymoron." Dustin accentuated, “Two; I’m sure there are plenty of things you don’t know, Steve. There are lots of things even I don’t know!” He patted the older teen’s chest reassuringly, “It’s good you’re curious, though. Curiosity is what drives most if not all of scientific exploration. Think of it, if not for our inquisitiveness and persistence, we would have never made it to the moon!”

“Sure.” Steve eyed the kid, “Just… Don’t call me a moron, pipsqueak.”

fire:

“Trailer shower barely fits one person, sunshine.” Not to mention, Eddie had never really been with anyone before Steve, at least, not so seriously. There was no need to say it aloud, they’d had the talk before, early on, followed by what was quite possibly the most tender night of Eddie’s life, every touch setting small fires on virgin skin.

Leaning down, Steve nosed along his jawline, breathing him in, “First time for both of us then, if you’re willing?”

Eddie leaned back, a mix of playful and surprised, “You haven't?”

“Felt too intimate, never got that far with a girl,” Steve mumbled, though not sadly. He’d been speaking quieter than Eddie’s ever known him since his hearing really went out after the bats, always unsure of how loud he was truly being. It made pulling those wanton sounds out of him all the more thrilling.

bubble:

Once. Twice. Eddie reread the letter three times before the first period bell went off, stragglers hurrying around him. He didn’t know what to think of it. Somehow, he found the odd few spelling mistakes endearing where he once might have found them annoying. It was confounding, the sheer effect this had on his lonely heart

It wasn’t like he was being summoned anywhere either, not like sophomore year, when he’d been foolishly lured to the football field and sent home with a black eye. This felt safer, like a phone call in a bubble. It felt private. He had a choice in receiving more letters. He could say no with just the flick of a marker, no time lost, no bruises. He could say yes just the same.

giddy:

An urge which he absolutely resented went off like an alarm in his head. He was mildly horrified, finding himself inclined to indulge some baser instinct of himself, something he’d normally chide others for doing. He rubbed the pads of his thumbs over the paper, possessive, before bringing the letter up to his nose, and breathing deep.

The smell had a vice on him immediately, scarily. Too sweet for a beta, too savory for an omega, not sharp and pungent like an alpha might be. It was smoked maple wood and marshmallows. It was breakfast for dinner: sausage rounds, pancakes drowning in pecan syrup, salty bacon. It had his mouth watering right there in public.

Eddie wanted more, he was giddy with it.



This was fun!!

anyone who wants to do this can say i tagged them, idc :3 Your words are -> heart, ink, brave, offence, consider

[afewproblems]

98 for Robin?

98. "Hold me back!"

Ahhh thank you very much for this! I'm sorry it was so late nonny!

This is taking place in the same universe as this piece which you can also read on AO3

***

"I swear to God" Robin moans as she smacks her head onto the counter, "I will walk into traffic if I have to explain the plot of Labyrinth one more time". 

Steve puts the money from the recent rental into the till and shrugs, "I dunno Birdy, I liked your take on it this time". 

She snorts, finally cracking a grin, "you just liked the look on her face when I talked about how half the movie is Bowie's package and the other half is Muppets". 

"Potato, Tomato," Steve hums, closing the till with a soft snick.

For a Saturday opening shift it had been strangely slow. 

They had their usual guests during the day, screaming children with parents who were clearly at the end of their tether. Irritating teens who stole as many snacks as their thieving little backpacks could handle. Movie nerds who asked for as many titles as they could think of before settling on something so obscure there was no way they carried it -or on the off chance Family Video did have it in their inventory, it was already checked out. 

However, with half an hour until Keith was set to arrive for the closing shift, the front door bell jingled harshly to announce a new presence in the store and in an instant Robin’s stomach falls into her shoes. 

Because Tommy Hagan and Carol Perkins have just walked in. 

Robin has dealt with assholes from highschool before, she had to wear a sailor outfit with shorts for her last job for fucks sake, but she’s also never gotten into a physical fight with any schmucks from her forth period algebra class. 

Steve on the other hand…

He’s on the other side of the counter all of a sudden, standing in between her and Tommy.

His expression seems neutral, but Robin can read the line of tension in his shoulders as Carol whispers something into Tommy’s ear.

"Welcome to Family Video," Robin says, her voice clipped and stony, "it's two for one Saturday and all the sections are labeled so you should be able to get in and get out". 

"Come on, we just got here," Tommy scoffs, he's glaring openly at Steve while Carol seems to be scanning Robin, watching her carefully.

"Boy, you really do have a type huh Stevie," Carol sneers from Tommy's side, "at least this one plays an instrument, she's just as stuck up as Wheeler though from what I remember".

"If you guys don't want to rent anything, then leave," Steve says slowly, deliberately with wary hostility.

"You're suddenly so fucking tough huh?" Tommy scoffs, stepping closer towards Steve.

Carol moves with him but her eyes widen slightly in surprise, she grabs at his arm and pulls just slightly, "Tommy--"

"I'm not going to fight you man," Steve sighs, running a hand over his face and into his hair, Robin watches as his shoulders droop ever so slightly.

She knows Steve has complicated feelings about his former friends, they'd known one another for such a long time and those old feelings don't just disappear.

He'd been hurt to see Tommy and Carol gravitate towards Billy so easily. To egg him on as he bullied Steve their senior year, the tables turned so suddenly it was like whiplash.

Well, Steve may feel conflicted about his old shithead friends, but Robin has no such compunction.

"He won't but I will," Robin blurts out, the words run away from her faster than she can even catch up to them.

Steve closes his eyes, his expression pained while Tommy and Carol both turn to her with equal looks of surprise. 

Huh, it's the first time in her life she's ever seen Carol Perkins speechless and it's glorious. 

Robin lets the thrill of it carry her forward until she's stepped around the counter to stand beside Steve.

“Yeah, Steve's gonna have to hold me back,” Robin snarls as she grabs Steve’s hand and places it on her own shoulder. 

Steve gives her a withering look as he mimes pulling a zipper over his own mouth.

"You let your bitch off her leash huh Harrington?" Tommy says with a lecherous grin as he stares at them both.

He lets out two barks and laughs again as he swings an arm around Carol's shoulder, her tinkling laugh joins his own and Robin can't believe this is even happening. Did she hit her head getting out of Steve's car this morning?

Fuck this.

"Funny stuff Hagan," Robin bites out, "your ass must be pretty jealous of your mouth for all the nasty shit it gets to spew in public".

"What did you just say to me?" Tommy snarls as he stomps closer, his ears have turned a ruddy pink that matches the flush crawling up his neck.

Carol tries to reach for his arm, whispering, "just drop it Tommy, let's go," but he wrenches away from her and continues forward, only stopping as a flat palm catches him in the chest.

Steve stands his ground in front of Tommy, looking down his nose with cold eyes. 

Steve told her about the last time he and Tommy had squared off. It was just before Robin spotted Steve outside the corner store while she waited for her mother to pay for their things, the aftermath that she hadn't thought much of at the time, but now…

Steve walks forward, using his height to his advantage to tower imposingly over Tommy, his face twisted into a vicious snarl that Robin has only seen one other time, underneath Starcourt.

"Get out, I don't want to tell you again Tommy," Steve says lowly under his breath, just loud enough that Robin has to strain to hear him. 

Tommy's eyes narrow as his mouth pulls into a sneer, "and what are you gonna do about it, you're not scary Harrington," he grins despite taking a step back as Steve continues forward, pushing them towards the front door. 

"I don't have to be scary, but I do have an in with your drug dealer and I can make it impossible for you to score for as long as you live in this godforsaken shithole". 

"You're bluffing".

"Try me," Steve whispers just as the bell dings again at the front of the store. Tommy doesn't look away from Steve even as Carol exclaims a small, 'oh', beside him.

Robin smirks and leans back against the counter, raising her hand in an enthusiastic wave towards the entrance, "hey Eddie!"

Tommy curses under his breath and wrenches himself away from Steve, just in time to see the murderous expression on Eddie's face. 

Carol takes the opportunity to grab at the sleeve of Tommy's shirt and drag him the last few steps away towards the door, they give Eddie a wide berth as they pass. 

Tommy glares at Steve and Robin the entire way, muttering curses under his breath as Robin blows them a kiss with her middle finger.

The bell jingles again as the door swings open and falls gently closed, leaving them in an uneasy silence. 

"You guys okay?" Eddie says quietly after a beat, he steps towards Steve, his brow pinched with concern.

Steve nods silently before turning towards Robin. She expects a lecture from the frown on his face but blinks in surprise as Steve pulls her into a tight hug.

"Don't do that again," he mumbles into her hair, she opens her mouth to speak, to insist that she doesn't need a babysitter like his gaggle of children.

"I know it's just Tommy," Steve breathes out as though reading her mind, "but I don't think I could handle it if something happened to you Robin, I mean it". 

And all at once the fight drains out of her as Robin wonders just how she wound up with someone like Steve Harrington in her corner. 

"I wasn't going to let them talk shit," she huffs, despite pressing even closer, she feels his head shake against her own.

"I can take a hit and I'm not going to let some asshole have a chance to go after you too," he says sharply. 

Robin rolls her eyes and steps back just enough to look him in the eyes, "remember what your annoying child friend said, if you die, I die".

She shrugs at the incredulous expression on his face, "what? Smartest thing that kid has ever said". 

"You're ridiculous," Steve whispers and there's so much warm affection in his voice as he squeezes her once more, that Robin has to bury her face in his shoulder to hide the sudden shine in her eyes.

Eddie seems to take this as his cue to move forward and let his hand rest on Steve's lower back, the pinched look fading slightly as he smiles at Robin. 

"Well, my original plan was to take Stevie here, out after his shift, buuut I'm thinking the three of us are in need of a night on the town, what do you say Buckaroo?" Eddie asks with a waggles of his eyebrows and a wide grin. 

"I'll come if you never call me that again," Robin says with as much of a straight face as she can muster.

Steve barks out a laugh as he leans into Eddie's side, "oh you've done it now Buckaroo". 

Robin squawks and flaps her hands at Steve until he ducks away behind Eddie who immediately shields his face with his hands. 

"You think way too highly of me if you think that's where I'm aiming," Robin says dryly, snorting as Eddie gasps and lifts a leg for further protection, prompting them both to collapse into a fit of giggles while Steve watches fondly.

They all eventually relax, falling into an easy conversation as Steve and Robin finish up the last of the morning duties. The tension from earlier fading away as Eddie sits on the counter top, with his eyes on the door, watching out, just in case.

[afewproblems]

I’m such a slut for Steddie season 2 au’s and yours is one of the best ones I’ve read so far. It’s so good, I can’t wait to see how Eddie handles the Steve vs Billy fight with the kids if he’s there, or how he handles the aftermath!!

Ahhh thank you so much 😊 that is so kind of you!! I also really love season two and season three, they are the ones to get me initially interested in the stranger things fan space a few years ago and then season four really got me into writing for this fandom. So, we really have Steve, Robin, and Eddie to thank for that ❤️

I had such an amazing conversation yesterday about part five and beyond with @strangersteddierthings and how adding Eddie would alter that path of Canon and all of the potential whump factor that it introduces, and I'm very excited to see your reactions!!

Also can I just say that the way they treat injuries in the show, and in so many other properties, is so minimized, like Steve gets hit over the head with a plate and gets back up again....like sir??

But ahh I'm so glad that people like this AU! It got me out of a writing slump and I'm so grateful for that!

[afewproblems]

Steddie breakup fix it!! <3

Thank you very much! I'm sorry this took so long!

***

"Hello miss Robin, tell me Steve hung up all your pictures you brought with you?" Wayne asks, Steve can hear the smile in his voice and rolls his eyes as Robin scoffs.

"Does it count if they're crooked?" She says as she ducks away from Steve's elbow. They scuffle for just a moment before Wayne clears his throat to get their attention again.

"Listen kids, I did call for a reason".

All at once Steve can picture Wayne pacing around the trailer kitchen, twisting his fingers into the cord, he knows that tone.

Robin looks from the phone in Steve's hand to meet his eyes nervously, she may not know Wayne as well as he does but she can certainly read Steve like a book.

Wayne sighs long and loud, it crackles over the receiver but Steve doesn't dare pull it away from his ear, "Eddie's moving".

Steve stops breathing, he feels Robin gently take the phone from his hands as his grip loosens. 

He belatedly hears Robin say something but the words sound too far away because Steve knows. 

He doesn't need Wayne to say it. 

Because Steve knew what Eddie's plan was, his dream. And whether Steve was involved, or not, didn't matter anymore.

Eddie was coming to Chicago.

[afewproblems]

If you’re doing Wip Wednesday this week - I’d love a snippet of the steddie break up/fix it fic!!

Hello Nonny and @klausinamarink I'm so sorry this is so late!

Please enjoy for the WIP Weekend, a snippet from this series.

Wayne calls exactly two days after Steve and Robin have officially unpacked the last of the boxes, their move officially complete. 

It’s Robin who answers their new landline, an old ugly lime green handset with a mile long cord that could extend from the kitchen into the living room. She found it in a garage sale before they left and immediately snatched it from the folding table with a gleeful cackle.

It stands out garishly amid the cream walls, which have turned a rather grimey yellow from years of old smoke stains from prior tenants, but it’s theirs all the same.

“I feel like a real adult,” Robin says, a hint of awe in her voice as Steve screws the phone base into the wall beside the fridge.

Steve looks over his shoulder with a raised eyebrow and an indulgent smile, “this is what did it for you? This green monstrosity?”

She rolls her eyes and jabs her fingers into his side, startling a yelp out of him as he tries to move away while still maintaining his grip on the phone.

“No dingus, this is ours,” she gestures around their kitchen, “and we can do whatever we want with it, there are no rules!” 

Steve pauses, letting the thought sink in. He’s never truly had his own space before, not one he could do with as he pleased -a haunting vision of plaid wallpaper and curtains passes through him; he shudders and gazes at the ugly phone with a new appreciation. 

This was their space…and it was exhilarating.

Robin calls Steve over for him to grab the receiver which he holds to his good ear with a grin, Robin squeezes in close to listen as well.

They had kept in touch the last few years, even after Eddie refused to be in the same room as him, and Steve loves the old man for that. Given that he hasn’t spoken to his own parents since ‘85 when they kicked him out, Wayne is the only, parental figure Steve has left.

Make Me Write!

[afewproblems]

does your pizza ficlet have a name? it’s enough words to put in my fanfiction spreadsheet and i would like to be able to put a name down for it.

(i’m sorry if that sounds rude! you don’t need to give it a name if you don’t want lol, i’m fine with leaving the section untitled, but it just makes it better to have a name 😭 i really hope i don’t sound entitled.)

Hello! No worries at all, I think I'll keep it fairly simple and cute and title the story: Special Delivery

I hope that helps 😊 and you don't sound entitled at all, it makes me happy to hear that you like the story enough to add it to your spreadsheet!

[afewproblems]

kas!eddie au for wip weekend? :3

Thank youuuuuuu I haven't worked on this for such a long time so it was a treat to come back to it! <3

Based on this series!

“I don’t understand why Eddie would have gone to Steve,” Dustin says, probably louder than he intends, but based on the accompanying glare Steve receives, he’s not so sure of that. 

Robin rubs Steve’s shoulder, shooting her own glare at Dustin, “want me to jersey the little punk?” she asks quietly as they fall into step with one another. 

Steve shakes his head silently. He can’t even bring himself to be angry with Dustin, he had been the one to leave Eddie there that night, that was a charge he could not fight.

“Keep your trap shut,” Hopper bites out from the front of the group, “if you want to give away the element of surprise you little shit, by all means keep going”.

There’s a rustle in the brambles ahead of them and Hopper stops so suddenly, lifting his gun to aim in the direction of the noise, that Jonathan nearly collides with his back. Nancy’s hand on her boyfriend’s shoulder is the only warning he receives. 

Everyone freezes where they stand.

The rustling has stopped but it's as though no one dares to breathe and risk disrupting the strange silence of the trees. 

It isn’t until Hopper lowers his gun that everyone begins moving once more. Robin steps closer to Steve, she doesn’t seem particularly pleased to be bringing up the rear but refuses to leave his side. 

They had eventually left the safety of the cabin in one large group, ready to deal with whatever lay in wait for them in the forest. It was closer to dusk than anyone would have liked, but they needed time to prepare for any eventuality --no one was leaving anything to chance despite Will and El’s insistence there was no hint of any lingering presence of Vecna lurking in the shadows of Hawkins.

Still, they had made sure to pack all of the party member’s cassettes with their favorite music and enough batteries to power the sun before setting off on their trek, tracing Steve’s fevered path he had taken through the trees just a few hours earlier. 

Steve carries the Byers large boom box by the handle, insisting on bearing the weight as well as the Black Sabbath tape Eddie had lent to Mike before any of this had even started.

Mike had eye’d Steve suspiciously when he had asked for it, spurred on by the cold shoulder Dustin had been giving Steve for weeks. 

“Why do you want it?” he asked with a sneer on his lips.

Because I want to bring Eddie home just as much as you do, Steve thinks, because I need to fix this, it’s my fault he’s like this --because I need him here…

But Steve doesn’t voice any of these reasons and goes so far as to shove the last thought away from himself as though burned. 

“Because I’ll be the bait,” Steve says simply with a shrug of his shoulders.

Make Me Write!

[afewproblems]

dude, i wanna hear you gush about the new ficlet you just posted. i love that shit. brag about yourself, be your biggest fan. i wanna hear it all 💖

Based on this Ask Box Fic I just posted!

I always feel so weird talking about my writing, so thank you and @flowercrowngods for making me feel a little better about it!

One thing I LOVE, and it seems other people really liked as well, is the line:

"They're too young for wrinkles but Steve can see where they will eventually make their home, a whole future on Eddie's face".

I just, I don't know what happened. My hand slipped and this came out!

Steve can picture their future in this moment, it's as though it's solidifying for him. What had been uncertain all of a sudden becomes clear and he wants so so badly to see Eddie older.

For them both to be older, to make it.

And Eddie just being so fricken sappy with all the kisses, making Steve laugh only to jokingly reprimand him for laughing too hard to kiss properly.

My wheelhouse is angst and hurt and comfort, but this felt so nice to write. Like, AHH! I just want to hug them both -is that unhinged? Let me worry about that.

[afewproblems]

childhood friends steddie for wip weekend? 💕

Thank you!! Oh my goodness, I was hoping this AU would get some love because the Steve and the Demogorgon AU is INTIMIDATING haha!

Steve tries to sit up but the movement pulls at the cannula around his face and the IV in his arm. He hisses at the tug of the needle and flops back down against the flat pillow behind his head. The heart rate monitor ticks up slightly at the movement, seemingly calling out to the nurses at the station outside. As if on cue, a nurse steps into the room, followed by his mother.  Diane Harrington always looked put together. Pearls, heels, never a hair out of place. Today however, Diane's pale wane face stares at Steve in stony silence. No makeup, her hair sits flat against her head. A fine tremor runs over her clenched hands but she smooths down the front of her shirt to hide it.

WIP Weekend - Make me Write!

[afewproblems]

For WIP weekend - Childhood AU!

- steddie-there

Ahhhhh thank you my friend! Based on this piece In my Heart is a Memory (And There You'll Always Be) - which I am very excited about!

His mother checks in with him twice during the week. His dad has already left for his most recent work trip and Diane is planning to leave as well, at least until Sunday when Steve is expected to be discharged. 

“I’ll be gone for five days, but you’ll be here anyway, and they are taking good care of you aren’t they?” she asks, her voice uncharacteristically soft for once as she takes his cheek in her cold hand. 

Diane’s fingers brush the oxygen hosing around his cheek, Claudia had called it something weird --a canny-something-or-other. 

Diane lets go abruptly as if burned; her nose wrinkling slightly as she rubs her fingers against the palm of her hand.

She stands up from her seat at the side of his bed, smoothing down his blankets as she does so. Diane meets his gaze once, her pale blue eyes almost seem to look past him, before she hikes her handbag further up her arm.

“I’m leaving the number of the hotel with your Nurse Henry, and you’ll be home before you know it,” she nods with a forced smile and turns on her heel to slip out the door of his room before Steve can even correct her.

He hopes Claudia did get the number, that there isn’t some strange Nurse Henry with more access to his mother than even Steve is allowed. 

Make me Write!

[afewproblems]

The snippet for WIP Weekend has me so intrigued, I would love to read some more of the Childhood friends Steddie fic 🫶

Ahhh thank you thank you!

Steve does attend the following Monday, despite the cool tone in his mothers voice as he argues with her, Diane does relent enough to let Steve go back to class. 

His teachers welcome him back with little to no fanfare, his History teacher even goes so far as to reprimand him for missing an entire week, but at least he hasn't missed that much. 

Lunch is what Steve is looking forward to.

He looks around the busy cafeteria with his lunch tray, head on a swivel as he searches for a mop of curly brown hair. Eddie said he could sit at his table but he hadn't mentioned which one that was.

WIP Weekend - Make Me Write!